Clifton Park NY - Cell Phones for Soldiers   Cell Phones for Soldiers hopes to turn old cell phones into more than 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas. To do so, Cell Phones for Soldiers expects to collect 50,000 cell phones each month through a network of more than 3,000 collection sites across the country. The phones are sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone – enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad. “Americans will replace an estimated 130 million cell phones this year,” says Mike Newman, vice president of ReCellular, “with the majority of phones either discarded or stuffed in a drawer.  Most people don’t realize that the small sacrifice of donating their unwanted phones can have a t... 02/22/2010

Clifton Park NY Homes - The Green Grocer The Green Grocer, located at 1505 Route 9, Clifton Park NY is the areas leading natural and organic food store.  After 15 years of service to the Clifton Park NY community, they are experts in their field.  If you want to Live, Learn.....be Healthy with the products you are purchasing, stop by and take advantage of all their experience and knowledge.  You just can't get this level of service in a big supermarket or box store. They carry a full line of grocery, produce, dairy, frozen, bulk foods, HBC, and vitamins, minerals, and supplements.  Visit their Web Site at www.thegreengrocer.com or stop in today, you'll be glad you did.   Lewis Beynon, Prime Property Solution, LLC Phone 518-281-3951 FREE Home Search on my Web Site: www.LewisB.com 02/22/2010

Clifton Park NY Homes for Sale - The House of Kitchens Are you thinking of remodeling your kitchen or are you building a new home?  Stop by The House of Kitchens located at 1613 Route 9 in Clifton Park NY and they will be able to satisfy all your design needs.  Their complete showroom has hundreds of samples that make the whole process simple and easy.     So, if your Clifton Park NY kitchen needs a makeover, stop by today and see how they can assist you. Lewis Beynon, Prime Property Solutions, LLC.  Phone 518-281-3951 Clifton Park NY Homes for Sale FREE home search on my Web site; www.LewisB.com 02/22/2010

Clifton Park Homes for Sale, Saratoga County Real Estate.  The power of a Zealot. Moving the line (the power of a zealot) Extremists move the middle. Compromise is everywhere. Most of us can't possibly be pure extremists or true fundamentalists, so we draw the line somewhere in the middle. Consider the choice of what you eat (or don't eat). It ranges from the omnivore at one end to the fruitarian at the other: Cannibal... chimps... dogs... cats... cows... pigs... foie gras... chickens... fish... unfertilized eggs... honey... yeast... cherries... dust My guess is that few people care so little about their role in the food chain that they're willing to eat humans (one end of the spectrum), and there are very few strict fruitarians out there (but I've never met someone who wouldn't eat yea... 02/21/2010

Clifton Park Homes for Sale, Saratoga County Real Estate.  Consumers can be greedy. Some consumers are short-sighted, greedy and selfish. Extend yourself a little and they'll want a lot. Offer a free drink in the restaurant one night and they're angry that it's not there the next. The nuts in first class weren't warm! The challenge of winning more than your fair share of the market is that the best available strategy--providing remarkable service and an honest human connection--will be abused by a few people you work with. You have three choices: put up with the whiners, write off everyone, or, deliberately exclude the ungrateful curs. Firing the customers you can't possibly please gives you the bandwidth and resources to coddle the ones that truly deserve your attention and repay you ... 02/19/2010

Clifton Park Homes for Sale, Saratoga County Real Estate.  Bathroom Addition / Remodeling.  A new bathroom brings added convenience for your family and can prove to be a valuable asset should you decide to sell your home. Adding a full bathroom can increase the value of your home by 20%. Image: Porcher   Clifton Park Homes for Sale, Saratoga County Real Estate.  Bathroom Addition / Remodeling.  Depending on the size of your family and the number of existing bathrooms in your house, adding a new bathroom may be one of the best home improvement decisions you'll make. According to Greg Miedema, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders Remodelers (NAHBR), additional bathrooms are highly desirable features. "You can almost never go wrong adding a bathroom," says Miedema. Clifto... 02/19/2010

  Clifton Park Homes for Sale, Saratoga County Real Estate.  Incorpoarting Universal Design into your new Bathroom guarantees access for everyone and saves money in the long run. This bathroom incorporates several elements of universal design, including a curbless shower, wheelchair-friendly sink, and a hand-held shower. Image: Porcher   Clifton Park Homes for Sale, Saratoga County Real Estate.  Incorpoarting Universal Design into your new Bathroom.  Universal design features aren't just for the elderly or disabled-the term "universal design" simply means common-sense design that accommodates all users. If you're adding a new bathroom, incorporating universal features ensures that your bath is comfortable, safe, and will adapt to any lifestyle changes.The cost of universal design isn't ... 02/19/2010

Clifton Park NY Homes - USA Flag History and Etiquette   The Veterans of Foreign Wars is an excellent source of information on the USA Flag History and Etiquette.  Their Web site provides a lot of information and can be found here.   In Clifton Park NY, VFW Post 1498 provides a drop off box for anyone who would like to properly dispose of a worn and tattered flag.  They are located at 1605A Route 9 in Clifton Park NY, across the street from The Grecian Garden Restaurant.   I had an old flag that had flown in front of my house for years.  Once it became  tattered I wasn't sure how to dispose of it.  Some people said to burn  it.  Not wanting anyone to misinterpret my actions, I kept it in my garage for about 7 years before I noticed the drop box on my way home from work one night.  So, i... 02/18/2010

Clifton Park NY Homes - The Getaway Restaurant Tom and Gail Alverson wanted to give students a fun place to hang out, watch sports, and go celebrate after games without being at a bar.  So, they opened The Getaway, located in Clifton Park NY.   The Getaway is a family restaurant with a sports theme. The difference is, all the jerseys and sports photos on the walls are from local youth teams.     Located at Clifton Park Center, the restaurant is inviting its customers to bring in trading card-style photos many youth sports leagues sell to their athletes. They trade them for a free drink and once they get enough of them, they're going to laminate them onto the tabletops so you might see your neighbors' kids. They want the kids to come in and see their stuff, not Eli Manning, Drew Brees, o... 02/18/2010

  Clifton Park Homes For Sale, Saratoga County Real Estate.  A Home Office: Return on Investment. A home office adds to comfort, convenience, and salability, but isn't among the top projects for adding home value. More than 20% of Americans do at least some of their work at home, so home offices are an attractive feature for many homebuyers. Image: Feldman Architecture/photographer Paul Dyer Clifton Park Homes For Sale, Saratoga County Real Estate.  A Home Office: Return on Investment.  If you're one of the more than 20% of Americans who do some or all of their work at home, a comfortable, functional home office is a must-have. And it's a feature that's growing in popularity: When the National Association of Home Builders asked builders, manufacturers, and marketing experts what feature... 02/17/2010

Clifton Park Homes For Sale, Saratoga County Real Estate.  Green Bathroom Renovations.   If you want to make sure your bathroom remodeling project is as green as possible, here's how to save energy, conserve resources, and protect your budget. View Photo Gallery You care about the environment. You also happen to have a bathroom badly in need of remodeling. How do you get the job done with minimal impact on both our fragile planet and your precious budget? Thankfully, the growth of the green building movement has given rise to many eco-responsible products and resources that allow you to create the water-conserving, healthy, energy-wise bath you've always wanted-all without busting your bottom line. Here's what you need to know.   Clifton Park Homes For Sale, Saratoga County Real Estate... 02/17/2010

Clifton Park Homes for Sale, Saratoga County Real Estate.  NAR Lanches a new Web site for Home owners  .Today the National Association of Realtors® launched HouseLogic, a new, comprehensive consumer Web site about all aspects of homeownership. HouseLogic helps homeowners make smart decisions and take responsible actions to maintain, protect and increase the value of their homes. "Backed by the resources and industry insights of NAR and its Realtor® members, HouseLogic will engage and involve consumers throughout the lifecycle of homeownership," said NAR President Vicki Cox Golder, owner of Vicki L. Cox & Associates in Tucson, Ariz. "It makes sense that, as the first, best source for real estate information, NAR should collaborate with today's consumers to help them make the most out of... 02/17/2010

Clifton Park NY Homes - Amanda's Law Amanda's Law   Amanda's Law goes into effect on February 21, 2010.  This law requires a working carbon monoxide detector be present in all homes.  The law is named for a Western New York teen who died from carbon monoxide poisoning while sleeping over at a friends house.  The law passed legislation less than a year after her death.  Please make sure you and your loved ones' have working carbon monoxide detectors in your home, regardless of the laws in your state.   Complete details on the new law can be found on Assemblyman Mark J.F. Schroeder's Web site.  Schroeder introduced the legislation.     Lewis Beynon, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson Prime Property Solutions, LLC www.LewisB.com, Phone 518-281-3951 02/17/2010

  Clifton Park, Saratoga County Real Estate.  Is This A Seller's Market?  Existing-home sales rose 5 percent in 2009, and December 2009 sales were 15 percent higher than December 2008. This suggests many areas around the country are showing glimpses of a balanced turnaround for sellers. Clifton Park, Saratoga County Real Estate.  Is This A Seller's Market?  Housing inventories have steadily declined - an indication home prices in many areas have stabilized and could soon return to normal appreciation patterns. Buyers still have good choices but are purchasing near the bottom of the price cycle with historically low mortgage interest rates. The first-time home buyer tax credit has also been a key motivator in moving sales along. Clifton Park, Saratoga County Real Estate.  Is This A Selle... 02/15/2010

  Clifton Park, Saratoga County Real Estate.  New FHA Rules.  The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has announced major changes to its program. The agency will increase the amount of upfront cash paid by new borrowers and require higher downpayments from those with the poorest credit. Clifton Park, Saratoga County Real Estate.  New FHA Rules.  Upfront insurance premiums paid at the closing table will increase to 2.25 percent of the loan value, but buyers will still be able to finance the premiums. Borrowers with credit scores below 580 will be required to put at least 10 percent down, but home buyers with higher scores will still be allowed to put down as little as 3.5 percent. FHA also plans to reduce seller concessions from six to three percent of the home's value. Clifton Park, Sa... 02/15/2010

  Clifton Park Real Estate, Realtors Uniting for Haiti.  The Haitian earthquake disaster prompted humanitarian outreach efforts all across the globe. NAR's Realtors® Relief Foundation is contributing $550,000 to relief of victims of the Haiti earthquake, and is calling upon its 1.2 million members to help. Part of the contribution came from Lowe's, a partner of NAR's REALTOR Benefits Program, who donated $100,000. Clifton Park Real Estate, Realtors Uniting for Haiti.  $50,000 will go to the Harvest of Haiti program, which was founded by a 2007 REALTOR® Magazine Good Neighbor Awards winner, Patrick Moore. The program supports orphans, delivers clean water and provides medical care in Haiti for approximately 3,500 people every year. Moore is currently planning his 64th trip to Haiti to de... 02/15/2010

Clifton Park Real Estate, Saratoga, Albany, Rensselaer, Warren and Washington Counties, Flood Bills are Being Fought.  Officials in Capital Region counties said Thursday they will fight first-time ever bills they have received from the cash-strapped Hudson River-Black River Regulating District for the benefit of flood control. The regulating district sent the bills after it lost $4.5 million, about 80 percent, of its income when a federal court ruled last year it could no longer tax the operating costs of power plants located at its dams. "We couldn't get the money from the usual place. We had to do an appraisal to see who benefits,'' Glenn LaFave, the district's executive director, said Thursday. Clifton Park Real Estate, Saratoga, Albany, Rensselaer, Warren and Washington Counties, Fl... 02/11/2010

Real Estate Market surge in most states, finishing strong last quater. Prices are up in other areas.  Strong gains in existing-home sales were the predominant pattern in most states during the fourth quarter, with many more metro areas seeing prices rise from a year earlier, according to the latest survey by the National Association of Realtors ® . Real Estate Market surge in most states, finishing strong last quater. Prices are up in other areas.  Sales increased from the third quarter in 48 states and the District of Columbia; 32 states saw double-digit gains. Year-over-year sales were higher in 49 states and D.C.; all but three states had double-digit annual increases. Total state existing-home sales, including single-family and condo, jumped 13.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted an... 02/11/2010

TOWN SUPERVISOR PHIL BARRETT  ANNOUNCES TWO H1N1 FLU CLINICS     Town Supervisor Phil Barrett today announced two upcoming opportunities for residents to receive the H1N1 flu vaccine. The first clinic will take place on Thursday, Feb. 11 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Shenendehowa Central School District Office, 5 Chelsea Place, Route 9, Clifton Park. Please note:           • There is no fee and no appointment is necessary to come to this clinic.           • Only the H1N1 shot will be given at the clinic. Please note that there may be           preservative (thimerosal) in the vaccine.           • Parents that want their child to receive the H1N1 nasal mist may check with           their Health Care Provider or call Saratoga County Public Health at 584‐7460           to schedule an appointmen... 02/10/2010

Clifton Park NY.  Shenendehowa rules Class A field again.  The Shenendehowa wrestling team dominated Saturday's Section II Class A tournament on its home mat.Four Plainsmen won their weight classes to help Shen run away with the team title. Shen finished with 269 points, 77 points ahead of runner-up Columbia. Ballston Spa was third with 184 points, and Colonie placed fourth with 179 points.Nick Kelley and John Belanger had little trouble winning their championship bouts for Shenendehowa. Kelley downed Columbia's Corey Southard 15-3 in the 119-pound finals, while Belanger defeated Saratoga's A.J. Rue 19-7 to take the 135-pound division title.Shenendehowa's Seth Hazelton and Mike Almaviva also won their weight classes. Hazelton pulled out a 6-4 victory over Evan Wallace in the 140-pound ... 02/10/2010