Main Line Today Home & Garden Event Oct. 1 and 2

Main Line Today magazine and the Home Builders Association of Chester and Delaware Counties host their Home & Garden Fall Event on Friday, October 1 from 6 to 9 pm and Saturday, October 2 from 10 am to 9 pm at The School at Church Farm in Exton, PA.  This year’s event offers:


• Over 60 exhibitors featuring a wide array of home and garden products and services including Home Builders - Interior Design - Landscaping - Furnishings - Accessories - Renovations.


• Saturday workshops presented by experts:

1. Angelo Anastasio of Greenable on "Debunking the myths about green building products and why buy green."
2. Steve Buerkle of Signature Solar on "How to save on utility costs through solar installation."
3. Wayne Megill Jr. on "The economic benefits of buying new construction."
4. PECO Energy
5. Dale Smith of Sterling Kitchens on "Kitchen and bath design trends."

• 
“Going Green” demonstrations.

• Products to help consumers save money, save energy and protect the environment.

• Great food from the Bistro at Our Town and Cupcakes Gourmet.

Friday night opening featuring art by well known Chester County artists, fine food, acoustic guitar and home fashion expo. Raffles to benefit The American Red Cross.

For tickets (only $4.00!) go to:
https://today-media-inc.ticketleap.net/main-line-today-s-home-garden-fall-event-10-01-2010-20-0 
Enter HEB or HEB2 for 2-day pass.

Find the Most Walkable Neighborhoods! See how your home scores on the walkability scale.

Check out this great website that shows where the most walkable neighborhoods are.  Type in your address to see how it scores or, view the Walk Score Map which shows walkable locations and distances from the address. You can even check out how far your commute to work will be.

How Walk Score Works:
Walk Score is a number between 0 and 100 that measures the walkability of any address.


Walk Score Description
90–100 Walker's Paradise — Daily errands do not require a car.
70–89 Very Walkable — Most errands can be accomplished on foot.
50–69 Somewhat Walkable — Some amenities within walking distance.
25–49 Car-Dependent — A few amenities within walking distance.
0–24 Car-Dependent — Almost all errands require a car.

Go to http://www.walkscore.com/ and see how your present home scores or where you might like to live next!

Easy Fixes for 3 Household Problems!

1. Oil Stains on Garage Floor: 

• sprinkle cat litter to soak up the stain
• clear cat litter and using a stiff bristle brush, scrub with a paste of hot water and dry dish or laundry detergent
• hose area and let dry
• alternate method:  put Spray 'n Wash and dry detergent on stain for 10 minutes
• last option:  spray on some oven cleaner and then wash down thoroughly

2.  Leaky Faucets:

• Use a rubber washer, an O ring, or seals depending on what type faucet.

3.  Squeaky Stairs: (tread or horizontal surface of steps comes loose causing squeaking)

•  If you can get under the staircase, attach an "L" bracket from the underside of the tread to the stringer (the long piece of wood that connects the treads and runs diagonally up the wall)
• If you cannot get underneath the staircase, purchase a squeaky staircase kit which allows repairs to be made from above, even through carpet. Otherwise secure the tread to the stringer with a trim screw.

Free Energy Conservation Workshops in Delaware County

Free educational workshops to help people learn how to save energy and conserve water in their homes and at work will be offered by the Delaware County Conservation District and the Pennsylvania Resources Council. The "Bringing Home Green Energy" workshop will teach homeowners and renters about alternative energy resources like compact fluorescent light bulbs, solar-powered water heaters, insulation, low-e windows, energy Star appliances, and more.  It begins Sept. 16th. A complimentary fluorescent light bulb (CFL) and course materials are included. One participant will win a free home energy audit worth $250.

The "We All Live Downstream" workshop will be scheduled in the spring and will offer information on conserving water (benefits of native landscaping for water conservation, rain gardens and rain barrels), environmentally friendly auto care, and more.

 For more information and workshop dates contact the Conservation District at 610-892-9484 or visit http://www.delcocd.org/.

7 REASONS WHY ACTIVE ADULTS MOVE

1. Move for Lifestyle
2. Move for Work
3. Move to Flee Dissatisfaction
4. Turn Second Home into First
5. Move for Health Reasons
6. Move to simplify life
7. Move for Family

Swarthmore Historic House Tour on Sunday, September 26th

The Swarthmore House tour which takes place every other year is scheduled for Sunday, September 26th from 1 to 5 pm. This year’s tour will showcase some of Swarthmore’s finest homes including four Victorian homes on Park Avenue. Also on the tour is the Courtney C. Smith house, a grand, 3-story Second Empire Style house which is also the home of the Swarthmore College president. It is an example of modern architecture in the Bauhaus tradition. Wister Center, the newest building on the college campus is on the tour as well. Tour tickets are $20.00 before Sept 26th and $22 the day of the tour. They can be purchased at various Swarthmore town center locations. Visit the Swarthmore Historical Society website for more information. http://www.swarthmorehistoricalsociety.org/

Could your home have been purchased from a Sears catalog?

Can you imagine buying your home from a catalog?  From 1908 – 1940 Sears Modern Homes program offered over 500 ready to assemble “designs” from bungalows to mansions.  A quaint, three-room and no-bath summer cottage called the Goldenrod could also be purchased. The outhouse was sold separately. The details of construction and completion of the home was enclosed with a shipping schedule and mailed to the customer. The pre-fab houses were sent by rail and arrived pre-cut with a set of specifications and instructions on how to put it together.
There is a large collection of Sears Modern Catalog Homes still in existence. The Crescent Hills section of Hopewell VA has 44 homes. Elgin, Illinois has the largest known collection of over 200 homes. There are some homes in Pennsylvania as well.
If you want to learn more about these homes go to the Sears Archives website. Sears no longer has records but has suggestions on how to find out if your home might be from Sears. Rosemary Thornton, the author of The Houses That Sears Built offers this “How to Identify a Sears Home Kit” at wikihow.com.

So how's that for some fancy catalog shopping?

Low Interest Rates makes NOW the best time to buy a home!

Many buyers rushed to purchase their home by April 30th, 2010 before the $8000 federal tax credit expired. Well guess what? – the even lower mortgage interest rates available make now AN EVEN BETTER TIME TO BUY! Here it is in dollars and cents:


April 29 – interest rate of 5.06% (according to freddiemac.com)
August 17 – interest rate down to 4.42%

SAVINGS WITH LOWER RATE: $154 per month savings on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage of $400,000 and $55,510.00 savings over the 30 year life of the loan!

OR

A home purchased in 2005 with a $400,000 mortgage at an average rate of 5.87% has  payments of $2,365 per month. Refinance now and reduce your monthly payment:

SAVINGS WITH LOWER RATE: $508 per month savings (payment reduced to $1857 per month).

OR keep the payments the same and shorten the length of the loan.

SAVINGS: Tens of thousands of dollars in interest to be saved over the life of the loan.

There has likely never been a better time to buy or refinance! There are lots of homes on the market, and prices and interest rates are low, low, low! Don’t wait to see if prices go down as it is likely that interest rates will inch up! ACT NOW!

Green tip for the day!

Cleaning your dryer's lint filter can slash its energy usage by as much as 30%!

Most people clean the lint from the filter after every load of clothes....or so we think we do. Dryer sheets cause a film over the mesh filter which can burn out the heating unit or cause longer than normal drying times. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. The best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. Your dryer could last twice as long!

April 2010 Real Estate Update available today.

April 2010 Real Estate Update available today.


This Newsletter is full of interesting and useful information that I think you will enjoy whether you are a buyer, seller, homeowner, or renter.
This month's issue includes topics such as:
"Top 10 Home Buying Mistakes";

"Does Moving Up Make Sense? ";

"Have an Eco-Friendly Home? Make Sure Buyers Know It";

"Pre-Qualifying for Your Mortgage";

"Five Tips for a Successful Home Remodel";
Plus a roundup of March real estate activity as well as much more advice and information.

I hope you enjoy this monthly newsletter. If you have any comments, please e-mail them to me. Or, if you would like to see a certain topic covered in future months, let me know that too!