In early May for the last several years, my church has participated in a food collection for the Salvation Army Food Banks of Greater Philadelphia. We'll be knocking on doors in our neighborhoods this Saturday, May 8th and handing out a brown paper bag to be filled with staples like canned vegetables, rice, pasta, tuna fish, etc. Like everything else in the country, times are tough on Food Banks. The less people have, the less they can give. Two years ago as my husband and I were talking to neighbors and handing out the collection bags, a woman who lives one street over told us she would like to donate, but just had enough for her and her daughter to get by on. Ours is a typical middle class American neighborhood, no McMansions, mostly 3 bedroom Dutch Colonials; we were touched by her n... 05/05/2010

Governor Rendell opens the PA Tax Amnesty Program which waives all penalties if back taxes are paid by June 18th. More than 1,202,000 taxpayers owe delinquent back taxes to PA The 54 day tax amnesty program waives all penalties and half of the interest for anyone who pays delinquent Pennsylvania taxes between April 26 - June 18. The taxes themselves will have to be paid. Delinquent taxpayers from in and out of state owe more than $2.1 billion in back state taxes eligible for this program. The PA Tax Amnesty program, created by Act 48 of 2009, is intended to net $190 million for the current fiscal year budget.      Notices were mailed nationwide last week to more than 1 million delinquent taxpayers known to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue informing them of the online application p... 04/27/2010

This Saturday help out in a hands on way by joining in the Darby Creek Clean Up. Don't sign up, show up with gloves at Merry Place anytime from 9am until noon. You'll be instructed where to go from there. Any questions call Tim Denny at 610-446-9397.                            04/19/2010

Ridley Creek State Park covers 2,606 acres in Delaware County, PA.  Ridley Creek passes through the park that traverses 3 townships. The park offers many activities throughout the year like 12 miles of walking and biking trails...               covered picnic areas with barbeque grills                  Just 16 miles from downtown Philadelphia between Routes 352 and 252 on Gradyville Road. It closes at sundown.     04/19/2010

Every April the Brookline Baseball and Softball league kicks of the season with a parade down Brookline blvd. over Allston road and back Manoa to the Police field where we have a pep rally to get the season started.  664 kids are playing in the league this year, 4 of them are mine.  I have marched double step forward and backward in this parade for 4 years so as to catch up with my different children in the parade.  This years parade was April 10th and here are the pictures I took in my trek..... 04/14/2010

How's the Real Estate market in Havertown? Very good.     After carrying a lot of inventory for the past year we have already seen new and fresh listings selling very quick and now.... I'm seeing some of those "dogs" that have been "slightly overpriced" and "slightly underdone" start to move.  The consumer is finally seeing the market as improving and here in Havertown Real Estate prices have stabilized on homes that need work and the nicely done homes are seeing increased value.  That being said, there are great values for either and the time is ripe!!!  If you are even considering buying right now is the time for Havertown Real Estate.  Our value is resistant and rising.  After perusing the 200+ homes for sale there are some great buys out there and I can spot them.  It's fun but diff... 04/09/2010

  SATURDAY  APRIL 10th VETERANS MEMORIAL FIELD WWW.BROOKLINECIVIC.COM OPENING DAY PARADE -n- CEREMONIES 9:00 AM PARADE STARTS   Ceremonies following the parade will be honoring Former President Bernie Smith and Founder of the American Troop Support Team, Joe Natale     Folks, parking will be at a premium so be HEALTHY and think GREEN… WALK WHEN YOU CAN!!!     And on Sunday…       SUNDAY APRIL 11th ANNUNCIATION BVM PARISH HALL (401 Brookline Blvd.)   For registration forms and more information, go to the website at… WWW.KEVINCAIN.ORG 1:30 PM   Registration 2:45 PM   Warm-up 3:00 PM   Runners Start 3:01 PM   Walkers Start 4:00 PM   Awards     Make sure you have the New Construction in Havertown Specialist working for you John Ryan Century 21 Alliance Havertown 610 853 2700 ext 461 610 72... 04/07/2010

Musical presentation by the Manoa Presbyterian Choir & Worship Team. Full Musical: Saturday, April 3rd, 7pm Excerpts presented: Easter Sunday, April 4th, 9:30am All Children and Adults Welcome. United Presbyterian Church of Manoa 153 No. Eagle Road Havertown, PA  19083 610-446-8070 www.manoa.org 03/29/2010

Recently had my photo redone for business.  First time in five years.  I like to think that I haven't changed that much in that time but....... The last time I had a shot done was at the company Christmas party.  The photographer that did our yearly group shot hung out after wards and did agent pictures for $25.00.  Pretty good picture but not great.  Up until that point I had used a photo that I took myself in my living room. A while back I met a local photographer, Erinn Aloi, owner of "a fresh focus photography".  She looked at my card and told me I had to come in and get a real photo, that the one I had was terrible.  I was skeptical for a little bit but then in a New Years resolution routine of refreshing my image I stopped into her new location, around the block from my house. Eri... 03/28/2010

We actually don't call ourselves Havertonians but I thought that would make a catchy title, Rome/Romans, you know....Anyway.....I am writing this blog because in my Internet research this morning I came across a website called HomeGain. When I searched Havertown Realtor on Google.  It was high up in the results page so I checked it out.  Of course it had a "find a Realtor" link and of course I clicked on it.  It asked for a minimum of my name, which I entered as Ima Test, and my email.  In the comments section I asked that I receive only agents from Havertown.  I was then told that in the next 24 hours I would receive proposals from agents and I could evaluate them.   Well the proposals started rolling in.  First one from an agent in Elkins Park, Montgomery county, the next from West Ch... 03/25/2010

      One of the hardest problems for Realtors is separating national news from local statistics.  We have become a land of 24/7 news and information, some or most of it frivolous.  When your clients are constantly being bombarded with how bad the rest of the country has it, it is hard for them not to be tentative and over cautious.  In our neck of the woods, Philadelphia region, we have not seen the dramatic swings of the past decade that the rest of the country has dealt with.  Our gains in price were on average modest and the correction of the market is only affecting people who overpaid at the height of the market in 06 and 07. Take a look at some of these statistics for the past three years...... As you can see the market between 2008 to 2009 showed a modest correction.  Prices dip... 03/24/2010

Why am I Your Havertown Realtor? HAVERTOWNREALTY.COMHAVERTOWNHOMESONLINE.COMHAVERTOWNHOMESONLINE.INFO                                                                HAVERTOWNHOMESFORSALE.INFOHAVERTOWNREALTOR.INFOHAVERTOWNREALTY.INFO What do these websites have in common?  They all link directly to my website. I have focused all of my energy on my hometown and stay up to date daily on homes on the market and not quite yet on the market. My ear is to the ground and I am constantly surveying the area online, in the car and on my own to feet, which my dog Bella, loves as she gets to go for long walks with me. Spring is in the air and homes are to be had. My specialty is New Construction in Havertown and rehabs or rebuilds.  I represent and consult with multiple builders in the area and most... 03/18/2010

One of the great things about being a Realtor is selling in the place you call home.  There is more than a certain ease when you are gliding around the area you live in.  Havertown is that home.  From Llanerch to Lynnewood every neighborhood blends together into the tightknit community of Havertown.  With one of the highest retention rates of any community in the entire state.   Families know families for generations.  And a little town that grew up in the 20th century from the original colonial homes, including the Grange Estate and Nitre Hall, to the large framed singles of the 20's and 30's, (many dutch style colonials) to the bricks of Chatham and Lynnewood in the post WWII era. This town has filled up with people in the 20th century and a lot of them have hung around and built a GR... 03/17/2010

                           PARKING METER RATES EFFECTIVE                                            MARCH 9, 2010 The new parking meter rates will be initiated, effective March 9th 2010 at 0800 hours.  The parking meter rate has been increased to $ .25 for each half hour (.25 for 30 minutes/.10 for 12 minutes/.5 for 6 minutes). The new increase was approved by the Board of Commissioners at the February Board meeting.  The new rates will affect all metered spaces within the township, all meters have been updated with stickers displaying the new rate. 03/16/2010

Outback Restaurant is having a Thank you for Our Troops Program for the month of March. The concept began in 2002, with a team of Outbackers who traveled to Afghanistan to feed troops stationed there. Since then, over 100 members of the mother company, OSI Restaurant Partners, have made another six trips serving troops in Djibouti, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain.In March, when you order from the Red, White and Bloomin' menu it will help Outback Restaurant donate $1 million to Operation Homefront which provides assistance for our troops, their families and wounded warriors when they return home. To see the 30 second video go to:  http://www.outback.com/companyinfo/video/Thanks_for_Giving_30.wmv One of my sons is serving our country in the Persian Gulf  (Bahrain) for the third time and won't be... 03/15/2010

Over the past couple of years new construction in Havertown was a tough sell.  We were not seeing asking price and the new construction needed to be complete before anyone would even consider a home.  Having been in the building trades I was always in touch with local builders and during this time a lot of them changed gears and started to look for re-habs or re-builds, like I like to call them. Well let me tell you now, new construction in Havertown is back with a vengence.  In my office alone we have sold four new constructions within the last 3 months and none of them were even close to being done.  People who can buy them are, and they don't like the idea of buying a spec house, one that has already been done. On top of that I personally have two new constructions in Havertown curre... 03/12/2010

The Trend MLS covers 13 counties in the Delaware Valley Region of Pa, NJ and DE. According to their data, today 3,070 short sales are active. Here's how it breaks down by state and county:          Pennsylvania                                   Berks                   94                          Bucks                203                         Chester             147             Delaware          176              Montgomery     199            Philadelphia     393 Total PA        1,212                      New Jersey   Burlington     405 Camden         509   Gloucester     246 Mercer           272 Salem               53 Total NJ      1,485    Delaware Kent                 110 New Castle      263 Total DE          373 03/09/2010

03/08/2010

Wanna buy a nice house in Havertown (Haverford Township)?  If you don't see a newly listed home in the first 2 days, it might be gone.  Just this past weekend, I found myself in the middle of 3 different deals where there were multiple bids within 5 days of homes being listed on the market.  All three homes were well taken care of, priced well and received great offers.  Get prepared! What can you do to make sure you don't miss out? 1.) Line up your financing with a reputable mortgage lender.  I can't stress enough that if your not prepared financially, sellers will look onto other offers.  Recently, I've found smaller local mortgage companies to be much more in the know, highly efficient, and the industry experts.  With all of the mortgage changes in the last couple months, the big pla... 03/01/2010

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the 2010 International Builders' Show in Las Vegas Nevada. With over 1000 exhibitors and 175 educational programs this is the largest industry gathering in the states and an incredible gathering of expertise for the home building industry.  It was a chance to see the latest and most innovative products on the market and get a better feel for the directions now coursing through the industry. Several important trends quickly became clear as you perused both the booths and the education courses during the show.  Throughout all offerings, everything is becoming more green.  Almost all producers are trying to use less and consume less of all our natural resources.  There is an increased emphasis on building communities and homes that have easier acc... 01/25/2010