Erie Real Estate

Home Improvement Law

In 2008, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act.  The law requires that all contractors who perform at least $5,000 worth of home improvements per year register with the Attorney General's Office. 

As of July 1, 2009, consumers in Pennsylvania will be able to verify your registration with our office by visiting the List of Registered Contractors or by calling 1-888-520-6680.  In the coming months, the Attorney General's Office will encourage consumers to use registered contractors when deciding to invest in home improvements. Contractors (click here to register) with questions about the law can call, 717-772-2425.

The Attorney General's Office has prepared a list of commonly asked questions.

Read the Home Improvement Law.

You heard it here first...

Listings are down from prior years.  That's what the newspaper says today.  It's about time they came to that conclusion.  Remember that you heard it here first!  That's right, I 've been saying that less homes are coming on the market vs the same time frame in 2008 and 2007.

Less properties available correlates to less properties sold.  July being the only exception this year.

Sue Sutto got it right - the time to process loans is taking a lot longer than it used too.  Changes in the lending environment contine to change on what seems like a daily basis.

My suggest to potential sellers - put your house on the market now and take advantage of the low inventory.

My suggestion to buyers is two-fold - make sure you pre-approvals are updated.   Second, remember the $8,000 tax credit is over 12/1/2009.

Top 7 Reasons Why Buying is Better than Renting

Many renters are realizing that the increase in affordability- combined with low interest rates and tax incentives- are tipping the scales away from renting and towards homeownership.   some renters are finding that they can get a bigger bang for their buck if they buy.

Following are the top 7 reasons why it’s better to buy than rent in 2009

1. Buying doesn’t always cost much more than renting. According to a recent study by the Associated Press, the gap between monthly mortgage payments on a median-priced home and the median rent has decreased from $777 to just $221 in the last three years.

2. Affordability is at an all-time high. In some markets across the Country, prices have declined by nearly 40%.  Not quite that drastic locally, however.

3. Buyers can take advantage of tax benefits of home ownership. Perhaps the biggest tax break is reflected in the house payment homeowners make each month. For most, the bulk of that payment goes towards interest. All interest is deductible, unless the amount is more than $1 million. Property taxes are also deductible.

4. Buyers can purchase homes with little or no down payment. Qualified first-time buyers may be eligible for loans insured by the Veterans Administration (VA), which does not require a down payment. Another loan product gaining popularity are those insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which require only a down payment of 3.5%.

5. The Tax Credit. First time homebuyers-defined as anyone who hasn’t owned a home in the last three years- are entitled to an $8,000 tax credit. (Ownership of a vacation property or a rental property doesn’t disqualify homebuyers from this program.) No repayment is required for homes sold after 36 months of occupancy and ownership.

6. Mortgage rates are at all-time lows. Take advantage of low 30 year fixed rates. We haven’t seen rates this low in the last 3 decades.

7. It’s yours. It feels good to own your own home. After all, you can paint it any color you want, make improvements, and plant a little garden.

Millcreek supervisors approve zoning

Millcreek Township supervisors approved a rezoning request today for the former Value City store, 2207 W. 12th St., clearing the way for the property to be redeveloped.

The property was rezoned from light industrial to a business classification for retail stores, restaurants and offices.

Millcreek - rezoning for 12th & Pittsburgh area

It's been over a year since the Value City department store on West 12th & Pittsburgh Ave closed.  

It's now time to change the zoning and architecture.  That shopping area is expected to take the first step toward joining the 21st century today.

Millcreek supervisors are expected to approve a zoning change for the closed store at 2207 W. 12th St. from light industrial to a ''D'' business classification.

That new zoning would give the owners the flexibility to put in retail stores, offices and restaurants, said Julie Maggio, Millcreek assistant zoning administrator.

The owner plans to renovate the facades in the shopping plaza, including the facade for the Big Lots store; improve the parking lot; and add landscaping.  The former Value City store will become a multi-tenant, integrated shopping center.

What stores would you like to see here?

Erie Shrine Hospital to stay - OPEN

Delegates at the Shriners International Convention in San Antonio voted Monday to keep all 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children open. The vote is not considered final until the annual meeting ends Thursday.

Six of the hospitals, including the Erie facility, had been targeted for closure as part of a major restructuring of the nonprofit system of 22 hospitals.

Shriners International officials will not discuss the vote until Thursday.

Delegates will now consider proposals to save the hospital system without closing facilities. Those include cutting hospital budgets by 20 percent or more, and starting to charge patients' health insurance for treatment.

Shriners hospitals currently provide orthopedic and burn care at no cost to patients.

More here.

33 months for Conti

Francis R. Conti, of Waterford, was sentenced to two years and nine months in federal prison this morning for his role in a widespread local mortgage fraud case.

U.S. District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin sentenced Conti on fraud and conspiracy charges during a 50-minute hearing at the federal courthouse in Erie.

McLaughlin also sentenced Conti to four years of supervised release after his prison term, and ordered the defendant to pay $46,183 in restitution to victims of the fraud scheme.

Conti is the last of five defendants in the case to be sentenced. Four other defendants have been sentenced to prison terms that range from one year and one month to six years and four months.

Were the sentences just  Too lienant?

Extreme Makeover - 650 E 21st

The recipient of Erie's first "extreme" home is Clara Ward, the founder of the former Youth Development Center for abused and neglected children.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" will demolish her home at 650 E. 21st St. and build a new one from the ground up -- all in 106 hours.

More here.

City gets $2.1 million grant

The city has received a $2.1 million grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development's Neighborhood Stabilization Program, part of $57 million being allocated to communities across the state in the wake of the national foreclosure crisis.

The money will be used to purchase blighted and foreclosed properties for demolition or renovation in three areas:

-Between State Street and East Avenue, from East Fifth Street to the bayfront. The area is largely covered by the Bayfront East Side Task Force, or B.E.S.T., a nonprofit neighborhood-revitalization group.

-The Little Italy neighborhood, between Cranberry and State streets, from West 19th to West 12th streets.

-The central city/midtown neighborhood. For the purposes of the grant, it's an irregularly shaped area that runs from State Street as far east as Elm Street, as far north as East 12th Street and as far south as East 33rd Street.

The full article is here.

New Peach St. WalMart - finally approved

The site plan for the store to be built behind Quaker Steak and Lube was approved by Summit Township's board of supervisors Monday night.

If construction begins as planned, the new store will open in late 2010 -- nearly two years later than originally proposed.  The project was originally scheduled to start in the fall of 2007, with the store opening in late 2008. However, it was delayed three times because Wal-Mart changed the new building's footprint.

Nancy Agostine, Summit's zoning administrator, said she expected to record Wal-Mart's plan on Tuesday, and after that the corporation could begin building.

Wal-Mart is expected to start the bidding process within weeks.

The new supercenter building will be built about a quarter of a mile south of a smaller Walmart on Peach Street, which it will replace.

More here.