Chester County Market Trends Report for March 2015
This is a great time to think about buying home. Home prices and interest rates are still at all-time lows and springtime historically offers the most inventory to choose from. The biggest hurdle for many home buyers is saving money for a down payment. Here are 10 things to do on a regular basis to save money:
- Make it automatic. Before you see your paycheck, have a percentage of it automatically deposited into your 401(k) and savings.
- Keep minimum funds in checking account. Transfer extra funds into your savings account where it will earn more interest than in our checking account.
- Don’t pay banking fees! Use your bank’s free bill pay, automatic deposits, free checks, and free reimbursements for all ATM fees.
- Use rewards credit cards. Use a credit card offering cash back on every purchase and pay the card off each month to eliminate interest fees.
- Actively search out deals. It never hurts to try and find a better deal, or request a better deal from your service providers.
- Drive smoothly. Accelerate smoothly and at a reasonable rate, and coast to a stop as often as possible. Also use cruise control on the highway. My car is rated to get 26 mpg around town and I regularly get 29. You can also use these tips to save money on gas, and use gas rewards credit cards to save money on fuel costs.
- Buy quality products. Quality items may cost more up front, but they last longer and generally provide better results than cheaper, inferior products. Examples of items you should buy higher quality - furniture, clothes and shoes, vehicles, and other items that will see a lot of use.
- Buy generic where applicable. You can save a lot of money on generic items for which the brand name product is essentially the same as the store brand. Food and medicines come to mind as items where generic products are good deals.
- Use coupons and rebates. Use coupons for oil changes, groceries, books, on-line purchases, and just about anything else we can find.
- Use store rewards cards. Many grocery stores have their own ‘reward cards’ saving you money each time your shop. If you are a senior, shop on designated senior citizen discount days.
Take a look at March’s real estate sales broken down by school district.
Downingtown School District
The number of homes selling in the Downingtown school district in March 2015 rose by 35.19% when compared to March 2014. The average selling price increased by 2% to $364,865. The median selling price increased by 1.92%, while the average market time increased by 28 days.
| Date | Sold Listings |
Average |
Median Selling Price |
Average Days On Market |
| Mar 2015 | 73 | $364,865 | $332,000 | 81 |
| Mar 2014 | 54 | $356,104 | $325,750 | 53 |
West Chester School District
The number of homes selling in the West Chester school district in March 2015 decreased by 10.26% when compared to March 2014. The average selling price increased by less than 1% to $371,708. The median selling price increased by 4.68% while the average market time increased by 17 days.
| Date | Sold Listings |
Average |
Median Selling Price |
Average Days On Market |
| Mar 2015 | 70 | $371,708 | $341,250 | 92 |
| Mar 2014 | 78 | $371,035 | $326,000 | 75 |
Coatesville School District
The number of homes selling in the Coatesville school district in March 2015 increased by 29.73% when compared to March 2014. The average selling price increased 6.53% to $237,735. The median selling price did not change, while the average market time dropped by 2 days.
| Date | Sold Listings |
Average |
Median Selling Price |
Average Days On Market |
| Mar 2015 | 48 | $237,735 | $225,000 | 91 |
| Mar 2014 | 37 | $223,156 | $225,000 | 93 |
Great Valley School District
The number of homes selling in the Great Valley school district in March 2015 decreased by 8.33% when compared to March 2014. The average selling price decreased 17.05% to $356,543. The median selling price dropped by 11.81% to $317,500, while the average market time decreased by 56 days.
| Date | Sold Listings |
Average |
Median Selling Price |
Average Days On Market |
| Mar 2015 | 22 | $356,543 | $317,500 | 72 |
| Mar 2014 | 24 | $429,838 | $360,000 | 128 |
Unionville School District
The number of homes selling in the Unionville school district in March 2015 increased by 15% when compared to March 2014. The average selling price decreased 14.35% to $418,798. The median selling decreased 9.38% while the average market time rose by 3 days.
| Date | Sold Listings |
Average |
Median Selling Price |
Average Days On Market |
| Mar 2015 | 23 | $418,798 | $435,000 | 94 |
| Mar 2014 | 20 | $488,937 | $480,000 | 91 |
Tredyffrin-Easttown School District
The number of homes selling in the Tredyffrin-Easttown school district in March 2015 decreased by 25% when compared to March 2014. The average selling price increased by .06% to $428,441. The median selling price dropped by 8.52% while the average market time increased by 1 day.
| Date | Sold Listings |
Average |
Median Selling Price |
Average Days On Market |
| Mar 2015 | 27 | $428,441 | $349,900 | 63 |
| Mar 2014 | 36 | $428,199 | $382,500 | 62 |
Owen J Roberts School District
The number of homes selling in the Owen J Roberts school district in March 2015 increased by 26.09% when compared to March 2014. The average selling price decreased by 4.72% to $333,536. The median selling price decreased by 23.61% while the average market time dropped by 69 days.
| Date | Sold Listings |
Average |
Median Selling Price |
Average Days On Market |
| Mar 2015 | 29 | $333,536 | $275,000 | 70 |
| Mar 2014 | 23 | $350,055 | $360,000 | 139 |
Phoenixville School District
The number of homes selling in the Phoenixville school district in March 2015 increased by 62.5% when compared to March 2014. The average selling price decreased 4.4% to $275,037. The median selling price decreased by 10.23%, while the average market time increased by 14 days.
| Date | Sold Listings |
Average |
Median Selling Price |
Average Days On Market |
| Mar 2015 | 39 | $275,037 | $250,000 | 101 |
| Mar 2014 | 24 | $287,687 | $278,500 | 87 |
Curious about the value of your home? Get your home's value here!
