All Blog Entries by Bill Mann

A native of Rehoboth Beach, Bill Mann has intimate knowledge of the resort area. After graduating from Goucher College, with B.A.s in Mathematics & Economics, Bill spent 4 years working in trust accounting in D.C. and NYC.

Desiring formal technical experience, Bill spent the next 4 years in NYC working in database design & network administration before returning home to the family business in 2001.

Bill began his sales career selling new construction where Bill gained valuable insight into the construction business. Just prior to his current focus on residential sales, Bill spent 2 years managing the rental department.

Bill has served the Sussex County Association of REALTORS® on the Professional Development, Grievance (Chairperson 2011) & Professional Standards (Chairperson 2013) committees.

Bill holds the following licenses & designations:
• Broker Associate
• GRI (Graduate REALTOR® Institute)
• ABR® (Accredited Buyer's Representative)
• RSPS (Resort & Second-Home Property Specialist)
• e-PRO® (Internet Professional)

There are currently 145 blog entries published by Bill Mann.

Picking a great real estate agent

In part one of our blog on Tips for Picking a Great Real Estate Agent, we looked at Experience, Education, Market Knowledge, and Honesty and Integrity. In part two we will look at Work Ethic, Resources and Attention to Detail.

Work Ethic: Real estate is a 7 day a week job. Sometimes it involves very early hours and very late nights to meet the needs of buyers, sellers, rental property owners and renters. It is just a fact of life that sometimes people are only available early in the morning, late at night and weekends. Bear this in mind because you will want to work with a real estate agent who is able and willing to meet with you on any day, at virtually any time to get you the property that is best for you. So before you agree to work with any one

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Tips for Picking a Great Real Estate Agent

Once you are ready to either rent or buy a piece of property you will most likely need to work with a real estate agent. Like in any industry there are great real estate agents and not so great agents. Here are some tips on what to look for to find a great real estate agent for Rehoboth Beach real estate and Lewes real estate.

Experience: You’ve heard the phrase when it comes to real estate, “Location, location, location”? Well when it comes to real estate agents the phrase becomes, “Experience, experience, experience”. A real estate agent with experience will make your search for your new home or rental property much easier for the simple reason that he or she has done it so many times in the past. This gives you, as the buyer or renter, a real

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Looking for a Rehoboth Beach homeBuying a new Rehoboth Beach home is an exciting feeling, and it is so easy to get carried away and fall in love with a home that may not be the best one for you.    There will be plenty of time for celebrating after the closing.  When you are looking for a new home, here are a few things to focus on.

Foundation and Structural Elements – Ugly paint and bad draperies can be changed very easily and with minimal cost, but when it comes to foundation or structural problems, it may be best to just walk away.  Look for evidence of cracks or bulges in the foundation wall. If there has been renovation in the home, ask an inspector to check if any load bearing walls were modified or removed.  

Electrical and Plumbing – Many people like to do their own home

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After you have taken a look at some of our property listings for Coastal Delaware real estate, we thought you might enjoy a little bit of real estate trivia – just for fun.

Question: What is the most expensive private residence ever built in the United States?

Answer: When it was built, Hearst Ranch in San Simeon, California cost over $30 million, which in today’s dollars is about $277,883,320.

Istana Nurul Iman palace - not real estate in Coastal DelawareQuestion: The world’s largest residential palace belongs to whom?

Answer: The Sultan of Brunei. The Istana Nurul Iman palace has 2,152,782 square feet, 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, and a 110-car garage.

Question: The United States Government paid $7.2 million for what piece of land?

Answer: The state of Alaska. In 1867 the United States bought

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Rehoboth Beach Rental PropertyIt is vacation time! You have worked hard all year and are really looking forward to those one or two weeks this summer when you can escape your everyday grind and spend some time sitting on a gorgeous beach, sipping a cool drink and baking in the sun. If this is what you’re looking for, then a beach rental property that will act as your home away from home, can offer you a great beach vacation at a very reasonable price. So what are some of the things you should look for when searching for a beach rental property?

Amenities: Make sure you know ahead of time which amenities you just can’t do without. Beach rentals can come with a myriad of different options, (e.g., full kitchens, outdoor showers, access to swimming pools or private beaches, etc.), and

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Lewes Delaware Home Buying AdviceWhen you are looking for a Lewes Delaware home, there are a lot of thing to consider. Sometimes, you find a great house, but it has a few flaws. Some flaws are the type you don’t want to have anything to do with, but other ones are minor and can be corrected with minimal effort or expense. For example, if the décor of a home is not something you like, you can paint with little effort. But if you are looking for a home with three bathrooms, and there is only one, it would be a more difficult fix. Work with your REALTOR® and a home inspector on specific issues, but here are some examples of items that can or cannot be worked out with the owner:

Water in the basement

If you visit a home and there is water in the basement, that may or may not be a deal

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A History of Rehoboth BeachIn our first post we looked at the history of Rehoboth Beach from some 12,000 years ago up until its original charter as a city in 1873. In the second part of our blog we’ll take a look at its history from the late 1800s to today - and some of the features of the area that will help you to get the most out of your new Rehoboth Beach Real Estate.

In 1878 the railroad came to Rehoboth Beach, which in turn brought many new visitors to Rehoboth Beach. The times were changing and because of this large influx of people the focus became much more on the “seaside resort” aspects of the area, as opposed to the religious leanings as had been planned by Rev Todd and his followers when the original charter had been set forth only five years earlier. In 1879 the

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A History of Rehoboth Beach

So you have found the perfect piece of Rehoboth Beach Real Estate for your next home. Congratulations! You’ve started making your moving plans and begun your packing strategy. Before you get into all of the “heavy lifting” aspects of your move, wouldn’t it be nice (and a little fun) to learn something about the history of Rehoboth Beach, when it started and how it got where it is today?

So let’s start a long, long way time ago. According to Wikipedia, “Human beings probably inhabited the area of Rehoboth Beach as long ago as 10,000 BC; little is known about them because much of the evidence of their existence has been destroyed by development. At that time, sea levels were lower, and the Atlantic Coast lay about 30 miles (48 km) farther east than it

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Coastal Delaware Events in May 2013In our minds, the first and best draw for finding the Coastal Delaware home of your dreams is the fact that you will get to live in a home in Coastal Delaware. Given the natural beauty of the area, we're not sure any more incentive is needed. Some events coming up in May, however, have caught our eye, and they might just provide a little incentive to make the move.

Lewes is a beautiful little town on the DelMarVa Peninsula and they proudly bear the motto "The First Town in The First State." The picturesque quality of Lewes makes for a great visit (or perfect home) any time of the year, but be sure to drop by on May 4th for the Lewes British Motorcar Show. An amazing afternoon of springtime in Delaware, highlighted by stylish British cars and a fine

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Nationwide Open House in Southern DelawareThis weekend, April 20 and 21, is the 2013 Nationwide Open House, sponsored by the National Association of REALTORS®. REALTORS® across the nation will be holding “open houses,” an appointment-free, no-strings-attached opportunity to explore a home. Last year, 45% of all home buyers accessed open houses across the nation in their search for the ideal home. That’s too big a number to ignore. While one could very likely find their future home at an open house, there are many reasons why attending an open house is beneficial to home buyers.

By going to an open house on this particular weekend, buyers are provided with the chance to talk to a local REALTOR®. REALTORS® can inform buyers of the benefits of homeownership and give priceless insights on the

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