NEast Links

By Shannon McDonald

Here’s a list of what happened around the NEast this week, in case you missed it.

A Philadelphia police officer who lives in the Northeast was charged with beating his fiancee. Talib Muhammad, 44, was found driving on I-95 near South Philadelphia with two handguns after he reportedly struck his fiancee in the face with a gun around 10 p.m. Tuesday. The 13-year veteranwas charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and possessing an instrument of crime. Muhammad has been suspended for 30 days with the intent to dismiss.

Below: bank robbery, tree planting and I-95 construction

Real NEastate: Finding a home in the Northeast

Q: My fiance and I are getting married this summer so we’re looking to buy a home in the Northeast. We’re not sure exactly which neighborhood we want to live in yet, but it looks like our choices are limited to Mayfair and Homesburg right now. Is there any reason to hope that prices will go down in Morrell Park or Parkwood? We were thinking we should wait until that happens.

A: No one knows for certain what will happen to house values in the Northeast. Will they go up or down, or stay the same? They have already gone down a little, but not much compared to many other parts of the country.

Home sale activity in this area historically picks up in the spring. So, there’s no reason to expect home sellers who are reasonably priced in today’s market to reduce their prices now when homes are selling. Indicators currently point to no immediate decline in home sale prices in the Northeast, however, current economic conditions and job loss may have an impact in the future. It’s hard to predict if home values will decline or increase and exactly how much if they do either.

Real NEastate: Morrell Park home disclosures

Q:  I am planning on selling my home in Morrell Park. I have done numerous repairs on the home in the 12 years I’ve lived here. My agent wants me to fill out a disclosure about the home. Do they really need to know about plumbing, etc., that’s been repaired? Why would I tell things that might hurt the sale of the home?

A:  YES, you MUST disclose everything you know! It is illegal to lie about the history of the home. If you’ve had something repaired, it shouldn’t hurt the sale of the home. Not disclosing something you know could hurt you in the sale or in the future.

Continue reading to find out why it’s best to disclose everything prior to a sale.