John Lee Real Estate

When someone tells you a school district is really good, what are they actually looking at? Test scores? The classes? The teachers? And how much does any of that tell you about the experience your own child would have?

If you're house hunting outside Philadelphia, Wissahickon School District is probably on your list. In this episode I walk through why it gets attention: the location in Ambler, Whitpain, and Lower Gwynedd, Regional Rail access, a school tax rate that compares well with nearby districts, and an A+ overall grade from Niche.

• Wissahickon serves Ambler Borough, Lower Gwynedd Township, and Whitpain Township, with Regional Rail stops at Ambler, Penllyn, and Gwynedd Valley
• A lower school tax rate helps, but your actual bill depends on the property's assessed value plus county and municipal taxes, so get the real tax bill for the specific house
• Verify the school district for the exact address. A mailing address doesn't settle it
• Proficiency tells you what share of students met a standard. Growth tells you how much progress they made. Look at both
• Research generally links teaching experience to student gains, but experience alone doesn't tell you how good an individual teacher is

⬇️ CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️

INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee

TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestate

WEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com/

When someone tells you a school district is really good, what are they actually looking at? Test scores? The classes? The teachers? And how much does any of that tell you about the experience your own child would have?

If you're house hunting outside Philadelphia, Wissahickon School District is probably on your list. In this episode I walk through why it gets attention: the location in Ambler, Whitpain, and Lower Gwynedd, Regional Rail access, a school tax rate that compares well with nearby districts, and an A+ overall grade from Niche.

• Wissahickon serves Ambler Borough, Lower Gwynedd Township, and Whitpain Township, with Regional Rail stops at Ambler, Penllyn, and Gwynedd Valley
• A lower school tax rate helps, but your actual bill depends on the property's assessed value plus county and municipal taxes, so get the real tax bill for the specific house
• Verify the school district for the exact address. A mailing address doesn't settle it
• Proficiency tells you what share of students met a standard. Growth tells you how much progress they made. Look at both
• Research generally links teaching experience to student gains, but experience alone doesn't tell you how good an individual teacher is

⬇️ CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️

INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee

TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestate

WEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com/

Friday night, you want to get out of the house. Is downtown Lansdale the first place you think of, or are you already heading to Ambler, Doylestown, or Phoenixville?

A new Discover Lansdale survey of about 750 people found something interesting. 73% said Lansdale does a good job with special events. But 71% said downtown doesn't have the right mix of businesses. So people like what's happening in town. They just don't always have a reason to stay once they're here.

• 87% said downtown Lansdale is easy to reach, 75% said it feels safe, and 73% liked the special events
• 71% disagreed that downtown has the right mix of businesses, and 44% disagreed that it feels vibrant in the evening
• Getting people downtown and giving them reasons to stay are two different problems
• The best downtowns give you multiple reasons to be there, so one stop turns into two or three
• Small businesses need consistent customers, not just a packed First Friday

⬇️ CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️

INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee

TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestate

WEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com/

I didn't even know Kendra Wilkinson was a Realtor until I saw a Reel of her crying about losing a client. And honestly? I get it.

People think real estate is touring beautiful houses, pointing at countertops, and collecting a check. Kendra has millions of followers and says she's sold 20 homes, and she's still talking about how hard it is to win the next client. That got me thinking about the difference between getting someone's attention and giving them a reason to hire you. So I compare her story to Kylie Jenner, who turned attention into a business Coty paid $600 million for a 51% stake in.

• A big following is attention. It is not the same as people ready to hire you, especially in a local business like real estate.
• Kylie Jenner's fame helped, but she and her team still built something people wanted to buy. That deserves credit.
• Making money and creating good in the world aren't automatically the same thing. I care about what kind of value I put out there.
• Real estate value shows up in the hard moments: pricing conversations, inspection credits, and sometimes advising a client to walk away.
• You can do good work and still lose the paycheck you expected. You have to collect yourself and show up for the next person.

⬇️ CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️

INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee

TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestate

WEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com/

Freddy Hill Farms could become a neighborhood of 200-plus homes, and some of them could cost a million dollars or more. I can see the appeal. I also get why people living nearby hear that and immediately think about traffic.

In this episode, I break down what's being proposed at Freddy Hill, where things stand right now, and what the homes could look like. The easiest way to picture it is three types of homes: attached homes that share a wall, detached homes with smaller yards, and larger homes with more land. I walk through Toll Brothers examples from other communities so you can picture the styles, and I share my rough pricing estimates based on what's been reported. Nothing is final yet, so the homes, prices, and timing can still change.

• The proposal includes three home types: attached homes, detached homes with smaller yards, and larger homes on more land.
• My rough estimates: around $900K for attached homes, $1M or more for smaller detached homes, and $1.5M or more for larger homes. There's no final price sheet yet.
• Model homes often show upgrades that aren't in the starting price. Ask what's included and get prices on the upgrades you actually want.
• Factor in taxes and any neighborhood fees so you know what the home will really cost you.
• A million-dollar new home nearby doesn't automatically make your house worth a million. Buyers compare the actual homes.

⬇️ CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️

INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee

TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestate

WEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com/

The Israelites cried out for freedom and got it. Then they got the Promised Land. And they still lost their way. Reading Judges, I had to ask myself if I'm really that different.

I've been trying to read the Bible every day, not just when I feel inspired. A friend who's also a believer compared it to working out, and that convicted me because of how seriously I take fitness. Reading consistently, I've made it to Judges, and I'm starting to see how the stories connect. Israel is delivered from Egypt, wanders 40 years in the wilderness, finally enters the land God promised... and then falls into a cycle of turning away, crying out, being delivered, and turning away again.

• Reading the Bible is like working out. It's the consistency over time that changes you, not the occasional big session.
• The Israelites wanted freedom, got it, and almost immediately wanted something else.
• Even in the Promised Land, Israel fell into a repeated cycle of turning away, crying out, and being delivered.
• Most of us live with our own version of "once I get there, then I'll be good."
• You can leave Egypt and still carry Egypt with you.

⬇️ CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️

INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee

TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestate

WEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com/

What if one of the most exciting golf projects in Philadelphia wasn't some exclusive club behind a big gate, but a public golf and education campus right here in West Philly? I knew the headline about Cobbs Creek. I didn't know the story.In this episode, I walk through the history of Cobbs Creek, which opened in 1916 and welcomed golfers at a time when a lot of clubs excluded Black players and women. It's where Charlie Sifford learned the game before becoming the first Black golfer to win a PGA Tour event. That connection is a big part of why Tiger Woods is involved. I also break down how the project started, how it grew from a $65 million plan into a $180 million campaign, and who's actually doing what.

• Cobbs Creek opened in 1916, designed by Hugh Wilson, and Charlie Sifford called it home. Tiger Woods named his son Charlie after him.
• The course closed in 2020. The Cobbs Creek Foundation's campaign goal is now $180 million, with $135 million raised according to its impact report.
• Tiger's TGR Foundation runs the Smilow Woodland TGR Learning Lab, and TGR Design created the Q School, a nine-hole short course.
• Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner are leading the restoration of the original 18-hole Olde Course.
• The Lincoln Financial Center is open with a two-level, 68-bay Toptracer driving range, the Little Horse Tavern, a pro shop, and event space.

⬇️ CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️

INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee

TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestate

WEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com/

Anybody can open a door. So if that's all your buyer's agent is doing, I understand why you'd wonder what you're actually paying for.

In this episode, I want to talk about something I've noticed over the years being on both sides of transactions. A lot of us as agents show up to showings unprepared. I walk through what I think should happen before you ever get to the house: reading the seller's disclosure, checking the agent remarks, and calling the listing agent with a few simple questions. One of those questions is my favorite, because it tends to surface things you'd never catch walking through a house for 20 minutes.

• Read the seller's disclosure, agent remarks, and property details before the showing, because most buyers won't. And I don't blame them.
• Before a showing, we call the listing agent and ask about offers in hand, offer deadlines, and anything important we should know before we come through.
• My favorite question: "Is there anything about the house that you think we should make sure we see that might not be obvious from the listing or the seller's disclosure?"
• Being prepared builds your reputation with listing agents. It's not going to win an offer on its own, but they want to know you'll communicate and get the deal to closing.
• If buyers can find every listing themselves, our value has to come from preparation, judgment, negotiation, and everything that happens under contract.

⬇️ CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️

INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee

TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestate

WEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com/

Be honest. How many times have you pulled up Zillow and typed in your own address?

I'm not here to bash Zillow. I want you checking it. But when you're making a decision about your house, that number needs context. In this episode, I explain what a Zestimate can tell you, what it can miss, and how I think through a home's value with my clients.

• Why condition, renovations, layout, and the lot matter.
• What the story behind a comparable sale tells you.
• How concessions and time on the market change the conversation.
• The difference between an online estimate, probable market value, and a listing price.

Sometimes the Zestimate is close. Sometimes it isn't. The point is to understand what you're looking at before you use it to make a decision.

Read the companion article: Zestimate vs. Market Value

John Lee | The Most Interesting Realtor | Real Broker, LLC
Philadelphia and Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, and Delaware counties, PA.

Anybody can write a big number on an offer. Very few buyers can actually close at it.

If you are buying a home in a multiple offer situation, the instinct is simple. Go higher. If you are selling, the instinct is just as simple. Take the biggest number. Both instincts miss what actually decides who gets to the closing table. The price at the top of an offer is only one part of the offer. What matters is how much money the seller is likely to actually receive, how much risk is attached, and whether the buyer can perform under the terms they promised.

• The asking price is a marketing decision made by the seller and the listing agent. It is not a guarantee of value.
• An appraisal is an independent opinion of value. The lender generally calculates financing off the appraised value, not off whatever number you agreed to pay.
• An appraisal gap is the difference between your purchase price and the appraised value. Somebody has to address it.
• Appraisal gap coverage is your written promise to cover some or all of that difference. The exact responsibility depends on the language in the agreement.
• Covering a gap does not always require new money. Depending on your qualifications and loan program, a lender may be able to restructure how your existing cash is applied.

⬇️ CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️

INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee

TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestate

WEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com/