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Questions to Ask When Buying a Home in Delaware and Pennsylvania

by Katina Geralis

Buying a home in Greater Wilmington, Chester County and Delaware County PA can be both an exciting and overwhelming process. In fact, it's easy for buyers to get so caught up in the commotion of finding the perfect property, applying for a mortgage and securing a loan that they forget to ask their real estate agent important questions.

As your local real estate experts in Delaware and Pennsylvania, the Kat Geralis Home Team has provided five essential questions to ask your agent before buying a home— a few you may be inclined to overlook in all of the home buying hustle!

Has the home had any upgrades, major renovations or additions?
If the sellers of a home in Wilmington, Newark or the surrounding areas have made any major changes, you will want to know what they did and how much it cost them. Why? This gives you a sense of how much money they have invested into the property and how much they intend to get out of it in the sale. And before you begin to stress about having to match what they spent on the upgrades, keep in mind that return on investment varies by which renovation or upgrade was made.

What is the home's history?
Before you purchase a home, you will want to research its sales history. Find out the last time the home sold and how much it sold for in order to get an idea of what the sellers may expect a buyer to pay. However, it's also key to remember that home values are based on comparable properties and the current market which could be quite different depending on the last time the property was for sale.

How old are the major features?
Home features like the roof, furnace, A/C, plumbing and electrical are all crucial to research prior to signing on the dotted line for a home. These can all be quite costly to fix should any problems arise, so you will want to know their age and if they've been repaired or replaced recently.

What are the property taxes?
The property taxes of a home in Greater Wilmington DE, Chester County and Delaware County PA can make a big impact on your mortgage payment— so budget accordingly! Take into account what the sellers paid, but also remember that these are based on the value of the home which could be affected by your ultimate purchase price.

How much are the monthly maintenance fees?
If you're looking into buying a townhouse, condominium or single-family home in a homeowners association, take the time to research their monthly fees. You can also ask the sellers in advance what the average utility bills look like in order to factor them into your budget.

Wondering what else you're forgetting to ask when house-hunting in Delaware and Pennsylvania? Give the Kat Geralis Home Team a call! We will ensure all of your questions are met and you are prepared with all of the necessary information to avoid any later hiccups in the homebuying process.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Katina Geralis
Wilmington, DE Real Estate Expert
Keller Williams Realty

Wilmington Real Estate
Wilmington Homes for Sale
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Millennials Love Working with Wilmington DE Real Estate Agents

by Katina Geralis

Did you know Millennials (the age group of those born between 1980 and 1995) love working with real estate agents? According to the National Association of Realtors 2015 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends Report, Millennials are the largest homebuying generation in the U.S. and work with real estate agents more so than any other generation.

For instance, the Home Buyer and Seller Report found the following interesting statistics surrounding Millennials' real estate behaviors:

And despite the vast number of Millennials using an agent to buy or sell a home, they have the lowest percentage when it comes to using an agent again or recommending them to others (63 percent of home sellers).

Why is that? As stated by real estate news platform Inman, Millennials are harder to please than any other generation. They grew up with smartphones and the internet, thus they are different than any other real estate consumer.

Millennials are looking for the following in a real estate agent:

  • Texting, but also phone calls
    More than any other generation, Millennials appreciate when their real estate agent communicates via text message. However, 75 percent of them also appreciate phone calls.
  • Homes online
    Millennials appreciate browsing homes online more so than any other generation. The majority (58 percent) use iPhones, while 32 percent use Androids.
  • Website information
    Millennials are more likely to use website information in their home search as well as throughout the buying and selling process. They want real estate agents who provide this readily and easily!
  • Honesty and trustworthiness
    More than a quarter of this group of homebuyers look for agents who are both honest and trustworthy.

We understand how overwhelming choosing a real estate agent can be and The Kat Geralis Home Team is proud to provide all of the above to homebuyers and sellers in the Greater Wilmington DE area! If you are searching for a highly-rated real estate agent to walk you through the process this year, do not hesitate to reach out to us

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Millennials are also now putting less down on their future homes! In fact, 64 percent of Millennials put down less than 20 percent, with 36 percent putting down less than 5! Don't let the down payment factor hold you back from purchasing a home this year— homeownership is well within your reach.

Katina Geralis
Wilmington, DE Real Estate Expert
Keller Williams Realty

Wilmington Real Estate
Wilmington Homes for Sale
Visit My Website
Contact Me
Find me on Facebook

Kat Geralis Ranked Top Keller Williams Agent in Delaware

by Katina Geralis


When you are ready to buy or sell a home in the Greater Wilmington Delaware area, you want to work with the best. That's why I am happy to share that I've been ranked the Top Keller Williams agent in Delaware!

Choosing from over thousands of real estate agents, Real Trends takes into account both transactions and sales volume when compiling their list. Given these factors for this year's Best Real Estate Agents in America, I was ranked 3rd Best Agent in the State of Delaware and the Top Ranked Keller Williams Agent! 

So, don't work with just any agent in the Wilmington, DE area this year, work with the best. A real estate agent can accomplish so much on your behalf, whether you're buying a new home or selling your current property in Wilmington or Newark, so don't go it alone. It's always best to leave it up to the pros in order to have a smooth and less stressful real estate journey.

Below are just a few of the things a great Realtor can do for you:

The KG Home Team offers all of these services and more— our experience in the Greater Wilmington area is unparalleled and available to assist you in achieving your Delaware real estate goals. 

Contact us today!

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With mortgage rates this low, waiting to buy a home in Wilmington, DE no longer makes sense. In fact, did you know that buying a home is 38% less expensive than renting? It's true! Nationally, rates would have to rise to 10.6% for renting to be cheaper than buying and rates haven't been that high since 1989!

Katina Geralis
Wilmington, DE Real Estate Expert
Keller Williams Realty

Wilmington Real Estate
Wilmington Homes for Sale
Visit My Website
Contact Me
Find me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter

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