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My Annual Christmas Observations

The Christmas Season

 As I sit down to write my annual Christmas blog, I was thinking about the subject.  In 2010, I think I have to address the Washington group of thugs.

 It appears that the Obama Administration and the Republicans want to give us extended tax cuts, extended unemployment compensation and a host of other Goodies for the Holidays.

 I agree with the statement, “It is better to give than receive.”  In most cases the gifts are purchased by the giver.  In this case the recipient (us) has to pay for it.  They just don’t get it.

 There are no solutions here; there is no leadership here, there is just nothing.  The ship is sinking and no one can agree to send an SOS.

 Why do our elected leaders refuse to lead?  In the Holiday Season does the government have to do our Christmas Shopping for us?  They are all Indian Givers-what one hand giveth, the other takes away at least 3 time the cost of the gift.  Why are we so stupid?

 I hope 2010 was kind to you and yours.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 Fred Sponseller

Report Card–2009–Nanticoke River

The Nanticoke Watershed Alliance finally released their River Report.  The overall river grade was a B-, but the creeks that feed the river only got a C+.  That should indicate that the river is going in the wrong direction.  If we can get the creeks up to a B the the whole watershed should move up to a B or better.  That is our goal!

To view the whole report, go to www.nanticokeriver.org, hit the Publication and Video tab, hit Creekwatchers Report, then New 2009 Nanticoke River Report Card.  It is quite interesting reading.

Fred

The Fall Classic

Both of my teams were knocked out early and did not make the World Series.  I watched the Series because I like the game.  With no one to root for I noticed three things that need to be changed.

Number 1:  Statr night games at 7 PM, EST so we can get a good nights sleep.

Number 2:  Ban batting gloves.  Every player who wears them has to step out oif the batters box and readjust the between pitches.  This could easily save 1/2 hour per game.

Number 3:  Anyone who spits does not get a paycheck.  Spitting is a BAD habit.  Don’t these players know they are on National TV.

Fred.

Unique Ways to Sell a Home

1) Create an informational flyer with all the local conveniences you can find.

2) Do some staging to make sure your home looks the best.

3) Be sure to offer incentives in this market.

4)Send letters to your neighbors, inviting them to “Pick Their Neighbor”.

5) Put flyers in surrounding shopping areas

6) Paint the garage floor (concrete paint), to make it look fresh.

These are things you can do that Realtors cannot.

Now things your Realtor can do.

1) For an OPEN HOUSE, serve light refreshments, and some sort of a handout.

2) Have comparables data sheets as well as your home’s data, to highlight your value.

3) Put up signs in your front yard with information boxes.

4) Create a virtual tour for your home.

5) Have your agent put your home on as many websites as practical, 10-15 ought to be enough.

Fred Sponseller

If You Are In, You Are Out!

I have been reading most of the editorials, listening to the Talking Heads, and watching the news coverage about the coming election.  I do not believe any of them has hit the mark.

 There is a great groundswell, far beyond the Tea Parties, Conservative Fanatics, and Liberal Pundits.  No one really wants what is going on in Washington to continue.  It is becoming increasingly clear that our legislators have lost touch with the general public. My naive hope was that these legislators do what is right for the country, not the special interest groups or themselves, I have been disappointed to say the least. 

 For this midterm election, I propose that all incumbents who are running for re-election be voted out.  In this manner the entire House of Representatives and one third of the Senate will be new.  Yes, we will elect some idiots and yes old time experience will be lacking,  but can it be worse than what we have now?  I would rather take my chances with new people than the cronyism that now exists.  I don’t think just a change in majorities will amount to a hill of beans, we need a clean start.

  We are the employers, and our country is in trouble—it’s time for new management, the old guard needs to be swept aside.

 Fred Sponseller

Delaware State Chamber of Commerce Chairman of the Board of Directors, Tommy Cooper, “I Admire Greatness….. “


I admire greatness.

Greatness, when I see or experience it – inspires me. Delaware has all the ingredients to accomplish greatness. We have a world class business community, cutting edge universities and talented, hard-working elected and cabinet officials. If we all work together for a common purpose, with no selfish or hidden agendas, we can set a much needed example for the entire country. Are we doing that now? I don’t think so, be we can and should. I challenge us…..let’s all pull together. We need a leaner and more cost effective state government, and a much broader source of career employment for our aspiring homegrown kids. Are we all ready – all facets of our state? Let’s inspire and let’s experience greatness. Our citizenry will appreciate and embrace it, and our kids and grandchildren will all benefit and reap the rewards.

What a great legacy for us to leave!!

~ Tommy Cooper

Delaware State Chamber of Commerce Chairman of the Board of Directors

Bridgeville, Delaware Realtor visits Mt. Vernon.

Over the weekend, I spent a day at Mt. Vernon, home of our First President George Washington. One of the great things about living in Sussex County, Delaware is our location to many metropolitan cities, such as Washington DC., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Norfolk Va. Just about 2 hours away from my home in Bridgeville, Delaware is Mt. Vernon, 5 miles southwest of Alexandria,Va where a family and /or friends could spend a day exploring the rich history of how George amd Martha Washington lived on their 8,000 acre Plantation. This grand historic property is fully active with the orginal buildings, wide open meadows, pastures, gardens and a gorgeous view overlooking the Potomac River that will take your breath away. I am so glad I took the time to visit, discover and see an important part of our great American History.
~John Allen

Do you like bowling? So do I. Try Laurel, Delaware’s new bowling alley.

Do you like bowling? Well, I do and recently I had the chance to find out it’s still a lot of fun. Especially if you haven’t bowled in a while. There are a lot of towns in Delaware that have bowling lanes. There is one in Millsboro, Delaware, Milford, Delaware and Seaford, Delaware, but we decided to try a brand new one. Bryan’s Bowling Center in Laurel, Delaware next to the Laurel Post Office. They were having their 1st year anniversary. I didn’t do all that bad either! Minimal gutter balls and a couple of strikes, what more could you want? Not bad for not having bowled in 37 years. I think I’ll get together some friends and do it again. Be sure to check out the lanes in local towns near you and go have some fun.

The joys of living in Bridgeville, Delaware….Meet Woody Hunsberger.

For a guy who was born and raised in the City of Philadelphia, I guess I never realized how wonderful life could be until we moved to lower slower Delaware in 1974. After living in the big city with all of its commotion, I really appreciate the peace and quiet of living in Bridgeville, Delaware in rural Sussex County. Bridgeville is located just north of Cooper Realty’s office in Seaford, Delaware, so I am close to work. My wife and I have a very modest home with no more worries about the costs of water and sewer, high taxes, city pollution, endless traffic jams, crowds of people. Each morning I am blessed to be able to look to the wide open spaces to the east, watch the sunrise, and say “thank you Lord for allowing me to live here”. Author ~Woody Hunsberger

In Bowers Beach, Delaware be careful where you park your Harley…..

The other day, 13 other motorcycle riders and I left Seaford, Delaware and headed north. Only the leader knew where we were going, but I knew we were going to eat somewhere.

We ended up in Bowers Beach, Delaware. I’ve never been there before. We pulled up in the parking lot of “ JP’s Wharf Restaurant & Bar “ Looked like a real nice place.

The next thing we heard is some lady telling us to move the bikes to another parking lot on the other side of the white line. We didn’t know what to think, so we did it.

We all piled into to the restaurant and asked why we had to move the bikes and the waitress said the parking lot would be full of water in a little while. That was a first for us. By the time we ate and were getting ready to leave the parking lot was full of the Delaware Bay!! High tide and a northeast wind had pushed a lot of water out of the canal. The water was just about up to the white line in the parking lot. Luckily, one of the girls from the restaurant gave us a ride to our bikes in the back of her pickup so we didn’t have to wade through the water..

PJ’s was a good place to eat and the service was excellent and the ride through the water was free. The only thing I can say is I don’t know if you need to make a reservation to eat, but you might want to check the tide chart so you know if you need to park on the other side of the white line.

High tide at JP's Restaurant in Bower's Beach, DE

~Author- Steve Taylor

Seaford, Delaware biker shares experience of a recent Harley ride

Just this past Sunday, I was trying to think of someplace to ride my Harley. So I decided to just start riding, I ended up at the Indian River Inlet Marina near Dewey Beach, Delaware. I hadn’t been there for awhile, and I was impressed with the work being done on the new bridge. I stopped at the marina deli/restaurant got something to drink and a 1/2 pound of steamed shrimp and looked at the boats. It was a very relaxing day!

So if your looking for someplace in Delaware to ride, consider the Indian River Inlet Marina.
~Steve Taylor

CAMPING BUG AFFECTS DELAWARE REALTOR!!!

Versatility of living on the Shore

The eastern shore is a wonderful place to live. You can go from Delaware to Maryland in minutes as you can do the same with the borders of Maryland to Virginia. We went camping to Cherry Stone this past weekend which is located in Virginia. We had a wonderful time.
We caught a head boat and went fishing, then rode our bikes around the camp ground, sat and listened to the band that was playing in the pavilion that night. It was fun to see the parents dancing with their small children, even some in wheelchairs enjoying the music. SInce we live in Maryland, and I work in Delaware, we decided to go to Virgina which was about a two hour ride from Seaford De.
There are a lot of campgrounds on the shore in Maryland and Delaware. We rotate campgrounds so we never get bored. It is a wonderful way to spend time building memories with your kids.
Our kids are grown. We have grandkids now, however I still remembered the times we went to Cherrystone when I was a child. I wanted to share the memories with my husband.
Delaware has some nice campgrounds near the beach areas. There is also Trap Pond in Laurel, and Killens pond in Kent county.
If you have wanted to try camping it doesn’t take much to buy a cheap tent and some sleeping bags. Just pack your bathing suits, fishing poles, bikes and go have fun. Of course if you like camping you might want to invest in a camper or RV in the future. We met some nice people this weekend, and over the years a lot of the ones we met, have remained friends. You owe it to yourself and family to try it at least once. Who knows you might even catch the camping bug?

Check out their website: http://www.cherrystoneva.com/
~MARY HARDING

Our favorite Rockstar Mary Harding, your favorite agent for Seaford Delaware Property
She has something in mind for you!!!

A humbling experience….

Our National Cemetery

About 2 weeks ago, Me and a friend spent the day in our Nations Capital.
One of the most humbling experiences was watching the Changing of the
guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Every 1/2 hour during the
summer months, this spectacle takes place at the tomb that over looks
our nations capital high on the hill at the cemetery. The precision,
honor for our fallen Heroes and the pageantry is something I will never
forget. As the commander walks into the area where the the current
guard is watching over the tomb, I paused to pay my respects for all of
our men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our beloved
United States of America!
~John Allen

I want to buy a home. Where do I start?

Where should you start when you want to buy a home? The first place I would start is by contacting a reputable mortgage broker, or your local bank. You should have the loan officer pull a tri-merge credit bureau to see if there are any mistakes. If so, this gives you time to correct any blemishes  on your credit bureau, before you formally apply for a loan. The loan officer will determine your eligibility, and the maximum purchase price you are eligible to purchase. They are aware of programs on the state and federal levels which offer help to people who need down-payment, or closing cost assistance and can help with credit repair and various other issues.

After determining eligibility, and the amount of house you are qualified to purchase, the next step is to find a Realtor who is qualified, and you are comfortable with. Your Realtor can be a big help. They will show you houses, help you determine the market value of the home, and help write the contract to make sure all your wishes are put in writing. Once the offer is accepted,it becomes a contract. Your Realtor will help you arrange inspections of the mechanical, structural, and electrical systems of the home. If the home is out of town then the septic and well should be inspected. Finally all homes should have a pest inspection, and survey to insure any unforeseen problems. At this point if any problems are found, your Realtor can help negotiate a solution to the problem.

After all the inspections are done, and the bank is satisfied reviewing the inspections, they will contact your attorney for a final review of all the bank documents, the inspections, the survey, and title work. When the attorney is satisfied, they will contact the bank and set up a settlement date and time.

Just before you go to settlement, your Realtor will arrange a final walk through of the property to ensure it is basically  in the same shape as you saw it in before.They will  also go with you to the settlement table. Usually the listing agent will be present with the sellers, and sometimes the mortgage company will be there also.

Once all the papers  at settlement are signed, the attorney will file the deed and survey under your name as the new owner of the property. This is the basic process for buying a home.  There are several scenarios, such as when you are building, or have a home to sell before you can buy. If you need help or have any questions about buying or selling a home please feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to answer questions.  I can be reached by email mharding@cooerealty.com.

Can you afford to wait???

 

THE PERFECT STORM IN REAL ESTATE!!

Buy now or you might regret it later……Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions an individual can make.  So, it’s understandable that one considering a home purchase may take their time to avoid rushing into such a large financial commitment.  However, several factors might leave prospective home buyers who don’t purchase a property now wishing they had taken action sooner.

“Current market conditions have created A PERFECT STORM of sorts that has made it an ideal time to purchase for first-time and trade-up buyers alike,” said James M. Weichert, president and founder of Weichert, Realtors.  “Those who have the means and the desire to buy now but don’t, aren’t likely to see such a great opportunity again anytime soon.”

LOCK IN ON THE HISTORICALLY LOW INTEREST RATES

Thanks to measures taken by the Federal Reserve including the purchasing of mortgage-backed securities, interest rates have remained historically low for several years.  With the economy beginning to show signs of recovery, it is widely believed that the government will soon put an end to these stimulus efforts.  If that happens, many economists believe we will begin to see a sharp increase in interest rates which could result in a much higher monthly payment for those who wait.  For example, an interest rate increase of 1% on a 30 year fixed mortgage of $300,000 could cost a buyer $188 more a month or $67,000 more over the span of the entire loan.  Another way of looking at it is that for every 1/8% rise in rates, the “amount of home” you are able to afford reduces by $10,000.  For instance, if you can afford a $350,000 home with today’s interest rates, when the rates increase by just 1% you will only be able to afford to buy a $270,000 home.  So, I ask you….“If rates are historically low, what is the likelihood they will go up”?

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF RECORD HOME PRICE AFFORDABILITY

Home price affordability is at its most optimal level in decades.  As a result, those who wait to buy will likely pay more for the home they purchase than what that same home would cost right now.  In fact, home prices have already begun to rise slightly in some markets.  Instead of getting a better bargain, waiting to buy a home might net buyers a higher purchase price, less appreciation and less house for their buck.

THERE IS NO TIME TO WASTE for anyone who wants to take advantage of this great buying opportunity.  If you are prone to saying “what if” and wondering what could have been, you will thank yourself down the road for buying now.

Contact me, and let me show you how to take advantage of this Perfect Storm in Real Estate!!

~Connie Cooper

Myth #3 about short sales

Real Estate Myth # 3

Myth # 3: I can find more homes for sale by calling more than 1 agent!

It is possible but unlikely. Like any industry there are Great Agents, Average Agents, and Below Average Agents. Some agents specialize in neighborhoods, cities or other specific areas. Almost all agents have access to the Multiple Listing Service in their area, which means that they all have access to the same # of homes.

Today, if you are Internet savvy, you can narrow the search yourself. However, a Realtor should know the little things that make a neighborhood suitable for you. They are there to serve you, so take advantage of their expertise.

Short sale myth #2

Short Sale- Myth # 2

Myth # 2: It’s smarter for homeowners to walk away than to short sell their home.
As Tara-Nicholle Nelson says in her article Yes and No. “Increasingly, I’m hearing those who own upside down homes ask why they would bother with a short sale, when they could just walk away with much less effort and drama. The reality is that walking away and letting your home go to foreclosure is an extremely serious, personal decision – the wisdom of which varies dramatically owner to owner and state to state. Some states allow lenders to sue homeowners who default on their mortgages, and impose taxes on the mortgage debt cancelled out in foreclosure, sometimes totalling tens of thousands of dollars.

Other homeowners’ family and financial plans would be impaired much less by a short sale than by a foreclosure. For still others, it’s pretty much a wash. For everyone, though, it is faster to recover your credit and ability to take out another mortgage on a new home after a short sale than after a foreclosure.

Given that a short sale costs a seller little or nothing except some time an effort, in many instances it is smarter to make an effort to short sale than it is to walk away.”

Short Sale Myths….

Short Sale Myth # 1: That there is anything typical, standard or normal when it comes to getting a Short Sale approved?

No, “typical” is not in the vernacular for these transactions.
The bank is the power broker in Short sales. They can respond to an offer any way they want. “They may counter at a much higher price and demand a cash payment from the seller. Or not. They may take weeks or they may take six months. They may approve a way below asking offer, or require a hundred thousand over the asking price. Forget the idea of standard, when it comes to a short sale.”

Short Sales can either be torture or easy, there is no way to tell.

Delaware Fishing

maryharding-tn.jpgDelaware is a waterman’s paradise. There are all kinds of places to go fishing. There are freshwater areas such as ponds, and cypress bog areas where the bass like to hide. Delaware also has brackish rivers like the Nanticoke, the inland bay areas, and of course the ocean. There are also great spots for crabbing which are well kept secrets by the locals.

The fun is discovering these spots for your self. You just need to pack a cooler full of bait, sandwiches, drinks and your fishing rods. It’s a great way to have fun with your family or friends. It will leave your kids with great memories, and other than a fishing license, and a little bait, it doesn’t cost you any more than your time.

How does the “Real Estate Spread” affect you in today’s market

I am Tommy Cooper – President and broker of Cooper Realty, Associates.  I have been a real estate broker since 1976, and I established Cooper Realty in 1984, 26 years ago.This is the 4th recession I have been through, and let me categorically state that the previous 3 were amateur hour compared to our current recession, depression, or however you choose to describe it.

All the tried and true workings of real estate what we dealt with in the past, have been replaced by an all new set of scenarios.

Mortgages, appraisals, settlements, they all have new and more cumbersome regulations to deal with.  Add short sales, foreclosures, credit rating standards, and we have a whole new real estate world to address.

The good news, for buyers and sellers who have found the few realtors who have adapted, is there are tremendous opportunities to take advantage of.

To understand these opportunities, you must relate to what I refer to as “the spread theory”.  If your current property is worth 30% less than it was 3 yrs ago, (and it may very well be), who cares?  It makes no material difference if you are upgrading to a better and more expensive purchase.

“Is he crazy”? you may be asking yourself.  No, I am not, and here’s why:

Hypothetically, if your property was worth $400,000 3 years ago, and only $300,000 today, to upgrade to that just right property 3 years ago would have cost you $600,000.  Now, it can be purchased for $500,000.

The spread to live in your dream home 3 years ago would have cost you $200,000 ($400,000 to $600,000).  Today, the spread from the reduced value of $300,000 to your dream home cost of only $500,000 is still the same $200,000.  Everything is relative- the spread is still the spread.

Add to that, record low interest rates, and you have the perfect scenario-  the same spread as 3 years ago at the height of the market and a much lower monthly payment than would have been, because of  record low interest rates.

Digest my theory and think about it.  There has never been a better time to buy real estate.