This home has been totally redone from top to bottom. A New Kitchen, New Bathroom and refinished hardwood floors are just some of the many features you'll find in this home. Conveniently located within minutes of the Bethlehem/Hellertown exit on Route 78.
For more information about his home or any other, visit www.LehighValleyHomesOnline.com
Many of the older homes in Lehigh Valley (pre 1920) were originally wired for electricity using Knob and Tube Wiring (K&T) connected to fuse boxes. K&T uses two separate insulated wires (hot and neutral) for electrical connections. Ceramic Knobs were used to direct the wires to their destination and Ceramic Tubes were used when wires needed to go directly through wood.
Over time, the fuse boxes have been replaced by circuit breakers and the K&T replaced by ROMEX (3 conductor - hot, neutral, ground).
Even so, many of the older homes in Lehigh Valley that have been electrically updated may still have knob and tube wiring. I have been in many homes, with new wiring, that have an attic light that is using K&T wiring. The home owner didn't think it was worth updating a light seldom used.
This is okay as long as the wiring is deemed safe by a cerified licensed electrician. FHA allows K&T as long as the wiring is in good shape (not brittle or frayed) and there are no questionable junctions.
A property inspection should discover and question any knob and tube wiring. If needed, an electrician should be brought in to inspect the wiring. This may be required by the mortgage company or insurance provider.
Sellers Assist is a way for the home buyer to bury the Closing Cost to Purchase a Lehigh Valley Home in the Sales Price. The buyer gets a mortgage for a certain amount and the seller gets an amount equivalent to the purchase price minus the Sellers Assist.
In this situation, the seller is not giving the home buyer money towards closings costs. The Buyers Mortgage amount includes the "closing cost" money. The Lehigh Valley Home Seller is accepting less money for the home.
Since the Home Buyers mortgage includes the amount of money needed for closing costs what is the big deal?
The big deal is that the House Must Appraise for the Purchase Price!
If a seller agrees to a certain purchase price (minus the sellers assist) the house must still appraise at the purchase price even though the Lehigh Valley Home Seller is not getting that amount.
If the appraisal does not come in at the appraised value and the buyer has no other way to obtain the closing costs, the home seller will need to accept less money if they still want to sell the house. The other option is to put the house back on the market.
One of the most common problems found on a Lehigh Valley Property Inspection, with an older home, is the chimney.
The chimney may need a liner, repointing, flashing or a cap. Any of these items may present a safety or water hazard and will likely get tagged during a property inspection on an older home.
When a Lehigh Valley Home Buyer is viewing the interior of the home, check the area around the chimney involving any ceilings or the roof. Do you see water stains or paint that is lifting up? If so, there may be a problem with the chimney.
The exterior of the house should also be checked. Locate the chimney and check out the exterior wall near the base of the chimney. A common problem with a brick exterior is the deterioration or rounding of the bricks near the chimney. The mortar becomes like sand and the bricks show rounding from the water running over them. It is possible that the chimney problem may have been fixed but not the damage it had done.
If interested in the house, but concerned, ask your Lehigh Valley Real Estate Agent if the seller is aware of or has fixed any problems with the roof or chimney.
Should you call the Real Estate Agent that is listed on the Lehigh Valley Home For Sale Sign? Let's examine what this means. Then you can make the decision.
A home owner calls a real estate agent. They meet and discuss the home it's condition and pricing. The seller then hires the agent to sell the house. They sign a contract ensuring confidentiality. Physical defects with the house (i.e. the basement gets water) must be disclosed but the agent is contractually bound not to disclose seller motivation or financial information unless the sellers gives direct permission.
When the Home Buyer directly calls the listing agent, that agent could possibly be put into a Dual Agency position. The agent could now be legally representing both the Lehigh Valley Home Buyer and the Home Seller. This is fine as long as circumstance don't lead the buyer or the seller to believe the agent has a better relationship with the "other side". It could blow up if either party feels they were misrepresented.
Another option is that the Home Buyer could have their Own Real Estate Agent. If the Home Buyer sees a sign in front of a house, they call "their" agent who schedules the showing, shows it to them, and then delves into any questions/motivations about the property.
When a Lehigh Valley Home Buyer works with a Buyer's Agent (their agent), that agent is contractually bound to confidentiality about the Buyer's motivations and finances. The agent doesn't have a vested interest in selling the "dream house" listed by the other agent and should treat each property with neutrality. Even though home buying can be very emotional, in actuality it is a large financial transaction.
Does using a Buyer's Agent cost more money? The real estate fees and costs are built into the commission on the home sale. Whether calling the agent on the sign or calling your own agent the fees are typically the same. (it must be disclosed if they are not)
You can call the number on the sign or work specifically with a Home Buyer's Agent. The decision is yours!
Visit www.LehighValleyHomesOnline.com for more information.
The listing states the Lehigh Valley Home is Available with Contingency. What does that mean?
A Lehigh Valley Home Sale may involve many different contingencies. The buyer will purchase the house but it is contingent on the results of a property inspection. The buyer will purchase the house but it is contingent on them selling their current home.
Depending on how the PA Agreement of Sale is written and the circumstances of the buyer there are various contingencies that may be involved in a home sale. Part of the contract negotations may involve whether or not the seller will continue to market the home hence "Available With Contingency".
Common Contingencies when Buying or Selling a Lehigh Valley Home.
As the contingencies are met (i.e. the water tested okay), the offer on the house gets stronger and the possibility gets less that the deal will fall apart. At some point, the house will usually get changed from Available with Contingency to fully Under Agreement.
HOLD ON...the Lehigh Valley Housing Market is in the dump!
In my opinion, a lot of the Lehigh Valley Homes For Sale have been picked over. A home buyer has looked over the inventory, viewed houses of interest, and is now sitting back checking every day to see if that Special house comes on the market.
As is evidenced in the above scenario, if the house is in good shape, priced correctly, and in a nice location the buyers will flock to see it.
If you are a possible Lehigh Valley Home Seller, visit www.LehighValleyHomeSeller.com or contact me to discuss your available options.
Walk into your next home and crown molding and chair rails are just some of the many features that catch your eye! Enjoy the large eat-in kitchen or the 4 Season room with skylights, ceiling fan, and gas heat. |
The workmanship continues upstairs with Pergo flooring plus the new bathroom. Enjoy the outdoors while barbequing on the deck or hanging out on the landscaped patio under the shade of the Gazebo.
Parking is easy with the one car garage and adjacent parking pad. The walk-up attic can be finished to add an additional bedroom if needed.
More information about this home is available at www.lehighvalleyhomesonline.com.
Northampton, PA is a small town located in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.
You've looked at numerous Lehigh Valley Homes and finally find the "Perfect" one. You and your agent get together and fill out the agreement of sale and submit it to the home seller. They accept!!
Now, the next step is to get a Property Inspection done on the property. Although the house looks nice, what possible repair work is needed.
One of the worst situations that can occur is that structural problems are found in the house. A roof or furnace has known solutions and although they can be expensive to repair or replace they can be easily dealt with.
Structural problems typically involve getting an evaulation from a structural engineer and then finding a company competent to fix the problem.
Some common concerns are:
Will the repair totally fix the problem or will it come back and costs thousands of dollars in the future?
Will the resale value of the home be affected?
A few problems that I have encountered recently with home buyers:
A home in Wind Gap had two basement walls that were buckling. The Lehigh Valley Home Buyer was going to skip the property inspections because the house had been totally renovated. I convinced the buyer to get the inspections and sure enough two of the basement walls were pushing in. If the buyer had skipped the inspections, their new home might have fallen down a year later. As a result of the findings, the seller gave the buyer money to reconstruct the walls.
A home in Allentown had a corner of the attached garage that had sunken a few inches. A review of the basement showed stairway cracking in the cinder block wall that was shared with the garage. Parking their car in the garage may have caused the basement wall to fail.
A home in Nazareth had a roofing structure that was questioned. Could a heavy snow cause the roof to cave in? A $600.00 repair ensured that the roof was capable of handling the load.
A home in Lehigh Township was inspected and the lack of some structural posts in the basement was questioned. The buyers walked away from the house.
I showed a home in Lower Milford last year that was built on a quarry. You walked into the house and everything seemed fine. Then when you went into the back part of the house you felt like you were at a carnival in the Fun House with the sloping floor. The estimate to stop the problem was approximately $30,000. That didn't include how much it would cost to jack the back part of the house back up so that the floors weren't sloping and the doors and framing all lined up again.
The problem, from a home buyer point of view, is that it can get expensive to determine what exactly is wrong with the house, will the solution be a long term fix, and will the problem re-occur or cause a problem if the house needs to be sold.
A Lehigh Valley Home Buyer needs to be aware that any home for sale, even if being sold as-is, should still have the property inspection done. Do you know what you are buying?
Once considered 'America's Fastest Growing Builder', TH Properties (THP) has suspended its operations. The Harleysville PA based company has temporarily closed its doors in order to restructure. The recession and the collapse of the housing market has had a negative impact on the company's operation.
Annandale and Whitfield Estates are two THP developments located in the Macungie area of the Lehigh Valley. Annandale appears to only have resale homes and Whitfield Estates has one new home under agreement.
This story is a word of warning to anyone considering purchasing new construction. Typically, a large deposit is required when purchasing a new home. What happens to this deposit? Is it placed into an escrow account or does it go into the Builder's account?
If the money is placed into the Builder's account and the builder goes bankrupt the buyer may lose thousands of dollars.
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