Lancaster, PA (June 12, 2009) – The Jeff Geoghan Realty Group of Coldwell Banker Select Professionals proudly announced an addition to their homebuyer program today.
Jeremy Walter, a financial planner of Atglen-based Bare Financial Services, will be partnering with Jeff Geoghan and his group to provide an initial financial consultation with homebuyers. Walter will offer a “mortgage suitability” analysis and answer questions regarding budgeting and savings as they pertain to the purchase of a home.
“I’ve found in my business that buyers, particularly those contemplating their first purchase, haven’t thought through the longer-term ramifications of home ownership,” observed Geoghan, “and many are working with a small amount of savings. Our partnership with Jeremy could allow us to help prospective buyers get their financial ‘house in order’ which leads to a better overall experience”. Beyond the home purchase, Walter offers comprehensive financial planning services including retirement, investment and giving strategies.
The Jeff Geoghan Realty Group also enjoys a partnership with Ray Smith of Home National mortgage, who is a skilled loan representative focusing on first-time homebuyers in the Lancaster County area.
To access the homebuyer financial service, a client merely needs to arrange a phone consultation with Bare Financial, and that is primarily done via one of Jeff Geoghan’s group or Jeremy Walter himself. Interested consumers can learn more at www.YourLancasterHome.com.
The Jeff Geoghan Realty Group, part of the Coldwell Banker Select Professionals family of real estate agents, is based at 1000 North Prince Street in historic Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Their acclaimed website is www.YourLancasterHome.com and they serve the Lancaster PA real estate market with professional and personal services for home buyers and home sellers. Jeff Geoghan is a top real estate expert in Lancaster County, PA, and has been featured in the Lancaster Newspapers, WGAL Channel 8, PA Business Journal and Wall Street Journal.
Bare Financial Services, Inc is a firm of independent financial advisors who are registered representatives of and offer securities through Securities America, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC with advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors. Bare Financial Services, Inc. and the Securities America companies are independently owned. Bare Financial Services is based in Atglen and Jeremy Walter lives in northern Lancaster city. You can visit Bare Financial at www.barefinancial.com or reach them at (610) 593-2483.
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Last Night my wife and I were able to attend the annual Lancaster Inter-Municipal Committee (LIMC) banquet, this year held at the brand-new Lancaster Convention Center. As a Councilman in East Petersburg, I am periodically involved with LIMC functions as East Pete is a participating member in that body.
The evening began with a reception and moved to a tour of the facility.
After that we were broken into smaller groups for the rest of the tour. Our tourguide was Josh Nowak, the sales manager for the facility.
The rooms and facililties are very impressive. I was somewhat disappointed that we didn't get to go to the 19th floor if the Lancaster PA Marriot tower...but I was able to get to the 10th floor last weekend at the open house...spectacular Lancaster City photos upcoming in a future blog post.
The ballroom level has lots of BIG spaces too:
Finally it was time to eat! We had a very nice dinner - hats off to the chef staff.
Lancaster PA Mayor Rick Gray gave a speech about the convention center and his hopes for the future in Lancaster City:
Lancaster Marriot manager Mark Moosic gave a closing presentation. All in all a good evening and an opportunity to met fellow LIMC members & the convention center management.
It was time for the big "One Oh" today - the tenth in our series of "Tweetups" for the Lancaster PA Twitterati! We were set to have this auspicious event on the Columbia Avenue porch of (none other than) Ken Mueller...but that didn't happen.
Alas, the amazing popularity of our breakfast tweetups forced to us relocate to the lesser-known-yet-just-as-cool "back deck" of the Mueller residence. There, Daniel Klotz had placed the precious Dunkin Donuts and coffee for all to partake of...and the crowd rejoiced!
But wait...we had a special guest in the house, er, backyard...Daniel Klotz! A birthday boy, he received a little jig danced by Dave Moulton of "Beards Over Babies" fame:
And finally a bit-o ice cream and a candle to denote his tender years..
We had such a good turnout that we forgot to keep track of the Twitternames this time! Time for a recording secretary? Even Ken Mueller made it for this one - amazing! (Oh wait, it was at HIS house).
Stay tuned for the next "decade" of Twitter breakfast Tweetups - Daniel and I are already cooking up some new venues!
We embraced our "outdoor selves" as a family this past weekend by reserving a campsite at Gifford Pinchot State Park in neighboring York County (Lewisberry, to be exact - only a few miles from Ski Roundtop). Just off of route 83, Gifford Pinchot offers over 300 campsites and was recommended in "The Best of Pennsylvania Tent Camping", a book by Matt Willen that I leaned on for my decision.
The lakeside option was appealing to us and we selected a site in the "A" loop. sites 114-131 are the best in the "A" loop, in my opinion. We were in site 131. Keep in mind that all those sites are non-electric; you can view the campground map here for the best site for your RV or pop-up. I had done my homework and our site was adjacent to a water source & bath house. By the way, the bath house we used was excellent and the showers were in good shape.
We also rented a canoe from a local source in Lancaster and brought that over - our campsite had "access" to the lake, but the brush in between was LOUSY with poison ivy - making it off-limits for the kids unless we were using the canoe. It was handy, however, to be able to push out into the lake without any additional steps. Better sites are close by with clean access to the lake.
We had a clear day on Thursday and Friday morning as well.
We were able to canoe both days and also went swimming at the private beach area for campers (rigidly enforced - a ranger got on the bullhorn while we were out there warning all non campers that they would be getting tickets). The beach area also has a small play area that our kids put to good use - we had to pry them off the slide!
A HUGE thunderstorm roared through on Friday afternoon but my meager camping knowledge got us through without major mishap. Hearing hail on the tent was an interesting experience...
One suggestion I have is to bring bikes - there are lots of paved byways in the park to ride on and it's a family pastime to cruise around. We had plentt to deal with on this, our first family camping exercise, so bikes were left at home. I will definitely bring them next trip, however.
Gifford Pinchot State Park is impressive in size at 2.338 acres, and the lake encompasses 340 acres all by itself. We only covered a small portion by canoe but it's very peaceful and uncrowded. There are 2 large day-use areas with beaches and boat rentals. Everything seemed very orderly and the people were a pleasure to deal with. The Park is even on Twitter!
While our experience was excellent, be aware that if you have a pet life will be more difficult. Only a small portion of sites are pet friendly, and the park does not allow them in common areas.
One nice thing was meeting the "neighbors", a nice family who were more experienced campers who gave us some good pointers and advice. Seems like the family factor is very high and it's not hard to meet people should you prefer.
For a fee of $44 this campground was very reasonable. If you're interested in camping in the Lancaster PA area, Gifford Pinchot is hard to beat. If you're looking for an opportunity to canoe, Pinchot Lake is very accessible and easy to get around on. The kids were asking when we could come back even as we were packing up!
Interesting perspective on home decoration by my friends at Sugar Pine Realty out in Northern California:
Have you got some Van Gogh's and Da Vinci's to hang? Well, even if they arent quite that caliber, don't get nailed with extra holes in your walls and poorly arranged pictures. consider these tips before hanging artwork:
Arrangement matters
· If you have several smaller items or a large wall on which to showcase your artwork, an arrangement may work best.
· Artwork can be grouped by color, subject matter or by matching frames or mats. Consider varying the sizes and shapes of items to add interest to an arrangement.
Orderly conduct
· To keep a grouping from looking disorderly, create a geometric shape with the outer edges and plan for at least one or two straight lines to run through the arrangement.
· You can achieve cohesiveness by hanging items relatively close together so they seem like a unit. Make sure one item doesn't overshadow the others.
· Items arranged in a V or inverted V shape lead the eye in a smooth fashion.
Location counts
· Pictures should be at either standing eye level or seated eye level depending on the room. Place pictures where they won't be obscured by the head of a sitting person.
· It's also best to mount items no more than one foot above furnishings. If you need to hang a picture higher, fill the gap with a vase or other decoration.
Put it on paper
· Don't start hammering until you have a plan. First trace around the frame on a piece of paper, mark where the hook is and cut out the form. Place the paper on the wall and when it's where you want - nail it!
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Your One-Stop source for expert Lancaster County PA Real Estate assistance. Jeff's blog is nationally-featured and he's been quoted in Lancaster News, PA Business, WGAL & the Wall Street Journal.
Raised on Long Island, Jeff received his Associate Degree in Business at Suffolk College in 1985. He transferred to Penn State at University Park, PA to complete his undergraduate studies, earning a Bachelors of Science in the Marketing discipline in 1988. RJR Nabisco Brands, who had taken Jeff on as an intern in the last summer of his time at Penn State, offered him a sales position calling on accounts across Long Island. Thus began his career, one which would lead him to Lancaster armed with one of the top resumes in the Real Estate industry.
In the past sixteen years Jeff has worked for several multinational corporations, rising from route sales to managing large accounts and working daily with company chairs and officers. Along the way Jeff acquired his MBA in Business Management at Dowling College in Oakdale, NY. More importantly, Jeff has operating a multimillion-dollar internet sales division and in that capacity handled innumerable customer service calls, successfully resolving the vast majority. This in combination with his years of consultative sales experience has given Jeff an innate feel for the needs of the customer which he has successfully integrated into his Real Estate practice.
With Jeff Geoghan as your representative, you can be assured of the very best in personal, professional service. Contact him today to discuss your real estate hopes and dreams.
Jeff R. Geoghan strives to provide the very best in service and expertise possible to his customers. Whether you are looking to sell a home or buy your "dream home", Jeff Geoghan is the right choice. Also, Jeff is an agent focusing on ways to encourage the growth of "green building" practices and energy efficient homes, for greater environmental stewardship in the real estate process.
Throughout the United States, there is a rising interest in ways to beat skyrocketing fuel prices, live more independently of the "grid" and protect the environment of which we are all called to be good stewards of. The sentiment has even reached into the state and federal governments, who are now beginning to recognize this movement as "not going away" and are working on incentives to spur development. The good news is that homeowners have more resources at their fingertips that ever before, and that accomplishing the goals of independence, savings and environmental stewardship are more attainable than ever.
The Real Estate industry nationwide, however, has huge opportunities available to share these emerging and now-standard technologies with the home consumer. In the home sales process, little to absolutely no emphasis is placed on the energy consumption of the home or the degree to which "green" building practices are employed (in new homes especially). In our fossil-fuel world of central Pennsylvania, home sellers, buyers, builders and agents do not focus on doing things better & cleaner but take fuel oil, gas and grid electricity for granted even as these items rise in price constantly. There is a better way!
The mission of Jeff R. Geoghan, his partner firms and YourLancasterHome.com is to bring change to the industry in central PA by focusing on the ways Real Estate customers can save money, improve their lifestyle and reduce dependence on fossil fuels with their attendant costs. Through his affiliation with the Green Building Association of Central PA Jeff will help educate his clients on ways to improve homes through "green" projects, and inform buyers on the merits of different new home constructions. Through his affiliation with the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, Jeff will help educate on ways to reduce energy expenses in the home, and to explore alternative energy options that are already available. Lastly, as an official Energy Star Partner Jeff will educate on the relative merits of appliances, insulation, lighting and other energy-saving strategies. Here at YourLancasterHome you will find benefits offered nowhere else in the Real Estate industry today.
With a solid track record of residential sales in and around Lancaster County, Jeff is well-placed to offer the top-notch service expected of a professional agent. If you, as a prospective home sales customer, are looking for the edge in energy management, Jeff stands alone as the agent of choice.
"We beleive Jeff went above and beyond the normal service. He made us feel like we were the only clients he had. We highly recommend Jeff" - The Haines - Hamilton Park
"Jeff was a pro in all respects to our sale and purchase. He was calm when times were stressful. He always returned our calls promptly! We felt like Jeff was working for us every day...he was wonderful from the first open house through settlement"- The Swionteks - Manheim Township
"Jeff was a pleasure to work with...I will be recommending him to my friends! - The Johnsons - Lititz
"Jeff was an outstanding agent, and we would highly recommend him..." - The McEdwards - East Hempfield Township
"Jeff answered every single question we had about the process...we would recommend Jeff to anyone" - The Gildeas - Manheim Township
"Jeff Checked things even more thoroughly than we did. He was fun to bounce ideas around with, can see possibilities, helps bring relevant information and confidence to decision making" - The Weavers - Columbia
"I told a lady my kids were playing with at mall to call you...and gave her my name as a reference" - The Saint Cyrs, East Petersburg"
"Jeff was looking out for us and when he saw something that was not right in a house, he was honest enough to let us know. He really was looking out for our interests" - The Maris' - Manheim Township
"Jeff was willing to show us many homes without us feeling like we were inconveniencing him. Seeing numerous homes helped us narrow down our priorities...he was patient with us!" - The Stoltzfus' - Lititz
"Was very quick on our counteroffer - coming to us on a Friday night to sign, ensuring that we would get the house" - The Halls, New Holland
"The first afternoon we met, I was sold on Jeff" - Alisia Lara, Lancaster City
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