Debbie Small, REALTOR®

Well, as I am sure many of you will agree, moving is never an easy decision or endeavor. When we opened our satellite office several years ago, we knew that it would be temporary until we took off in the shadow of our well established sister office.

Thanks to our success and the support of our corporate office, we have been able to make a strategic move despite the current economic times.
This speaks volumes of Long & Foster's confidence in its agents.

For the record:

• Founded 1968
• Over 200 offices
• 13,700 Sales Associates
• Largest independently owned brokerage firm in the Mid-Atlantic region
• #1 Privately owned real estate company in the nation
• Offers their sales associates a pertinent cutting edge education on changing trends

Need I say more as to why I have been with this company for over 15 years!
Location, location, location has long been the touted adage regarding real estate and now I'm pleased to say we have the best of all worlds. Stop by and see me for all your real estate needs.

Press Release: Housing Forum will be held Monday

The first of many anticipated public housing forums will be held tomorrow, November 24, between 6 and 8pm at The Living Room in Martinsburg.

The evening's event is sponsored by Marc Savitt, owner of The Mortgage Center. The guest speakers for the evening include David Hartley of the Eastern Panhandle Homebuilders Association, Stacy Lawing affiliated with Keller Williams Realty and yours truly.

The focus will be on the micro market of the Eastern Panhandle and our current economic state during these uncertain times. Is our housing market as bad as the national media portrays it? Come find out for yourself from local experts who really have a pulse on the local market.

When: Monday, November 24, 6-8pm

Where: 50 Monroe St, Martinsburg WV

Cost: It's FREE!

With our convenient location to the Baltimore Maryland and Washington DC beltway areas, West Virginia's eastern panhandle has long been a popular destination for tourism and home ownership. Most are drawn by our beauty and slower pace of life as well as the economics of lower priced real estate and taxes.

Some folks decide to put their roots down while others are looking to escape the beltway bustle at the week's end and I have had the privilege to assist both mindsets.

Since marketing vacation homes has become one of my niches over the years, I would particularly like to address those second home owners about some of the pitfalls to avoid.

"5 Easy Tips" to Protect Your Investment:

1. First and foremost, always turn off your main water valve when you leave. Make it a habit to do this year round because Murphy never takes a vacation and anything can go wrong while you're away. I can't tell you how many disasters I've encountered over the years while marketing vacation homes due to water damage.

2. While staying on the topic of water since it is one of most damaging elements that you can control, hire a professional to winterize your home. Turning the main water supply off and draining through the open faucets may not cut it when the temperature drops below 20 degrees. If you are not planning to use your home over the winter, I highly recommend this investment for your peace of mind. Trust me when I say that a frosty coating of ice in your oven is undesirable.

3. Oh those trees, those beautiful trees! We are so fortunate to have an abundance of beautiful hardwoods and pines covering our mountains, but they could be your nemesis too. Look around the perimeter of your home for trees leaning toward the house and also look for nearby standing dead trees that could fall and cause damage. Trees are beautiful and a wonderful habitat for local wildlife, but sometimes they need to come down. If you are fortunate enough to have standing dead hardwood trees, save them for firewood.

4. Most likely your vacation home will have that "cozy fireplace" and of course you'll need wood to fuel that fire. Don't stack the wood against the house or on the deck just because it's convenient. In your absence, the termites move in. Leave your permanent wood stack at least 20 feet away from the house. As an added tip, burn hardwood such as oak and limit the use of pine for burning as creosote could build up in the flue and may cause a chimney fire. If you use your fireplace or wood stove regularly, you should have the chimney cleaned once a year.

5. Bugs will be bugs and they all have a job to do, but they shouldn't be confined within your four walls. The obvious pests are termites and ants, but during this time of the year there may be infestations of lady bugs, stink bugs and common flies looking for a place to winter away. Here again, hire a trusted professional to control those little pests. I recommend quarterly treatment to protect your investment and making sure that the company you hire is fulfilling their contractual agreement.

The above tips are a compilation of my many years of experience in dealing with second home properties. Although I may have injected a little bit of humor here, it's basically common sense when you think about it.

Photo courtesey zieak

"On the Go" for October

10 - Identity Theft Seminar at the Martinsburg Library - for more info: call (304) 267-8933

11 & 12 - Berkeley Springs Apple Butter Festival

11 - Hedgesville Heritage Days in downtown Hedgesville

16 through 19 - Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival

17 - Feast for The Arts "A Taste of France" call 304-263-0224

18 - Maryland Symphony Orchestra MasterWorks season featuring violinist Rachel Barton Pine

24, 25, 26, 31 - Old Opera House Night Watch

25 - Adam Stephen House pumpkin carving contest 6-9pm - for more info: call (304) 267-4434

25 - Taste of Transylvania "Dinner with Dracula" fundraiser for WV Filmmaker's Guild

27 - Maryland Theatre Tribute to Benny Goodman and Peggy Lee

In spite of hurricane Hanna's threat, spirits weren't dampened for the West Virginia State BBQ and Bluegrass Festival, "Pickin' in the Panhandle", held this weekend at the Lazy-A Campground. Attendance may have been light for the Saturday kickoff due to rain, but folks rolled in Sunday taking advantage of the perfect weather and festivities.

The highlight of the weekend was the great music preformed by nationally renowned bluegrass bands on the main stage. Musicians were also performing at the popular Pickin' Porch concession and beer garden area. Senator Robert Byrd sent a representative onstage offering his sentiments that he could not attend. God bless him, he loves his fiddle and did it justice in the day.

Fierce cook-off competitions always arise at such events and this weekend was no exception as the ribs, chicken, and brisket rolled off the grill for the judges to decide the contest winners. There was something for everyone to enjoy throughout the weekend of festivities including craft vendors and the kids' korner. It was evident that there was not age barrier for fun this weekend.