Pennsylvania First Settlement Services promotes Lehman

Stroudsburg - Lorie L. Lehman, Settlement Officer/Account Manager, has been promoted to the position of Executive Vice President at Pennsylvania First Settlement Services, a title and settlement company located at 304 Park Avenue in Stroudsburg.  The announcement was made Friday, July 13^th by Thomas R. Wilkins, Marketing Coordinator for PA1st.

Lehman began with PA1st as a Settlement Officer/Account Manager in February of 2010.  Prior to that, Lehman was employed with Investors Abstract for 22 years.  Lehman started her title career with Investors Abstract in 1987.

Lehman was also a principal in New Millennium Settlement Agency between 2000 and 2009.  New Millennium Settlement Agency was what is sometimes called an AfBA and acts as a settlement company in which agents and/or brokers share in the ownership.

Lehman's day to day responsibilities with Pennsylvania First Settlement will include overseeing operations of a full-service, multi-county title agency serving an 8 county area.  In addition, Lehman will work for and in cooperation with Rosemarie Lobe-Waller, CFO of the Wilkins organization who provides financial management to PA1st.  Those shared duties include closing and post-closing matters, IT hardware/software updates, overall financial and budgeting and outlooks for the company as a whole.

Said Thomas R. Wilkins, Marketing Coordinator, "Lorie's personality fits the position like a glove.  She not only knows the nuts and bolts of the title industry, her business relationships from her personal book of business, as well as that of the company, mean so much more.  When you read Lorie's resume as to what she does and gives back to the community, you know right away this is a person you want to lead the team."

Lehman is an active member of the Social Committee at the Pocono Mountains Association of REALTORS.  Said Christine Scrofano-Wilkins, Chairperson of that committee, "The decision to make Lorie the prime "go to person" at Pennsylvania First is something that is very well deserved.  I've had the pleasure working with Lehman in planning different social events and I have never in the past three years heard her say no to anything the committee asked her to do."

Other highlights and personal interests of Lehman include her being featured in the Pocono Living magazine; serving as the online Chairperson for the Stroudsburg Relay for Life--American Cancer Society, online coordinator for ACS Daffodil Days and an active member of the Pennsylvania Association of Notaries to name a few.

Lehman is a member of the Beta Sigma Phi International Women's Organization--Stroudsburg Local Chapter; current Secretary of the Eastway Community Homeowners Association and is past President of the General Ambulance Corp--Stroudsburg where she served as a volunteer EMT for 12 years.

Pennsylvania First Settlement Services started its roots in 2006 when Thomas R. Wilkins, CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates, purchased the company from his then partners, First American Title.  Originally started to just serve the Wilkins organizations, PA1st's Mission Statement changed to include providing top flight title and closing service for all Realtors.  The company hired sales people and title coordinators from other companies that were either downsizing or closing their doors.  The title agent keeps his or her book of business while the company handles fiscal management, marketing, issues policies and in general provides the back up service needed to make the customer satisfied.  Said Lehman, "Repeat business is the best business."

Pennsylvania First Settlement Services is located at 304 Park Avenue, Suite 2, 2^nd Fl, Stroudsburg, PA 18360.  Office hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS WILKINS & ASSOC AWARDS REALTOR OF THE MONTH TO JAMES "JIMMY" MARTIN

BUSHKILL: James Martin has received the Realtor of the Month award from Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins and Associates for the month of January, 2011.

Martin primarily works out of the firms’ Bushkill location and has worked with the company since July of 2006. Due to his production in 2010, James will not only finish in the “Presidents Top Ten” of the organization, but will also be acknowledged with a franchise award from the corporate office in Parsippany, NJ. The firms’ President, Dominick J. Sacci says, “Jimmy truly sets the bar for unit production and how to use time efficiently. Last year, he closed the most rental units in our firm, and now that he has joined the Carl Maurer Team, he will realize an increase in production via our bank foreclosure account(s). I don’t know if Jimmy even has any idea what his sales production will be like when all of the tenants that he is providing services to, purchase homes in the coming years. He is setting himself up for some very rewarding years in our industry”.

The Realtor of the Month acknowledgment is awarded to Realtors® based on their commitment to the Real Estate Industry as a career and the firm as a whole. Along with sales production, the Realtor® of the Month is primarily measured by their approach and mind set of on the industry, their attitude and dealings with clients/customers, and their TEAMWORK ethic.

They are also considered based on opportunity time, sales meeting attendance, onsite and on-line training participation, lead generation involvement, overall adherence to the policy and guidelines of the firm, and usage of the tools supplied by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Corporate.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates services the entire Pocono Mountains, North Pocono/Moscow area, historic Milford and all towns in between. Better Homes and Gardens Realtors handle listing, rentals and sales of primary, vacation and starter homes, as well as estate and farm properties. Buyer services include first and second home buyers, relocation buyers and transferees. Visit Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates on line at http://wilkins1.com/blog/

POC MT ASSOC OF REALTORS AWARD MURRAY WITH REALTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD

Mount Airy Casino Resort- Nicole Murray, Realtor with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates was the 2010 recipient of the Pocono Mountains Association of REALTORS® Realtor of the Year Award. Murray was introduced to the audience and presented a pin at the 2010 Holiday/Past President and Installation Dinner hosted by the Mount Airy Resort & Casino on December 4th. Over 225 Realtors, Brokers and guests were in attendance.

Realtor of the Year is one of the most prestigious awards presented by the Pocono Mountains Association of REALTORS®. Murray was chosen for a number of reasons including her professionalism in the real estate industry, her assistance to the community in which she lives, her being an active member of the PMAR MLS Committee and the achievement that she was one of the primary forces that brought CRS Tax Search, a very high tech, detailed and new software program, to the Realtors for searching owners online.

Said Christine A. Scrofano, V.P./Sales Manager with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates; "We could not be prouder of Nicole and the award that she has won. She's a great asset to our company and the PMAR organization. It is a pleasure working with her."

In addition to winning the award, Murray also accepted an appointed position on the Board of Directors as a Director member. She readily accepted.

Said Murray; "This has been a whirlwind of excitement for me. I'm very honored that my peers in real estate considered me for this award. I am also extremely excited about being appointed to the Board of Directors and hope that I can bring all my great qualities to another level."

Murray works from the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates office located on Route 209 in Bushkill.

Article from the Pocono Record

The Pocono Market- real estate that is. Two professionals tell us what is happening.

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100725/NEWS02/7250326

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS 2010 COMMERCIAL

BETTER HOMES HIRES COMPANY RECRUITER

Stroudsburg - Dennis Mooney, Assoc Broker with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates, has been promoted to the position of Assoc Broker/Company Recruiter. In his new capacity, Mooney will be responsible for the hiring of new and experienced fulltime agents. "No one knows people in our industry better than Dennis and no one is prouder to work for our company than Dennis is, so it was a natural fit when we went to fill that position" said Thomas R. Wilkins, CEO. Over the past 24 months, the company has gone through several changes, including corporate restructuring and the assimilation of the Coldwell Banker offices and Liberty Real Estate.

Mooney has been in the real estate business for the past 35 years. He started his career as golf pro at Evergreen Golf Course owned by real estate developer Charles Poalillo. He then, for the next 17 years, worked for Poalillo assisting in the land sales, running of the real estate portion of the Poalillo companies, was business manager for Cranberry Hill Corp and was the first Pres of the Board of Directors for Penn Estates.

Then for a period of 12 years, Mooney owned Glenbrook Realty & Construction located in Stroudsburg after which he managed First Choice Realty in Tannersville for 3 years. Then a little over 1 year ago he accepted the position of Assoc Broker with the Wilkins organization. "I've enjoyed working here every day since I got here. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is a well run machine and I've gotten to know the people in Parsippany (where their corporate office is located) since coming on board and have the utmost respect for the franchise." stated Mooney.

Mooney is also Chairman of the By-Laws Committee and a Board of Director member of the Poc Mt Assoc of REALTORS®.

In his new capacity, Mooney will continue to list and sell residential and commercial real estate in addition to the responsibilities of being Company Recruiter. He will have the authority to offer positions to people looking to get into the real estate field and negotiate contracts with those people who are experienced and are looking for a change of Brokers. Mergers and acquisitions will still be handled by Thomas R. Wilkins, CEO and Heather D'Adamo, Exec VP--Partner.

The Wilkins organization, although they merged 4 offices between 2007 and 2009, are a very strong name in the Pocono real estate industry. In 2008, Wilkins became the first Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Broker to join Realogy. Corporate offices are located at 304 Park Avenue in Stroudsburg and they have branch offices in Pocono Pines, Gouldsboro, Bushkill, Brodheadsville and a retail office at the Stroud Mall.

You can visit BHG at www.wilkins1.com

Pocono RE Market coming back

In my last column I “suggested” that the Pocono real estate market was beginning to stabilize, in this column, I am guaranteeing it.

It is easy as a professional to look back at market data and say, here’s what happened. It takes insight, instinct, and knowledge of the big picture to take a position on what is going to occur. It takes a crystal ball. Using a crystal ball would be easier since we have not been here before. By that I mean, we cannot look back at a period of time that has the characteristics of the overall market economy such as our current one.

When formulating an opinion on the market, we have an extraordinary amount of historical market data to take into consideration on a microeconomic (local) level. When we combine the local data with the macroeconomic data, we can have our crystal ball.

First, the one dynamic that I need to clearly see in the data is a “market trend”. Since the market fluctuates every day, I review 2-3 quarters of information, before I will communicate a trend and direction.

Second, I look at supply and demand (homes on the market and homes sold) and future demand, (homes that have closed). I also trend the average sales price and foreclosure activity. When the average sales price levels out, buyers have told us what they are willing to pay for our home(s)/product(s). I can then gauge what is going to happen with the non-foreclosure homes for sale by watching this ratio in relation to the amount of foreclosures that are selling. When foreclosure activity increases, the average homes on the market see a decline in activity and sales price, visa versa.

Third, our market depends heavily on NY & NJ markets. A large portion of our buyers cannot buy here, because they cannot sell there. When these markets begin to recover, we will be 6-9 months behind them (market trend).

Fourth, from a macroeconomic point of view, our industry is affected by overall consumer confidence (CC). Routed into CC is our view on our present economic conditions and overall economic expectations. This view is constructed by our concerns over jobs, savings, war, oil prices, etc. When our confidence is up, we invest, and the reverse is true.

In closing, the overall amount of homes on our market are remaining low, sales are finding the bottom, and future sales are increasing when compared to this time last year. NY & NJ appears to be seeing activity that it has not witnessed in years, and Consumer Confidence has been recovering since earlier this year. As the market seeks it “hard bottom”, it will rise, fall, rise, and fall. In my opinion, we will see this “bouncing” at the bottom for the next 8-16 months due to our seasonality, before we see anything that resembles a recovery. Better to be bouncing then to be free falling with no bottom in sight.

Written by Dominick J. Sacci is Senior Vice President and General Manager for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates. Mr. Sacci has been tracking market statistics for the last nine years. Market data was compiled from the Pocono Mountain Association of Realtors MLS system. Readers can discuss the residential real estate market with Mr. Sacci at www.pbjonline.com/blog. A reprint from Pocono Business Journal

Better Homes and Gardens Wilkins & Assocs buys Liberty Real Estate

Pocono Summit - Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Assoc announced the purchase of Liberty Real Estate located in Poc Summit. Liberty Real Estate was one of the first brokers in the Mt. Poc area. Roxanne Lewis, Broker/Owner, operated the business since 1985. Originally from Wilkes-Barre, Lewis moved to the Poconos specifically to open up Liberty Real Estate. She has been a Realtor since 1974. "It was a hard decision. My Agents are like family, but the timing is right." said Lewis.

In addition to Lewis, two sales agents have joined the organization as full-time Realtors, Vincent B. Szykman from Wilkes-Barre and Christina M. Scavone. Szykman owned and operated his own engineering company for 25 years. After retiring, Szykman entered the real estate business. He will handle residential and commercial real estate for Wilkes-Barre.

Scavone, will be assigned to the West End office. Scavone has been with Liberty RE since 2004. Originally from the Ft. Lauderdale area, Scavone lives in Lehighton and will be part of the expanding of the Wilkins organization to the Jim Thorpe area. "Christina Scavone is very close to getting her Broker's license." "She has taken all the courses and only needs to take the required testing. Wilkins will sponsor her for that." "We're always looking for Assoc Brokers to train for managerial positions as they start to expand again with the changing economy." said Wilkins.

Four other agents are part-time Realtors who will also join the Wilkins organization.

Dominick Sacci, V.P./Gen Mgr. stated "The acquisition of Liberty RE does two things for us. It opens us to the Wilkes-Barre market (several of the Agents are located in the Back Mt. area of Wilkes-Barre) and we picked up a potential manager in Scavone." "We're pleased that Lewis has agreed to stay on until next year. The cultural mix between the two offices fit like a glove." said Sacci.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate earlier in 2009 merged the Coldwell Banker Realtors into the company making them the number 1 real estate company in listings and sales. The Coldwell Banker/Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate deal was one of the largest real estate transactions in the Poc Mts. To date, in addition to the Blue Team being a part of the organization, BHG has recruited over 20 Realtors in 2009. Said Sacci, "If you are going to get into real estate, now is definitely the time to do it and Better Homes and Gardens is the place to do it." "If anyone wants to learn more about what it is we do, take the Simulator Test to find out if the real estate field is good for you, then they should give me a call." said Sacci. You can find the Simulator Test on the career page of bhgrealestate.com.

The Wilkins organization started in Mt. Pocono with 3 people in 1988. Since that time, they have expanded the company to over 100 Realtors and cover all northeast Pennsylvania. Over the past 2 years, due to economic conditions, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has merged several of their offices with existing ones. Thomas R. Wilkins, CEO stated, "We hope we've hit the bottom at this point. We are in the business of opening offices, not merging them." "We have several new markets that we are looking at and after the Liberty RE purchase, the Wilkes-Barre market might be an easy one to target." said Heather D'Adamo, Exec VP-Partner. The company just recently announced the launching of a Vacation Rental Dept.

WARE, Inc. also owns NEPA Management Assoc a full-service management company that handles bookkeeping, fiscal and property management for a number of town-home communities, condominium complexes and property owner associations throughout northeast Pennsylvania. Both companies are at the 304 Park Ave office in Stroudsburg.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Assoc can be visited at www.wilkins1.com.

Better Homes launches Vacation Rental Department

Stroudsburg – Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins Assoc held a ribbon cutting for their new Vacation Rental Department. The ribbon cutting was attended by the Poc Mt. Chamber of Commerce and the Poc Mt Visitors Bureau.

The department will be supervised by Patricia Blank-Toombs, V.P. with the Wilkins organization. “This website’s been a year in the making and to be the one to cut the ribbon is a very exciting event for me and my department “. Blank-Toombs ran the vacation rental department in the late 1990s when the Wilkins organization had approximately 250 rental units. The dept. is expected to handle close to 500 properties, including timeshare and park RV units. The Company is expected to become a true leader in vacation rentals throughout the Poconos.

The website has a number of videos showing rentals in the communities and has the capability of booking online with a credit card. “The website is a very user-friendly site.” said Blank-Toombs. Wilkins is offering their rental services in communities throughout the Pocono area including Lake Wallenpaupack, Pike and Monroe Counties. Said Thomas R. Wilkins, CEO; “It’s great to be back in the vacation business. With my hotel background, running the department under Patricia’s guidance, our vacation rentals will definitely be a winner regardless as to what economic conditions are or how quickly the market bounces back–there’s always people taking vacations.” Wilkins is one of the very few Brokers who handle vacation rentals.

The department will handle family vacations in the summer time and couples, group business and skiers for the winter season. Wilkins also handles corporate short-term units as well.

The ribbon cutting was attended by Beverly Hay, Exec Dir PMAR; Carl Wilgus, Pres/CEO Poc Mt Visitors Bureau; Don Snyder, Board Dir PMVB; John Freel, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage; David Yarosh, Vector Security and Chuck Niclaus, 2nd Vice-chair Gtr Poc Chamber of Commerce. The ceremony was held at 304 Park Ave. Everyone in attendance was able to view the new website online. Blank-Toombs gave a presentation on how the site would work.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates has 6 locations throughout the Poconos and handles residential listings and sales in the greater 5 county Pocono region. The company is 20 years old and boasts being the first Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate office.

The vacation dept is based in Stroudsburg where the actual reservations and deposits are taken, but Wilkins estimates that there will be 4 to 5 lockboxes where guests can check in at various communities. “We’ll be in such communities as Village at Camelback, Saw Creek, Tamiment, Lake Naomi, Lake Harmony and others. Although the business is handled at the Stroudsburg location, a guest can check into their home at any of the other Wilkins locations.” said Wilkins.

You can visit the Vacation Rental Dept online at www.wilkins1.com.

Shawnee Balloon festival this week end Don't Miss It

The Timber & Balloon Festival at Shawnee Mountain in the Poconos is this weekend, October 16, 17 & 18!

It begins Friday night with the famous Balloon Glow, which is such an awesome sight to see. Saturday and Sunday, the festival runs from 10am to 6pm, but the morning balloon launch starts around 7am. You may remember 2 separate festivals in the past, but Shawnee has taken their 2 most popular festivals and combined them into one big weekend of fun! Plus get a srat up on your skiing by visiting the ski shop.

In addition to the hot air balloon rides, you will find IRONJACK Timber Team Lumberjack Shows (as seen on OLN), Musical Entertainment, Food & Craft Vendors Galore, Scenic Chairlift Rides (we're running out of weekends to see the gorgeous foliage the Pocono Mountains has to offer), Skydiving Exhibitions, and much more!

Find your way to Shawnee Mountian this weekend to enjoy this great festival! And if you have time, stop by Better Homes and Gardens and buy a vacation home.

Taormina with Better Homes and Gardens receives PA Broker License

October 9, 2009

Stroudsburg, Pa Heather M. D’Adamo, Executive Vice President/Partner Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates is proud to announce Loretta Taormina has passed her Broker’s exam on September 26, 2009. Taormina is now licensed as an Associate Broker with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates.

Taormina spent several years taking 2 courses a year to meet the state requirements for a Broker’s license. The Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission requires 3 years real estate experience and 16 credits / 240 hours of real estate instruction to be eligible to take the Broker’s exam.

Taormina, a recognized professional in the real estate industry, worked for Coldwell Banker Phyllis Rubin Real Estate for 9 years prior to the company’s merge with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates in March of 2009. And prior to real estate Taormina was a local Monroe County business owner.

Taormina is a top producer earning impressive corporate designations such as Million Dollar & Multi-Million Dollar Producer, Sterling & Diamond Society along with numerous company awards. Taormina looks forward to opportunities and success in the future as she embarks on the next phase of her career, an Associate Broker with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates

POCONO REALTORS DO IT AGAIN

Pocono Mountain REALTORS Participate in Food Drive
September 23, 2009
Pocono Mountains Association of REALTORS® proudly announces thier participation in the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS®

PMAR will be conducting this food drive for the entire month of October. Bring your non-perishable food items to the following drop-off locations:

Pocono Mountains Association of REALTORS®
Shafers School House Road & Business Rt. 209, Stroudsburg, PA

Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates
Rt. 209, Brodheadsville, PA

Century 21 Select Group
Rt. 115 Blakeslee, PA

Century 21 Select Group
555 Pocono Boulevard, Mt. Pocono, PA

Commonwealth Real Estate Your Way
26C Pocono Blvd., Mt. Pocono, PA

Keller Williams Realty
637 Main Street, Stroudsburg, PA

Prudential Real Estate
Rt. 209, East Stroudsburg

Realty World Becky Freeman & Associates
196 Washington Street, East Stroudsburg, PA

RE/MAX of the Poconos
1111 N. 5th St., Stroudsburg, PA

RE/MAX Results
104 Rt. 611, Greystone Building, Bartonsville, PA

Wilkins Better Homes and Gardens Sponsor of Walk

September 22, 2009

Stroudsburg – Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates, through Dennis Mooney, Associate Broker and a 14 year Board Member of the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, were major sponsors of the 2009 Arthritis Walk on Sunday, September 20th at ESU. The Company, through their Friday “Casual for A Cause” day, presented the Arthritis Foundation with check in the amount of $500.00.

Bob Albanese, VP Strategic Services of the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Corporate office in Parsippany, NJ assisted with the presentation of that check to Mooney. “On behalf of Dominick Sacci, Sr. V.P./Gen Mgr, his Agents and the employees of the Wilkins organization, I am proud to be a part of this presentation.” said Albanese. The Wilkins Agents and employees are able to wear casual outfits if they contribute $5.00 to the “Casual for a Cause” account. The money is then distributed by the Department heads and this year it was approved for the Arthritis Foundation.

Mooney, who has been a Board member for the past 14 years and represents Monroe County in the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, has recently been appointed to the PA Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation. Mooney said, “Being a part of this fine organization is something that moves me; and to be able to be a sponsor thrills me even more. I’ve been involved with the Arthritis Walk for a number of years.”

Arthritis itself refers to about 120 different diseases that can affect the joints, muscles and other soft tissue. It is the most common cause of disability in the United States and walking 30 minutes a day can reduce everyone’s risk of developing arthritis in the future. Forty-six million men, women and children have been doctor diagnosed with arthritis.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates operates six offices throughout the Poconos and in cooperation with its sister company NEPA Management Associates, Inc. are proud sponsors to a number of organizations and have been for the past 20 years. You can visit them at www.wilkins1.com.

Poconos Management Company announces Promotion

CORDERO PROMOTED TO PROPERTY MANAGER

August 31, 2009

Stroudsburg – NEPA Management Associates, Inc. announced that Blanca Cordero has been promoted to the position of Property Manager. Cordero has been with the company since March of 2009. Prior to joining the Wilkins organization, Cordero was a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Phyllis Rubin Real Estate.

Said Thomas R. Wilkins, CEO “Blanca came to us with the purchase of the Coldwell Banker business and was a rental manager for them. Since the time she has been with us, she’s advanced herself and is being promoted to the position of Property Manager.” NEPA Management Assoc handles a number of individual rentals, commercial properties, homeowners associations, condo communities and town-home projects throughout Northeast Pennsylvania.

Cordero will be responsible for her own portfolio of rental and income producing properties, work as an admin asst with the homeowner associations, be the primary property manager for Knob Hill Property Owners Assoc and take over the processing of “Get Connected”, an affordable utility hook-up service developed by the Wilkins organization.

NEPA Management Associates is located at 304 Park Avenue in Stroudsburg and is open 7 days a week.

Pocono Mts- Real Estate. Whats new in RE

Poconos home prices plunge but mortgages hard to find
by Kathleen Lynn/For The Star-Ledger

Tuesday August 25, 2009, 8:30 AM

For buyers turned off by North Jersey's high home prices and property taxes, the answer has long been: Go west, to the Poconos.
Expatriate transplants from North Jersey and the New York metropolitan area have swollen the population of what was once a rural vacation area.

In Monroe County, Pa., just across the Delaware Water Gap on Route 80, the population has soared 72 percent since 1990, to an estimated 165,000.
But the housing bust has slammed the Poconos, with prices down 20 percent over the past year, to a median $140,000. At the same time, foreclosures have risen. And buyers who'd like to take advantage of the lower prices often can't get mortgages.

All in all, veteran Poconos real estate professionals say, it's the worst market they've seen in decades.
"We have more houses than there are buyers in the market who can qualify to get a loan," said Kathy Louis of Kathy Louis Real Estate in Mount Pocono. "They (lenders) shut the valve completely off."
Now, the question is whether demand for housing in the Poconos will return as the real estate and mortgage markets recover. Buyers will always be drawn to affordable homes surrounded by mountains, forests and streams, some observers said.

"When the money loosens up, I'm sure they'll come flooding back," said Ginger Battisto of Ginger B Realty in Mount Pocono. "Who wouldn't want to live up here?"

But others say the rate of migration from New York and New Jersey is not likely to return to the levels of the first half of this decade. For one thing, said John Woodling, director of planning for Monroe County, environmental regulations and other restrictions will make home construction more difficult in the Poconos.

"The parcels of land that can be developed relatively easily -- there aren't that many left," Woodling said.

Moreover, more people from New York and New Jersey may decide they're not willing to make the required tradeoffs -- especially the long commute, which could become even more burdensome if gas prices soar again.

"People say, 'It's only 80 miles to Manhattan.' But it's 2½ hours in the morning and 2½ hours at night," said Christine Harvell, a Stroudsburg real estate agent who grew up in Lyndhurst.
Of course, commuters spend money as well as time: The bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal costs more than $460 a month.

Much as they might like to, many of those commuters can't find similar well-paying jobs in Monroe County.

While there are a few large employers -- the Tobyhanna Army Depot and Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine division of Sanofi-Aventis Group -- many of the county's jobs are in the construction industry, which is slumping badly in the housing bust, and the tourism industry, which generally does not offer paychecks large enough to support a family.
Sylvia and Ken Marohn, who have one child, moved to Stroudsburg about nine years ago to escape the traffic and high taxes of Long Island. Sylvia, a nurse, works at a hospital close to home, but her husband commutes at least 90 minutes each way -- longer if traffic's bad -- to a finance job in Lyndhurst. He leaves about 5:30 each morning.

While the commute is tough, living in the Poconos meant the Marohns could build a large, four-bedroom house for less than what a Cape Cod would cost in North Jersey. When they step out onto their deck, they're not looking into the neighbor's yard, because the nearest house is "two football fields away," Sylvia said.

Not everyone can adjust to a long commute. Eileen Chaladoff of Prudential Associates in East Stroudsburg, president of the Pocono Mountain Association of Realtors, said she sold a house two years ago to a couple who commuted to North Jersey. After only six months, they called her to say they were putting the property back on the market because they couldn't stand spending so much time on the road.

Tom Wilkins of Better Homes & Gardens/Wilkins and Associates said Poconos property taxes have risen to levels that might seem painfully familiar to North Jerseyans. Wilkins said he has a house listed for $141,000 that carries $8,000 in annual taxes.

Harvell, the Stroudsburg agent, says many people moving from North Jersey and the New York metropolitan area are often surprised by some aspects of life in the Poconos.

Depending on the location, she said, homeowners may encounter long school bus rides for their children; septic systems and wells instead of sewers and municipal water supply; and state police instead of municipal protection. Teens often complain there's not enough to do.

And a rise in crime -- even gang activity -- has been reported in some areas, including the large Pocono County Place gated community in Coolbaugh Township, about 15 miles north of Stroudsburg.

"Buyers need to do their homework" on school systems and crime rates before choosing a town, Harvell said.

"If you can only afford $150,000, there's plenty to choose from for $150,000," Harvell said. "But it's not just the price. There are things you don't think of."
Kathleen Lynn is a reporter for the Record.

Is the Pocono Real Estate hitting bottom - DJS Sen VP Gen Mgr

The second quarter of 2009, Has the stabilization begun?

Several of the market indicators that I watch to gauge the direction of the real estate market cycle are suggesting the stabilization has finally begun in the Poconos.

One of the most revealing market indicators is the average sales price. It appeared to stabilize in March and has since increased in May and June of 2009. The trend looks like this, March $155,121, April $155,634, May $158,422, June $160,483. Prior to this, the average price of homes in the Poconos had been steadily dropping since October of 2007.

As for the supply and demand conversation, while closed sales remain off (for the second quarter in a row) by 20%, inventory remains 11% lower, and the future looks bright as pending sales are up 9.1%.

To clarify these percentages, only 257 less homes have sold in the first half of 2009 when compared to the same time period of 2008, and there are 42 more homes that are projected to sell in July and August of 2009.

While Realtors have been maintaining an inventory of homes to sell, that they haven’t carried since the late nineteen nineties, buyers have appeared to (begin to) come back into the real estate market.

If buyers are coming back into the marketplace, what are they buying? The answer, FORECLOSURES! Monroe County is averaging a 30% foreclosure rate in 2009, one in every three homes being sold is in foreclosure status. Why are foreclosures selling? There are a few items to look at here. The first is, according to CNN Money, Americans have gone from saving 3% to over 7% of their income. The percentage is projected to break 10% by year end. Investors are looking to place this money somewhere, and as the greed on Wall Street has scared a lot of investors away from the stock market, real estate has always been the next logical investment in the business cycle. On average, you can purchase a home in Monroe County that is in foreclosure status for $0.30 to $0.60 on the dollar. Some of these properties only require mild repair.

The good news about this part of the cycle is, once the foreclosure inventory is depleted, the homes not in a distressed status will begin to see the bulk of the market’s activity. Most of the foreclosed homes are being purchased by investors and first time home-buyers. A portion of the properties purchased by investors will be rented out. This will attract gun shy buyers from out of the area, who will rent for 6-12 months before they buy.

In closing, it would appear that the transition into a market stabilization has begun in our area. All of the market indicators support this and show no signs of reversing. Once the closed sales drop from being off by 20% to 0, we can begin our real estate market recovery. The trend is suggesting that we may hit this bottom in the last quarter of 2009.

Dominick J. Sacci is Senior Vice President and General Manager for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates. Mr. Sacci has been tracking market statistics for the last nine years. Market data was compiled from the Pocono Mountain Association of Realtors MLS system. Readers can discuss the residential real estate market with Mr. Sacci at www.pbjonline.com/blog

POCONO BHG REALTOR AT WORK

TONY DEMARCO, REALTOR WITH BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS REAL ESTATE WILIKNS & ASSOCIATES ASSISTS IN GROUND BREAKING FOR NEW POCONO FARMS FACILITY
August 14, 2009 in News & Events by No comments

3 years of hard work finally paid off! On Tuesday July 21, 2009 Pocono Farms Country Club broke ground for their new recreation center. In attendance for the ground breaking was Better Homes and Gardens Wilkins & Associates very own Tony Demarco. Tony, a Realtor out of our Naomi Pines office is a Board of Directors liaison for the Pocono Farms Community Association.

The ground breaking was for the construction of a new 3000 square foot Community/Fitness Center. 2000 square feet of this facility will be used as an exercise & cardio gym and the other 1000 square feet will be an aerobics room. Men & women’s locker rooms are also being built as part of this project. The construction cost for this new facility is 1.4 million.

The Community/Fitness Center is a welcomed addition to the Pocono Farms Association. Committee members are excited to have some extra well needed community space. A Welcome Center for members & guests will also be located here.

For the past 3 years the Association’s many dedicated board and committee members have worked closely with Coolbaugh Township & engineers in an effort to plan this project. Completion of the Pocono Farms Community /Fitness Center is anticipated for the spring of 2010. Board President, Neil Carlson commented that “It has been proven over and over that amenities such as a fitness center do in fact, add to individual property values.”

Pocono Farms Community Association is a private residential golf and recreation community located off Route 196 in Coolbaugh Township. This community offers its members an 18-hole golf course, clubhouse, restaurant and banquet facility, tennis, outdoor pool and an 11 acre lake with beach & boat amenities.