Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

NEW GIANT MLS HAS BEEN FORMED

A new, giant, six-state MLS (Multiple Listing Service) has been formed and it will cover the entire Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty footprint.  This REALTOR® owned MLS is preparing to have 85,000 members join by the end of 2017.

In 2016, MRIS (Maryland area) and TREND (Philadelphia area) MLSs merged and have since then been working to bring on seven other area MLSs.  In addition, they have been working to create the new entity, Bright MLS.  In our area, the following MLSs will join Bright MLS: RAYAC MLS (REALTORS® Association of York & Adams Counties MLS), CPML (Central Penn Multi-list) and Keystone MLS (Lancaster area).  A combined MLS will allow consumers to search seamlessly through each market area and receive data across county lines without the worry or concern of missing out on listings that they may be interested in.

WHO WILL BE RUNNING THE MLS?

Bright MLS will be owned by a total of 43 REALTOR® Associations.  Every year the board will be revisiting the issue of ownership.  Each of the merging MLSs are represented on Bright's board of directors.  Two of those seats will be filled by members of our leadership team; Jim Spagnolo, Director of Operations for the Camp Hill office, and Scott Lederer, Maryland Regional President of Homesale Realty.

Spagnolo has been a licensed REALTOR® since 1993, he has served as the past president of the Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS®, on the CPML MLS committee and countless other committees throughout the years.  Lederer has been a licensed REALTOR® since 1979, has served as President of Carroll County Association of REALTORS®, on the MRIS MLS board of Directors from 2006-2013, 2016 & 2017 and countless other committees as well.

We are excited to have a voice for the newly formed entity.  The agent's needs to service their clients will be at the forefront of any decisions that are made.  Scott Lederer explains, "As a Brokerage spanning the geography of the new Bright MLS footprint, we are excited to be able to offer our agents and clients the 'one stop shop' that the combined entity will provide.  A win-win-win accomplished by some of the brightest minds in our business.  Very proud to be part of the future of MLS." 

Whether you are refinancing, selling, or making home improvements, knowing the value of your home is important. The Internet offers many options for estimating a home's value, but the most accurate analysis of value is something that is best accomplished through an in-home consultation with your real estate professional.

We have launched a home value estimator that can be found at Homesale.com/My-Home-Value. This automated system provides three independent values using data from Zillow, RPR (Realtors Property Resource) and Collateral Analytics. These automated estimators, like many others found online, use public record data within a set radius of the home's address along with a mathematical algorithm to create a range of market values for your home.

Your research online may have you wondering why these automated systems often produce different values for the same property. While these estimators can provide a range of possible home values for your property and may be a good starting point, they cannot determine the actual market value of your home for a number of reasons.

 • First, these estimators do not take into account factors such as condition of the home, improvements made to the property, school district, neighborhood factors and property tax differences that can significantly impact the home's value.

 • Second, most of the estimators use a set radius of the address. If the property is a farm, a luxury home or a unique property, the radius may not be sufficient to find similar properties sold.

 • Third, the estimators use public record data. Some areas have better records than others. However, public records can be skewed. Some use $1 as the value when a family member transfers a property to another family member, some only reflect the transfer price of the land value after a home is built and some don't take into account when a house is renovated. All of this results in both inaccurate data as well as the possibility of not selecting the best comparable properties for valuing the home.

Different from an online estimator, when your Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty agent provides an evaluation, they will personally inspect the property and neighborhood. As a real estate professional, they have access to proprietary MLS Data and Market analysis tools to determine the most accurate valuation for your property. They examine the prices of recently sold properties, recently expired and/or withdrawn properties and other similar homes currently on the market. All of this allows me to provide you with a more precise evaluation of your home. Having the best information available will result in the best outcome as it allows you to make a truly informed decision.

PA Cities Celebrate New Year's Eve

As the clock strikes twelve on December 31, the eyes of millions will turn to Times Square to watch the New Year's Eve Ball drop.  While New York's glittering ball might draw attention from around the world, no one quite celebrates New Year's Eve like the people of Pennsylvania.

Some people might think dropping a button, bologna, or bottle of beer on New Year's Eve might seem "odd," but to Pennsylvanians it is just another way to celebrate their local communities.

Here is our list of "10 Ways PA Cities Celebrate New Year's Eve" from your friends at Homesale Realty:

1. A Button in Carlisle, PA
   www.firstnightcarlisle.org
   Carlisle, PA residents and visitors celebrate New Year's Eve by designing a First Night Carlisle button.  A large, 50-pound aluminum frame replica of the winning First Night button is dropped at midnight accompanied with a fireworks celebration. Beginning at 6 p.m., the festivites will include live music performances and art exhibits and close with a fantastic fireworks display.
2. A Strawberry in Harrisburg, PA
   www.visithersheyharrisburg.org/event/details?eventid=9762&eventday=12/31/2014 
   Harrisburg's New Year's Eve celebration hosts a crowd of thousands in Pennsylvania's state capital.  Just before midnight, a giant illuminated strawberry starts its drop from the top of the downtown Hilton Harrisburg to ring in the New Year.  Bring the family and enjoy live entertainment, dancing, arts and crafts for children, and fireworks.
3. A Hershey Kiss in Hershey, PA
   www.hersheynewyears.org
   There is no sweeter way to ring in the New Year than in Hershey, PA.  The community pulls out all the stops for its New Year's Eve celebration.  USA Today Travel ranked Hershey second for great places to spend a family-friendly New Year's Eve.  At 11:59 p.m., a Hershey Kiss replica will be raised high above a chocolate-loving crowd followed by a fireworks display at midnight.
4. A Red Rose in Lancaster, PA
   www.lancastercityevents.com
   Lancaster begins its celebration when its signature red rose ascends at Binns Park. Featuring over 20 indoor performances, Countdown Lancaster is a family-fun event filled with visual and performing entertainment ending in a midnight fireworks display.
5. A Lebanon Bologna in Lebanon, PA
   www.lebanonpa.org/Pages/UpcomingEvents.aspx
   Celebrate New Year's Eve in Lebanon as crowds count down the seconds until midnight with the famous 16-foot Lebanon Bologna coming to a stop at the stroke of midnight.
6. A Wrench in Mechanisburg, PA
   www.mechanicsburgchamber.org/
   Mechanicsburg celebrates the New Year with the annual drop of a wrench on Main Street. The tradition commemorates the community's founders, mechanics, who settled in the area to make and repair wagons in the early 19th century.
7. A Giant Shoe in Palmyra, PA
   www.palmyraheritage.org/index.html
   New Year's Eve in Palmyra gives a new meaning to waiting for the shoe to drop.  Ring in 2015 in Palmyra's town square with the giant shoe drop at midnight commemorating the city's shoe manufacturing history.
8. A Bottle of Yuengling Beer in Pottsville, PA
   www.city.pottsville.pa.us/html/ccoe.htm
   Pottsville, PA rings in the New Year's Eve with a bottle of beer.  The city's celebration is marked by the raising of the Yuengling beer bottle to the top of the flagpole at Garfield Square.  Toast to the oldest brewery in America in Pottsville on New Year's Eve.
9. A White Rose in York, PA
   www.yorkcity.org/NYE
   Watch a white rose drop from the sky in Continental Square in York, PA on New Year's Eve.  Enjoy a children's countdown to the balloon drop from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m., with complimentary hats and noisemakers, ideal for kids of all ages.
10. An Ice Cream Cone in Columbia, PA
    http://parivertowns.com/m/events/view/4th-annual-Family-Fun-New-Year-s-Eve-Celebration-at-Turkey-Hill-Experience
    Celebrate New Year's Eve at the Turkey Hill Experience in Columbia, PA with family and friends. At 6 p.m., the local Columbia No. 1 Fire Department will drop a large Turkey Hill Dairy Ice Cream cone to welcome the New Year.
    
    

Contact the real estate experts at Homesale Realty if moving to Pennsylvania is in your plans for the coming year.

Real Estate Agents Identify Email as Top Tool for Business

Recently, I was interviewed by RISMedia Real Estate for an article that appeared in their October 2014 issue entitled, "Setting the Stage for Continued Growth."  As the Director of IT and Website Services for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty, my responsibilities include marrying information technology and the real estate industry to ensure my company's future success.

Technology plays a huge role in today's real estate market.  In RISMedia's article, we defined email as 'the tool' our real estate agents rely upon the most to run their daily businesses. Having uninterrupted email service is essential.  Knowing this, we searched for a reliable email provider we could count on—one that could help Homesale's real estate agents stay connected with their clients around the clock.

That's why Homesale Realty selected Rackspace as our email service and support partner.  Rackspace is not only an email company and a technology company that offers a wide variety of services for the real estate industry.

Buying and selling homes is not a Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. proposition.  Homesale real estate agents must be easily accessible to their clients 24/7/365. 

Over the last few years, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty has undergone amazing changes with explosive growth within the company.  These positive changes for Homesale meant the migration and management of hundreds of email accounts.  Ours is not a one size fits all real estate firm; Rackspace recognized that.  They engineered a migration process specific to our unique needs providing unprecedented service and a virtually seamless transition.

As the email partner for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty, Rackspace allows us to do what we do best: Sell Homes.

Contact the real estate professionals at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty when you are buying a home or selling a home in the Pennsylvania and Maryland real estate areas.