Aside from its natural beauty, Chester County is largely protected from natural disasters
By Amy Dettore, Columnist, The Times
It breaks my heart to see all the devastation from the deadly tornado in Moore, Ok. It sometimes feels like it’s just one thing after the next of negative things occurring in our world. It really helps to put things in perspective when you consider the big picture.
We have it good here in Chester County. We are relatively protected from natural disasters such as earthquakes and tornados. While we live close to the ocean, we wouldn’t be affected by tsunamis or flooding. We occasionally have to deal with the Brandywine River flooding, but I am thankful that I live where I live in the beautiful rolling hills of Chester County.
Growing up, I can remember by father always saying a prayer at the dinner table that ended with, “We pray for safety, health and happiness.” Those three things are probably the most important things in life. And I don’t feel like anything that I have to say that’s relative to the real estate market or economy is that important in the scheme of things and considering what other people in the country are dealing with.
Attached is some positive news. You will find some statistics regarding the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District real estate sales for April 2013. Both sale prices and volume are up compared to that of last year. The average sale price in April, 2103 was
$532,000 vs average sale price of $417,000 in 2012. Rates are still low and we continue to experience a shortage in inventory.
Additionally, here is an article from CNN/Fortune regarding Federal Housing Administration loans and how the FHA will require borrowers to now pay mortgage insurance for the life of the loan. This is not great news for borrowers who don’t have a lot of cash
to put down. They usually have to pay a higher rate than borrowers with 20% down and now, they will have to pay that higher rate for as long as 30 years! Buyer beware.
There is another loan program available to buyers in PA who wish to avoid this mortgage insurance premium. It is both income and credit driven. Feel free to inquire for more details.
And, may you please stay safe, healthy and happy this holiday weekend.
Amy Dettore is a realtor with Prudential Fox and Roach Realtors and resides in Chadds Ford, PA with her husband and six children. She is involved in the community primarily through her children’s extra-curricular activities and can be spotted around town on any given day with cell phone in hand and child in tow. When asked, “how do you do it, six kids and work?”, her answer has always been, “I don’t know, I just do!” Amy has been selling Real Estate for the last 15 years and is appreciated by her clients as being a hard worker, honest, responsive and trustworthy. To learn more about Amy, visit her website: www.AmyDettore.com.
I often wonder where you get your “facts” as you make these conclusions! First of all, the inventory of homes is not scarce in Chester County. Many houses are still “under water” and they aren’t selling like crazy. Prices are still down and sales are often still carried on seller assists and other help to buyers that reduce the cash back to the seller.
How you have arrived at your conclusion that Chester County is somehow “relatively protected” would be laughable, were it not so utterly unscientific! I had a tornado cross my property on Lenape Road in 1997 which sheared off the tops of my huge pine trees and took out a plum tree in the back yard. That thing took out trees all the way over to 926 and I’ll never forget driving over a little hill and seeing the dip in front of me filled with trees. Then there are the hurricanes which you seem to have forgotten.
And, your final remark about the mortgage insurance requirement is also similarly questionable. Mortgage insurance requirements don’t apply to people who put more than 20% down…..hardly the buyer you have concerns about. You should know that current mortgage insurance is required until 78% of the mortgage is paid back. How many people ever reach that goal? Since this change only impacts the tail end of the mortgage, it doesn’t impact the buyer on the front end of the transaction. Some of these FHA changes have to do with people with credit scores lower than 620. If you want to write a marketing piece, then just do it. Don’t try to make it look as if you are a columnist.
This seems unnecessarily harsh and frankly, borders on bullying behavior.
Her points on weather are completely valid. The impact of hurricanes — when was the last time an actual hurricane (not a storm that had been downgraded to a tropical storm or depression) actually hit the area? Agnes? As for the tornados — the topography makes them very unlikely, albeit not impossible. So yes, even here, once in a great while we see a brief EF1 touchdown, but nothing like that seen in the midwest, so Amy’s points about this being a relatively protected area remain quite valid.
I’m not a mortgage or real estate expert — but Amy is a licensed broker and does this for a living, so I respect her opinion and her arguments would seem to be echoed by those reported in the CNN/Fortune story she cited.
As for being a columnist, she most assuredly is — and frankly, that’s my call.
If her writing, or any other content on this site doesn’t meet your standards, you are welcome to seek content elsewhere.
As always, you are welcome to disagree in a civil manner.
But personally attacking one of my writers will not be tolerated. Ever.