IN West Jefferson Hills Spring 2019 | Page 17

INDUSTRY INSIGHT West Jefferson Hills School District Real Estate Market Trends REAL ESTATE SPONSORED CONTENT You already know that West Jefferson Hills is a highly ranked school district in Southwestern PA per the Pittsburgh Business Times and the anticipation for the opening of the new high school is reaching a fever pitch, so it should not surprise you that 253 homes were sold in the district throughout 2018! You may be curious to know that the least expensive home was a 2 bed, 1 full bath with off-street parking that sold for $9,000 in June 2018, while the most expensive one was a new construction with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths & 3 car attached garage home that sold for $595,000 in July 2018. Below are the trends for the district as a whole, as well as a breakdown of activity for each area in the district by zip code. Area A/C/U* Sold ** A/C/U* Sold ** (1-3 A/C/U* (1-3 Bedrooms) (4+ Bedrooms) Bedrooms) Sold** (4+ Bedrooms) Avg List/ Avg Sales Price Ave SP/LP % Ave DOM WJH School District 57 253 37 164 20 89 $308.2K $292.4K 96.97% 63 Days Jefferson Hills (15025) 33 114 20 61 13 53 $244.7K $235.8K 96.84% 66 Days Pleasant Hills (15236) 20 123 14 87 6 36 $194.4K $190.5K 97.75% 42 Days Finleyville (15332) 1 15 0 15 1 0 $159.0K $142.3K 95.36% 55 Days West Elizabeth (15088) 3 1 3 1 0 0 $101.2K $ 40.0K 80.00% 209 Days * A/C/U: Active, Contingent and Under Contract stats are current as of 03/10/19. ** Sold stats cover the period from January 1 to December 31, 2018. I f you are contemplating putting your home on the market, or purchasing one anytime during 2019, consider these tips: Freshen Up the Curb Appeal: No matter what time of year you decide to list your home, curb appeal is important. If the exterior of your home does not look inviting, buyers may not even consider going inside. Have your siding pressure- washed and shutters painted if they are faded. A fresh seasonal floral wreath on the front door is also a nice touch. Don’t Over-Upgrade: Quick fixes before selling nearly always pay off. On the flip side, you may not get your money back that fast with major makeovers. Updates to consider: fresh coat of paint throughout; clean windows and window treatments; replace door handles, kitchen cabinet and vanity hardware; make sure closet doors are all on track; repair leaky faucets and loose commodes; clean carpets; and clean grout in your kitchens and bathrooms. Home Staging Tip – Bye, Bye Clutter: The applications of “Less is more” to home ownership and home selling are obvious. With less clutter, your home will be cozier, easier to navigate, show better to home buyers, and be easier to keep neat, plus easier to pack up when you sell. Here are three essentials to begin your home search, so your real estate sales executive can show you properties that best match your needs: Price Range: Your lender will pre-qualify you and tell you how much you can afford, based on your down payment, credit history and debt-to-income ratio. Neighborhood Preference: Choose neighborhoods based on a radius of where you want to be, whether it’s in a certain school district, close to work, or near family and friends. Bedroom and Bath Requirements: Determine how many bedrooms and full and partial baths are needed to accommodate your lifestyle based on the number of people who will be living in the home. By sticking to basics, you’ll find you have plenty of homes to consider. You’ll narrow your selection more quickly if you’re not distracted by showy or unnecessary features, and ultimately, you’ll be more satisfied with your new home. As always, I hope you found this article informative and helpful. Please contact me at your convenience for a free market analysis to discuss your home’s worth or to launch a free automated home search. © 2018 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity. This Industry Insight was written by Darlene B. Kruth, a Sales Executive with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty. Darlene is a licensed real estate agent in the state of Pennsylvania and has designations as an Accredited Staging Professional (“ASP”) and a Seniors Real Estate Specialist (“SRES”). For more information regarding Darlene’s services and qualifications, please contact her at 412.831.0100 x3013 (office), 412.874.0415 (cell), email her at [email protected], or find Darlene’s facebook business page at Darlene Kruth, REALTOR®. WEST JEFFERSON HILLS ❘ SPRING 2019 15