Monday, November 24, 2003
Philly Region Residential Home Sale Statistics
These statistics are provided by TREND MLS, and summarize single-family homes sold from April 1 to June 30, 2003 on properties listed in the TREND MLS system.
County/Number Sold/Average Price
Berks County/1,526/$134,616
Bucks County/2,041/$264,877
Burlington County/1,920/$205,382
Camden County/1,966/$152,505
Chester County/1,898/$280,927
Delaware County/1,864/$191,768
Gloucester County/993/$165,429
Kent County/506/$150,373
Mercer County/1,217/$249,668
Montgomery County/2,894/$251,491
New Castle County/2,050/$190,205
Philadelphia County/3,578/$122,730
Salem County/190/$131,335
The average Days on Market (DOM) for a house before it sold was under 40 days in New Castle County, Bucks County, and Montgomery County; and under 62 days for all other counties except for Salem County (87 DOM)....showing that if your house is priced right they move rather quickly.
County/Number Sold/Average Price
Berks County/1,526/$134,616
Bucks County/2,041/$264,877
Burlington County/1,920/$205,382
Camden County/1,966/$152,505
Chester County/1,898/$280,927
Delaware County/1,864/$191,768
Gloucester County/993/$165,429
Kent County/506/$150,373
Mercer County/1,217/$249,668
Montgomery County/2,894/$251,491
New Castle County/2,050/$190,205
Philadelphia County/3,578/$122,730
Salem County/190/$131,335
The average Days on Market (DOM) for a house before it sold was under 40 days in New Castle County, Bucks County, and Montgomery County; and under 62 days for all other counties except for Salem County (87 DOM)....showing that if your house is priced right they move rather quickly.
Monday, November 17, 2003
Smarter Agent adds some features to its website.
From our home page (www.smarteragent.com) you can now fill out a form to Find a top Realtor or List Your Home.
We have also added some county and city specific websites.
www.buckscountyhomesandrealestate.com
www.chestercountyhomesandrealestate.com
www.berkscountyhomesandrealestate.com
www.wildwoodhomesandrealestate.com
www.atlanticcityhomesandrealestate.com
www.philadelphiahomesandrealestate.com
We have also added some county and city specific websites.
www.buckscountyhomesandrealestate.com
www.chestercountyhomesandrealestate.com
www.berkscountyhomesandrealestate.com
www.wildwoodhomesandrealestate.com
www.atlanticcityhomesandrealestate.com
www.philadelphiahomesandrealestate.com
Thursday, November 13, 2003
Dear fellow Realtors, buyers need full data once they log-in as clients on your website.
Did the NAR create an anti-competitive internet policy?
Many consumer advocates think the NAR's (National Association of Realtors) VOW policy adopted in May 03, impedes a consumers right to information and favors large firms who control most of the listings in a market.
Personally, I think general rules to govern real estate on the Internet is ok. But, interference between what a Realtor's clients can see when they search their site for listings, is not such a good thing if it impedes competition and innovation.
Is hard to mess with Realtors though. There are about 1 million of them. They listen to the NAR which is the largest trade association in the country. The last thing your congressperson wants to hear is 40 yenta's yapping their ears off - when they go to the supermarket - so they tend to side with the Realtors on some marginal issues. But with the high price and transaction costs of housing someone has to look at these issues. I've been a Realtor for 20 years - so I feel I can bust on my fellow Realtors a bit when they withhold data from the Internet but give out that same info over the phone, or in their mailings or other advertising.
But the serious issues where many people have a problem with the NAR's internet regulations are: the opt-out provisions; address removal; and advertising next to other brokers listings. The Justice Department is currently investigating if NAR rules violate anti-trust or other fair commerce regulations.
Opt-out means that if the largest broker in the market wants to hobble an up and coming competitor, they can withhold listings from that site, but let every other broker in that market show their listings on their websites.
Or the listing agent can put a sign on your property, send a postcard to everyone in the county saying 123 Main Street is for sale, but can withhold the address from its competitors website. Does that help the seller (if they request that), or the buyer - or just help that agent. With 70% of consumers starting their real estate search on the internet before calling a Realtor, I tend to think sellers who agree to hold back non-personal property information like where the property is located are not really marketing their property in this day and age. Heck, we are all buyers at some point, and we love to drive by an address to get a feel for the property before we call to schedule an appointment. If someone's address is listed on Smarter Agent - and yours is not- guess which home seller is going to get less action.
I'll post more on this later because I think many Realtor confuse IDX (internet positing of limited information) with a VOW where people have to log-in to get detailed information. Smarter Agent gets about 250 people a week who log-in and become clients to get the good stuff and our unique search tools.
And an Op Ed piece I wrote on this subject is running on Inman News. Email us at info@smarteragent.com if you want a copy. But if you enjoy the power of using Smarter Agent, and would be upset if we had to withhold information from you on our website - you can see why consumer advocates have asked the Justice Department to review this ruling.
Many consumer advocates think the NAR's (National Association of Realtors) VOW policy adopted in May 03, impedes a consumers right to information and favors large firms who control most of the listings in a market.
Personally, I think general rules to govern real estate on the Internet is ok. But, interference between what a Realtor's clients can see when they search their site for listings, is not such a good thing if it impedes competition and innovation.
Is hard to mess with Realtors though. There are about 1 million of them. They listen to the NAR which is the largest trade association in the country. The last thing your congressperson wants to hear is 40 yenta's yapping their ears off - when they go to the supermarket - so they tend to side with the Realtors on some marginal issues. But with the high price and transaction costs of housing someone has to look at these issues. I've been a Realtor for 20 years - so I feel I can bust on my fellow Realtors a bit when they withhold data from the Internet but give out that same info over the phone, or in their mailings or other advertising.
But the serious issues where many people have a problem with the NAR's internet regulations are: the opt-out provisions; address removal; and advertising next to other brokers listings. The Justice Department is currently investigating if NAR rules violate anti-trust or other fair commerce regulations.
Opt-out means that if the largest broker in the market wants to hobble an up and coming competitor, they can withhold listings from that site, but let every other broker in that market show their listings on their websites.
Or the listing agent can put a sign on your property, send a postcard to everyone in the county saying 123 Main Street is for sale, but can withhold the address from its competitors website. Does that help the seller (if they request that), or the buyer - or just help that agent. With 70% of consumers starting their real estate search on the internet before calling a Realtor, I tend to think sellers who agree to hold back non-personal property information like where the property is located are not really marketing their property in this day and age. Heck, we are all buyers at some point, and we love to drive by an address to get a feel for the property before we call to schedule an appointment. If someone's address is listed on Smarter Agent - and yours is not- guess which home seller is going to get less action.
I'll post more on this later because I think many Realtor confuse IDX (internet positing of limited information) with a VOW where people have to log-in to get detailed information. Smarter Agent gets about 250 people a week who log-in and become clients to get the good stuff and our unique search tools.
And an Op Ed piece I wrote on this subject is running on Inman News. Email us at info@smarteragent.com if you want a copy. But if you enjoy the power of using Smarter Agent, and would be upset if we had to withhold information from you on our website - you can see why consumer advocates have asked the Justice Department to review this ruling.
Tuesday, November 04, 2003
Smarter Agent has Invented the World's First Interactive REAL ESTATE MAP SEARCH
Most of the time, when you search on Smarter Agent's website, you see the results of your search plotted as little red houses on the map.* Plus, some Realtors and home owners request the MLS not to allow addressess to be shown on their listings - so not every house is mapped. If you want a buyer to see your house before someone else's in the same price range --- witholding data from the internet where 70% of buyers start their search - is not a good idea! **
Our basic map feature is very cool and some people think this is our highly touted interactive map search - but it's not!
Here's how to find and use the Interactive Map Search.
First:
You have to be a - logged in - client of Smarter Agent to use the Interactive Map Search. Once you are logged in, hit the MAP SEARCH tab at the top of the page (it's next to the Basic Search tab) to use the Interactive Map Search.
Then:
After you select the general search criteria (price, etc), PUSH IN THE ZOOM AREA BUTTON. This allows you to use your mouse to draw a search box on the map.
Make a Box:
As you click on the map, watch the box grow, and let go. The system then zooms into the area of the box. It takes a wee bit of practice for some, but drawing a search box let's you search without having to know the name of an area - like if you want to search along the Delaware River. Remember, you have to leave the ZOOM AREA button clicked-in to let this function work - otherwise the default just zooms in randomly.
Another cool button (Drag Map) lets you DRAG the map - up, down, left or right to see what's farther up the road.
Give us a call at 856-614-5423, if you have any map search questions.
* I say most of the time, because the map is still in beta, and with the massive amount of usage our site gets - we have to re-boot the map server frequently during the day -- so sometimes all you see is the base map without the home's plotted.
** We beleive Realtors and Sellers who hold back information, such as an address, to be shown on the internet do not get as many interested buyers. The privacy issue makes no sense, if you don't want people to know your house is for sale then don't put a FOR SALE sign on the property either. And it's almost funny to withhold an address...many realtors as soon as they list a house send out postcards saying "I just listed 234 Mian Street!".
Our basic map feature is very cool and some people think this is our highly touted interactive map search - but it's not!
Here's how to find and use the Interactive Map Search.
First:
You have to be a - logged in - client of Smarter Agent to use the Interactive Map Search. Once you are logged in, hit the MAP SEARCH tab at the top of the page (it's next to the Basic Search tab) to use the Interactive Map Search.
Then:
After you select the general search criteria (price, etc), PUSH IN THE ZOOM AREA BUTTON. This allows you to use your mouse to draw a search box on the map.
Make a Box:
As you click on the map, watch the box grow, and let go. The system then zooms into the area of the box. It takes a wee bit of practice for some, but drawing a search box let's you search without having to know the name of an area - like if you want to search along the Delaware River. Remember, you have to leave the ZOOM AREA button clicked-in to let this function work - otherwise the default just zooms in randomly.
Another cool button (Drag Map) lets you DRAG the map - up, down, left or right to see what's farther up the road.
Give us a call at 856-614-5423, if you have any map search questions.
* I say most of the time, because the map is still in beta, and with the massive amount of usage our site gets - we have to re-boot the map server frequently during the day -- so sometimes all you see is the base map without the home's plotted.
** We beleive Realtors and Sellers who hold back information, such as an address, to be shown on the internet do not get as many interested buyers. The privacy issue makes no sense, if you don't want people to know your house is for sale then don't put a FOR SALE sign on the property either. And it's almost funny to withhold an address...many realtors as soon as they list a house send out postcards saying "I just listed 234 Mian Street!".
Monday, November 03, 2003
A case for open space.
Took an impromptu family canoe and kayak trip in New Jersey's Wharton State Forest in 70 degree November weather on Saturday. A blast! As you float down the West Branch of the narrow and winding Wading River for 3 hours - it's hard to believe you are in New Jersey! I recommend everyone take this trip at least once. You can rent canoes and kayaks at several places such as Bel Haven C&K or Micks C&K in the Wharton Forest - 15 minutes east of Hammonton, NJ. The rental co's drop you off, and you paddle to a pick-up point downstream. The water level was as high as I can remember and there was a bit of speed to the river flow. All the canoes tipped at least once (even Eric) - which was quite amazing - but everyone was a good sport.
It's important for politicians to recognize that saving a piece of land here and there is not all there is to conservation. For example, it's just as important to parcel together contiguous bike and walking paths across jurisdictional lines. The Horseshoe trail which streches 40 miles or so from Valley Forge Park to Reading PA is one such regional effort. The trail runs over both private and public lands and is largely held together by volunteers.
As land is being sucked up across the region, it's important to keep a regional picture of where open space corridors (even if only a few feet wide) can be maintained to allow us all to take long walks and bike rides protected from cars. This type of planning is great for property values, and for getting the most out of where you live -- not to mention healthy hearts!
It's important for politicians to recognize that saving a piece of land here and there is not all there is to conservation. For example, it's just as important to parcel together contiguous bike and walking paths across jurisdictional lines. The Horseshoe trail which streches 40 miles or so from Valley Forge Park to Reading PA is one such regional effort. The trail runs over both private and public lands and is largely held together by volunteers.
As land is being sucked up across the region, it's important to keep a regional picture of where open space corridors (even if only a few feet wide) can be maintained to allow us all to take long walks and bike rides protected from cars. This type of planning is great for property values, and for getting the most out of where you live -- not to mention healthy hearts!
