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    <title>WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE BLOG</title>
    <link>http://activerain.com/blogs/athomeinwilliamsburg</link>
    <description>Williamsburg Virginia real estate </description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/830899/williamsburg-local-gets-grammy-nomination-</guid>
      <title>WILLIAMSBURG LOCAL Gets GRAMMY Nomination!</title>
      <description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h1&gt;WILLIAMSBURG LOCAL Gets GRAMMY Nomination!&lt;/h1&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Williamsburg native&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.brucehornsby.com/&quot; title=&quot;Bruce Hornsby - Williamsburg Native&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Bruce Hornsby&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt; received his &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;13th Grammy nomination&lt;/span&gt; last week. &amp;nbsp;The nomination is for the collaboration on &quot;Family &amp;amp; Friends: Rambling Boy&quot; by Charlie Haden. &amp;nbsp;Pat Metheny and Jerry Douglas also took part in the collaboration. &amp;nbsp;It has been nominated in the Best Country Instrumental Performance.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Hornsby&quot; title=&quot;Career of Local Williamsburgian, Bruce Hornsby&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Bruce&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Hornsby has won &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;3 Grammys&lt;/span&gt; in his career of more than 30 years. &amp;nbsp;Bruce was born in &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG, VA&lt;/span&gt; and he and continues to reside here with his family.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.grammy.com/&quot; title=&quot;Check Out the Nominees!&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Grammys&lt;/a&gt; air in February.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Williasmburg Real Estate&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;757-753-7472&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Long and Foster, REALTORS&amp;reg;&lt;br /&gt;Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:29:32 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/830899/williamsburg-local-gets-grammy-nomination-</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/827444/indoctrinating-sellers</guid>
      <title>INDOCTRINATING SELLERS</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Book Antiqua;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h1&gt;INDOCTRINATING SELLERS&lt;/h1&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Indoctrinating Sellers&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/6/7/3/4/ar122878960443767.jpg&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; alt=&quot;book&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Upon reading the article from Inman News - Death of a Listing Presentation, I have put to rest the presentation portion of the listing presentation and adopted&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;EDUCATION&lt;/span&gt;. &amp;nbsp; Managing a seller's expectation is done through preparation. &amp;nbsp;We are better able to do that if we give them the (as &lt;a href=&quot;http://activerain.com/blogs/lennharley&quot; title=&quot;Lenn Harley Homefinders.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Lenn Harley&lt;/a&gt; would say) &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Hard Core Real Estate Talks&lt;/span&gt;! &amp;nbsp;I've come up with some things that should be explained during your education process:&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. &amp;nbsp;You should let the seller know &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;HOW&lt;/span&gt; they can contact you. &amp;nbsp;Is it email? &amp;nbsp;What's your response time for replying to emails? &amp;nbsp;What is your response time for a phone call? &amp;nbsp;How soon can they expect to hear from you after leaving a voice mail? &amp;nbsp;This is important, you're setting the stage for the entire relationship. &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;TELL THEM NOW &lt;/span&gt;what they can expect!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. &amp;nbsp;Explain to them a &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;BUYER'S MARKET&lt;/span&gt; versus &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;SELLER'S MARKET&lt;/span&gt;. &amp;nbsp;Then &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;SHOW&lt;/span&gt; them facts. &amp;nbsp;Show them the current inventory and explain how many months of inventory there are in the area.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. &amp;nbsp;Give them numbers! &amp;nbsp;But at the same time, don't &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;OVERWHELM&lt;/span&gt; with too much data. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img title=&quot;Indoctrinating Sellers&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/1/0/2/0/ar122878975002016.jpg&quot; height=&quot;170&quot; alt=&quot;The Numbers&quot; width=&quot;170&quot; style=&quot;float: right;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; a) &amp;nbsp;Average days on market - overall market and their sub-division (if applicable).&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;b) &amp;nbsp;Number of homes for sale in their price range - overall market and their subdivision.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;c) &amp;nbsp;Number of homes that have sold in the last 6 months/1 year.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;d) &amp;nbsp;Homes comparable to theirs that are currently on the market - high price/low price&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This will kill many birds with one stone. &amp;nbsp;A seller can gage how long their home will be on the market, at a minimum. &amp;nbsp;A seller would know how many listings their up against. &amp;nbsp;A seller would know where their asking price will be in comparison with the others. They will know (if they don't already), what's been going on in their neighborhood.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Indoctrinating Sellers&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/0/9/0/3/ar122879007030909.jpg&quot; height=&quot;170&quot; alt=&quot;Offering&quot; width=&quot;122&quot; style=&quot;float: left;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4. &amp;nbsp;What is being &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;OFFERED &lt;/span&gt;on homes that are selling? &amp;nbsp;Seller assistance on closing costs, home warranties, bonus' to selling agents. &amp;nbsp;A seller should know if/what other sellers are doing to make their home more appealing &amp;nbsp;to buy.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; text-align: right;&quot;&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Indoctrinating Sellers&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/9/3/6/1/ar122879028516393.jpg&quot; height=&quot;49&quot; alt=&quot;Eyes of a buyer&quot; width=&quot;170&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5. &amp;nbsp;Here's a big one. &amp;nbsp;What will the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;BUYERS SEE &lt;/span&gt;when considering their home? &amp;nbsp;Provide the seller with printouts of active listings and go over details of the features of those homes. &amp;nbsp;Everyone usually (almost always) thinks their house is &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;BETTER&lt;/span&gt; than the others. &amp;nbsp;A good way to show them that is to take them on a tour of the competition's homes. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ask the&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-style: italic;&quot;&gt;seller&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;font-style: italic;&quot;&gt;questions&lt;/span&gt;. &amp;nbsp;Find out their motivation. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Are you willing to sell your house at fair market value? &amp;nbsp;(Typical response: &amp;nbsp;&quot;But I'm not willing to give it away.&quot;) &amp;nbsp;At what price would you consider you were giving it away?&quot;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sellers must know that this is a &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;TEAM&lt;/span&gt; effort. &amp;nbsp;Everyone is working toward a common goal. That goal is to get their home &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;SOLD&lt;/span&gt;!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img title=&quot;Indoctrinating Sellers&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/3/7/3/3/ar122879036333737.jpg&quot; height=&quot;190&quot; alt=&quot;sold&quot; width=&quot;190&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Book Antiqua;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Williasmburg Real Estate&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;757-753-7472&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Long and Foster REALTORS&amp;reg;&lt;br /&gt;6610 - J Mooretown Road&lt;br /&gt;Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Book Antiqua;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:29:53 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/827444/indoctrinating-sellers</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/824080/chris-fisher-my-active-rain-friend-</guid>
      <title>CHRIS FISHER-My Active Rain FRIEND!</title>
      <description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Dotum; color: #cc0000;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;CHRIS FISHER - My Active Rain FRIEND!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-family: Dotum; color: #cc0000;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-family: Dotum; color: #cc0000;&quot;&gt;I've met so many super cool people in the Active Rain social network. &amp;nbsp;It's amazing way to learn more about everything and socialize (shoulda' had this in high school)! &amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-family: Dotum; color: #cc0000;&quot;&gt;I'd like to give Chris Fisher a big, giant THANK YOU!! &amp;nbsp;Chris did my blog header for me &amp;amp; I think it looks fab! &amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-family: Dotum; color: #cc0000;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's not just that she did it, but when I sent her an email, she asked, &quot;What would you like me to do?&quot; &amp;nbsp;She replied to my emails in a very timely manner (almost too timely!) and was just a pleasure to work with. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-family: Dotum; color: #cc0000;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Because I had such a great experience (which means lots to me), I will call on Chris' services again!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-family: Dotum; color: #cc0000;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And, to top it all off, Chris is quite a gal! &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://activerain.com/blogs/chrisfisher&quot; title=&quot;Chris Fisher &quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Check her out!!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-family: Dotum; color: #cc0000;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Happy Holidays to ALL!!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h1 style=&quot;color: #cc0000;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.mylivesignature.com/signatures/54486/175/0BCD2FE2092344BFD08EC70E3DE1BABA.png&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 06 Dec 2008 18:23:32 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/824080/chris-fisher-my-active-rain-friend-</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/823761/supply-demand-report-for-williamsburg-york-county-11-6-08-12-6-08</guid>
      <title>Supply &amp; Demand Report for Williamsburg-York County 11/6/08  -12/6/08</title>
      <description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;SUPPLY and DEMAND Report for&amp;nbsp;WILLIAMSBURG - YORK COUNTY&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;November 6, 2008 - December 6, 2008&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;2&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; cellpadding=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;width: 502px; height: 424px; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;RESIDENTIAL&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 179px; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Area: &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;York County&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;MLS Total&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Current Active Listings&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Number&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;94&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;List Price Average&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;441,161&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Average Days on Market&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;127&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Total Sold&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Number&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;2&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;List Price Average&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;230,500&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Sales Price Average&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;223,500&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Average Days on Market&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;103&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Under Contract Listings&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Number&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;6&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;List Price Average&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;243,617&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Average Days on Market&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;98&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;757-753-7472&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Williasmburg Real Estate&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Long and Foster, REALTORS&amp;reg;&lt;br /&gt;6610-J Mooretown Road&lt;br /&gt;Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot;&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;We believe this information is accurate, but we have not independently verified it and we do not vouch for its accuracy. Recipients of this information are urged to take whatever steps they feel appropriate to verify the accuracy of any information of special importance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Prepared by Williamsburg Multiple Listing Service on

Saturday, December 06, 2008 2:25 PM&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 06 Dec 2008 14:48:49 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/823761/supply-demand-report-for-williamsburg-york-county-11-6-08-12-6-08</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/823726/supply-demand-report-for-williamsburg-james-city-county-11-6-08-12-6-08</guid>
      <title>Supply &amp; Demand Report for Williamsburg-James City County 11/6/08  -12/6/08</title>
      <description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;SUPPLY and DEMAND Report for WILLIAMSBURG - James City County&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;November 6, 2008 - December 6, 2008&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;2&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; cellpadding=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;width: 502px; height: 424px; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;RESIDENTIAL&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 179px; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Area: &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;JAMES CITY COUNTY&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;MLS Total&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Current Active Listings&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Number&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;888&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;List Price Average&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;489,981&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Average Days on Market&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;189&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Total Sold&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Number&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;39&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;List Price Average&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;400,735&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Sales Price Average&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;378,179&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Average Days on Market&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;151&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Under Contract Listings&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Number&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;22&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;List Price Average&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;331,530&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Average Days on Market&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;182&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;If you are someone who is looking to&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt; BUY&lt;/span&gt; a home in &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Williamsburg - James City County&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;NOW&lt;/span&gt; is &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;YOUR&lt;/span&gt; time! &amp;nbsp;There are literally hundreds of properties to choose from depending on your price, financing, criteria, etc. &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WHY NOT&lt;/span&gt; take advantage of this market to &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;UPGRADE&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;DOWN-SIZE&lt;/span&gt;, buy a &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;VACATION HOME&lt;/span&gt;, or buy a &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;CONDO&lt;/span&gt; for your college-aged son or daughter? &amp;nbsp;The possibilities are endless. &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WHY WAIT&lt;/span&gt;? &amp;nbsp;Call me today so that I can help you plan for your tomorrow!&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;757-753-7472&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Williasmburg Real Estate&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Long and Foster, REALTORS&amp;reg;&lt;br /&gt;6610-J Mooretown Road&lt;br /&gt;Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot;&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;We believe this information is accurate, but we have not independently verified it and we do not vouch for its accuracy. Recipients of this information are urged to take whatever steps they feel appropriate to verify the accuracy of any information of special importance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Prepared by Williamsburg Multiple Listing Service on Saturday, December 06, 2008 2:25 PM&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 06 Dec 2008 14:39:23 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/823726/supply-demand-report-for-williamsburg-james-city-county-11-6-08-12-6-08</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/823742/supply-demand-report-for-the-city-of-williamsburg-11-6-08-12-6-08</guid>
      <title>Supply &amp; Demand Report for the City of Williamsburg 11/6/08  -12/6/08</title>
      <description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;SUPPLY and DEMAND Report for the CITY of WILLIAMSBURG&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;November 6, 2008 - December 6, 2008&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;2&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; cellpadding=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;width: 502px; height: 424px; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;RESIDENTIAL&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 179px; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Area: &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;City of Williamsburg&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;MLS Total&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Current Active Listings&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Number&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;92&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;List Price Average&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;475,183&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Average Days on Market&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;217&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Total Sold&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Number&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;3&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;List Price Average&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;651,300&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Sales Price Average&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;619,167&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Average Days on Market&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;209&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Under Contract Listings&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Number&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;4&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;List Price Average&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;302,600&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;width: 305px;&quot;&gt;Average Days on Market&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: right; width: 179px;&quot;&gt;94&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;757-753-7472&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Williasmburg Real Estate&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Long and Foster, REALTORS&amp;reg;&lt;br /&gt;6610-J Mooretown Road&lt;br /&gt;Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot;&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We believe this information is accurate, but we have not independently verified it and we do not vouch for its accuracy. Recipients of this information are urged to take whatever steps they feel appropriate to verify the accuracy of any information of special importance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Prepared by Williamsburg Multiple Listing Service on Saturday, December 06, 2008 2:25 PM&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 06 Dec 2008 14:35:18 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/823742/supply-demand-report-for-the-city-of-williamsburg-11-6-08-12-6-08</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/819097/how-you-can-go-green-this-christmas-</guid>
      <title>How You Can Go GREEN This Christmas!</title>
      <description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;How You Can Go &lt;span style=&quot;color: #006600;&quot;&gt;GREEN&lt;/span&gt; This Christmas!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Going Green This Christmas&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/9/1/7/5/ar122834160857196.jpg&quot; height=&quot;170&quot; alt=&quot;Recycle&quot; width=&quot;170&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;When you decorate this holiday season, consider going au naturel - without lights! &amp;nbsp;You can &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold; color: #006600;&quot;&gt;make or buy wreaths and garlands of natural materials&lt;/span&gt; that can be composted or will naturally decompose. &amp;nbsp;Natural greenery can be found at local farm stands throughout your town.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; text-align: right;&quot;&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Going Green This Christmas&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/1/0/6/ar122834149660111.jpg&quot; height=&quot;170&quot; alt=&quot;Christmas Tree&quot; width=&quot;122&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yes, an artificial tree can be used for years, but it will eventually end up in a landfill somewhere. &amp;nbsp;A cut, live tree from a tree farm is better because tree farmers are continually replacing harvested trees. &amp;nbsp;And, because &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold; color: #006600;&quot;&gt;live trees can be recycled &lt;/span&gt;after Christmas. &amp;nbsp;Williamsburg-James City County Recycling allows residents to drop off live trees until February 29, 2009. &amp;nbsp;The trees are then mulched or composted by the Virginia Peninsula Public Service Authority.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Going Green This Christmas&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/6/5/9/6/ar122834179169564.jpg&quot; height=&quot;170&quot; alt=&quot;Christmas Lights&quot; width=&quot;110&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But, if you must have Christmas lights, consider exchanging your incandescent tree bulbs for LED (Light Emitting Diode) ones. &amp;nbsp;They cost a little more, but &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold; color: #006600;&quot;&gt;LED lights use more than 98 percent LESS energy &lt;/span&gt;and can last up to 10 years and stay cooler.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 25 percent more trash than usual is generated between Thanksgiving and Christmas. &amp;nbsp;Buy gifts without a lot of packaging or that require minimal wrapping. &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold; color: #006600;&quot;&gt;RECYCLE, RECYCLE, RECYCLE&lt;/span&gt;! &amp;nbsp;Use your own reusable shopping bags for your purchases when you shop. &amp;nbsp;Place gift boxes and wrapping paper tubes in&amp;nbsp;recycling containers for weekly pickup.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img title=&quot;Going Green This Christmas&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/9/9/6/3/ar122834197136994.jpg&quot; height=&quot;170&quot; alt=&quot;Recycle&quot; width=&quot;113&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You will find that it's the little things that mean so much and make a big difference!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: bold; color: #006600;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold; color: #006600;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold; color: #006600;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Williasmburg Real Estate&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold; color: #006600;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold; color: #006600;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold; color: #006600;&quot;&gt;757-753-7472&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Long and Foster, REALTORS&amp;reg;&lt;br /&gt;6610-J &amp;nbsp;Mooretown Road&lt;br /&gt;Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:08:06 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/819097/how-you-can-go-green-this-christmas-</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/815081/fun-days-in-december-ho-ho-ho-</guid>
      <title>Fun Days in December! Ho, Ho, Ho!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; color: #690000; font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;FUN DAYS IN DECEMBER! HO, HO, HO!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Today, December 1, is&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/static/en/&quot; title=&quot;World AIDS's Day&quot;&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;World AID's Day&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &amp;nbsp;A day when individuals and organizations from around the world come together and bring attention to the global AIDS epidemic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;December, the last month of the year, is a month of many fun occasions. &amp;nbsp;The more obvious is &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Christmas (25th)&lt;/span&gt; and &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;New Year's Eve (31st)&lt;/span&gt;. &amp;nbsp;As you shop this month, whether on the Internet or in the stores, be aware of thieves. &amp;nbsp;This month is &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month&lt;/span&gt;. &amp;nbsp;As we round out the year and ponder on the New Year to come, you can begin your business plans. &amp;nbsp;It's not too early to start thinking about what camp to send the children to. &amp;nbsp;December is &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;National Write a Business Plan Month&lt;/span&gt; and &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Choose a Summer Camp Month&lt;/span&gt;! &amp;nbsp;December is also &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Bingo's Birthday&lt;/span&gt; month for those of you who love B-I-N-G-O the way I do!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;There are a number of Weekly Observances this month that I will celebrate. &amp;nbsp;First, &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Tolerance Week (1-7)&lt;/span&gt;, I shall strive to have lots of tolerance during the shopping season! &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;National Handwashing Awareness Week (7-10)&lt;/span&gt; - I have two boys, need I say more about handwashing?! &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;It's About Time week (25-31)&lt;/span&gt;, time to make those resolutions. &amp;nbsp;There is also &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Chanukah/Hanukkah (22-29)&lt;/span&gt; and &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Kwanza (26 -1/1)&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Here are more special days in &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;December&lt;/span&gt;:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center; font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;2&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Special Education Day &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;3&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Special Kids Day&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Bathtub Party Day (Have fun with on this day!)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;10&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Human Rights Day &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;13&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Day of the Horse&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;16&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; National Chocolate-covered Anything Day (Ummm, I thought this was everyday!)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;17&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Clean Air Day&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;21&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; World Peace Day/Solstice&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;26&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; National Whiner's Day &amp;nbsp;(For all of the listings)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;28 &amp;amp; 29&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; National Chocolate Day ( So good it had to have 2 days!)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;31 &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Make Up Your Mind Day (Every homebuyer on this day WILL write an offer!)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;31&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; No Interruptions Day ( Tell that to the kids!)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HAPPY ALL OF THESE DAYS TO YOU!&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Williasmburg Real Estate&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;755-753-7472&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Long and Foster, Realtors&amp;reg;&lt;br /&gt;6610-J Mooretown Road&lt;br /&gt;Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:55:12 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/815081/fun-days-in-december-ho-ho-ho-</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/814369/the-gift-of-giving</guid>
      <title>The Gift of Giving</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Bodoni MT;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;TIS THE SEASON TO GIVE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Holidays can be hectic. &amp;nbsp;There's shopping, cooking, traveling and of course the every day details of life. &amp;nbsp;During this time of the year, people's minds are not focused on donating blood. That can mean area blood supplies can reach critical levels. &amp;nbsp;Winter months, just like the summer months, especially around the holidays, are tough times for blood collection. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to the Red Cross website, blood types O-positive and B-negative are at critical levels. &amp;nbsp;Blood types including A and B-positive and O and A-negative is the most needed and most requested by hospitals because it is the universal blood type.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to the American Red Cross, only 5% of people who could give blood actually do. Blood can be donated every 56 days, and is used in a variety of health and trauma situations. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;To give blood:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;You must be at least 17 years old (or 16 with a parent's consent).&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Minimum weight of 110lbs.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;You must have not donated whole blood in 8 weeks (56 days) or double red cells in 16 weeks (112 days).&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;You must be healthy, well enough for normal activities.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;During the holiday season, the need for blood actually goes up because of the increased number of people on the roads, which can lead to more traffic-related incidents and accidents.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;THE GREATEST GIFT YOU CAN GIVE IS THE GIFT OF LIFE...DONATE BLOOD!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;For more in-depth guidelines or to find out where you can donate in your town, visit the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.redcross.org&quot; title=&quot;Red Cross&quot;&gt;Red Cross website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Williasmburg Real Estate&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;757-753-7472&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;6610-J Mooretown Road&lt;br /&gt;Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:15:00 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/814369/the-gift-of-giving</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/812640/holiday-concerts-in-williamsburg</guid>
      <title>Holiday Concerts in WILLIAMSBURG</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Bodoni MT;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;HOLIDAY CONCERTS in WILLIAMSBURG @ William &amp;amp; Mary&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;If Thanksgiving did not get you into the holiday spirit, try a little music! &amp;nbsp;The College of William &amp;amp; Mary is sponsoring a number of holiday concerts that will surely get your sleigh bells ringing!&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Wednesday, December 3, 8 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;William &amp;amp; Mary Symphony Orchestra&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Akiko Fujimoto, conductor&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &quot;Carmen&quot; Fantasy by Saraste featuring Renowned violinist Charles Castleman and Johannes Brahms' Symphony&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; No. 4 in E minor&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $8 general/$2 students/free for children under 12&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Thursday, December 4, 8 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;William &amp;amp; Mary Wind Symphony&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Angela Holt, conductor&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Holiday musical journey from America, around the world and back to America, with a special appearance by the &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; W&amp;amp;M Middle Eastern Ensemble.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; $7 general/$3 students and seniors&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Friday, December 5-6, 8 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;William &amp;amp; Mary Choir, Women's Chorus &amp;amp; Botetourt Chamber Singers&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Brian Bailey, conductor&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Choral Holiday Concert of music by Mendelssohn, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Durufl&amp;egrave;, Vaughan Williams and more!&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; $10 general/$5 students&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Saturday, December 20, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. &amp;amp; December 21, 2 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The Virginia Regial Ballet and Heidi Robitshek presents:&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The Nutcracker! &amp;nbsp;A Spectacular Williamsburg tradition for over 30 years!&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;All at the Phi Betta Kappa Memorial Hall, 601 Jamestown Rd, Williamsburg. &amp;nbsp;Call 757-221-2674 for more information.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Happy Holidays to All!&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Williasmburg Real Estate&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;757-753-7472&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Long and Foster Realtors&amp;reg;&lt;br /&gt;6610-J Mooretown Road&lt;br /&gt;Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2008 13:30:52 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/812640/holiday-concerts-in-williamsburg</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/809865/wordless-wednesday-</guid>
      <title>WORDLESS WEDNESDAY...</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;WORDLESS WEDNESDAY&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/2/0/3/1/ar122774047213023.JPG&quot; height=&quot;333&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Williasmburg Real Estate&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;757-753-7472&lt;br /&gt;Long and Foster Realtors&amp;reg;&lt;br /&gt;6610-J Mooretown Road&lt;br /&gt;Williamsburg, VA 23188&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:04:11 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/809865/wordless-wednesday-</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/809809/use-it-or-lose-it-</guid>
      <title>USE IT OR LOSE IT!</title>
      <description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Book Antiqua;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;USE IT OR LOSE IT!!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Many &lt;strong&gt;Seniors&lt;/strong&gt; are acting on the use-it-or lose-it theory and taking advantage of local opportunities to &lt;strong&gt;strengthen mental capacity&lt;/strong&gt; and build social connections. &amp;nbsp;Participating in activities that stimulate the mind has shown to decrease dementia in aging adults. &amp;nbsp;The goal is to continue &lt;strong&gt;challenging your mind&lt;/strong&gt; after retirement to maintain full mental capacity. &amp;nbsp;Just as lifting weights builds muscle, mental exercise builds brainpower. &amp;nbsp;Modern seniors no longer have to spend days confined to the house and instead can continue to &lt;strong&gt;remain vital&lt;/strong&gt; parts of the local community.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Historic Triangle Senior Center, which is part of the &lt;strong&gt;James City-Williamsburg Community Center&lt;/strong&gt;, offers trips, computer classes, sewing classes, dances, and luncheons to people over 55. &amp;nbsp;There is no cost for most activities. &amp;nbsp;The Senior Center leaders say that &lt;strong&gt;building social connections helps to ward off depression and declining health in senior populations. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Senior Center of York County offers the &lt;strong&gt;AARP Driver Safety Program&lt;/strong&gt;. &amp;nbsp;Seniors can also participate in the &lt;strong&gt;Computer Club,&lt;/strong&gt; which helps them become more familiar with computer programs and navigating the internet. &amp;nbsp;They have programs to help educate seniors on public issues, such as health care, crime prevention, and advice on planning for the future. &amp;nbsp;There's a monthly &lt;strong&gt;Cultural Day&lt;/strong&gt; that informs seniors on programs of art, entertainment, or special educational interest.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;KEEP THE WHEELS SPINNING!&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, Senior Real Estate Specialist&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Williasmburg Real Estate&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;757-753-7472&lt;br /&gt;6610-J Mooretown Road&lt;br /&gt;Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:16:09 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/809809/use-it-or-lose-it-</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/807640/fun-craft-for-children-you-this-thanksgiving-</guid>
      <title>FUN Craft for Children (&amp; YOU) this Thanksgiving!</title>
      <description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Verdana; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;FUN Craft for CHILDREN (&amp;amp; YOU) this Thanksgiving!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;Make Tin Can Thanksgiving Turkeys!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img title=&quot;Happy Turkey Day!&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/0/6/7/6/ar122763815367606.jpg&quot; height=&quot;147&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;170&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Save a tin can and after cleaning it out well, cover the entire tin can with brown construction paper. &amp;nbsp;Cut out the turkey's features - feet, eyes, goggler and beak from different colors of construction paper and attach with glue. &amp;nbsp;Don't forget the turkey's tail feathers. &amp;nbsp;Glue them on the back of the tin can. &amp;nbsp;You can also use markers for highlights. &amp;nbsp;Tin Can Turkeys are great to use as place markers at your Thanksgiving dinner table.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wishing you all a joyous and thankful Thanksgiving from Colonial Williamsburg!&lt;img title=&quot;Happy Turkey Day!&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/5/8/5/8/ar122763821985856.jpg&quot; height=&quot;137&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;170&quot; style=&quot;float: right;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Williasmburg Real Estate&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;757-753-7472&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Long and Foster Realtors&amp;reg;&lt;br /&gt;6610-J Mooretown Road&lt;br /&gt;Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:41:45 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/807640/fun-craft-for-children-you-this-thanksgiving-</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/806554/top-10-reasons-to-visit-the-black-angus-in-williamsburg-</guid>
      <title>Top 10 Reasons to Visit The Black Angus in WILLIAMSBURG!</title>
      <description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;TOP 10 REASONS To Visit The BLACK ANGUS GRILLE&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;1. &amp;nbsp;A new lighter fare menu priced at &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;$10.00&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. &amp;nbsp;New local pricing for the complete menu that is comparable to chain restaurant pricing. &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Prices &lt;/span&gt;remain &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;consistent all year &lt;/span&gt;round.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. &amp;nbsp;99% of the complete menu is &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;made from scratch&lt;/span&gt;; no prepackaged and proportioned soups, sauces, steaks, seafood, pasta or desserts.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4. &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Unlimited combinations&lt;/span&gt; of beef, seafood, pasta, pork, lamb, veal and poultry.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5. &amp;nbsp;All menu &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;items prepared &lt;/span&gt;with a lack of pretension or fuss with a careful focus on each ingredient and its true flavor without showing off!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;6. &amp;nbsp;No &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;performance art&lt;/span&gt; cooking. &amp;nbsp;No squeeze bottle squirts on plates, no frilly presentations, no overstated menu descriptions. &amp;nbsp;The &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;food speaks for itself&lt;/span&gt; and it speaks with clarity.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;7. &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Casual upscale ambiance&lt;/span&gt; for the comfort of the discerning or casual diner.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;8. &amp;nbsp;An excellent &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;wine&lt;/span&gt; list!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;9. &amp;nbsp;Chef/proprietor is a &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Culinary Institute of America&lt;/span&gt; alumnus.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;10. &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Open flame grilling &lt;/span&gt;for all steaks. seafood, veal, poultry, lamb and pork.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;HUNGRY YET?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Hurry up &amp;amp; get to the Black Angus Grille at 1433 Richmond Road, Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188. &amp;nbsp;Call 229-6823 for Reservations.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Williasmburg Real Estate&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;757-753-7472&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Long and Foster Realtors&amp;reg;&lt;br /&gt;6610-J Mooertown Road&lt;br /&gt;Williasmburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:41:04 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/806554/top-10-reasons-to-visit-the-black-angus-in-williamsburg-</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/803458/change-is-good-often-needed-</guid>
      <title>CHANGE is GOOD &amp; Often Needed!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Californian FB; color: #330033;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;CHANGE is GOOD &amp;amp; Sometimes Needed&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Sesasons &amp;nbsp;Change&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;People Change&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Life Happens&lt;/span&gt;. &amp;nbsp;Nothings stays the same: change is a given. &amp;nbsp;Change means letting go, reflecting on the past and moving on. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whether it's changing a residence, changing careers, changing in your personal life - &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;change is important&lt;/span&gt;. &amp;nbsp;It's &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;healthy&lt;/span&gt;, c&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;onstructive &lt;/span&gt;and&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt; worth while&lt;/span&gt;. &amp;nbsp;It leads to innovation and improvement. &amp;nbsp;Yet, many of us would also agree that we tend to keep the status quo because it's comfortable, known, easy and familiar.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our cerebral baggage weighs us down during change. &amp;nbsp;We need to &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;remove this old data&lt;/span&gt; from our memory banks and &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;free up space&lt;/span&gt; for more productive alternatives. &amp;nbsp;Make room for the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;GOOD&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;STUFF&lt;/span&gt;...the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;RIGHT STUFF&lt;/span&gt;!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So as we/I enter into this season of change...be strong enough to withstand the losses that you will incur when you make a big move, embrace them and celebrate the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;NEW BEGINNINGS&lt;/span&gt;!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Search Williamsburg Homes for sale&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;757-753-7472&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Long and Foster Realtors&amp;reg;&lt;br /&gt;6610-J Mooretown Road&lt;br /&gt;Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 22 Nov 2008 20:50:44 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/803458/change-is-good-often-needed-</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/802333/thinking-of-renting-here-is-what-you-should-know</guid>
      <title>Thinking of renting - Here is what you should know</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, here's a well written post for those people choosing to RENT.&amp;nbsp; It can very easily be applied to WILLIAMSBURG VA.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Thanks to &lt;a href=&quot;http://activerain.com/blogs/jfive&quot; title=&quot;Mid Hudson Valley NY&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Jennifer Fivelsdal!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Yvette Smith&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Search Williamsburg Homes for sale&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;757-753-7472&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;reblogging_tag&quot;&gt;Via &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rhinebeckliving.com/post/792453/Thinking-of-renting-Here-is-what-you-should-know&quot;&gt;Jennifer  Fivelsdal, Rhinebeck NY&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;:&lt;br/&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;These days in the&amp;nbsp;Dutchess County&amp;nbsp;area there are many homes or apartments for rent.&amp;nbsp; The rental inventory has been added to by homeowners who have not been successful in getting their property sold and are &amp;nbsp;now resorting to the rental option.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Why people rent:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Increasing foreclosures and short sales leave displaced households still needing a place to live. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People wanting to buy are unable to qualify for a mortgage. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People moving to the area&amp;nbsp;are opting to rent as they watch to see how the present economic condition plays out. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Divorce. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Many colleges continue to have the need for off-campus housing. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Temporary relocation. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Terms you will encounter in the rental market:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The owner will be called the &lt;strong&gt;landlord or lessor&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The person renting is the &lt;strong&gt;tenant or lessee&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In some cases the landlord will request a &lt;strong&gt;guarantor- &lt;/strong&gt;this is more common where students are involved.&amp;nbsp; This person will pay past due rent or damages in the event the student fails to do so.&amp;nbsp; Parents are usually the guarantors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When renting an apartment or other property,&amp;nbsp;the landlord will request a rental application&amp;nbsp;that will ask for &lt;strong&gt;references.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt; Your authorization will also be requested so that a &lt;strong&gt;credit check&lt;/strong&gt; can be made.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If your application is accepted a&lt;strong&gt; security/deposit&lt;/strong&gt; will be requested.&amp;nbsp; This will usually be 2-3 months of the agreed upon monthly rental.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The lease options should also be discussed.&amp;nbsp; Some landlords will do a month-to-month rental however the norm is for at least a years lease.&amp;nbsp; These days, because of the present housing market conditions we are noticing more leases with the option to purchase.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you intend to paint the apartment or are considering making&amp;nbsp;any type of improvement you must consult the landlord.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The landlord should provide you with &lt;strong&gt;disclosures&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp; If the house was built prior to 1978, you should get a lead disclosure.&amp;nbsp; Make sure that there are also fire and carbon monoxide detectors present in the unit.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It is important to discuss upfront who pays for utlities as well as&amp;nbsp;what maintenace will be provided by the landlord. This should all be&amp;nbsp;written into the agreement.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You should also be told what the penalty is for being late with the rent,&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;returned checks, as will as how the &lt;strong&gt;termination of lease&lt;/strong&gt; will be handled.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Before moving in you should walk through with the landlord to note any problems, such as broken windows, damage to walls etc.&amp;nbsp; It might be a good idea to take a before picture or video to cover yourself.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind the landlord's insurance will not cover your personal property so it is a good idea to get&amp;nbsp;your own&amp;nbsp;renter's insurance.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;One major concern for many looking for a rental is finding a house&amp;nbsp;or apartment that is pet friendly. This can be a real challenge.&amp;nbsp; Some landlords will not accept pets because in some cases it affects the cost of the property insurance.&amp;nbsp; One idea is to let the landlord know what type of pet it is and sometimes a small pet is acceptable.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jfivehomes.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;By Jennifer Fivelsdal&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; Keller Williams Realty Team - 845-758-6842&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FIND A HOME OR RENTAL &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://midhudsonhomevalue.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HERE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:08:26 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/802333/thinking-of-renting-here-is-what-you-should-know</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/802285/top-10-home-safety-tips</guid>
      <title>TOP 10 HOME SAFETY TIPS</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Book Antiqua; color: #333333;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Top 10 HOME SAFETY TIPS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;You can never have too many home safety tips. &amp;nbsp;So, here's a really cool tool! &amp;nbsp;You can take a safety tour through a virtual home. &amp;nbsp; On the tour, you'll go to each room and learn about leading home dangers and how to keep your family safe. &amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;http://MySafeHome.org&quot;&gt;MySafeHome.org&lt;/a&gt; features state-of-the-art digital motion graphics animation, bringing home safety to life.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;I've listed the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;TOP 10 Home Safety Tips&lt;/span&gt;:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;1. Install &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;smoke alarms &lt;/span&gt;on every level of your home and outside every sleeping area. Test them monthly. If your smoke alarms are 10 years old or more, replace them. If you build or remodel your home, install fire sprinklers.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;2. Develop a &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;fire escape plan&lt;/span&gt; for your family: Point out two exits from each room, pick a meeting spot outside, and hold a fire drill at least twice a year.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;3. Always &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;stay in the kitchen&lt;/span&gt; while food is cooking on the stove.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;4. Keep all stairways, paths and walkways &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;well lit&lt;/span&gt;. Use railing.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;5. Install grab bars in bath and shower stalls, and use a&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt; non-slip mat&lt;/span&gt; or adhesive safety strips inside &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;bathtubs and showers.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;6. Post the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;National Poison Control Hotline Number (1-800-222-1222) &lt;/span&gt;and other emergency numbers next to every phone in your home.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;7. Install &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;child locks&lt;/span&gt; on all cabinets used to store dangerous items such as poisons, matches and lighters. Install carbon monoxide alarms.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;8. Keep your &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;water heater setting at 120 degrees&lt;/span&gt; Fahrenheit or less.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;9. Install four-sided &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;pool fencing &lt;/span&gt;with self-locking and self-closing gates. Fencing should completely isolate the pool from the home and be at least 5 feet high.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;10. Constantly &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;supervise children &lt;/span&gt;in or near bodies of water such as pools, ponds, bathtubs, toilets and buckets.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Stay Alert, Stay Alive!&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Courtsy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Search Williamsburg Homes for sale&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WILLIASMBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;757-753-7472&lt;br /&gt;Long &amp;amp; Foster Realtors&lt;br /&gt;6610-J Mooretown Road&lt;br /&gt;Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:18:31 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/802285/top-10-home-safety-tips</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/802211/williamsburg-extraordinary-excellence-</guid>
      <title>WILLIAMSBURG - EXTRAORDINARY EXCELLENCE!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold; color: #009900; font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG - EXTRAORDINARY EXCELLENCE!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #009900; font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;The &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;City of Williamsburg's Public Works and Utilities Shop Complex&lt;/span&gt; has received a prestigious award from Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality. The Complex has been designated an &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&quot;Extraordinary Environmental Enterprise&quot;&lt;/span&gt; under the Virginia Environment Excellence Program. &amp;nbsp;The designation, which has been given out just six times in the state since the program was established in 2005, is reserved for facilities with a fully implemented environmental management system (verified independently) and committed measures for continuous and sustainable environmental progress and community involvement.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #009900; font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;The City's Public Works Department is the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;only public works department in the state &lt;/span&gt;to be recognized with such a designation. The other Extraordinary Environmental Enterprise honorees are the Hopewell Cogeneration Facility, Micron Technology in Manassas, Philip Morris USA in Chester, Volvo Trucks North America in Dublin, and the City of Charlottesville's Department of Parks and Recreation.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #009900;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;VEEP&lt;/span&gt;, a program of Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality was established in 2005 by the Virginia General Assembly to encourage superior environmental performance through the development and implementation of environmental management systems and pollution prevention efforts. &amp;nbsp;VEEP promotes environmental excellence by encouraging public and private facilities within the Commonwealth that have strong environmental records to go above and beyond their legal requirements.Any Virginia facility that affects the environment through its operations, activities, processes and location is eligible to participate in VEEP.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #009900;&quot;&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt; Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Search Williamsburg Homes for sale&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;757-753-7472&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Long &amp;amp; Foster Realtors&lt;br /&gt;6610-J Mooretown Road&lt;br /&gt;Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:21:48 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/802211/williamsburg-extraordinary-excellence-</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/802161/change</guid>
      <title>CHANGE</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Broadway; color: #ff0000;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot;&gt;CHANGE...&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot;&gt;CHANGE is GOOD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;YVETTE&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;SMITH&lt;/span&gt; HAS MADE A CHANGE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot;&gt;TO &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold; font-family: Century;&quot;&gt;LONG AND FOSTER REALTORS!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot;&gt;HERE'S TO...&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot;&gt;NEW &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot;&gt;BEGINNINGS!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century; font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://activerain.com/blogs/cheesemanhomes&quot; title=&quot;Search Williamsburg MLS&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold; font-family: Century;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot;&gt;757-753-7472&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot;&gt;Long and Foster REALTORS&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot;&gt;6610-J Mooretown Road&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot;&gt;Williamsburg, VA &amp;nbsp;23188&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Century;&quot;&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:31:28 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/802161/change</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/797305/homeownership-workshop-in-williamsburg</guid>
      <title>Homeownership Workshop in Williamsburg</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;Homeownership Workshop in YORK COUNTY&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot; /&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot; /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;The York County Division of Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization is offering&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;a Virginia Housing Development Authority &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Homeownership Education&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Workshop&lt;/span&gt; on&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt; SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22&lt;/span&gt; from 9a.m. to 4p.m. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;in the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Community Services Conference Room&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;located at&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;224 Ballard Street&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: normal; font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;The workshop will cover &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Personal Finances&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Credit Reports&lt;/span&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Credit Issues&lt;/span&gt;, the role of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Lenders&lt;/span&gt;, your relationship with your &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Real Estate Agent&lt;/span&gt;, the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Fair Housing Act of Virginia&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Home Inspections&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Loan Closing&lt;/span&gt; and &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Home Inspections.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: normal; font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;To register for this workshop or for more information, call 757-890-3885&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;This is certain to be an extremely informative event. &amp;nbsp;Make certain to check it out!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Search Williamsburg Homes for sale&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;757-753-7472&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:20:39 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/797305/homeownership-workshop-in-williamsburg</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/795794/life-does-get-better-after-50-</guid>
      <title>Life DOES Get BETTER After 50!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Bookman Old Style; font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;Life DOES Get BETTER After 50!&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h4 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Here's were getting older is &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;GREAT&lt;/span&gt;! &amp;nbsp;Why? &amp;nbsp;Discounts, of course! &amp;nbsp;Starting at around age 50, there's an abundance of bargains from entertainment to travel; and from eductation&amp;nbsp;to health care. &amp;nbsp;Most everyone is watching their wallets these days, retired or not.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aarp.org/aarp_benefits/&quot; title=&quot;AARP benefits&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;AARP&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/a&gt;offers consistent savings. &amp;nbsp;It has a sliding scale on membership fees, depending on how many years you choose. For example, it's currently $12.50 for a year, $39.95 for five years. &amp;nbsp;Membership is available to those 50 years and older. AARP also has discounts for health care and insurance in addition to entertainment and travel. &amp;nbsp;Savings upto 25% on rental cars, 10% off at Borders book stores, and from 3 to 8 dollars on admission to Busch Gardens (days vary). &amp;nbsp;These discounts cannot be used in conjunction with other discounts. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h4 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;dropcap_large&quot; style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style;&quot;&gt;Hungry? &amp;nbsp;There are various restuarants that offer discounts to seniors. Now, you have to check eligibilty as all franchises may not offer the same discounts. They may also require identification. &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;McDonald's&lt;/strong&gt; typically offers half-price coffee to seniors who request it. &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Wendy's&lt;/strong&gt; has the same offer, but for 10% less. &lt;strong&gt;IHOP &lt;/strong&gt;gives 10% off&amp;nbsp;regular menu items to those 55 and older; and at different locations on one night per week, entrees are 50% off. &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Pierce's Pitt Bar-B-Que&lt;/strong&gt; in &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aarp.org/aarp_benefits/&quot; title=&quot;Retirement in Williamsburg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;, offers a 10% discount to 55 and better as well.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;div id=&quot;story-body-parent&quot; style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style; font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em class=&quot;leadin&quot;&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Many grocery stores offer 5% off their bills to those 55 and better (older) who shop on specific days. &amp;nbsp;At &lt;strong&gt;Kroger,&lt;/strong&gt; it's Tuesdays and at &lt;strong&gt;Harris Teeter's&lt;/strong&gt; it's Thursdays. &amp;nbsp;Farm Fresh stores offer the same deal twice a week, every Tuesday and Thursday. &amp;nbsp;The discount includes beer and wine, but does not apply to prescriptions, fuel or tobacco.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;rail&quot; style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style; font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;em class=&quot;b&quot; style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rite-Aid&lt;/strong&gt; has a variety of discounts for 55 plus who enroll in the Living More program &amp;nbsp;(no fee). &amp;nbsp;Being in that program allows seniors to get 20% off entire store purchases the first Tuesday of every month and 10% off on other Tuesdays; 10% off Rite Aid brands every day; and 10 % off cash prescriptions every day. &amp;nbsp;At the &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.primeoutlets.com/locations/williamsburg.aspx&quot; title=&quot;SHOP til you DROP!&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Prime Outlets&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; in &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://activerain.com/blogsview/621461/RETIRE-IN-WILLIAMSBURG-VA&quot; title=&quot;Retiring in Williamsburg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;, offers a 10% discount on purchases on Tuesdays at 34 stores to ages 55 and up (Prime Time shoppers).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em class=&quot;b&quot;&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;The &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+TOC23000000004000050000000&quot; title=&quot;Senior Cititzens Higher Ed. Act&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Senior Citizens Higher Education Act&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt; allows Virginia residents, age 60 and older, to audit courses at Virginia public colleges and universities at &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;NO CHARGE&lt;/span&gt;. &amp;nbsp;Seniors must meet the admission requirements and are accepted to classes on a space available basis. &amp;nbsp;Lower income seniors may have tuition fees waived for credit bearing classes.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;h4 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;At 55, people become eligible to participate in &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.elderhostel.org/&quot; title=&quot;Elderhotstel&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Elderhostel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt; with its educational travel opportunities. &amp;nbsp;Spouses and companions going along need only be 50 years old.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div id=&quot;story-body-parent2&quot; style=&quot;font-family: Bookman Old Style; font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h4 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;em class=&quot;leadin&quot;&gt;&lt;/em&gt;These are just some samples of why it's great to be &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;55 and BETTER&lt;/span&gt;!! &amp;nbsp;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;h4 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Search Williamsburg Homes for sale&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;757-753-747&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;em class=&quot;b&quot;&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:17:27 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/795794/life-does-get-better-after-50-</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/793382/how-not-to-burn-the-house-down-part-2</guid>
      <title>How NOT To Burn the House Down!  Part 2</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Candara; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;How NOT To Burn The House Down..&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;from the Inside!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Wood Burning Safety Indoors&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Part 2&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;HOUSE FIRE&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/5/9/7/6/ar122689464767957.jpg&quot; height=&quot;301&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Welcome back! &amp;nbsp;Now, once your sure that your heating unit is in perfect working order and clean for the upcoming season, there are other safety precautions to take around the stove or fireplace itself.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;WOOD LOGS&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/2/5/7/2/ar122689454627526.jpg&quot; height=&quot;126&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;190&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;First of all, &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;watch what you burn&lt;/span&gt;. &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Use&lt;/span&gt; only &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;seasoned wood &lt;/span&gt;and &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;kindling&lt;/span&gt;. &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Never use flammable liquid &lt;/span&gt;to start your fires, such as gasoline, lighter fluid or kerosene. Though it may be tempting, never burn wood that has been treated, plastics or other garbage. Not only can they emit poisonous fumes into your home and into the air outside, but they can cause corrosion in the heater, vent and chimneys. Watching what you burn can extend the life of all parts of your wood-burning system.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Make sure there is an &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;adequate clearance of flammable materials&lt;/span&gt; around your stove or fireplace indoors. There must be floor protector under and all around your wood stove or fireplace. This is to ensure that hot ashes, sparks, and coals do not land on flammable flooring surfaces, such as wood, carpet or linoleum. Not only does the floor protector keep your floors from catching fire, but they also provide a stable base for a heavy woodstove. Nonflammable materials such as stone, brick, or even prefabricated floor protectors are available in many home improvement stores, but check your local codes before installing.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Remember &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;not to clutter the area &lt;/span&gt;close to your wood stove or fireplace with magazines, newspapers, dry kindling or other combustible items. Backpacks wet from the rain can quickly dry and ignite, clothing hung over fire screens can also catch fire, for instance. Even Christmas stockings and garlands have caught fire when hung on the mantel over the fireplace.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Start &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;educating children&lt;/span&gt; early about &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;staying away &lt;img title=&quot;KEEP OUT&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/8/3/7/3/ar122689511337382.jpg&quot; height=&quot;54&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;70&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;from and playing around the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;stove or fireplace&lt;/span&gt;. Since very young children are extremely curious, the parent is responsible for making sure the area is blocked from them via enclosures made of wrought iron or glass inserts. When visiting homes without these enclosures, supervise young children at all times.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Part of educating older children in the safe use of wood-burning stoves and fireplaces is &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;teaching them how to use fire extinguishers&lt;img title=&quot;Fire Extinguisher&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/6/2/8/6/ar122689534468268.jpg&quot; height=&quot;137&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;82&quot; /&gt;,&lt;/span&gt; and then have them around. Purchase UL-listed extinguishers that are the right type. Make sure the family knows where they are, that they are charged, and that they know how to use them.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;A more recent safety device that is great for homes burning wood is a &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;carbon monoxide detector&lt;/span&gt;. This measures the air inside the house and goes off if the carbon monoxide levels are too high. Use as the manufacturer recommends and at recommended intervals in your home.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Finally, an adequate number of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;working smoke detectors&lt;/span&gt; is essential. Many people test theirs every time they turn their clocks back or ahead. &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;No home should be without them.&lt;/span&gt; Once your wood-burning system has been inspected, and safety concerns have been addressed and rectified, then you can look forward to a worry-free, cozy season of home-warming wood heat.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Search Williamsburg Homes for sale&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;757-753-7472&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:17:51 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/793382/how-not-to-burn-the-house-down-part-2</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/792271/colonial-williamsburg-on-a-beautiful-fall-day-</guid>
      <title>COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG on a BEAUTIFUL Fall Day!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h1 style=&quot;font-family: Candara; font-style: italic;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #660000;&quot;&gt;It was a beautiful day today in WILLIAMSBURG VIRIGNIA. &amp;nbsp;I took my boys to Colonial Williamsburg for a little play &amp;amp; frolic.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;It was 75 degrees with warm winds blowing.&amp;nbsp; Lots of people had the same idea...to enjoy one of Williamsburg's greatest pleasures!!!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-family: Candara; font-style: italic;&quot;&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colonial Williamsburg&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/0/0/7/5/ar122681217257002.JPG&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-family: Candara; font-style: italic;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-family: Candara; font-style: italic;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img title=&quot;CW in the Fall&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/2/8/3/2/ar122681269423822.JPG&quot; height=&quot;207&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;310&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-family: Candara; font-style: italic;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-family: Candara; font-style: italic;&quot;&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;CW in the Fall&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/5/1/2/3/ar122681297632153.JPG&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img title=&quot;Smith Boys&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/6/3/1/1/ar122681308211365.JPG&quot; height=&quot;133&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-family: Candara; font-style: italic;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-family: Candara; font-style: italic;&quot;&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colonial Williamsburg&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/4/1/3/0/ar122681320103142.JPG&quot; height=&quot;227&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;340&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-style: italic; font-family: Candara; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colonial Williamsburg&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/1/8/5/ar122681347458111.JPG&quot; height=&quot;187&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;280&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-style: italic; font-family: Candara; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colonial Williamsburg&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/4/7/7/6/ar1226813567747.JPG&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-style: italic; font-family: Candara; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-style: italic; font-family: Candara; text-align: right;&quot;&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Smith Boys&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/3/7/9/1/ar122681366919734.JPG&quot; height=&quot;193&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;290&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-style: italic; font-family: Candara; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-style: italic; font-family: Candara; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.mylivesignature.com/signatures/54486/175/0BCD2FE2092344BFD08EC70E3DE1BABA.png&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h1 style=&quot;font-family: Candara; font-style: italic;&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Courtesy of &lt;strong&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.athomeinwilliamsburg.com/&quot; title=&quot;Search Williamsburg Homes for sale&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;757-753-7472&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h1&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:39:53 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/792271/colonial-williamsburg-on-a-beautiful-fall-day-</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/790981/how-not-to-burn-the-house-down-part-1</guid>
      <title>How NOT To Burn The House Down!  Part 1</title>
      <description>&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img title=&quot;House Fire&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/2/7/7/5/ar122672501257729.jpg&quot; height=&quot;170&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;113&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Candara; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;How NOT To Burn The House Down..&lt;br /&gt;From the Outside!&lt;br /&gt;Wood Burning Safety Outdoors&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Part 1&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Keep the home fires burning without &lt;strong&gt;setting the house on fire&lt;/strong&gt;. When cold weather hits, it&amp;rsquo;s time to budget for higher electric or gas heating bills. Others will lay in a supply of coal. But many people will be using the cord of wood they bought last summer to heat their homes, either with a &lt;strong&gt;woodstove&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;fireplace &lt;/strong&gt;or other wood-burning heating device. If you&amp;rsquo;re using a wood-burning device, there are steps you can take to ensure that your wood fires will be safe ones even if you&amp;rsquo;ve already begun using your wood burner for the season.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Up to Code?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;The&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt; first step&lt;/span&gt; is to make sure that your wood burner has been installed properly in the first place. Most places have strict codes regarding the installation of wood-burning devices, and with good reason. If you&amp;rsquo;re not sure whether or not your device has been inspected, contact the proper authorities in your area to make sure.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Start at the Top&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img title=&quot;Chimney&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/9/6/7/3/ar122672534237695.jpg&quot; height=&quot;113&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;170&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Assuming installation is correct; begin each season by &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;starting at the top&lt;/span&gt;. This means chimney and roof care. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are about 45,000 chimney fires each year. &amp;nbsp;So many of these could be prevented with proper maintenance and cleaning of the chimney. &amp;nbsp;Look around your chimney. Are there dried leaves or pine needles on the roof? If so, time to get out the push broom and clear the roof. Are there limbs overhanging the chimney area? Prune them away.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get a Professional Inspection&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Whether you have a metal or masonry chimney, begin with a visual &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;inspection&lt;/span&gt;, preferably by a professional, so that the gases and smoke from your fire will vent as they should. &amp;nbsp;On a masonry chimney, look to see that the spark screen and rain cap are nice and tight (remember, winter weather can be intense). Make sure there are no cracks in the bricks on the chimney. If there are, make sure you repair them properly. Hiring a professional allows them to check creosote levels, for example, if your clearances are up to code, if the clean-out door is on tight, if the flue liner is not damaged, and that there are no obstructions in the chimney, such as nests that birds so often build there.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img title=&quot;Inspection&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/0/8/0/6/ar122672558560809.jpg&quot; height=&quot;170&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;113&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;For &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;factory-built metal chimneys&lt;/span&gt;, the rain cap and spark screen should be secure. The &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;chimney braces&lt;/span&gt; should all be &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;securely attached to your house&lt;/span&gt;. Check all fasteners. There should be no signs of corrosion. If you find some, &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;replace &lt;/span&gt;the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;corroded portions &lt;/span&gt;with new materials. Is each section of the chimney secure? If not, secure them immediately. If any cracks are present, do not use your woodstove until they have been professionally repaired.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;A professional will also be able to double &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;check &lt;/span&gt;your &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;clearances&lt;/span&gt;, that the wall pass through is installed and meets code, that the chimney is adequately supported at the bottom, and that the stovepipe is free of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creosote&quot; title=&quot;What is Creosote?&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;creosote&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;. Creosote can become a problem if not cleaned out. It can ignite if it builds up. You can reduce your likelihood of building up too much creosote by not burning unseasoned wood and by avoiding slow smoldering, smoky fires. It can also vary based on the kind of heating unit you have, the type of chimney, and the draft. If there is more than 1/8- to 1/4-inch creosote buildup, it&amp;rsquo;s time to clean. Though there are some chemical creosote cleaners on the market, they can only help in reducing the total amount of creosote. They will not replace a thorough cleaning.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Stay tuned for Part 2 where I will talk about Wood Safety Indoors.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;strong&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Search Williamsburg Homes for sale&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;757-753-7472&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;color: #993300;&quot;&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;color: #993300;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:10:45 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/790981/how-not-to-burn-the-house-down-part-1</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/786305/leaf-collection-in-city-of-williamsburg-</guid>
      <title>LEAF COLLECTION IN CITY of WILLIAMSBURG </title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center; font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;Leaf Collection in the CITY OF WILLIAMSBURG&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;LEAF COLLECTION&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/1/8/2/2/ar122650968922816.jpg&quot; height=&quot;170&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;112&quot; /&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;I live in the City of Williamsburg. &amp;nbsp;Is there anyone who can help me with collecting my bagged leaves? &amp;nbsp;How much will it cost me?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Sure thing and at no cost to you! &amp;nbsp;The &lt;strong&gt;City of Williamsburg&lt;/strong&gt; has begun its 2008 leaf collection.&amp;nbsp; They offer collection for both piled and bagged leaves.&amp;nbsp; There are four collections for each route from November through December to pick up unbagged leaves. Each street on each route will be collected only once during the week.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;The City is divided into &lt;strong&gt;two collection routes&lt;/strong&gt;,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Red&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Blue&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;. The Red Route includes Skipwith Farms, Piney Creek, Longhill Woods, Savannah Green, Wales, Ironbound Road, Richmond Road, Matoaka Court, College Terrace, W. Williamsburg Heights, Lafayette Street, Crispus Attucks, Highland Park, Scotland St, Braxton Ct, Pinecrest, Capitol Landing Rd, Page Street, Brandywyne, Haynes Drive, Forest Hills, Penniman Road, York St, Pocahontas St., and Powhatan St. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Red Route collection weeks: collection 1, Nov. 3-7; &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;collection 2&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Nov. 17-21&lt;/span&gt;; &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;collection 3&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Dec. 1-5&lt;/span&gt;; &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;final collection&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Dec. 15-19&lt;/span&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Have your leaves raked to the street by &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;7 a.m.&lt;/span&gt; on these &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Mondays&lt;/span&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Nov. 17, Dec. 1 and Dec. 15.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;The &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Blue Route &lt;/span&gt;includes Jamestown Road, South Henry Street, Strawberry Plains, Walnut Hills/Millneck/John Tyler Hwy, The Woods, Holly Hills, Holly Hills Carriage Homes, Rolfe Road, Burns Lane, Indian Springs, Cary Street, Griffin Ave, Chandler Court, Boundary Street, Newport Ave, Mimosa Drive, Richmond Hill, Coves, S. England Street, Tyler Street, and Williamsburg Avenue.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Blue Route collection weeks: collection 1, Nov. 10-14; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold; font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;collection 2, Nov. 24-28&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;c&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;ollection 3, Dec. 8-12&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold; font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;final collection, Dec. 22-26&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Have your leaves raked to the street by &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;7 a.m&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt; on these &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Mondays&lt;/span&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Nov. 24, Dec. 8 and Dec. 22&lt;/span&gt;. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;**&lt;/span&gt;Officials ask that you rake leaf piles to curbside or road edge, not in the street or in drainage way (ditches, swales).&amp;nbsp; Place leaf piles in an open area for easy vacuum truck access. Leaf piles behind vehicles, trees or bushes cannot be picked up.&amp;nbsp; Do not mix twigs or sticks into your leaf piles. In case of rain, crews will pick up on the route where they left off.&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;**&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal; font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;If you miss these collections or prefer to bag your leaves, place bagged leaves curbside on your regular trash collection days. There is a 10-bag limit per collection day. &lt;br /&gt;If you have any questions, please contact public works at (757) 220-6140 or by email at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:pubworks@williamsburgva.gov&quot;&gt;pubworks@williamsburgva.gov&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;article_body&quot; style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;James City County&lt;/strong&gt; offers bagged-leaf collection only during December and January.&amp;nbsp; Visit the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jccegov.com/recycling/leaf-collection.html&quot; title=&quot;James City County Leaf Collection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;county's website&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for details.&amp;nbsp; Residents can bring leaves to the Jolly Pond Convenience Center, though coupons are required.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;article_body&quot; style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;**&lt;/span&gt;Leaves can also be added to compost piles, which cuts down on landfill waste.&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;**&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;article_body&quot; style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Candara;&quot;&gt;Courtesy of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Yvette Smith, SRES&amp;reg; REALTOR&amp;reg;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&quot; title=&quot;Search Williamsburg Homes for sale&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;WILLIAMSBURG REAL ESTATE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;757-753-7472&lt;br /&gt;YvetteSmith@AtHomeInWilliamsburg.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>YVETTE SMITH REALTOR IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WILLIAMSBURG VIRGINIA HOMES FOR SALE (LONG &amp; FOSTER)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:13:31 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/786305/leaf-collection-in-city-of-williamsburg-</link>
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