This Land Is Your Land – Wayne & Pike County PA

Click the picture to see some of my favorite shots from around Pike and Wayne County in Northeast PA.  Have a blessed July 4th, be safe, and remember to be thankful for those who made our freedom possible.

Click to see more pics from Wayne and Pike County PA

Click to see more pics from Wayne and Pike County PA

Replacing Windows: Expensive and Unnecessary?

Fogged Windows Can Be Repaired

Fogged Windows Can Be Repaired

Double paned windows that have become fogged or hazy is a recurring issue with many homes  15 – 3o years old.  Fogged windows are  unattractive & only functional in the most basic of ways (keeps the weather out).   The haze between the panes filters out sunlight and also blocks your view.

Then again, it could be “Pollyanna-ized” and called a “built in privacy feature!”

Or not.  All joking aside, this fogging happens as the window ages.  Until recently, the only way to get rid of the problem was to get rid of the window.

In the case of window choices in many chalet and contemporary style homes, this can be quite costly, since the windows tend to be very large, and thus, expensive.

Replacing a basic sliding glass door can cost as much as $1,000 for a standard model.  A picture or bay window could easily set a homeowner back $1,200 – $1,500.

But there’s good news for homeowners – I got the following info below from a local Poconos home inspector.  It seems that these windows can be repaired – or de-fogged – for a fraction of the cost of new windows, and the work is guaranteed for 20 years!

Imagine getting another 20 years out of your windows!  Read on:

Windows Fail Due to a Variety of ReasonsProvided by Affordable Inspections, Inc.

1. Flaws to the window during manufacturing.  This includes voids and separation of seals and the spacer bar.
2. Damage caused during transportation and installation.
3. Exposure and building pressure.
4. Day to Day atmospheric pressure.

Radiant Heat caused by atmospheric pressure is by far the most destructive.

Window Condensation Process

Window Condensation Process

During the day as the sun rises, the air molecules between the panes of glass are heated.  As the space is heated, this causes the window glass to expand apart.

As the sun sets in the evening and temperatures drop, the molecules between the two panes of glass cool.  This causes contraction of the air space resulting in the panes of glass contracting in towards each other.

This process of heating and cooling of the airspace is called Solar Pumping.  As the air between the glass cools, it cannot hold as much water vapor as warm air.  The result is water droplets in your window.  This also creates dew on the grass.

The window treatment uses a patented process for removing moisture. It has been successfully used on hundreds of thousands of foggy windows and doors.

Basically, the window or door is re-egineered to allow the moisture in the failed unit to escape.  During the process, the inside of the glass surfaces are cleaned using patented processes.  Once the moisture has escaped, patented valves prevent moisture from returning.

Once the unit has been re-engineered, the R value will be permanently recovered and this service is backed by a 20 year warranty.

Call or Email now for further details.

Affordable Home & Building Inspections

570-470-9410

Affordable Pocono Home Inspections Website


Window image by Uberculture, used with permission via Flickr Creative Commons license.

No “Open” Listings for This Agent – Here’s Why

Over the past two years, I have been approached by various sellers with an “offer” to list their property with an “Open” or “Non Exclusive” listing.  I did take an open listing early in my career, because I fell in love with the cottage, and it was in Walker Lake Estates – my uncle used to have a lakefront home there, and I was overcome with wistful nostalgia.

An open listing differs from an exclusive listing in that the seller is free to “list” his property with as many real estate

Too Many Real Estate Signs: A Look of Desperation?

Too Many Real Estate Signs: A Look of Desperation?

brokers as he wishes.  On the surface, this sounds like a good thing, but in this day and age, an open listing benefits no one, least of all the seller.

Open listings can create a bit of a circus atmosphere if the seller allows real estate signs on the property -  have you ever driven by a property and seen several for sale signs from various brokers scattered about?  Chances are you’ve seen an open listing – ain’t it a pretty sight? (blech.)

The fact is, back in the days before the Multiple List Service became the norm, it was to a seller’s advantage to list his property with several offices; this was ensuring that every office in the area knew about the property.

Today, we have the MLS (Multiple List Service) to do that for us.  Open listings are not allowed on our MLS.  And if the lisitng is not on the MLS, it is not on any of the agent’s websites with MLS feeds…and it is not on Realtor.com.  Additionally, it will not show up on franchise websites such as Weichert.com.  Nor will it be automatically syndicated to the hundreds of portals that accept MLS feeds, like Zillow and Trulia.

At best, it will appear on the agent’s own website, if the agent HAS one (why would you list with an agent who does not have his or her own website? What does that tell you about their internet savvy?).  Chances are, the listing will be briefly circulated around the office, possibly posted on a bulletin board, posted once or twice on CraigsList, and then stuck in a drawer until that perfect buyer comes along…IF that buyer happens to find the agent, that is…

An exclusive right to sell listing will get put EVERYWHERE – and EVERYONE will have an opportunity to bring a buyer.  Exclusive listings end up on everyone’s website that features an MLS feed.  They are on Realtor.com, and they will be on Zillow, Trulia, Weichert.com and hundreds of other sites.

In a nutshell, an open listing hurts the seller more than it helps anyone.  Additionally, I’m not willing to pour my heart, soul, and financial resources into marketing a listing that is just as likely to be sold by Joe Schmoe down the street and leave me with a lot of wasted time, energy, and money on my hands.

Open listings are just not smart business, period.  Maybe they were years ago in the dark ages of pre-MLS real estate, but welcome to the present.

Real estate signs picture courtesy of  thetruthaboutmortgage, via Flickr & Creative Commons Licensing

SOLD! Wallenpaupack Lakefront in Beechwood Cove!

Today was a happy day for the Sherman family – they realized their dream of owning a lakefront home on Lake

Proud Wallenpaupack Lakefront Owners!

Proud Wallenpaupack Lakefront Owners!

Wallenpaupack!

I am proud to have been a part of the transaction as their buyer’s agent.  This cottage is what is known as a “technical lakefront.”  It’s as close to a true lakefront as you can get, with a slightly lower price tag!

What’s a technical lakefront, you ask?

In this case, the Beechwood Cove community owns a narrow strip of land between the property itself and the water’s edge.  The owners are granted the right to use the community property to access the lake.  In other cases, a road may divide the property and separate the house from the lake that way.

Congratulations to the Sherman family!  Is now the time for YOU to buy YOUR Wallenpaupack lakefront property?  Contact me and I’ll be happy to help make your dreams come true, too!

Lovely Lakefront "Gumble Cottage" On Lake Wallenpaupack - SOLD By Karen Rice!

Lovely Lakefront "Gumble Cottage" On Lake Wallenpaupack - SOLD By Karen Rice!

Beechwood Cove on Lake Wallenpaupack

Beechwood Cove on Lake Wallenpaupack

Help!

The Weichert Walkers Relay For Life benefit yard sale yesterday in Hawley (May 23, 2009) was a huge success, going beyond our expectations.  We hoped to raise $1,000 at the sale to give to the American Cancer Society on behalf of the Wallenpaupack Relay chapter.

We started setting up around 7:00 a.m. (ha, silly me thought I’d be there at 6:00 – what was I thinking?)  It wasn’t long before we realized – man, we have a LOT of stuff, and we need more tables!

After a busy morning, we were dismayed when an afternoon rain shower came, forcing everyone to get the goods under tarps and packed back up again.  It was at this time that Patti, our office administrator, tallied up the money and announced we had a little over $1,000!  We were thrilled!  YEAH!

Then the rain stopped.  And more people came.  In spite of everything being boxed up and squished under the two tents, and stacked on the steps…we ended up selling MORE – and we now had almost $1,200.  THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who came by.

BUT one bad thing happened:  Patti’s camera went missing. We looked everywhere, and based on where some of our workers last saw the camera, we think it probably fell onto someone’s pile of stuff or into a box someone set aside while browsing for more items.

PLEASE, if you find that camera among your goodies, bring it back to the real estate office on Route 6 in Hawley – that camera has significant sentimental value for Patti: it contains pictures of her late husband, a victim of cancer.

No questions will be asked – just bring the camera back to the office and make Patti’s day.

Wallenpaupack Lake Estates – Open Houses Coming Up!

If you’ve been wondering about a buying or selling home in Wallenpaupack Lake Estates, now is the time to “make the move.” Our office is planning another one of our famous Open House Extravaganzas, quickly coming up in June 2009!

This event usually happens twice a year. It is a terrific time to introduce buyers to the available homes for sale in Wallenpaupack Lake Estates (or, WLE, which is much less of a mouthful to pronounce). If you are thinking about selling your home, please contact me immediately, so that you don’t miss out on the Open House day!

Once we have a list of our Open Houses, I will create a new slide show to give you a taste of what will be open that day in WLE. For now, enjoy the show below for a brief introduction to this extremely popular community. Just click on the picture to start the show!

Click HERE to see all of the current WLE Homes For Sale.

Wallenpaupack Lake Estates WLE Tour

Wallenpaupack Lake Estates WLE Tour

REDUCED Lake Wallenpaupack Home W/ Boat Slip

Okay – this is it. Your chance to own a home that’s so close to Lake Wallenpaupack, you could almost walk there – and it comes with a boat slip!

To top it off, it has a really nice front yard AND a nice back yard – PLUS a one car garage and a paved driveway. It’s a DREAM COME TRUE @ $139,900.

Yes, it needs a little bit of sprucing up – but it’s only $139,900 and it’s GOT A BOAT SLIP ON LAKE WALLENPUAPACK.

Did I mention it has a boat slip on Lake Wallenpaupack??? :)

Lilacs in the Afternoon

One day last week, I was called to head out to Ransom Township, in Clarks Summit (Lackawanna County) to show a property for sale to my client. It was a beautiful day, and I was eager to get out of the office and into the sunshine.

I had no idea what beauty was awaiting me – I’d never been to that part of Clarks Summit before (to my knowledge.) I was enchanted – if I may be so sappy – with the views! I’ll share the pictures I took of the landscape in another blog.

This particular blog is dedicated to one of my favorite flowers: the lilac. These fragrant blooms are the reason I love the month of May so much – my only wish is that they were around longer. After my client left, I noticed these lilac bushes on the side of the property, and had to take some pictures.

Enjoy! There is so much to love about Northeastern PA – even in the simple things. Take some time from your busy schedule to savor something beautiful near you – don’t overlook it in your haste to get to the next project.