Poconos Real Estate Blog

Stroudsburg Home w/a Great Yard!

I wrote about this house before.

But I just finished uploading some new pics to the MLS and felt I should elaborate on the pure wonderful-ness of the yard here.

Plenty of mature plantings, flowers, shrubbery and beautiful maple trees for climbing!

A rolling lawn on all sides of the house.

Now that things are greening up, I just had to share!

 

Buying a Penn Estates Home - FAQ #3 Safety, Security & Quality of Life

It may come as a surprise to some of my neighbors that not everyone has the same high opinion of Penn Estates as we do. Let's face it: A quick search of the internet for information about Penn Estates, as well as about life in the Poconos in general, reveals some not-so-flattering accounts of life here. As a matter of fact, I will admit to being a bit distressed at the one-sided information I found when researching what potential buyers might come across when they search certain topics. So, lest everyone out there get the wrong idea about us, let me try to balance the perspective a bit and tell you what I know. As a Mom, as a community volunteer & self-appointed advocate, a homeowner, and as a REALTOR(r), I feel I have to.

Penn Estates is home to over 6,000 people and compares in size to a small town. There are twenty-six miles of roads that serve 1700 properties. We contract with a private security firm to provide us with staff and services to manage the 24/7 safety needs of the community: guest registration & access control, patrols, traffic monitoring, emergency assistance, complaints, etc.

We are served by regional police departments, Stroud and Pocono Mountain, which cover a huge area of our county and are under-funded and under-staffed, just like most police departments that serve high-growth areas of the country. They rely heavily on and cooperate greatly with our private force to serve Penn Estates along with all of the other communities and towns in the areas they serve, and they are excellent in their response to 911 calls and crime investigation.

So my answer to the question "Is the community safe?" is 'Yes.' Is it perfect and crime-free? Of course not. Am I comfortable raising my teenage daughters here? Absolutely.

However, I think a better question is, what is Penn Estates, or any other area one might considering buying a home in, doing to address growth problems related to crime? How are these neighborhoods countering the negative effects of the continued population explosion our area is experiencing? IMHO, this is very important because as growth continues (which it will because it is a great place to live!), crime inevitably will too.

"What are areas doing to prepare themselves for that?" is a question that potential homebuyers should be asking when they research places to live.

Here in Penn Estates, we have been fortunate to have the support, guidance and cooperation of the Stroud Regional Police Department in establishing a model Neighborhood Watch Program, which we hope will be an example that the 'Burgs (the Boroughs of Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg) and other communities in the Poconos follow. We have already held the training session for the first group of volunteers and look forward to the grand opening of 'watch central' in the Community Center building at the main amenity complex (stay tuned for more info on that).

The areas that acknowledge the inevitability of issues and address potential issues proactively are the areas that will keep crime rates low and continue to grow property values.

Yes, the Poconos has its share of troubles, as would be expected in an area which is expanding so quickly. Undoubtedly, when you search for information on the area in general or particular communities, news articles and reports of specific crimes will come up. Robberies, grafitti, gangs, domestic violence, arson...no doubt you have come across stories about any of these things occurring in different parts of Monroe County...Brodheadsville, Saylorsburg, Bushkill, Effort, downtown Stroudsburg and, yes, Penn Estates have been affected at one time or another.

An unfortunate fact about bad news is, it always makes headlines...don't even get me started on THAT, as I could go on and on about the unbalanced reporting and fact-less accounts that make it to print.

But remember that the good things that happen every single day in neighborhoods and communities across Monroe County don't make headlines. And ask yourself, is paying attention to headlines going to give you a clear picture of what life is like here?

It is difficult to know what information to believe and whose stories are accurate. I know that even my claims will be scrutinized and perhaps even written off as a sales pitch. To be sure, no matter who you ask, they will say that THEIR neighborhood is the best =) Everyone has an opinion and bad news is plentiful, especially in someone ELSE's neighborhood!!

So my advice to you is, do your homework and seek out a balance in sources and in perspectives. Then, make the decisions that are best for you and your family.  Who knows, buying a home in Penn Estates or other areas of the Poconos just might be the best move you ever made!

• For specific questions related to crime in Penn Estates, feel free to email me, contact the Stroud Area Regional Police Department or the Pocono Mountain P.D. For information on State Police and other police departments and private forces in Monroe County, visit the Monroe County Control Center site.
  

• 2007 Crime Rates in the Monroe County Poconos This link has crime rates broken down by type of crime and jurisdiction. Penn Estates is located mostly in Stroud Regional, with a small portion of the community being part of Pocono Township.

Scavello Courts Democrats

State Representative Mario Scavello of the 176th Legislative District is seeking write-in votes from Democrats at the April 22 Primary Election. The purpose, he says, is to allow him to concentrate on his continued efforts in the State House of Representatives, free from the time and expense of a campaign should he have a challenger in the November election.

I, for one, will be writing in his name. His time this year is much better spent addressing all of the big issues in Harrisburg right now...property tax reform, tolls on I-80, etc.

Representative Scavello has been a dedicated advocate for the Poconos in Harrisburg since his election in 2002. He has garnered a reputation there for fighting for what he thinks is right regardless of party lines.

Governor Ed Rendell acknowledged as much during his presentation of his Economic Development Plan during his visit to Stroudsburg earlier this year. I was present for the speech and marvelled at the time the Governor took honoring our Representative for his dedication to his constituency.

Perhaps we should shrug off our party affiliations for this local election and consider Mr. Scavello the leader of the Pocono Party ??

Click here for some comments from other voters.

Writing in a candidate is a fairly simple process. Here is info on how you can write in Mario Scavello's name at the Pennsylvania Primary Election on April 22, 2008.

Who are you supporting? Please share your comments using the form below.

Foreclosure Heat Map For Monroe County

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Below is a screen shot of a map I generated at HotPads.com which illustrates the severity of the 'foreclosure crisis' here in the Poconos. It demonstrates quite clearly the eratic nature of real estate markets, even in our immediate vicinity. Check out the map for the entire country and zoom in on other areas to see how local real estate markets, and foreclosure problems, really are.

The maps are compiled using data from Realtytrac and then color-coded to illustrate foreclosure densities. The cooler the colors, the less foreclosures there are...as the maps changes over to yellows, oranges and reds, the number of repossessed homes is higher.

 

Are you surprised?

Take My Stuff...Please!

Whether you are cleaning out your closets in order to sell your home, downsizing in anticipation of a move to a smaller home, relocating far away and trying to pack lightly, or just simply doing some spring cleaning, you probably have some stuff to ditch. And if your house is anything like mine, clothes make up the bulk of the toss-away items...between growing kids and my growing waistline, the bags are piling up in the garage!

Helping Hands of PA will pick up your donations of clothing and furniture items. There is a minimum donation of four garbage bags of clothing or a big furniture item for them to make the trip, but that's an easy mark to reach. Call them at 570.620.2222 or email thanku4giving@yahoo.com

Here is some more info about this new charitable organization:

Lending a Hand to your neighbors in Monroe County:

HELPING HANDS OF PA

The Local Charity for Local Needs

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Who Are We?
Helping Hands of PA is a non-profit and non-denominational organization. It is based on a belief in the human spirit of our community, to care about each other, to extend opportunities to those with promise and second chances to those that are willing to earn them.  Our purpose is support of organizations and individuals that provide services to Monroe County that we consider essential to the growth, maintenance and well being of the community as a whole. 

Who Do We Help?
Our focus is on two essential resources; critical volunteer services and youngsters with potential and needs. In addition, we seek to assist those determined to achieve self improvement, rehabilitation and/or self reliance and welcome their participation as contributing members of our local society.

These include, but are not limited to:

*Volunteer Fire/Rescue Companies & Ambulance/Emergency Medical Services

*Children's Causes - Foster Care/ Learning Disabilities/Tutoring/Academic Scholarships/Sponsorships

               *Shelters

How Can We Do It?
In partnership with local businesses, we will perpetuate a cycle of building our community through the participation of the community; receiving items donated at approved locations and resold to generate funds applied to the needs of above named causes. 

All business' and organizations that allow collection bin placement will receive a quarterly report of the amounts collected to-date and the disbursements. In addition, supporters will be promoted by name in our advertising to the community, encouraging patronage and contribution to those businesses and organizations.

Contact: Susan LeBeau, Director, Helping Hands of Faith 570.620.2222 thanku4giving@yahoo.com

Look for their bins in strategic locations across the county - they're PURPLE. If you have a spot to put a bin, give them a call! If you have a bunch of stuff you don't want to lug, give them a call!