Lancaster County PA Realty Check: March 2008

Spring arrived yesterday!  The vernal equinox is here.  It didn't feel like Spring yesterday, what with the cold winds and temperatures in the 30s.  Today in Lancaster County, PA the day started in the 30s as well - but it warmed up and the sun is out!

Buyers, who may have been hibernating for the winter, have been timidly emerging from their caves and testing the housing waters again.

Spring is a time for rebirth.  It's always been my favorite season.  You can actually smell the difference in the air.  There's an excitement, a feeling of possibilities, an energy that seems to return to both our surroundings and to ourselves.

Today is Good Friday.  I have a feeling that new and positive things are going to be in store for us in the coming real estate season.  I'm motivated to work hard and help to make those good things happen.  But not this weekend.  This weekend I'm going to quietly appreciate the Spring weather and the greening of the grass.  To all my friends who read and contribute to Active Rain, I wish a happy and peaceful Easter.

Copyright2008BrianSchulman©

In this very competitive housing market, where only well priced and well prepared homes are selling, what can you as a potential seller do to improve your chances?  Here are some time-tested suggestions for success!

CURB APPEAL:  How long do you think you have to convince a buyer looking at the outside of your house that they would like to see it?  Would you believe that buyers will assess whether your home is worth looking into in 15 to 20 seconds.  Your house needs to be a "happy" looking home before people will step inside!

Remove clutter from your lawn, keep the grass trimmed and weed the garden.  If there is any peeling paint, scrape, prime and put on a fresh coat.  Repair any torn screens.  Your front door is a focal point.  Make sure it's got fresh looking paint.  Oil any squeaking hinges.  Consider planting some flowers in strategic places.

 KITCHEN:  The kitchen is the heart of the house.  Don't skimp here.  If the floor needs to be replaced, replace it.  Remove any appliances and clutter from the counter tops.  Repair any dripping faucets.  Clean the vent hood.

BATHROOMS:  Put your good guest towels out.  Repair dripping faucets.  Remove any stains from tub, sink and commode.

LIVING AREAS:  Patch and paint any exposed cracks or nail holes in the walls.  If fresh paint is needed, choose neutral colors.  Replace all burned out light bulbs, and use brighter than normal wattage - a bright home will show much better!  (But be sure not to use any wattage higher than recommended by your light fixtures, for safety.)   For daylight showings, set curtains and shades to let in as much sunlight as possible.

Straighten out  closets, basement and attic.  Have a garage sale.  Get rid of clutter - it will cost you money.  Wash your windows.

SHOWINGS:  Turn all your lights on.  It should go without saying that there should be no pet smells or other unpleasant odors.  Take care of these well before any showings are expected.  Have a nice aroma in the house - like baking banana bread, or apples and cinnamon.  Even if you have to use a spray, it will make the home seem inviting.  Put some soft, easy listening music on the stereo for background.

SHOULD YOU BE HOME DURING SHOWINGS?  Short answer - definitely NOT.  And pets should be gone as well.  Not everyone will appreciate and love your animals like you do. 

Some sellers mistakenly believe that since they know more about the house than anyone else, that they should be there to answer questions.  Unfortunately, this is counter-productive.  Buyers don't feel comfortable with a seller following them around, and will try to escape as soon as possible.  Let the agent (who knows the buyers better than the owner does) handle any questions.  If more information is needed, the agent will ask the seller later.  Buyers need to be able to voice their concerns, likes and dislikes without being embarrassed.  A good agent will be able to hear the buyers' concerns and help them work through to solutions.

I would be happy to give you a no-obligation evaluation of what may be the most cost-effective things you can do to prepare your home for sale.  Just call me at (717) 951-5552. 

Copyright2008BrianSchulman©

I was passing by the Chesapeake Crab Connection yesterday on Columbia Avenue near Centerville Road, Lancaster, PA.

Next door to it was a house in the process of being torn down (you can see it in the corner past the sign).

The roof had already been torn off.  As I passed by, I noted, to my surprise, that underneath the clapboard, the home was an eighteenth century log house!

I was dismayed, thinking that yet another piece of Lancaster County history was about to be destroyed.  I turned around, which in rush hour traffic on Columbia Avenue took me a mile of driving and fifteen minutes of stop lights to be able to get back to where I could go back and ask some questions.

It turns out that the Crab Connection owns the property on either side of the restaurant.  They're doing a major expansion of their parking lot, and had planned to tear down the old, nondescript houses on either side. 

When the contractors removed the asbestos siding over this home, they found old clapboard underneath.  When they started to remove the clapboard, they found original 18th century logs!  The good news is that the owner is allowing a father and son team to remove the house at their own expense and relocate it to a more appropriate site!

Meanwhile, the Chesapeake Crab Connection is planning an expansion of the "beach", as they call it, for outdoor dining in the warmer months, along with the larger parking facilities.  Kudos to everyone involved for recognizing and allowing a valuable, though hitherto unrecognized, piece of Lancaster County, PA history to be preserved.

                        This log home is one of the oldest buildings still in existence on Columbia Avenue.

Copyright2008BrianSchulman©

Robert Fulton, born in Lancaster County in 1765, was the first to make navigation practical with a ship powered by steam.  Fulton did not invent the steam engine, but he made history with his steam powered voyage on the Hudson River in 1807.   A township in southern Lancaster County is named after him.

Milton S. Hershey, whose name has become synonymous with the chocolate bar, actually started his first milk chocolate factory in Lititz, Lancaster County, PA.  Hershey learned his trade in Lititz, before founding the famous factory and town that was named after him in nearby Dauphin County.

The Stehli Silk Mill in Lancaster, recently slated to be converted to residential condos, was at one time the largest silk mill under one roof in the world. 

The Follmer-Clogg Umbrella Corporation, located at West King and Mulberry Streets in Lancaster, was once the largest umbrella factory in the world.  It has now been converted to residences known as The Umbrella Works.

The Hubley Manufacturing Company in Lancaster was once the largest manufacturer of toys in the world.  Vintage Hubley toys (pronounced "Hoobley" by the locals) are now highly prized by toy and antique collectors.

The Famous Woolworth's 5 & 10 Cent Store was first founded by Frank Woolworth in Lancaster in 1879, after a previous unsuccessful attempt in Utica, NY.  His original Lancaster store was located at North Queen and Chestnut Streets.  Woolworth later went on to establish his corporate headquarters in New York City in the skyscraper named after him.

Armstrong World Industries, with headquarters in Lancaster, is the largest resilient flooring and ceiling tile manufacturer in the world. It was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2000 due to a class action asbestos lawsuit.  It emerged from reorganization in 2006.  It had a huge factory complex in Marietta, converted from a former defense plant.  Armstrong currently operates in 39 different countries.  Its Training Center in Lancaster, established in the Armstrong Manor in 1920, is said to have been the first residential training center for single young men.

Copyright2008BrianSchulman©

Did you know that the Philadelphia to Lancaster Turnpike, first completed in 1794, was the first successful turnpike in the new American nation?  It was built with the help of Conestoga wagons from Lancaster County!  The cigars that the Conestoga wagon drivers smoked became known as"stogies".

Turnpikes were originally built as for-profit enterprises with private money.  A toll taker would rotate a pike or timber that blocked the highway, after a toll was paid, clearing the way for a vehicle to pass - hence the name of "turnpike". 

Later on, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, started in 1938 and completed in 1941, became the first modern turnpike, going straight through mountains instead of around them.

The Conestoga wagon, named for the Conestoga Indians and the Conestoga River area whence they first arose, made an outstanding contribution to both early agriculture and commerce.  The vehicles were noted in historical writings as being called Conestoga Wagons as early as 1716 by James Logan, secretary to William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania.

The horses that pulled the Conestoga wagons were controlled by a driver on the left side of the wagon, differentiating them from the European style of wagons that were driven from the right.  American cars and trucks to this day are driven from the left because of this precedent. 

These covered wagons were so popular and practical that they became the prime movers for the great Western migration.  Conestoga wagons peaked in use about the 1840s, when canals and railroads began to take over the transportation of heavy freight.

The Conestoga wagon was a common and patriotic sight in early America, with its typical red wheels and running gear, blue bodies, and white tops!

Copyright2008BrianSchulman©

I know, I know - I've heard all the practical arguments.  Old Houses are drafty.  They need constant maintainance.  They don't have up-to-date conveniences.

I can't argue with the people who bring up reasons why living in a modern house has many advantages.  Yet, there is a mysterious attraction in historic homes.  For those of us who are smitten by the homes built by our ancestors, nothing can compare to their charm.

Homes built many years ago by highly skilled artisans cannot be economically duplicated in newer homes.  Certainly skilled craftsmen still exist, but their work would be prohibively expensive for most people to afford.

Parquet floors, beautifully grained woodwork, stained glass, and carved fireplace mantels can create a unique ambience that is absent from newer homes.

There is nothing like the thrill of entertaining in an older home with exquisite features and appropriate antique or reproduction furniture.  Add in some quiet classical background music and some potpourri fragrance, and I can't think of a more delightful atmosphere!

Old houses have always spoken to me.  When I was a child old enough to ride my bike into other neighborhoods, I was inevitably drawn to the old, abandoned, supposedly haunted houses.  I was never afraid of them.  I always felt perfectly safe, and even comforted, by their quiet stateliness - as though they were time capsules into another era - which in fact they very much are.

Sometimes I felt that the craftsmen who originally built the old homes were in communication with me.  Not in some mystical sense, but in a common appreciation of the fine, competent and sometimes beautiful work that they had provided for future generations to treasure.

I take great pleasure in helping people find, purchase, sell, restore, appreciate and live in Lancaster County Pennsylvania's ample bounty of older and historic homes.  

If you would like no-obligation information on how an Accredited Buyers Agent can help you save money and reduce your risk, call (717) 951-5552 or email brian@findlancasterhomes.com .

©BrianSchulman2008

The City of Lancaster, PA has been undergoing a renaissance for the past several years.  I have written about the Lancaster County Convention Center, the Lancaster Fall Art Walk,  the Eastern Market,  First Friday in Lancaster, PA, Musser Park, and many other aspects of the County Seat of Lancaster County. 

Last Fall, Lancaster City Living was created.  This organization, formed to improve homeownership in the City of Lancaster, is composed of three facets.

First of all, a website was created as a resource for anyone wanting information about the history, cultural opportunities, restaurants, and residences of the city.

Second, a physical "storefront" has been located at the Eastern Market, 308 East King Street, where local information may be obtained.

Third, a new glossy magazine has been created, full of beautiful photographs and informative articles about life, culture and history in the City of Lancaster.  The second issue of Lancaster City Living has just been published.  It's a great issue, chock full of interesting information on the neighborhoods and lifestyles of the City.  If you would like a free copy of the latest issue, just call me at (717) 951-5552.

For anyone who would like more information about the advantages of living in a small, friendly, historic city where almost everything you could wish for is within walking distance, I would welcome the opportunity to answer your questions.

Copyright2008BrianSchulman©

Yesterday I received this testimonial from a client.   Their sale of an investment property was complicated by the poor housing market, yet we were able to bring the transaction to a successful conclusion.

"Brian,  I just want to thank you for all that you have done for my husband and myself.  It has been a real pleasure dealing with you.  You have responded to all our questions and concerns with promptness, and have given us great advice.  We so appreciate all you have done in helping us to buy and sell our rental property.  The whole process went very smoothly, and that was because of your great organizational skills and for so being so detailed about making sure everything was done correctly.  If in the future you need any recommendations, we would be more than happy to supply them for you.  Please lets continue to remain in contact, because we now consider you a friend."   Debbie Freed

Even though I put out my best efforts for all my clients, it's wonderful to be appreciated.  If I can be of service to anyone in helping you to purchase or sell real estate in Lancaster County, PA, I'd be happy to assist you in achieving your goals!

Copyright2008BrianSchulman©