1.  Have you had a birthday on Facebook yet ?  If not, it is an amazing experience having a multitude of birthday wishes from your Facebook friends all throughout the day.  I even received a couple of personal videos.  I was a bit in awe... Sometimes in the past when I think of social media and "friends" I thought it was a bit cold and impersonal.  That thought has changed for there are so many great folks out there you can connect with through a multitude of sites whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo or right here in Active Rain !  The power of how far Social Media can reach is pretty darn amazing.  Are you taking advantage of it ?  If you have not connected with myself and Stephanie on Facebook (Chris Somers )  and ( Stephanie Somers ) , please click on the links and do so.

 2.  REFI or BUY - If you are in the position, I  would suggest do one or the other and do it soon.  I think when interest rates start to go higher they will go fast.  I just refinanced 3 of our investment properties getting a lower rate on each.  And if you are on the fence of buying, I know I keep mentioning it, but what are you waiting for ?  Interest rates have one way to go in 2010 and that is higher.

Pre-Home Inspections: What Every Seller Should Consider !

Chris and I are Realtors so our opinion is obviously one from that perspective.  But, that perspective was pierced last year when we helped my mother sell our family home of 35+ years located in Bucks County. It was a really slow market at that time and we wanted to sell the home in a few months rather than the average 6-8 months it was taking other homes to sell. So, my perspective as "just another Realtor" faded fast since this was the home I spent my formidable years growing up in and there were many memories embedded into every square foot.

Collectively we agreed that the old house was very well maintained but it certainly needed some repairs.Therefore, we thought it would be a great idea to get a pre-inspection to get a good overview of what we might be up against when a buyer got their own independent home inspection. We did not want any surprises.

We got the inspection done and decided to repair many of the small items that popped up and adjust the price of the property to compensate for some of the items we were not interested in replacing or repairing. We decided not to use our home inspection as a marketing tool in the advertising though we could easily have done so. That was not our goal in getting the pre-inspection. We did it for our own information and for disclosure purposes.

The home went pending in 3 weeks in a slow market and settled in less than 45 days at a great price. I attribute that success story to the decision we made to get the pre-inspection. It eliminated the "fear of the unknown" regarding repairs and allowed us to confidently and intelligently price and sell the property fast.

Every seller in this Real Estate Market, whether it be in Philadelphia, Bucks County Pennsylvania, or anywhere across the country should consider  doing a pre-inspection prior to selling their home. In fact, every Realtor representing a seller should consider introducing that option to their seller clients.

Pre-inspections are beneficial and should be considered by every seller because:

1) Pre-Inspections remove the fear of the unknown

2) Pre-Inspections create a platform for realistic pricing from the start

3) Pre-Inspections provide a real advantage when used to increase marketing appeal

The bottom line is information helps empower one to make informed decisions.  If interested in additional information regarding selling your home, please contact The Somers at thesomersteam@yahoo.com. 

It has been a crazy time leading up to Christmas.  Things have been so busy in business and in life that it is has been difficult to take a moment to appreciate the holiday season.  On top of that we had the winter snowstorm which delayed our shopping plans until Christmas Eve.  Being frantic can be a bit crazy as far as worrying about "getting everything done" .

I hope all of you are happy and relaxed with "everything done".  I have not really been in the Christmas spirt until this morning.  All it takes is a moment of appreciation and gratitude that makes it all worthwhile and to fill your heart with warmth.  For some, it is simple as an empty box and wrapping paper !  Life is good.  Enjoy !! 

Happy Holidays from The Somers !

And here is to a fabulous 2010 !!!

With our recent move to the The Rialto Building in Northern Liberties, we are furthering our connection to the Philadelphia community and bringing consumers an enhanced home search with the launch of our new state of the art website, Access Philly.

We are confident that our investment in our new office space  as well as our new  cutting edge technology, we will be a one stop shop for our clients, providing them with access to everything they need when it comes to buying and selling real estate and will bring our agents even more visibility and functionality.

On December 14^th we published a Press Release about our new Remax Access Office and wanted to not only share it with you, but show you what a great tool a press release can be for your business.   Press releases are a great marketing tool that can be picked up by many search engines and sites that will bring traffic to your website and increase your visibility with consumers. 

In one week our press release has received: 79138 impressions and 927 reads.

Reads: A read refers to any time the full body text of your press release has been displayed at any of the distribution points PRWeb has the ability to track.

Impressions: A headline impression refers to any time the headline (and possibly the summary) is displayed at any of the distribution points PRWeb has the ability to track. This includes PRWeb's home page, browsing by day or category, and news feeds.

 

 

In some of our previous posts (see "Our Journey" below) we've been sharing our excitement about our move to our new space on the 5th floor at The Rialto Building, a 7 story all glass professional building with amazing views of Philadelphia.

It is part of the Piazza project, an area surrounded by an incredible array of gastro pubs, fine restaurants and casual fooderies as well as shopping, galleries, boutiques, and entertainment.

We are officially moved in and on December 2nd had the opportunity to show off our new space to many of our clients and fellow agents.

Here are a few snap shots from that spectacular event.

We hope you will make it a point to stop in for a visit if you're ever in the Philadelphia and Northern Liberties Area.

This move, along with the many great clients we've had the opportunity to assist and get to know, has been a fabulous journey and experience for us and we are only looking forward to many more great things to come as we settle into our new spaceand look forward to what the coming year has in store for us, our clients and the Philadelphia Real Estate Market. 

Learn more about "Our Journey":

Owner with a leading eye on the future

Remax moving to Northern Liberties

Perspective - A snapshot of one person's revelation

Remax is moving

Hello from the new Remax Office

A sneak peak tour of the new Remax Office

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you're interested in buying or selling properties in Philadelphia, contact Chris and Stephanie Somers at thesomersteam@yahoo.com or 215-400-2612. 

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If interested in buying or selling properties in Philadelphia, contact Chris and Stephanie Somers at thesomersteam@yahoo.com or 215-400-2612 . You can connect with us on Facebookand Twitter .  For investment properties, check out our new investor site at Philly Investor Hub !  If interested in checking out our new office in Northern Liberties, let us know !

The Somers  Team - Philadelphia Real Estate  

Search the MLS Properties Here in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

Click here to receive our Blog updates via email ! 

Areas of specialty include Northern Liberties, Old City, Center City, Fishtown, Graduate Hospital, Art Museum, Queen Village, Pennsport, Old Kensington, Port Richmond, Bridesburg, Society Hill, Loft District, Spring Garden and more !

Each week we post a few random thoughts that came up in our weekly business and conversation.  Please share what you are thinking in response to our thoughts in a comment below.  Or please share your own random thought as well !

1.  Website traffic - Even though the activity is slower this time of year, we have noticed that our website traffic on The Somers Team has been high.  This is an indicator of the pent-up demand that is building for the spring market as buyers are starting to think about buying a house next year. 

2.  Success - For every little success that I have I feel guilty for those that are in more need, especially this time of year.  There are a lot of folks struggling out there with the recession and unemployment being high.  I feel burden in my heart and have not found a solution to make it okay.  It is not like we are overly successful dripping in luxury and it is not like we have not had our down moments as well as life can be hard, but would just like to see others do well and be happy.   I hope that 2010 is a strong bounce back year for many Americans.

3.  Interest Rates - Interest rates are at lifetime lows.  I like the term lifetime over historical as I really believe the current rates will be the lowest a buyer will see in her lifetime.

4.  Health Care- What I have read in terms of how those votes were procured to get to that critical 60 vote mark makes my stoumach churn.

Please comment below in regards to what you are thinking.  And subscribe to our blog to see this post every week !

New Listing 1553 N Orkney Street in Old Kensington for $115,000

This 3 story has a modern open layout and has been updated in both the kitchen and bath.

As you enter in this home through the main living space, you will see the the living room which has hardwood flooring and overlooks the eat-in kitchen.

The kitchen has plenty of cabinet space and tile flooring and provides access to both the rear yard and the basement through the first floor.

Photo Gallery

The basement's best use is for storage and the utilities that are easily accessible, updated and in good working order.

The second floor bath is enormous and has been remodeled with a new tub and shower enclosure combination as well as a new white vanity for storage. There is plenty of room to expand the bath or for it to double as a laundry room.

There is a bedroom on the 2nd and third floor with closets and plenty of natural light. The windows are newer, it is cable wired and this property can be considered move-in condition.

1551 Orkney also available next door (has a garage).

We welcome both showings.

More info about Life in Old Kensington

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If interested in buying or selling properties in Philadelphia, contact Chris and Stephanie Somers at thesomersteam@yahoo.com or 215-400-2612 . You can connect with us on Facebook and Twitter .  For investment properties, check out our new investor site at Philly Investor Hub !  If interested in checking out our new office in Northern Liberties, let us know !

The Somers  Team - Philadelphia Real Estate  

Search the MLS Properties Here in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

Click here to receive our Blog updates via email ! 

Areas of specialty include Northern Liberties, Old City, Center City, Fishtown, Graduate Hospital, Art Museum, Queen Village, Pennsport, Old Kensington, Port Richmond, Bridesburg, Society Hill, Loft District, Spring Garden and more !

New Listing 1551 N Orkney Street in Old Kensington for $135,000

This is an updated 3 bedroom home with garage that features a formal living room with hard wood floors and an eat in kitchen.

New cabinets and plenty of counter space, range, refrigerator, and tile floors.

Visit the Photo Gallery

The bedrooms are spacious with wall to wall carpet and there is a remodeled hall bath.

Full basement with washer and dryer. 

The property at 1553 Orkney is also for sale.

Learn more about life in Old Kensington 

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If interested in buying or selling properties in Philadelphia, contact Chris and Stephanie Somers at thesomersteam@yahoo.com or 215-400-2612 . You can connect with us on Facebook and Twitter .  For investment properties, check out our new investor site at Philly Investor Hub !  If interested in checking out our new office in Northern Liberties, let us know !

The Somers  Team - Philadelphia Real Estate  

Search the MLS Properties Here in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

Click here to receive our Blog updates via email ! 

Areas of specialty include Northern Liberties, Old City, Center City, Fishtown, Graduate Hospital, Art Museum, Queen Village, Pennsport, Old Kensington, Port Richmond, Bridesburg, Society Hill, Loft District, Spring Garden and more !

"Your butt looks great in those jeans!"

That is all I needed to hear. SOLD ! Kim Montenegro knows her jeans and so she should. She is the designer and owner of Very Bad Horse, just  the coolest denim Boutique in Philadelphia. In my mind, it is best described as a mash-up of Classic Western, Biker Tough, and absolutely Haute Couture worthy.

MotorMontenegro label has a large following including the famous and infamous. The denim wear including jeans, shirts, jackets, vests, skirts, as well as accessories that are available online and in the store.

Very Bad Horse  has a hot Rock and Roll edge to it which is a style that really thrives in an urban terrain like Philadelphia / Northern Liberties.  But don't underestimate the versatility of the clothing. You do not need a Harley to pull off a look that is classic and timeless.

I have to admit that I was a bit intimidated at first by the no nonsense, trend-on, in your face, coolness vibe I got from the store. The clothing is not cheap either. But nothing that is made with this level of quality and attention to detail is. I am talking about 100% high quality cotton, American made, saturated with the finest washes and of course the secret ingredient, attitude.

Daniel (see photo to the right) who mans the shop when Kim Montenegro is not there, told me that Santa is working very closeley with them this year. It seems that Very Bad Horse has even gained a rep up North.   Apparently Motor Jeans are Santa's perfect fit for those bad boys and girls on his "NAUGHTY LIST"!

Thank you Santa ! I love my new jeans !

New Listing 315 New Street 602 in Old City for $234,900

Welcome to this charming Old City condo in the heart of the Historic, Gallery and Restaurant district.

The condo building has a secure front desk and lobby area that has been recently redecorated and elevators for easy access to each floor. This one bedroom is completely updated and includes a storage room on the same floor.

The property is a one floor, cathedral ceiling design with exposed brick and absolutely breathtaking city views throughout. Soaring factory sized window and plenty of natural light flood the kitchen, living room, and dining area. The kitchen offers a convenient breakfast bar and all of the appliances are included.

Visit the Photo Gallery

Spacious bedroom, convenient hall bath, and expansive closet space are certainly desired features. Showings are very easy and we welcome your visit.

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If interested in buying or selling properties in Philadelphia, contact Chris and Stephanie Somers at thesomersteam@yahoo.com or 215-400-2612 . You can connect with us on Facebook and Twitter .  For investment properties, check out our new investor site at Philly Investor Hub !  If interested in checking out our new office in Northern Liberties, let us know !

The Somers  Team - Philadelphia Real Estate  

Search the MLS Properties Here in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

Click here to receive our Blog updates via email ! 

Areas of specialty include Northern Liberties, Old City, Center City, Fishtown, Graduate Hospital, Art Museum, Queen Village, Pennsport, Old Kensington, Port Richmond, Bridesburg, Society Hill, Loft District, Spring Garden and more !