2011 Ended with a flurry of activity and the opening of our own Brokerage – Active Adults Realty. After years of planning, education, finding just the right location, renovating that building, hiring the right team – an experienced Office Manager and a couple of great agents, we are ready to start 2012 with enthusiasm and lots of positive energy. This Tuesday, the Lewes Chamber of Commerce and representatives of the local business community will be here with the “Ribbon”, the big scissors and the local press to officially open our doors for business. I’ll be sure to post the photos to share this experience with all of you.

If you have opened your own business or been a part of a new venture, you know that it is exciting and scary all at the same time. As the Broker-Owner, the buck now stops with me!

So, here are my personal resolutions

• Stay Focused and continue to work with the people we know and understand – Boomers and Beyond or what the real estate world calls “Active Adults”. I firmly believe it is not possible to be all things to all people. (more…)

Where do our buyers come from? In Coastal Delaware, so many of the new Buyers now come from outside Delaware and have limited local knowledge about our communities, builders or lifestyle. On top of that, quite a few Baby Boomers have been in their current home for 20 years or more, so it’s been a long time since they bought a home. Now that I have been a REALTOR™ for 10 years, I am taking the courses necessary to become a Broker. Taking these classes at this time in the housing market is a real reminder to me of just how critical our knowledge and experience can be to a Buyer.

The Laws are different

The laws governing real estate are so different in each state. For example, Delaware is an Attorney State which means that real estate settlements are handled by an Attorney. States like Maryland and Virginia are Title States and settlements are handled by a Title Company. (more…)

What did our Buyers buy so far this year? Most of our clients are Baby Boomers over 55 that are relocating to Delaware as they near retirement. We did this same analysis last year and the statistics are similar but 6% more have chosen an age restricted community this year. We also worked with 3 times more buyers in 2011 than in either of the previous two year!

In 2011:

• 31% of our Buyers bought a home in a 55+ Active Adult Community
• 69% of our Buyers bought homes in a community with no age restriction

In both 2009 and 2010:

• 25% bought in a 55+ community
• 75% bought in all ages communities or in town

It’s not that we don’t know what we want, but there are so many more options. We make sure that our clients get the chance to consider all their options before making that big decision:

• Active Adult Community or All Ages Planned Community
• New Construction or Resale Home
• Build now or Buy a Lot and Build Later
• Live in town or at the beach
• Be among the first in a new community or find one that is nearly complete

There is something for everyone and everyone is different. That’s what makes working with our Buyer clients such FUN!

We have just added new virtual tours on some great homes for sale in Coastal Delaware. Take a look and let us know if you would like to see any of these properties in person. This is a great time to buy a home at today’s prices and the current low interest rates. Watch the Virtual tours!

“Many baby boomers who once vowed they would never trust anyone older than 30 are now in their mid-60s — and don’t consider themselves old.” begins the article written by Adam Taylor in the Wilmington News Journal

As one of those Baby Boomers who is now in her 60s, I do not consider myself old! Look for my quote based on my experience working every day with retiring Baby Boomers who are extremely active adults

Read More!

At one new home community I visited with clients from New Jersey last week, the Builder said “We call this community South South Jersey”. We all laughed but I think my clients felt more comfortable.

If you only see the New Jersey Turnpike when you’re driving through the state, you don’t really know New Jersey, the Garden State. I grew up in New Jersey and loved the Jersey Shore. We couldn’t wait for the first warm weekend to pile into the car and head to the Shore. When we were old enough to get summer jobs, the lucky ones spent the summer in Wildwood. On the day after the Prom, we spent the day at Long Beach Island. Today my most successful friends have a house on the beach or on the ocean block. But for most of us, the Jersey Shore is out of reach. The high taxes are driving people away from New Jersey but not all the good times we had. (more…)

Many of my clients have found a great way to reserve their place in Coastal Delaware. You can purchase a lot now in several communities and build when you are ready. Why is this such a good idea? Land is what will appreciate as the real estate market continues to improve and the market here in Coastal Delaware is improving fast. Lots in the most desirable communities are disappearing – I wrote contracts myself on 4 lots in the past two weeks just for my buyer clients!

View of the Indian River

The lot pictured above is one of two lots on River Road with a view across the street of the Indian River. Each lot is over an acre, with public water and sewer available. The List Price is $179,900 per lot. (more…)

Because of Twitter, I have gotten to know a remarkable woman that I never would have met in real life – Mel Tuttle. Mel is a 5th Grade Teacher in the Milford School District who was just named “Teacher of the Year!”. She has two children and is one of the most energetic, active adults I have ever met. She is always discovering a new restaurant, or a great place to take the kids on a rainy day in March. She is also an ardent Blogger who has created a great blog site for Delaware Beach Families

It dawned on me that this is a great resource for my clients who will eventually have grandchildren that they hope will visit often. Isn’t that one of the reasons my clients relocate to Coastal Delaware? Here we sit in the heart of the Mid-Atlantic Region, surrounded by the major population centers like New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and DC. When the family comes to visit, wouldn’t it be nice to know exactly where to go for some great ideas and fun events? (more…)

How do you define active adult? Are you an avid golfer, a tennis fanatic, a runner or yogi? Do you get up every morning and take a brisk walk with or without your best friend? Are you more active if you live in an active adult community or not? Terminology doesn’t define us but it does attempt to lead us in certain directions. You’re an active adult so you should live in an active adult community, right? Hard to say. Why did I name this site ActiveAdultsDelaware.com? It’s a starting point because it is a term being promoted and advertised by the builders and developers with a vested interest in finding out what we Baby Boomers want. (more…)

It’s a chilly day in January, a good time to take a look back at 2010 and see what it tells us about the real estate market in Coastal Delaware. Bill and I moved here in 2003 and have specialized and focused on Baby Boomers who either live here or want to live here at some point. What kind of home are Boomers buying in what kind of community? How many bought homes in 55+ communities? Is the average sales price going up or down?
The real estate market was hot in the early 2000s. By the time I got established, the seller’s market had hit the skids, but 2007 was my very best year.

How did 2010 compare to 2007?

For transactions in which we have represented the buyer or the seller, the average sales price has risen every year from 2007 through 2010. (more…)