Lisa Garcia

Memorial Day Weekend Activities in Lancaster County, PA

Looking for some family friendly fun this upcoming Memorial Day Weekend in Lancaster County, PA? Whether you're looking for outdoor fun, parades, some good eats or some down-on-the-farm action, I've got the low down on all the Memorial Day Weekend happenings around town!

No better way to celebrate the unofficial beginning of summer than catching an All-American game of baseball at the Clipper Stadium, right? There are actually two holiday events to choose from this year! Come cheer on the Lancaster Barnstormers as they take on Newark this Thursday, May 27^th at 6:30pm in the Salute to Veterans night. And make sure you don't miss the $20 All-You-Can-Eat and Drink Beer and Wing special in the Wheatland Suite from 6-8pm! Looking for a weekend activity instead? Then come support the Lancaster Jr. Barnstormers in the Barnstormer Diamond Classic held May 29^th-31^st. For only a $5 entry fee you can cheer on your favorite team as they compete for the Barnstormer Diamond Classic championship!

If its tasty food you're searching for then look no further than the Great PA Flavor Fest held at the Mount Hope Estate & Winery on the grounds of the PA Renaissance Faire. Join in the fun May 29-30 from 11am - 5pm. The best part of this event other than the incredible food, music and crafts available? It's free! No Admission or Parking fees. You can't beat that! Visit www.parenfaire.com for more details!

If it's a parade you have in mind be sure to check out the largest Lancaster County Memorial Day Parade held in Mt. Joy on Saturday, May 29th starting at 2pm. This year's theme is "Recognize and Celebrate our Heroes". There is also the Columbia Parade held on Sunday starting at 2:30pm. The parade route starts at 10^th and Manor Streets and ends at Locust and Sixth!

If its wild and crazy you're lookin' for make sure you don't miss the Memorial Day Weekend Demolition Derby & Fireworks Display held Saturday, May 29^th at 7pm at Buck Motorsports in where else but "The Buck" of course! For more information and a schedule of events visit www.buckmotorsports.com!

And lastly, if it's more family fun you're after then check out the Opening Weekend of the Cherry Crest Adventure Farm in Paradise Twp. With over 50 fun-filled activities including the Hay Chute, the Barnyard Jump and the Singing Chicken Show, the kids will never want to leave! (Trust me I know this from personal experience!)

Well, there you have it folks, a rundown of some of the great activities available for your Memorial Day Weekend in Lancaster County, PA! It looks like we've got some great weather in store so you've got no excuse but to get out there and have some fun this holiday weekend! I know I will!

Choosing your Lancaster, PA mortgage lender

So you've found your Lancaster County dream home and have now begun the very important task of choosing your Lancaster, PA mortgage lender. Where do you even start and how do you know what to look for? First of all, even though you are choosing a mortgage lender or brokerage, you need to know that it is really the specific Lancaster, PA loan officer that you deal with who is going to make or break your lending experience!

So what really makes a good mortgage guy or gal? Well, here's a list of my must have qualities. They want to get my client's business? Then they better do the following;

1. Your Lancaster loan officer must either answer their phone or return your phone call within 24 hours, preferably sooner. If you left a message for Loan Officer Larry at 9am on Monday and it is now Wednesday and you still haven't heard from him....THIS IS NOT A GOOD SIGN! Loan Officer Larry is either too busy to return your call or just too disorganized. Bottom Line: If Loan Officer Larry is not motivated enough to return your call in order to earn your business, then he is definitely not going to be motivated to pick up the phone to answer your questions once you've signed on!

2. Your Lancaster loan officer must be able to explain the lending process in plain English and answer ALL of your questions without making you feel like an idiot! Don't you just hate when people throw around terms and acronyms and you have no idea what they mean? PMI, LTV, APR, PITI, DTI.....huh? Not only should your loan officer not assume you already know what these terms mean but they shouldn't make you feel like an idiot for asking! If your loan officer acts annoyed every time you ask for an explanation or request something in writing then it's time to MOVE ON!

3. Your Lancaster loan officer must have a solid, competitive product! No matter how responsive they are to your phone calls or how good of a job they do at patiently answering all of your questions, the bottom line is that you need a loan that meets your needs at a competitive rate. The best way to ensure you're getting the best deal is to SHOP AROUND! I suggest getting a minimum of 3 quotes. Don't automatically go with who your REALTOR may recommend or think that just because Aunt Susie used "so and so" three years ago that "so and so" still has the best deal now.

Do your lender homework and I promise that you will be richly rewarded with a competent, available, customer-oriented loan officer! Have more questions? Contact me at www.LancasterByLisa.com!

Lancaster County Staging Tip #2

So let's suppose that you've taken my advice offered in Tip #1 and de-cluttered your home. Time to move on to your homes well, smell. That's right, smell. No matter how good your home looks, do not underestimate what a foul smell can do to ruin its charm! A musty smell, strong pet odors or the smell of last night's Chinese takeout, can lead a buyer to remember your house negatively when compared to your neighbor's.

So what's a pet loving, Chinese food eating homeowner to do? Simple! Follow these three easy steps.

#1 Always empty all of your trashcans before an open house or a showing. This also applies to your pet items. Empty the cat litter, clean out food and water bowls, etc. Getting rid of the source of an offensive smell is step one. Now, we know that you can't just get rid of Fido or Fluffy BUT you can.....

#2 Take your pets with you when you leave. If you're headed to a non-pet friendly place to "wait out" your open house or showing then have a friend or family member pet sit for a few hours.

Oh, a quick side note on this point....I am sure that many of you pet owners out there are absolutely certain that your home doesn't have any sort of pet odor but let me assure you as a non-pet owner, that it probably does. Those of us who don't own inside pets are especially sensitive to these things!

#3 Aromatize! The key to using fragrance to make your home smell good is to NOT overdo it. Bake a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies right before you expect buyers. Nothing is more welcoming then the yummy smell of cookies in the oven! However, some of the best scents to use are those created naturally. You would be surprised how many people have a strong aversion to the smell of vanilla, or anything floral. One excellent idea is to simmer this heavenly concoction on your stovetop a couple of hours before your scheduled showing, then turn off the burner and simply let it sit on your stovetop until you return (recipe courtesy of www.flythroughourwindow.com):

1 thinly sliced apple
2-3 C water
6-8 cinnamon sticks
1 handful of cloves
1 dash of nutmeg
the juice of an orange (or OJ from the fridge)
a splash of vanilla

It seriously smells incredible and will effectively cover up any unpleasant odors without overdoing it!

So what kind of smell does your give off? Have you ever considered what impression potential buyers are getting of your home just by its smell? If not, its time you take a serious "sniff" and consider Staging your Lancaster County home to get it SOLD!

Make sure you take your Lancaster County Realtor for a "TEST DRIVE"!

So how should one choose their Lancaster County real estate professional? You know, that one person who is going to guide you through one of the most important financial decisions of your life? Do you just call up the office closest to your home and go with whoever answers the phone? Do you drive around, find a house you like and call the person whose phone number is on the yard sign? Or maybe you go online to different company websites and choose the agent whose picture you like best. Or better yet, choose the agent who claims to be the "#1 agent in Lancaster County" and whose picture is plastered on every home magazine and billboard.

As you've probably guessed, I am going to strongly suggest that none of these strategies (if you can call them that) are suitable ways to find a quality realtor. Sure, you may get lucky by calling up your local office and getting a trustworthy , reliable professional on the other end but why leave such an important choice to chance?

One good way to choose your Lancaster realtor is the same way you might choose your pediatrician or handyman and that is by REFERRAL. If a good friend or family member that you trust is recommending a professional that did a stellar job for them chances are that they will do an equally outstanding job for you.

An even better way to choose a realtor is to do what I call a "test drive". You have likely never heard of this concept because there are not a lot of agents out there willing to do this. Essentially a "test drive" means to not officially "hire" a realtor (i.e. sign paperwork) until you are sure that you, Number one: TRUST this person. Number two: LIKE this person. Number three: BELIEVE this person knows what they're doing, and Number four (possibly the most important): HEAR from this person.

No matter how much you trust, like or believe your realtor, none of it will matter if they don't return your phone calls. Or your texts. Or your emails.

It's my personal opinion that your realtor should treat you like you are their only client and frankly there is no real way to know how they are going to treat you unless you work with them for awhile! Who in their right mind meets a realtor they don't know and because they seem nice (and can deliver a mean sales pitch), signs a contract to work with them exclusively the same day? I know I wouldn't be willing... so I don't pressure people who are looking to purchase a home to "sign here" until their ready. And when it comes to putting your house on the market, I write clearly at the bottom of the listing agreement, this agreement may be cancelled at any time if you are unhappy with my service.

Crazy? Maybe. But the bottom line is that I would never want a person to feel obligated to work with me because of a piece of paper. If I'm not your cup of tea or if you feel I'm doing a lousy job then it's certainly your right to move on. So the next time you, or your aunt or your neighbor is looking to buy or sell real estate in Lancaster County make sure to ask the agent you're considering working with if you can do a "test drive" first! And if they laugh at you and tell you how silly you are for asking such a thing... well, you know who to call.

This week let's take a look at the Manheim Township real estate market. Below is a contrast between November 2008 and November 2009 numbers.

November 2008 vs. November 2009

Total Active Listings: 360 349

Total SOLD: 23 41

Avg. List Price: $355,816 $341,948

Avg. Sales Price: $235,815 $228,490

Days On Market: 63 82

Sales vs. List Price: 66.27% 66.82%

The numbers above show that although housing inventory has remained about the same, the volume of houses sold has almost doubled. Great news for Manheim Township sellers! The average sales price is down just slightly from 2008 while days on market has increased by 23%.

Don't see the information you're looking for or just want to know what the market is doing in your neck of the woods? Send me an email at lgarcia@weicherteh.com, call me at 717-572-9120 or visit me on the web at www.LancasterbyLisa.com!