Oldest Known Residence in Delaware

Ryves Holt House c. 1665

It is believed this dignified shingled home (now used as a local shop) on Second and Mulberry Streets in Lewes is the oldest in Delaware. Built by early Dutch settlers (after the destruction of the ill-fated Zwaanendael colony,) it has been dated to 1665 through wood boring analysis taken from beams used in the structure. This residence is known to have been standing on its present site in l685. At one time, this home was a colonial inn, and this is the house to which Ryves Holt came in 1721 (and subsequently purchased in 1723) when he arrived at Port Lewes. Holt (1696-1763) became the Naval Officer of the Port and was at one time the Sussex County High Sheriff. Along with other appointments and offices, Holt was made the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in The Three Lower Counties on the Delaware River in 1745 and served in this capacity until his death. After Ryves death, Commodore Jacob Jones lived in the house. Following the death of his mother, his father married a daughter of Ryves Holt. Commodore Jones won acclaim when his ship WASP captured the more heavily armed British warship Frolic during the war of 1812.

Thomas Schoenbeck, Keller Williams Realty, Lewes DE (302)360-0300

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A 1 -2 Punch at Getting Rid of Tangles

Tired of waking up with matted and tangled hair? Do you end up with more hair in your brush or bathroom sink than on your head? There really is a simple solution to decrease those nasty little hair knots and dryness that leave your perfectly coiffed hair less than admirable.

Chances are, you sleep on a cotton covered pillowcase at night and never gave it a second thought. However, cotton tends to wick natural oils from your hair leaving it dry and maybe somewhat itchy. The friction action between your hair during sleep and the pillowcase can really wreak havoc on your hair so in the morning you end up with a tangled mess that’s difficult to correct. You look with horror at your hairbrush each morning as more and more of your hair ends up in the sink. You may think it’s just the natural aging process, and of course some of it is, but there’s a way to slow down the hair loss problem.

So, what’s the solution? Step away from the cotton pillowcase and slip on a Silk or even Satin pillowcase. Silk is a natural fiber where Satin has a blend of natural and manmade fibers, but both work equally as well. The friction between your hair and the pillow during night sleep will be greatly reduced, thus reducing the tangles. You’ll not only get a better nights sleep, but your hair (and brush) will thank you. And as an added bonus, if you tend to get facial ‘pillow wrinkles’ at night, they’ll be diminished as well.

The second thing to do is spritz a bit of leave-in conditioner in your hair after you shower each day. We tend to wash and condition our hair, then dry. Best to stay away from heat drying when possible. When we rinse out after showering, we also rinse out the conditioner, leaving our hair unprotected and often times looking dry and lifeless. Spritz a bit of leave-in conditioner after showering and maybe even a bit at night before turning in.

Use this simple trick to reduce those unsightly hair tangles and let your hair shine like when you were in your 20’s. Hey, we all want to look our best and what a simple way to look refreshed. You’ll love the way it looks on you!

 

Thomas Schoenbeck, Keller Williams Realty, Lewes DE (302)360-0300

 

 

 

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Longwood Gardens Splendor

Originally the tribal lands of the Lenni Lenape tribe, subsequently purchased by then English claimed land in 1700 by George Pierce, and ultimately acquired by Pierre duPont in 1906, Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square Pennsylvania has grown into a mecca for thousands of annual tourists flocking to witness the magnificent splendor of Pierre’s vision.

Although today’s garden has scant resemblance to Pierre duPont’s farm which was in rack and ruin when he purchased it in 1906, the rebirth into what today could be considered one the most glorious gardens anywhere, is nothing short of spectacular.

Each year and with each season, Longwood Gardens continues to delight visitors of all ages and from all over the world. With a nearly $50,000,000 annual budget, 1300 employees, students, and volunteers, Longwood is a special treat to those that visit and work there.

The long range plan of the Gardens to is perpetuate it as a destination garden spot to ensure continued enjoyment for generations to come. This holiday season, Longwood again celebrated in it’s usual fashion with lights, sites, and sounds. If you are a horticultural enthusiast or just love a grand garden, then Longwood Gardens should be your go-to place.

 

Thomas Schoenbeck, Keller Williams Realty, Lewes DE (302)360-0300

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Mobile, Manufactured, or Modular?

There is some confusion amongst home buyers with regards to the terms; mobile home, manufactured homes, class-C manufactured homes (or class-C homes,) and modular homes. So, let’s take a brief moment to look at each of these homes and hopefully bring you some clarity.

A mobile home, manufactured home, and a Class-C home all start out the same way. They are built in a factory on a metal structured frame. The distinction between a mobile home and a manufactured home is only in the year in which it was built. Any built prior to  June 15, 1976 is referred to as a mobile home, and those built after that date are referred to as manufactured homes.  The exact same model home could be built on the same assembly line, but the one built on June 15, 1976 would be called a mobile home, and the one built on June 16, 1976 would be referred to as a manufactured home. Mobile homes and manufactured homes are both regulated by the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) division of the federal government. With a mobile home or a manufactured home, each is delivered with an identifying tag, not unlike your automobile.  If the home happens to be a double-wide home, then there are two tags; one for each half.  A mobile home and a manufactured home are considered personal property, just as your automobile is and a DMV title is provided showing ownership.

Now, there is a special classification, referred to as a class-C home.  A class-C manufactured home is one in which the DMV title has been surrendered, the wheels and tongue have been removed, and the home has been permanently fixed to a foundation, just as if it had been built on the spot. Once a manufactured home has the designation of being a class-C home, it is then considered real property and not personal property.  If you are considering a class-C home, always be sure the owner has followed through with surrendering the DMV title. It may be on a permanent foundation, but if they did not surrender the title, the county will still considered it to be a manufactured home.

The real confusion lies with a modular home. Many people confuse a manufactured home (and class-C homes) with a modular home. They equate the two as being the same, and they are not. A modular home is a stick built home, but built in a factory in modules, or sections.  Modular homes must conform to International Residential Codes (IRC) standards the same as if a bundle of wood was delivered to a building site and erected. A modular home is delivered by truck, the modules put together, and set on its permanent foundation. The roof trusts are then installed. Modular homes are considered real property as soon as it is affixed to the foundation. In many ways, a quality built modular home can be better than an on-site stick built home since the construction process is all under roof with temperature controlled environments. Costs can be held down since all materials are available at the factory, and labor cost are held down as well.

So, hopefully you have a little clarity between mobile homes, manufactured homes, class-C homes, and modular homes.

Thomas Schoenbeck, Keller Williams Realty, Lewes DE (302)360-0300

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What is Absorption Rate and Why You Should Care

When selling a home, most sellers want to know, how fast will it sell? While there’s no certain way to know for sure, but there is a way to determine what market data indicates when it should sell. This market data is referred to as absorption rate. Always ask your Realtor what the absorption rate is for your neighborhood. (This can be a good clue to you if your Realtor® really has their finger on the pulse of your market.)

So, what is absorption rate? It’s really not a mysterious market factor and it’s not difficult to calculate. The absorption rate should tell you the approximate length of time it may take to sell your home (assuming of course your home is market priced.)

The first thing to do is count the number of active homes on the market in your neighborhood. Let’s say there are 10 homes on the market right now. Then select a time reference; let’s say 12 months. Take the number of homes sold in the past 12 months and divide by 12. That’ll give you the average number of homes that sell in a 30-day period. Take that 30-day average and divide by the number of active homes on the market. That result is the absorption rate.

So, for our example of there being 10 homes for sale in your neighborhood, and let’s say there were 24 homes that sold in the past 12 months, then following our equation; 24÷12= 2 homes sold every month (as an average.) Now, take the 10 homes on the market and divide by 2. Your answer is 5, so in this case it should take 5 months to sell your home. And the rate is 20%, meaning 20% of the homes will sell every month.

As a seller, you want to be sure you’re priced to be the next sale, not the last. Don’t forget, always ask your Realtor® what the neighborhood absorption is.

Thomas Schoenbeck, Keller Williams Realty, Lewes DE (302)360-0300

 

 

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Why Won’t My Home Sell?

Selling your home can be a stressful time and when your home does not sell in the timeframe you thought it would, many homeowners begin to want to point a finger and lay blame on someone. Most times, that ‘someone’ is their Realtor. When I ask previous sellers about their prior experience; what did the buying public say about your home, what suggestions for selling did your prior Realtor give you to make it more marketable,? etc, most times the subject of price never comes up.

We always have heard ‘location, location, location’ as the mantra for selling a home. But truthfully there are three things that sell a home; location, condition, and the true king of selling- price! Of course you can’t do anything about your location. It’s not like you can pick up your home and move it to a more desirable neighborhood. The condition of your home is something you may have some control over depending on your ability to lay out some cash for painting, new carpet, upgrades such as hardwood, granite, new lighting, new roof etc. Many homeowners do not have ready cash for this, so that limits their ability to control condition. But, the biggest ticket item when selling is price. The seller has practically total control over that facet.

There is a common misstep with homeowners when deciding on their list price. “I’ll price it at the top, or over the top of the market, and I’ll negotiate with a buyer.” The problem with this is that most buyers will not even look at your home if they feel you are not market priced. Most Realtors look at overpriced homes and caution their buyers against it, not knowing you’d negotiate. I try to use this simile with sellers. If you went to a car lot and looked at three similar autos; two being priced right, and the third being overpriced, why would a buyer be interested in the overpriced auto? Of course the answer is, they wouldn’t. As a homeowner, you’ve got one asset to sell, but buyers have a lot of homes on the market to select from, so why not make your home competitive? When everyone around you is selling, and your home is still there, perhaps it’s your asking price. It’s always best to price it right upfront. Your goal is to get your home sold, not just list it.

Thomas Schoenbeck, Keller Williams Realty, Lewes DE (302)360-0300

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Buyer’s Tip #4 – Best Bang for Your Buck!

5 Secrets to Buying the Best House for Your Money

1. Get “Pre-Approved” – Not “Pre-Qualified!”

Do you want to get the best property you can for the least amount of money? Then make sure you are in the strongest negotiating position possible. Price is only one element in the negotiations, and not necessarily the most important one. Often other terms, such as the strength of the buyer or the length of escrow, are critical to a seller.

In years past, I always recommended that buyers get “pre-qualified” by a lender. This means that you spend a few minutes on the phone with a lender who asks you a few questions. Based on the answers, the lender pronounces you “pre-qualified” and issues a letter you can show to a seller. Sellers are aware that such letters don’t mean too much because none of the information has been verified!

Many times unknown problems can come to the surface. Some of the problems I’ve seen include recorded judgments, alimony payments due, glitches on the credit report due to any number of reasons both accurately and inaccurately, down payments that have not been in the client’s bank account long enough, etc.

So the way to make the strongest offer today is to get “pre-approved.” This happens AFTER all information has been checked and verified. You are actually APPROVED for the loan and the only loose end is the appraisal on the property. This process takes anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on your situation. It’s VERY POWERFUL and a weapon I recommend all my clients have in their negotiating arsenal.

2. Sell Your Property First, Then Buy the House

If you have a house to sell, sell it before selecting a house to buy. Contingency sales aren’t nearly as strong as one that comes in with a ready, willing and able buyer. Consider this scenario: You’ve found the perfect house – now you have to go make an offer to the seller. You want the seller to reduce the price and wait until you sell your house. The seller figures that this is a risky deal, since he might pass up a buyer who DOESN’T have to sell a house while he’s waiting for you. So he says OK, he’ll do the contingency but it has to be a full price offer! You have now paid more for the house than you could have because of the contingency, and you have to sell your existing house in a hurry, otherwise you lose the house. So to sell quickly you might take an offer that’s lower than if you had more time. The bottom line is that buying before selling might cost you THOUSANDS of dollars.

If you’re concerned that there is not a house on the market for you, then go on a window-shopping trip. You can identify possible houses and locations without falling in love with a specific house. If you feel confident after that then put your house on the market.

Another tactic is to make the sale ”subject to seller finding suitable housing.” Adding this phrase to the listing means that WHEN YOU DO FIND A BUYER, you will have some time to find the new place. If you don’t find anything to your liking, you don’t have to sell your present home.

3. Play the Game of Nines

Before house hunting, make a list of things you want in the new place. Then make a list of the things you don’t want. You can use this list as a guide to rate each property that you see. The one with the biggest score wins. This helps avoid confusion and keeps things in perspective when you’re comparing dozens of homes.

When house hunting, keep in mind the difference between ”STYLE AND SUBSTANCE”. The SUBSTANCE of a house are things that cannot be changed such as the location, view, size of lot, noise in the area, school district, and floor plan. The STYLE represents easily changed surface finishes like carpet, wallpaper, color, and window coverings. Buy the house with good SUBSTANCE, because the STYLE can always be changed to match your tastes. I always recommend that you imagine each house as if it were vacant.

Consider each house on its underlying merits, not the seller’s decorating skills.  

4. Don’t Be Pushed Into Any House

Your agent should show you everything available that meets your requirements. Don’t make a decision on a house until you feel that you’ve seen enough to pick the best one.

A decade ago, homes were selling quickly, usually a few days after listing. In that kind of market, agents advised their clients to make an offer ON THE SPOT if they liked the house. That was good advice at the time. Today there isn’t always this urgency, unless a home is drastically underpriced– and you’ll know if it is.

Don’t forget to check into the SCHOOL DISTRICTS of the area you’re considering. Information is available on every school; such as class sizes, % of students that go on to college, SAT scores, etc.

5. Stop Calling Ads!

Please note – ads are sometimes created to make the agent’s phone ring! Many of the homes have some drawback that’s not mentioned in the ad, such as traffic noise, power lines, or litigation in the community. What’s not mentioned in the ad is usually more important than what is.

For this reason, I want you to be very careful when reading ads. Remember that the person writing the ad is representing the seller and not you. The most important thing you can do is have someone on your side looking out for your best interests. Your own agent will critique the property with an eye towards how well it meets your needs and will point out any drawbacks you should know about. So whether you decide to work with me or not, pick an agent you feel comfortable with and enlist the services of that agent as a buyer’s broker. Then you become a client with all the rights, benefits, and privileges created by this agency relationship, and you’re no longer just a shopper. Did you know that many homes are sold WITHOUT A SIGN ever going up or an AD EVER BEING PUT IN THE PAPER? These “great deals” go to those people who are committed to working with one agent. When an agent hears of a great buy, who do you think he’s going to call? His client, who he has a legal obligation to work hard for you, or someone who just called on the phone and said “keep your eyes open”? So to get the best buy on a property, I always recommend that you hire your own agent and stick with him or her.

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Rehoboth Beach, the Nation’s Summer Capitol

Rehoboth Beach Delaware, the quintessential home of the best playground on the east coast.  Besides miles of clean coastal beachs, a mile long boardwalk, shops, dining, tanned bodies, and beach umbrellas, Rehoboth Beach offers year round venues of dining and entertainment.  Rehoboth Beach is not considered the nation’s summer capitol for nothing.  Flocks of visitors from around the world make their annual pilgrimage and come to experience the best summer spot in the mid-atlantic.  Many Washingtonians have understood the value of this terrific enclave as a peaceful and idyllic lifestyle for decades.

So what are some of the venues Rehoboth Beach offers? Dining is king here. On Coastal Highway, you can find one of each of the big box stores, but downtown- it’s strictly vertobten!  Only the best and only unique dining will do.  That’s what makes the dining experience  in Rehoboth so wonderful.  And don’t forget Restaurant Week, held every year in June.  And in December you’ll be able to experience the Main Street “Downtown’s Cookin” event.

If a (mild) club life is your forte, check out Cloud-9 or The Purple Parrot. There are actually dozens of places downtown to gather, dance, enjoy friends and nigthlife!  A word of advise; Rehoboth Beach is a very gay friendly town. It is well established as a place of tolerance and all visitors and residents are always welcome!  The local outreach progam, Camp Rehoboth, has a huge presence and has been part of our community for 22 years.

Rehoboth Beach is a great place for theater, silver screen with 14 screens at Midway,  stage  performances and the Sundance Film Festival held each September.

If you’re a shopaholic, have no fear.  We can fuel your needs.  Rehoboth Beach has all the shopping you can imagine from the Tanger Outlets on the highway to all the fanciful boutiques downtown.

So, what are you waiting for? We welcome you with open arms and hope you can join us for your next vacation or to make this a permanent place to call your own.  If you would like to see the available real estate, stop here and browse around: Rehoboth Beach.

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Considering a Career Shift?

Often times we think about what it would be like to work in a certain profession. When I was young, I loved to watch Perry Mason. I dreamed of becoming an attorney like Perry and fight the good fight for justice.  I really enjoyed watching the Wild Wild West show and thought how cool it would be to be a western cowboy detective like Jim West and have a sidekick like Artemus Gordon. One adventure after another. But as I grew older, I started thinking about real estate. I loved watching the big guys drive their fancy cars, wheeling and dealing, making mega bucks, negotiating some pretty tough deals. I flew out to Phoenix one time and my sister asked me why don’t I get my license. After I returned home, I did just that.  And I can say, I wished I had done it 30 years earlier because it’s a profession that I absolutely love.

If you’ve been thinking about shifting your life’s professional focus, come join us in January at the Keller Williams Realty office in Rehoboth Beach.  We are hosting the Real Estate Institute of Delaware’s pre-licensing school (in which I’ll be teaching the math sessions.)  This could be the opportunity of a lifetime for you and open up all new possibilities!

Call me direct to sign up, or call the office at (302)360-0300. 

 

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