Pennsylvania

Winter in the Poconos...what a place!

02-09-10

Valerie Sagheddu ~Home Staging Professional, Poconos, PA

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Office: (570) 972-7939

Mobile: (570) 972-7939
Secondary: (570) 972-7939

The Pocono Mountains, PA is truely a magestic place to be in winter. Skiing is a given...lots of slopes to choose from, but for those who prefer a more laid back form of recreation, just taking in the crisp air and freshly fallen snow can be a wonderful experience. Natural beauty abounds here and while the weather can be harsh, there is plenty of wildlife brave enough to tough it out ... and if you sit still long enough, you just might catch a glimpse.

~Apostle Art Home Staging & Design offers professional real estate staging services to sellers, real estate agents and investors in the Pocono Mountains Region and beyond. www.apostleart.com ~

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Rental property can have very stable, respectful and reliable tenants. Philadelphia, PA

02-09-10

Alf Gizzo

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Office: (303) 679-0634

Mobile: (303) 350-9488

Rental property can have very stable, respectful and reliable tenants. Philadelphia, PA

Yes, that’s correct! It all depends on product, location and first rate tenant screening. If you don’t have all three, your vacancy rate will be too high. Let’s discuss product first. We advise our students that they furnish their properties with clean serviceable items, new linens and art work on the walls. What you are creating is an environment that is very agreeable to the tenant, one that not only the tenant will look forward to coming home to, but also one, through pictures on flyers, web sites and word of mouth, will attract new inquires. We are all for building and keeping a pipeline.

Lots of furnished rooms for rent are not clean and be full of old, thread bear chairs, sofas, and soiled mattresses. Would you want to stay any longer than you had to in a place that does not support a good sense of self-esteem? Nicely furnished rooms engender good paying tenants, who stay for long periods.

Our preferred tenant populations normally do not have their own transportation so proximity to public transportation is necessity.

Key to this equation within our system is good tenant screening, which strangely enough doesn’t include credit or traditional background checks. Our tenants are referred to us, so we gain knowledge about them and their history though direct questioning of people who are familiar with each possible tenant individually. We discover personal background information and work experience. This type of screening done methodically will produce good paying tenants who stay for long periods creating a stable house.

To discover more about establishing transitional housing, please download our free Ebook from the side bar on our main blog site.

Don't hesitate to contact us with questions. Learn about us. Learn our system. Learn what others have to say about us and our system.

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Buying Rental Properties? Remember to Account for the Following.

02-09-10

David Monsour

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Office: (717) 334-7636

Mobile: (717) 319-3408

In 2006 I bought my first rental property, followed by another about 3 months later. It was not only my first year in real estate, but these were my first properties. If I could start over I think I'd do things differently. I'd like to share with you a few things that I learned.

When purchasing verify expenses so that you have a predictable net operating income (income after expenses are paid). This way you know what you are able to pay toward a mortgage and hopefully have some profit left over.

Expenses I didn't calculate into my purchase price:

1.) not enough money toward maintenance

2.) I didn't take into account the cost of an accountant for my LLC

3.) Want to pay yourself a little? Build in a fee for management

4.) Advertising expense

It's easy to add a few thousand dollars of additional expenses to what you, the buyer, think they actual expenses might be.

If you're starting out, start out small so that you get used to dealing with the common issues of owning investments. Grow from there. I bought a 7 unit as my first property and it was more than I could chew at the time. I've seen stabilized the property but it made for a tough 2 years.

Stay tuned for more tips about rental property ownership and the right way to invest and how much to spend.

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New Hope and Ivyland Railroad. Valentine day's dinner

02-09-10

GITA BANTWAL, REALTOR BUCKS COUNTY, PA HOMES

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Office: (215) 343-8200 x124

Mobile: (215) 275-8491
Secondary: (215) 343-8206

Enjoy the beauty of Bucks county on the train.

Celebrate Valentine's Day by having dinner on the train.

Trains depart New Hope train station located one block west of intersection of Bridge and Main street in New Hope, Pa. February 13th and 14th at 7.30

Reservations are required.

You can enjoy dinner,and cocktails and the view from the train. Go to www.newhoperailroad.com or call 215862-2332.

I just hope we have good weather.

If you would like to look at homes when you are in the area call Gita Bantwal at ReMax Centre 2153438200x124

visit www.gitabantwal.com and look up listings in New Hope.

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Got Some News on my Pig Today

02-09-10

Gerry Michaels

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Office: (717) 337-3924

Got Some News on my Pig Today

I got some good news about my pig today, you see my wife got me a pig for Christmas. The pig doesn't live here with us, she is living abroad helping a family and eventually a village get on it's feet. No my pig didn't join the peace corps, it is a pig from Heifer International, what's that you say, Heifer International, what's that?

Let me give you a bit of background on Heifer International.
Heifer International was started back in 1937 by a relief worker named Dan West. West was working to help feed civilians during the Spanish Civil War, realizing that the job at hand was bigger than he was going to be able he handle, he formed an organization who's mission is to end world hunger. That desire to end world hunger lives on today in Heifer International.
Pig Heifer International
Heifer International provides families with livestock and training so that they can feed themselves. In more than 50 countries around the world, Heifer International provides 24 different kinds of livestock, as well as training in the agricultural field in an effort to end hunger and poverty.

Since the first shipment of dairy cattle left York, Pa headed for Puerto Rico, Heifer International has helped families to care for livestock, grow crops and assist them to lift themselves out of poverty.
Pig Heifer International
By "Passing on the Gift" a practice that requires recipients to share one or more their animals offspring with another family in need, Heifer International grows the original gift.

This is an organization that is definitely worth checking out.