About Wayne County, PA

The other day while out on caravan, I had a dry throat and coughed.  People cringed even though I did cough into my sleeve (never my hand).  

A few houses later, the dust in the home tickled my nose too much and unfortunately, on our way out the door the dust combined with the pollen in the air was too much - and I sneezed.  People ran.  Well, just joking - nobody ran but my friend Linda ducked and said "You better not have swine flu!"

It's the latest scare on the scene and it has lots of people concerned.

Some home sellers are nervous about having many strangers view their homes - with all the talk of swine flu going around, it's reasonable to be a little scared, especially if someone in the household is suffering from a weakened immune system and is at risk of becoming very ill.

It's not really possible to pre-screen buyers for the flu - I can see the list of questions:

• How much do you have for a downpayment?
• What is your credit score? Are you preapproved?
• When would you like to move?
• Have you been to Mexico lately?
• Have you started sneezing or sniffling?

The problem is, there are all kinds of bugs floating around that could be just as devastating to an at-risk person.  People can be contagious and not even know it, so asking them if they're sick before letting them see the house will probably not be very helpful. 

Short of taking your home off the market, there is always going to be the risk that someone may come into your home, touch the doorknobs, and leave behind germs.

I suggest having a container of Lysol or Clorox wipes handy - and after a showing, wipe down every possible surface someone may have touched - most likely all the door knobs, cabinet and drawer pulls, the counter top, the bathroom fixtures.  It will not eliminate all of the germs - and supposedly, the flu germs do not survive on surfaces very long anyway - but it will help.

This would be a great time to declutter and eliminate a bunch of knick knacks - less surfaces for people to touch and less surfaces for sellers to clean afterward.  Not to mention, the lack of clutter makes your home appear more attractive to buyers...

I for one plan on carrying a bottle of hand sanitizer with me everywhere.  I will not be touching many surfaces in homes I show - just to be safe.  I will be sanitizing my hands often - and you're welcome to share - just let me squirt it into your palm.

Karen E. Rice is a real estate agent working in Pike & Wayne County of Northeastern PA in the Poconos. Lake Wallenpaupack is one of Pennsylvania's most popular destinations for vacations, retirement, and purchasing a home.

Pike & Wayne County PA Real Estate - Real Estate and the Flu, Swine or Otherwise... ©Copyright 2009 by Karen E. Rice. All rights reserved.

Just a quick note, Spring is here and it's time to clean out!

The WEICHERT WALKERS team goal is $2,000. Donations may be made online for your convenience - simply click here!

Bordered by State Gamelands, Pocono Springs Estates is a haven for wildlife, including deer, wild turkey, bald eagles, and red tail hawks. The amenities of this gated community include 133 acre Crystal Lake, stocked annually, the recreation island, featuring a heated swimming pool, basketball, handball, tennis, and bocce courts, 24 hour security patrols on our 56 miles of internal roads, 2 gated entrances/exits, and several green wildlife refuge areas.

The community is serviced by the North Pocono, Wallenpaupack, and Western Wayne School Districts.

Search All Homes For Sale in Pocono Springs Estates

Located in Gouldsboro, PA is Big Bass Lake. Conveniently located close to Rte 380 you will find this wonderful gated lake community with full amenities.
The community offers two lakes complete with sandy beaches, marina, picnic and playground facilities, tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, ice skating rink (weather permitting), ski hill with T-Bar, tubing hill, indoor and outdoor pool, dry sauna and clubhouse.
Needless to say Big Bass Lake is LOADED with things to do.
When you are ready to make that magical purchase of a home inside this wonderful community be sure to give Pocono Mountain Lakes Realty a call at 570 234 0633 as we are your Pocono Community Real Estate Experts. If you would like to view all currently active properties on the Pocono MLS right now then click on the link below.



Click to view Current Homes for Sale in Big Bass Lake

I know, I know - you've all been wondering where the heck I have been this past month.  All the fan mail I've received, begging me to come back to blogging has been staggering.

(Okay, that was a lie, I didn't receive but one email, that was from my good buddy, professional mortgage banker Jason Sardi, asking me if I was going to be in Philly last week.  I didn't reply until after the event...which was an obvious "NO" to his question.  Thank you Jason, for missing me and writing to me.  That was very sweet.)

The fact is, I have been swamped with work the past few weeks - I have actually either been out with clients selling real estate, working on behalf of clients helping them buy or sell their real estate, or keeping up to date on paperwork (real estate generates almost as much paperwork as the military) practically non stop. I haven't had time to go on Facebook, or Twitter, or anything!

I only took time out to help my team with my awesome bowling handicap on Wednesday nights, and to watch 24 on Monday nights.

Oh, and one other thing - I took most of Saturday, February 21 off to attend my son's big Boy Scout event: Pack 229's Pine Derby 2009.  Clients were informed that I already had that day booked - indeed, it was to spend the entire afternoon with the family that hasn't seen much of me since sometime in January!

Every year our son Jared looks forward to the Pine Derby.  He and Glenn, my talented, creative, and oh-so-hot husband, figure out a design for the car and work on it together.

This year, I think Glenn outdid himself, fashioning an excellent replica of the Mach 5.  Keep your Dale Earnhart Jr's - give me Speed Racer any time! ;-)

There were lots of creative cars in the race - my favorites, aside from the Mach 5 of course, included the super-fast skateboard, the bubbly bathtub, and the giggle-inducing Spongebob car.  

I got caught up in the cake auction.  Luckily for everyone there, I did NOT bake a cake but desperately wanted the figure 8 racetrack cake.  I didn't win but did my part by helping drive up the price! Ha ha!!!

Love Scouts - Love Pine Derbys - Loved the day with the family.