The email header read -

“OUR MOST RECENT BUYER TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THIS SPECIAL, WHY SHOULDN’T YOUR CLIENT?”

This email was sent by the Community Sales Manager of Heritage Creek to Realtors in Sussex County, Delaware. That recent buyer is one of our clients. They were able to take advantage of a great opportunity by being in the right place at the right time.

New Home Site

Because we work with all of the new home communities and active adult communities throughout the area, we stay informed about any special offers.

If you are ready and able to buy, we know how to ask the right questions and how to evaluate the different offers. The offers change rapidly and yet the best deals fall into one of two categories:

1. Inventory Homes – the result of a builder getting too far ahead of the market. The longer they sit, the better the deal. Most builders are only building to sales these days but there are occasional inventory homes for sale at a really great price.
2. The Next Buyer – or what I like to call the “one deal at a time” specials. Until a builder feels that the traffic and sales are where they should be, they will offer a special deal that helps them as well. For example, if there is one lot left on the main steet, that might be the “Special” deal. Not the lot in the back of Phase II, but this one he wants to build on next.

Some deals are not really new deals at all. Some builders have so many special offers in their advertising and marketing but they all boil down to the same thing. You need to know what works for you and you need to be represented by a knowledgeable Buyer Agent who knows what the real deals are and how to negotiate on your behalf.

At the beginning of every year, I allow myself at least one new technology tool. For this year, I started with the Flip camcorder. It is actually smaller in size than my TREO and I am very pleased with its quality. To practice taking video clips and then converting them into a full video tour, I produced the following video on 422 Chestnut Street, our home that is on the market in Milton, Delaware.

Watch the video – 422 Chestnut Street

The Flip camcorder is by far the simplest new technology and I look forward to taking new videos around town and posting them on this blog.

Active Adult communities are not for everyone. For some, the idea of living in a town where you can walk to shops, restaurants, the public library and more might be more appealing. In towns like Milton, there are some great opportunities in this Buyers’ Market and there is something for everyone. You have town water and town sewer, with an existing infrastructure in place or at least planned for. The variety of housing options include properties in new home communities or the Historic District, homes that have already been renovated or those that need attention, houses that are just right for downsizing, upsizing or rightsizing.

Some of you tell me that you have already done your share of fixer-uppers while others never had the time until they retired. Since Bill is also a General Contractor for new construction as well as major additions and remodeling projects, you know that we have done our share of projects for ourselves as well. When we bought our current home in Milton, I would not even go inside! It was very rundown and the floor was covered by a blanket of mostly dead bees. Now it is completely renovated and expanded by a large addition and we have been asked to be the Milton Chamber of Commerce house on the Milton Christmas House Tour this year on December 13th.

In this market, there are good opportunities in many communities throughout Coastal Delaware, but some of the very best are in towns like Milton or Lewes that are now priced to make it a worthwhile investment. It may become the home in which you live for many years or it could be a project that will generate a profit when you sell it in the next Sellers’ Market.

As you approach retirement, will you be selling investment properties that you own near your current home and reinvesting those proceeds into similar property? Are you interested in historic renovation hoping to find a diamond in the rough? This is the time to find the best values of our Boomer lifetime.