PennDOT is doing emergency road work on Manoa Road and traffic will be detoured between West Chester Pike and Darby Road. A failure in the storm drain system has caused the road to become unstable and PennDOT is currently working to backfill and repair the road.
Manoa Road will be closed between Rockwood Drive and Naylors Run Road. PennDOT expects to complete the work by Friday, Feb. 10, weather permitting.
If you have any questions, please contact Mike Murphy, PennDOT county maintenance manager at 610-566-0972.
Take a 3 minute break from your Saturday afternoon to watch a well done home video demonstrating proper Texting While Walking Etiquette by Casey Neistat. He uses actors, music, floating arrows and the traffic of New York to make his public service announcement.
It's entertaining and presents the realities of the rudness and dangers that people texting and walking the streets of your town can cause.
The Philadelphia Business Journal is offering a chance for Pennsylvanians to give our relatively new govenor a grade. Yes just like in grade school, you can rate his gubernatorial performance from A to F.
When Tom Corbett took office his platform stood on job creation, economic development in an ever shrinking PA job market and reforming the size and cost of our state government. How do you feel he has lived up to those promises?
As of this afternoon the poll results were this:
If you would like to voice your opinion, it's available to you at this link:
I'm a glass half full sort of person. I'm a realistically optimistic personality type so my statement is not a doom and gloom retort on the fall of the American empire.
I just don't see how lower interest rates are helping our economy if the government is also putting a strangle hold on the throats of potential borrowers. Qualifications for lending mortgage money has taken a drastic turn for the worse since the beginning of this decade. It was too liberal in 2000 and now it's too conservative and totally beyond any shade of prudence.
When I have a qualified buyer, it's a rarity and a pleasure. Unless they want to buy a short sale or REO property and then that is another nightmare of paperwork and procedure.
We need to elect experienced business people to Congress. We need these people to run for Congress.
NO MORE LAWYERS who lobby for laws for self interest programs.
NO MORE RAISES ACROSS THE BOARD FOR CONGRESSMEN BECAUSE THEY HAVE A SEAT AND A PULSE.
We need legislation that stimulates our American economy not overseas jobs.
The lowest mortgage rates in history means nothing when we have the second lowest employment rates since the Great Depression.
It had to be said. You want to make a change? Then begin with your actions.
You want your voice to be heard? Then make sure one action is to vote this November.
The Flufftastic Fairy Says: Make the Most of Your Small Space - the Living Room
We live in a small house, just over 1000 sq feet. It was built in the '40's and has a lot of character, that's why we love it!
Unfortunately there isn't always room for all my stuff...
Many people have the same problem and here are some ideas to make your small Living Room look larger!
Paint the walls and ceiling in the same shade, that way corners and boundaries disappear.
Buy furniture with narrow or no arms. Bulky furniture or wide arms on sofas or chairs just waste space. (armless are also easier to move in or out!) You can have a large chaise or daybed that won't take up as much space but will still have lots of seating!
Use glass topped tables, they appear smaller because there is no boundary and light will travel through it. A glass topped table with a mirror shelf underneath does double duty, storage and style!
Nesting tables are also of value in a small space!
Drop leaf tables can help for an occasional needed desk or serving area for parties!
Benches or ottomans with storage inside do double duty as well!
Hang your drapes as high as you can, it will make the walls look taller!
Instead of end tables use old suitcases stacked on top of each other, they can store things and look great too!
Use your walls! Get bookshelves that are to the ceiling and paint them the colour of the walls. They will disappear into the wall but will add much needed storage!
Buy an area rug that will fit all the furniture, it defines the space and makes the area look larger. Don't use an area rug with a border, because it defines the smaller space. If the ceiling is low, use a bright patterned rug to draw the eye downward.
Use your artwork to make a statement, use wide mats and make each piece a focal point. Too many little pictures can make a room seem cluttered. Large mats in a frame make the artwork seem important.
Light your rooms, a bright room always looks larger than a dull one! If you don't have floor space, mount a lamp to the wall!
If your furniture is mismatched, buy slip covers, they are much more sophisticated now. If there is wood, paint all the wood the same shade so there is continuity.
Interior doors can be switched for glass paned doors to let light in and let you see farther! You can also get a sliding glass door that doesn't swing so it takes up less room!
Get a mirror! Whether it is mounted on the wall or free standing you will never lose having a mirror in a small room, it will always make a room look larger!
To find out where all of these items are from, scroll over the photo!
The Flufftastic Fairy Says:
Hope you're having a good day!
Peg Barcelo-Jackson
Home Staging in Edmonton, Alberta!
Call me for all of your Creative Home Staging needs in the Edmonton area!
Karl Hesswas good enough to remind me that it's been more than a year since I published my perennial favourite blog. So I'm republishing, and updating it now... and thus far, each year I've been able to add a reason.
Back in August of 2009, I published a post called 6 Reasons why your house won't sell. It garnered an unbelievable (at least unbelievable for ME) 192 comments, after being viewed 8667 times, and having 7,934 people "click" on it. That means that 2.4% of the people who viewed the post, were moved enough to leave a comment behind.
The average, at least for me, has been less than half of that return... more like sightly under 1%. It was also "reblogged" by an astonishing 47 Rainers to share with their readers.
Soon after posting, a local Chicago Realtor publication contacted me, having found the article on Active Rain, and asked if they could publish the article, with my byline, of course. As you might imagine, I said "yes", and picked-up 438 copies of that issue (my mother loved them).
The last iteration "7 Reasons why your house won't sell", had over 60 reblogs and 258 comments... (with over 11,000 clicks +68 short URL clicks, and over 12,000 actual VIEWS!) which was in-freakin'-credible...WOW so I thought there might be a fresh generation of Rainers who hadn't yet seen it... so here is my newest iteration. As you can see, now we're up to EIGHT reasons.
1. Your property won't sell because your photos are "less than impressive". Yep, this is an actual photo from our MLS, just came on brand-new this morning. Apparently the place must be really awful, 'cause the agent didn't even dare step out of her car, to get close to the property so you could see any details.
The vast majority of home buyers begin their search for a home on the internet, so your property had better look fantastic in print. Not just nice, it has to look downright fabulous. Today an internet view is the same as a 'virtual showing'... if your house gets past that, then they might (just might) make an appointment to see it in person... You should really consider that your SECOND showing. Today's online viewers are expecting good quality photos (and lots of them...the picture below... taken from Google Maps... is completely unacceptable. That's a $500,000 listing, take a moment and your digital camera and force your agent to go earn their commission), a virtual tour, maybe even a floor plan, and they need to be high-quality, or don't bother.
2. Your property won't sell because it's overpriced. It's important to be as objective as you possibly can. Look at the home as though you were a "buyer"... if necessary, make an appointment with your Realtor to view other properties that are priced comparably to yours. Be brutally objective. Given the other options on the market (and yes, you DO have to include short sales and foreclosures on your list... your potential buyers are!), would YOU buy your home, over the others that are currently available on the market?
If the answer is "NO",(and try to be as honest as you can) well then you have your work cut out for you, don't you? You either have to "update" your home to meet or beat the competition...(that might mean an updated bathroom or kitchen, or neutralizing some decorating... remove that old wallpaper that was there when you bought the house or lower your price to adjust for it. if you can't afford to sell it for the price, that you KNOW it should sell for, this may not be the right market for you to sell. Consider taking it off-market.
3. Your property won't sell because it shows badly. This could mean almost anything... from the 60 pound Rottweiler, barking and drooling at the potential buyers from behind the safety of the flimsiest child-gate, to the lingering smell of 30-years of smoking. Maybe the carpeting shows traffic-pattern wear, or your nicotine covered windows allow in slightly less than daylight. All things that aren't visible from the internet, but whoa.... once you get inside the house... they show up, like a cat-urine-soaked-shag carpet on a 95 degree day in New Orleans!
4. Your property won't sell because you're invisible. Today's buyer comes from the internet, almost exclusively. Have you (or your agent) simply plopped the property on the MLS, and started praying? Are you on all the websites...(Trulia, Zillow, Craig's List, Google Base, etc...) all the places that buyers are searching? If not, you need to be, now! Don't try to be a secret, in today's electronic world. You want to be found, and the sooner the better.
If you're not making full use of the internet today, you're out of business before you've started. C'mon people... get on board, the train is leaving the station. (I love a good train metaphor).
5. Your property won't sell because your listing is tired and stale on the market. Okay... yes, you overpriced your home initially when you first came on the market a year and a half ago. But since then you have reduced your price almost monthly, constantly chasing the market down. Now, finally you're truly priced where you believe should be, but your listing (not your house) has become tired and stale. Everyone who is looking for your type of property (ie: 3br/1.1 bath) in your area has already seen the listing online, or in person and they remember that there was "something" about it that they didn't like... but what they don't remember is... what they didn't like.... was the price. Time to take the listing off market. Let it cool off (3-6 months), and bring it back on fresh in the Spring. Yeah, you'll have 6 mos. worth of holding-costs... but you'll more than make up for it in your purchase price.
btw... Resist the temptation to bring the house back on at a higher price, than when you left the market. Just "don't do it"!
6. Your property won't sell because your house won't appraise. The house looks great... you've finally gotten someone to bring you a bid on your slightly over-priced, but beautiful pied-a-terre. But the bank appraiser says it's worth $20,000 less than your buyer has agreed to pay. Heavy sigh... bite the bullet.... negotiate with them. If you have to drop the price $20,000 to make it work.... "make it work"... chances are, anybody else trying to buy your house will run into the same problem. If you're not willing to negotiate the difference, you may find yourself with no buyer, and accepting a lower offer somewhere down the line. Appraisals carry a great deal of weight these days.
7. Your property won't sell because it's unavailable to show. You have a baby, and a 1-year old. And they need their naps. So you've told your Realtor in no-uncertain-terms, that you'll only allow showings between 9:00a.m - Noon, and then again from 2:30-5:30 p.m. And no showings on Saturday or Sundays. "After all", you've told him "we still live here.. it's our home!". Well guess what? They can't buy it, if they can't see it. As good as your online photos are, they're no substitute for an in-person visit. "If they really want to see it, they'll reschedule", you're already answering as you read this. Nonsense! What they'll do, is they'll just move on to the next property in line (there are dozens like yours available) and maybe they'll buy that one instead. Once you put your property on the market it stops being your "home", and has become your "product". And you want your product to be seen by as large a buying audience as possible.
8. Your property won't sell because you have the heat and power turned off. Okay... maybe it's an REO, or maybe you're no longer living in the home. But viewers need to be able to feel comfortable when they've viewing your home. You want them to spend time in the home and get a sense of the place. You don't want them standing in the darkened foyer shivering, breathing on their hands to keep their knuckles from freezing in position. If they can see their own breath, the house is too cold. It's just not an invitation to spend time in the home. Have the power on, and leave the heat running, at least high enough to keep viewers from shivering. It doesn't have to feel like a tropical paradise, but it shouldn't feel like the north pole, either. Ain't nobody gonna buy that igloo.
- 2.5
ALAN MAY, Realtor® Specializing in Evanston Real Estate and North Shore Real Estate Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, 2929 Central Street, Evanston, IL 60201 847.425.3779 Cell: 847.924.3313 Email: Almay@aol.com Evanston Real Estate & North Shore Real Estate
Do not copy the content of this blog, without first contacting the author for permission. Reblogging is allowed. All other use is strictly prohibited without express permission from me. This blog is tag-resistant... Do not tag me, I don't participate in tagging, no MeMe's don't even think about it
Community Profiles has just been unveiled in Chester County, PA as an electronic information resource for its 73 municipalities and 12 school districts.
It's free of charge and displays in colorful pie charts and bar graphs current information about the people of Chester County, land usage, population, transportation and the economy that make it up.
It's a useful tool for agents whose clients want more information about specific areas and conditions of the county. Information is what they expect from us and this helps bring it to our fingertips.
The PA Senate and House currently are considering Marcellus Shale drilling bills which represent a major attack on Eastern PA and Western NJ environments, making it even easier for drilling companies to pollute our drinking water along the Delaware River.
The Pennsylvania Chapter of the Sierra Club will be sponsoring the rallies next week to stop HB1950 and SB1100 as they currently stand or significanyly improve them.
Please attend one of the following one-hour rallies or call your Senator directly:
SENATOR TOMLINSON: Monday, 12:30, Senator Tomlinson's Bucks County Office/ Bucks County Visitors Center, 3207 Street Road, Bensalem, PA 19020
SENATOR MCIILLHINEY: Wednesday at 12 PM, State and Main Street, Doylestown, PA 18901
SENATOR PILEGGI: Monday, 11:30 AM, 100 Evergreen Drive, Suite 113, Glen Mills, PA 19342.
SENATOR GREENLEAF: Tuesday: 12 PM-1PM, 711 North York Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090
SENATOR RAFFERTY: Wednesday at 4:30 PM, 3818 Germantown Pike, Collegeville. PA 19426.
SENATOR ERICKSON: Wednesday, 3 PM, 5037 Township Line Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026-4821
For more information about each of the rallies, contact: Adam Garber, PennEnvironment: (215) 732-5897
When you take your family to pick out this year's live tree, be on the look out for root fungus. The Fraser fir tree's fragrance, strong limbs, and ability to retain it's soft needles for a long time, make it an ideal Christmas tree. It's been chosen by the White House to be displayed in the Blue Room more than any other tree over the past 50 years. It also carrys the most destructive plant fungus you've ever heard of.
The Fraser fir, a southeastern Appalachian native now farmed extensively in nurseries, is a common carrier (and victim) of a deadly water mold (P.cinnamomi) wreaking havoc around the world. When infected Frasers are replanted, the disease gets an opportunity to spread to new farms and neighboring plant life.
Originating in Papua New Guinea, soil-borne P. cinnamomi arrived in the United States at least 200 years ago via agricultural trade. The root-rot that it causes killed huge numbers of American chestnut and shortleaf pine in our Southeastern forests. Scientists didn't pinpoint it as the source of this dieback until 1948, by which time it was already infesting the South.
A cousin of the sudden oak death fungus devastating forests on the West Coast, cinnamomi now affects hundreds of plant and tree species on six continents. In recent decades it has moved westward, killing rare manzanita in California and native oaks in Mexico. It also thrives in avocado orchards, and in fact is the limiting factor in avocado production worldwide.
There is no cure for the fungus, but tree farmers and nursery owners can limit its spread by avoiding the transport of contaminated soil and not letting water pool in affected areas. You might also think twice about replanting that living Christmas tree, especially if it's a Fraser, balsam, or noble fir.
Tobacco smoke creates an odor that is notorious for its ability to saturate living spaces and persist long after its source is gone. Inspectors may be asked by clients who recently purchased a smoke-infused home, or by sellers before their house goes on the market, about how to remedy the situation.
Facts About Tobacco Smoke and its Residue
Smoke particles can be as small as .001% of the width of a human hair, which allows them to penetrate almost any part of a house. Tobacco smoke can easily circulate through a building’s ventilation system or come up through apartment floors. Tenant/tenant and tenant/landlord disputes commonly arise when smoke odors penetrate adjacent housing units.
It is not clear whether tobacco smoke odor is dangerous or if it is merely a nuisance. While tobacco smoke is a known carcinogen, little is known about the health effects of the particles that are left in the air after you can no longer see the smoke. The American Cancer Society states of cigarette odors, “Though unknown, the cancer-causing effects would likely be very small compared with direct secondhand smoke exposure, such as living in a household that has a smoker.”
Odor-Absorbing Materials
The following materials are believed to be capable of absorbing or neutralizing tobacco smoke odors, at least temporarily:
vinegar. Place a bowl of vinegar in each affected room overnight.
citrus. Leave a large amount of citrus peels in your home for several days or until they have become desiccated.
baking soda. Sprinkle baking soda over the smoke-affected area and let it sit for a few hours before vacuuming it up. Be sure to test the baking soda on a small part of the surface to ensure that the surface or fabric doesn't react unfavorably to the baking soda.
coffee grounds. Pour coffee grounds into several coffee filters and tie them closed, leaving them in affected areas.
charcoal. As you would with vinegar, place charcoal into bowls and leave them in smoke-infused rooms overnight.
Removal Strategies for Smoke Odor
Open all windows and turn on fans. Ventilation is probably the best way to remove any odor.
Clean light bulbs. Just as some scent-diffusers rely on heat from light bulbs to disperse the aroma of the scented oil, it's possible that the oily residue from nicotine and other cigarette byproducts is dispersed throughout the living area the same way. Anecdotal reports suggest that light bulbs attract smoke residue. It has also been claimed that bulbs will release smoke odors when they are turned on. Perhaps replacing incandescent bulbs with higher-efficiency bulbs that do not get as hot would help alleviate this problem.
Thoroughly clean all hard surfaces, preferably with cleaners that contain ammonia, although woodwork requires cleaners that are not as acidic.
Surfaces may be painted to trap odor, although it may be possible for odors to gradually seep through paint barriers.
Remove carpeting, as it is nearly impossible to remove smoke particles from carpet. Thoroughly scrub the flooring beneath before installing new carpet. If the carpet cannot be replaced, have it professionally cleaned.
Soak blinds in a bathtub full of all-purpose cleaner, scrub them thoroughly, and hang them to dry.
Send curtains out to be professionally cleaned or replace them.
Purchase a chemical sponge to remove smoke residue from lampshades, books and other materials.
Use an ozone generator. Ozone, as it has three oxygen atoms, is highly unstable and will oxidize easily. When it is introduced into an area, ozone attaches itself to the odor molecules and oxidizes them into their basic elements--carbon dioxide and hydrogen, which have no odor. Beware that ozone is dangerous and ozone generators should only be used in unoccupied spaces. Be sure to read our article on the subject before purchasing an ozone generator.
Use a HEPA filter.
Burn “smoker candles.” Candles that contain enzymes to help neutralize and remove smoke odors are widely available. They may also be used to remove cooking and pet odors.
Replace all heating and air filters regularly, as they tend to harbor cigarette odors and other irritants.
In summary, there are a variety of ways to remove cigarette smoke odors from buildings.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
It had to be said. You want to make a change? Then begin with your actions.
1. 
them...the picture below... taken from Google Maps... is completely unacceptable. That's a $500,000 listing, take a moment and your digital camera and force your agent to go earn their commission), a virtual tour, maybe even a floor plan, and they need to be high-quality, or don't bother.
options on the market (and yes, you DO have to include short sales and foreclosures on your list... your potential buyers are!), would YOU buy your home, over the others that are currently available on the market?
you bought the house or lower your price to adjust for it. if you can't afford to sell it for the price, that you KNOW it should sell for, this may not be the right market for you to sell. Consider taking it off-market.
4. 
you overpriced your home initially when you first came on the market a year and a half ago. But since then you have reduced your price almost monthly, constantly chasing the market down. Now, finally you're truly priced where you believe should be, but your listing (not your house) has become tired and stale. Everyone who is looking for your type of property (ie: 3br/1.1 bath) in your area has already seen the listing online, or in person and they remember that there was "something" about it that they didn't like... but what they don't remember is... what they didn't like.... was the price. Time to take the listing off market. Let it cool off (3-6 months), and bring it back on fresh in the Spring. Yeah, you'll have 6 mos. worth of holding-costs... but you'll more than make up for it in your purchase price.
6. 
are dozens like yours available) and maybe they'll buy that one instead. Once you put your property on the market it stops being your "home", and has become your "product". And you want your product to be seen by as large a buying audience as possible.
leaving them in affected areas.
;)
;)
;)
