Fall Festivals in Chester County, PA

Summer might be winding down, but there are plenty of exciting events to look forward to when it comes to fall in Chester County. From cultural festivals to craft fairs, there’s something fun going on just about every weekend in September, October and November.

These festivals are a part of what makes our area a wonderful place to live, work and play. Check out the following events taking place in the coming months:

September

Kick off your fall season by attending one of Chester County’s exciting September festivals. On the weekend of September 8, you can enjoy a wide array of beautiful craftwork at the Log House Arts and Crafts Show in Kerr Park, or take part in a one-of-a-kind experience at the Mushroom Festival in Kennett Square.

The weekend of September 15 holds delicious surprises, including the Foodtastic Food Truck Tasting Festival in Wagontown, as well as the Restaurant Festival in the heart of downtown Westchester. For another weekend of fun, you can take a short trip to Unionville for the Horse Trials and Fair, or to Exton to celebrate Women’s Wellness Day during the weekend of the 22^nd.

The last weekend in September, enjoy Downingtown’s FallFest or Malvern’s Fall Festival and Bark in the Park with your best furry friend. All of this fall fun will make saying goodbye to summer much easier than you thought possible!

October

The fall events in Chester County only get better as the months go by. October festivities begin with the Harvest Festival in Glen Mills and the East Whiteland Fire Co. Car Show in Malvern. If you’re looking for a little class, the weekend of October 13 brings with it the Chester Valley Bridal Showcase, as well as the Newtown Square Art Show.

For some crafting and artistic fun, check out the Weekend Scrapbooking Escape in Malvern or the Fine Arts and Crafts Festival in Westchester during the weekend of October 20. Finally, prepare for some Halloween fun at the Golden Knights Original Art and Handmade Craft Show in Westchester. Nothing says fall like autumn food and crafts.

November

Fall may be coming to an end by the time November hits, but the fun just keeps on coming in Chester County during this time. Begin your November by attending the Grace Assembly Preschool’s annual craft show on the 3^rd. For more crafting fun, you can check out the Fall Craft and Gift Show at the Applecross Country Club.

The weekend of November 17 will help you prepare for the holidays and cold winter months with the Holiday Shopping Boutique and Craft Fair in Downingtown, and you can wrap up your fall by visiting the Holiday Craft and Gift show in Malvern and the OLC Christmas Craft Fair Bazaar in Parkesburg. With all of the exciting events Chester County has to offer, you won’t be missing summer for a moment!

As we all know, Chester County is a wonderful place to call home. Local residents enjoy this wide range of fall events each year, which fosters that sense of community we all experience in our area.

Handling a Real Estate Short Sale

When times are tough, homeowners may be forced to make sacrifices and sell their property in Chester County. A “short sale” in suburban Philadelphia real estate is an agreement reached between the owner of a home and his or her moneylender, wherein the lender agrees to accept less money than what is owed on the house. An alternative to foreclosure, a short sale may be a good option to consider if you qualify for one.

The following are the common steps associated with a short sale situation:

Step 1: Contact the lender and send a letter of authorization

It may take time, but try to get a hold of a supervisor who can give you some direct answers regarding short sales when selling a home in Chester County. Once you have your facts straight, you can submit a letter of authorization to the lender. Lenders don’t want to get in trouble by disclosing your personal information, so the letter of authorization will get the ball rolling by permitting the lender to disclose information about you to the specific parties mentioned. Be sure to include your name, the date, the loan reference number and the property address in your letter.

Step 2: Create a preliminary net sheet and hardship letter

The preliminary net sheet displays an estimate of the sales price that is expected to be received, and all of the costs of the sale, including unpaid loan balances and late fees. Don’t worry if you aren’t sure how to calculate these costs—you can always work on this with a lawyer and/or closing agent. You will not need a short sale if the bottom line shows cash to the seller.

Once this is set up, it’s time to start work on your hardship letter. This list of facts explains to the lender how you got into your financial crisis. The lenders are human beings, too, and they can be more understanding than you think. Just make sure to be honest about your situation.

Step 3: Send in a proof of income

Just as you’ve been honest in your hardship letter, it’s important to tell the whole truth when disclosing information about your income and assets. Lenders cannot afford to lose more than they have to when it comes to suburban Philadelphia real estate, so they want to make sure that you’re really in need of the help you are asking for. Be sure to include in your proof of income anything of tangible value, including cash and other real estate, as well as any bank account balances you may have.

Step 4: Complete a purchase and listing agreement

Once you’ve found a buyer, the lender will expect a copy of the offer and of the listing agreement. Make sure that you are prepared for the lender to refuse to accommodate for certain things, such as home protection plans. If all goes well, you will be able to sell your property in Chester County and your short sale will be approved.

Short sales can be difficult, but with the help of a certified realtor, the process can be easier on you. If you have questions about this process, contact Liz Saunders, Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker Preferred, today at 1-888-914-4833, or send her an email.

Social Media and Selling Real Estate

Are you looking to sell a property in Pennsylvania? In recent years, social media has gone mainstream, but it isn’t only being used to keep in touch with friends and family anymore. Many companies use Facebook and Twitter to market themselves online, and Chester County real estate is following close behind. When selling a home in PA, it can be beneficial to utilize social media outlets to get a home sold fast and for the highest price possible.

Many real estate companies have an entire Facebook or Twitter page solely for creating posts about new homes on the market. The key to keeping readers updated and obtaining more friends and followers is to update information regularly. Administrators of the page can post basic information about the house, and can also link to pictures and YouTube videos that might give potential buyers a look on the Internet before they see the house in person. 

Social media updates may also include important information, such as when open houses are going to be available.

When selling a home in PA, the most beneficial part about marketing Chester County real estate using social media (rather than a basic website) is that buyers are able to interact with the sellers online. A seller that wants to sell PA property can easily put an advertisement in a magazine or publish content to a website about a house for sale, and have no idea how people are reacting to the ad or how many people are even seeing it at all. When a home is post on Facebook, however, immediate results are seen.

Based on the comments and “likes” for each post, a seller will be able to tell right away what people think of the houses being posted. Likewise, buyers can post on the seller’s wall to provide their opinions or request information for home listings based on their individual needs. It’s a win-win situation.

Posting information on open houses and showings can be helpful, but another important factor that Chester County real estate experts take into consideration when making their posts is that buyers often do not have enough knowledge in the world of real estate when going into the process. Most home listings will not pertain to every single person reading the seller’s Twitter posts, so real estate companies have taken to posting general information about the industry to keep potential buyers informed and interested until they finally find their dream home.

Sharing these trade secrets will make buyers feel more comfortable, and will also invite other professionals in the business to lend their own opinions.

Whether it involves updating information on business trends or posting videos to promote specific homes for sale, social media has proven to be a great aide when it comes to selling PA property. Buyers can ask questions and find the perfect home without having to settle, and sellers can get top dollar on their homes quickly by frequently updating social media pages.

To learn more about buying and selling your home in Chester County, PA, call Liz Saunders at 1-888-914-4833 or send her an email.

The Possibilities for a 1031 Tax Exchange for Real Estate

If you’re looking to sell property in Chester County, one thing you might want to look into is a 1031 tax exchange for a property. Known as a powerful wealth-bringing tool available to sellers, the 1031 exchange allows taxpayers to sell investments, income or business property, and replaced it with a like-kind property. Within a specific time frame, you can sell one qualified property and proceed with an acquisition for another.

What makes a 1031 tax exchange unique is that it is really treated as a literal real estate exchange rather than a standard sale. This method may be right for you, but be sure to know all of the ins and outs of the process before jumping in. That’s where a licensed real estate professional comes in.

If you’re looking for a replacement “like-kind” property to your existing one, you should consider the possibilities of a 1031 tax exchange to sell your PA property. Any other action would require the payment of a capital gains tax, which will likely continue to rise as the years go on. 


The basis of the appeal of the 1031 is that the IRS depreciates real estate investments at a three percent yearly rate until it is completely depreciated. In short, it would be possible for an investor to defer capital gains for his or her entire life. Real estate property used for investment and business qualifies for a 1031 exchange, but personal residences do not.

These days, to qualify for a 1031 exchange, the transaction must really be an “exchange.” This means that you cannot just sell one property in Chester County and then buy another as one normally would. The property being sold and the property being exchanged for it must both be used for business or investment purposes, and they must be like-kind properties.

Whether you want to sell PA property by exchanging a lot of land for an apartment building or a shopping center for an office building, the 1031 tax exchange for Chester County real estate is an exciting option that should certainly be considered when looking to sell a property.

While the benefits of the exchange are great, it should certainly be noted that the rules and regulations are meticulous and time constraints are strict. Special care and planning must be taken into consideration if you are planning on taking part in this exchange.

To learn more the possibilities of a 1031 tax exchange when selling property in Chester County, PA, contact realtor Liz Saunders at 1-888-914-4833 or send her an email.

The Homebuyer Ready Program from Coldwell Banker

In order to be more competitive in today's challenging marketplace, sellers need a way to make their properties stand out and buyers need a way to sift out the good homes from the bad more than ever before.  

The exclusive Homebuyer Ready program from Coldwell Banker offers quicker closings through pre-inspection, corrective work, seller disclosure statements, home protection plans, competitive market analysis and title search. An advantage to sellers and buyers alike, the Homebuyer Ready program provides a simple and direct route to closing on your home.


Buying or selling a home is a huge step in a person’s life and should not be taken lightly. Coldwell Banker Homebuyer Ready participants have all forms of advertisement for their homes stamped with the Homebuyer Ready seal of approval so that they’re easy to spot. This tells buyers that the home is approved by the program and has gone through the following:

•      A pre-inspection by a licensed house inspector
•       Comprehensive marketing analysis to insure fair pricing
•       Complete title work
•       A Coldwell Banker Home Protection Plan

Sellers will enjoy the benefits of the program just as much as buyers. A house that is highlighted as Homebuyer Ready will attract serious buyers who are looking for the best possible option. A “waste-no-time” deal, Homebuyer Ready homes are packaged specifically to get immediate reactions from buyers and other realtors.

These homes will also stand out to buyers because unlike many other houses on the market, they will already be title searched and pre-inspected. An easy, no-strings-attached choice, the Homebuyer Ready program offers both parties peace of mind that they are making a good deal.

Buyers: Would you like to know more about what may be your future home before you put an offer on it? Would you like to enjoy fewer surprises before closing?

Sellers: Would you like to attract serious buyers? Would you like to make your home stand out amongst the competition?

If you’re looking for fewer hassles and quicker closings in Chester County, PA, call 610-363-6006, or contact Liz Saunders directly at 1-888-914-4833. She can assist you with real estate information and connections just about anywhere in the world.