Pennsylvania Farm Show starts Saturday                                                                                                   The 2011 Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg opens this Saturday, January 8, and will run through next Saturday, January 15. The show is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 8 to Jan. 14 and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. January 15. For a complete schedule, click here. The Pennsylvania Farm Show is the largest indoor agricultural event in the nation, featuring nearly 6,000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits and 290 commercial exhibitors. The show is held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center. Admission is free and parking is $10.   01/07/2011

Haverford Township Residential Homes SOLD in December 2010 21 homes were newly listed Minimum SOLD Price was $162,500 Maximum SOLD Price was $970,000 Average SOLD Price was $408,524 Average number of Days on Market was 69 30 Properties SOLD in Haverford Township, Delaware County PA in the month of December.   (Information from TrendMLS) Haverford Township July 2010 Sales Haverford Township August 2010 Sales Haverford Township September 2010 Sales Haverford Township October 2010 Sales   01/04/2011

Water main installation to begin next week in Haverford Township As part of a continuing infrastructure improvement program, Aqua Pennsylvania will install a new water main on Ridgeway Road between Woodmere Way and Mill Road and Mill Road between Earlington Road and Woodmere Way in Haverford Township.The project is scheduled to begin the week of January 3, 2011. The main installation and individual service connections are scheduled to be completed in March. The final paving restoration will be completed in the spring.The work hours for the project will be 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily on Ridgeway Road. Work hours will be 8:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. daily on Mill Road to accommodate school traffic.The roadway will be closed in the area of construction. Access will be provided for emergency vehic... 12/31/2010

I identify with this list of descriptive words representing this "end of the first millenium decade". SURVEY: Top 10 Words      By: Stefan Swanepoel   Last week we started a discussion on RealBlogging on "What words best describe... the past decade".  After several interesting contributions, we've selected what we believe to be the Top 40 mentioned.    The decade 2000 - 2010 is all, but over. In many regards, this has been a very eventful decade with many highlights, disasters, sorrows, unique personalities and innovation. In the opinions given in a single word(s) - OK, not more than two word phrases and also acronyms - personify and will forever identify the first decade of the 21st Century? They are... 9/11 WMD facebook tweets Obama bailout foreclosures green BP wikileaks   12/18/2010

Governor's Residence Holiday Open House set for Sunday December 12th The annual holiday open house at the Governor's Residence, 2035 N. Front St., Harrisburg, will be held from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12. Performers will include the Williamsport Area Men’s Chorus, the Trust Company A-Cappella Singers, the Shipman Violin Studio, the Lyrico Quartet, pianist Karl Hausman, the Susquehanna Flute Quartet, the Harrisburg Singers, pianist Elise Bordner, Shadow Trax Media and the Fifth Avenue Strings. There also will be holiday tours of the mansion from noon to 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 13, Tuesday, Dec. 14 and Wednesday Dec. 15. For tour information call 717-772-9130. 12/09/2010

One of the truly great reasons I live and work in Havertown is not just the great people here, it is the great value.  Although the market is not great now the values on home sales have remained high and actually have increased the median sales price in the township significantly more than last year!       Now, to tell you the truth that was a little bit of a shock to me also.   At the beginning of this year, 2010, we saw an increase in activity with a lot of higher priced new constructions and rehabs sold.                                              (see blog 3/12/2010)      After the tax credit expired at the end of April, the market came to what felt like a screeching halt.  (see blog 7/12/2010)      So now? Well there is no doubt that there are less buyers and more inventory.  Peop... 12/08/2010

Free flu vaccinations available next week The Pennsylvania Department of Health will mark National Influenza Immunization Week by offering free public influenza vaccination clinics on Dec. 9, 10, and 11. The closest clinic will be held at Delaware State Health Center, 151 W. 5th St., Chester. The hours will be 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 9; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 10; and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 11. Appointments are strongly encouraged to ensure vaccine is available. Appointments can be made online at www.padohclinicappt.com 24 hours a day, or by calling 1-877- PA HEALTH (1-877-724-3258) Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Those under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The flu can cause severe illness and even death. In Pennsylvania, approximately 1,000 flu... 12/02/2010

Seniors do not pay for the PAProperty Tax/Rent Rebate Program Seniors should be wary of unsolicited offers that charge a fee for information about Pennsylvania's Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program. Pennsylvania seniors are NOT required to pay a fee to apply for the program. Forms and instructions are available free of charge and can be easily obtained from the Department of Revenue, Area Agency on Aging offices and the offices of state legislators. Homeowners across the state have reported recent mailings that ask seniors to complete an information form and return it with a payment in order to receive assistance in filing a property tax or rent rebate claim. The letters do not disclose that seniors can apply for rebates directly with the Commonwealth for free, or that forms and assistanc... 11/16/2010

Ah, La, Peanut Butter Sandwiches!  I'm not one for predicting the future, but something tells me you might read this headline when November 2010 real estate sales reports come flying at us in the first weeks of December: "NOVEMBER HOMES SALES DROP (insert any percentage greater than 25%) FROM LAST YEAR!!"  If there's anything I can say about this prediction, its DON'T PANIC!  Like back in July 2010, when the media had a field day with the news that sales dropped off significantly from June to July, little was initially mentioned that the government incentive programs had run out as of June 30th, 2010.  These programs pushed buyers to purchase homes prior to June 30th in order to take advantage of both the first time home buyer tax credit of $8,000.00 and the $6,500.00 tax credit for exi... 11/16/2010

So can you feel it?  There are some signs that make me think we might be ready to crawl out of the "Post Tax Cut Nightmare" commonly known as the "Summer Market of 2010".    All of a sudden my listings that have been sitting with minimal action are seeing a flurry of activity.   The interests rates who's historic lows haven't sparked massive interest may be on the rise and we may see a hurry up reaction.  Could it be that you may miss out?  Could it be that these low prices and low interest rates may start to go away.  All the data supports that the lower prices are homes that need work and are in trouble financially.  The nicer homes are maintaining some value and some are still sitting.  These prices aren't rock bottom but they are affordable and may be hard to get down the road.The W... 11/12/2010

Haverford Township Residential Homes SOLD in October 2010 70 homes were newly listed Minimum SOLD Price was $170,000 Maximum SOLD Price was $967,879 Average SOLD Price was $350,010 Average number of Days on Market was 87 46 Properties SOLD in Haverford Township, Delaware County PA in the month of October.   (Information from TrendMLS) Haverford Township June 2010 Sales Haverford Township July 2010 Sales Haverford Township August 2010 Sales Haverford Township September 2010 Sales   11/10/2010

Global warming meeting November 15th in Philadelphia Learn what Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley are doing about global warming at 6:45 pm Monday, Nov. 15 at The Free Library of Philadelphia, 19th and Vine streets, 4th floor.Liz Compitello of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission will discuss the commission's inventory of greenhouse gas emissions in southeastern Pennsylvania and how it is allocated to Philadelphia and the eight Pennsylvania and New Jersey counties surrounding the city. She'll also discuss cost-effective ways to reduce those emissions 80 percent by 2050.Alex Dews of the Mayor's Office of Sustainability will discuss Greenworks, Philadelphia's plan to become America's greenest city, and how it will drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The plan would... 11/04/2010

  This is a question I get all the time and something you should know about before you buy an older home.  As a disclaimer, I'm not an electrician, but I've been on tons of home inspections and spoken with many electricians on this topic and this is what I've learned. Knob & tube wiring is an older generation of wiring that does not have a ground wire. Typically its found in homes 50 years or older if the electrical system has not been updated.  In Haveford Township and most of the Philadelphia Region, Knob and Tube is still a very common place and should be expected.  If you have an unfinished basement or open attic space, you could identify this type of wiring by the cloth sheathing around the wire and the white porcelain knobs that hold it in place. Is it dangerous? It can be, but it... 10/18/2010

My commitment to a more personal and unique website finally has me putting it together myself.  I have it linked to HavertownRealty.com and called it Your Havertown Realtor.  I still pay for a website that most of the people in my company use made by Birdview, JohnRyanHomes.com.  No offense to Birdview, who has put together a great client management system if all you are going to use is their website, but it's kind of boring.  I'm thinking that a website should be more personal as we are hired for our unique personalities.  I have put together this website with my MacBook Pro using IWeb and uploading it to my MobileMe.  I bought a whole bunch of Havertown web addresses from GoDaddy last year, see Your Havertown Realtor in my Blog.   Took one of them HavertownRealty and connected it to m... 10/17/2010

Haverford Township Residential Homes SOLD in September 2010 71 homes were newly listed Minimum SOLD Price was $185,000 Maximum SOLD Price was $1,175,000 Average SOLD Price was $364,720 Average number of Days on Market was 59 34 Properties SOLD in Haverford Township, Delaware County PA in the month of September.   (Information from TrendMLS) Haverford Township June 2010 Sales Haverford Township July 2010 Sales Haverford Township August 2010 Sales   10/07/2010

                            Haverford Township Farmers Market Association Oakmont Farmers Market                             Wednesdays October 6th 2pm until 6pm                             Oakmont Parking Lot, 2419 West Darby Road, Havertown PA 19083                                          What the farmers will bring this Wednesday afternoon: Schaeffer's FlowersBev Shaeffer will bring dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers, lilies and tuberose this week, along with many gorgeous fall flower bouquets. North Star Orchard"An apple a day keeps the doctor away." So the saying goes, but of course we think Asian pears count as well. My House CookiesMarie Connell will bring her usual assortment of fruit pies, small and large quiches including her tomato, corn, bacon quiche. Birchrun Hills Farm will ret... 10/04/2010

Census: 1 in 7 Americans Live in Poverty 14.3% Poverty Rate Highest Since 1994; Ranks of Working Poor Reach Level Unseen since 1960s; Obama: "Our Work Just Beginning"                                                 The ranks of the working-age poor climbed to the highest level since the 1960s as the recession threw millions of people out of work last year, leaving one in seven Americans in poverty. The overall poverty rate climbed to 14.3 percent, or 43.6 million people, the Census Bureau said Thursday in its annual report on the economic well-being of U.S. households. The report covers 2009, President Obama's first year in office. The poverty rate climbed from 13.2 percent, or 39.8 million people, in 2008. The share of Americans without health coverage rose from 15.4 percent to 16.7 pe... 09/21/2010

Haverford Township Residential Homes SOLD in August 2010 51 homes were newly listed Minimum SOLD Price was $207,000 Maximum SOLD Price was $1,121,943 Average SOLD Price was $346,101 Average number of Days on Market was 83 31 Properties SOLD in Haverford Township, Delaware County PA in the month of August.   (Information from TrendMLS) Haverford Township June 2010 Sales Haverford Township July 2010 Sales   09/09/2010

Thinking of what you can contribute to the earth? Have a smaller carbon footprint? Bamboo is one of the things to consider. It's a renewable, organic product. It grows extremely fast, up to 4 feet a day. It's structurally stronger than wood so it can take a beating on the floor or walls. This video is about entire homes built using bamboo. It happens to be filmed in Maui,Hawaii so the views of the properties are inspiring and breathtaking. 09/09/2010

Blue Route lane closures tonight through Wednesday Nighttime construction will reduce Interstate 476 South to one lane tonight, Monday, Aug. 30, and to two lanes Tuesday night, Aug. 31, between the Mid-County Interchange (Exit 20) and the Interstate 76 Interchange (Exit 16), the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced. The contractor’s lane closure schedule is as follows: · Southbound “express lane” closed 7 p.m. tonight until 6 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31. · One lane closed on the southbound two-lane section, 11 p.m. tonight until 5 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31. · Southbound “express lane” closed, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31 until 6 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1. All scheduled activities are weather-dependent and may be postponed in the event of rain. No construction-related lane closures will b... 08/30/2010