If you want evidence of the unpredictability of the real estate market, check with Donna and Steve Fanelli of Chester County.
Looking to sell their home of 18 years in Birmingham Township in the fall of 2021, they got three offers in one day. With school for one of their three children about to start, they were suddenly looking for a new home.
“We were shocked into reality,” says Steve, an infrastructure consultant to a cable company. “And we couldn’t find anything to downsize into.”
The couple settled on a cul-de-sac in the Radley Run Mews development outside West Chester, overlooking the Radley Run golf course.
But now, with empty-nest-hood on the horizon, they are looking for another move, to a smaller place.
“Now we’re taking our time,” Steve says. He and Donna will stay in the area, which he says “is a great place to raise children.”
He particularly cites the variety of educational options, public, private, and parochial.
Their current house, which Steve says was built in 1972 for Eagles quarterback Roman Gabriel, has four bedrooms and four baths and is 4,598 square feet.
The entrance foyer leads into a great room and an eat-in kitchen leads to a large formal dining room.
The home office includes a fireplace and access to a balcony with views of the golf course.
The primary bedroom is on the first floor and two large bedrooms are on the second, plus a remodeled full bath.
The lower level has a kitchen and bar area for entertaining. And there are three separate deck areas.
The house has updates including a new HVAC system, new paint, new washer and dryer.
It is in the West Chester School District and a short drive to Amtrak and SEPTA Regional Rail lines.
The home is listed by Mike Diggin of RE/MAX Town & Country for $949,000.
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