virginia beach: Why I Like A Small Sensor Camera Part IV - 09/15/08 08:56 AM
My last post on the DMC FZ 18 was on an amusement park.  This time it is on spiders.  I went out back in my yard to get a butterfly picture and ended up with this spider pictures.  I know most of us don't like spiders but I can't resist pictures of the webs.  I took the first two with my handy P & S Kodak.  The second picture is with the Kodak on x zoom.   I took out my FZ 18 and took some telephoto shots.  I don't remember what zoom I was for the third shot but it was pretty long.  The fourth picture … (2 comments)

virginia beach: Whole House Surge Protection - 09/14/08 03:46 AM
Do you know how much money you have tied up in electronic equipment in your house?  How much of your real estate business would be affected by a strike?  I didn't but I do now after reading about some major hits people have taken because of lightening strikes recently.  I am considering putting in a whole house surge protection unit.  It sounds like a great idea but it is a two step process.  If you do it yourself, don't forget the second step.   The picture below shows what your voltage coming in looks like and what you are protecting against which … (0 comments)

virginia beach: Buy and Bail - 09/09/08 12:49 PM
I seen this on TV the other day and was talking to a lawyer in Virginia Beach today when he said he had someone he thought was doing it.  What do you do if you know if some is going to "Buy and Bail"?
The scenario is a seller bought at the height of the real estate market and can't sell if his life depended on it.  So he goes and finds a great house in the same or general area that is priced much lower then his current house.  Of course now interest rates are better and he doesn't have … (3 comments)

virginia beach: Tax Alert For Virginia Beach - 09/08/08 06:06 AM
Projections this year for property tax assessments in Virginia Beach is that they will be flat.  That is good news for homeowners who have seen their real estate tax bills skyrocket in recent years but bad for the city coffers.  The schools will be especially hit hard as they were expecting an increase.  The other cities around the area are having the same problem.
 http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital … (0 comments)

virginia beach: Humming Bird Feeder Feeds Humming Birds - 08/31/08 10:09 AM
I wrote a post earlier about my Humming Bird feeder feeding the bees.  It still feeds the little ones as well.  We have two kinds as well as the house finch that feed.  There is so much going on in the backyard in Virginia Beach at the Honey Bee golf course.

http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.
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(5 comments)

virginia beach: Hummingbird Feeder Or Bee Feeder - 08/25/08 12:34 PM
I thought I had bought a hummingbird feeder for my backyard in Virginia Beach.  It backs up to the Honey Bee Golf Course which I thought was just a name.  Apparently the Honey Bee Golf course has earned its name.

http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.
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(4 comments)

virginia beach: My Encounter With The Spider - 08/15/08 03:43 AM
I was just reading Bob Cumiskey's article on the Luna Moth and thought he would have loved to have my camera with him on his walk.  It has a 27 times zoom on it.  Below is a picture of a spider I took off of Salem Rd in Virginia Beach.  He was having himself some breakfast.  I was about 15 feet from him and he was hanging out over a culvert.  The first shoot wouldn't focus because of how small the spider was so I had to go to manual zoom.  What a great addition to a camera.  It is a great … (4 comments)

virginia beach: A Little Leveling Goes A Long Way - 08/13/08 12:44 PM
I took a picture of my granddaughter for a birthday present for her dad.  These are some plants in the front of my house in Virginia Beach.  The sun was quite harsh and although I can capture a good image I forget the basics.  Like maybe a fill flash or change the exposure a bit.  Maybe wait for the sun to move.  No, I need the picture now.  Thank goodness my little Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ 18 leaves great detail in the shadows.  This is great to know because with the small sensor on the camera it has a tendency to … (3 comments)

virginia beach: Why I Like A Small Sensor Camera Part II - 08/13/08 12:19 PM
I wrote recently on why I like a Small Sensor Camera This is part two.  This is a picture you could use in real estate. This is a picture of a home I may list in Virginia Beach.  It is at the widest angle of my lens which is 28mm.  I saw a little bump on the roof and wanted to get a closer look but didn't have my ladder on my bike (just kidding) so I used the lens on the camera and bumped it to the fullest zoom.  Not much to worry about.  Looks like maybe a nail popping up.  I actually took … (1 comments)

virginia beach: Why I Like A Small Sensor Camera - 08/10/08 03:12 PM
I have what is called a bridge camera.  It is between a P & S camera and a full fledged DSLR.  The camera is a Panasonic DMC FZ 18 with a 28 MM lens and 27 times zoom.  What makes that so special you ask.  The camera sensor is small and that means it can have a small lens compared to a regular DSLR camera.  Of course it has some limitations of photo quality that I won't get into here because to me it is all about the zoom.  Let me show you.  Below is a picture of my camera and the lens.  Next … (5 comments)

virginia beach: All Compact Fluorescent Lights Are Not The Same!!! - 08/09/08 09:02 AM
Here is another wrinkle in my life.  Now I have to make decisions when I buy Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL)other then just the wattage.  Don't like the light that comes from the bulb because you think it reminds you of a lab?  Make sure you are buying the Kelvin range.  What in the world is that?  It is the temperature of color and that range gives you a more yellow cast then the typical blue.  Who knew? 
Don't like how dark the CFL's are?  Wait a minute and they will get brighter.  Many take a while to get to full brightness.  … (4 comments)

virginia beach: Pit Bull Service Animal - 08/05/08 12:11 PM
I was talking recently to a property manager in Virginia Beach who had a problem she didn't know what to do with.  She was approached with a prospective disabled tenant who had a pit bull as a service dog.  The building had a policy of not allowing pit bulls because of the insurance company not allowing it. 
On the other hand, the business has to accommodate the disabled person.  Is that duty absolute?  Apparently it isn't if the request puts an undue financial or administrative hardship on the business.  So she went to the insurance company to ask for a variance and of … (6 comments)

virginia beach: Locate Anything Any Time - 08/02/08 09:08 AM
I lost my computer in Virgina Beach recently but I wasn't worried about it.  I had a Zoomback in the case.  Zoomback is a neat device from http://www.zoombak.com/  that is a pocket sized gadget that is a GPS transponder that you can turn on at will.  What a crazy device.  You put the device on or in what ever you want to track and when it comes up missing, you turn it on remotely and it tells you where it.  There are specialized ones for the car, your dog and your whatevers.  Pretty neat device.

http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL … (9 comments)

virginia beach: Viginia Beach Has Clean Surf!! - 07/30/08 01:13 AM
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council Virginia has the fourth cleanest beaches in the country.  That is pretty impressive.  The only beaches rated cleaner are Alaska, New Hampshire and Delaware.  Virginia always ranks high and Virginia Beach is no exception.  Keep in mind that last year there were no beach closings in Virginia Beach due to advisories.  Virginia Beach ranks 3 out of 5 stars and Myrtle Beach which claims to have better beachs was ranked 2 out of 5 stars.  I find that interesting. 
I read a blog not long ago about the Virginia Beach lifeguards ranking #1 in … (0 comments)

virginia beach: Green The Camry Way - 07/19/08 12:16 PM
I took my wifes Toyota Camry Hybrid on the highway for the first time.  It has been getting around 35 mpg in the city.  I filled it up and made a round trip from Virginia Beach to Newport News for a walkthru.  Out of 100 miles there were probably 8 miles in the city.   I drove the speed limit and tried to save gas but still had the A/C on.  If someone would have told me a car this big got this good of milage on the interstate I would have called them crazy.  Now I believe.  My diesel can this … (8 comments)

virginia beach: Country Wide Short Sale Package - 07/15/08 10:02 AM
I have a seller in Virginia Beach who had to go out of town and has minimal contact with me.  I just found out the sale will probably be a short sale.  The lender is Country Wide.  Does any one know how I can get the short sale package for the seller and have it for him when he gets back?  I looked on the web site but couldn't find it.  Also any good advice would be appreciated.
 
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virginia beach: Pressure Cooker For Dispatchers - 07/12/08 12:28 PM
I hadn't thought much about our dispatchers at the end of the 911 line but they have a heck of a job and mostly go unnoticed until something goes wrong. 
In Virginia Beach they work in a two year old building that has a quiet room for for call takers to decompress after stressful situations.  It seems that the dispatchers field over 1300 calls a day compared with 60 back in 1969.  Wow what a huge difference. 
Back then you had to ask the gasping man for his address, today a computer gives them the information and much more. 
There are … (0 comments)

virginia beach: Cardinal At The Feeder - 07/06/08 01:34 PM
Cardinal At The Feeder
Here is a frequent visitor to my yard at Glenwood in Virginia Beach.  The camera kind of missed how red the bird really is so I opened up Photo Shop Elements and used the magic lasso to capture him.  Then I went into Enhance, selected Adjust Brightness/Contrast, Selected Levels, then the Channel for red and made a small adustment that brought just the red up in the bird.  The difference is not huge but I think just enough to make the color correct.  When I was done, I let the Cardinal out of the lasso so you … (2 comments)

virginia beach: Cardinal At The Feeder - 07/06/08 08:42 AM
Here is a frequent visitor to my yard at Glenwood in Virginia Beach.  The camera kind of missed how red the bird really is so I opened up Photo Shop Elements and used the magic lasso to capture him.  Then I went into Enhance, selected Adjust Brightness/Contrast, Selected Levels, then the Channel for red and made a small adustment that brought just the red up in the bird.  The difference is not huge but I think just enough to make the color correct.  When I was done, I let the Cardinal out of the lasso so you all could enjoy him.
 
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virginia beach: Reduce Your Car Tax Bill - 06/21/08 01:42 PM
If you are a Virginia Beach resident and have a below average car, you can go to the drive-through appeals station at the City Hall and appeal your tax bill.  If you have extremely high mileage, scratched soft tops or lots of chipped paint, you can trim your vehicles assessed value.  Shrink the assessed value and your tax bill goes down.  Wish we could do our houses like that.
http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, … (0 comments)

 
Gene Allen, Realty Consultant for Cary Real Estate (Fathom Realty)

Gene Allen

Realty Consultant for Cary Real Estate

Cary, NC

More about me…

Fathom Realty

Address: 1250 SE Maynard St Ste 204, Cary, NC, 27511

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