Main Line Real Estate | Jennifer LeBow, Realtor

Helping You Relocate to Philadelphia's Main Line

Phone: (610) 308-5973 // Text: (610) 308-5973 // Email: jen@jenniferlebow.com

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Edible Plastic Bags

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Learn about a completely biodegradable subsitute for the plastic bags that threaten our oceans’ ecosystems.

No, I’m not suggesting that you step up your contribution to saving the environment by eating your bags once you have unpacked them after going shopping. While I know that many people are committed recyclers, some people aren’t and even people who dispose of plastic bags properly (over one trillion bags a year are thrown away) can’t necessarily control whether one flies out when the trucks come by to collect them. The point is that, through intentional disregard or accident, we end up with a lot of plastic bags polluting not just our land, but our oceans and other waterways. Nearly nine tons of plastic end up in our oceans every year. Marine life as well as sea birds are at risk whenever these bags foul their habitats.  They get caught in them or ingest them and they get stuck in their stomachs, restricting the animals’ ability to digest food. Luckily, there is a new product being made to battle this epidemic: cassava bags. Made of 100% natural cassava root, they are not harmful if eaten, dissolve in water and are totally biodegradable. Many cities and even the state of California are working on legislation to ban plastic bags in their locales–along with environmentally friendly re-usable cloth bags, cassava bags might be one part of the solution to the plastic problem.

Food Markets Around the World

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From around the country to around the globe, here are some wonderful markets not to miss if you find yourself in these locales.

Unlike many people, I’m not a huge fan of traveling.  So if you ask me about great resorts or museums in European cities, you’ll most likely get a blank stare.  Food, though, well, I’m a BIG fan of that.  And while I openly admit that I haven’t been to a single one on either of these lists, in the spirit of providing the most important (read “food-related) resources to my readers, I thought I’d provide links to two lists boasting the world’s best food markets.  Many, but not all,  of the ones on the shorter list are found on the larger one. In my defense, when my oldest daughter spent a semester abroad in Paris, and the rest of the family went to visit, we did go to a few food markets, including her favorite, Marche des Enfants Rouges.  The “Market of the Red Children” is so named for the orphanage whose building it occupies, which dressed its children in the identifying color of the Christian charity that ran it.  While this particular market is more of an eater’s market than a cook’s market (more prepared food, fewer raw ingredients), it’s a great place for lunch and I would highly recommend it!

Philly Contraption Contest

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Do you like Rube Goldberg-inspired machines? Come see this Contraption Contest!

Personally, I think Philadelphia’s soft-spot for inventions may stem from our Ben Franklin pride. Regardless, as a city, it has often sponsored and encouraged scientific exploration and creativity.  In April, students in 4th-12th grades (in different categories by age) will work in teams to create a Rube Goldberg-style machine that must successfully play a musical instrument. This contest is held by a local non-profit called CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia whose mission is to support arts and culturally diverse traditions. The event will be held in Ardmore with judges–each team will run its machine twice for the judges–and cash prizes. There are rules about number of steps each machine must have as well as restrictions on types of materials and power. If my engineer daughter (who is out of state finishing her last semester of college) were in town, I’m sure she’d want to go.  If you haveor know a student who might be interested, please consider sharing this information!

Increase in older, wealthier renters

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Wealthier grandparents are taking over a chunk of the rental market. See why!

There’s been an interesting shift in the rental market.  Most often, renters fall into one of a few categories: people who move around frequently due to job changes, young (without the nest egg to put a down payment on a house), elderly on a fixed income (who can’t afford “surprise” expenses related to home maintenance projects like a new roof), or other people who may not have the money to either come up with the down payment or deal with the maintenance and tax costs of home ownership.

However, there’s a new demographic that is growing rapidly: older, wealthier people, specifically grandparents who rent in order to be able to be near their grandchildren. Some are renting in the same place they’ve lived (and have sold their homes there) and are traveling  to see their children and grandchildren.  For those, if the apartment is a bit smaller than what they are used to, but they are only in it for shorter periods of time between visits to their families, smaller and maintenance-free living may be very appealing. Other grandparents are keeping their homes but renting small apartments in the locations where their grandchildren are, so they have a place to eat and sleep, but are really spending most of their time at their kids’ homes, on the soccer field, etc. with their grandchildren.

Obviously, maintaining two households, even if one is an apartment, suggests a certain economic level. I anticipate that, to serve this population, some small, but relatively luxurious rental units will start popping up.  This type of housing will also appeal to the “executive renter” who may have just moved for a job and hasn’t bought a house yet or might be on a 2-year work stint where buying doesn’t make sense. So keep an eye out for growth in that sector of the residential real esate market!

Home Warranties: Read the Fine Print

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Be careful when considering different homeowner’s insurance policies, home warranties and other home protection products.

Protecting your investment

No matter how careful you are and how many safeguards you put in place, there is no way to protect yourself financially from any accident that may befall your home/property.  That said, homeowner’s insurance, home warranties and other insurance policies are widely used by homeowners. They can be a wonderful safety net, but you need to be sure you’ve read the fine print; too often, something that “seems like it should be covered” isn’t.  A great example is flooding. Unless you have flood insurance (which is completely separate from your homeowner’s insurance) neither damage to your property or belongings as a result of flooding will be covered.

What is covered?

Most of the time, damage caused by continual issues, as opposed to single events are not covered.  For example, let’s say your roof has been slowly leaking, unbeknowst to you, for eight years into your attic and, once you realize there’s a leak, you discover there’s mold. Most insurance companies won’t cover that.  Also, “normal wear and tear” items are often not covered, even if the resultant damage is. In the event of a sewer pipe back up into a basement, the cost to clean and repair the basement may be covered, but sometimes the sewer pipe, which has eroded over time, may not be.  If it’s not repaired (regardless of who pays for it), you’re likely to have another back up.  So be sure to be very clear with your insurance broker when choosing a policy about what it does and doesn’t cover.

Home warranties, which run about $475 a year are intended mostly for appliances and HVAC and plumbing problems.  Again, certain things are covered and others are not.  The motor on the dishwasher often is, but the spinning device that squirts water to the top rack often isn’t.  Go figure. With those, you also have to be careful not to call  your own repairman; you usually have to call the warranty company and use one of their preferred vendors.

Special insurance

Finally, in our area AQUA offers insurance on the water supply and sewer pipes that run from the house, underground, to the street.  If you have older pipes, I’d advise looking into their policies to learn what they cover (I know there are caps, as well).  So just a word of caution: look into the cost of insurance options, understand the coverage and caps and then do a cost/benefit analysis, all the while realizing that there is no way to remove all risk: when you own a home, stuff’s gonna happen and some of it is going to land in your lap.

Lower Merion/Main Line: Best Place to Live

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Money Magazine rated Lower Merion one of the top 100 places in the country to live. Find out why.

In a 2017, Money Magazine created a list of the top 100 places to live in the US. Lower Merion was in the top 50. In Novebmer of 2022, they rated it #2 in the country for best places to live for remote workers. Their criteria included cost of living, jobs opportunities, quality of education, affordability of housing (and expected appreciation), crime rate, commutability and general location (how convenient is it? ),  cultural and recreational amenities and an overall “good feel”.  While the article mentions our high average household income, top employers (Comcast,, many hospitals and pharma companies and colleges and universities), remarks on the township’s high school graduation rate of 97% (and lists some of our elite colleges), and touts the parks and programs that the township offers, it couldn’t paint a very clear picture.  Obviously, a list like “Top 100 Place to Live” couldn’t possibly give a very strong sense of what any area is really like as the authors, for comparison purposes, stick to their criteria when describing each place.

As a Realtor specializing in relocating buyers to the Main Line, I spend a lot of time educating people about the area and learning, from an outsider’s perspective, what some of the most appealing features are.  I think some of the most important omissions from the Money Magazine description were: the history of the area and the charm of our old stone homes and mature plantings, the diversity of the population, the ease of getting to the airport, shopping, world-class museums and arguably the best medical care in the nation,  Furthermore, one of the things I like best about Lower Merion and the rest of the Main Line is the “un-generic-ness” of the region.  It’s NOT “Anytown, USA”. It’s a very identifiable and unique place where almost every corner is some kind of landmark and the old mills and streams dot the landscape and coexist peacefully with modern buildings and activities. Finally, the Main Line has what I’ve always referred to as a high rate of recidivism–meaning that an unusually high percentage of people who are raised here remain in the area and many who leave for college or a first job often come back. That fact alone says something about the kind of place it is and why it made Money Magazine’s list.

If you want to find out more about the towns of Lower Merion and the rest of the Main Line, please peruse my Guide to Main Line Neighborhoods.  If you’d like my complete Main Line Moving Manual, just contact me.

If you are relocating to the Philadelphia/Main Line area, please go to my blog page and search for posts using the relocation tag. Contact me to discuss your Philadelphia area relocation! jen@jenniferlebow.com/610 308-5973

Mariner East 2 Gas Pipeline in our Backyard

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What are the concerns about Sunoco’s Mariner East 2 pipeline and how are they being addressed?

Most people who live on the western Main Line know about the gas pipeline, known as Mariner East 2, Sunoco is in the process of building across PA (it is an expansion of an existing line).  The Marcellus shale that runs underground in much of the state is rich in natural gas, most of which the oil giant wants to sell to other countries (including Scotland and Sweden), to use in the manufacture of plastics. There have been several spills, though, and many residents are concerned about safety, evironmental effects and property values falling if located very close to the pipeline. Construction has been halted following a court injunction resulting from resistance to the installation of a valve (which had been originally supposed to go elsewhere) Sunoco was planning to put in the West Whiteland Township section of the pipe. Already a year and a half behind schedule, the 90% complete project is now slated to be finished by summer of 2018.  Several complaints concerning eminent domain laws and whether the pipeline should qualify are currently being considered by the courts.  Additionally, many law makers are requesting Governer Wolf fund risk assessments for safety and pollution worries. Sunoco has been very slow in submitting (court-required) new plans that demonstrate re-evaluation of the suitability of horizontal drilling in several areas along the pipeline route. Click here to learn more.

 

 

Market Outlook 2018

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What are industry experts saying about the real estate market in 2018?

Disclaimer: no one has a crystal ball and if anyone were able to predict real estate trends accurately with any consistency, things would be a lot different.  My point is that, while I’m going to share predictions (supplied by “industry experts”), I don’t want you to take them as gospel.  So, with no further ado, here are some of the expectations for this year:

  1. Continued low inventory will cause a mild increase in prices, but, also, will edge out first-time buyers due not only to the financial requirements, but also because of the competition among multiple buyers.  First-time buyers often don’t move as quickly in a multiple-bid situation because they don’t have the experience to do so comfortably.
  2. Young adults will be forced, by costs, to buy in less urban areas.
  3. Many people, as has been the case for several years, will remodel versus move.
  4. The fear of the market peaking may encourage more sellers to list their homes this year (creating a slight increase in inventory).
  5. Increasing mortgage rates (expected to reach 5% by end of the year) coupled with the new tax laws may reduce the buyer pool. Of course, less demand will affect prices as well; predictions are that they will rise marginally, but less steeply than in the past few years.

Personally, I think we have even lower inventory than the national average which I think will transate to even more people remodeling versus moving.  I don’t think the increase in rates will affect our area that much as most people buying on the Main Line are usually in a price range where the difference in their monthly payment due to a slight increase in rates is not that significant. Due to the lack in inventory, I certainly hope that sellers will see opportunity to command a slightly higher price–my buyers are so frustrated and would love more to choose from!

To see what experts are saying about the Philadelphia (city) market specifially, click here.

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