Weekend Events in Bucks County. May 3-5
Peddler’s Village is having their annual Strawberry Festival on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5 from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm. Enjoy strawberry treats such as shortcake, fritters, jams and jellies, strawberry butter and of course chocolate-covered strawberries! There will be a pie-eating contest, stiltwalkers, banjo players, Got Strings Youth Orchestra, pony rides and more. Peddler’s Village is located in Lahaska at routes 202 & 263.
Join the Roxy Reading Therapy Dogs in Doylestown on Saturday, May 4 from 9:00 am until 11:30 am for “Strut Your Mutt with Roxy”. Walkers may walk with or without their own dogs, participate in the Derby Parade, take part in the Hat Contest, and have fun while helping to raise money for literacy throughout Bucks County. You may register online in advance or at the event. Check in at 9:00 am at Fanny Chapman Park on Boro Mill Hill Road in Doylestown.
Continue Reading > Add a Comment |Weekend Events in Bucks County. March 1st – 3rd
Weekend Events in Bucks County. March 1st – 3rd
Kids Night Out
Want to get out for a night on the town? Or maybe just a quiet evening? Let the kids have their night so you can have yours. This program is modeled after our popular climbing camp program. It will keep kids engaged in climbing and adventure based activities throughout the evening.
Date and Time: Friday March 1st, 6:00pm – 9:00pm (Drop off and pick-up anytime in between)
Location: Doylestown Rock Gym, 3853 Old Easton Rd, Doylestown, PA 18901
Cost: $35 per child ($20 for DRG Members); $15 per sibling
- Ages 5 -12
- Pizza and all climbing equipment included
Cordus Mundi & Bel Canto Childrens Chorus in Doylestown Concert
Cordus Mundi will be singing a collaborative concert with Bel Canto Children’s Chorus (Joy Hirokawa, director) considered by many to be the best children’s choir in a several county area. Both Cordus and Bel Canto will sing separate sets, and the two groups will then join together for a group of combined SATB pieces conducted by each of the groups’ directors.
Date and Time: Saturday March 2nd, 7:30pm
Location: St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 301 N. Main St.,, Doylestown, PA 18901
Cost: $15, with children under 12 admitted at no charge.
| Volunteer Work Day |
Help us maintain our grounds! Wear clothes you don’t mind getting wet and/or dirty, and bring your own water bottle to refill. We hold this event rain or shine. Give us 4 hours and we’ll give you lunch!
If you’re interested, call Jenn to pre-register (215-785-1177 x14). Meet in the auditorium to sign in, get breakfast, and be assigned a task.
Date and Time: Saturday March 2nd, 9:00am – 2:00pm
Location: Silver Lake Nature Center, 1306 Bath Rd, Bristol, PA 19007
Maple Sugar Festival
Crisp and cold! The sap is running! join us as we travel to the “sugar bush” to collect some sweet sap to bring back to the kettle. We will discuss the historic significance of maple sugar in America as well as the methods used for processing this sweet treat. Sharing this bounty of the forest is an experience not to be missed. Tasty Maple Treats available for purchase.
Date and Time: Saturday March 2nd, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Location: Peace Valley Nature Center, 170 N. Chapman Road, Doylestown, PA 18901
Cost: NO FEE for program, no pre-registration needed.
Feel free to contact me if you are looking for a new home in 2013.
There are a lot of great homes in Yardley, Newtown and all of Bucks County.
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Weekend Events in Bucks County. February 22nd – 24th
Weekend Events in Bucks County. February 22nd – 24th
Pairing Wine and Dessert
Event Manager Kate Sielski will warm up your winter with a special class filled with tips on how to pair wine and desserts. Includes instruction, wine tasting and assorted sweets.
Date and Time: Friday, February 22nd, 7:00pm
Location: Crossing Vineyards. 1853 Wrightstown Road, Washington Crossing PA 18940
Cost: $40 per person.
Monthly Outdoor Flea Market
Monthly flea market-to be held the 4th Saturday of each month.
Residence and business owners are welcome to sell their old and new “Stuff”
Call or email: Colleen at 215-295-1139 x 102. colleens@snipesfarm.org
Date and Time: Saturday, February 23rd, 8:00am – 11:30am
Location: 890 W Bridge St, Morrisville, PA 19067
38th Bucks County Designer House Empty House Party
Love the “Before & After” photos in decorator magazines? Can’t seem to get enough home makeovers on HGTV? Then you owe it to yourself to attend the anxiously anticipated 38th Bucks County Designer House & Gardens Empty House Party, the ultimate “Before!” Stroll the grounds, explore the empty house and meet the Design Team as they share their elaborate plans to transform this expansive, stately manor house. Enjoy light fare, decadent desserts, a copious candy bar and wine and soft drinks. Bid on items in our silent auction donated by designers, restaurants and local businesses; participate in our raffles. Tour the “After” from April 28 – May 26.
Date and Time: Sunday, February 24th, 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Location: 360 Old Dublin Pike, Doylestown, PA 18901
Cost: $25 in advance – $30 at the door
Bucks County Symphony Orchestra Winter Concert
The Concert will consist of two works: 1. Mozart; Coronation Mass,K.317 Central Bucks High School Symphonic Choral, Cynthia E.Young, Director Maria Aleda, Soprano 2. Mahler: Symphony No.4 in G Major, Maria Aleda, Soprano
Date and Time: Sunday February 24th, 3:00pm
Location: Central Bucks South High School, 1100 Folly Rd, Warrington, PA 18976
Cost: Soprano $18.00 each – advance sale $20.00 – at door, $15.00 each - Seniors, Students – free
Feel free to contact me if you are looking for a new home in 2013.
There are a lot of great homes in Yardley, Newtown and all of Bucks County.
Continue Reading > Add a Comment |Snow and Ice: The best suggestions and tools for managing what winter brings
A fresh blanket of snow can be a beautiful sight, but it has a way of arriving without regard for our lives and busy schedules. Snow shoveling isn’t fun, but is often unavoidable. It isn’t a good idea to left even a minimal amount of snow go in un-shoveled in your driveway, lest it later melt and refreeze.
It pays to prepare, so you can get out of your driveway when you need to.
So, have a plan before you start.
1. Don’t mess around with the snow around your car in the beginning. More snow will accumulate around there when you clean the car off, so you might as well wait to clean up the snow around the car.
2. Hold off snow shoveling where your driveway meets the road. As the city snow plows come around, they’ll barricade you in with more snow, so you might as well wait.
Here are some tips and suggestions for you:
• Snow blowers: well worth considering, especially if you live in a heavy snow area. It is the quickest way to clear large flat areas. Before you start, spray the nozzle with silicone to prevent sticking, and when you’re done, let the machine run for a few minutes to dry it out.
• Shovels: look for shovels with a lightweight plastic or aluminum blade coated with a non-stick coating. Avoid too big of a blade so you won’t be tempted to overload it.. It is recommended that you shovel several times, even while it is still storming so that the snow does not get a chance to bond with surfaces. Try and get down to the pavement to prevent ice from forming.
• Don’t heap snow on foundation walls where melting water can refreeze and cause cracks to widen. Also, don’t heap snow against anything made of wood, potentially causing water damage.
• Chemicals: removing snow if often just the first step in cleaning up snow and ice on your walkways and driveways. Once the snow is gone, dealing with the ice left behind can be a big challenge. Ice just doesn’t freeze on the pavement, it freezes to the pavement. Once it freezes to the pavement, it can be very difficult to remove. Chemical de-ices can help break the bond the ice has on the pavement. A de-iced is a chemical agent that is spread n snow and IDE – it does not melt the snow but rather seeps through to the ice on the pavement, melts the ice there, breaking the bond and making it easier to remove the snow and ice.
• Rock salt is cheap and works at temperatures above 12 degrees F. It can be tough on shrubs and grass and can eat away at concrete. Magnesium chloride and calcium chloride cost more, but are less harsh and are effective at much lower temperatures.
The arrival of snow can be fun and exciting for a while, or if you’re a kid getting a snow day. But if you’re a homeowner, keeping your home safe from snow and ice can be a big chore. Hopefully some of the suggestions above will make your snow removal chore a little bit easier!
Feel free to contact me if you are looking for a new home in 2013.
There are a lot of great homes in Yardley, Newtown and all of Bucks County.
Continue Reading > Add a Comment |Weekend Events in Bucks County. February 15th-17th
Weekend Events in Bucks County. February 15th-17th
Romantic Candlelit Valentine’s Dinner
Come to Crossing Vineyards & Winery to treat your Sweetheart to a unique romantic evening. Includes a five-course gourmet dinner and a bottle of house wine per couple. Cost: $89 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Call for reservations: 215-493-6500, ext. 19 or buy on-line.
Date and time: Saturday February 16th at 7:00 pm
Location: Crossing Vineyards and Winery, 1853 Wrightstown Rd, Washington Crossing, PA
Ottsville Indoor Farmer’s Market
Head to the greenhouse at Linden Hill Gardens for fresh, local food including coffee, bread, cheese, mushrooms, cookies, baked goods, chocolates, and handmade products as well as winter activities including ice-skating, smore-making and sledding.
Date and Time: Saturday February 16th, 10:00am – 1:00pm
Location: Greenhouse – 8230 Easton Rd, Ottsville Pa
Blood Drive. Sponsored by Bertucci’s Trevose and The American Red Cross
American Red Cross and Bertucci’s Trevose blood drive. Each person who donates blood will receive a voucher for a free lunch at Bertucci’s Trevose
Date and Time: Saturday February 16th, 10:00am – 3:00pm
Location: Bertucci’s , 3617 Horizon blvd , Trevose , PA
5th Annual Bucks County Bridal Show
Explore classic to contemporary wineries, historic mansions and castles, charming Bed & Breakfasts, chic ballrooms and a wide variety of vendors for all your wedding needs. FREE – Click here to Register
Date and Time: Sunday February 16th, 12:30pm – 4:30pm
Location: Bucks County Visitor Center, 3207 Street Road , Bensalem, PA
Feel free to contact me if you are looking for a new home in 2013.
There are a lot of great homes in Yardley, Newtown and all of Bucks County.
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What Is The Best Time to List Your Home?
So you’ve decided to sell your home. You may be asking yourself – is this a good time to list my house? What is the best time to list a home?
Most homeowners want to list their home as soon as possible. They’ve been thinking about it for some time, and now that the decision has been made, they want to put it on the MLS as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, that is not very realistic. The REALTOR® has work to do to gather information and enter it into the MLS. The home must be cleaned and repairs made. Pictures and virtual tours must be taken, signs put up, and a lockbox installed. The home should not go onto the MLS until it is entirely ready to be sold.
So, once all of that is complete, what is the best day of the week to list the home? The best answer is as soon as possible after midnight on Thursday morning. This is because your house is now available for all the Realtors planning their weekend showings, and the house will show 0 days on the market on Thursday, 1 day on the market on Friday, and 2 days on the market on Saturday (and Saturday is the most important day of the real estate week).
The fewer the days on the market, the greater you have of selling your home quickly and attract a full price offer.
Now let’s look at the best season to sell. Opinions vary widely on this. A lot of people think that selling to coincide with the school year is best – so late spring and summer. There are surely more buyers out in warm weather, but there are also usually, double the active listings. In the off months, there are fewer listings and the buyers who are out there are more serious about buying – not just out looking. This means there is less competition and homes that sell in winter sell 1.4% closer to their original listing price.
Research shows that the tail end of winter is an excellent time to list, with March being the best month. Listing your home in March results in it being on the market for the shortest amount of time, with homes listed in October taking the longest time to sell.
In Bucks County, confidence is high and inventory is low right now. Combine that with historically low interest rates, and the result is high buyer activity. Buyers who have been sitting on the fence waiting are now jumping into the market, making this a perfect time to list your home.
A recent listing of mine in Yardley Hunt, sold within days of going on the market for virtually the asking price, and another in Yardley Estates, sold well over the asking price with multiple offers.
As March is rapidly approaching, and you have been considering selling your home, it’s time to make a move. Your window of opportunity to sell your home quickly and for top dollar is almost upon us.
Feel free to contact me if you are looking for a new home in 2013.
There are a lot of great homes in Yardley, Newtown and all of Bucks County.
Continue Reading > Add a Comment |There are lots of great events in Bucks County this weekend. Get out and enjoy!
There are lots of great events in Bucks County this weekend. Get out and enjoy!
JOHN DENVER – A ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH CONCERT
All of your favorite John Denver hits – Leaving on a Jet Plane, Take Me Home Country Roads, Rocky Mountain High, Sunshine on My Shoulders, Annie’s Song and many more classics – like never before. Hear the timeless songs performed by live musicians, featuring members of Denver’s former touring band and a 6-piece string section, as you witness incredible projected video of John Denver himself performing live on stage. A must-see for the countless people touched by Denver’s music!
Friday FEB 8 • 8:00PM
Price: $29, $39 & $45
Location: Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave. , Glenside, PA
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Wine Tasting for Singles
A Unique Way to Meet New People.
Wine, cheese, and music!
Friday, February 8, 7:00pm
Cost: $10 per person
Crossing Vineyards and Winery, Inc.
1853 Wrightstown Road
Washington Crossing, PA
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SPORTSMAN’S SHOW & FLEA MARKET Sponsored by: Ralph’s Fishing Hunting & Camping
150 tables of new, used and collectable hunting, fishing, trapping, archery, guns, knives, Charter Captains, taxidermy, merchandise & services. Show held inside a large heated building. Door prizes, free appraisals, food available, free parking, and easy access
Saturday Feb, 9th
9:00am – 2:00pm
$8.00 $4.00 children 12 & under free.
Location: Leesport Farmers Market, 312 Gernants Church Road , Leesport, PA
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SINGLES WALKS – Peace Valley Nature Center
Director Naturalist Craig Olsen will lead singles of all ages for informative walks. Search for animal signs, wildflowers, birds, and whatever is out there! Bring lunch for after the walk.
Saturdays February 9th 10:30—Noon
$2 donation suggested.
PEACE VALLEY NATURE CENTER
170 N. Chapman Road, Doylestown, PA 18901
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ANNUAL DADDY/DAUGHTER VALENTINE’S DANCE
Sponsored by: Upper Bucks YMCA
Dads and their little girls can enjoy an afternoon of dancing, games, crafts and fun. Dress your best, drinks and snacks will be served. Be sure to sign up early, space is limited. Raffle tickets are available for $1 each or your daughter’s arm length for $5. Sweet heart photos available for $5 includes make your own picture frame.
Sunday, February 10th 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Fee: Full Member – Full Member:$18/child, Program Member:$20/child (Non-Member: $25/child)
Location: UBYMCA, 401 Fairview Ave , Quakertown, PA
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Feel free to contact me if you are looking for a new home in 2013.
There are a lot of great homes in Yardley, Newtown and all of Bucks County
Buying a home in Bucks County after Foreclosure or Short Sale
Buying a home in Bucks County after Foreclosure or Short Sale
The past 5-7 years have displaced a lot of homeowners. When the Real Estate market crashed, many people were left way underwater on their homes, and were forced to Short Sell them. Additionally, when the economy tanked right alongside the Real Estate market, another large group of people lost their homes to foreclosure.
Both of these circumstances put black marks on credit reports, leaving these people unable to buy a new home.
So, the big question out there right now is – when can people buy homes and get mortgages after a short sale or foreclosure appears on their credit report?
In looking at foreclosures and time to buy, it can differ if there are extenuating circumstances that led to the foreclosure – such as a death in the family, illness, or an accident resulting in serious injury. In these cases the waiting period can be less.
- Normally to buy after a foreclosure – 5-7 years
- With extenuating circumstances – 3-7 years
- Buying after a short sale – generally 2 years
All of this is becoming relevant right now because a large percentage of people who lost homes, have worked their way through the waiting period and are ready and able to buy again.
It is important for those who go through a Short Sale or Foreclosure to maintain pristine credit while they wait to be able to buy again. Lending guidelines have tightened – the lenders will require a strong credit score with the borrowers having paid all their bills on time.
As these potential homebuyers are moving back into the Bucks County Real Estate market, housing prices are getting ready to rise, and mortgage rates are still low. It’s a great time to buy Real Estate in Bucks County.
Feel free to contact me if you are looking for a new home in 2013.
There are a lot of great homes in Yardley, Newtown and all of Bucks County.
Continue Reading > Add a Comment |Bucks County Events February 1st – 3rd
Bucks County Events February 1st – 3rd
Baseball Stories with Darcy Fair
Early dismissal in Central Bucks! Bring a lunch and a drink, and join Darcy Fair of Buckslore for a rollicking afternoon children’s story time featuring baseball-related oral tales, book readings, poems, music, participatory activities, intriguing artifacts, and a visit to the museum’s women’s baseball exhibit, Linedrives and Lipstick. Suitable for children of all ages; kids under eight must have a parent or caregiver with them. $5 per child, payable at door; caregivers free.
Date: Friday, February 1st, 2013 1-3 pm Mercer Museum – 84 South Pine Street - Doylestown, 18901
WHEN: Held the first Friday of every month – 6PM to 9:30PM – rain or shine.
WHERE: Downtown Doylestown PA
(Bucks County Pennsylvania.)
DESCRIPTION: Merchants in Doylestown are open late to exhibit work from local artists and invite you to enjoy the sounds of local musicians. Bring your family and invite your friends – for art’s sake.
Last Weekend for Winter Lights Festival – Milford, Pa
The town will be aglow with a unique ice and light installation, ice skating and original theatrical ice dancing performance.
SATURDAY, February 2, 2013 3:00 – Ann Street Park – Closing Ceremony
Location: Village of Milford PA
Feel free to contact me if you are looking for a new home in 2013.
There are a lot of great homes in Yardley, Newtown and all of Bucks County.
Continue Reading > Add a Comment |Housing Starts way up in 2012
When the Real Estate market crashed in 2005-2006, new home construction ground to a halt. This occurred all over the country, not just here in Bucks County.
This drag on the Real Estate market and the economy has turned a corner. Growth in this sector is the latest sign that the housing market is gaining strength. In 2012, builders started work on 780,000 new homes – a 28.1% increase from 2011.
A bonus in the recovery of the market is in the jobs market. More new home building equals construction jobs.
For the economy to recover, the housing market needs to recover. Housing starts, along with low mortgage rates, shrinking inventory in the housing resale market are critical to recovery and a step out of the nation’s financial crisis.
In Bucks County, there are currently 39 developments that are building new homes, with prices ranging from the mid $200’s up to $2.4 million. All of this new construction provides more inventory to choose from and is adding jobs to the local economy.
As the chart below shows (for Doylestown), inventory of all homes is down, and prices are going up. It is a perfect time for new home builders to get in the market and bring the inventory numbers up, while still providing affordable homes. The ratio of inventory to price is consistent throughout Bucks County.
If you are looking to purchase Real Estate in Yardley, Newtown or Doylestown, please visit our Featured Homes section for wonderful properties or search the Multiple Listing Service for all available listings. We’ll help you find your perfect home.
Continue Reading > Add a Comment |Chat With Marty