Philadelphia Real Estate: Buyer Advice Archives - The Center City Condos Sales Team

Making YOUR Offer The Most Attractive It Can Be

by centercitycondosphillyOctober 2, 2025October 2, 2025Leave a comment

It is NOT always dollars and cents that prompt a seller to sign an agreement of sale…here are a few tips to sweeten your Philly Condo offer:

Shorten your settlement date-especially if the home is vacant.
Get a pre-approval from the mortgage company that the LISTING agent uses most. This will allow the listing agent, who will be presenting your offer to the seller, to be comfortable with your financing arrangements.
Shorten your home inspection period to 7 days instead of 15 days.
Put more money down (to be held in escrow) – a full 10%.
Add an “AS-IS” clause (which will still allow you to inspect and terminate the deal within the time frame permitted, if necessary).
Write a really nice note about how much you love the seller’s home and why you are buying their home. If it evokes a special emotion out of you, let the seller know. Every seller wants their home to be “loved”….let them know you love their home!
If a property is vacant, but still has unwanted clutter and dirt, tell the seller you will buy the home as it sits today.
If the seller is buying another home, and doing so locally, consider allowing his or her title company to do your title work. Most title rates are standard, and you (generally speaking) will not incur more costs by having your title work done by a company you or your realtor chooses.
If you are flexible in the dates you can settle, give the seller the option to pick the settlement date. You can write a contract that gives the seller the right to choose your settlement date within a specific period of time, like “ from 30 to 90 days from execution of the contract”..seller to decide.

Many things in a real estate transaction are emotional. Sweeten that emotional pot and you might find you’ll save a few dollars. It happens more often than you think! Shoot me an email at Mark@CenterCity.com or call 215.521.1523 when you are ready to start shopping for your next condo here in Philadelphia, and we’ll help you make a sweet offer.

Mark Wade
BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors®
530 Walnut St. #480 | Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.CenterCityCondos.com

Sweeten Your Offer

by centercitycondosphillyFebruary 21, 2022February 21, 2022Leave a comment

It is NOT always dollars and cents that prompt a seller to sign an agreement of sale. Here are a few tips to sweeten your offer:

*Shorten your settlement date if the home is vacant.
*Shorten your home inspection period to 7 days instead of 15 days.
*Put more money down (to be held in escrow). A full 10% will garner attention.
*Add an “AS-IS” clause (which will still allow you to inspect).
*Write a note explaining why you’re bidding on this particular home.
*Vacant, but full of unwanted clutter? Buy it as it sits. Huge relief for any seller.

Many things in a real estate transaction are emotional. Sweeten that emotional pot and you might find you’ll save a few dollars. Further proof that what I do for a living is not rocket science.

Value Growth is Not Guaranteed

by centercitycondosphillyJanuary 12, 2022January 12, 2022Leave a comment

A small number of condos in prime Center City zip codes have not appreciated over the past decade+/–

In my 33 years of selling Center City real estate, I can tell you that value growth/appreciation is a priority for most buyers when purchasing a Center City condo: Many buyers rank appreciation as a reason to purchase. On the whole, most condos have appreciated, though any gains are an odd confluence of timing, visual presentation, and a dash of dumb luck.

.*Timing: Often, a number of similar, competing properties are on the market when you list your home. If fewer options exist, your appreciation will be markedly higher. Supply and demand for a particular product are very fluid. One day there are a half dozen two-bedroom corner units at Hopkinson House, and six months later, there are none.

*Visual Presentation: This is the big enchilada. The easiest path to zero appreciation is to make your home look like a frat house. Dirty and ugly will sink appreciation in a snap. I see it weekly.

*Dumb Luck: You bought your home at a great price. The upgrades you’ve done are perfect. A condo, just like yours, recently sold in your building at a record price. Your decorating really resonates with many buyers. You hit the market the same weekend as your future buyer booked a flight to Philly (happens more than you think).

Is AirBnB allowed in this Philly Condo?

by centercitycondosphillyDecember 12, 2020December 12, 2025Leave a comment

The one condo question that always gets a negative answer? I get this ALL the time…

Is Airbnb allowed in this building? No. Never. Ever. Sorry…

Almost every Philly condo has a clause embedded into its declaration/rules and regulations that the minimum lease period is either SIX or TWELVE months. Period.

Mark Wade
BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors®
530 Walnut St. #480 | Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.CenterCityCondos.com

Making Your Offer As Attractive It Can Be

by centercitycondosphillyJune 18, 2020June 18, 2020Leave a comment

Here are some tips for making your offer on your potential new home as attractive to the seller as it can be:

1) Get a pre-approval from the mortgage company that the LISTING agent uses most. This will allow the listing agent, who will be presenting your offer to the seller, to be comfortable with your financing arrangements.

2) Narrow your contingency periods to ten (10) days maximum. Not business days either. Make sure you can clear your schedule to do all your inspections on a timely basis. Nothing sours a seller like â€œ15 business daysâ€ to do a home inspection.

3) If you are flexible in the dates you can settle, give the seller the option to pick the settlement date. You can write a contract that gives the seller the right to choose your settlement date within a specific period of time, like â€œ from 30 to 90 days from execution of the contractâ€..seller to decide.

4) If the seller is buying another home, and doing so locally, consider allowing his or her title company to do your title work. Most title rates are standard, and you (generally speaking) will not incur more costs by having your title work done by a company you or your realtor chooses.

5) Write a nice note to the seller, to be presented with your offer telling him or her why you love their home, and why you want to buy their home. If it evokes a special emotion out of you, let the seller know. Every seller wants their home to be â€œlovedâ€â€¦.let them know you love their home!

These tips may give you an edge in a competitive offer situation, or may just save you a couple of dollars when it comes time to negotiate with the seller! Good Luck, and know that the dollar amount you are offering is NOT the only factor your seller may consider when looking at your offer!

Mark Wade
www.CenterCityCondos.com
BHHS Fox and Roach REALTORSÂ®
530 Walnut St. #480, Philadelphia, PAÂ 19106

It’s Not the Kitchen Cabinets – It’s the Knobs!

by centercitycondosphillyDecember 15, 2017December 15, 2025Leave a comment

I live in a lovely loft downtown Philadelphia condominium. My condo was featured on HGTV. I won the somewhat prestigious Philadelphia Magazine Kitchen of the Year contest in 2005. People see my kitchen, and out come the “oohs” and the inevitable “aahs”. Yeah, my kitchen is pretty groovy.

But ya’ know what….?

My kitchen is from Home Depot. Nothing special there. A nice Kraftmaid cabinet done in a simple off-white Mission style. Nothing dramatic or awe-inspiring. No high-dollar custom cabinets. It’s simply done.

Nothing special, of course, besides the $26 simple crystal knobs and pulls with a matte finished nickel base that cover the face of my cabinets. And this is where I got the most bang for my buck.

Kitchens cabinets are cabinets. They all have doors and drawers. And the base cabinets all sit 34” high and 24” off the wall. If you’ve seen one, you’ve kinda’ seen them all. Variations on a theme, let’s call it. Wide variations, but variations none the less. The eye is less drawn to a cabinet, as we see them daily, in my opinion.

But the one surefire way to dress up that cabinet is with a really nice, non-gaudy knob or pull. It adds a certain flair to the cabinet, and the right knob or pull can really make all the difference in the world.

You will notice now… go to any kitchen cabinet showroom, and find your favorite display. Now compare the knobs and pulls with other displays.

SEE THE DIFFERENCE?

I know it sounds minor, and maybe not worth an entire blog entry… but what is important here is the entire concept of SHOWING ABILITY. You have to capture the buyers’ emotions… and a dressed up, eye-catching, cabinet is one easy way to do that in the kitchen of your Center City condominium.

I will be hammering on this topic (showing ability) ad nauseam.

And just an FYI… in a kitchen, Knobs are generally applied to Drawers, while Pulls are generally applied to Doors.

Let me show you how easy it is to dress up your Center City condo to improve its showability and thus increase its price and selling potential. Give me a call today at 215-521-1523 or drop me an email at mark@centercity.com.

Mark Wade
BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors®
530 Walnut St. #480 | Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.CenterCityCondos.com