About Schuylkill County, PA

This morning I set up a new profile for my new company, Schuylkill Appraisal Services.

Schuylkill Executives, LLC is the entity that owns Realty Executives, our Pottsville real estate firm.

I do business with numerous banks, lenders, attorneys, and other professionals. Realty Executives is constantly getting calls from these professionals asking us to appraiser properties for trusts, estates, divorces, etc. The answer used to be, "We are not appraisers, but I can give you a BPO or CMA."

No longer! Now we can say "We are not appraisers. But our sister company, Schuylkill Appraisals, can help you!."

Marcy Kleckner, Certified Residential Appraiser, was hired to run the appraisal company.

We are not appraising in-house listings or sales. But we will do appraisals for any banks or lenders on non-in-house deals. (Some lenders here are still allowed to order their own appraisers, depening on the type of loan).

We are on the approved list for a few dozen AMC's as well, and are adding to that list every week.

We also are getting a nice flow of business from local attorneys for estate/trust work, and other situations.

Here is the link to Schuylkill Appraisal Serivce's website, and to our new AR Profile.

JEWELRY SHOW AND SALE / PAZ Designs

SUNDAY, JULY 19TH AT THE LAZY DOG FROM 2:00 - 4:00 P.M.

For details, go to the Lazy Dog's website at http://www.lazydogcoffeehouse.com/

From the website:

"Pat Zaharis is a Pottsville native and a retired registered nurse. She is a self-taught artist, who uses her natural talents to create unique and beautiful jewelry. She started by designing and making jewelry for herself and family, but at the request of others who admired her work and wanted to purchase pieces for themselves, formed PAZ Designs. The name reflects the artists’ initials (Patricia Ann Zaharis)and coincidentally means peace"

LAZY DOG COFFEEHOUSE 18 E SUNBURY ST | MINERSVILLE, PA 17954 | Ph 570.544.4800

What is the Lazy Dog? The Lazy Dog is one of my favorite new places to go in Schuylkill County. It is a unique little place that is warm and welcoming no matter what time of day you stop in.

A Coffeehouse, A Bistro Restaurant, A Music Venue

The Lazy Dog is designed in the tradition of the authentic coffeehouses of Greenwich Village in New York City. It is a neighborhood gathering place for friends, families, business associates, students, and visitors of Minersville, Schuylkill County, and the surrounding areas. In an intimate setting of exposed brick, steel beams and ductwork, cafe tables to accommodate 60+ guests, an outdoor patio, a beautifully stocked bakery counter, wifi internet access, a sound-equipped stage/performance area, and an inviting dance floor, we hope our guests will use the Lazy Dog as their home away from home. The counter area features a specialty espresso and smoothie bar, and a bakery case brimming with freshly-baked bagels, scones, cookies, cakes, pies and other desserts. Our kitchen serves a diverse menu of lunch and dinner items, including a great selection of lunch and dinner entrées, daily specials, artisan sandwiches, soups, salads and fresh fruits. We also offer a complete hot breakfast menu 7 days a week. Our unique signature sandwiches, panini, twice-baked potatoes, and skewered white meat chicken smothered in unforgettable toppings and dipping sauces, accented by selections from our wine, beer or martini lists are doghouse favorites. Our premium fair-trade organic coffees and teas, and hot & cold espresso drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, and frappés are at the heart of our coffeehouse. Our stage features live musical entertainment ranging from acoustic, jazz, blues and swing, to pop/rock. We are also a forum for comedy, poetry, theatrical readings, book signings and other talent as it presents itself. The Lazy Dog is a neighborhood center that feeds the mind, body and soul of our community: the mind with internet access and great place to read, reflect and talk; the body with great food and drink; and the soul with great music, dance and camaraderie. Our goal is to create a sensational coffeehouse experience for our guests that will bring you back time and again.

In Schuylkill County, July means Stuff the Bus! Companies and individual patrons are asked to drop off back-to-school items in the school vans located inside of the Fairlane Village, Cressona, and Schuylkill Malls running the entire month of July beginning Mon., July 6.

Help support over 800 local children and families. Stuff the Bus Community Appreciation Day is on Tuesday, July 14th from 1:30 to 3:30 PM at the Fairlane Village Mall. For every item you bring to Stuff the Bus, you get an entry form to win exciting prizes including: Passes to either H2Ooohh!, The Reading Phillies, Dutch Wonderland, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, and many, many others. The day of fun hosts free child-friendly crafts and games provided by each of the 15 partner agencies.

New this year is “Stuff the Bus, Stuff Your Face” at the Fairlane Village Mall on Wednesday nights in July beginning on the 8th. From 5 to 9 PM, Roman Delight will donate 10% of your bill to the Schuylkill United Way to help purchase backpacks.

Plus, donate a school supply item and gain access to a FREE movie beginning at 6 PM in the Mall Theater. Scheduled movies include Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Taken, Marley & Me, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

For more information, please call the Schuylkill United Way at 570-622-6421.

All I can say is at least it's not raining.

It's JULY and where is the "pool weather?" Come on already! Let's start dreaming ... here's a quick rundown of what you'll find if you're looking for houses with pools in Schuylkill County

$129,000 ... Barnesville 4-bedroom home in the country with aboveground pool

$132,500 ... West Mahanoy Township single with pool

$440,000 you get a classic 6-bedroom Pottsville home with an inground pool

$599,000 ... besides a pool you get a 10-car garage in the Tamaqua area

$774,900 ... Schuylkill Haven stone farmhouse with pool house on 25 acres

$899,000 ... a 1800s stone farmhouse in Wayne Township on 17+ acres

$1.2 mil ... Ridgeview beauty in Orwigsburg

Recession? What recession? As long as you're dreaming, dream big!

I cannot believe we're already half way through 2009! I just pulled the Jan-June 2009 statistics for the Pottsville, PA 17901 area and here's where we stand right now.

I pulled Pottsville homes for sale (single family) and there are 169 homes for sale right now in the School District, which is higher than norma, and 32 of those are pending.

63 properties closed in the past 6 months, ranging from $6000 to $320,000!

Average selling price: $57,443 and average Days on Market: 118.

Compared to a year ago, we sold 66 houses in the same time period in 2008 (so very similar). But the difference kicks in when it comes to the other stats:

Average selling price: $70,414 was a year ago, with DOM only 97.

So in the past year, we've seen a serious drop in sales price (18.4% -- which is in line with national statistics) and a corresponding increase in days on market (22%).