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Kennett Square Mushroom Festival

August 13, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Main Line Philadelphia relocation — As the mushroom capital of the world, how could Kennett Square NOT host a mushroom festival?

You might laugh at the idea of a Mushroom Festival (and, for sure, there are other, better-attended events), but my newsletter always features a “local” article and I decided to highlight this event because it’s signature Philadelphia (area). What I mean is that nowhere else, other than Kennett Square, known as the mushroom capital of the world, would you find such a long-running event paying homage to fungi. For you transplants to the area who may not be aware, 65% of mushrooms consumed in the US are grown in Kennett Square. So, maybe now it doesn’t seem so unreasonable that there’s a local festival celebrating this often under-appreciated menu item. This volunteer-organized event, with amazing variety, over 250 vendors and plenty of entertainment uses the proceeds to enhance the mushroom-growing community. Last year, over $100,000 in funds were donated in the form of farming grants to local growers.

If you are considering attending, note that Longwood Gardens, the Brandywine River Museum as well as lots of outdoor Brandywine River activites are found right near the festival.

If you are relocating to the Philadelphia/Main Line area, please go to my blog page and search for posts using the relocation tag. Contact me to discuss your Philadelphia area relocation! jen@jenniferlebow.com/610 308-5973

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie Recipe

August 5, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Looking for rich, dense, gooey satisfaction? Look no further.

Jen LeBow’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

Preheat to 350 degrees

Graham Cracker Crust (9” pie pan):

Melt 7 T unsalted butter

Add:

1/3 c granulated sugar

1 1/8 cup graham cracker crumbs

Bake 12 minutes, set aside.

Lightly beat and combine:

2 eggs

½ cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 t vanilla

1/3 cup flour

2 1/2T ground pecan meal

Pinch (small!) salt

Melt ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

Add butter, in 3 additions, mixing to combine in between additions.

Add and combine with wooden spoon or spatula:

1 ¼ cups semi sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup butterscotch chips

½ cup broken up pecans

Allow batter to rest 10 minutes.

Pour batter into pie pan and bake 35-40 minutes. Best if FROZEN (once cool) and then slightly thawed to serve.

Cucumber Soup Recipe

July 27, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

On those hot summer days when you want something cold and refreshing (but know you shouldn’t eat ice cream for every meal)…

Jen LeBow’s Cucumber Soup

Blend til smooth in food processor:

6 medium cucumbers, peeled and cut into large chunks

Pour into large bowl

Add and combine:

1 ½ cups plain yogurt (can be Greek)

1 cup sour cream

2 T dill

½ t salt

Stick toothpicks into add to bowl to combine:

5 peeled garlic cloves

Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Remove garlic (toothpicks makes this step easy).

Serve cold!

What is Fiverr?

July 25, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Need help with a project? Ask Fivver, a website where people with a wide variety of skills offer all kinds of services for "one-off" projects at very reasonable prices. — Need help with a project? Ask Fivver, a website where people with a wide variety of skills offer all kinds of services for “one-off” projects at very reasonable prices.

Most people have heard of Fiverr, but, just in case you haven’t, you should know about it. It’s a website where people with all kinds of skills–graphic design, jewelry-making, painting, videography, resume-writing, counseling, on-line lessons, etc.–offer their services on an individual project basis. For example, let’s say you wanted a new logo designed for your business. You could go on Fiverr, type in “logo design” and then further restrict your search with criteria defining delivery time, price, language spoken by the service provider, etc. Then you can click on different listings to see example of their work and any other information they might have posted. You can contact them directly with questions and go from there. It’s a great option for one-time projects and the prices are hard to beat.

Note: While I’ve not had any negative experiences with it, there are people who have. So keep in mind that these services are usually not local, that you are not paying very much and try to do as much due diligence as you can before hiring a Fiverr provider.

When Buying a House, Pay Attention to Flooring

July 19, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

When you consider a house for purchase, pay attention to the floors-imperfections and what may be hidden.

Often, buyers don’t pay much attention to what’s beneath their feet when they tour a house. Sure, sometimes, if there’s lots of dated carpet, a buyer might mention that he plans to remove it. I try to find out if the plan is to recarpet or to do something else. Why? Because “something else” can be quite expensive. For example, on the Main Line, many of our homes are older and have hardwood throughout. If there is carpeting, people often assume they will remove it and have beautifully preserved hardwood underneath. Well, maybe. And maybe not. They may not only require stripping, sanding, staining and finishing, but what if there are pet stains or other major damage? It’s difficult to repair wood floors without having the repair show.

Even if there are just throw rugs or Oriental carpets on top of wood, once the seller removes them, buyers are often surprised during the pre-settlement walk through to discover how the sunlight has faded the wood around the darker area that has been protected by the rugs. The mismatched color may require refinishing, which is a cost that may not have been expected. So pick up some corners, if possible, when you’re touring the house.

How about cracked tiles? It’s nearly impossible to replace and match cracked tiles so that the floor looks uniform. Replacing ceramic or stone tile involves a lot of expensive labor. If those cracked tiles are asbestos, like many of our basements have? For safety, you can either remove it (which requires HAZMAT methods) or cover it. Again, you may not have planned for these projects.

Even wall-to-wall carpet may hide some surprises. While you will be able to see wear and stains, you may have pet or mildew odors that carpet cleaning services can’t remove. You may also have pet or other stains that have damaged the hardwood flooring beneath.

I’m not suggesting that flooring issues should be a reason you don’t buy a house; they are surmountable and very rarely structurally unsound, I wrote this post in an effort to minimize the surprise costs that new buyers encounter.

Tubing/Boating Down the Brandywine

July 13, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Philadelphia Main Line relocation activities — Looking for something to do on a hot day? Try tubing (or kayaking or canoeing) down the Brandywine River.

One of the benefits of living on the Main Line is the topography, specifically the abundance of rivers and creeks. They provide not only picturesque scenery, but offer entertainment like swimming, fishing, boating and tubing. Every year, my oldest daughter celebrates her late May birthday with her college friends and, if the weather cooperates, they often choose to go tubing down the Brandywine River. There are a couple of different companies that rent tubes (as well as kayaks and canoes) and drive the customers to a “put-in” point upriver. Then, they spend a few hours in shallow water, allowing the current to carry them back to their starting point. They often tie their tubes together, but you could just as easily take a solo journey for a peaceful personal get-away. If the water is too cold for your liking or you are not a fan of being in water, you can choose to kayak or canoe.

If you live closer to the Delaware River, there are opportunities to go tubing there as well. Personally, I’m a bit partial to the smaller, more intimate Brandywine, but they are both a great way to spend an afternoon (I speak from experience!). The landscape that is visible from the water is different from what you see from the road and there’s something both refreshing and serene about a float down the river. Try it, you’ll see.

Back on the Market: Hard to Sell

July 6, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

When a house goes under contract and then goes back on the market, it’s usually much harder to sell.

During the most recent spring market, we have been seeing a lot of multiple bid situations with over-asking offers. There are very few homes, especially updated ones, on the market on the Main Line and they are highly sought after. Interestingly, a trend I’ve noticed is that when some of these properties go right under contract but then the deal falls though and they come back on, they are suddenly nowhere near as popular and can sit on the market for several weeks before going back under contract, often at a much lower price. While I have no empirical evidence as to why, I have some theories. The first is that the reason the houses are going for over-asking prices initially is less a reflection in their market value (in terms of comparable sales indicating most likely sales price) than a supply and demand issue.

What I mean is: consider a buyer who is desperate to find a house in the area. This buyer doesn’t mind spending $20,000 above asking (often, 80% of that difference will be mortgaged) just to secure the purchase. No more worrying about not finding a house, having to rent, etc. Now, let’s say that buyer gets cold feet about “overpaying”, or the buyer has inspections done and can’t come to an agreement with the seller (who says, “I’m not going to fix anything; I have lots of back up offers”) over repairs. In either of those scenarios, the buyer may terminate the contract. Then the property comes back on the market.

When other buyers see it become available again, they wonder, “Why did the previous buyer back out?” Many prospective buyers re-evaluate just how much they are willing to offer. The loss of “frenzy” that was present initially begets even further loss of momentum; when people are less worried the house will be “snapped up” by another buyer, they are less likely to submit an offer. Therefore, when a third or fourth party inquires whether the listing agent is holding any offers, the answer may be “no”. The result is the prospective buyers all feel less pressure to write offers, or to write them at asking or over-asking price.

The take-away? If you are a seller and receive multiple bids, recognize that the highest bid may not be the most likely to close. Consider the financing piece, whether there is an appraisal contingency, etc. and choose carefully. As far as inspections go, it’s always a fine line between not giving back more money (in the form of credit or repairs) than you need to, and losing the sale because the buyer wanted more. Be aware that letting the deal fall apart because of a few thousand extra dollars for repairs may end up costing you much more in both net proceeds and time and stress. Talk to your agent for advice.

Elephant Sanctuary

June 27, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to spend time bathing, feeding and sharing space with elephants?

My daughter, Becca, recently graduated from college and decided to take a seven-week trip through southeast Asia before buckling down the the grind of “adulting”. She is going to spending a couple of days and one night at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand. From the looks of it, this one (unlike others) seems to be genuinely dedicated to ensuring the health and safety of the animals; they do not permit riding them, as this activity can damage their spines. The website explains that the sanctuary is “a joint initiative between members of the Karen hill-tribes and Chiang Mai locals who were concerned about the welfare of elephants” and guests are given traditional Karen-style shirts to wear while visiting.

I have always loved elephants (and have quite a collection of miniatures from all over the world) and wish I could be there with Becca. Knowing her, she’ll take a ton of pictures…I’ll post some on my Facebook page if she does!

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