LHOP stands for Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership. It's a private/public organization that's all about AFFORDABLE housing in Lancaster County. LHOP educates potential homebuyers through the LHOP Community Home Buyer (CHB) Education Program. The program provides its students with an overview of the entire homebuying process from creating a budget to settlement. A non-refundable $15 fee is the only cost for the course!
Eligible first time buyers may also qualify for the LHOP Homebuyer Loan Program. You MUST be a resident of Lancaster County and work with a Partnership Lender to qualify. The loan can be used towards your downpayment or closing costs. This program is available for individuals and familys in low to moderate income brackets. To learn about all of the eligibility requirements for this program, click here: http://lhop.org/buying-a-home/pdfs/Eligibility-Requirements.pdf.
LHOP helped open the door to homeownership for me many years ago. I'm grateful for the assistance they provided to me as well as many other first time buyers! I'm also proud to serve on their CHB Advisory Committee and to teach the in's and out's of hiring and working with a REALTOR® at the CHB courses.
For additional information on LHOP, please visit their website at http://lhop.org.
I'm a huge lover of the natural world, nothing makes me happier than bringing my garden indoors. I was an apartment dweller in Lancaster City for many years and was truly blessed with large windows that faced the sun and my houseplants thrived. When I bought my semi detached home over 10 years ago, I realized I had a problem. My home lacked light and my houseplants were dying!!!!
Having a home with great natural light is a rare find in the city. The large majority of homes in Lancaster City were built during the Victorian Age. It was during this time period that house plants became a staple in many homes. To learn more about houseplants in the Victorian Age, check out this link http://www.weekendgardener.net/indoor-house-plants/victorian-era-plants.htm. Unfortunately, my home lacked bay windows and I don't have room for a greenhouse so the Victorians weren't able to offer me much assistance. Fortunately, I live in the modern world.
I turned to the internet to find out more about varieties of low light loving plants and then I went on a plant hunt! One thing I did learn was that there are a variety of low light plants out there but they're not always the easiest to find! I had to go to multiple greenhouses and ask a lot of questions to find what I wanted. I also got in to a trial and error period. Some low light plants, like ferns, didn't thrive in my home but some low and medium light plants did. It's all about experimentation, good placement and your personal plant care habits. Here are the low light varieties that are working well for me:
I found a great site on line offering images and care tips for these and many other varieties of house plants www.Plant-Care.com. I also highly recommend talking to your local greenhouses for tips, tricks and recommendations.
Happy Planting!
My oldest child learned an important lesson last week. He was out playing with some neighbors and suddenly came running home. He was noticeably upset and immediately told me what had happened. Some girls started throwing pebbles at him and his friend. My son made a poor decision to grab a pebble and throw it back. His throw was strong but his aim was terrible and he ended up smashing a car window.
Well, I grabbed him and headed out to find the vehicle's owner. We did and explained that my son has $200 in his name and would be responsible for the repair. We exchanged contact info and I took my son home.
Imagine my surprise when the car's owner called me to request we pay the bill in full. The quote the owner provided was over $500 and that didn't include tax or possible "other costs." Well, that's one heck of an unexpected bill and obviously my son's life savings wouldn't even cover half of it!
I decided to call around myself to hunt for a better price. My first call was to Glass Doctors where a very friendly sales rep. advised me to call my Homeowner's Insurace before agreeing to pay anything. Homeowner's Insurance?!?! I honestly would never have thought of that!
Well, I immediately called, explained what had happened and to my amazement discovered that this would be covered under the liability portion of my coverage. Double bonus, no deductible would be changed under liability!
The claim was immediately filed and everything is proceeding smoothly. My son learned a valuable lesson adn will obviously think twice bfore throwing rocks and I learned yet another reason why Homeowner's Insurance can be a lifesaver!
The Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership (LHOP) has extended limited funds to assist Lancaster City first time home buyers. To qualify for assistance, home buyers must meet eligibility requirements and attend a course on homeownership.
Click here to read the full article: http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/235219
Click here to go to the LHOP website for additional details: http://www.lancasterhousing.org/
Anyone who knows me will not be surprised that book reading is one of my favorite pass times. I'm a re-reader so I prefer to buy affordable, used books to borrowing them. The other day, I stumbled across one of my new favorite places! It's the Marshall Street Book Outlet! The Book Outlet is run by the Friends of the Lancaster Public Library and all proceeds benefit the Lancaster Library!
The Book Outlet operates out of the Book ReSort, where book donations are received and sorted for the Library's annual sales. The outlet stock comes from these donations. The volunteers were WONDERFUL! They even added my name and wanted titles to their watch list and will call me when my wanted books come in!
The Marshall Street Book Outlet is located at 225 North Marshall Street (corner of Marshall and Fulton Sts.). Their hours are Mondays & Wednesdays from 10 AM - 12 PM, Sundays from 2 - 4 PM and the 1st Saturday of each month from 10 AM - 1 PM (hours are subject to change).
The prices are fantastic (think of their book sale prices)! I walked away with over 5 titles and spent less than $10! They have books for all ages and include fiction and non-fiction titles.
Starting this year, the Library's annual book sale will only run once instead of twice annually. The book sale will also take place at their new location in F&M's Alumni Center at 931 Harrisburg Pike in Lancaster. Here are the dates and times for 2009's Sale:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR AND I'LL SEE YOU THERE!
"Lancaster...living it, loving it, serving it and selling it!"
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