5 Great Questions To Ask At An Open House For Real Estate   An open house gives you a great opportunity to look more closely at Collegeville real estate you might be interested in buying. It also affords you the chance to chat with the owner or real estate agent so you can bring up any issues or hesitations you have with the home. Knowing what to ask can be difficult, so below are examples of questions to ask at the next open house you attend. Why has the seller decided to sell now? If you ask why the seller is moving, you could learn valuable information to help determine your offer -- or possibly whether or not you want to buy the home. Knowing whether the owners are about to go into foreclosure, have experienced trouble in the neighborhood, or if they've retired and completely paid o... 04/18/2013

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week - April 8, 2013   Last week's economic news includes several factors that drove U.S. mortgage rates lower. The Bank of Japan announced that it would increase its purchase of bonds by $1.4 trillion over the next two years.  This news caused yields on Japanese bonds to fall, which made U.S. bonds more appealing to international investors, that in turn increased MBS prices and caused mortgage rates to fall. Bumpy Employment Numbers Support Lower Interest Rates Other significant economic news involves an unexpected drop in the number of new jobs created last month. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Nonfarm Payrolls Report issued Friday indicated that 88,000 jobs were added in March, which fell considerably short of the expected 190,000 jobs added... 04/07/2013

Renovated 2012! Amazing House with Plenty of Upgrades! Listed By Marcie Purcell Long and Foster Real Estate, Inc. For  A Private Showing Contact Marcie at 215-534-2539 and Marciepurcell@yahoo.com     3 bedrooms 2.5 Baths New Kitchen Cabinets, GE Stainless Steel Appliances, and Tile Floor Dining Room with Crown Molding, Chair Rail, Laminate Oak Flooring New Carpet Through Out New Energy Effient Windows All New Bathrooms Walk In Closet In Master Bedroom New Water Heater Central Air New Deck 12 x 16 Views of the woods and creek Vaulted Ceilings with Skylight in Living Room Laundry Room on Main Floor Walkout Finished Basement with Woodburning Fireplace, Bar, and Sliding Glass Door to Cement Patio Fenced in Backyard 2 Car Carport 3 Storage Large Closets in Carport Area $100 per month for HOA... 02/28/2012

Updated 2/7/12 Providence View is a townhome community located just off the Oaks exit of Rt. 422.  With easy access to major employers like GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Quest Diagnositcs, Iron Mountain and SEI this development sits an a highly desirable area.  Along with these major employers you'll be just minutes from the Providence Town Center, Philadelphia Expo Center, Philadelphia Premium Outlets in Limerck and upscale shopping and dining in King Of Prussia. Providence View has a few different styles of townhomes.  There is a condo style with no garage, condo style with a garage and also a traditional townhouse style with garage.  A majority of the townhomes with the garage are located in the "Summit at Providence View" with many of these properties offering great views of Valley Forg... 11/29/2011

Updated 2/7/12 Hunt Club is a residential townhome community located just off Route 422 at the Oaks exit.  This development has over 160 homes built in the late 1990's and early 2000's.  This community sits in an optimum location, just minutes to the new Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, a quick drive to the huge Providence Town Center and easy access to King of Prussia and Philadelphia.  All this plus you can bike/walk to the Lower Perkiomen Valley Park to access the Perkiomen Trail and Schuylkill River trail that leads to downtown Philadelphia. Below you can see all the real estate activity for the year.  If you have any questions about this great community feel free to let us know. Address Status Days on Market Current Price Original Price Bedrooms/Baths End Unit Basement Notes   55... 11/28/2011

Updated 2/7/12  The Rittenhouse Square townhome community is a townhouse development located in Trappe Borough (Collegeville, PA).  With over 250 townhomes this community was built in 3 different phases.  The 1st phase (Rittenhouse Square) was built in the late 80's and early 90's and the 2nd phase (Hamilton Ct) was built in the late 1990's.  Below you will find information on all the homes that are currently available for sale, pending sale and those that have sold in the past year.  Take a look and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. Address Status Days on Market Current Price Original Price Bedrooms/Baths End Unit Basement Notes   213 Washington Active 450 $199,900 $219,900 3/2.5 No Unfinished     614 Hamilton Active 197 $259,900 $279,900 4/2.5 Yes Finished     ... 11/28/2011

Looking for a townhome for sale in Collegeville?  Check out every townhouse for sale in Collegeville or see specific featured Collegeville townhomes by clicking on their respective photo or address.  There are many great aspects to living in Collegeville, with great access to major roads, 3 seperate school districts that service the zip code (Methacton, Springford and Perkiomen Valley) and the new Providence Town Center that recently open at the intersection of Routes 422 and 29.  3 Bedroom End Unit with Finished Basement111 Juniper Ct 3 Bedroom with 1 Car Garage & Fenced Rear Yard223 Lilac Cir 3 Bedroom w/ 1 Car Garage & Finished Walkout Basement511 Quincy St 2 Bedroom w/ 1 Car Garage & Finished Basement30 Victoria Cir   Want to set up a personal showing for any of these properties?  L... 11/15/2011

The Ursinus field hockey is making a trip to Massachusetts this coming weekend. With improbable victories against Messiah College 3-1 and Salisbury University 1-0 in overtime, the Lady Bears will be making the trip to the NCAA III field hockey semi-finals. It was an exciting weekend of hockey in Salisbury, MD. Congratulations to the Ursinus field hockey team and to first year coach, Jenelle Benner. Good luck and go Bears!   11/13/2011

Updated 7/9/12  Heritage Park is a townhome community located in Trappe Borough in Montgomery County, PA.  This great community has over 225 homes and is located within walking distance to Ursinus College and is just minutes from local parks, schools and shopping.  This page will serve as a spot to gather real estate activity for this specific neighborhood on a monthly basis.  Below you will find the homes that are currently for sale and those that are under contract and sold this year.  Take a look and if you have any questions just let us know, we're happy to help!   Address Status Days on Market Current Price Original Price Bedrooms/Baths End Unit Basement Sq Ft   137 Royer Active 111 $245,900 $249,900 3/2.5 No Unfinished 1,636                       843 Dewees Sale Pending 7 $174,90... 10/21/2011

Updated 10/7/13 Perkiomen Woods is a townhome community located in Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County, PA.  This neighborhood has become a popular place to live as it sits so close to many major employers, retailers, schools and roadways.  Located just off of Route 29 North of Route 422, this community is easily accessible from all major arteries.  There are over 400 homes in this great neighborhood and there is even access to the Perkiomen Trail right in the development.  This trail runs all the way from Green Lane Park right down to the Philadelphia Art Museum, so anyone that enjoys riding, biking, running or walking can get great use of this added bonus.     There has been a lot of real estate activity in Perkiomen Woods in 2013 and below you will be able to see what homes... 10/14/2011

What are the steps to finding and making an offer on a house?  As there are so many different types of home purchases out there, no two will be exactly alike.  A good real estate agent will be able to assist you through all the different aspects of the transaction but here are the most common steps. - Get pre-approved for a mortgage.  This is the 1st step as you will need to know how much of a mortgage you are qualified for.  See this previous blog post on more about why this is an important 1st step. - Find a real estate agent that is a good fit for you.  You may want to interview a few different Realtors to make sure that all your questions are answered and you feel comfortable with the person that will be helping you make a big decision. - Determine what the “must haves” and wants of... 09/19/2011

Should I get pre-approved for a mortgage before I start looking for my new home?  In one word, yes.  This is a great opportunity to get all your finances in order, especially if you are a 1st time home buyer.  The mortgage lender that you decide to work with will be the person that is able to give you the numbers that you need to see before you start your home search.  If you don’t know a good mortgage person, give Ruth Falcone at Trident Mortgage a call.  The main reason that you want to get this step out of the way is so that you don’t fall in love with a home that ends up being more per month than you feel comfortable spending.  There are numerous factors that go into the payment including; Principal, Interest, Taxes and Insurance.   Depending on the type of mortgage that you are usi... 09/19/2011

What can I do if my home appraises lower than the price that my buyer agreed to pay for it?  In short, not much unfortunately.  There are many determining factors as to what, if anything can be done.  The 1st major hurdle will depend on the type of mortgage that your buyer is using.  Many 1st time buyers are using a FHA loan because it only requires 3.5% down as opposed to Conventional Loan programs that require a minimum of 5% down.  Some believe that an FHA loan is only for 1st time homebuyers and that is surely not the case.  However you can’t have 2 FHA mortgages at the same time.  So if you own a home with an FHA mortgage and you want to keep that property and rent it out, you can’t get an FHA loan for the new home that you are planning on purchasing.  The reason I mention the FHA ... 09/16/2011

Relocating to Collegeville or the surrounding area?  You are not alone; this area is a hot spot for Corporate Relocations for employers like Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Quest Diagnostics, SEI Investments and Merck.  Many of these companies are not only relocating employees from other states but also bringing in employees from overseas.  I have had the pleasure of assisting numerous clients relocating to this area from all across the United States and I’m currently working with my 1st international transferee.   There are numerous concerns for people when relocating, but when relocating to a new country the concerns/anxiety can grow exponentially.      There are plenty of great reasons to be excited that you are relocating to Collegeville.  Not only are there numerous great employers in the... 09/13/2011

Upper Providence Township will hold its 15th annual Community Day this Saturday September 17th at Black Rock Park in Collegeville.   The festivities will go from 1pm to Dark.  Children’s events will go from 1pm-6pm and include numerous fun activities like an Obstacle Course, Teen Spin, Giant Slide, Pony Rides, Quarterback Blitz, Rock Wall, and a Petting Zoo.  From 3:30 to 7:30 there will be Horse and Wagon Rides available for all ages.   Meet local Upper Providence Area business owners as approximately 50 local businesses and numerous additional home based business owners will showcase their businesses and products in the Expo Tent.  Own a local or home based business? There is still time to showcase your business to the 9,000 plus visitors that attend the Upper Providence Community Day... 09/12/2011

Is your Collegeville Home Inspector compliant? I recently got a frantic phone call from a previous client.  They were now selling their home in Collegeville, PA and just lost the buyers after their home inspector came through.  There were some red flags that made her want to check into this home inspector a little more.  She asked my advice on what agencies to check with and ended up finding out that his radon testing license had expired the previous year and that he might not be compliant with the State of PA home inspector law.  It is very important, whether you are the buyer, seller or the agent representing one of these parties, to confirm that the home inspector coming through is complaint with your state's home inspector laws.  Pennsylvania does not have a licensing requirement, b... 07/25/2011

Living and working in Collegeville PA is getting better and better.   In addition to Ursinus College http://www.ursinus.edu/netcommunity/page.aspx?pid=203 and all the great Phama companies (Pfizer, Glaxo Smith Kline, Quest) we now have the Providence Square Lifestyle center featuring Wegman's, Dicks Sporting Goods, Olive Garden, PF Changs, T-Mobile and loads of other great shopping stores.   http://providencetowncenter.com/ New to Collegeville is the Collegeville Farmer's Market which is held every Saturday morning and features lots of local farmers and the music of local bands.   http://www.collegevillefarmersmarket.org/ Next there's the on-line newspaper, The Perkiomen Valley Patch:   http://perkiomenvalley.patch.com Let's not forget my favorite, The Perkiomen Trail which is part of t... 06/13/2011

I was blessed to have a very seasoned agent sit with me at a Chamber of Commerce meeting one morning, over 18 years ago.   I was fresh out of real estate school, newly licensed, and still shaking in my boots.   Although my broker was doing a lot of old-school training I still had no clue what to do with this newly minted license or how to earn a living with it. Lew, the seasoned agent, looked me in the eye and said "Debby, do you know what the most important thing is in real estate?"   I said "No, I don't." He said, "It's not the postcards to farm areas, it's not the door knocking," and he reached over and took my hand and began patting it with his other hand and he said, "It's this.  It's the people.  It's the human contact.  You just take them by the hand, and get them through the pro... 05/26/2011

177 South Mennonite Road COLLEGEVILLE, PA Collegeville Short Sale, includes a beautiful in ground pool with pool house! 4BR/2+1BA Single Family House $289,000 Year Built 1961 Sq Footage 1,994 Bedrooms 4 Bathrooms 2 full, 1 partial Floors 1 Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size 42,253 sqft HOA/Maint $0 per month DescriptionThis wonderful 4 bedroom 2.5 bath ranch Located in Collegeville has it all! Home Offers hardwood floors & an open floor plan. The spacious living room features recessed lighting, a large bay window, & a cozy stone fireplace. The full kitchen with separate eating area offers more than enough counter space, chair rail & crown molding. The lower level features a finished basement offering even more living space with wall to wall carpet, a powder room, a unique wet bar made for e... 04/23/2011

Squeaky Floors Screamed Trouble at Home Inspection (Malvern)   Earlier this past week, I was performing a Home Inspection in Malvern on a nice, newer construction townhome for a client of mine. The townhome was only several years old and was looking to be in great shape from the exterior portion of the home inspection.     As a Home Inspector in Malvern, I typically start with the top floor of the home and check the basement next.  At this particular home inspection, I got to the basement and ran the heating system and went around the 1st floor to make sure heat was coming out of each of the registers.  My client was on the 1st floor with me and as we were walking around, I noticed the floors were squeaky.  Now, I've come across squeaky floors before, but these screamed trouble!  The fl... 03/29/2011