April 2010 Newsletter

April 2010 Newsletter Here’s What’s Happening in North Branch

Pending : 5414 Nicholas Ct A GUTNER TEAM LISTING A Chapman 3 bdms all on the first floor!!! 2 Full Baths, backs to protected space. Hardwoods, Corian, New Master Bathroom, Deck Patio Pond and Gardens, finished basement , incredible condition. Listed for $419,000. Reduced to $399,900. Great spot for your parents! Nothing to do in this house!


5467 Richie Ct a Grandview, 4 bdms 2 1/2 Baths, hardwoods, granite, partial finished basement. Listed at $529,000 for 58 days Pending for $524,900.

Toll Brothers neighborhood coming!!
Plumstead Hunt is beginning to sell and there are Pre-construction prices going on. Beautiful lots from 19,000 square feet up to 28,000 square feet (1/2 acre and up)—Lot premiums from $0 to $25,000 but most are $10,000. Gorgeous and timeless models for this location. Buy with us and as Members of The Toll Brothers Advisory Board, receive an additional $2,000 in upgrades (in addition to what we negotiate for you!!!). Call us if you would like to have us email you site plan with lot prices.


Once again, I am receiving letters at home from attorneys who would like to help me lower the assessment on my house, thus lowering our taxes. And they charge 50% of what they save you!!! As you know, we helped 288 people last year lower their assessments FOR FREE! WE will be helping people again this year and ask only that you send us AN EMAIL to jeri@gutner.com with your name, address, model and improvements. We will begin the process and get back to you with what you have to do. Many of your neighbors saved several thousand dollars so don’t hesitate to call us.


Keller Williams Agents have huge Hearts! Helping people in our community is a huge part of our company. This year, our RED DAY will benefit Seniors. Feel free to join us on May 13th at the Senior Center located at 700 North Shady Retreat Road to help paint the outside and 3 offices on the inside. We’ll be there from 8:00 to 5:00—join us for an hour or so you can. We are doing this in conjunction with THE TWILIGHT WISH FOUNDATION, a national organization founded by Cass Forkin of Buckingham. TWF is an incredible foundation granting wishes to Seniors. From a new mattress or air conditioner to re-uniting families they haven’t seen in years, riding on a motorcycle, and going to a prom, each wish is different. See them on the web at www.twilightwish.org. The stories are compelling, like Margaret, 81, a nursing home resident who lost her son suddenly and because of financial circumstances he had to be buried in an unmarked grave. TWF arranged for a headstone and a service to place it. They are Fantastic!



BUILDER Magazine’s Top 10 Elements of Style for 2010
Let’s not call them “trends” because trends come and go. Builders try to design homes that will last for generations. Builders are paying attention to Consumers who now desire less maintenance and more free time. Here’s the top ten design areas that builders agree on this year.

1. Standard height of 9 feet on first floor and a shift away from the two story great room to more effective use of second-floor space.
2. Low-maintenance/no-maintenance materials, especially on exteriors. Ceramic tile and stone floors, brick exteriors, and metal trim instead of wood on the outside are just a few examples.
3. Larger laundry rooms and mud rooms.
4. Natural materials are important on the interior—hardwoods, granite. Classic is here to stay.
5. “Me” spaces. Quiet corners and cubby holes to escape everyone, a computer niche, a junk room, a chair with a bookshelf.
6. Decline of the living room and increase in “special” rooms, such as home offices and media rooms. As houses get smaller there just isn’t room for a place you only visit to dust. It will still exist in many builders homes but it will not be a “formal” room.
7. Technology advances. Builders agree that they need to offer pre-wiring for an abundance of amenities, like Ethernet, surround sound, stereo equipment. Keyless entries, computerized security systems, advanced lighting controls, etc.
8. Outdoors for entertaining. Builders are paying attention to the back yards. Covered areas with full kitchens, home theaters, sleeping porches and dining rooms are popular. Decks and patios are still strong, but a screened porch is more popular.
9. Mixed products on the same street. Smart-growth initiatives are promoting design plans for master neighborhoods that mix singles, townhouses and condo’s.
10. Rear-loaded homes. As lots get smaller, garages are going out back or across an alley, saving the front of the home for porches. Remember your parents home, drive up the driveway and the garage is hidden back there. It’s back!



Need Help With “Stuff” around the House?
People I can’t live without:
My Painter, HVAC guy,
My Second Husband (our handyman)
My Decorator
My Tree Guy
My Plumber and My Roofer
Need a referral? Call Us!
If you are planning to put your home on the market in the next 6 to 8 months,
it’s not too early to start talking to us!
Attic Ventilation

Attic areas can hold substantial amounts of moist air. In the summer it is very hot and humid in the attic, however, in the winter it can be more humid causing a fair amount of problems.
1. The roof is roughly 1/2” away from blistering shingles.
2. As heat in the house rises, it gets trapped in the attic acting as a hat for the entire home.
By having good ventilation the hot air would be removed drawing in relatively cooler air. Insufficient air movement in the attic doesn’t allow the heat from the second floor to go anywhere. Hi temps and humidity will delaminate the roof sheathing, excessively dry out the roof framing and cause an earlier need to replace.

There are many ways to vent an attic; fans, ridge vents, gable end vents. The important thing is that it IS ventilated which will save you repairs and heating/cooling bills.

How to Save on Homeowners Insurance

1. Don’t shop on the internet. It is impossible to compare apples to apples.
2. Raise your deductible. A $1,000 deductible can save you as much as 25%.
3. Ask whomever is quoting how they figure the cost of the land into house coverage. Land doesn’t burn or blow away.
4. Buy your home and auto policies from the same company.
5. Ask what you can do to lower your costs by reducing risk.
6. Improve your home security w/alarms w/monitoring station.
7. If you’re at least 55 years old and retired or work from home, insurance companies love homebodies. They maintain their homes and are quick to spot problems.
8. Maintain good credit. It’s the first thing they look at.
9. Stay with the same insurer and if you ASK your loyalty will be rewarded with a discount.
10. Review your coverage and policy and coverage every year.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY -
BE SURE YOU HAVE SUMP PUMP COVERAGE!!!
Remember!!! We work with ALL national Relocation Companies and while they may tell you that you have to work with their selections, that is NOT the case!

March 2010, North Branch Newsletter

March 2010 Newsletter Here’s What’s Happening in North Branch
Active : 5414 Nicholas Ct A GUTNER TEAM LISTING A Chapman 3 bdms all on the first floor!!! 2 Full Baths, backs to protected space. Hardwoods, Corian, New Master Bathroom, Deck Patio Pond and Gardens, finished basement , incredible condition. Listed for $419,000. Great spot for your parents! Nothing to do in this house! See the virtual tour at www.gutner.com
Pending: : 5467 Richie Ct a Grandview, 4 bdms 2 1/2 Baths, hardwoods, granite, partial finished basement. Listed at $529,000 for 58 days Pending for $524,900

Are we at the “bottom” yet?
Hmmm. Probably not. Let’s take a home in a development in Buckingham and analyze that.
In 1994 it was purchased new from the builder for $222,000. With “typical” appreciation of 4% per year that house should have been worth $303,822 in 2002. Nice appreciation, right? But it sold for $420,000!
Today, with “typical” appreciation of 4% per year that house should be worth $415,801 but that house would sell today somewhere around $490,000. At 4% appreciation, it won’t be at $490,000 until 2014 which tells us that our prices will be stagnant for some time. So? Are we at the bottom? It depends on how many short sales and foreclosures come our way.
We’ve been pretty lucky so far, however I know of several homes that are empty, not on the market yet, and owned by a bank. But savvy buyers know that this is the time to buy and homes ARE selling. Interest rates are GREAT and prices are GREAT! This is an unusual time where prices are low and interest rates are low. Something is going to break and our guess is that interest rates will start their climb. Inventory is already lower than last year where some neighborhoods had 10 to 15 homes for sale. We’re very optimistic about this spring! If, however, you are in trouble . . . We are working with a Short Sale Expert and would be happy to hook you up with him. Don’t go into foreclosure! It ruins you for years and years.


Computer and Electronics Recycling Day:
Drop off all your old computer & electronic equipment & help save our Earth! Proceeds to Benefit: A Family of God Lutheran Church, 4770 Route 202, Buckingham, 413 So. To Left on 202, Left into Church parking lot.
Sunday, April 11th, 9AM to 1PM. Items accepted include: Laptop Computers; Printers & Fax Machines; Televisions ($20.00 fee); Batteries (lead acid); Computer parts; Air Conditioners ($20.00 fee); Desktop Computers; DVD Players, VCR’s; Computer Monitors ($5.00 fee); Stereos and Speakers; Cables/Cords; Small Appliances; Dehumidifiers ($10.00 fee); Electronic Toys. All proceeds go to sending kids to camp for week where they will repair homes for the less fortunate. The amounts listed above are not mandatory, but suggested.

You also have a facebook page at friends and neighbors of North Branch, Gardenville, Pa.

What’s Hot?
Well, according to the National Association of Home Builders decking out the kitchen makes the whole home more saleable. Kitchen designs, they say, translates to dollars.
1. “Blue is the new green”. Soft blues are catching on with consumers looking at home as a refuge. It’s calming and clean. Gray is an increasingly popular and pumpkin-orange is great for younger buyers!
2. Now that you’ve stripped all that wallpaper, it’s bAAAck! But large-scale prints and only on an accent wall.
3. Cabinets have gone through oak and maple phases: Now they’re showing up in painted white finishes.
4. The average newly built single home shrank from 2.520 square feet to 2,480 but priorities changed to price, energy and organization. Very high on the list was a kitchen big enough for the whole family to dine—-67% surveyed said they wanted space for a table, as opposed to chairs at a counter. 62% wanted a kitchen that functioned as a family gathering place. Walk-in pantries are highly desirable and a “family foyer” gets top marks—not at the front of the house but by the garage—space for backpacks, coats, boots, etc.
5. And granite . . . “it’s almost a starter-home feature” says a kitchen designer. While it has moved off of the list of “musts” and been replaced by various energy-saving features, buyers expect it.
Need Help With “Stuff” around the House?
People I can’t live without:
My Painter, HVAC guy,
My Second Husband (our handyman)
My Decorator
My Tree Guy
My Plumber and My Roofer
Need a referral? Call Us!
If you are planning to put your home on the market in the next 6 to 8 months,
it’s not too early to start talking to us!

Top Budget Friendly Improvements:
1. Conquer Clutter—Whenever we have sellers get rid of their clutter, they think the house doesn’t look like their home. DUH! That’s the idea. We want people looking at space as theirs, not yours
2. Top Energy Efficient Project: Add Insulation
3. Top Outdoor Structures Project: Add a fence
4. Top Big Ticket Project: Finish the basement
5. Top Home Exterior Project: Repair Gutters
6. Top Outdoor Living Project: Add Outdoor Lighting
7. Top Landscaping Project: Make it look neat, tidy and easy to care for.
8. Top Storage and Organization Project: Maximize and Organize Storage Space
9. Top Bathroom Project: Refresh Fixtures
10. Top Kitchen Project: Upgrade Appliances.
10 Things EVERY Remodeling Contract Should Include:
1. The Contractor’s name, address, phone number, and license #
2. DETAILS on what the contractor will and WILL NOT do
3. A list of materials. Size, color, model, brand name and product
4. All required plans. Assure accuracy. Insist that you approve them and that they are identified in your written contract before any work begins.
5. Written notice of right to, without penalty, cancel within 3 days of signing. It’s the law.
6. The approximate start date and completion date.
7. Financial terms, spelled out—Total price, payment schedule, and any cancellation or “change” fees.
8. A binding arbitration clause, which you’ll need in the event of any disagreements. Arbitration may enable you to resolve disputes without costly litigation.
9. Everything you’ve requested. Make sure all items you’ve requested are included. If you do not see a specific item in the contract, consider it not included. NEVER sign an incomplete contract.
10. A warranty covering materials and workmanship for a minimum of one year and should be identified as full or limited. The name and address of the party who will honor the warranty (contractor, distributor, or manufacturer must be identified. Make sure the time period for the warranty is specified.

Should you Make Bi-Weekly Payments on Your Mortgage?
With biweekly payments, you pay half of the monthly mortgage payment every 2 weeks, rather than the full balance once a month. This is comparable to 13 monthly payments a year, which can result in faster payoff and lower overall interest costs. For example, the biweekly mortgage payment process can pay off a $200,000 30 year fixed loan at 7% in approximately 24 years (75 months sooner than a standard payment plan), with a total of $68,925 in interest savings.
Your lender might offer several biweekly payment options, where you make a payment that equals half of your normal monthly payment every two weeks. There is a considerable difference between different payment plans, so you should check with the lender to find out how they will treat your biweekly payments, exactly.
What most borrowers get when they convert their loan from monthly to biweekly payments is a pseudo biweekly (or standard biweekly) payment plan. On the pseudo biweekly, the biweekly payments are credited to an account managed by your lender. Once a month, as with standard payments, the monthly payments are made out of that account. The excess amount accumulated in the account by the end of each year is equal to a full monthly payment. At this point your lender makes a double payment.
In order to set up a true biweekly (or simple interest biweekly) payment schedule, you must have a lender that will immediately credit each 1/2 monthly payment upon receipt. The lender must calculate interest for two-week intervals and apply the biweekly payments less the interest to reduce principal every two weeks. Check with your mortgage holder—This is GREAT!

For Sale in NorthBranch

5407 Nicholas Ct. $2500/month
4Bedrooms 2.5 Bathrooms

Spread your wings in this former model home in the Award Winning Neighborhood of Northbranch. Two Story Foyer with turned staircase, Front to back living room and dining room. Open Kitchen/Family Room with Beautiful Breakfast Room with lots of windows overlooking the large, fenced-in back yard with deck. Family Room with built-in bookcases and fireplace. Main bedroom suite separated from sitting room by a fireplace! Luxurious bath, plenty of closets. 3 additional bedroom and a hall bath complete the second floor. Nicely Finished basement with wet-bar and full bath! House backs to trees and protected space . . . feels like an acre! RESIDENTIAL RENTAL for more info
http://www.postlets.com/rts/3322682


5414 Nicholas Ct $419,900

3 Bedrooms 2 Full Bathrooms

Mr. and Mrs. Clean and Meticulous are looking for a buyer who appreciates how much they have loved their home. Every upgrade and improvement possible with no regard to cost, only quality. One level living on a quiet cul de sac backing to protected space and then a working farm. Enjoy evenings on the covered front porch, the large back deck or the beautiful patio area. Let the Gardener in you out! With Beautiful plantings and a pond with waterfall, the backyard will be your 3 season Oasis! No room is missing in this impressively designed floor plan - Plenty of entertaining space with the large living room and dining room. Great kitchen with newer counters and cabinets and a great breakfast bar! Plenty of get-away spaces like the Sitting room off of the main bedroom or the finished basement. And when you have over-flow guests, the finished basement with all of it's extra windows feels like another level. New Main Bath is nothing short of Smashing! Every detail...yours to enjoy! Taxes have been appealed. A Gutner Team Listing. For more info http://www.postlets.com/res/3220573

5467 Richie Ct $524,900 Grandview Model

4 Bedrooms 2.5 Bathrooms

The gourmet kitchen ,granite counter tops, new GE Café stainless steel appliances.Finished Basment, Deck. Back to trees.

For More info go to http://www.gutner.com/

January 2010 Newsletter Here’s What’s Happening in North Branch

Active: 5467 Richie Ct a Grandview, 4 bdms 2 1/2 Baths, hardwoods, granite, partial finished basement. Listed for $529,000 for 27 days
5414 Nicholas Ct A GUTNER TEAM LISTING A Chapman 3 bdms 2 Full Baths, back to protected space. Hardwoods,
Corian, New Master Bathroom, Deck Patio Pond and Gardens, finished basement , incredible condition. Listed for $419,000. Great spot for your parents! Nothing to do in this house! See the virtual tour at www.gutner.com
Recap of 2009
5443 Richie Ct., a Chapman, 3 bdrm, 2 bath, ranch style, fin. Bsmt., 3 season porch. Started at $459,900. Sold in 304 days $389,000,
5479 Melissa Ct. granite kitchen, fin. bsmt, 202 days on the market. Started at $539,900. Sold for $490,000.
4946 Stephanie Way, 4 bdrm., 4 1/2 baths, fin. bsmt. On the market 387 days. Started at $579,623m Sold for $495,000.
5403 Nicholas Ct, an Ashland, 28 days on the market, listed at $519.900, sold for $498,000.
5476 Melissa Ct., 3 car garage, new kitchen, started at $564,800 and sold in 229 days for $525,000.
5 homes sold. Average sold price was $479,400. Average days on market was 230 days.
2008 Average was $502,500.
In Durham Ridge:
ACTIVE: 4498 Country View Dr: a Governors, 4 Bdrms 2 1/2bath. Two tiered deck, newer roof, Fireplace listed for $459,000 for 8 days.
Pending 4481 Blue Ridge, 4 bdrm, 2 1/2 bath, 1st flr study, hardwoods, master sitting rm. Asking $469,000 for 159 days.
5421 Grandview, 4 bdrm, 2 1/2 bath, hardwoods, granite, finished basement. Asking $499,000 reduced to $459,000 for 141 days. Short Sale.

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 and presence and amount 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!

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.



Tax Assessment Appeal
Thanks to those of you who let us know your savings on the recent Group Tax Appeal we did for you. It was great to put faces to names we see on our mailings! In certain “new” neighborhoods savings exceeded 20%. Of course, since we saved you so much money and cost the township so much money, they will no longer allow group appeals, but you can appeal on your own and we’d be happy to help you. Appeals must be filed by August 31, 2010. Call us in July and we’ll sit down and help you fill out the paperwork if you missed our appeal this 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!

Now Could Be the Perfect Time To Buy a Second Home!
If you’re interested in buying a vacation home or investment property, now could be the ideal time. 2008 saw a 30.8% drop in sales of vacation homes and 17.2% decline in sales of investment homes compared with 2007. Less demand has made prices more affordable. By comparison, sales of primary residences dropped 13.2% in 2008 from 2007 (Nationally). In additions, second-home sales comprised just 30% of all home sales in 2008, down from 33% the previous year. Call us to find out how affordable a second home in today’s buyer’s market could be for you—or for a referral to a top-notch Real Estate Professional in the are that interests you.

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!
Need Help With “Stuff” around the House?
People I can’t live without:
My Painter, My HVAC guy,
My Second Husband (our handyman)
My Decorator
My Tree Guy
My Plumber and My Roofer
Need a referral? Call Us!
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!
If you are planning to put your home on the market in the next 6 to 8 months,
it’s not too early to start talking to us!