In May 1908, 120 men gathered in Chicago with the goal to "unite the real estate men of America." Their goal was to professionalize their industry and represent the interests of real estate brokers and owners nationally. What emerged from that meeting in 1908 was the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges, which thrives on 100 years later as the National Association of REALTORS® . The NAR Centennial Video celebrates REALTORS®' past accomplishments and looks forward to the next century of organized real estate.
Please click this link and watch this film from the National Association of REALTORS®, though it is 15:17 minutes in length, its worth the time, and easy to send it to others from the video.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1716414541/bctid1716439793
Enjoy!
Showing posts with label "Cape Cod". Show all posts
Showing posts with label "Cape Cod". Show all posts
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Orleans Waste Water Management by Sarah Macke
ORLEANS CITIZENS FORUM
Draft press release September 8, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Orleans Citizens Forum Public Information Event
Tuesday Oct. 27 at the Orleans Elementary School, at 6 p.m.
Contact: Abby Summersgill
508 240-6778, avdh@comcast.net
Ed Maas, President of OCF, is available for interviews at info@orleansinn.com
or 508 255-2222
What Wastewater Management
Means to Orleans Residents
ORLEANS: The Orleans Citizens Forum will present a comprehensive, independent review of the key wastewater management issues facing Orleans voters and taxpayers at a public symposium Tuesday, October 7, at the Orleans Elementary School at 6 p.m.
Experts from local and state government, the local real estate industry, and citizen committee members planning wastewater systems will report on all the issues surrounding the Special Town Meeting vote Oct. 27 on wastewater management conceptual plans. Open to everyone, the meeting will allow plenty of time for audience questions.
Orleans citizens have had several opportunities this year to learn about the towns wastewater management needs, including seven public information sessions and a formal public hearing Oct. 2. The Orleans Citizens Forum (OCF) event Oct. 7 brings together all the information voters need to know presented by an independent, non-partisan, volunteer organization that focuses on public participation in the issues important to town affairs.
Major issues explained
Managing Orleans? wastewater is likely to produce significant financial, public health, infrastructure and cultural demands on the town. The October 27 Special Town Meeting will ask voters whether they will ratify the broad concept of a Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan that could cost more than $150 million over 20 years. Although voters will not be voting Oct. 27 on actual financial appropriations, wastewater management is expected to eventually become the largest public project in Orleans history.
Panelists at the Oct. 7 forum presenting their perspectives and answering audience questions include:
· Brian Dudley, Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection
· Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director, Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative
· Augusta McKusick, Chair, Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative and Chair, Orleans Wastewater Management Steering Committee
· Paul Ammann, Orleans? Wastewater Management Validation and Design Committee
· Walter Bennett. Chair, Orleans Finance Committee
· George Meservey, Orleans Planning Director
· Jeffrey Karlson, Owner, The Real Estate Company
Richard Hartman, OCF member, has volunteered to be the moderator.
Panelists are likely to discuss issues such as these:
? Why the presented plan was chosen.
? Alternative methods of removing excess nitrogen from the environment.
? The impact the plan will have on the environment and conformance with state and federal law.
? The likely costs to the town of nitrogen removal pursuant to the plan.
? How costs will be shared by sewer system users and non-users.
? How much homeowners might be charged for wastewater management.
? How sewering will impact public health, zoning, and population growth.
? How sewering will impact property values.
? How sewer construction might be phased-in over 20 years.
Please come by and get informed!
Draft press release September 8, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Orleans Citizens Forum Public Information Event
Tuesday Oct. 27 at the Orleans Elementary School, at 6 p.m.
Contact: Abby Summersgill
508 240-6778, avdh@comcast.net
Ed Maas, President of OCF, is available for interviews at info@orleansinn.com
or 508 255-2222
What Wastewater Management
Means to Orleans Residents
ORLEANS: The Orleans Citizens Forum will present a comprehensive, independent review of the key wastewater management issues facing Orleans voters and taxpayers at a public symposium Tuesday, October 7, at the Orleans Elementary School at 6 p.m.
Experts from local and state government, the local real estate industry, and citizen committee members planning wastewater systems will report on all the issues surrounding the Special Town Meeting vote Oct. 27 on wastewater management conceptual plans. Open to everyone, the meeting will allow plenty of time for audience questions.
Orleans citizens have had several opportunities this year to learn about the towns wastewater management needs, including seven public information sessions and a formal public hearing Oct. 2. The Orleans Citizens Forum (OCF) event Oct. 7 brings together all the information voters need to know presented by an independent, non-partisan, volunteer organization that focuses on public participation in the issues important to town affairs.
Major issues explained
Managing Orleans? wastewater is likely to produce significant financial, public health, infrastructure and cultural demands on the town. The October 27 Special Town Meeting will ask voters whether they will ratify the broad concept of a Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan that could cost more than $150 million over 20 years. Although voters will not be voting Oct. 27 on actual financial appropriations, wastewater management is expected to eventually become the largest public project in Orleans history.
Panelists at the Oct. 7 forum presenting their perspectives and answering audience questions include:
· Brian Dudley, Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection
· Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director, Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative
· Augusta McKusick, Chair, Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative and Chair, Orleans Wastewater Management Steering Committee
· Paul Ammann, Orleans? Wastewater Management Validation and Design Committee
· Walter Bennett. Chair, Orleans Finance Committee
· George Meservey, Orleans Planning Director
· Jeffrey Karlson, Owner, The Real Estate Company
Richard Hartman, OCF member, has volunteered to be the moderator.
Panelists are likely to discuss issues such as these:
? Why the presented plan was chosen.
? Alternative methods of removing excess nitrogen from the environment.
? The impact the plan will have on the environment and conformance with state and federal law.
? The likely costs to the town of nitrogen removal pursuant to the plan.
? How costs will be shared by sewer system users and non-users.
? How much homeowners might be charged for wastewater management.
? How sewering will impact public health, zoning, and population growth.
? How sewering will impact property values.
? How sewer construction might be phased-in over 20 years.
Please come by and get informed!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Top 5 Things Home Buyes Look For By Carolyn Otis
A report released last week by Better Homes and Gardens.
Home buyers are looking for large kitchens that are fun, but practical. Gardens magazine found that buyers who bought a new home in the last 10 years or plan to build one, say they’re through with cookie-cutter houses. The research study surveyed more than 2,000 homeowners from across the country, and about 70 percent said they wanted a house that has character and charm.
Top five priorities
1. An all-new kitchen that looks great and is fun to work in
2. The right amount and type of customized storage
3. A master bath and bedroom that feels like a luxurious hotel room
4. Well-designed spaces that can be personalized
5. A separate and conveniently sized laundry/workroom
The study also found that more than half of those surveyed wanted green-certified building and remodeling options presented to them. This figure jumped to more than two out three in the Generation Y age group (people born between 1977 and 1998).
Another growing trend among homeowners in the past few years is the need for expanded outdoor living space. About 40 percent of respondents said that their outdoor living areas are almost as important as their interior home. The traditional barbeque grills and patio tables just aren’t cutting it, and consumers today are shelling out big bucks for customized stone firepits and elaborate outdoor dining furniture.
Planning for life changes
When asked what specialty space the homeowners would prefer, 36 percent named the sunroom, 35 percent said an extra-large porch and 34 percent said an oversized laundry room. Many new homes being built today have turned the dull, often cramped laundry room into a multipurpose area with extra space to do arts and crafts projects or wrap gifts.
“Today the pace of change, in families and with technology, is so fast that consumers demand homes that will change with them,” says Gayle Butler, editor in chief of Better Homes and Garden.
Baby Boomers especially are planning for these changes. In the next five to 10 years, about one out of three Boomers expects an aging parent to move in or an adult child or relative to move back home. As a result, the need for guest accommodations will be in demand. The survey also found that this generation will be looking for single-floor living.
So whether you’re preparing your home to sell or looking to buy a new one, it’s always good to keep in mind the ever-changing trends affecting the housing market.
Home buyers are looking for large kitchens that are fun, but practical. Gardens magazine found that buyers who bought a new home in the last 10 years or plan to build one, say they’re through with cookie-cutter houses. The research study surveyed more than 2,000 homeowners from across the country, and about 70 percent said they wanted a house that has character and charm.
Top five priorities
1. An all-new kitchen that looks great and is fun to work in
2. The right amount and type of customized storage
3. A master bath and bedroom that feels like a luxurious hotel room
4. Well-designed spaces that can be personalized
5. A separate and conveniently sized laundry/workroom
The study also found that more than half of those surveyed wanted green-certified building and remodeling options presented to them. This figure jumped to more than two out three in the Generation Y age group (people born between 1977 and 1998).
Another growing trend among homeowners in the past few years is the need for expanded outdoor living space. About 40 percent of respondents said that their outdoor living areas are almost as important as their interior home. The traditional barbeque grills and patio tables just aren’t cutting it, and consumers today are shelling out big bucks for customized stone firepits and elaborate outdoor dining furniture.
Planning for life changes
When asked what specialty space the homeowners would prefer, 36 percent named the sunroom, 35 percent said an extra-large porch and 34 percent said an oversized laundry room. Many new homes being built today have turned the dull, often cramped laundry room into a multipurpose area with extra space to do arts and crafts projects or wrap gifts.
“Today the pace of change, in families and with technology, is so fast that consumers demand homes that will change with them,” says Gayle Butler, editor in chief of Better Homes and Garden.
Baby Boomers especially are planning for these changes. In the next five to 10 years, about one out of three Boomers expects an aging parent to move in or an adult child or relative to move back home. As a result, the need for guest accommodations will be in demand. The survey also found that this generation will be looking for single-floor living.
So whether you’re preparing your home to sell or looking to buy a new one, it’s always good to keep in mind the ever-changing trends affecting the housing market.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
EASTHAM'S WINDMILL WEEKEND SEPT. 5-7
Friends, I want you to know of, and join in, the upcoming Eastham Windmill Weekend to be held throughout the Town of Eastham September 5-7. The theme of this year’s festival is “Those Fabulous ‘50s”. There will be all kinds of events and activities through the weekend at various venues such as concerts, antique car shows, historic tours, fun cookouts & meals, and of course the parade. For the complete activity schedule, please go to: http://www.easthamwindmillweekend.com where complete information can be found. And, since you no doubt love Cape Cod as we do, why not stop in our office at 4760 State Hwy in N. Eastham over this festive weekend, find out about the real estate market and check out some homes?
But what about this Windmill? Of course the center of Eastham is graced on the town green by this 300 year old windmill. Do you know its background? The following history of Eastham's Windmill, included in the Windmill Weekend flyer, is provided courtesy of Mr. Jim Owens:
The Eastham Windmill stands today as the symbol of a bygone era on Cape Cod. In its over 300 years it has provided flour, news and gossip for the people of Cape Cod. Built by Thomas Paine of Eastham, millwright, miller and Town Clerk for the town of Plymouth around 1680, it was sold and moved to Truro before the American Revolution. In 1793 it was again sold to one Seth Knowles of Eastham and moved overland using oxen to a site overlooking Salt Pond. In 1808 it was moved once more to its present site by Mr. Knowles because he had sold the land it stood on.
The mill ceased working around 1896 when it was sold to the Village Improvement Society to be turned into a library. Instead, a new library was built on Samoset Road. In February of 1928, the Town purchased the Mill from the Society for $500.00 in order to preserve it. The purchase price was returned to the Town and still draws interest to this day. A committee was formed to repair the Mill. Harvey Moore, Charles Rogers and William Higgins were the committee. William Higgins built a large lathe in his barn off Nauset Road and, using the power off a Model "T", he turned the windshaft for the Mill. When repairs were done the Mill was opened to the public in 1936. The visitors' book from that year (and all the others) still exists.
John Fulcher, who had worked in the Mill as a boy became the first of several millers who guided visitors through its machinery and history. He was followed by harmonica player John Higgins, then Harold Cole in 1948. After him, came the mighty duo of Freeman Hatch and Jack Webster. Jim Owens replaced Free Hatch in 1975 and Clyde Eagles took Jack Webster's place in 1979. In 1955, on the Selectmen's recommendation, the Town voted to buy the front half of the Green. The buildings located there were torn down or moved, giving us the lovely Windmill Green as we know it today.
A few other items: In 1930, the windmill got new arms and shaft, from 1944 to 1946 shaft and arms, again in 1957 and in 1962 a steel shaft, fabricated by Eastham Forge, Misters Brace and Putnam doing the work. On its trial ran in the spring of 1962, Otto Nickerson brought the Elementary School children to see it go. It was one of his last famous outings with the School, as he retired from the Principal's chair that year.
In 1980 the Mill ground 800 pounds of corn for its 300th birthday and had a temporary Post Office in the Mill manned by volunteers. The U.S.P.O. had issued a set of windmill stamps with the Eastham Mill in the center position.
Today the Mill is enjoyed by people from around the world as well as locally, and is the centerpiece for Windmill Weekend and a lovely addition to Christmas with its arms bedecked with lights.
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