New laws slashing mortgage fees
New disclosure rule on closing costs will open the door to home buying for more
By Jill Goldman, Special to The Times
We’ve all been in the position of finally putting together enough money to buy a home, or helping a child put money down on a first home, and after putting together a 10-20% deposit, finding ourselves reeling from the mortgage company estimate that includes a whole lot of unexpected...
Mortgage rates sink again, hit all-time low
Lower rates mean more opportunity,whether buying or looking to refinance
By Jill Goldman, Special to The Times
Mortgage rates sank to new lows this week as fears about a U.S. economic slowdown and the impact of the European debt crisis continue to make Treasuries and bonds that fund most mortgages look like safe bets to investors. While everyone would rather hear about positive economic growth, the...
Will new homeowner tax effect you when you sell your home?
By Jill Goldman, Special to The Times
The “homeowner’s tax” that Congress created to help pay for the Obama Healthcare Law is theoretically a scary proposition, since it applies to the proceeds of real estate sales including primary residences. In actuality, however, few homeowners will be affected since only a relatively few sales will generate enough proceeds to high enough wage earners to...
La Verona says ‘benvenuti’
Despite stagnant economy, Kennett Square shows growth with new restaurant opening
By P.J. D’Annunzio, Staff Writer, The Times
From left: Mary Hutchins, a member of Historic Kennett Square, Ginger Meadows, president of Historic Kennett Square, La Verona owner Ari Mavraj, owner Jack Mavraj, Kennett Square Borough Manager Brant Kucera, and Borough Council Member Leon Spencer celebrate the opening...
New Brandywine Ace Pet & Farm is twice as nice
Combines the best of old Unionville Feed & Pet, Brandywine Hardware stores
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
The new owners and managers of the Brandywine Ace Hardware Pet & Feed. From left, owner Chris Drennen, manager Ed Mallard, owner Larry Drennen Sr., manager Casey Kampf and owner Larry Drennen, Jr. show off the new sign, signalling the joining of the former Unionville Feed and & Pet...
QVC sponsors new mobile giving effort for Coatesville youth
COATESVILLE — Now, giving support to the Coatesville Youth Initiative is as simple as sending a text message.
The Brandywine Health Foundation announced a new opportunity this week for members of the community to make a significant impact in the greater Coatesville area, just by using their cell phones.
TV/Internet retailer QVC, based in West Chester, has joined the Brandywine Health Foundation...
Matson Goldman Team moves to Prudential Fox & Roach
WEST CHESTER — MaryAnn Piccone, manager of Prudential Fox & Roach, REALTORS® West Chester Office, announced that the Matson Goldman Team, one of the area’s top reality firms, had joined the Prudential family.
The Matson Goldman Team, co-founded by Jill Goldman and Katherine Matson, is an award winning, top-producing team recognized in Philadelphia Magazine’s Five Star Realtor Awards...
Housing recovery starting in some hard hit areas
Hard hit areas show the way for lesser-impacted areas such as Chester County
By Jill Goldman, Special to The Times
Several years ago I attended a real estate conference just as the housing market was really starting to decline, and one of the economic analysts assured the eager listeners (all real estate professionals) that eventually the housing market would not only level off and even start to climb,...
Shoppers line up for new Giant store
Location of old Genuardi’s on U.S. 1 in Longwood, opens to lines and giveaways
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Shoppers lineup for the grand opening of the new Giant supermarket in Longwood, Sunday.
EAST MARLBOROUGH — You’d think it would take a lot to get people up and out on sultry, Sunday morning in July, but based on the line that queued up in front of the new Giant supermarket before...
Can using a real estate agent maximize the sale price of your home?
By Jill Goldman, Special to UnionvilleTimes.com
Have you seen that “news” story on Facebook recently? You know, the one that says that real estate agents sell their own homes for more money than they sell their clients’ homes?
The original theory (not supported in any way by data from the National Association of Realtors) comes from the 2005 book “Freakonomics” by Steven D. Levitt...
