Buying a house or condo in Philadelphia that has a deeded parking spot is  great even if you don’t own a car.  There are  too many perks to list but the most important being resale value of your  property.  It’s fair to assume that you can automatically add $20,000-$40,000  to the value of your property if you have a deeded parking spot on the  premises.  Not only is the parking spot huge for the resale of your Philadelphia Home, but if you  are not using it, you can easily rent the spot out to one of us who aren’t as  privileged as you.   Monthly parking rates in Philly tend to run anywhere from  $175-$375 depending on where the parking spot.  Think if you rented your spot out  for only $200 a month, you could put that towards your mortgage or anything else, PLUS you have a major selling point to add to your  home!  Any who, if you can pick a property up here in Philly that has parking and  you don’t necessarily need it, don’t cross it off your list.  If you  need any help finding a place here in Philadelphia, with or without parking,  feel free to drop me an email!

If you have any questions or are looking for real estate in the downtown  Philadelphia area, email me at Zach@CenterCity.com!  I look forward to  hearing from you.

Zach Skidmore
www.CenterCityHomes.com / 215.901.7844
Prudential Fox and Roach REALTORS®
530 Walnut St., Suite 260 Philadelphia, PA 19106

Zach Skidmore
www.CenterCityHomes.com / 215.901.7844
Prudential Fox and Roach REALTORS®
530 Walnut St., Suite 260 Philadelphia, PA 19106

Thinking about selling your Philadelphia Home? If so, hopefully this blog will help guide you in how to prepare forputting your house on the market.

For houses that are already updated, or for seller’sthat aren’t wanting to do any fix-ups:  It isamazing what a good cleaning and decluttering will do for showing yourhome.  Take a weekend to prepare your house for sale.  Spend Saturday decluttering and gettingrid of all that “stuff.”  Decluttering will help your home appearbigger, and you may end up with a better layout without changing anythingstructural.  It’s all mental.  Get rid of all personal itemssuch as family pictures and gifts from Grandma and Grandpa….. (I am notsuggesting you throw them away, just get them out of site.)  When potential buyers see pictures of youliving in the house, it is hard for them to imagine them living inthe house.  “Google” home staging tips, and visit openhouses in your area for ideas on how to prepare your home for sale.  Thiswill help to not only to see what the competition is like, but also to stealideas!  When it’s your own house, it’s hard to see what the possible”hang-ups” that buyers might have. (Everybody is guilty of this.) When going out to visit open houses, take your time and think about whatcomes to mind when viewing a house for the first time.  This will help younext time you are walking through your own front door.  I bet you will seesomething that needs changed, removed or fixed.  Spend Sunday deep-cleaning the wholehouse.  Go to Wal-Mart and buy $30 worth of cleaning supplies, and Ipromise you this will be the best return you’ll ever get on $30bucks!  Start on the main floor and work your way out.  I say thisbecause it’s a fact that as time goes on, you’re going to get lazy with the”deep-cleaning.”  We can’t have you getting lazy on the firstfloor as it’s the first impression a prospective buyer will have.

For houses that need work, or for seller’s that wantto give their house a face-lift:  Start by declutteringand getting everything that isn’t a necessity out of the way and intostorage.  Depending on how much work needs to be done, you may need tocontact a contractor or somebody to help with the fix-up process. REMEMBER the GOLDEN RULE when getting your house ready for sale……DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY ON PROJECTS THAT WILL NOT DIRECTLY RESULT INAN INCREASE IN VALUE!   That being said, there are alwaysexceptions to the rules. For example, if you must sell your home quickly due topersonal reasons or what not, there may be things you will want todo to improve aesthetic appeal that may not bring a direct return oninvestment, and though you won’t see a direct monetary return, you will besaving money by not having your house on the market longer than it needs tobe.  For example, replacing your roof before you sell your houseshould directly result in an increase in sales price (and maybe a quickersale), whereas replacing the front door most likely will not.

Always keep in mind that most buyer’s will buy based on their emotions and feelings they get when they walk through the door…..this will trump most other feelings……(as long as the house has walls and a roof!)

  Zach Skidmore
www.CenterCityHomes.com / 215.901.7844
Prudential Fox and Roach REALTORS®
530 Walnut St., Suite 260 Philadelphia, PA 19106

Interested in buying a new Philadelphia Home?  Check out the possibility of buying with and FHA Mortgage.  Read information that mortgage expert Jason Griesser has provided in  FHA BASICS!

Zach Skidmore
www.CenterCityHomes.com / 215.901.7844
Prudential Fox and Roach REALTORS®
530 Walnut St., Suite 260
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Zach Skidmore
www.CenterCityHomes.com / 215.901.7844
Prudential Fox and Roach REALTORS®
530 Walnut St., Suite 260 Philadelphia, PA 19106

As a buyer’s agent specialist I know what buyers are looking for in today’s market and every buyer is different.  That being said, there is one equality that every buyer shares…..almost every buyer will know within 30 seconds of walking through the front door if that specific house is a possibility and could make their “short list.”  Most buyers are aesthetic buyers and if the walk in and the layout is nice, there’s no clutter and it’s clean, then consider it on the short list.   Center City buyer’s are smart and usually have already done their homework and if they haven’t hopefully their agent has done it for them. They usually already know bed and bath count and square footage, what they don’t know is interior condition, layout and “feel.”  It’s very important that sellers make that first 30 seconds count.  The best thing a seller can do is go to open houses in the area and pretend they are buying.  Walk through the door and instinct will take over, something that disappears when walking into your own home.  This will also help you to know your competition and how you stack up.  Be realistic too because everybody thinks their house is the best. (I’m guilty) Then try walking into your own home and seeing it from and outsiders point of view, although hard to do, very helpful.  Maybe you enjoy having a hot pink-bedazzled-popcorn ceiling and it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, but step out of your shoes and look at it as a prospective buyer….and I’m just kidding, if you have a ceiling like that please don’t bother putting it up for sale.

Seller’s, use this 30 seconds to your advantage.  Stand in your doorway and take it all in.  Little things like a nice smell, layout and cleanliness make a buyer feel comfortable and at ease.  Try it!

Zach Skidmore
www.CenterCityHomes.com / 215.901.7844
Prudential Fox and Roach REALTORS®
530 Walnut St., Suite 260 Philadelphia, PA 19106

Southwest Square, AKA – Rittenhouse Square is one of the most desirable places in Center City Philadelphia.  It sits in the heart of it all, surrounded by the city’s biggest and most abundant high-rises this beautiful square is one of the 5 that exist in Center City.  Rittenhouse Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn in the late 17th century.  The other 4 squares are: Centre Square (City Hall) Northeast Square (Franklin Square) Northwest Square (Logan Square / Logan Circle) Southeast Square (Washington Square).  Southwest Square, now named Rittenhouse Square received its new name in 1825 after David Rittenhouse who was a descendant of the German immigrant, William Rittenhouse.  William was the first paper-maker in Philadelphia and his original paper-mill site is known as Rittenhousetown which is located in Fairmount Park along Paper Mill Run.

Today this stunning square is surrounded by beautiful highrise condominiums and office buildings.  Rittenhouse neighborhood is not only populated by high-rise condos but also by some of the city’s most fantastic Victorian homes.  With the highest prices per square foot of any neighborhood in Philadelphia, Rittenhouse has many types of living sure to please all who see.  For more information on Rittenhouse Square and its real estate, please call or email Zach Skidmore at Zach@CenterCity.com / 215.901.7844!

Zach Skidmore
www.CenterCityHomes.com / 215.901.7844
Prudential Fox and Roach REALTORS®
530 Walnut St., Suite 260 Philadelphia, PA 19106

Although this “cost comparison” will apply to any type of home, new or old, let’s assume you are buying a new construction home in the heart of Bella Vista Philadelphia; if you are savvy money person and analytical when it comes to your finances you will not only understand the importance of buying at the low point in the market but how it pertains to you in a monetary sense.  Let’s make this simple…..interest rates play a huge role in money owed on your note throughout your 30 year mortgage.  For example see chart below:

Price     /       Mortgage   /   1% Interest Savings – 8 Years  /  2% Price Depreciation

$249,750       $200,000          $11,520                                                          $4,995
$375,000       $300,000          $17,088                                                         $7,500
$500,000       $400,000          $22,752                                                        $10,000

Zach Skidmore
www.CenterCityHomes.com / 215.901.7844
Prudential Fox and Roach REALTORS®
530 Walnut St., Suite 260 Philadelphia, PA 19106

When is the right time to buy?  I don’t mean now or next month but actually Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter?  Most cities in the United States have seasonal real estate markets but even more so here in Philadelphia.  By purchasing a home in certain times of the year, you could actually pay more or less than the norm. The Philadelphia Real Estate Market has a big surge of buyers during the spring market and this drives demand for certain types of properties, even in a down market.  By coming out of the woodwork along with the other thousands of buyers in the spring, you might actually be putting yourself at a disadvantage.  There is more competition and you bet your a$$  that the agent the seller’s are using is telling them this.  In my OPINION the best time to list a house for sale is late Februrary or March 1.  This is usually when we see a big jump in ”buying traffic.”  On the other hand, the best time to buy is coming up on the dead of winter.  Use caution because if there is a certain property that you like in the spring, I wouldn’t advise waiting until the snow starts, this could result in you losing that home to another buyer.  BUT, if you are just starting your search then I advise the fall as the best time.  This way your agent can show you what’s on the market and with winter around the corner a lot of the seller’s get anxious and want to sell instead of having their property sit on the market through the winter.  Obviously real estate continues through the winter but it’s no secret that it slows down and this might play to your advantage when it comes time to make an offer.  Shopping for a house in the winter can be a good thing but also could be a double edge sword; I say this because most seller’s in Philadelphia know this fact and will decide to hold out on listing their house until Spring approaches.  So you as a buyer might not have the type of inventory expected in the Spring.  This is just some input I thought all buyer’s and seller’s should know although I’m sure you already know!

Zach Skidmore
www.CenterCityHomes.com / 215.901.7844
Prudential Fox and
Roach REALTORS®
530 Walnut St., Suite 260 Philadelphia, PA 19106