Chester County PA School Districts

Chester County, PA is compromised of 12 Public School Districts. They are spread out around Chester County and include many schools in each district.

You can find the school calendars, school football schedules, school basketball schedules, school sports schedules, and other important information by visiting the district websites as listed below.

• Avon Grove School District
• Coatesville Area School District
• Downingtown Area School District Previously Featured on WestofPhillyBurbs.com is Downingtown Area School District
  
• Great Valley School District
• Kennett Consolidated School District
• Octorara Area School District
• Owen J. Roberts School District
• Oxford Area School District
• Phoenixville Area School District
• Tredyffrin/Easttown School District Previously Featured on WestofPhillyBurbs.com is T/E School District
  
• Unionville-Chadds Ford School District
• West Chester Area School District Previously Featured on WestofPhillyBurbs.com is West Chester Area School District

Chester County Real Estate Market Statistics

Compare the Market Statistics for Chester County Real Estate over the past 12 months.  This information is taken from the information provided by TReND and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. For a personalized report of the Real Estate Activity for your area, email Kim for a copy via email.

The number of Listings decreased by 282 units when you compare January 2008 to January 2009. This could be for a number of reasons – including that many sellers who are selling now want to sell their home. They are not testing the real estate market.  The amount of homes that sold relative to the number listed did not vary too much from 2008-2009. Neither did the Days on Market (DOM).

Real Estate Report of Monthly Statistics

Date	Units Listed	Listed Volume	Listed Average	Pend- ed	Units Sold	Sold Volume	Sold Average	Avg DOM
Jan 2009	626	233,511,105	373,020	231	195	64,782,508	332,217	90
Dec 2008	361	137,723,577	381,505	222	262	89,386,664	341,170	85
Nov 2008	477	172,303,109	361,222	226	289	93,346,278	322,997	87
Oct 2008	649	243,373,774	374,998	276	318	106,135,079	333,758	77
Sep 2008	818	308,389,108	377,003	333	391	135,360,031	346,189	73
Aug 2008	654	245,224,358	374,960	352	493	181,688,600	368,536	76
July 2008	817	313,289,732	383,463	456	519	183,314,055	353,206	67
June 2008	856	320,197,725	374,062	433	543	204,059,610	375,800	64
May 2008	1037	403,217,620	388,830	487	436	149,931,673	343,879	77
Apr 2008	1092	431,469,363	395,118	518	420	145,161,433	345,622	78
Mar 2008	1051	406,125,135	386,417	454	336	113,063,114	336,497	95
Feb 2008	804	302,371,231	376,083	388	287	94,536,450	329,395	92
Jan 2008	908	359,781,352	396,234	368	253	86,749,218	342,882	83
Totals:	10150	3,876,977,189	381,968	4744	4742	1,647,514,713	347,430	78

Criteria searched was $100,000 – $1,000,000.  All Residential Real Estate in Chester County Statistics.

Chester County PA includes the following areas: Atglen, Avondale, Birmingham, Caln, Charlestown, Coatesville, Downingtown, E Bradford, E Brandywine, E Caln, E Coventry, E Fallowfield, E Goshen, E Marlborough, E Nantmeal, E Nottingham, E Pikeland, E Vincent, E Whiteland, Easttown, Elk, Elverson, Franklin, Highland, Honeybrook, Kennett Square, L Oxford, London Britain, London Grove, Londonderry, Malvern, Modena, N Coventry, New Garden, New London, Newlin, Oxford, Parkesburg, Penn, Pennsbury, Phoenixville, Pocopson, S Coatesville, S Coventry, Sadsbury, Schuylkill, Spring City, Thornbury, Tredyffrin, U Oxford, U Uwchlan, Uwchlan, Valley, W Bradford, W Brandywine, W Caln, W Chester, W Fallowfield, W Goshen, W Grove, W Marlborough, W Nantmeal, W Nottingham, W Pikeland, W Sadsbury, W Vincent, W Whiteland, Wallace, Warwick, Westtown, and Willistown.

Click Here for a Delaware County Real Estate Market Report.

Delaware County Real Estate Market Statistics

Up and close with Delaware County, PA Real Estate Market Statistics over the last 12 months.
This information is taken from the information provided by TReND and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

For a personalized report of the Real Estate Activity for your area, email Kim for a copy via email.

The number of Listings decreased quite a bit from January 2008 to January 2009, this could be that only the serious sellers are selling right now. Rates are down, it’s a great time to take advantage of some excellent pricing out there!  For sellers, the days a home is on the market (DOM) increased quite a bit.  To discuss your options in Selling or Buying Delaware County Real Estate – contact Kim Wood.

Monthly Statistics for Delaware County Residential Real Estate

Date	Units Listed	Listed Volume	Listed Average	Pend- ed	Units Sold	Sold Volume	Sold Average	Avg DOM
Jan 2009	518	146,308,622	282,449	222	186	50,398,584	270,960	89
Dec 2008	292	77,904,851	266,797	215	291	71,875,860	246,996	83
Nov 2008	409	115,027,068	281,239	221	227	60,493,433	266,490	79
Oct 2008	557	172,342,803	309,412	250	329	86,148,072	261,848	76
Sep 2008	773	230,502,159	298,191	297	345	90,041,738	260,990	74
Aug 2008	594	161,300,687	271,549	322	438	124,655,774	284,602	64
July 2008	747	210,559,100	281,872	395	443	132,857,849	299,904	59
June 2008	825	229,268,496	277,901	430	507	141,986,347	280,051	66
May 2008	848	240,027,859	283,051	435	438	108,800,990	248,404	66
Apr 2008	954	277,796,587	291,191	487	389	102,369,736	263,161	77
Mar 2008	872	251,999,463	288,990	437	368	93,030,964	252,801	80
Feb 2008	756	231,144,065	305,746	424	287	73,639,882	256,584	83
Jan 2008	790	224,232,697	283,838	366	274	72,417,525	264,297	66
Totals:	8935	2,568,414,457	287,455	4501	4522	1,208,716,754	267,296	72

Criteria searched was $100,000 – $1,000,000.

All Residential Real Estate in Delaware County Statistics.

Delaware County PA includes the following areas: Aldan, Aston, Bethel, Chadds Ford, Brookhaven, Chester Heights, Chester, L Chichester, U Chichester, Clifton Heights, Collingdale, Colwyn, Concord, Darby, U Darby, E Lansdowne, Eddystone, Edgmont, Folcroft, Glenolden, Haverford, Lansdowne, Marcus hook, Marple, Media, Middletown, Millbourne, Morton, Newtown, Norwood, Parkside, Prospect Park, Nether Providence, U Providence, Radnor, Ridley Park, Ridley, Rose Valley, Rutledge, Sharon Hill, Springfield, Swarthmore, Thornbury, Tinicum, Trainer, Upland, and Yeadon..

Click Here for a Chester County Real Estate Market Report.

Asbestos is a Bad Thing!

Guest post courtesy of Jesse Herman of the Mesothelioma Cancer Center

Asbestos Removal and Greener Alternatives

There are many things to consider when remodeling or purchasing an older home. Homes built before 1980 have the strong likelihood of containing asbestos. Due to a steady progression of technology and green sustainable methods, there are many ways to ensure your home or property is asbestos free. If you are interested in saving money, remodeling and improving your carbon footprint, here is some information to get you on the right track.

Used in millions of homes throughout the last quarter of the 20^th century, asbestos insulation can become a real dilemma for homeowners due to causing a variety of health problems, including Peritoneal Mesothelioma and Malignant Mesothelioma. These types of cancer take the lives of thousands each year.

Non-regulated asbestos material can be legally performed by homeowners, regular contractors, or licensed asbestos abatement contractors as long as the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) are not violated. Asbestos removal in public facilities, homes and workplaces must be undertaken by a licensed asbestos abatement contractor. Once the removal is complete, green insulation options should be given serious consideration, such as: Cellulose, Cotton Fiber and Lcynene.

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC), in a study conducted in 2003, estimated a savings of $50-$65 per square foot for well-constructed green buildings in the U.S. (see table below) during that year. The numbers continue to improve as more eco-friendly options become available, and those kinds of figures have finally begun to attract those who thought eco-friendly construction was just a bunch of hogwash.

Find a Real Estate Agent

Chester County area homes for sale can be quite overwhelming if you try to look at them all !  It’s important that you find a real estate agent familiar with Chester County who can help you accomplish your goals in your next move.

I listened to a friend make a phone call today. It was returning someone’s call who was interested in a house he had listed for sale in Fresno, CA. He explained that although that home was under contract, he could be of assistance to find another home. It was amazing how similar we handle those calls. We want to help!

It can be a jungle out there trying to find a home of your dreams among all of the inventory available with the current Real Estate Market. With an agent who really listens to your desires in what you would like in a home; and one who is not afraid to bring you into reality… you will save time and money!

Most agents, including myself, do not charge home buyers to be of service. The most common question I hear when informing buyers of this is, “Well then how do you make money?”  I receive a fee for my service from the seller of the house if and when you have a settlement for purchase.

What types of services can you obtain from a Buyer’s Agent like Kim Wood?

• Quick notification of new homes that come on the market that meet your criteria
• Top notch negotiation skills to save you money
• Priority in communication and schedule availability
• Preview of property to save you time
• Attention to details and accuracy of paperwork
• Assistance in taking a vast number of homes for sale and narrowing them to your dream

I hope I get the opportunity to help you in the purchase of your new home West of the Philadelphia Suburbs. If you are looking into purchasing a home elsewhere, I have a large network of friends and associates that are a phone call away!

Lemmon Lights Display

Lemmon Lights

I know I’m late to let you know, but if you happen to be in Downingtown, PA in Chester County before January 4th, you’ll want to take the time to swing by KeatsGlen neighborhood to see this light show! Visit LemmonLights for information on directions, hours, and pictures of what it takes to get this show together! You’ll be wow’d !

Thank you, Veterans

To all those who served and are serving…. I thank you.

To my Papap, (in World War II in the photo), who is no longer with us…

To my Mom, who joined the Air Force as a Single Mother as a nurse…

To my Dad, who earned Top Pilot awards in the F-111…

To Michael and many, many other friends …

Thank you for your service to our country,

This day is for you !

Highland Orchards

Highland Orchards, Inc.

1000 Marshallton-Thorndale Road
West Chester, PA 19380
Phone: 610-269-3494

You can pick your own with over 200 acres of crops ! LittleOne5 has had two field trips here, and they are really good to the kids in the school groups. They have a learning station where they get to see inside a large refrigerator, have a treat of Apple Cider and the famous Apple Cider Donut, and get to press apples into cider themselves!

They also went on a hayride into the rows of Apple Trees and got to chose their very own three apples from the tree! “Find the right one. Hold it tight and twist three times until it comes off with a small pull.”

I remember going here as a child with my grandmother, DeeDee who lived down the road. It was always a treat to come and pick out some penny candy.

Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month – which I have renamed Cancer Awareness month.  Many people have gone “pink” with their avatars to raise awareness and remind followers of the importance of the fight.

My daughter, AChrome, got some of the gals in the family to join in and walk for the American Cancer Society 5-mile walk in Philadelphia this past weekend. She and her friend even made us all t-shirts to wear for the team, “Save the Ta-Tas”.

The walk was filled with different emotions – my thoughts heavy for two friends who lost their fathers last year, a friend who is a survivor, a friend fighting the fight – and also for so many that I don’t personally know with stories.

Blog Action Day – Poverty

You can make a difference.
One by One.

I’m back. It’s a two post (at least so far) day today. Why? It’s Blog Action Day today – where approximately 10,000 people have agreed to talk about Poverty in their blogs today.

There are just so many things to talk about! I started the last post quite a few times. Thankfully a friend rescued me in from my total scatterbrained mode to get a direction talking about some people that stretch so far buying a new house they get caught in a poverty state racking up debt.

I’m back because the topic is still on my mind, and I wanted to talk about so many different things. Doing something about Poverty on a local or global level isn’t always about giving money, like some people think. It can be helping to raise awareness, devoting your time (labor, web design, phone calls, etc), donating items, feeding someone a meal, and so on.

How can you help beat Poverty?

• Write a blog post on Poverty today
• Go shopping. Underwear shopping! There is a very special lady in California, Rocky, who has a huge heart for the children living in poverty. She founded Mothers Fighting for Others whose mission explains it best, “Mothers Fighting For Others is dedicated to providing these children with the basic necessities that we provide for our own children. We will give them a roof over their heads, safe food and clean water, and a chance to learn, to grow and to thrive.”
• Make a commitment to help serve at your local soup kitchen, shelter, or holiday dinner.
• Send your thoughts, prayers, vibes, energy whatever you believe in to the people living in Poverty.
• Go through the closets especially as winter is among us. There are many without coats or blankets to keep warm. Find them or donate.
• The food banks in Chester County are low on food. Pick up some extra non-perishable foods every time you visit the store. (There are collection boxes in our three offices of RE/MAX Main Line).
• Be aware. If you can fill a need, suck it up and get to it. Do you know what a blessing you could be if you jumped in and paid part/all of the grocery bill of the person in front of you in line? You’ll know when it’s right. Just listen.

It has saddened my heart as I’ve just opened my eyes to what is around me … whether it’s the homeless person sleeping on a bench, a structure of cardboard for living in Jamaica, children physically noted to be malnourished in Turkey, or a single mother in need of some groceries or gas money. Just open your eyes – then do something about it. You can make difference.

Image Credit