January 2010 Newsletter Here’s What’s Happening in Patriots Ridge
ACTIVE: 5040 Rebecca Fell, End Unit, 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, new carpet. Just Listed at $219,900.
3927 Captain Molly, 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, finished basement. Was $218,500 Reduced to $212,000 for 134 days.
3631 Nancy Ward, A Reed, 2 bdrm, 1 1/2 bath, loft, hrdwds, fin basement. Was $237,500 Now $227,500 for 229 days.
5492 Rinker, 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, loft. Was $234,000 Reduced to $218,000 for 277 days.
5532 Rinker, 2 bdrm, 1 1/2 bath, loft, fin. Bsmt, Just listed $196,000 for 11 days.
5473 Rinker, A Mifflin, End Unit, 2 bdrm, 1 1/2 bath, mstr w/sitting area. Was $222,500 Reduced $214,000 for 194 days.
5001 Rebecca Fell, End unit, 2 bdrm, 1 1/2 bath, fin. Bsmt, Just listed for 13 days, $219,800.
3926 Captain Molly, 2 bdrm, 1 1/2 bath, fin. Bsmt, $219,900.
3965 Captain Molly, 2 bdrm, 1 1/2 bath, fin. Bsmt. $225,000, 81 days on the market.
5402 Simpson, 2 bdrm, 1 1/2 bath, $226,000 21 days on the market.
3817 Swetland, 3 bdrm, 2 1/2 bath, fin. Bsmt, $229,000. 46 days on the market.
3758 Swetland, 3 bdrm, 2 1/2 bath, end unit w/garage. $283,900 for 88 days.
PENDING: 5404 Simpson, 2 bdrms, 1 1/2 baths, fin. Bsmt, loft, porch, was asking $226,900. Under Agreement in 12 days!
3784 Swetland, 3 bdrms, 2 1/2 baths, garage, fin. Bsmt, backs to woods. Was asking $275,000. Another 12 day sale!
4125 Captain Molly, End Unit, 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, loft, patio. Was $225,900 Reduced to $209,000 for 135 days
5518 Rinker, A Mifflin End Unit, 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, finished basement. Asking $219,000 for 77 days.
3708 Swetland, End Unit, 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath. Was $267,500 Reduced to $235,500 for 110 days.
SOLD: 3670 Nancy Ward, 2 bdrms, 1 1/2 baths. Sold in 11 days. Priced at $210,000, sold for $201,000.
3629 Nancy Ward, End Unit, 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, finished basement. Asking $207,000 for 14 days. Sold $207,000.
3629 Nancy Ward, 2 bdrm, 1 1/2 bath, fin. Bsmt, end unit. Asked $207,000, got $207,000. BANK OWNED.
5537 Rinker, End Unit, 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, loft. Was Asking $231,900 Reduced to $219,900 for 111 days. Sold $211,900.
3904 Captain Molly, A Davis, End Unit, 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, hardwoods, granite, finished basement. Was $226,000
Reduced to $214,900 for 54 days. Sold $214,900.
5401 Rinker, End Unit, 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, hardwoods, fin. bsmt. Asking 219,900 for 48 days. Got $222,000.
5406 Simpson, 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, loft, finished basement. Asking $222,900 for 14 days. Sold 217,900.
3632 Nancy Ward, 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, loft, finished basement. Asking $230,900 for 33 days. Sold $225,000.
5477 Rinker, End Unit, 2 bedroom 1 1/2 bath, loft, hardwoods. Asking $227,900 for 87 days. Sold $227,000.
5052 Rebecca Fell, 2 bdrm, 1 1/2 bath, hardwoods, finished basement. Was $233,000 Reduced to $229,900 for 240 days.
Sold for 221,900.

There are terrific tax credits available from the government for purchases made between now and the end of April and settling before the end of June. $8,000 right off your taxes due to Uncle Sam for a first time home buyer and $6,500 for a couple that moves UP or DOWN!!! This is FREE money. For more info, give us a call!!!





So . . . What do you do if you have to sell? You call in a Professional Team who has been in the business for 15 years and sold over a THOUSAND homes! Now honestly, how many Realtors can say that? And ALL of ours got to the settlement table save one buyer (Henri edited the word I wanted to use) who bought the house without his wife and backed out on settlement day when she didn’t like it! The relo company made the seller whole but we’re allowed 1 out of a thousand. No one we know can match that! Times are tough and it’s all about being aggressive with marketing and price. You control the price (along with the buyer and the appraiser) and your Realtor controls the marketing. Members of the Prestigious Cyber Stars, where entrance is determined on web sites, presence on the web and volume of business—there are only 200 in the whole country!!! Curious? Google us—either Jeri or Henri Gutner and see what you get. Then google someone else. Exposure? That’s what it’s all about! And that’s what we’re all about. Henri and I don’t have another spouse who brings home the bacon or carries the health insurance. We HAVE to sell the house or we pay out bunches of money in marketing and get nothing. 2 kids in college, the desire to retire before we’re in our 80’s . . . You get it! AND, we do virtual tours of EVERY HOUSE we sell. Right now, there are no virtual tours of any of the homes listed or sold over the past year!!!

Granite Myths:
If you are hesitant to install granite countertops, let’s dispel these myths right now.
1. Granite is absorbent. Granite qualifies as impervious to water and is actually less absorbent than some solid surface (plastic) products.
2. Granite stains easily. Granite is resistant to stains. Generally any liquid spilled on a granite top, if wiped up within a few minutes, will not stain. Liquids that do not evaporate, such as oil, will cause stains only if left to soak into the stone.
3. Granite requires a lot of maintenance. Routine cleaning with a mile soap and water is all that is generally required. Once a year, a reapplication of a penetrating sealer should be performed. It takes only about 15 minutes. Never use abrasive cleaners.
4. Granite’s tiny pores harbor bacteria. Bacteria are found everywhere. If they are on a granite top, then they can also be found on a laminate or solid surface. Use an antibacterial soap to wash your countertop if you are concerned.
5. Granite and marble are essentially the same. Other than the fact that they are both natural stones and can be polished, granite and marble are otherwise very different. Marble is generally a calcareous stone, formed from oceanic deposits and then compressed under pressure. Granite, however, is an igneous rock, essentially molten magma, that is cooled and hardened below the earths surface.

Your natural stone counter top choice will add years of beauty, strength, durability and ease of maintenance to your home. Do it and enjoy it!

LAST YEAR IN PATRIOTS RIDGE:
Last year 37 houses sold in your neighborhood. This year, there are more on the market right now than there have ever been!
Last year 30 Two bedroom, 1 1/2 bath homes sold for a high of $229,900 and a low of $192,000.
2 Three bedroom, 1/2 baths sold. One for $183,000 and one for $251,000. Both had garages.
5 Three bedroom, 2 1/2 baths sold. The low was $225,000 and the high was $258,000.

Not so fun facts:
One Fourth of Borrowers are Underwater. More than 23% of people with mortgage owe more on their properties than they are worth, according to research firm First American CoreLogic.
Another 2.3 million homeowners are within 5% of being underwater, bringing the total of those who are upside down or close to about 28%.
Fun Fact: U.S. homeowners do have home equity and nearly 24 million owner-occupied homes don’t have any mortgage at all!
Tax Credit Quandaries Answered
How does a current home owner qualify for the $6,500 tax credit?
Buyers must have lived in their homes for at least five out of the last eight years. The home they buy must become their primary residence, but buyers don’t have to sell their previous home. They use the previous home as a rental or second home and still claim the credit!
Does the new home have to be more expensive than the one the buyer currently owns?
NO. Great time to buy or UP or DOWN!
Can buyers claim the credit if they purchase a home from a relative?
No. You cannot claim the credit if the sale is between “related parties including parent, grandparent, child or grandchild.



ZIPS Dry Cleaners—any garment $1.99 (Great for Winter coats and blankets). Men’s laundered shirts are just $1.19. Mention the Gunter's and receive one free garment. 618 York Road in Warminster (across from Arch Bishop Wood HS) 215-442-1471.
AND REMEMBER!!!
Mention the Gunter's at Sherwin Williams for a
very nice discount!