Hi Sandy:
If you plan to move in June, and want to avoid the possibliity of two mortgages ( your new home, and your unsold home) then you should get your home on the market NOW! Do not delay! Remember, as the seller, you do not pay any cost to a Realtor until your home sells. You also are the home owner, so you control your own fate. You will never be homeless.
I live in macungie as well, and would be happy to help. rated #1 in all of Pennsylvania on Active Rain, I have the ability to show you everything you need to know to effectively market your property to get it sold by the time you need to move. I look forward to your call. http://www.bradburyteam.com 215-536-6777 x 329

If your planning on selling, take advantage of the spring market, and list it soon. This is the only major window of opportunity to sell your home in the summer months. Upper Macungie is a desired location but you will have to price it right. If you over price it, then you will have a problem. In todays market, to sell quick, you must price it on the lower range of your competition (available properties near you). I happen to live in Uppe Macungie and sell in the area. Please feel free to call me with any questions or meet with no obligation..

Sandy,
Is your husband going to get any relocation benefits with his new job? I recently had a client sell his home here and move to Texas also in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. We took care of him here and got him a top agent in TX. But, to be clear we looked over the relocation benefits to make sure we met all the requirements on time and other points so that he and his family would not lose any of their benefits. It was close but, it is no different then watching the timetable for a closing to make sure it happens on time.

I do agree with Nick though you need to start speaking with agents now in order to get everything done on time. My client actually ended up renting at first in TX even though we got his home here sold in time. That way they could take their time and look to find want they wanted.

Larry Story
Coldwell Banker Triad

Hello Sandy. I agree with everything Mim and Larry stated. If you haven't found a local realtor to help you yet, it's time. With a possibly deadline for you and your family looming in June, the sooner you can get the ball rolling with professional help, the better. According to our recently Lehigh Valley MLS market report, the average time on the market is 73 days. Of course that's 'average'....it could be longer, could be shorter. More than ever before how you market your home and ultimately the home price will play key roles in the sale. It's without a doubt one of the biggest buyer's markets in years. If you aren't staying competitively priced with other homes in your area, you may very well get ignored.

I work out of the Lehigh Valley, have brother who lives in Emmaus, and we both work for Coldwell Banker Heritage Real Estate. We have a very expansive online marketing compaign and personally, I excel at technology. It's key that your home be represented in a powerful online manner. Everything from Craigslist, to your MLS, to Realtor.com, to places like ActiveRain.COM and beyond.

Whoever you end up with, make sure you sit them down and grill them over that aspect. There are many agents in this business who are "experienced", but have no idea what's required in today's Internet world to market a home. Feel free to browse our personal site using my reference below and if you are still looking for a local realtor, I would be happy to assist!

Thanks for the help! The reason we would be out by June is that the company my husband may take a job with wants him to start as soon as possible, but we want the children to finish the school year. We are going to wait a little to purchase in our new area. We want to make sure we make the right decisions down there. We have to decide if we are going to make this move soon. We have a little wiggle room with the selling price, but not much. We obviously would like to get as much out of the house as possible in order to make a good start in Texas. I appreciate all the advice and encouragement.

Sandy,
A follow-up: Having your house sold is certainly a help when you make the move. Depending on your finances, it may be absolutely necessary to sell before buying your next home, so try to get it marketed as quickly as you can.
Showing an empty home can be a good thing-- with a little careful staging, buyers may be more able to see themselves living in the house- which is a good thing!
Pack up thing now that are not essential for still living there, especially personal items like pictures and family memorabilia.
Clean out and get rid of anything you are not planning to take with you - sell it or give it away. That'll make closets and rooms look bigger, and it's something that you can do now.
Blessings to you.

Sandy,
I would say consult with a local realtor in your immediate area. Real estate is very regional in price and nature. So while my in-laws home up in the Hazelton area is at one price point your home may be very different. They also have a dutch colonial 4 bedroom home and have thought about moving down south to NC where some of their children are.
Why are you having to be out by June? Have you already purchased another home? I refer back to the original statement of finding a good agent in your area. They can give you a CMA (comparative market analysis) of your homes market value and what the comparable properties in the area are listed for and the ones that have sold. I generally advise my out of town friends to interview several realtor's to find the best one for them. I take it you are looking for a seller's agent. If so ask what they will do to market your home and make is standout from the competition. Also ask them where will they be advertising your home in print and on the internet. Over 80% of all home buyers start their search on the internet. So get some questions answered and see who would work best for you.

If you need a referral for a top agent in your area I would be happy to help by using our international network of partners in Realogy. Only the experienced, trained, and certified agents are allowed to handle referrals. So just drop me a line if you need anymore information or anything else.

Larry Story
Coldwell Banker Triad

Sandy,
Perhaps I can help!! The good news is that your area seems to be holding up pretty well. My son just bought a house right in your area, so I know that area seems to be pretty strong. My advice to them was the same that I give to you-find a good EXPERIENCED Realtor where you are, for starters, and then get some good referrals to the area where you are going. As a long time Realtor myself, I could help them with some of the basics, but to be the most effective for them, I needed local help! They had a home to sell and purchased a new home near Breinigsville and we were able to find a wonderful REALTOR team to help them with both parts of that transaction. My best advice is to do the same. (Call or email me and I'll pass along that name to you:-)
The rest of your question needs to be what kind of a house can we get in our new location. Areas differ so widely that you need GOOD EXPERIENCED help there too. ASk around to family or friends in your new area. WHo would they reccommend
Hope that helps
Mim
mim@mris.com