7 Springs Real Estate Blog

Family Pets Are Losing their Homes Too.

Many People how are facing foreclosure are forced to give up their pets because they have nowhere to go.  Shelters are full of pet that have lost their home in this slow real estate market. Shelters need your help more then ever.  If you are faced with giving up your pet please investigate whether or not the shelter you choose is a NO KILL shelter.  This means that they will keep your pet until they find a suitable home.

If you are interested in helping you local shelter you can do so by donating Money, Volunteering, Organizing a Fund raiser or Adopt a pet.

Broker Open House In Fayette County PA

All Realtors in the West Penn MLS & Fayette PA MLS are invited to attend my Brokers Open House located in Cross Creek at 1015 Cross Creek Drive on Thurday May 15, 2008 between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. The open house will be catered by the Firefly grill.  Hope to see you there.

Broker Open House

My recent broker open house at 14 Holly Lane Uniontown Pa had a good turn out. Agents for Sam Simon Realy, Northwood Realy, Conn Real Estate and RE/MAX all attended. The comments were all positive and everyone injoyed the appetizers catered by the Fire Fly Grill in Ohiopyle Pa.

Free Rice

SW PA can help feed the World by playing a word game at http://freerice.com

Press

“What if just knowing what a word meant could help feed hungry people around the world? Well, at FreeRice it does . . . the totals have grown exponentially.”

- The Washington Post

“Web game provides rice for hungry . . . FreeRice went online in early October and has now raised 1 billion grains of rice [by November 9].”

- BBC News

“Addictive, yes. But . . . each correct answer results in the donation of rice to help feed the hungry around the globe. Perhaps that qualifies the game as a good addiction . . . one with redeeming qualities, something that’s, oh, didactic and edifying.”

- Kansas City Star

PMI IS BACK!

That's right Private Mortgage Insurance is back, with all the troubles the banks are having with bad loans PMI is on the rise.  You will need PMI if your LTV (Loan-to-value) is less then 80% of the homes value. PMI ensures your linder if you default on your loan. Here how to calculate the cost.

Marketing Outside The Box...

My Home By Design Program:

My Home By Design magazine features articles on decorating, design, remodeling, and more. The feature articles highlight some of the most beautiful homes in the United States and Canada. The How-To sections show readers some simple ways to beautify their home, make exotic meals or enhance their gardens. A new issue of the magazine is produced every 2 months.  My Featured listings are displayed in the magazine with a link to the home's individual website, all in full color.  My next issue will arrive in June.  If you would like to be added to the mailing list send me a request from my website at www.RonLovelace.com or call me at 724-438-1304.

Make Every Pixel Count

When marketing homes for sale you need to make every pixel count.  There are many things in photography to consider when photographing a home.

From my experience here are some tips...

Lighting - On a bright day rooms with large windows may leave the room under exposed. Solution extra light will be required.

Angle - Most lenses can't capture the whole room.  Solution a wide angle lens will be required.

Exposure - Rooms with insufficient lighting cause photography to be blurry.  Solution a tripod will be required.

Here are some good samples I took of  a cabin....

Regional Exposure Solved

As a listing agent I wanted to give my Sellers regional exposure, not just in the county their property is located within. Southwest Pa has many counties that are close together or within a 1 hour drive. Sellers need regional exposure but so often their Internet exposure is limited to just one county. Having a Blog for each county helps improve the online presence for my listings, I have added a link called Hot Property that helps my sellers get the regional online Exposure they deserve. If you are considering selling your property and you have several REALTORS you are interviewing, you may want to do a simple GOOGLE search on their name -- you may be surprised in the results!

Skiing in mid March at 7 Springs

Just a short drive from Pittsburgh and March is still a great time to enjoy skiing.  The day I took this photo it was 50 degrees and there was plenty of snow.  I am looking forward to a new season.  When the snow has melted the Alpine slide opens for thrill seekers!

StoneRidge Condominium Sales

Sales in the Stone Ridge Community of the Villages at Seven Springs.

West Penn MLS