Live in the City, Preserve the Wilderness

One of my goals is to help get some prime Real Estate *off the market*, out of the hands of developers, and into a nature conservancy status.

I know what you're thinking.

I make a living getting people into homes and selling them when they want to move. Sometimes it's in a city where you can walk to everything (smart move!).

I find myself in the suburbs much of the time. It's where I grew up for most of my childhood.

Then there are the farms. The wooded lots on the creek. The chalets on top of the mountain. Those are fun too -- and I have some great stories about many crazy homes!

But to be honest --- nature is what keeps me going. It's not as easy to absorb myself in the natural world as it used to be. I blame smart phones --- but it's my own fault.

So when I heard about 353 acres just outside of Harrisburg that The Nature Conservancy purchased I was ecstatic. Honest.

I hope people use it. Lightly, please.

Bring your kids. Don't forget your Peterson Field Guide to the Birds. You'll need it, because the birds are there. And the trees. I suspect some of this has been logged over the years, and it will be interesting to see how much old growth forest remains on Cove Mountain.

The trails will stretch for 10 miles or more. There are views of the Rockville Bridge. My goal is to find the endangered Allegheny Woodrat. The what? Yeah, I never heard of it either!

I'll see you there in the fall.

More information on the Cove Mountain Preserve on ABC TV 27 News here.

Land, Views, and Garages

In today's hectic world, a number of people are looking for some room to breath and relax. This might mean a house on a couple of acres. It might mean mountain views. It might mean a giant detached garage w/ it's own furnace. Sometimes, with a little luck, you can find all of those things in one location .

Housing Shortage or Thought Scarcity?: A Common Sense Proposal

Photo by Roberto Nickson from Pexels With low inventory, BOTH buyers and renters are having a challenging time getting into a home. A solution, one would think, is creating more available homes. A gut reaction would be to build big developments, with large homes or maybe a condo complex. But what if you could build a home on your current property and rent it out? I see small towns around me push back, and a common reason is "parking" . Meanwhile, a quick drive down their streets will show plenty of parking. And get this, the people that would shop in the now almost empty stores in their town wouldn't need to drive there - they would walk. Another pushback I hear is that a new structure will create too much non-permeable space . It's always an interesting thing to hear from a sector that listens and smiles - but does nothing - when I talk about clean water bills, riparian buffers, and other common sense solutions to a healthy local environment. The more I learn a...

Warm Up -- Add Value --- Get Money

Save some big bucks on your heating bill and get $300 credit from the federal government if you install a wood burning fireplace insert by the end of 2011. Read all about it here . You may not be ready to sell now, but when you do --- it's a good idea to have a leg up on your competition. Most people prefer to have an alternative heat source. Many of us found that out over the weekend during the "Halloween Snow Storm".

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