Happy Holidays from the Joy Daniels Team

Thanks to your support, our team has had a great year. We’ve also been able to give back to our community in many ways.

There are a variety of opportunities in the Central Pennsylvania real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market, get a free home value report, right here.

Can you believe it’s already December? Christmas is nearly here, and we wanted to take this time to say a few things. I have had more than 25 years of experience helping thousands of families find a home that they can have to celebrate in and establish traditions and memories.

Our homes are important during the holidays. During this time, we want to thank you and say that we value and appreciate your confidence in us. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and want you to know how much our team appreciates you. As we look back on 2016, we are especially thankful that your business has allowed us to give back to the community this year in several ways.

We raised money for the cancer society, participated in the heart walk, gave several turkeys to families that couldn’t afford them, and helped fund a golf tournament for the Center of Champions. We also assisted in the United Ministry coat drive and will be raising money at our holiday open house in support of The Bridge of Hope and their Operation: Save Christmas drive, which helps local, underprivileged children.

We love giving back this time of year.

I am blessed to be part of a team that is dedicated and ready to serve in 2017. We are thankful for the opportunity to provide you with real estate expertise and we look forward to assisting you, your family, and your friends in the future. We have so many exciting things going on that we can’t wait to share.

Keep an eye out for your first video email from us in 2017 for more details. Until then, we hope you and your family have a wonderful and blessed holiday season. If you have any questions for us or need our help with any real estate needs, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Top 5 Tips for Winterizing Your Home

Winter is coming and it's time to prepare your home for the colder months. I have five tips to share with you that will save you time, money, and hassle in your home this winter.

There are a variety of opportunities in the Central Pennsylvania real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market, get a free home value report, right here.

Fall is coming to a close and it's time to prepare your home for the winter. I have some steps to help lower your utility bills and protect your property during the cold months that I wanted to share with you today.

1. Tune up your heating system. For about $100, a technician will inspect your furnace or heat pump to ensure it's clean and able to achieve its intended efficiency. Look for a technician who belongs to the Air Conditioning Contractors of America.
2. Reverse your ceiling fans. If your fans have a reverse switch, turn it to clockwise for an updraft that will push warmer air down from the ceiling. This is especially helpful for those with high ceilings, and it may even allow you to turn the thermostat down a degree or two. It also gives you a chance to dust those ceiling fans.
3. Check for places where heat may escape, like windows and doors. If gaps between the siding and the window/door frames are wider than a nickel, you need to apply exterior caulk. Silicon caulk is best for exteriors because it won't shrink or be affected by the elements. Check the window glazing putty and reapply if needed. Finally, add weather stripping around doors so that you can't see any daylight from the inside of your house.
   

   Icicles and ice dams can cause long-term damage all over your home.
4. Look at the roof closely for damaged, loose, or missing shingles that could leak during winter storms or melt off. You also want to fix or replace breaks in the flashing around vent stacks and chimneys. Hire a handyman or roofer to repair shingles or roof sections, because these fixes are cheaper and less hassle than repairing interior water damage. If you've had a lot of icicles or ice dams, call a home energy auditor who can fix air leaks and inadequate insulation.
5. Check your gutters. If they're full of leaves, water will back up against the house and damage roofing, siding, and gutters, causing leaks and ice dams all over the house. Also, make sure water isn't draining from the gutters directly next to your foundation. Add extensions to your downspout to divert water four feet away from the foundation. This is a cheap and easy fix!

Next time, we'll be back with more tips. In the meantime, if you have any questions or you're thinking of buying or selling a home, give us a call or send us an email. We'd love to hear from you!

3 Tips for Organizing Your Garage

There are a variety of opportunities in the Central Pennsylvania real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market, get a free home value report, right here.

One of the most forgotten rooms in any house is the garage. It’s a place where we store things that we don’t want or need on an everyday basis. These things can include toys, mementos, or even other important items.

All those boxes, containers, stains, and smells can add up to become an unsightly mess. That means it’s time to clean up and reorganize the garage to make it shine in the eyes of the buyer. Here are some steps to help you accomplish that.

First, sort through all the boxes in your garage. Throw away or donate anything that doesn’t have value or meaning to you. Donate items that you can live without. You will make someone else happy and you can claim a tax deduction.

Clean the garage as thoroughly as possible.

The second step is to clean the garage as thoroughly as possible. Get rid of dust and dirt anywhere that you can find it. If you have minor oil or gas stains, you might be able to pressure wash them away.

Third, consider a garage organization system. A storage system can range anywhere from $40 to $1,000. Google “garage organization systems” and you’ll find plenty of products. Usually, the cheapest options consist of storage bins and hooks. No matter which system you choose, it will give your garage a clean and organized look. I can’t stress enough how impressive it is to potential buyers when a garage is well taken care of. It signals to them that you take care of the rest of the house just like you take care of the garage.

If you’ve been considering listing your home, now is a great time. If you have any questions for us, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email at info@joydaniels.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

Why Is Listing FSBO a Bad Idea?

There are a variety of opportunities in the Central Pennsylvania real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market, get a free home value report, right here.

According to the National Association of Realtors, the average for sale by owner home sells for $210,000. The average sale price for a home that is listed by a licensed agent? $249,000. That’s a full 20% increase.

Our team has worked with many FSBO homeowners who have failed to sell their home using this method. They listed on their own because they believed they would net more money, but they were wrong. It’s a huge misconception. Here is why you will net more money when you list your home with us.

First off, you’ll receive much more exposure than you ever would have been able to get on your own. We cover advertising costs and strategic marketing planning for your home so you don’t have to. We have countless resources to show off your home including buyer-friendly sites, social media outlets, virtual tours, and more. What this does is decrease the time we need to find the perfect buyer for your home.

You’ll save money and hassle by hiring an agent.

We all know that time is money. We have been able to save our customers thousands by selling their homes quicker than they could have on their own. In addition to money, we also save you the hassle. We can protect you from bargain hunters and others who like to prey on FSBO sellers because they know they can get away with it.

Our listing agents are hired to represent you and only you as a seller. They can provide valid data and trends to show you why you should expect to sell for a good price. We will also save you the hassle of dealing with unqualified buyers. All the buyers looking at your house will be qualified and approved for a mortgage. 

Finally, we have top-notch negotiation skills. We know the many components of the transaction are full of details, so sellers need a representative looking out for their best interests. We can help you determine what is fair and what is not, because we are dealing with this market on a daily basis.

These are just a few reasons why hiring a team like ours will give you a distinct advantage over selling on your own. While it’s true that you will have to pay a commission, the money you net in the end will be higher because you’re working with a group of professionals who know how to get the job done.

If you have any questions for us, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

The Key to Having a Safe AND Spooky Halloween

There are a variety of opportunities in the Central Pennsylvania real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market, get a free home value report, right here.

When night falls, a cast of creepy characters can help turn your home into a landscape that is equally frightening and enchanting! To welcome trick-or-treaters in hair-raising style, turn your porch into a bat cave or use other spooky props to celebrate the season!
We've put together this short list of tips so you can celebrate this spooky season in style, while ensuring the safety of those who come to your door:

• Don't use live flames: When decorating your porch, avoid using live flames. Instead, use LED and battery operated candles to get the same effect!

• Make sure electric cables are safely out of the way: You don't want children tripping over wires and cables when they come to the door, so make sure they're tucked away.

• Optimize your lighting: Make sure your walkways are lit well and free of obstruction. The last thing you want is someone taking a tumble on your property.

• Remove obstacles: Leave enough room for children to walk up to your door without tripping on decorations. 

• Buy a ton of candy: Make sure you buy the big bags of candy so you don't have any disappointed trick-or-treaters. 

• Check your kids' candy: Before letting your children eat their hard-earned candy, make sure the wrappers have not been opened and all the treats are safe to eat.

• Wear a costume: If you're going to be answering the door for trick-or-treaters, you might as well join in the fun! Dress up to show you're welcoming and like to have a bit of fun as well. Halloween is a holiday for kids and adults, so don't be afraid to pretend a little!

We hope these tips have been helpful to you. Thanks for checking out our blog, and we hope to hear from you soon!
Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Tips to Remember the Names of New Acquaintances

There are a variety of opportunities in the Central Pennsylvania real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market this spring, get a free home value report, right here. Is it time to refinance? Click here!

Do you have a problem remembering names? Most of us have forgotten someone's name and felt pretty awkward about it. Today I wanted to share five simple tips for remembering names. 

1. Greet and repeat. When you first meet someone, repeat their name by saying something like "Nice to meet you Jake!" Then make an attempt to use that person's first name throughout the conversation without being too mechanical.
2. Spell it out. If the name is unusual, ask the person to spell it out for you. Sometimes visualizing the letters will help you remember. If a name could have a variant like Kris and Chris, make sure you ask.
3. Card them. Ask for a business card and glance at it while you speak with the person to create another visual reference for your memory.
4. Associate your associates. If they have the same name as a close friend or a family member, make a mental note or picture for easier recall. You can also associate them with a celebrity or character with the same name; take a second to visualize it. 
5. Rhyme all the time. "Jen from Penn" or "Phil on the hill" or "Mary owns a dairy" are fun ways to improve your recall of names. Find something to rhyme their name with - it’s not hard.

Ask for a business card and glance at it throughout the conversation.

One of the main reasons we forget names is because we're busy and have too much going on in our minds. Once you start to engage more fully with new people you meet, the little details will improve your name recall rapidly.

I hope you find this topic as helpful as I did. If you have any questions for me about Harrisburg real estate, give me a call or send me an email. I'd love to hear from you.

There Is So Much to Explore in Central PA

There are a variety of opportunities in the Central Pennsylvania real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market this spring, get a free home value report, right here. Is it time to refinance? Click here!

Central Pennsylvania is an incredible place to live. We are proud residents of the area, so we wanted to show you some amazing attractions that it has to offer today. We have been ranked as one of the top 25 places to live in the country.

Harrisburg ranks high across the board in categories like housing, employment, and cost of living. Visitors to the area are amazed by the spectacular range of activities Central PA has to offer. History buffs could spend days visiting sites like Gettysburg and Carlisle, or the State Art and Civil War Museums.

Harrisburg ranks high in housing, employment, and cost of living.

Outdoor enthusiasts will love Riverfront Park, and hikers can challenge themselves by taking on sections of the Appalachian Trail.

Hershey Park isn’t just a great summer destination; it is also open for fun holiday-themed weekends throughout the year. You can find a wide range of restaurants and breweries in the area as well. There is truly something for everyone.

The Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area is about 100 miles west of Philadelphia, and we offer a whole variety of resources to military retirees. Carlisle is home to a small military installation, The Carlisle Barracks. While it offers a medium-sized commissary and modest exchange, the facility is conveniently located.

The Harrisburg metro area also boasts a low crime rate, quality health care, resources, and affordable home prices. In addition, Pennsylvania doesn’t tax federal pensions and the nearest VA Medical Center is close by.

With an estimated population of more than 550,000, Central PA offers the perfect place to put down roots. Our ranking as one of the top 25 places to live is in large part due to the many affordable housing options we have to offer. It remains a smart choice for anyone looking to buy a home in an area where they will get a good value. Future and current homeowners can have the best of both worlds.

By watching the video above, you are automatically entered to win a five-pound Hershey’s chocolate bar. We are proud to live in Central PA, and our agents are experts on the region and all it has to offer. If you or someone you know is interested in moving to one of the best places to live in the country, don't hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you!

How to Take Advantage of Multiple Offers in Harrisburg

There are a variety of opportunities in the Central Pennsylvania real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market this spring, get a free home value report, right here. Is it time to refinance? Click here!

Inventory is low in Harrisburg right now, so our home sellers are seeing lots of offers coming in on their homes. Buyers have to put their best foot forward in this situation because they’ll be battling other buyers for the home, and they need their offer to stand out amongst other potential buyers.

There are many different ways that buyers can win over sellers. It really depends on the needs of the seller and which buyer’s offer satisfies them most completely. One seller may want the highest dollar amount, while another may prefer a shorter closing period.

However, other strategies include writing personal letters to the seller to explain why your family needs the home. This helps to put a face to your name, and you can use the emotions of the seller in order to have your offer picked.

"Most sellers pick offers with fewer contingencies, more money down, and higher offers with escalation addendums."

Most sellers pick offers with fewer contingencies, more money down, and higher offers with escalation addendums. This says that they will raise their offer ‘x’ amount higher than another offer that comes in above theirs. It basically ensures that they have the highest offer on the home, but it also shows that the buyer is extremely eager to purchase the property.

Remember that it’s the seller’s decision whether to disclose multiple offers to the buyer’s agent, so you should always make your best offer even if you don’t expect other ones. Sellers should keep in mind that they might scare away buyers if they do disclose that it’s a multiple offer situation, but they have to remember the offers may not be as crisp.

Handling multiple offer situations is something that buyers and sellers need to be able to do. Our team is trained extensively in order to capitalize on situations such as these. If you would like to speak with us about handling one, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

How We Negotiated on Behalf of Karen and Her Family

What was your expeirence working with Joy Daniels?

"She went above and beyond by staying in touch with us at all times, making us feel like we are the only ones that matter, she made us very comfortable during the sale. She was open, honest, she did not hold anything back, she was just really awesome. We had a bad experience with a Realtor before her and were nervous about finding a good one. She came highly recommended, and was everything I hoped she would be. At the end of the sale, the buyer wanted us to give them another $700 for some small repairs. She told them we were offering $250 and that wasn't good enough for them. She discussed it with the seller's Realtor and they helped us with our sale."

To contact Joy, Call 717-695-3177 or email info@joydaniels.com

How to Price Your Home in Central Pennsylvania

There are a variety of opportunities in the Central Pennsylvania real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market this spring, get a free home value report, right here. Is it time to refinance? Click here!

Today we are excited to be coming to you from the Broad Street Market! This market was founded in 1860 and has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operated market house in the United States. Stop by and experience all the locally grown organic produce, meats, and baked goods, as well as freshly prepared meals. There’s something here for everyone.

For our blog today though, we are going to be talking about home pricing. Getting the correct listing price is important for home sellers, so we are going to talk about some things to consider when pricing your home. 

Home pricing is a very subjective matter. Many sellers choose to price their properties with room for negotiation. What they don’t realize is the more they do that, the more they are pricing themselves out of the sale they want. 

Let’s assume the fair market value of your home is $200,000. In most cases, homeowners are going to price their home above that price when putting it on the market. But how much above fair market value is sufficient? When making a guess, it’s important to study supply and demand, which is what a good agent can provide you. 

You should also understand showing activities and when it peaks, which is usually around the 3rd week after the home first comes on the market. It then drops off after the fourth week. When your home has been on the market for over 90 days, showing activity becomes sporadic. This means you have the strongest chance to sell in the first 30 days after you list. 

If you list your home too high, you may end up pricing yourself out of the market. A good buyer’s agent would recognize the home is worth $200,000. If the home then sat on the market for over 180 days, it is going to encourage low ball offers from buyers.  Had you priced the home at $205,000 from the get-go, buyers would recognize that it’s slightly above market value, but they would be much more likely to make an offer of at least fair market value. A serious buyer recognizes value vs. price.

If you’re in the market to sell a home, we have a listing specialist that can help you understand the supply and demand of homes in your market, and give you expert advice on where you should price to get maximum value. Give us a call or send us an email to set an appointment and we will help you set the best price possible for your listing. We look forward to hearing from you!

Vote for Us for Simply the Best Realtor

There are a variety of opportunities in the Central Pennsylvania real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market this spring, get a free home value report, right here. Is it time to refinance? Click here!

Today we are coming at you from the beautiful capitol building right here in Harrisburg. It’s exciting to live and work in this area. I came here today because the voting has began for Harrisburg Magazine’s “Simply the Best” and we want your votes! Without you, we would not have been able to win this prestigious honor for the past four years!

It’s our mission to deliver world class service to our community and today we have another very important mission to achieve, the title of “Simply the Best Realtor 2016.”

Every year, Harrisburg Magazine sends out a local survey and with your support, we hope to win the title of “Simply the Best Realtor- Residential Realtor Category.”

You can click here to get your ballot started, but first I just wanted to remind you of a few things when you are voting. First, there are over 200 categories on this ballot, but you only need to fill out 30 of them for your ballot to count. Also, we are listed under the “Real Estate Residential Agent” category as “Joy Daniels- Harrisburg”.

Again, thank you so much for all your support. We appreciate it so much and without it, we wouldn’t be able to help as many people as we have. If you have any questions for us about the contest or you know someone looking to buy or sell here in Central PA, give us a call or send us an email. We’ll talk to you soon!

Why Is Now the Time to Begin the Spring Selling Process in Central Pennsylvania?

There are a variety of opportunities in the Central Pennsylvania real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market this spring, get a free home value report, right here. Is it time to refinance? Click here!

Rumor has it that you've decided to sell your home this spring! The holidays are over, people, so now is the time to start getting your home ready for the market. Spring is just around the corner, and there is so much you can do now to ensure you get results when selling this spring.

Now is a great time to complete a pre-inspection so you can take the preparatory steps to ensure your home is perfectly presentable. After your inspection, you can do a deep cleaning, decluttering, and staging to set up your home for enticing photos that will pique buyers' interest.

Next, find the true value of your home and the best pricing strategy for the upcoming market when you hire a listing specialist that will help you market your home. You need to get this very important investment, your home, the most exposure possible, so you can sell quickly and for top dollar!

The newest and most exciting feature our company has to offer is our Coming Soon program. This program highlights homes that have not yet hit the market, and the Coming Soon website is a great way to showcase yours before it's even listed! We can begin to market your home while still offering you plenty of time to make it perfectly show-ready! It's been proven that buyers will wait to see a home that interests them -- momentum will build for your property throughout the countdown until the day it goes active!

If you're a seller thinking about tapping into the spring market, now is the time to make preparations on the inside. When the temperature warms a bit, you'll have plenty of time to dedicate to the exterior of your home!

With a little attention to detail and an early start, we can help you get the selling results you desire this spring. Give us a call or shoot us an email soon, so we can get ahead of the competition!

Are You Having Issues with a Home Inspection Report?

There are a variety of opportunities in the Central Pennsylvania real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market this spring, get a free home value report, right here. Is it time to refinance? Click here!

Home inspections are absolutely critical to the sale or purchase of a home. However, issues can often arise, and we want to be here to help you deal with them.

Usually during an inspection, the inspector will find systems or appliances that are old and defunct. However, the definition of a 'material defect' does not include appliances that are simply too old and breaking down. With this being said, buyers can only ask the seller to repair material defects, so you could not technically demand a new furnace from the seller if it is simply too old and needs replacing. 

This is why you need a knowledgeable real estate agent. They know how to leverage a home inspection report with the seller, and this will often get you a better deal on the home. No matter how good or bad a home inspection comes back, there is always a way to use it your advantage in a sale.

If you would like to learn more or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. 

Our Central Pennsylvania Moving Story, Part 2

There are a variety of opportunities in the Central Pennsylvania real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market this spring, get a free home value report, right here. Is it time to refinance? Click here!

Today I am excited to share with you the 2nd half of the story of my personal moving experience. Recently, my husband and I moved out of our home of 30 years, but thanks to the incredible resources we have had helping us, it hasn’t been too bad of an experience.

Packing is definitely a hurdle to cross, but I like to think of packing as an opportunity to declutter your home. Packing is a powerful motivator to go through your belongings and only hold on to your most prized possessions. With help from friends, we made 3 piles: keep, trash, and donate. I only kept the things that brought me joy, and all the donations went to help benefit veterans through the Purple Heart Pickup.

When we had everything sorted and were ready to move to the new house, we had all our items catalogued in a home inventory. Anthony and Tammy from Harrisburg Home Inventory put together a portfolio of collections and valuables for us, and Newly Restored did a great job with furniture cleaning. Before you knew it, our home of 30 years was packed up and ready to make its way into our new property.

We were nervous, like most sellers, until the very end. We had a scare with a broken dishwasher in the in-law suite a few days before closing, but as good sellers, we had it fixed and made sure it was ready for buyers on their first day moving in.

The first few days after moving in were crazy, and we couldn’t find even simple things like socks, pillows, or Advil. However, after a couple of days, all our necessities had been found and we were functioning properly.

As we sit comfortably unpacked in our home, I know it’s all been worth it. Neighbors have been gracious in welcoming us to our new home and, although it’s been bittersweet to leave our old home, I take those memories with me to the new one. This process has really re-ignited my passion and empathy for home buyers.

Throughout the process, I learned many things, and wanted to share just a few of those with you today as a parting thought. Here they are:

1. Showing your home and leaving for hours at a time is a hassle.
2. The WOW factor is so important, and our preparation was key for finding a buyer.
3. Pricing is a huge factor.

Thanks for following along with me on my home selling adventure. If you have any questions, or are interested in selling your home, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!