Living at Heritage Shores is about the lifestyle. It’s about the 18-hole Championship golf course. It’s about the beautiful, well-maintained tennis courts. It’s about the competitive bridge games or the woodworking shop with all of its tools. Sure, the homes are beautiful and the community is as attractive as many other throughout Delaware, but the lifestyle is why people choose to live at Heritage Shores.

Delaware is a small state with less than 900,000 people! There is only so much land available for large scale development and the chances of another 55+ Active Adult Community being built with all of these amenities in time for the Baby Boomers moving to Delaware are very small. Something to think about.

View from the Heritage Shores Clubhouse

What are we doing this Sunday on Memorial Day Weekend? Well, I will be at Heritage Shores holding an Open House and I hope to see you there.

You’ll find me at 2 Canvasback Circle. This home is a spacious one-level contemporary with a split floor plan. It offers a large eat-in kitchen plus a dining room and large great room with a gas fireplace. Three bedrooms, two full baths and a two-car garage.

If you’re traveling to Coastal Delaware this weekend, stop in and say Hello!

What a great home at a great price in this community. There is no better time and no better place if you want to live in the area’s premiere active adult community with an 18-hole Championship golf course, a fabulous 22,000 clubhouse, a separate Fitness  Center and both an indoor and outdoor pool! Take a look —

I’ve been getting more calls asking about rental homes in active adult communities. Is this a result of the challenging economic times we’ve been experiencing the past few years? Are some retirees coming to the decision that renting might be a better option than buying in an active adult community? Home ownership is not for everyone. When is renting a good option?

1. Try before you buy. If you’re not sure where you want to spend the next 10 – 20 years of your life, renting is a great way to try an area before you buy.
2. Ecocnomic uncertainty. If you’re not comfortable with the current economic climate and wonder if housing prices will recover, renting might be a better option.
3. You’ve never lived anywhere for more than a few years! Renting is definitely a better option for short term occupancy.

Rental homes are few and far between in the newer active adult communities, but we do have a few that come up and they always go quickly. If you own a home at Heritage Shores or one of our other active adult communities and would like to talk with us about renting it, please let us know. We handle complete Property Management as well.

Everyone always wants to know “How’s the market?” Well, here in Coastal Delaware it’s doing very well thank you.

2009 was not a stellar year in the real estate industry, but it was a lot better here than in many parts of the country. Ask your friends that retired to Florida or to Arizona how well homes are selling in their communities and you’re likely to hear a long sad story. At Heritage Shores, in Bridgeville, Delaware, it appears that at least 11 homes were sold that made it to the settlement table in 2009. The last settlement reported was in November, so it is possible that there were a few more sales that were not yet captured by the tax system and perhaps others that have yet to settle.

Of the 11 reported sales, the selling prices ranged from a low of $222,000 up to a high of just under $375,000, quite a range! Qualified buyers were in a strong position throughout the past two years and many of the truly great deals are now SOLD! Prices have come down, however, and they will not immediately return to the prices at which homes sold in 2005/2006.

Heritage Shores remains very popular with some of our buyer clients and it may be right for you. We’ll make sure you see comparable communities, both age restricted and multi-generational, BEFORE you make a purchase decision.

Why work with an Exclusive Buyer Agent when you are looking at Active Adult communities? Why not just go visit the sales office on your own without representation? That’s a good question and here are some things to consider:

The laws governing the practice of real estate are different in every state. In Delaware, Builders are not required to hire licensed real estate sales professionals. Most sales people in these communities are employees of the Builders. What does that mean to you? They are not subject to the same Code of Ethics as a licensed Realtor. They do not have the same disclosure requirements as a licensed Realtor. They represent the Seller - the Builder, not you – the Buyer.

Before making a buying decision, especially at this stage in life, it is very important to consider all your options. You may have found this one community on the Internet. You may have heard from friends that it is a great place to live. But, have you been shown other communities that may be just as nice or even better for you? What’s wonderful about Coastal Delaware is that we have so many nice communities and each one offers something just a little different. What’s right for one person is not necessarily right for everyone.

When you have an Exclusive Buyer Agent who represents you, their concern is helping you find the right house in the right neighborhood. A sales person who works for the Builder can only succeed if you buy a home from them in that one community.

Does it cost you more to be represented? Absolutely not. At least in this market, every Builder does provide some compensation in the form of a commission at settlement to Buyer Agents. They do require that your Agent actually be with you on your very first visit to their community. But they can’t control where else your Buyer Agent takes you before you make a final buying decision.

Some of our Buyer Clients have worked with us for as long as three years prior to relocating to Coastal Delaware. The first visit is often their very first visit to the area. It’s the time to get acquainted with the different towns and communities and see whether they like it in general. By the second visit, we’re often looking more closely at specific locations and zeroing in on one or two communities. We consider things like:

• the amenities available in each community
• the monthly or annual fees
• the taxes – county, city and any special assessments if applicable
• availability of resale homes and price history
• on new homes or to be built homes, the pricing of upgrades and options
• energy efficiency and Universal Design features
• transportation options and access to shopping, hospitals and other services

Relocating at any age can be stressful. Doing so when you’re planning for retirement or have already retired is a big move. The time to get advice and professional assistance is before you move. Work with someone that knows the area and has the experience necessary to help you make the right decision.

P.S. The State of Delaware is considering a change to the law that would require anyone selling real estate to be subject to the same licensing requirements and Code of Ethics. That’s the way it is in other professions.

Ryan Homes Model Site at Heritage Shores

Today I discovered where the new Ryan Homes models will be built at Heritage Shores in Bridgeville, Delaware. The homes you see in the background were the models for Lennar, one of the original builders at Heritage Shores. This section used to be the parking lot and the Sales Center for Lennar. This will put the new Ryan models on the main road, just before the Providence of Brookfield Homes Sales Center.

Which models will Ryan be building? I’m on it and I’ll report the news on this site as soon as I obtain reliable information. Where will the first Ryan Homes be located? I found the sites on Ruddy Duck Drive, the road on which the last Lennar homes were built before they pulled out of Delaware. These sites are well located on the golf course – very desirable locations within the community, on a quiet cul-de-sac. Buyers interested in a premium active adult community that features golf, tennis, indoor and outdoor pools, a large Community Clubhouse and every imaginable amenity now have a choice of quality resale homes, new construction from a regional builder AND production homes from a national builder. Which ones present the best value? Let’s talk and I’ll help you evaluate your options.

The rumor can now be confirmed by my camera this morning. I was at Heritage Shores meeting up with a cleaning crew for one of my client’s homes and noticed these new signs near the model home park -

Will this be a good thing for current homeowners at Heritage Shores? How about for future buyers for this popular active adult community?

Stay tuned as we report the developing story.