Random Thoughts

30th Annual Wizard of Oz Festival in Chesterton Indiana

It is that time of year again for the annual Wizard of Oz festival in Chesterton Indiana. This year the Wizard of Oz Festival is celebrating their 30^th Year!

The Wizard of Oz Festival is being held September 16-18 2011 in the downtown area of Chesterton Indiana at the intersections of Broadway and Calumet.

The Wizard of Oz Festival brings several events throughout the weekend. Some of these include autograph ceremonies, a 5K run, a parade, a birthday party for Dorothy, as well as many more.

The full event lineup, along with more information about the Wizard of Oz Festival can be found directly at www.ozfestivalchesterton.com.

The events and setup start on Friday September 16 at 2:00 pm so be sure to remember to take alternate routes when visiting downtown.

Events such as the Wizard of Oz Festival is another example of what an outstanding community Chesterton Indiana is and how they bring the residents together.

Valparaiso Real Estate – Uptown Café is Coffee and So Much More

With being such a young business, Valparaiso Indiana’s Uptown Café has established itself as an upscale coffee shop, restaurant, meeting place, art gallery and so much more.

From the moment you walk in the door, you can see why people congregate here. With the sealed concrete floors, large open space, fireplace and lots of comfy couches and tables to sit at, Uptown Café boasts itself as a contemporary but comfortable place to eat or even conduct casual business meetings. In fact, they even have private meeting rooms available for the not so casual business meetings.

If the food is what you’re really interested in, try Uptown Café’s Sushi.  Every Tuesday night, they serve the most delicious Sushi around. This isn’t just your everyday California Roll either. It is real, to die for Sushi!

Looking for a place to hang out and read a book? Uptown is it. Stop in on a Saturday morning and have one of their delicious lattes and relax by the fireplace in an oversized arm chair and dive into your latest read.

If you’re looking to purchase a home in Valparaiso Indiana, don’t forget to make Uptown Café one of your first visits.

Whether you’re a first time homebuyer and looking for your starter home or a growing family looking for a larger custom built home, you can find your dream home near Uptown Cafe in Valparaiso Indiana. Call or text me at 707-408-3399 to discuss your family situation and your home needs.

Living Green in Porter County Indiana: Part 2 – Reusing

Whether you are looking at saving some money or improving the environment, a lot of us are looking for ways to live a ‘greener’ life. What does living a ‘greener’ life mean?

In “Living Green in Porter County Indiana: Part 1 – Recycling” we talked about ways that we can recycle and where residents can recycle throughout the Porter County Indiana area. This week we will be taking a look at how we can use exisiting materials we have and reuse them in order to Reduce the amount of new goods that we purchase.

There are many things that we can reuse in today’s life. You can start by looking at what you do on a daily basis. One way to start is to shop at local resale shops throughout Porter County for items that may be needed. Some of the major resale stores you may have heard of are Plato’s Closet for teen clothing or CD Replay for your gaming and entertainment needs.

One that I tend to check in at for those items that do not need to be purchased new is Duneland Resale on 8^th and Broadway in Chesterton Indiana. The first reason I go is so the items that are purchased are reused (someone else used them and then donated them to Duneland Resale). The next reason this is one of the resale shops I go to is that they put money back into the community by assisting the residents in need with selected expenses for those that qualify.

You can also utilize services like your public library to reuse books that have been donated to them. By checking a book out at your local library one resource is being used by many different people instead of 50 different people having to purchase a book, one book is used for all to read.

While these are some simple solutions anyone can use to reuse some of the common everyday items like clothing, books, and entertainment, there are a number of other ideas and methods to help you reuse products out there.

What does living green in Porter County Indiana mean for you?

If you are looking for a community that you can take pride in and call home, call or text 219-649-1296 and I can get you started in finding your new home!

Living Green in Porter County Indiana: Part 1 – Recycling

Whether you are looking at saving some money or improving the environment, a lot of us are looking for ways to live a ‘greener’ life.

What does living a ‘greener’ life mean?

According to www.all-recycling-facts.com, “living green means to live life as an individual, as well as a community, in a way that is friendly to the natural environment and is sustainable to the earth.”

One of the first things we as individuals can do to start living a green life is to recycle. Once you are recycling, you can get friends and family to start. This is how we as individuals can make a difference within our communities.

We have all been exposed to the phrase “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” at some point or another. It usually accompanies three arrows in the shape of a triangle. This can be used as a 1^st step to living green as an individual.

Let’s take an example of drinking water on a daily basis. If you drink 64 oz of water per day in the 16oz plastic bottles, you are using 4 waterbottles and throwing them away (or recycling). If you used a washable water bottle instead, you are reusing 1 bottle and would be reducing 4 bottles per day, 28 per week or 1,460 plastic bottles per year. This shows how you can Reduce and Reuse.

While we can’t always reduce or reuse, we can recycle. When making purchases for everyday products such as food, milk, drinks, etc. we can look for the Recycling symbol (three arrows in shape of triangle). When purchasing items with this symbol, the container does not have to sit in a landmine somewhere but can instead be used to make other products.

Many communities within Porter County Indiana make it easy for residents to recycle by providing a recycling pick-up along with trash.

For those communities that do not have pick-up or if you miss your scheduled pick-up, Porter County also offers several Drop-Off Recycling Containers locations available for the community to use. Please visit Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County for more information on drop-off locations and other Porter County Indiana initiatives to making the community a greener place.

While these recycling programs can not recycle all of your products, you can look for various events throughout Porter County to recycle or donate things that cannot be recycled. For example, some of the city programs will not allow the recycling of plastic shopping bags. Instead of throwing these away, you can donate them to a local resale store so they can use them to bag customer purchases.

The Town of Chesterton is holding an E-Cycling event  Saturday July 23, 2011 from 9am – 3pm where you can bring various electronic items to be sent for recycling.

If you are looking for a community that you can take pride in and call home, call or text 219-649-1296 and I can get you started in finding your new home!

 

Zero Tolerance For Interlopers In Ogden Dunes Indiana

Although the Supreme Court made their decision, controversy still swirls around the decision in Ogden Dunes to abolish all property rentals of less than one month in duration. While weekly vacation rentals is common practice in many waterfront localities, Ogden Dunes residents found the insecurity of a revolving door of new people regularly popping up next door to be too much.

“We don’t want to become a RESORT community” became the mantra.

Like many towns with water access Ogden Dunes has a certain percentage of seasonal homes which remain vacant part of the year. Some year-round residents complained of loud parties and rowdy behavior, focusing on the weekend homeowners as the source of the problem.  But calling police for a disturbance was not enough. So in 2007 an ordinance was passed to stabilize the community by taking away the ability to rent a home for less than one month.  The Ordinance targeted about 6 owners who were engaging in the practice. The Post Tribune recently published a back story synopsis of the case.

The crux of the matter came down to the tactile issue of whether people felt safe and secure versus the rights of owners to freely use their homes as they saw fit–to make extra income.

In the 4-1 Court decision it came down to some definitions and semantic interpretations. It was clear that these were commercial transactions. Leases and contracts had been signed, deposits and rents collected, advertising on the VRBO.com (Vacation Rentals By Owner) web site had been used to hook up the buyer and sellers.

The only grey are for the court to sort through was the definition of  “Single Family Dwelling” which according to the Town Ordinance meant “―a separate detached building designed for and occupied exclusively as a residence by one family.”

The Court ruling goes on further:

“From our reading of the definition, the critical phrase to interpret is ―exclusively as a residence by one family.  The Siwinskis interpret the phrase to mean that ―exclusively as a residence–does not prohibit them from renting their home to multiple families. The Siwinskis argue the home is still used for things such as eating and sleeping and other things typically associated with a family residence. Furthermore, the Siwinskis interpret ―by one family–to mean one family at a time, as opposed to multiple families living in a home at the same time. Conversely, the Town argues the phrase ―exclusively as a residence by one family– suggests a dwelling intended to be used by only one family as a residence, and not rented to another family for a profit. The Town argues the Siwinskis are not exclusively using the residence, as they are sometimes using the residence and other times renting out the residence for profit.”

In the opinion of the Court:

“Our State has recognized that the purpose of zoning ordinances is―to confine certain classes of uses and structures to designated areas…. It is clear that the Town intended to have certain classes of uses in designated areas, by designating a Residential District and a Commercial District in its ordinances.”

Personal Note: 

So it is now official, Ogden Dunes is not going to be a resort community. We can all sleep easier knowing that.  As a 22 year resident (now a former resident) of Ogden Dunes, I know lots of folklore and background on the homes and residents of this Town. Some people might try to convince you that Ogden Dunes is some kind of utopian dream. It’s just another very nice place you might consider calling home.  If you are seeking a unique,  and pastoral Porter County community, close to the Dunes, it’s special natural ecosystem,  and the miracle of Lake Michigan, you might find Ogden Dunes to your liking. I would be happy to be your tour guide and buyers agent as you search for the best home to choose in this unique and rare enclave.

It Pays to Support Responsible Homeownership

One way to make more people homeowners is to make housing more affordable. All U.S. homeowners benefit from policies like the mortgage interest tax deduction. Many use government-backed mortgage insurance to lower loan costs. A variety of public and private programs offer low-cost loans and downpayment assistance to help Americans become homeowners. Help prospective homeowners save a downpayment by donating to sites like EARN, a non-profit that uses donations to match funds saved by low-wage earners.

Reduce foreclosures and preserve home value

Foreclosure matters because it hurts all homeowners. In 2009, foreclosures will cause property values to decline an average of $7,200 for about 70 million homeowners, resulting in a $502 billion loss in home equity, the Center for Responsible Lending estimates. Each foreclosure within 1/8th of a mile of your home lowers your property value about 0.744 percent, CRL says.

“One of the sad lessons of the [recent past] is that we aren’t alone,” says Nicolas P. Retsinas, director of the JCHS. “It’s clear that if the family next door loses their home to foreclosure, my home’s value will go down. Therefore, I have a vested interest in ensuring that people become homeowners and that homeownership is sustained over time.”

One effective tool against foreclosure is educating homeowners before they buy. The Joint Center found that loan delinquencies fell 13% with homeownership counseling. People who go through pre-purchase and post-purchase counseling and learn about mortgages, family budgeting, and home maintenance are less apt to face foreclosure, says Michael Berti, senior homeownership specialist at the Rural Ulster Preservation Company in Kingston, N.Y.

Support groups that help homeowners

One way to do your part to help other homeowners is by donating your time or money to some of the many non-profits that promote responsible homeownership.

Habitat for Humanity partners with new homeowners to build affordable housing. Habitat homes aren’t free. Homeowners work hundreds of hours, get homeownership counseling, and make mortgage payments.

The United Way supports many local programs that build affordable housing, help families build financial assets, and teach financial management skills. If you donate to United Way, you can direct your contribution to those causes.

HomeownershipSF, in San Francisco, tries to intervene where people facing foreclosure have the resources to catch up on their loan. If “the home can’t be saved, we try to get a first-time homebuyer we’ve worked with into the home as quickly as possible to stabilize the neighborhood,” says Interim Director Christi Baker.

Government programs support homeownership

Supporting federal state, and local programs that help create homeowners is another way you can expand responsible and affordable homeownership.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Housing Authority provide mortgage loan insurance or guarantees that let people buy homes with only a small downpayment and borrow at lower interest rates.

 Government-sponsored groups Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and government-run Ginnie Mae buy and securitize mortgage loans made by banks, freeing up money, so banks can keep lending.

Sites like Govtrack and RollCall help you stay on top of laws that affect homeowners.

HUD’s HOME program provides financial support to state and local housing authorities to build and renovate for-sale and rental housing for lower-income Americans.

In U.S. cities of all sizes, the HOPE VI program has funded plans to replace deteriorating public housing with new low-rise, mixed-income homes. These developments sell most homes at market rates, but designate a percentage for use by low-income homeowners.

How to get involved

You can support responsible homeownership in many ways. Retired construction contractors France and Bill Moriarity travel the country in their RV managing Habitat construction projects. “We like it because it’s a hand up, not a hand out,” France Moriarity says. Habitat volunteers don’t need construction skills and can sign up to work as little as one day at a time. Groups can volunteer together. Organizations like Rebuilding Together and NeighborWorks America sponsor once yearly volunteer events that help lower-income homeowners repair their homes.

In San Francisco, Gregg Lynn convinced 150 people from his professional network to donate a percentage of their income to EARN. Follow his lead by asking your professional network, trade association, or social group to contribute.

By: Dona DeZube
Published: September 08, 2009

Dona DeZube has been writing about real estate for over two decades. She lives a suburban Baltimore 1970s rancher on a 3-acre lot shared with possums, raccoons, foxes, a herd of deer, and her blue-tick hound.

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Copyright 2011.  All rights reserved.

Merry Meals Gary RailCats Fundraiser Helps the Region

Today is the day that marks the half way mark to the Merry Meals distribution of 500 meals to deserving families in Northwest Indiana for the Christmas holidays.

What started off as a personal mission for Mandy Moore from Chesterton Indiana several years ago has now swollen to a grass roots effort involving the whole community. I’m proud to say that I am on the Board of Directors and have helped the cause when we intially hand delivered the meals.

As a coordinated effort with the Gary SouthShore RailCats and their celebration of their 10th Anniversary, Merry Meals partnered to have a family fun night at the ball park tonight. Merry Meals commited to sell 500 tickets in honor of the 500 families that will receive a dinner during the Christmas holiday.

It should be noted that not all who bought a ticket will be in attendance. For instance, several businesses bought tickets to actually give back to youth organizations while others simply donated money to Merry Meals.

Come join us tonight and watch the Gary SouthShore RailCats versus the St Paul Saints. If you have children, make sure to show up early and be one of the 1st 500 in attendance so that your child can receive a Mystery Autographed Hoosier Bat. You will also want to stay for the post-game fireworks.

Even if you didn’t buy a ticket from a representative of Merry Meals, come out and support the Gary SouthShore RailCats who also have a vested interest in a better community.

Want to make a donation to Merry Meals? Contact us at merrymeals@gmail.com. Thanks for your support!

Why You Should Always Work With a REALTOR®

Not all real estate practitioners are REALTORS®. The term REALTOR® is a registered trademark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. Here are nine reasons why you should always work with a REALTOR®. 

1. You’ll have an expert to guide you through the process. Buying or selling a home usually requires disclosure forms, inspection reports, mortgage documents, insurance policies, deeds, and multi-page settlement statements. A knowledgeable expert will help you prepare the best deal, and avoid delays or costly mistakes.
2. Get objective information and opinions. REALTORS® can provide local community information on utilities, zoning, schools, and more. They’ll also be able to provide objective information about each property. A professional will be able to help you answer these two important questions: Will the property provide the environment I want for a home or investment? Second, will the property have resale value when I am ready to sell?
3. Find the best property out there. Sometimes the property you are seeking is available but not actively advertised in the market, and it will take some investigation by your REALTOR® to find all available properties.
4. Benefit from their negotiating experience. There are many negotiating factors, including but not limited to price, financing, terms, date of possession, and inclusion or exclusion of repairs, furnishings, or equipment. In addition, the purchase agreement should provide a period of time for you to complete appropriate inspections and investigations of the property before you are bound to complete the purchase. Your agent can advise you as to which investigations and inspections are recommended or required.
5. Property marketing power. Real estate doesn’t sell due to advertising alone. In fact, a large share of real estate sales comes as the result of a practitioner’s contacts through previous clients, referrals, friends, and family. When a property is marketed with the help of a REALTOR®, you do not have to allow strangers into your home. Your REALTOR® will generally prescreen and accompany qualified prospects through your property.
6. Real estate has its own language. If you don’t know a CMA from a PUD, you can understand why it’s important to work with a professional who is immersed in the industry and knows the real estate language.
7. REALTORS® have done it before. Most people buy and sell only a few homes in a lifetime, usually with quite a few years in between each purchase. And even if you’ve done it before, laws and regulations change. REALTORS®, on the other hand, handle hundreds of real estate transactions over the course of their career. Having an expert on your side is critical.
8. Buying and selling is emotional. A home often symbolizes family, rest, and security — it’s not just four walls and a roof. Because of this, home buying and selling can be an emotional undertaking. And for most people, a home is the biggest purchase they’ll ever make. Having a concerned, but objective, third party helps you stay focused on both the emotional and financial issues most important to you.
9. Ethical treatment. Every member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of REALTORS® makes a commitment to adhere to a strict Code of Ethics, which is based on professionalism and protection of the public. As a customer of a REALTOR®, you can expect honest and ethical treatment in all transaction-related matters. It is mandatory for REALTORS® to take the Code of Ethics orientation and they are also required to complete a refresher course every four years.

Are you ready to partner with a dedicated REALTOR® who can help you along the path to homeownership? Call or text 760-575-4586 to connect with me, Cathy Mattan, your Crown Point Indiana real estate expert.

 

*Reprinted from REALTOR® magazine (REALTOR.org/realtormag) with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.

East Wind Studios offering Free Tai Chi in the Park at European Market

East Wind Studios is offering Free Tai Chi in the Park at European Market in Chesterton Indiana from 8:00 a.m. – 9:00a.m. every Saturday morning, weather permitting. Elly Lesnick, Manager of East Wind Studios encourages all to come and join in on the class anytime throughout 8:00 a.m. -9:00 a.m., whether for a few minutes or the entire hour.

East Wind Studios recently opened their doors at 101 Second Street Chesterton, IN as a studio that originated in East Wind Acupuncture around the corner at 210 North Calumet Chesterton, IN. The owners, Mark and Laura Zaranski saw the need to increase the size of their studios to accommodate the growing interest in the various classes offered.

Currently East Wind Studios offers courses such as Yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates, Zumba, and Meditation with class schedules that vary throughout the week.

In addition to these courses, East Wind Studios also offers various workshops to help keep the Chesterton Indiana and Northwest Indiana educated on maintaining a healthy and balanced life.

While there is no membership or contracts required at East Wind Studios, you can pay per class for $15.00/class or purchase one of their packages which currently include 10 classes for $125.00 or 20 classes for $200.00. East Wind Studios is also running a summer special which includes unlimited classes on their schedule for $225.00.

East Wind Studios in Chesterton Indiana is giving back to the Chesterton Indiana community by not only offering the Free Tai Chi in the Park but by providing this kind of free service EVERY Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. at their location of 101 Second Street Chesterton Indiana.

They are currently offering various classes and workshops that include Chair Yoga, Men’s Urology and Vitality, Meditation, Intro to Self Defense (which is led by a retired police officer and not only teaches you some techniques to help defend yourself but also teaches you how to be more informed of your surroundings and how to react) and Pilates.

For a complete schedule of their free courses and workshops or to sign up for classes, you can visit www.ewstudios.com and click “Class Schedule” for an up-to-the-minute offering of classes or contact Elly Lesnick directly at ellyewstudios@live.com .

East Winds Studios is located on the corner of Broadway and Second Street at 101 Second Street Chesterton Indiana, with the Main Entrance on Second Street. Stop in to see the amazing studios they have set up.

East Winds Studios is helping make the Chesterton Indiana community better informed to make healthier choices. They are an example of why residents of Chesterton Indiana are proud of their community.

« Previous Page — Next Page »