Visitors to the environmental center at the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge , whether they come by foot, water taxi or car, are greeted by a 10-acre botanic garden. Native plants, benches, flagstone paths, rivulets and a statue of Russell W. Peterson by sculptor Charles Parks set the tone of this scene overlooking the Christina River and the Wilmington skyline. Peterson left his mark on Delaware with the Coastal Zone Act of 1972, a law intended to protect Delaware's coast from heavy industry. In the 1960s, he started a battle with oil companies who saw the Delaware River as fertile ground for new industrial uses.  But Gov. Peterson's love of nature stood in the way as he recently told an enthralled group (of which I was a part) at the Delaware Historical Society.  Commerce Ma... 10/12/2009

October 10, 2009 marked the public opening of the 212 acre Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge on the Christina River in Wilmington. It is located at the end of Justison St., past Frawley Stadium and the Riverfront Restaurants. Seen as a chance to get city residents and other urban dwellers interested in the natural world around them and a chance to re-establish species that once thrived along the Christina River, the center is named for former Delaware Governor Russell W. Peterson, author of the Coastal Zone Act, which stopped further industrial development along the Delaware coast. The Delaware Nature Society operates Environmental Education Center  here where the city, river, and marsh meet. On opening day, the public had a chance to check out the site's features. The Wilmingto... 10/11/2009

Now is a great time to visit the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts in Wilmington DE. Thinking of a more "traditional" museum for your final summer activities?  You need to take advantage of the free admission to the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts (DCCA) along the riverfront in Wilmington Delaware. Now celebrating its 30th year, the DCCA is located at 200 South Madison Street on the rapidly evolving Wilmington waterfront.  Situated in a former industrial building, the facility now has 35,000 square feet of space offering 7 galleries, 26 artist studios, an auditorium, museum shop and support areas.  It is directly served by the Dart Bus Route 32 and is just around the corner from the downtown Amtrak Rail Station, Frawley Stadium, several shops, and great dining and ente... 08/24/2009

August, 2009 is a time of celebration for Wilmington and the Delaware Historical Society, for 2 reasons.  The first is that the Christopher L. Ward Reading Room of the Research Library has reopened with a new heating and cooling system in their converted bank building at 505 Market Street. The second celebration is for the opening of an exhibit in the Willingtown Square Gallery adjacent to the old bank. It features a Clifford Brown collection donated by Paul Preston Davis, a Wilmington native and devoted collector of materials related to both the city and African American history.  Despite his short life and career, Brown is still honored by jazz afficionados and by the city of Wilmington and its annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival. Below are pictures of the Delaware History Center muse... 08/17/2009

Everybody should stop by Cosmos Diner Restaurant to experience the one of the best diners in Wilmington. I admit it - I love diners.  I like the food, the service, and the people.  Situated off Maryland Avenue south of Wilmington and just north of Newport, Cosmos Diner Restaurant is one of the best in Delaware offering all the classic diner fare plus many Greek Specialties.  The restaurant has been a local stalwart for years. Cosmos offers booths, table top, and counter dining options.  The service is excellent with a great friendly staff.  Having a wide variety of seating options, there is rarely a wait, and if you are bringing a large family or group, there is plenty of room to combine tables in the back.  They open everyday at 6:30 and close at 9:00 except for Friday and Saturday whe... 08/09/2009

Sunday & Thursday  630pm to ?? at Bellevue State park at the Band Shell, free to the Public, park admission charges may apply August 2 in the style of Blues/Rock is "B Street Blues Band" August 6 in the style of Reggae/Calypso is "The New Direction Band" August 9 in the style of Americana/Folk Rock is "Cole Younger Band" August 13 in the style of Concert Band is "The Academy of Lifelong Learning" August 16 in the style of Straight-Ahead/Cool Jazz with Latin & African Influence is "Joe Baione Trio" August 20 in the style of Motown/Funk is "Red Alert Band" August 23 in the style of Classic Rock & Roll is "Helixx" August 27 in the style of Classic Blues/Soul/R&B/Originals is "Second Chance Blues Band" August 30 in the style of Celtic Fusion/Folk Rock is "Mythica" Bring a lawn chair & enjoy... 08/01/2009

The Fourth of July was a grand night at Tubman-Garrett Park on the Wilmington waterfront with thousands of onlookers enjoying the Delaware Symphony led by Maestro David Amado and the Delaware Valley Chorale with patriotic music, lively marches, and emotional tunes from Victory at Sea and Saving Private Ryan. The riverfront restaurants had plenty of outdoor tables filled with partygoers, the paddlewheel boat and the riverfront taxi were cruising around, and the Wilmington Fire Department fireboat put on a display of water spraying high into the air. There were lots of families and small children who had been entertained earlier in the day with the All-American Baby Contest and the Brandywine Barbershop Chorus. A good time was had by all!  Join us next year! 07/04/2009

Last week Wilmington played host to the 21st Annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival on Rodney Square, in the center of downtown. There were a variety of styles featured, from Ivan Neville's Funk, to the Latin sounds of Pete Escovedo's Orchestra, to the more straight ahead jazz of Jazz Attack, The Bad Plus, Jason Moran, and last but not least, the wild and energetic 79 year old Roy Haynes and his Band.  There is always a chance of rain (which we had several periods of) but there was also a chance to hear some great jazz at the largest FREE outdoor jazz festival on the east coast. It concluded Sunday night with a free performance of Duke Ellington's Sacred Music Concert at the Grand Opera House, a restored late 19th C performance space, featuring a great band, the Wilmington Chorus, the Wilm... 06/22/2009

I continuously monitor local  real estate statistics to keep my clients informed and ahead of the real estate trends.   Below you will find Brandywine ( North Wilmington) real estate statistics of May, 2009 Number of homes listed:   123 Average price homes listed:   $305,807 Went under contract:   63 Number of homes sold:   72 Average price of homes sold:   $277,279 Days on market: 64 If you'd like a free list of homes for sale in Brandywine to be the first to know about hot new listings, please, give me a call at 302-383-2289, or e-mail me to torlov@del.net Ask me about the list of bank owned and pre-foreclosure homes. 06/09/2009

Wilmington DE once again welcomes the arrival of the Wilmington Greek Festival and St Anthony's Italian Festival as the summer season begins. The Wilmington Greek Festival is now under way on the grounds of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church on Broom St.  Opening on the 2nd of June it will run through Friday June 5 (Saturday if a rain date is needed).  The festival opens at 11:00AM and runs through 11:00PM each day with a shuttle from downtown Wilmington available 11-2 during lunch.  The church is open each day from 4-6:30 with a tour available at 6:30.  Each night there will be two dance performances by various groups at 7:30 and 8:30 and live music from 6:30-11:00.  There are also a wide variety of vendors and food booths available throughout the week.  It's a great time to visit ... 06/04/2009

The Lawn Bowlers of the Northeast Division of the United States Lawn Bowls Association rolled into Wilmington DE last weekend for the Classic Singles Tournament held by the Dupont Lawn Bowling Club at the DuPont Country Club on Rockland Road.  Over twenty of the top regional bowlers competed over the weekend. Lawn bowling has a long and varied history in the area.  Records show that lawn bowling has been a popular pastime in the area for over 300 hundred years.  Play was documented in Williamsburg as early as 1720 and probably was being played earlier.  In Europe, lawn bowling has been documented as far back as the 13th century.  Although it was banned for commoners to play in the UK from the mid 1400s to 1845 to encourage practicing archery, it continued to be played by royalty.  It is... 05/21/2009

On May 4, Vice President Biden, our 2 US Senators and 1 Representative (that is the total for the state of Delaware) along with local officials kicked off the $32 million renovation of the Wilmington Delaware Amtrak Station. As a member of the steering committee for the Friends of the Furness RR District (a group promoting education about the Frank Furness designed 100 year old train station and its 2 companion buildings), I was invited to join the TV cameras and officials to hear the Vice President speak, and later shook hands with him.  It was worth going through the magnetometer search! 05/12/2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDATE: May 12, 2009GRIMLY FORET EARNS PRESTIGIOUS DESIGNATION TO HELP HOMEOWNERS IN DANGER OF FORECLOSUREGrimly Foret of RE/MAX Wilmington has earned the prestigious Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) designation, having completed extensive training in foreclosure avoidance and short sales. This is invaluable expertise to offer at a time when the area is ravaged by “distressed” homes in the foreclosure process.Short sales allow the cash-strapped seller to repay the mortgage at the price that the home sells for, even though it is lower than what is owed on the property. With plummeting property values, this can save many people from foreclosure and even bankruptcy. More and more lenders are willing to consider short sales because they are much less costly tha... 05/12/2009

Yesterday was the Annual Oyster Dinner as well as the REALTOR (R) of the year program and I wish to take this moment to congratulate the REALTOR (R) of the year award to Bridget Lane with ERA Harrington Realty, Inc. Congrulations Bridget - You Deserve it and way to go! Also congratulations to the the Previous Realtor (R) of the year winners: 2008: Phil McGinnis 2007: Lynde Brogan 2006: Todd Stonesifer 2005: Carol Burns 2004: Linda Brannock 2003: Connie Fox 2002: Richard Brogan 2001: Charles Witt 2000: Tom Burns 1999: Ed Hammond 1998: Sam Murdock 1997: Randy Marvel 1996: Helen Hales 1995: Bill Hufnal 1994: Phil McGinnis 1993: Richard Nelson 1992: Donna Stone 1991: Linda Buckland 1990: Phil McGinnis 1989: Joe Wells 1988: Doug Moore 1987: Charles Witt 1986: George Chabbott 1985: Bill Hufna... 05/01/2009

With their ideal location, Graylyn Crest and North Graylyn Crest have remained popular North Wilmington housing choices since their construction in the late fifties through early sixties. These Brandywine Hundred communities with over 800 homes are centrally located just off Foulk and Silverside Roads.  They have immediate access to Interstate 95 by either the Marsh Rd or Harvey Rd exits.  They also are just minutes from the Route 202 corridor with multiple retail opportunities including the Concord Mall.  These routes enable easy commuting to Wilmington, West Chester, and Philadelphia.  They also have access to the SEPTA R2 Regional Rail Line at the Claymont Rail Station. Although there are some other construction styles within the developments, split level homes are by far the most po... 04/14/2009

  This morning, Delaware and  the Old Swedes Foundation held Landing Day Services at the site of Fort Christina Park in Wilmington DE. Unknown by many, Delaware was founded by the Swedes and Finns. In 1638, the first Swedish settlement was established at Fort Christina located just east of present day Wilmington just off 7th Street along the Christina River. They quickly formed the first permanent settlement in the future state.  The Swedes controlled the immediate area until 1655 when the Dutch took control and the future state of Delaware ultimately fell under British control in 1664. In 1698 the Swedes and Finns built a new church on the site of their original burial ground.  The church was established as a Swedish Lutheran Church but in 1791 it became part of the Protestant Episcopa... 03/29/2009

So what's happening in New Castle County Delaware real estate today?  --  A bit of a slog but some signs of an upturn. As noted in my last post on New Castle County, the market here experienced the same drop in activity that we saw region wide.  Since then, again like other areas, it has continued to struggle.  Closed sales have continued at the slowest pace seen in years, but recently we have seen an uptick in new properties going under contract.  We may be seeing the beginning of a more solid market. First Some History:In New Castle County as a whole, from an average sales price of less than $200,000 in 2003 with 7689 reported sales, the residential real estate volume activity peaked in 2005 with 8285 reported sales in the local MLS system with an average price of just over $245,000. ... 03/19/2009

Delaware Credit Report Right now with the economy shifting and credit tightens across the country, it is becoming more important to monitor your credit report. If your looking for a FREE COPY of your credit report, email me and I will send you a copy of the forms you need to request it for FREE. Most of my clients generally have an error on their credit report that can be eliminated. Visit: www.FreeHomeSearch.DreamStation.com and Ask for your "Free Credit Report" Thanks, Tom Davis Dover DE REALTOR (R)   03/07/2009

Need Extra Cash?  Need A Loan?  Tom Davis DE REALTOR ® can help you find a suitable lender and save you money!  Here is a worksheet you may print out and use while shopping around for a suitable mortgage!  If you would like some recommendations please call Tom Davis at: (302)398-3757 to help you with getting your home loan! You need Cash for your new home and Tom Can Help!        Mortgage Shopping Worksheet   Lender 1 Lender 2 Name of Lender             Name of Contact             Date of Contact             Mortgage Amount             Basic Information about the Mortgage Mortgage 1 Mortgage 2     Type of Mortgage: Conventional mortgage vs. high-ratio mortgage                         If high-ratio, what is the insurance premium?                         Minimum down payment required     ... 01/31/2009

    (this is not about all realtors, just a few, and it's those that will hurt both the buyer and seller) You would think with a tough real estate market, that realtors would want to be on top of their game, both for sellers and buyers. I think some realtors still live in the dark ages and this can hurt either the seller or the buyer. I know many realtors and loan officers are passionate in what they do, but being one-sided, doesn't make it right. Can we call it tough love, seeming to be harsh in our thoughts or stern in our advice, only wanting to help that client in the long run?       Just the other day I received a note in my in box on Facebook from a loan officer out in California. He is a loan officer who actually told me that he has been following my blogs for a while now. Here i... 01/11/2009