Blog Entries in January

Congratulations To Our January Hockey Mom: Michelle Opferman
We are pleased to announce Michelle Opferman from Mt. Lebanon as the winner of the January Hockey Mom award for the 2022-2023 Pittsburgh Penguin hockey season! Michelle Opferman is a dedicated wife and mother of three children, as well as a vital part of the Chartiers Valley School District, where she serves as Department Chair of Nursing Services. For over 15 years, she has been a hockey mom, man

Twelve of the Best Real Estate Movies
1. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992, Starring Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin)- The Gold standard of real estate movies, Glengarry Glenn Ross was adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play by revered playwright David Mamet. The plot focuses on a handful of real estate agents, threatened by the hard truths of a motivational speaker, to desperately increase their business in only a couple of d

Ways To Lower Heating Costs This Winter
As the colder winter weather is approaching, homebuyers across the nation have been bracing for the accompanying energy bill. Whether your home is heated using electricity, gas, or oil, heating is usually the largest bill, so it goes without saying that lowering this monthly bill is a priority. We have you covered with five great ways to lower your heating bill. 1. Install a programmabl

Good To Know: Housing Outlook 2023
What will the new year bring for homebuyers, homeowners and home sellers? Lower or higher home prices? Higher or lower mortgage interest rates? Or a continuation of the overheated pandemic-inspired housing market? There’s no question that the blistering housing market of the past three years was hard on homebuyers. By October 2022, the average mortgage interest rate for a 30-year

Five Home Features That Millennials Love
2022 is the year of the Millennial – at least when it comes to home buying. With the oldest of them turning 40, this is a generation ready to put down roots. During the 2021 real estate boom, two-thirds of first-time mortgage applicants were millennials. Now that this generation has its pre-approvals in hand, there are some home features that speak to them. These perks make them more likely

January 2022 Hockey Mom: Jennifer Hewitt
Congratulations to our Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty’s January Hockey Mom Of The Month winner, Jennifer Hewitt from the Johnstown Warriors hockey team. For Jennifer and her family, hockey is not just a seasonal sport! Her work and efforts for her organization tend to be a year-round job, so it’s no surprise that she was nominated twice for our Hockey M

Winter Weekend Getaways Near Pittsburgh
Does cabin fever have you itching to get out of the house this winter? Pittsburgh has some of the best spots for a weekend getaway. From skiing to wine tasting, here are the best winter day trips from Pittsburgh all under a two-hour drive. Nemacolin Woodlands Resort Located in the Laurel Highlands, this five-star resort is the ultimate weekend getaway! The resort features adv

2022 Resolutions: Improve Your Credit
Is 2022 finally the year you push your credit score to Very Good? With the New Year finally here, it’s the perfect time to set goals and improve your credit score. With a few simple changes to your spending habits and payments, you can be well on your way to a better credit score in a couple of months! Here are some resolutions to help raise your credit score. Pay Bi

How To Tackle Your Budget Goals in the New Year
If one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to get a hold of your finances, now is a good time to check-in and make sure you are on the right track to tackle your budget. Here are five tips on how to get ahead of your money-saving goals for 2021. Have a Goal Having a budget goal is the number one thing that will help you track your finances. You will be mu

What You Shouldn’t Do Right Before You Buy a Home
Deciding to purchase a home is a very exciting step to take! Now that you have gone through the necessary final steps, it’s still important to keep your finances in shape during contingency. Any big financial changes might lead to lenders reconsidering financing options before you close on your new home. Don’t Make Any Big Purchases When you are thinking about