Lancaster County PA Realty Check: July 2007

What Should I Test My Water For?

If you're buying a home that doesn't have public water, certain types of loans (FHA, VA) may require that the well water be tested.  However, ther may be times when home buyers or home owners have concerns about their water, even if publicly provided.

What kinds of contaminants are most commonly tested for?

Coliform bacteria:  Can cause various illnesses, some potentially serious or fatal.  May come from farm fields.  Sometimes from improper treatment at water treatment plants or contamination from sewage during flood overflows.  If coliform bacteria is found, boil the water before drinking.  Take steps to correct the situation.   Ultra violet treatment at the faucet is one method of killing bacteria.

Nitrates:  Can come from runoff from fertilizer.  Can be fatal to infants at high concentrations.

Lead:  Children can develop learning disabilities, hyperactivity, impaired hearing, inhyibited growth and brain damage.  In adults can cause anemia and loss of appetite.

Dissolved minerals:  May lend unpleasant taste.  Can corrode pipes and shower heads, leave a ring on tubs and commodes,  Water softeners may be recommended.

pH (Power of Hydrion):  Water may be too caustic or too acidic.  Too caustic is corrosive.  Too acidic may leave a bitter taste or cause scale.

Iron:  can discolor laundry, and affect the taste of water, coffee, tea, and other beverages.

If you would like no-obligation information on how an Accredited Buyers Agent can help you save money and reduce your risk, call (717) 951-5552 or email brian@findlancasterhomes.com .

When you walk into this townhouse, the first thing you'll notice is the extensive hardwood floors.  They'll take a beautiful finish and reward your efforts with an exceptional home at a very affordable price!

The present owner started work on the home but was unable to complete it.  It's a solid house with great character.  There are three bedrooms and 1.5 baths.  This property will soon be available for purchase.  For more information, call Brian Schulman at (717) 951-5552.

Copyright2007BrianSchulman©

Back in May I posted a blog about an historic log house in Lancaster that was about to be restored by my client.  I'm pleased to be able to report to you that the work is proceeding well, and that it won't be too long before the home will be available for purchase!

The house has a large addition in the rear with three bedrooms and a modern kitchen,  The logs have been restained, water sealed and freshly mortared.

There is a private fenced yard in the rear.  For updated imformation about the status and availability of this historic home, please feel free to call me at (717) 951-5552.

The Lancaster Barnstormers have a new manager, Frank Klebe, but last night was not yet to be the night that would turn the tide for the Barnstormers.

The game was against the Bridgeport, Connecticut Bluefish.  The weather was cloudy, but a predicted shower never materialized.

A good crowd showed up for the game.  While attendance had been down a bit from last year's championship season, the fans were back in force for this game.

The Barnstormers were down 2-0 going into the ninth inning.  The Bluefish, who had made their sixth trip to the Atlantic League playoffs last year, suddenly came alive.  The game and inning ended 11-0 for the Bluefish.

On July 21, Caring Singles held a corn roast at one of our member's homes.

Caring Singles is a non-religious, non-profit, non-discriminatory organization.  Its purpose is to provide support for single, separated, divorced or widowed persons.  In addition, Caring Singles hosts get-togethers such as dine-outs and hikes.

The corn was roasted over an open fire.  Everyone brought a covered dish to share with the other members.

Red Rose Singles is a non-religious, non-profit, non-discriminatory organization.  Its purpose is to provide support for single, separated, divorced or widowed persons.  In addition, Red Rose Singles hosts get-togethers such as dine-outs and hikes.

Red Rose Singles meets the first Tuesday of each month at the Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Rd, Lancaster, PA.  Registration starts at 7:00 PM, and the meeting starts at 7:30 PM.  There is no charge for first-time guests.  The meetings alternate between group discussions, and speakers or entertainment.  Refreshments are served afterward.

©BrianSchulman2008

Asbestos is a naturally occurring material which was widely used because of its ability to withstand high heat without breaking down or burning.  Unfortunately, it was eventually discovered that it breaks down into small fibers which can become lodged in the lungs, destroying tissue and causing serious health problems, including mesothelioma, a chest and abdominal cancer, and asbestosis, a condition which makes it progressively more difficult to breathe.

In 1971 asbestos was officially listed by the EPA as a hazardous air pollutant, but it is still possible to find it in homes today.  Asbestos is considered dangerous if it is "friable", that is, if it is breaking down or falling apart.  If asbestos is found in this condition, care should be taken not to disturb it.  Only a licensed contractor trained in proper disposal practices should handle friable asbestos.

If a whitish material is found in basements around heating pipes, it may very well be asbestos.  Asbestos was pre-formed in half rounds, and then wet-gauzed around pipes.  This was commonly done between the 1920s and 1972.

In the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, furnaces were insulated with asbestos.  If you see a white, powdery, chalky residue, DO NOT disturb it!  Call for a professional test, and have it professionally removed if necessary.

Asbestos can also be found in insulation installed from about 1930 through 1950.  Asbestos shingles were also used through the 1960s.  They are quite hard, and unless broken, are stable.  Care should be taken not to break them when removing them, as they are brittle and could release fibers.

If you would like no-obligation information on how an Accredited Buyers Agent can help you save money and reduce your risk, call (717) 951-5552 or email brian@findlancasterhomes.com .

Sunnyside is the largest tract of undeveloped land in the city of Lancaster.  Plans have been discussed since 1999 to develop three hundred townhouses, single family homes and apartments on the peninsula of the Conestoga River.

That proposal was temporarily dropped when the county proposed moving county offices to Sunnyside, where they would have much needed space for expansion.  The county also considered building a Youth Intervention Center on the property in 2005.  Last year they endorsed a plan to have Community Basics develop Sunnyside.

The plan stalled because of complications in deeding the property to Community Basics.  The county considered declaring the tract a blighted property and condemning it so they could then transfer it.  The only problem:  the property isn't blighted.

Now the county has decided to deed Sunnyside directly to Lancaster City, which avoids the necessity of condemning the property.  The city isn't thrilled.  There's an abandoned quarry which could be a big liability.  Filling the quarry with water was considered, to make it into a man-made lake - but it would be too deep.  The quarry could be partially backfilled to make it shallower before filling it with water, but that would be a large and expensive project. 

The county has agreed to keep twenty acres surrounding the former Brenner Quarry.  Still, Mayor Rick Gray is cool to the idea of the city inheriting the property - and the liability - without any funds to help it develop the planned housing project.

Saturday, July 21 will be a special day at the Rock Ford Plantation! 

Members of Historic Lancaster Walking Tours, in eighteenth century costumes,  will portray citizens of Lancaster during the revolutionary war.  Lancaster was a thriving city even before the revolution.

"Hidden Treasures of Historic Lancaster" will be the theme of the one day program.  Participants will be given driving directions and maps to eight historic locations.  The clues given will lead to the identification of a famous spy!

Ice cream and refreshments will be served.  This year marks the fiftieth year since the Junior League of Lancaster saved Rock Ford, an elegant 1792 example of Georgian architecture, from demolition. 

Lancaster County's Central Park is one of the most beautiful parks in the county.  Located on the Conestoga River one mile south of Lancaster, the park can be reached from Chesapeake Street.

The park is also home to historic Rock Ford Plantation built in 1792.

The Garden of the Five Senses has many plantings, trees, and a waterfall.

The office of the Central Park is itself an historic farmhouse.

Rock Ford Plantation, Lancaster PA

The beautiful and historic Rock Ford Plantation is located a mile south of Lancaster on a scenic estate of 177 acres, part of which has now been made into Lancaster's Central Park.

The plantation, one of the most important examples of eighteenth century Georgian architecture in the country, Was built by General Edward Hand, who resigned from the British army 1n 1774 to practice medicine in Lancaster, and joined the Continental army in 1775.

The barn can be reserved for weddings on the plantation!

Can you see the dove perched on the front of the roof of the outbuilding below?

General Hand acquired 160 acres in 1785, and another 17 acres in 1792, when he started building the mansion.  Close by the Conestoga River, Rock Ford is said to have gotten its name from crossing (fording) the river at a rocky narrow point.