Fenwick Island, DE homeowners who've been thinking ahead about the long-term prospects for trimming their energy bills eventually have to come up with some decisions. Given the reams of information about alternate energy sources, it's fortunate that some of the alternatives are easily dismissed locally:  Fenwick Island, DE homeowners who've been thinking ahead about the long-term prospects for trimming their energy bills eventually have to come up with some decisions. Given the reams of information about alternate energy sources, it's fortunate that some of the alternatives are easily dismissed locally: Tidal energy, for instance, is only possible for coastal areas—and the world has yet to identify a well-heeled beachfront homeowner willing to experiment by stationing one of the massive paddle-and-turbine systems anywhere near his own beach.Likewise, for any Fenwick Island, DE homeowner whose property doesn't encompass the requisite swift-moving four-season stream (and the water wheel to harness it), water power is definitely out. Another alternative that's increasingly less favored is one of the wind generation systems. Sound, aesthetic, and bird-mortality concerns have generally consigned wind turbans to remote localities. The neighbors will appreciate it. The practicality of geothermal energy is tied to the presence of naturally occurring pockets of hot water and steam—with the result that geothermal isn't a primary energy source in the U.S. because promising sites are relatively rare. SMU's Geothermal Laboratory's map shows the geothermal potential here in Fenwick Island, DE and Fenwick Island, DE.There is a good likelihood that science will ultimately come up with other innovative energy solutions, but not in time to help Fenwick Island, DE homeowners with the next few years' electric bills. That leaves two candidate approaches:Conservation. By now, Fenwick Island, DE homeowners are familiar with the 'what' and the 'how' of conservation—but for a quick refresher, Earthwatch.org has their list of 10 waste savers. As a practical matter, you might want to move #7 "Add insulation" closer to the top of the list—certainly above #4: "Use cloth napkins and rags instead of paper towels."  Solar power. Okay, you were probably wondering why solar didn't lead the alternative power source discussion. Given the declining cost of residential solar installations and available federal tax incentives, it is currently the most preferred alternate source—one whose practicality is demonstrated by Wall Street investment firms' eager embrace of the eco-friendly solar bonds (they back the purchase of rooftop panels). For Fenwick Island, DE homeowners looking to investigate further, one useful site is energy.gov's Homeowner's Guide to Going Solar.  In addition to the immediate help in reducing electric bills, going solar adds to any Fenwick Island, DE property's bottom line when the time to sell comes around. That (of course) is also the time to give me a call! Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.

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Written by Jimmie Bachand

Published: 07 September 2021

Created: 07 September 2021

Last Updated: 14 September 2021

Last week could have been misleading for busy Fenwick Island, DE real estate investors who were too rushed. If they were pressed for time, skimmed headlines or only the first paragraph or two of reports and opinion pieces might have left them with false impressions. Some of last week’s news could have been somewhat dismaying—needlessly so.

Take last Monday. Realtor Magazine’s “Home Seller Profits Take Surprising Turn” was the lead story, opening with “Profit margins for home sellers took an unexpected dip in the second quarter…”. If a phone call had interrupted at that point, it would have been hard for any investor to feel good about the “surprising turn” and the “unexpected dip.

Similarly, Fenwick Island, DE real estate holders whose smartphones or iPads flashed just the top of CNBC’s Real Estate web section would have seen “Pending home sales drop in June…” (or its sub-head:“…more evidence of a housing turnaround”)—and surmised that June had put the brakes on the stellar performance of U.S. residential real estate.

More thorough readers would have been spared the consequential brow-furrowing. Those with easily upset stomachs would have saved the antacid tablets for another day. As it turned out, the summertime copywriters had simply fallen prey to a traditional August newsroom foible. This happens when too many newsmakers go on vacation, leaving writers with nothing to report on. As the void of incoming activity fills hour after empty hour, molehill reporting becomes mountain reporting. Hiccups become earthquakes.

At CNBC’s Real Estate composing room, that is how, although it was true that signed contracts on existing homes “fell in June,” that cliff was only a 1.9% drop from the previous June. This was at most a micro-cliff of a falloff—one that was accompanied by June’s regional pending sales increase of .5%. Even so, CNBC had to admit that “Buyers are still interested and want to own a home…” despite price rises in May of 17%, completing “the largest annual gain on record.”

Likewise, exploring just a phrase or two further into Realtor Magazine’s “surprising turn” yields the information that profit margins “continue to significantly exceed levels from a year ago.”

How could this be an “unexpected dip”? Second-quarter profit margins registered a “rare decline” from first-quarter profit gains! This despite profit margins (the return on investment that sellers realize on their original purchase price) chalking up a hard-to-complain-about 44.9% in the second quarter. But sharp-eyed (and desperate-for-content) writers noticed that that was down by 3.5% from the first quarter, so there was something to carp about!

Cited was the San Jose, California profit margin, down from 85.6% in the second quarter of 2020 to 67.4% this year. Only a 67.4% profit margin! The source for the numbers was an ATTOM data Solutions publication, whose writers were candid enough to begin their title, “U.S. Home Sale Profits Remain High….” As is often the case, local homeowners (who are also, by definition, Fenwick Island, DE real estate investors) could safely ignore last week’s debatable “evidence of a housing turnaround.” It’s more reliable to contact me for an undramatic review of the latest Fenwick Island, DE real estate activity. Do call! Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.

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Written by Jimmie Bachand

Published: 09 August 2021

Created: 09 August 2021

Last Updated: 25 August 2021

 For those who are on the fence about whether this summer is the right time to sell your Fenwick Island, DE home, last week’s Realtor.com website provided some video guidance. Their video brief noted five signs that it might be time to start looking for your next home: 

1.      If the price per square foot for comparable Fenwick Island, DE homes is on the increase, it means “the market is hot”—hospitable to sellers and a good time to sell.

2.      You have tired of barely being able to make ends meet—so cashing out now to facilitate a move to less stress-inducing quarters would make good sense.

3.      Your family has grown, but your Fenwick Island, DE house hasn’t (as when a starter home is no longer adequate).

4.      Maintenance costs are more than you bargained for (in both cash and time required), so a move to a condo “or a new build” will make a better fit.

5.      You have lived in your Fenwick Island, DE house for at least five years—so the equity you’ve built up will justify the expense of the sale, new purchase, and move.

Given the sweeping pandemic-triggered shifts that have caused many to reappraise formerly unchallenged career and personal living preferences, a sixth reason for moving could now be added to the list: lifestyle changes.

Realistically, since any one of these signs alone would probably not be sufficient to justify a move, it’s good that the realtor.com staff qualified their list with “might” (as in, “might be time to sell your home and move on”) They could well have appended a Doubling Rule: if two or more of the signs resonate, that could justify a preliminary look at what’s happening in today’s Fenwick Island, DE market. Should that be the case, I’ll be standing by to provide a current analysis—as always, with no obligation.  Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.

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Written by Jimmie Bachand

Published: 27 July 2021

Created: 27 July 2021

Last Updated: 04 August 2021

 With U.S. home prices at record levels, it’s reasonable to speculate about the future of Fenwick Island, DE real estate—particularly whether it’s such a good idea to buy right now. Most everyone recalls the last time real estate prices set records—and the drop-off that followed.

Once the U.S. market hit bottom, even though history teaches that it was an ideal time to buy, most regular consumers didn’t even want to think about anything connected with real estate. That, of course, was when the big corporate players (aka, the ‘smart money’) moved in to buy up distressed residential properties by the thousands. It’s a familiar story.

The future of Fenwick Island, DE real estate prices is always a mystery, but lately there have been more than a few signs that should quiet some nerves. Some of the ‘smart money’ seems to be ‘talking’…

Smart money moves. For those who track the largest corporate players—the ones with access to the best information and expertise—the signs are clear. Last Tuesday, the Blackstone Group agreed to buy HPA, a hefty enterprise that owns and rents 17,000 single-family residences. Blackstone had quit that market in 2019—but just two years later tiptoed back in with a $240 million investment. Last week’s decision “shows that the investment firm is turning even more bullish on U.S. housing,” according to the Wall Street Journal. That’s an understatement: Blackstone’s HPA acquisition cost $6 billion!

Join the Club. An expanding roster of Wall Street powerhouses has duplicated Blackstone’s decision. Reuters cited one key motivating factor: “continued demand for bigger homes from people working remotely….”

Long-term, why worry? Perhaps the most supportive fact is the one that’s been true for millennia: real estate has perennially been regarded as the epitome of substantial long-term investments. For homebuyers who have no intention of selling in the near- or middle-term (or ever), the ups and downs of transitory valuations can be simply ignored. For the majority of homeowners who continued blissfully untouched by the century’s first two tumultuous decades, their investment has again proved safe and sound. And should they eventually choose to sell at a profit, the tax benefits are unparalleled.

Today’s Fenwick Island, DE home values are sustained by strong demand aided by low home loan interest rates. Call me to discuss the attractive Fenwick Island, DE offerings that are out there right now! Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.

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Written by Jimmie Bachand

Published: 06 July 2021

Created: 06 July 2021

Last Updated: 27 July 2021