There’s only one way to prove that the market has improved and that is with actual sales data. I know how busy we have been all year long and I know that we have sold several of the resale homes that been on the market at Heritage Shores. Well, here is the rest of the story:

4 Resale Homes have already sold and settled in 2011 and 3 more are Under Contract. (more…)

This month we were happy to welcome Jack Flood and Linda Chick to Heritage Shores in Bridgeville, Delaware. Jack and Linda are avid “hand dancers” and look forward to starting a dance club at Heritage Shores. With the fabulous dance floor in the ballroom at the Heritage Club, I’m sure it will become a popular activity and I look forward to getting my invitation to the first dance party!

Linda has been a Realtor in Maryland for many years and I am very pleased to announce that she will be joining the Active Adults Delaware team at RE/MAX Associates in April. Linda will help me with both buyers and sellers at Heritage Shores. Whether it’s a resale home or new construction, no one knows Heritage Shores better than the Active Adults Delaware  Team. Now that Linda is living in the community, she looks forward to meeting you and helping you with your real estate needs.

We get requests like that all the time from people that have never even been to Coastal Delaware. I often wonder what difference it makes if you like or don’t like a particular floor plan unless you already know you like the area and the community. You can look at pictures of houses, study the floor plans til you find the perfect one, but then what? Doesn’t it make sense to get a good orientation first?

I think the first step is to find a good buyer’s agent, an experienced real estate professional that you can work with. Tell your agent what you like and what you hope for in your new home as well as in the community and surrounding area. Then let your agent schedule your visit so that you see multiple options before making a decision. If you only drive down by yourself to see that one community and find you don’t like it, then what would you do? You might decide you don’t like the whole area and miss out on some wonderful neighborhoods that would have been a better fit. Or, you might run into a great sales person in the first model home you see who works for the builder and make an impulse purchase decision! (more…)

Is the glass half full or half empty? That all depends on who you are and whether you are ready to buy now or sell. “Sometimes you’re the bat and sometimes you’re the ball.” If you’re a buyer today, this is your turn to be the bat. If you bought in 2005, you had your chance to be the ball; next time maybe you’ll be the bat!

I read with interest this article in philly.com about the evidence of real estate and banking collapse in southern Delaware. I agree there have been painful times even here in Sussex County, Delaware, but I would much rather be here than in many other parts of the country. Things are much improved in many parts of Sussex County and one community this writer was criticizing, Heritage Shores, is actually a “bright spot in the county”, according to broker Tommy Cooper. As he pointed out, the community is well kept and

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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.

If you are interested in buying a new home where absolutely everything has been upgraded, elegantly designed and professionally decorated with custom paint, wallpaper and window treatments then this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. Why does everyone love to look at model homes? Because they’re gorgeous and we can get ideas for our own homes. Well, this is even better than that. Buy the model, get builder assistance with the closing costs and maybe even lease it back to the builder for a period of time. That would give you time to sell your house or wait til you reach retirement before you relocate.

If your idea of the perfect retirement home includes golf, socializing in a beautiful clubhouse, swimming year round, tennis, compatible neighbors and lots to do, this is the right time to take a look at Heritage Shores. I have been bringing buyers to this community since 2005 and many of my clients have become happy homeowners and just love living in Delaware’s premier active adult community.

Today, your choice of model homes for sale, inventory homes ready for immediate occupancy and better-than-new resale homes at terrific prices make this Buyer’s Market one for the ages. I know Heritage Shores and I will help you evaluate all your options and make the choice that is best for you.

Don’t delay. Call me to schedule an appointment before these homes are gone.

Low Interest Rates plus Inventory = Buyer Opportunity

The good news for buyers keeps getting better. Today we learn that the interest rate could drop even further for home buyers. The rate being discussed, as low as 4.5%, would only apply to home purchases, not refinancing an existing home. We don’t know much more than that, but we do know that the support for buyers has never been stronger.

Be prepared to take advantage of these low rates by starting the process now. Have you decided that Heritage Shores is where you want to retire? Have you zeroed in on the particular house? The next step would be to obtain mortgage pre-qualification, get together with your Buyer Agent and make an offer. Once you have a contract in place that both you and the seller are happy with, your agent and your loan officer can help you decide when to lock in an interest rate. We find that most buyers in the 55+ market are well qualified and generally obtain the best mortgage rates in any market. That rate could be somewhere between 4.5% and 5.5%, depending on your particular situation.

If you’re not sure what is currently for sale at Heritage Shores, click here for the most current information.

This has been a slow year for sales at Heritage Shores. Of course, it has been a slow year for sales everywhere when compared to 2005 when the first homes were sold and occupied in this community. Even compared to 2007, when there were 77 homes sold at Heritage Shores, 2008 has provided a great opportunity for buyers.

When times get tough, builders get creative. In good times, premium lots can command a big premium. In lean times, those premiums disappear and upgrades can be negotiated. Because of that, many buyers believe they can get a better deal by negotiating with the builder rather than by looking at resale homes in the same community. In a new community a resale is only a couple of years old and may be in a prime location that is not available with new construction in the current phase.

Looking at the actual year-to-date sales at Heritage Shores, I found the following statistics:

• Four (4) new attached homes sold at an average sales price of $293,754
• One (1) attached resale was sold at $229,900
• Fourteen (14) new single family homes sold at an average sales price of $368,336
• Four (4) single family resale homes have sold at an average sales price of $328,750

What do these numbers indicate? You might be able to find the best opportunity in a resale home. To find out which is best for you, have your Buyer Agent show you resale homes as well as new homes in any community you’re considering.

Every week another resale goes under contract at Heritage Shores. Some are under contract with contingencies, others are simply awaiting financing approval or home inspections, but one by one the resale homes are being purchased in great locations and at terrific prices by fortunate buyers. Homes on golf course lots without a lot premium, homes that back to an agricultural preserve on which no homes will be built and homes in nice neighborhoods and completed streets. For those in a position to buy, this is the year to do so, at Heritage Shores and anywhere in Coastal Delaware.