Expenses that buyers can expect during a real estate transaction...

This is what buyers need to plan for when buying a home:

• Home inspection fee (may include well, septic)


• Termite inspection (depends on state)

• Special inspections such as pool or mold

• Credit report fee

• Appraisal fee

• Closing costs

• Home Warranty

• Moving expenses

Main Line Today Home & Garden Event Oct. 1 and 2

Main Line Today magazine and the Home Builders Association of Chester and Delaware Counties host their Home & Garden Fall Event on Friday, October 1 from 6 to 9 pm and Saturday, October 2 from 10 am to 9 pm at The School at Church Farm in Exton, PA.  This year’s event offers:


• Over 60 exhibitors featuring a wide array of home and garden products and services including Home Builders - Interior Design - Landscaping - Furnishings - Accessories - Renovations.


• Saturday workshops presented by experts:

1. Angelo Anastasio of Greenable on "Debunking the myths about green building products and why buy green."
2. Steve Buerkle of Signature Solar on "How to save on utility costs through solar installation."
3. Wayne Megill Jr. on "The economic benefits of buying new construction."
4. PECO Energy
5. Dale Smith of Sterling Kitchens on "Kitchen and bath design trends."

• 
“Going Green” demonstrations.

• Products to help consumers save money, save energy and protect the environment.

• Great food from the Bistro at Our Town and Cupcakes Gourmet.

Friday night opening featuring art by well known Chester County artists, fine food, acoustic guitar and home fashion expo. Raffles to benefit The American Red Cross.

For tickets (only $4.00!) go to:
https://today-media-inc.ticketleap.net/main-line-today-s-home-garden-fall-event-10-01-2010-20-0 
Enter HEB or HEB2 for 2-day pass.

Find the Most Walkable Neighborhoods! See how your home scores on the walkability scale.

Check out this great website that shows where the most walkable neighborhoods are.  Type in your address to see how it scores or, view the Walk Score Map which shows walkable locations and distances from the address. You can even check out how far your commute to work will be.

How Walk Score Works:
Walk Score is a number between 0 and 100 that measures the walkability of any address.


Walk Score Description
90–100 Walker's Paradise — Daily errands do not require a car.
70–89 Very Walkable — Most errands can be accomplished on foot.
50–69 Somewhat Walkable — Some amenities within walking distance.
25–49 Car-Dependent — A few amenities within walking distance.
0–24 Car-Dependent — Almost all errands require a car.

Go to http://www.walkscore.com/ and see how your present home scores or where you might like to live next!

7 REASONS WHY ACTIVE ADULTS MOVE

1. Move for Lifestyle
2. Move for Work
3. Move to Flee Dissatisfaction
4. Turn Second Home into First
5. Move for Health Reasons
6. Move to simplify life
7. Move for Family

Could your home have been purchased from a Sears catalog?

Can you imagine buying your home from a catalog?  From 1908 – 1940 Sears Modern Homes program offered over 500 ready to assemble “designs” from bungalows to mansions.  A quaint, three-room and no-bath summer cottage called the Goldenrod could also be purchased. The outhouse was sold separately. The details of construction and completion of the home was enclosed with a shipping schedule and mailed to the customer. The pre-fab houses were sent by rail and arrived pre-cut with a set of specifications and instructions on how to put it together.
There is a large collection of Sears Modern Catalog Homes still in existence. The Crescent Hills section of Hopewell VA has 44 homes. Elgin, Illinois has the largest known collection of over 200 homes. There are some homes in Pennsylvania as well.
If you want to learn more about these homes go to the Sears Archives website. Sears no longer has records but has suggestions on how to find out if your home might be from Sears. Rosemary Thornton, the author of The Houses That Sears Built offers this “How to Identify a Sears Home Kit” at wikihow.com.

So how's that for some fancy catalog shopping?

Branka's September 2010 Real Estate Market Update

Here is a link to my "September Real Estate Update":
http://realtytimes.com/142/BrankaDoych
August Real Estate Newsletter is full of interesting and useful information that I think you will enjoy whether you are a buyer, seller, homeowner, or renter. 

This month's issue includes topics such as:

"Priced to Sell";

"Most Homebuyers Have No Regrets";

"Staging a Photo Ready Home";

"Handling Neighborly Disputes";

"Social Benefits of Housing";


Plus a roundup of August real estate activity as well as much more advice and information
I hope you enjoy this monthly newsletter. If you have any comments, please e-mail them to me. Or, if you would like to see a certain topic covered in future months, let me know that too!