Jeannie Kontis, Lancaster PA Real Estate & Lancaster County Homes for Sale

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For more information on Homes for Sale in Lancaster, or questions and/or concerns about buying or selling a home in Lancaster County PA, please contact Jeannie Kontis at (717) 330-5137 or email at Jeannie@JeannieSellsLancaster.com.

Search for Lancaster Homes for Sale at www.JeannieSellsLancaster.com

Jeannie Kontis, RealtorⓇ, is a member of the award-winning Bob Wells Realty Group of Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc, and serves buyers and sellers of real estate throughout Lancaster County.

All content Copyright ⓒ 2008 Jeannie Kontis Homes in Lancaster PA - Real Estate in Lancaster County

Do you "Know What's Below"?

Many people are deciding to stay put and make improvements to their current home. But, did you know that before you expand that deck, add that addition or install that fence, you need to "Call Before You Dig"?

Underground utilities on your property can cause a serious accident if you are not aware of where they are buried. You could have underground utilities in your front yard, on your side yard, or across areas of your backyard. Before you do any work outdoors, including planting trees or shrubs, you need to Call Before You Dig !

Calling "811" on your phone will take you to the new, nationally-mandated utilitiy hotline to report what your plans are and where you plan on digging. This should be done at least 3-10 days before your projected dig date. Utility companies will contact you to determine if the area that you plan on digging in is safe for you to do so.

• Can you imagine how mad your neighbors would be if you disrupt their cable line?
• Can you imagine the damage if you dig into a gas or electric line?
  
• You can avoid a costly mistake and potential fines, as well as a dangerous situation for your family and neighbors, by being sure to Call Before You Dig.

Visit the 811 website at www.Call811.com to learn more about safety before you dig. An excerpt from the website:

One easy phone call to 811 starts the process to get your underground utility lines marked for free. When you call 811 from anywhere in the country, your call will be routed to your local One Call Center. Local One Call Center operators will ask you for the location of your digging job and route your call to affected utility companies. Your utility companies will then send a professional locator to your location to mark your lines within a few days. Once your underground lines have been marked, you will know the approximate location of your utility lines and can dig safely, because knowing what's below protects you and your family.

Currently, I am in the process of replacing my deck and installing a fence. Knowing that I have underground utilities, I called 811 to find out what I need to do. It is the responsibility of the homeowner or the contractor to always call and report exactly what type of work is being done, and the date of installation and how deep you plan on digging.

Once I called and gave my information, I started receving calls and emails from various utility companies including PP&L, Verizon, Frontier Communications, UGI, Lancaster Water and Sewer, all letting me know if my plans were safe or not. Some will come out and mark the utilities. Others request that you send your plans to them for review. It turns out that my future fence might be too close to some utilities, so I will need to re-design what my plans are. I'm glad I called!

Jeannie Kontis, Realtor
Long & Foster Real Estate
Search Lancaster Homes for Sale

Phillies Won!

I had to IM my son in Denver, Co, and of course he was watching. I'm sure he's off to celebrate now!

After that rain delay the other day, we were pretty disappointed. But it didn't hold us down!

Less than 50 words ~ I don't care ~ just had to shout it out!

Phillies Won!

Charter Homes is still busily working on developing the Gammache property in Manheim Township along Route 23. According to the Lancaster Newspaper article, Charter has changed their plans at least 3 times since 2003, and has just applied for two rezoning petitions for portions of the 45-acre property at the recent Manheim Township comissioner's meeting.

It will be interesting to see what they come up with next. Could it be another "Independence"?

It will be interesting to see if Manheim Township has the same reaction as Hempfield did with Charter Homes TND plans for "Independence".

The 45-acre tract was bequeathed to Lancaster Catholic High School, and has held the attention of the township for several years now. Looking back, Charter Home's original plan of 125 condos, semi detached homes and single family homes sounds pretty good right about now. This was back in 2003, though, and their plans have since changed to as many as 207 housing units and as much as 140,000 sf of commercial space.

It will be interesting to see what type of rezoning they are interested in now, especially as I watch the Townes at Richmond Square development taking shape along Fruitville Pike between Petersburg Road and Koser Road. The shops certainly look interesting, and it will be convenient for those "bread runs" during snow emergency days that seem to be closing in on us with this blustery weather lately ~ especially since I live right down the road.

To be perfectly honest, I hope Charter Homes decide to make a large portion of whatever they are doing sectioned off for 55+ housing. It seems to be in short demand in Manheim Township, and it would be such a convenient location for that type of housing development. In the meantime, I am keeping an up close and personal eye on what is going on at Richmond Square, because I believe it would be an ideal location for my parents to downsize to. Especially since they can't find what they are looking for in close-by Brighton (plus there seem to be many more shops at Richmond Square ~ which will keep my dad *very* happy!).

If you are searching for homes in Manheim Township or or other Lancaster County locations, complete your search on my Lancaster Real Estate website.

Jeannie Kontis
Long & Foster Real Estate
Lancaster Real Estate Sales
www.JeannieSellsLancaster.com

717-330-5137 or email Jeannie@JeannieSellsLancaster.com

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For more information on Homes for Sale in Lancaster, or questions and/or concerns about buying or selling a home in Lancaster County PA, please contact Jeannie Kontis at (717) 330-5137 or email at Jeannie@JeannieSellsLancaster.com.

Search for Lancaster Homes for Sale at www.JeannieSellsLancaster.com

Jeannie Kontis, RealtorⓇ, is a member of the award-winning Bob Wells Realty Group of Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc, and serves buyers and sellers of real estate throughout Lancaster County.

All content Copyright ⓒ 2008 Jeannie Kontis Homes in Lancaster PA - Real Estate in Lancaster County

Food that soothes....

I love Greek food. Granted, I am a Greek girl and was raised on this delicious gastronomic cuisine of my forefathers (and foremothers to give credit where credit is due). I remember as a young girl thinking that the lasagne at my italian girlfriend's house tastes okay, but it didn't beat the creamy bechamel sauce and cinammony meat mixture of my mother's Pastichio. Now that was flavor!

In June '07, while in Greece with my husband and younger son for three weeks (before my 'accidental tourist' trip back for another several weeks in August were I lived like a true native) we had our fill of the delicious local cuisine. We made it a point to eat where the locals eat, and to pass on the touristy places. We ate at the "tavernas" where you order lamb chops by the kilo, cooked over a real charcoal grill. We ate at the local "psaro-tavernas" -- fish taverns -- where they grilled the catch of the day whole for you. The grilled octopus, hanging out to dry in the salty air, was always a treat. Mmmm..... anyway....

If you are a lover of Greek food and are in the Lancaster area this Saturday, November 1st, or Sunday, November 2nd, you have to make it a point to stop by the:

• Greek Food Festival at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, located at 64 Hershey Avenue, Lancaster.

Okay, there is no grilled octopus at the Annunciation Greek Food Bazaar, but the menu does include the ever tasty "souvlaki" and Greek style baked chicken. There are also the staple side dishes, such as "dolmathakia" -- grape leaves stuffed with rice -- my all time favorite "pastichio" - and an array of extras and desserts, including "baklava" and "loukoumathes" or honey balls.

Rounding off the food bazaar are other cultural activities, such as Greek music and folk dancing. When my children were little, they participated in the folk dancing, practicing twice a week and travelling to perform in other communties and events. They were also helpers -- the honey ball runners -- as the young children had the task of delivering the fresh, hot loukoumathes from the fryer to the waiting customers. It was a wonder those honey balls made it without sticky fingers trying them out!

You can also shop at the bazaar, as there will be shops set up where you can purchase Greek delicacies to take home with you, Greek jewelry (a favorite!), as well as Greek Orthodox Icons. There will also be tours available of the Annunciation church for whoever might be interested.

This is the 50th Anniversary of the Greek Food Bazaar being held at Annunciation Church. The first Greek Christians came to Lancaster in 1921, and purchased their first church building about 20 years later. They held their first bazaar in 1958, and it has become a favorite annual event ever since.

-- Can't make it to the Greek Food bazaar?? --

Then you might want to try the Red Rose Restaurant, located at 101 E King Street, Lancaster City, PA.

The last Friday of every month is dedicated to Greek Night, with real authentic Greek cuisine. I'm not talkin' just a gyro like you can find in any corner diner (although there are several in Lancaster and I will post about those one day). I am talking about authentic Roast Leg of Lamb, Moussaka, Kokinisto, and a variety of other selections and desserts.

Interested in some of the Annunciation Church Greek Food bazaar recipes? You can find some in this Lancaster Newspaper article.

Kali Oreksi (Bon Apetite!)

(and yassou to my new Greek A/R friend, Meli!)