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REALTOR Magazine’s cover story for their July/August issue is on “Niche” marketing and titled, “Own Your Niche”. I am featured for my Historic Home Niche. It was funny, for the print edition, a photographer shot me in the grand foyer of Rockland (thank you Mike). It took 3 hours for the one photo. Obviously the scene was spectacular, so I have to assume that it took 3 hours to get me to look good in it. Oh well, I’ll take it…

http://historichometeam.com/pdf/OwnYourNiche.pdf

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A friend sent me this rather sobering bit of “old news”. I have been in countless historic homes that date back to before the American Revolution and after more than 250 years, I believe a sensitive soul can still hear, smell and feel the human suffering and joy of past stewards. Today I feel more in awe than ever of those courageous Americans that gave us the freedom we enjoy today. Have a happy and thoughtful Independence Day!
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Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Try GOOGLING them.

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKean was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid.

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On Thursday of this week (1/8/09) Prosperity Mortgage had an interest rate of 4.25% for a 30 year fixed conventional loan with 3 points (the points can be paid by the seller). That is truly incredible. Alot of home owners are refinancing, because of the low rates, and banks have limited funds available to lend, so the word on the street is borrow now (buy now) rather than later. Many analysts say that home values are near 2003 prices, which is great if you are buying, but may make refinancing a challenge. The key to taking advantage of the great buying opportunities in this market is having two things - good credit and a good downpayment. With those two things, the opportunities abound.

Now, if you have been considering a purchase, but felt the house you wanted would require monthly payments that are just out of your range, well… @ 4.25% that house may have just gotten cheaper. Something to think about…

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NEW!

In the side bar, at the bottom, you can now subscribe to our new “Homes For Sale Alert” via text messaging. When we list an extraordinary historic home and post it on our Blog, you will receive a short text message with the great news.

NEW!
Historic Home Blog is now “PDA Friendly”, so if you have a PDA, Blackberry, or a cell phone with an internet browser - you can immediately check out the new listing, with photos & description.

Life is good…

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Fairfield, Pennsylvania - Offered at $1,100,000 Property Details Beds 3 Baths 2 Stories 2 Acreage 63 Year Built 1840   [Show as slideshow] Den Master Bedroom Bank Barn Side View From Driveway Living Room Kitchen Fireplace Kitchen Dining Room 63 Acres Bedroom 3 Description VIRTUAL TOUR Historic Beach Nut Farm - A Musselman House c.1846. This is a gorgeous setting with views of the Catoctin Mountains. House enjoys significant historic detailing, spacious rooms, private front porch overlooking acres of fenced cleared fields. Partially wooded in the elevated areas. Large bank barn with ground level stables. Near Ski Liberty, 3 golf courses & private airport. Great hunting. History Early History of Hamiltonban Township (1730-1860) Hamiltonban Township from History of Adams County About this unique Historic Farm This exquisite estate is set amidst the rolling hills of South Mountain and within the picturesque area of Fairfield PA, a premier place to live, raise a family, play golf, ski, hunt, etc. – all within three (3) miles from this ‘park like’ setting. Nestled on 62 + contiguous acres of both tillable (level) and fenced (graze) land, this estate is ready for your immediate and long term enjoyment. Located only minutes from historic Gettysburg PA (8.5 mi.) and Frederick MD (28 mi.) this desirable location is ideal for a family that desires a true ‘country setting’ in which to live and to enjoy the openness space and to quiet life style of the surrounding foothills of the Catoctin Mountains! As you approach this estate along the natural spring feed streamed-lined lane you will quickly discover the elegance in this 1900-century (~1846 - 1900) ‘Musselman style’ two-story fieldstone home. The strength and gracefulness of this home includes a spacious and updated custom built solid oak kitchen (Mr. Hess of Greencastle PA), which also includes an open hearth fireplace and a back staircase, a mud / laundry room with a separate outside entrance, a bright and freshly finished dining room with a crystal chandelier, full bathroom (down stairs), a very graceful living room with a working fireplace, hallway (up & down stairs), three (3) large upstairs bedrooms, full bathroom (up stairs) with a renovated claw-foot bath tub and hand painted porcelain basins, walk-in closets, numerous storage closets, hard wood floors throughout (except kitchen & bathrooms), multiple heating systems (hot water baseboard, heat pump or fire place(s) – or any combination thereof), ample and easy access for seasonal storage both within the full cellar (cement floor) and the attic areas, and all of the modern appliances are included. Plus there are three (3) exterior verandas (11’ x 8½’, 24’ x 6½’, and 11’ x 20’ on the 2nd floor) to enjoy all of the surrounding outdoor spaces and the mountain views! The exterior of the home has a completely new roof system (30-50 yr life expectancy*), new fascia, gutter & down spouting, new energy efficient windows (low E & argon filled), two (2) new highly efficient HVAC systems (TRANE, with annual service /inspection, ~8 yr warranty on major parts). The water source is from a very deep well (160’ 8 GPM, Jan ’02, Gould pump & tank) with natural spring water as an alternate and/or backup use (~1400 ft and completely plumbed-in). The landscaping includes; perennial flowers, rose bushes, shrubs, fruit trees and a vegetable garden for growing your own natural and healthy vegetables. The newly added and roomy two (2) car garage (32’ x 32’, R-19 insulation), located adjacent to the house, not only provides spacious indoor parking for the family vehicles, ATV, mower, etc.; it is an ideal workplace for all of your home projects. A separate work / shop area (12’ x 20’) provides an ideal location for those project in work, home canning or outdoor entertaining. And with the family vegetable garden, spring flowers, flowering shrubs and fruit trees (cherry, apple, plum, pear, etc.), along with the walnut, hickory and butternut trees only steps away – all with an ample supply of natural spring water, this area provides a perfect outdoor setting for all to enjoy! The newly painted and generous original ‘bank barn’ (46’ x 70’) has many amenities in it’s self, with ample electric & fresh water readily available, there are; multiple stalls for your horses (or other domestic animals), an open area for feeding your farm animals, an adjoining tack / storage room, additional open space indoors for your custom needs, an spacious 1st level repair / parking area (17’ x 46’), and of course a complete 2nd loft area, with a ground level entrance for crop (hay, straw, etc.) and grain storage (mixed feed, wheat, oats, etc.), as well as an open floor space for equipment access or longer term indoor storage. Additionally, there is a supplemental equipment storage available (within a short distance) in a separate large equipment pole building (26’ x 50’), which includes two (2) ‘pull through’ bays with sliding rear doors for easy access– and this building has electrical service as well. From a farming or crop yield perspective, the contiguous and tillable acreage has the primary soil types of AtB (Athol gravity silt), CkA (Clarksburg silt) and Pa (Penlaw silt), all ranging from very high to moderate in crop productivity. Whereas the fenced or graze land is primarily of the HHD (Highfield and Catoctin channery silt), HgC (Highfield channey silt) and MyC (Myersville silt) types and also range from high to moderate in productivity. All of the surrounding land boundaries are readily accessible and trimmed of over growth. The pastures area(s) are completely fenced for domestic animals and are ‘animal friendly’ (no top or side razor edges, etc.). The Beach Nut Run Farm was registered as an agriculture farming business in 1983 within the state of Pennsylvania; Adams County, Hamiltonban Township (18), the Fairfield School District (F), and currently participates in the PA Clean & Green Act **. The buyer will be responsible for the taxes if the property is taken out of the said Act. * Manufactured by DECRA® – Stone Coated Steel Roofing ** PA Farmland and Forested Assessment Act (Act 319), which provides taxing landowners according to the use values of their land, rather than the prevailing market value.

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The interest in historic home ownership continues to be robust. If we can get the lending institutions to cooperate, I expect 2009 to be a good year for hsitoric home sales, despite the predictions for the rest of the real estate market and the economy in general.

Though I have focused my Historic Home Team real estate business in the geographic areas in which I am licensed as a Realtor - Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and soon Washington, DC, I have received hundreds of communications from frustrated historic home owners from all over America requesting the specialized “niche” historic home marketing that we have developed. In places like Florida, Ohio & Illinois, these historic home owners know that their prospective buyer is not likely to be local and even less likely to be attracted by the traditional passive marketing that sells the townhouses and modern mcmansions nearby. We have designed an expert marketing system that can be partnered with the services of a local Realtor or utilized as standalone marketing for the historic home owner who wishes to go it alone.

As home values have declined, many home owners find they do not have enough equity in their homes to sell in a traditional way (with fees and commissions) and since traditional MLS real estate marketing does not necessarily enhance the prospects of a historic home sale, these home sellers are looking for an alternative. One that will allow them to price more competetively, increasing the prospects for success. It is here and the details can be reviewed at - HistoricPartnersUSA.com or jump to the details page. This is a Professional Historic Home Marketing Solution for historic home sellers nationwide.
It includes prominent placement on our high ranking HistoricHomeTeam.com website as well as:

Professional Historic Home Marketing Solution

These are powerful marketing tools designed to share the virtues and benefits of a historic home to those 6 out of 1,000 qualified buyers nationwide who may be considering a historic home purchase. For the cost of painting a living room or running a series of local classified ads, a historic home owner can have an effective professional marketing campaign.

I fell into my selling mode. I am sorry. I guess it goes with the territory. Please visit us at HistoricHomeTeam.com or HistoricParntersUSA.com to see who is selling their historic homes in America.

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