Hershey, PA

So much to do in Hershey, Pennsylvania during the holiday season!

Hershey Sweet Lights ~~ A winter wonderland awaits at Hershey Sweet Lights, A Holiday Drive-Thru Spectacular. Enjoy nearly 600 illuminated, animated displays from the comfort of your car as you drive through two miles of wooded trails. Families return year after year for this holiday tradition. Admission is charged.

http://www.christmasinhershey.com/hershey_sweetlights.php

Hersheypark Christmas Candylane~~ The magic of the holidays comes to life at Hersheypark Christmas Candylane. With two million twinkling lights, rides for all ages, festive decorations, and Hershey's Product Characters decked out in their holiday best, there is something for all to enjoy!

http://www.christmasinhershey.com/christmas_candylane/index.php

Hershey Bears Ice Hockey ~~ Hershey's very own AHL team plays at the Giant Center which is adjacent to Hersheypark.

http://www.hersheybears.com/index.php

Hershey's Chocolate World~~ Many events going on at Hershey Chocolate World. Check out their web site for a calendar of events.

http://www.hersheys.com/chocolateworld/

Hershey Gardens~~ Winter Walk - November 18 - 20, 25 - 27, December 2 - 4, 9 - 10, 16 - 18, & 26 - 30
This annual Christmas display will feature festive “kissing balls” hanging from archways along the Gardens’ paths. Guests can also enjoy seeing specially decorated Christmas trees, including 13 trimmed by members of the community. Visitors can vote for their favorite tree as part of the second annual “Trim-A-Tree” contest.
During this season, winter blooming plants and the architecture of the Gardens’ beautiful trees will be on display. Visitors may get a sneak peek at next spring’s flower buds as they begin to reveal themselves

http://www.hersheygardens.org/garden_attractions/seasonal_attractions.php

In the interest of fairness and balance I want to present the other side of the coin that I wrote about the other day...'What do I do when I'm not previewing...?'

Good question, go on appointments!

There was a question I had taped to my mirror and in my car that drove my business, and it still does; What do I have to do to get an appointment today? My entire business plan was centered on this. I knew my financial goal and how many units that meant, and each sales unit had a client conversion ratio that always came back to the same basic premise, how many appointments do I need to go on to get a listing or a sale?

To prove this my coach used to count the steps backwards from a paycheck.

1. You only get paid at a settlement
2. You only get to a settlement if clients have signed an agreement
3. Clients will only sign an agreement when you meet them in person *
4. They will only meet you if you ask them to
5. SO GET ON THE PHONE AND ASK

*except when they're out of town...but still you have got to get in their face to get things done. So what will I do to get an appointment today? I have at least a dozen things that I will try, but the best trick in my bag is making more calls: calls to friends, to leads, to past clients, and even clients in a transaction to ask for referrals.

So, pick up the phone and start counting down to a great day!

Today we settled on 133 Trail Road in Hershey, PA. another PA homes and real estate for sale which is now sold. The buyers are friends who bought the house to create a home for their daughter who is in medical student and who will be gettng married in the spring.

Tom and Brenda are friends from way back. We used to spend time playing pinochle and our children grew up together. Fast forward and we had not seen one another for some time. I had been Tom and Brenda's pastor back in Souderton, PA, but we moved to Lancaster in 1997. Now 14 years later, our paths crossed again when they contacted me about helping them find a home. I am very glad to have a PA homes and real estate for sale sold.

Want me to help you sell your PA home so that it is no longer for sale, but sold. Or if you would like me to help you discover your dream home, please contact me.

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No, I'm not talking about me...

But we now have a new reason to get back into the old practice of previewing properties during our work day. Not such a new concept for some of us; I am a big fan of this practice.

Recently in Central PA our multi-list launched the public access side of our multi-list. This isn't such a big deal when we look at it as agents; we have had public IDX access to our listings for years. What is new about it is that when the consumer public hears about it as the "Public side of our whole MLS database" they will flock to it. Even though our own websites have as much and sometimes more data from multiple MLS IDX feeds, for some it might be seen as an unvarnished look into our secret world, unfiltered and untainted by brands. Am I saying I don't like this new development? No I actually love it, I can educate my clients and consumers and they can validate everything I show them.

What I am saying is that we must be better educated on the market inventory and conditions than the public. And here's how I do that. I preview properties as they come on the market and those that have been around a while. Why? If all I do is look at pictures and sit behind my computer all day, I don't have any more insight than my clients. So what do they need me for? I have to be in the homes and in the neighborhoods to be able to talk intelligently and answer the questions that always come up. If you need convincing that the photos don't tell the whole story, think back to the last time you saw or even attended a class on taking better photos to market your home.

So all you list agents out there, please don't be alarmed when you hear from me asking to preview your listing, I'm just doing my job. And please feel free to call to set up a preview of mine. As I write this I am committing to do even more previewing during these cold lonely winter days.

See you out there, go make it a great day!

Hershey Hotel, Because You Deserve It - I'm Glad My Hubby Thought I Did.

This month my husband, Brian, and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary and he treated me to a wonderful dinner out at the Circular Dining Room at the Hershey Hotel. We've been to some really nice places over the past 24 years, but I really enjoyed that night. I just wanted to share a little about that experience with you.

If you've ever been to a restaurant and felt treated with a little less respect than others because you were placed in a corner table, you will never feel that at this restaurant. Milton S. Hershey purposefully created a circular dining room because he didn't want corners. You will feel very special at this restaurant from the moment you walk in.

After we finished dinner, our waiter and waitress brought us a special surprise they had the chef concoct for us special for the evening. I thought it was very thoughtful and very tasty.

We then took a walk though the formal gardens and enjoyed the Koi ponds, watched a skate party and sat for a bit under a pergola and enjoyed the music of a live band on the veranda.

What a beautiful evening, and just in my back yard. Hershey Hotel is only about 45 minutes from Elizabethville so it was very convenient.

So if you are looking for that perfect special place to go for that anniversary, birthday or just to show she deserves it, think about the Hersey Hotel, you will not be disappointed.