November 2010 Newsletter  

 Here’s What’s Happening in Hearthstone

All of these are 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath unless stated otherwise

ACTIVE: 4819 Green Heather Court—A Gorgeous “Creamery” with master sitting room addition, finished basement, newer hardwood flooring, granite and a great yard! Another Gutner Team Listing!! See the virtual tour at www.gutner.com! $500,000! This home is perfect and indication of how slow the market is!
3853 W. Brandon Way - a Creamery, fireplace, finished basement, a SHORT SALE. Listed at $429,900 for 288 days.
4976 Melissa Ct - a Creamery, fireplace, unfin, bsmt.. Originally $485,000 reduced to $439,900; listed for 295 days.
3885 W. Brandon—A Creamery w/ pond views. Fin bsmt. Was $489,900, now $474,000; listed for 119 days.
PENDING: 3776 Amberton Way—Creamery model with granite, finished basement, side entrance garage, full stone front. Another Gutner Team Listing! Listed at $489,900.
3905 Amberton Way — a Creamery model, granite, custom tile backsplash, full finished basement, stone front, fenced yard. Wow! Very aggressively priced and only on the market 16 days!!! Listed at $469,900.
SETTLED: None.

Cold Spring Hunt:
ACTIVE: 5020 Mead Dr. - an Eaton in perfect condition! 2 full, 2 half Baths, finished basement, granite, greenhouse. A Gutner Team Listing. See the virtual tour at www.gutner.com. NOW $482,500!!!!
4940 Redfield Rd - A Northampton, Granite counters, crown molding, large finished basement with bar. Was $495,000, then $485,000, now $475,000. On the market for 118 days. Just sold last year for $460,000.
4160 Herbst Dr - a Belmont, first floor study with custom built-ins, granite counters, stone gas fireplace,. Originally asking 535,00, reduced to 529,900 and now to $519,900. On the market for 160 days.
4140 Herbst Dr.—A Haverford with master bedroom sitting area and patio. Asking $529,900 for 29 days.
UNDER AGREEMENT: 4810 Redfield Rd, A Gutner Team Listing: Just Listed: The only Dartmouth floorplan in the Hunt! Impeccable condition! Granite and Tile in kitchen, Great Breakfast room, Master Sitting Room. $519,900. See it at www.gutner.com. On the market for 21 days!

So . . . What’s Up with your competition? In Buckingham Township alone, looking at homes priced between $450,000 and $550,000, there are 27 homes on the market. Over the past year, an average of 3 homes sell per month. Soooo . . . This means that there is a 9 month accumulation of inventory. In other words, if nothing else came on the market it in this price range, it would take 9 months to clear out the inventory. Same price range, looking at Buckingham, Plumstead and Doylestown, there are 75 homes on the market, 9 sales per month average for an Inventory accumulation of 12 months. If you want to be one of the 9 homes that sells every month you need to do a few things. Call us, we’ll help you out!

HOW NOT TO BE ON THE MARKET FOR LONG
If you are thinking that a move is in your future you need to begin NOW. You may think that you don’t have a lot to do to go on the market, but we’ll bet there are things you MUST do that you don’t even know. We are very slow between now and the end of January and if you would like us to help you make your list of to-do’s to get ready for market, feel free to give us a call. We have done this for several people and it will really help you to move your home faster and for a better price.

Still haven’t Re-Financed?

Over the next few months mortgage rates will be at their best. Whenever the market slows down, rates go down and we’re coming into the winter months. If you are staying in your home for 5 more years you should really consider recasting your loan:


Loan Amount: $200,000 Rate: 6.25 Current Payment: $1,714 New Rate: 4.25 New Payment $1,504
Loan Amount $300,000 6.25 $2,572 4.25 $2,256
If you are trying to decide if you should do a 15 year mortgage here’s something to think about:


On a $200,000, 30 year mortgage at 4.5%, you’ll pay $164,813 in interest with a monthly payment of $1,013. Pay down the loan in 15 year (by making prepayments of about $517 per month on the mortgage balance) and your monthly payment would be $1,529 and you’d pay $75,396 in interest. If you went with a 15 year mortgage at 4% instead, you’d pay $66,286 in interest and have a payment of $1,479. So ask yourself if you’d be willing to pay a few thousand dollars more in interest for the flexibility of having an extra $500 a month to cover life’s expenses without tapping home equity. Also assess whether you’re disciplined enough to actually prepay the loan. If the answer is no, then a shorter-term mortgage is a good fit.

Tips to Save $$$$ on Your Utilities


Turn down your water heater. 13% of your home’s electricity goes to heating water. Set it to 130—140 degrees and install an Insulation jacket. Insulate the first six feet of piping that comes off of your heater.

Turn off heat drying on your dishwasher.

Switch to CFL lighting (4X less energy) and look for the new LED lighting options coming to Home Depot soon.

LED bulbs can also save you money in the long term, because an incandescent bulb requires about $300 worth of electricity over ten years of use. The LED bulbs cost $40 (for the 60 watt equivalent Zetalux) and $50 (for the 100 watt equivalent) and their cost to run over ten years is about $38. Multiply that by all the bulbs in your home . . . WOW!


Install a programmable thermostat. Futures markets predict an unprecedented raise in the cost of natural gas this year. In January you will be able to pick an alternative source (other than PECO) and get a more competitive rate. It will still go through PECO for billing and pipes, etc., but you’ll be able to lower your bill a little. YOU CAN DO THIS ON YOUR OWN. Many people are running around selling this but you can do this yourself!!!

Wash your clothes with a full load on cold. 90% of the energy consumed by your washing machine goes to heating the water.


Clean the condenser coils on your refrigerator(s)!! Especially if you have pets! Get out your vacuum and do it NOW! You should do this every 3 or 4 months to cut your energy and prolong the life of your refrigerator.

75% of your energy is from “phantom” users including televisions, VCRs, stereos, computers, phone chargers, etc. Turn them off when not in use!



Keller Williams Coat Drive—
WE are working with a Philadelphia organization and collecting coats that you don’t need anymore. If you have a coat or 2 that you are ready to part with, call or email me and I will pick up or you can leave it outside in a bag, or you can drop off to me at my house in Cold Spring Hunt at 4060 Hunt Drive. THANKS!!!