Finding and Purchasing an Eco-Friendly Home in Pennsylvania
By Kevin Mihm | February 9, 2010
These days, buying a home in Pittsburgh is about more than finding the right square footage, number of bedrooms, and price range. While these factors almost always make up the primary concerns for any home buyer in PA, the truth is that there is so much more to a home than the numbers and figures you see on an advertisement. In fact, Pittsburgh and Wexford are part of a growing trend of buying homes that are not only an investment in your future, but an investment in the future of the planet, as well.
What is an Eco-Friendly Home?
Topics: Pine Township PA Homes for Sale, Pittsburgh PA Real Estate, Wexford Pennsylvania Real Estate | No Comments »
Do-It-Yourself Real Estate Marketing in Pittsburgh
By Kevin Mihm | January 16, 2010
Marketing a Pittsburgh home to make it attractive to buyers isn’t just about staging the house or putting a For Sale sign up in the yard. In today’s real estate market, it’s important to reach out to a larger audience through various types of media. After all, buying and selling a home in the Wexford region means tapping into everything that people use on a daily basis: computers, newspapers, magazines, and more traditional real estate routes.
A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words
The majority of home buyers in the PA region begin their search online. The Internet is becoming an increasingly viable way to present homes from both an interior and an exterior vantage point. Although Kevin Mihm will help you to understand the best angles for presenting a photographic display of your house, you can help by pointing out what it is you love best about the home. A great backyard garden, a cozy front porch swing, a spacious kitchen, the tile on your bathroom floor – no matter what it is, use it as a way to entice buyers into contacting your agent for more information.
Topics: Pine Township PA Homes for Sale, Pittsburgh PA Real Estate, Wexford Pennsylvania Real Estate | No Comments »
Benefits of a Home Inspection
By Kevin Mihm | December 9, 2009
Although new tax breaks and great housing prices in Pittsburgh, Wexford and Pine Township make buying a home easier and more cost-effective than ever before, it can still be a daunting task to undertake the path to home ownership. In addition to the stress of moving, you’re probably worrying about things like loan processing fees, down payments, mortgage options, and closing costs. Even with a financial advisor and a realtor at your side, these can add up to quite a bit of hard work!
Topics: Pine Township PA Homes for Sale, Pittsburgh PA Real Estate, Wexford Pennsylvania Real Estate | No Comments »
Buying a Historic Home in Pennsylvania
By Kevin Mihm | November 23, 2009
For many people living in or moving to PA, the best real estate purchase is one that combines the comfort of home with a piece of history. Buying a historic home in Pittsburgh, Wexford or Pine Township is fairly common in today’s market, thanks to an incredible real estate climate and one of the most dynamic historic districts in the state.
However, if you’re simply looking at the intricate architecture and are thinking how great it would be to own a piece of the city’s history, you might want to take a step back and consider all the work involved in becoming a historic home owner.
Topics: Pine Township PA Homes for Sale, Pittsburgh PA Real Estate, Wexford Pennsylvania Real Estate | No Comments »
Marketing Your Pennsylvania Home: What to Expect during Your Open House
By Kevin Mihm | October 22, 2009
If your PA home is for sale – whether in Pittsburgh, Wexford, Pine Township or surrounding areas – there’s a good chance your real estate agent will discuss the benefits of an open house with you. Open houses have long been a part of the home sale experience, since it allows prospective buyers to take a “low-key” approach while they browse the merchandise. It also gives your real estate agent the chance to network with a large number of potential buyers all at one time. In some cases, it also means you’ll finally sell that home!
Topics: Pine Township PA Homes for Sale, Pittsburgh PA Real Estate, Wexford Pennsylvania Real Estate | No Comments »
Buying a Home in PA: What to Look for in Neighborhoods and Communities
By Kevin Mihm | September 26, 2009
Most prospective homebuyers in the Pittsburgh, Wexford, Pine Township Pennsylvania areas already know that when it comes to purchasing real estate, location is key. It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking to make a profit on your new home or if you simply want a place that will help you raise your family – the neighborhood you choose to call your own is just as important as those details of square footage, number of bathrooms, and central air.
Topics: Pine Township PA Homes for Sale, Pittsburgh PA Real Estate, Wexford Pennsylvania Real Estate | No Comments »
Get the Most Out of Your Square Footage
By Kevin Mihm | August 20, 2009
If you’re getting ready to sell your Pittsburgh, Wexford or Pine Township home, you know that one of the most important things you can do to increase your sale price is to spend some time staging. After all, the better your home looks, the better the chances are that someone else will love it enough to buy it, too. However, many of the homes for sale in the Pennsylvania area are smaller in size than what’s currently hot on the market. While this doesn’t mean you can’t sell your home, it does mean that it might take a little extra work before you get that figure you’re aiming for.
Topics: Pine Township PA Homes for Sale, Pittsburgh PA Real Estate, Wexford Pennsylvania Real Estate | No Comments »
U.S. News & World Report Rates Pittsburgh PA In Top 10 Cities Primed for Recovery
By kevinmihm | August 18, 2009
Pittsburgh (17.3 percent, up 2.4 points). This once industrial city wriggled out of the Rust Belt years ago, and the economy now revolves around medicine, technology, and higher ed. At 7.7 percent, the unemployment rate is nearly 2 percentage points lower than the national average. Few people got rich in Pittsburgh during the real estate boom, which seemed to pass the city by. But the bust has spared Pittsburgh as well, with home prices remaining more stable than in most other markets. That leaves the Steel City primed for a recovery.
Topics: Pine Township PA Homes for Sale, Pittsburgh PA Real Estate, Wexford Pennsylvania Real Estate | No Comments »
Buying a Home as an Investment
By Kevin Mihm | July 15, 2009
These days, most of the listed homes for sale in Pittsburgh, Wexford, or Pine Township are all about building a family future. Savvy buyers know that the market is theirs, and they can bargain for things like better school districts, home improvements, and other amenities that make owning real estate in Pennsylvania great. However, when the Pittsburgh real estate market boasts more homes than there are buyers, there’s another advantage: homes for investment opportunities are cheaper and have greater potential than ever before.
Topics: Pine Township PA Homes for Sale, Pittsburgh PA Real Estate, Wexford Pennsylvania Real Estate | No Comments »
Ways to Increase your Home’s Value
By Kevin Mihm | June 23, 2009
When you first purchase a house in Pittsburgh, Wexford or Pine Township, you’re most likely thinking of ways to build a home for you and your family. A big yard means plenty of room for the children to play. A newly renovated kitchen means you can finally throw the types of dinner parties you’ve always wanted. A master suite, well, that’s just icing on the cake. However, when it comes to sell your Pennsylvania home, it’s important to remember that all those little (and big) changes can also mean big little (and big) changes in your sale price.
While most homeowners should make changes to their houses that suit their lifestyle rather than the eventual sale price of their home five, ten, or even twenty years down the road, there are a few things to keep in mind. After all, if you will someday be selling your Pittsburgh house, you want to be sure you’re maximizing your profit.
- Repair all the little things – now. Most of the time, homeowners are willing to overlook the little idiosyncrasies like a broken step on the porch or chipping paint on the kitchen cabinets while they live in their house. These small repair needs are a bit like a knee that acts up in the rain or a car that always requires you to turn the key three times to the right before starting; they just become part of the everyday backdrop of your life. However, for someone buying a home in Pittsburgh, Wexford or considering real estate in Pine Township, these things can become glaring problems. By fixing issues as they arise (rather than waiting until you’re ready to sell your PA home), you not only avoid making major repairs all at once, but you actually get to enjoy the repairs while you live there.
- Know your neighborhood. If you live in one of Pittsburgh’s family-friendly neighborhoods, chances are things like well-maintained yards, large family rooms, and spacious kitchens will be worth more in the long run. If you live in a Wexford condo, you might find that built-in bookshelves and jacuzzi bathtubs are more appropriate. While you don’t have to tailor every change to your eventual sales audience, you can choose to make the types of changes that will translate into the highest returns.
- Don’t ignore the less visible changes. Almost all of the houses for sale in Pittsburgh go through cosmetic changes before they hit the market. Fresh paint, new kitchen appliances, and good landscaping are fairly common. Less common are things like a new roof, updated plumbing, or even a newly-installed automatic sprinkler system. However, these things show up in a home inspection evaluation, and when you put your trust in a PA real estate agent like Kevin Mihm, these types of changes will always get the focus and attention they deserve.
The most important thing you can do to your Pittsburgh home is enjoy the time you’re going to spend there. However, by keeping its eventual sale at the back of your mind, you’ll be able to get the most out of your life – and your investment.
Topics: Pine Township PA Homes for Sale, Pittsburgh PA Real Estate, Wexford Pennsylvania Real Estate | No Comments »