Yes, Baby Boomers have changed the world and many of their inventions have advanced technology. I get so tired lately of reading article after article about Boomers’ lack of preparation for retirement, about their lack of savings and need to work long into their 60s and 70s. That may all be true, but let’s also recognize that many of our Boomer brethren have been responsible for some pretty exciting stuff. From Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, creators and founders of Apple Computer to Dr. Robert Jarvik, the inventor of the surgical stapler and the Jarvik 7 artificial heart and Dean Kamen who invented the Segway, creative talent flourished in the Boomer generation.

Read more and learn along with me about Baby Boomer Inventions that changed the world. This article highlights the 25 coolest creations.

“We’re #1!” or “The Top Selling Community” are the headlines and billboards that scream for attention. If Builder X is the top selling builder, that’s where you should go .. or is it? Sometimes the top seller is the national organization with the largest marketing budget and the best trained sales force. Occasionally the best selling community is the result of quality and reputation. It can be hard to know the difference, especially if you are not familiar with the area.

In Coastal Delaware, we have seen both. Back when the real estate market was hot, it seemed that every National builder was buying up the land and announcing new luxury communities. When the market came to a screeching halt in 2007, many of those builders pulled up stakes and moved out. What’s the difference between a large, public national builder and a quality builder? Here are a few things I have learned: (more…)

Do You Click?

Do you know how to find the information you need while surfing the Internet? When you get an email newsletter with interesting information do you know how to recognize links and how to click through to find the “rest of the story” or to “Read More”? I received an email newsletter that I subscribe to the other day and right after Hello came a paragraph of information on how to actually use the newsletter. That’s when it dawned on me that not everyone spent 30 years in the computer business like I did. Despite the statistics showing that more and more people begin their search for real estate on the internet, there is so much more quality information available than listings of homes for sale. That is what most people find. Lists and prices and numbers of bedrooms and baths. (more…)

You can buy a new home using an FHA Reverse Mortgage and there are so many potential advantages for those over the age of 62, especially for the self-employed. Let me explain -

Normally when you apply for a mortgage, your credit score and your income determine the amount of money you can borrow to purchase a home. Then, of course, the home itself must appraise for an amount that justifies the loan. If you are buying a home selling for $400,000, for example, and you are able to put $150,000 cash down, you must still qualify based on your current income and credit history to borrow $250,000. The home also needs to appraise for at least $400,000. What if your retirement income doesn’t qualify for this amount or what if you are self employed and can’t truly show “personal income”. The bank won’t lend you the money. (more…)

Do you know the difference between “land lease” and “fee simple”? I never did until I got into real estate and moved to Delaware. In a land lease community, you buy the house but you do not own the land on which it sits. You pay a monthly or annual fee to rent the lot from the owner of the community. Even though this makes the home more affordable, saving the cost of the lot, many people just don’t feel comfortable with the idea. Real estate by definition requires that you own the land as well as the home and the land is where you realize appreciation over time.
So, I was extremely happy to learn that Nobles Pond in Dover, Delaware, made the change from Lot Lease to Fee Simple and announced it December 1st! (more…)

Is a new home on your holiday list this year? Conventional wisdom will tell you -

The holidays are a bad time of year to go house hunting!

Wrong!

Why is now the best time to hunt for a new home?

1. Interest Rates are low but they are beginning to creep up again.
2. Home prices are low and there are deals on both new and inventory homes.
3. Experts say: “If you don’t own a home, buy one.” It is the best investment bar none today.
4. Builders still have a few inventory homes and the savings are tremendous.
5. We have a file of deals in several active adult communities that are $50,000 or more below comparable homes in the same community.
6. New sections are being released and prime locations are available.
7. Many builders are selling their models and leasing them back at rents that would cover your mortgage.
8. This is your chance to buy at the bottom – if there is anything left!
9. Some builders will even agree to extended deliveries, ask us about those deals.
10. They’re not making any more dirt (or sand) at the beach in Delaware.

Seriously, I have the charts and graphs to prove it – If you’re going to buy a home in the next year, now is the time to do it.

Ask me to send you the chart which shows that even if prices were to go down by 2.5% and rates were to increase by only a ¼ point, you would lose!  If you’re planning to pay cash and money is no object, no worries. We will always have homes for sale in Coastal Delaware.  Just Sayin!