About Lancaster's Historic Lancaster Homes

Yet another "Mulligan" post. I've been enjoying walking down memory lane, and finding some of my past "favorite" posts. This is one that I wrote just over a year ago and believe it was my first "featured" post. After that, I was hooked!

I haven't played Texas Hold'em for some time now ~ at least not since I traded in the iPhone I didn't like too much (I downloaded a Texan Hold'em game that I loved!).

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We had some friends over last night for a last-minute game of Texas Hold'em.

We used to get together during previous summers every Thursday night for a game. The loser, or first one out, was always charged with the task of firing up the grill and making hot dogs for the rest of us who were still playing - as a penalty for being the first one out.

We had a good time last night. And, most importantly - I won! Too bad there was only four of us playing, and the winnings weren't that big, but nonetheless I got to add my name to the list of winners we've been keeping. Of course, winning isn't everything (who am I kidding?) but:
It occurred to me that buying a house is very much like a game of Texas Hold 'Em:

"You've got to know when to Hold Them, know when to Fold Them, know when to Walk Away, and know when To Run" (was it Kenny Rogers that sang that song?).

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~ Jeannie's Homebuyers Guide to Texas Hold 'Em ~

Ante Up - As a home-buyer you've got to "ante up" and start looking for a good Realtor and Lender. You're thinking of buying, but you have a few steps to take before you can walk away with that Royal Flush of a house. So, you start playing a numbers game, playing with loan calculators, surfing the internet for listings, going to open houses, talking to friends and family who've bought homes recenlty. Ante up - You've got to be in it, to win it!

Placing a Bet - Once you've placed your Ante and you have found your perfect Buyer's Agent, you've got your loan pre-approval in the works, you can start betting that what you've got in hand so far will help you obtain the right house - or that Royal Flush you're hoping for. You're checking the chips that you've got stashed away for your down payment and closing costs, and you're keeping a close eye on them, hoping you won't need to go "all in" -- but you are ready to do so if the cards are in your favor.

The Flop - This is a biggie. "There's the house that seems just right for you!" Bidding starts, and you hope you've made a sound enough bid to clear the table of the other players. It looks good - offer accepted -- and now you're really in the game! You've got your deposit check handed in, a sealed deal, and hopefully can see this thing to the end of Settlement, or The River.

The Turn - Well, before you get to The River some things can happen. That "house of cards" you've been building can come tumbling down! Whole house inspection, Termite inspection, title search, final loan commitment -- do you keep playing? Are the cards that have been dealt good enough to see you through to the end? Or, are you going to get "burned"? Do you cut your losses now and Fold? Are those cards good enough to hang on until "The River"? Or do you "walk away" or "run"? So much to think about!! You might already have everything perfectly lined up, with the perfect winning hand, and you go "ALL IN". Or do you hold back just a bit, hoping for that last card to pop up to make everything work out? Perhaps it's the sale of your own house coming through. Perhaps a glitch in the title search that needs to be worked out. This is where things can all Turn suddenly. You're confident -- and you go "All In" to see "The River" card.

The River - It can make the game or break it -
It's the day of Settlement - you're at the table with your
Realtor, the Closing Agent, and your Lender. The Seller is there with his representation. The stacks of mortgage documents comes out - and you try hard to understand everything! You think you know what is going on, but of course you're a bit nervous. Some last minute betting - or re-negotiating - because the Seller didn't move everything out in time, or forgot to leave the kitchen sink as promised. But you're confident you've got the winning hand. The deed is presented to you, signed by the seller and properly notarized. You sign that HUD --and show your "winning hand"! A Royal Flush!! That house is all yours!! (your Winnings!) Keys are exchanged, the garage door opener is handed to you, and congratulations and high fives go around the table. You don't only feel like a winner -- YOU ARE A WINNER and now you're A HOMEOWNER, TOO!

The bottom line is -- if you have a great Realtor dealing your cards, you will be dealth that Royal Flush. She may even have an Ace up her sleeve for you, if you need it!

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Now, I wonder if I would have been so inspired to have thought of this stuff if I had LOST the game last night. Probably not, as I would have been the one making the hot dogs for everyone else still playing.

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Lancaster Homebuyers -- feel free to contact me if you'd like to have a winner Realtor on your side of the table. I'll deal you the best cards that I can!

For Lancaster Real Estate Information,
www.jeanniesellslancaster.com/

Part 1 of The Origin of Home Styles Series.
Visit the Origin of the Stick Style Victorian and The Origin of the Cape Cod style homes for more on this series.

Do you know the origin of the Tudor style home?

There are a number of elegant, stately Tudor homes for sale in Lancaster County.

Tudor homes of today are based on old English themes or medieval times. The architecture evolved during the 15th Century and lasted for well over 100 years into the 17th Century.

The style is named after the ruling dynasty of those times, the Tudors, which included Henry VII and Elizabeth I.

Characteristics of a Tudor home include

• exposed half-timbers,
  
• stucco,
  
• cross gables,
  
• and many times turrets and steeply pitched roofs.
  
• Windows are usually small paned or diamond patterned.
  
• Many times second floors were added protruding over the first floor due to the tight corridors in the Medieval streets (called "jettied")
  

Exterior elements were also brought inside, with rich dark woodwork throughout and brick and stone flooring. Even the furniture was heavy with carved detail and heavy iron latches and pulls. The influences of church came into play with stained glass and painted window panes, often highlighted with rich, jewel-toned velvet and damask fabrics and window coverings. During the rifts in the church, resources that would have gone towards building newer, larger cathedrals were instead used to build larger, stately homes.

Today's Tudor home is patterned after the original style, with the half-timbering being cosmetic rather than a structural component of the post & beam construction.

Modern Suburban estates became the hub of the Tudor style, with well to do homeowners tending to lean toward this style as the suburbs grew in popularity. Fewer Tudors are built today because of the added expense of all the authentic details.

Many feel a Tudor home evokes a feeling of warmth and substance.

In Lancaster County, Tudor homes are found throughout a number of neighborhoods, including the prestigious neighborhood of School Lane Hills in Lancaster Township.

There is also an authentic Tudor that I recently had listed for sale - 2950 Kings Lane.

This ideal Hempfield home featured authentic rich woodwork, charismatic brick, 2 fireplaces, post & beam half-timbering, exposed beams in the family room, and a number of other special features.

Jeannie Kontis, Realtor
The Bob Wells Realty Group
Long & Foster Real Estate, Lancaster
717-330-5137 direct

For more Lancaster Homes for Sale, Tudor Homes for Sale, Hempfield Homes for Sale or School Lane Hills homes for sale, visit Homes in Lancaster County, Real Estate in Lancaster PA.

Looking for something to do this Friday night, and support a good cause -- all at the same time?

Stop by The Chameleon night club for a tribute to Bob Dylan, and support Habitat for Humanity. You get to rock out, and a worthy cause can benefit. Tickets are $10 in advance, or $12 at the door. Show begins at 9pm on the main stage (ages 21+).

Habitat for Humanity is a national cause, and Lancaster County has it's very own very busy affiliate division.

From the web site:

Lancaster Area Habitat for Humanity builds new homes and renovates or repairs older homes in partnership with families in need and community volunteers.

Each family contributes hundreds of hours of “sweat equity” – time spent hard at work building or repairing their own homes or a future neighbor’s home. Volunteers provide labor to ensure the low cost and affordability of the home or repair.

At completion, Habitat finances the cost of the home or repair with a 0% interest mortgage to qualified low-income families. Generous donations from the community and recycled mortgages fund the cost of operations, supplies, and equipment

Habitat accepts gifts of cash, stock, and real estate from individuals and organizations who want to put their faith in action and give hard-working, low-income families “a hand up, not a hand out” to attain the dream of homeownership. Gifts are tax deductible.

Lancaster County and the Susquehanna Valley will be busting at the seams soon, with some top notch actors and actresses gathering in the area to work on a new feature film. "Another Harvest Moon" featuring Ernest Borgnine, Doris Roberts, Anne Meara and Cybill Shepard, and a few other noted celebrities. Many of you might know Doris Roberts as "Marie", everyone's favorite nosey mother from "Everybody Loves Raymond". And of course, everyone knows academy-award winning Ernest Borgnine.

"Another Harvest Moon" brings Borgnine out of retirement, at 91 years old, and gives him an opportunity to work on a film that deals with senior citizens, the effects of a stroke, and the friendships forged in a nursing home. I'm sure it will hit home with a number of us who are dealing with aging parents, as well as baby boomers who are facing decisions such as the ones brought to the forefront in this soon to be made film.

Pennsylvania is home to tax credits available to independant filmmakers - an effort that is of course near and dear to my heart for many reasons. Pennsylvania offers a 25% tax credit to filmmakers who spend 60% of their budget filming in our fine Commonwealth. Besides the fact that my son is an up and coming young filmmaker, the producers and production company for this particular new film, Aurora Film & Music, are dear friends of mine (some have even been clients) and I'm excited that they have an opportunity to work on such a fine feature. Aurora is a Lancaster-based independant film company who is embarking on their first major film production with the production of this movie. I know how hard and dedicated they have been over the past year to bringing this story, originally a screenplay written by Jeremy Thomas Black, to the big screen. It will be directed by another former Lancastrian, Greg Schwartz.

You can read the details of the movie in the recent Lancaster Newspapers article and interview of Aurora partner and film producer, Chad Taylor.

Lancaster City is not only home to fine arts such as the galleries on Prince Street, or "Gallery Row"; but is also home to art on the screen. Besides Aurora Film and Music, Haverstick Films is another local independant film company, who has been hard at work with post production for their feature film, "Home", starring Marcia Gay Harden. "Home" is a production that my son had the opportunity to intern for, and my husband and his recording studio, Moontree Studios (co-owned with a partner in Aurora) worked on some of the sound editing.

These are exciting times for not only Pennsylvania, but for Lancaster City arts as a whole. I hope that this fine cast of actors enjoy their time spent in Lancaster during their shoot, because we certainly have a lot to offer!

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If you are in the market to purchase a commercial space in Lancaster PA for an art studio, recording studio, or similar property for your artistic needs, please don't hesitate to contact me directly. I can be reached at 717-330-5137 or you can reach me through my website at www.JeannieSellsLancaster.com

Continuing the celebration of Moms everywhere, I thought I would share this great new link with you. The Lancaster Newspapers recently started a new website just for Moms in Lancaster - LancMoms - where mothers of all ages throughout Lancaster County can get together online. Here, you can share ideas about daycare, education, advice about child rearing (of all ages, of course!), and find and organize safe and fun activities for the kids and the family.

It seems to be a very new site, but already seems to be a hit. You can read the Newspaper arcile about it here.

And of course, if you are a Lancaster Mom and are looking for a new home for your family, contact me directly for a no-obligation consultation about how I can help meet your family's needs. Email me at KontisHomes@aol.com or visit me online at www.JeannieSellsLancaster.com. You can also call me directly at 717-330-5137 for an immediate response. As a member of The Core, I assist single women homebuyers and homesellers with the patience and respect they deserve.

Jeannie Kontis, Realtor
717-330-513
www.JeannieSellsLancaster.com