Pictures with Santa in Gettysburg PaThis past Friday evening Gettysburg Pa got into the Christmas spirit at the The Outlet Shoppes at Gettysburg. Of course their was excitment in the air and everbody was anxious to see the big guy in the red suit. For the most part everybody was well behaved and there were only a few accidents. We did have a pooper scooper on hand to take care of such issues, oh didn't I mention that the pics with Santa were for our four legged friends.                 That's right, I volunteered for the job, helping out to keep everybody polite, (which can be a challange for some of our four legged friends). I spend a lot of time volunteering for those that can't speak for themselves. Admission was $10 a head, or tail whichever way you decide. All the proceeds went to ... 12/05/2010

The Historic Gettysburg Hotel Gingerbread House Celebration.This morning at the Historic Gettysburg Hotel was the gingerbread house celebration. The houses were constructed by area chefs artisans as well as locals from the area. The completed gingerbread houses were open for bids for locals to own to bring to their home for the holiday season. All proceeds benefited the Gettysburg Festival. The event was truly a family event with entertainment, face painting as well as a children's gingerbread house workshop. This was a wonderful event for the Gettysburg Adams County area children and families, complete with hot chocolate, candy and cookies. Gettysburg, Pa comes alive during the Christmas season. It is one of the best times of year to visit the area.        The Historic Gettysburg Hotel... 12/04/2010

Is Your Fire Insurance Up to Date?Very early this morning a four alarm fire destroyed the Civil War Chapel,and severely damaged three other buildings in downtown Gettysburg, Pa. The chapel has been in the news lately as the Gettysburg Borough ordered the Chapel closed because it was built without permits. Other buildings that were affected included the Ragged Edge Coffee House, a residence next door, and a apartments behind the Civil Chapel. This is the second time that a structure has burned at the location. In 2004 another fire closed the doors of coffee house for many months.                     Before                                      After               12/03/2010

Pre-railroad  era 1850 – 1890This website is meant to cover different structural era styles that are present in the Gettysburg Adams County Pennsylvania area. The area covers many different structural styles including the early pre-railroad era of 1850 - 1890, on through to modern contemporary styles. During the infancy of the country, the Gettysburg Adams County Pennsylvania areawas considered a wilderness. Many of the structures were hand hewn, hand manufactured materials, there were no sleek lines no smooth surfaces,materials were gotten from what was in the area,  hence the name prerailroad. Post railroad structures showed much smoother much cleaner lines as materials were shipped in from factories in the East.Within the prerailroad era were five different styles, the first being th... 12/03/2010

The Colonial Georgian style (1700 – 1780) in Gettysburg Adams County PaThere are different categories in the Georgian style, but we will be discussing the Colonial Georgian homes that are abundant in the Gettysburg Adams County Pa area. Georgian architecture is characterized by proportion and balance, heights and widths of windows were determined by simple mathematical ratios for example.There was a strict adherence to classic rules that displayed a symmetrical design to the structure. Having a symmetrical row of homes was a desired outcome in planning a Colonial Georgian style town. Some of the identifying features from the Georgian style is a panel front door, usually topped by a decorative crown and most likely decorative flattened columns on the sides. Most often there is a row of d... 12/02/2010

The Gettysburg Address is 147 Years Old Today Today marks the 147th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. Abraham Lincoln said in two minutes what Edward Everett failed to say in over 2 hours. After delievering the speech on November 19th 1863 at the dedication of the New National Cemetary Lincoln referred to the speech as a "flat failure". Take a moment to read the text and I think we can all agree, on that point Mr.Lincoln was wrong. The Gettysburg Address Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great b... 11/19/2010

Dobbin House in Gettysburg PaCivil War Hospital - Underground Railroad StopThe Dobbin House in Gettysburg Pa is probably the most historic building in the Gettysburg Borough, it is also the oldest building in the borough. Reverend Alexander Dobbin purchased the land that Dobbin House now sits in 1774 and built the building in in 1776. Besides serving as a home to the large Dobbin family, Mr. Dobbin had 10 children and 9 step children, the building was meant to serve as a Classical School. The first academy of it's kind west of the Susquehanna River.                          The Dobbin House                                 Spring House Tavern The Dobbin House is built in the Georgian style, was built with local stone, and features seven fireplaces, and hand carved woodwork that has been ... 11/17/2010

Million Dollar Luxury Real Estate in Gettysburg Pennsylvania: Gettysburg doesn't feature an abundance of luxury real estate, but high end luxury homes are available.  Unlike other areas of the country luxury real estate in Gettysburg Pennsylvania usually finds itself located on large parcels of land secluded from the hustle and bustle present in high end Maryland Luxury developments. I've generated a brief search of a few Luxury million dollar real estate located within 5 miles of Gettysburg, PA.  If you find anything of particular interest contact me or visit me at www.realty-insights.com for additional real estate information and a home search function.    JUST CLICK SEARCH BELOW! 11/17/2010

Adams County Tax Reassessment UpdateMonday the Adams County Commissioners votedin a 3-0 vote to accept and certify the values  obtained in a county wide assessment  conducted by 21st Century Appraisals. **Please note that 21st Century Appraisals is in no way a related business entity with Century 21 Real Estate. Century 21 Real Estate has been getting alot of complaints regarding this as people are assuming that they are connected to 21st Century Appraisals. Kind of lets you know where the general public feels about the whole thing.Many, many, Adams County residents are not happy with the reassessed values, and with good reason. Not only are the values of many properties way off, the entire appeals process is flawed, very flawed. The industry standard for reassessments is to be at or be... 11/16/2010

A Howling Good Time was Had by AllSaturday some of Gettysburg Adams Counties best donned their best to attend the Adams County APCA Dinner Gala & Auction. The event was a big success for those in attendance as well as the animals at the shelter. Below see a few pics of the event as it happened.    Auctioneers                                     Getting things Started    Silent Auction Items                         Dinner is served    The Food was Excellent                    "The Boomers" 11/15/2010

           Veterans Day Salute to Jennie Wade                       I had planned on going out the the National Cemetery here in Gettysburg Pa to take some pictures of the hallowed ground where many Veterans lay in rest, but something stopped me and I thought Jennie Wade deserved some recognition on this day as well. Mary Virginia Wade, better known as Jennie Wade was the only civilian killed during the battle of Gettysburg. She was born on May 21, 1843 in Gettysburg Pa, the home which she was born in still stands today on Baltimore St, and is currently the home of Reids Winery tasting room. Jennie's life was cut short while baking bread for Union soldiers. Jennie was killed at the home of her sister Georgia McClellan, the bullet passing through two solid wood doors, killing her instant... 11/11/2010

Market Stats for the Getttysburg Adams County Area Market Statistics All MLS Statistics for: Class=RF, LD, MF, CI AND Date Range=09/01/2010-11/30/2010 AND Area=01305, 01110, 01160, 01375, 01852 AND Board=RAYAC; As Of: 11/10/2010   Class Bedrooms Current Active Avg List Price Avg DOM All All 1,133 $240,575 201 RF All 774 $257,120 168 LD All 335 $201,923 279 MF All 24 $246,521 200 Class Bedrooms Total Listed Num Sold Pct Sold Avg List Price Sold Avg Sale Price Sold Sale Price/List Price Ratio Avg DOM Sold Avg List Price Unsold Pct Expired All All 398 97 24.81% $174,691 $162,212 92.86% 108 $258,265 69.60% RF All 310 86 27.74% $177,320 $167,275 94.34% 78 $250,060 64.19% LD All 81 11 13.58% $154,136 $122,627 79.56% 341 $289,962 87.65% MF All 7 0 0.00% $0 $0 0.00% 0 $199,111 100.00% 11/10/2010

The Roman Inn Pizza and Sub Shop is listed for sale at $35,000 (Business only).  The Roman Inn is known for subs so filled with meat that you can't get them closed.  You won't find a better sub in Gettysburg.  The pizza is among the best around especially if you're looking for a late night slice.  Depending on the time of year you could get a slice until 3am.  The pizza and sub shop is located one block off the Gettysburg Square and just half a block from Gettysburg College.  It's a popular lunch stop for those working downtown but really has the opportunity to thrive during Gettysburg's tourist season.  The downtown highly visible location adds to the appeal of this well known pizza shop.      View Roman Inn Pizza and Sub Shoppe in a larger map 11/05/2010

Gettysburg Pa Home Prices Spike in Last 90 Days   Home prices are always a mystery here in the Gettysburg Pa area. You just never know what district is going to take a hit, and which ones are going to get a boost. As many of you that have been following my blog know the Gettysburg Pa area has been experiencing a bottoming in median home prices. As the chart below indicates the same holds true for the Biglerville Pa and Fairfield Pa areas. This trend for all three area's has been holding in a steady decline for some time. Yet all of a sudden take a look at what the Gettysburg Pa area has experienced. A significant uptick to the tune of approximately 20k in the last 90 days.    What is the message in this information? If you are looking for a home in the Gettysburg Pa area and have been "... 11/02/2010

There are two notable locations if you're looking for waterfront property in Adams County PA, Lake Heritage in Gettysburg and Lake Meade in East Berlin. There are some other miscellaneous homes located on local streams but nothing as significant as the two private lake communities. There are currently twelve available properties. 84 Meade Dr. Gettysburg, PA 17325 4 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, 1939 Sq ft. List Price: $289,000 298 Lake Meade Dr. East Berlin, PA 17316 3 Bedrooms, 1.5 Baths, 1428 Sq ft. List Price: $189,900 564 Lake Meade Dr. East Berlin, PA 17316 3 Bedrooms, 1.5 Baths, 1764 Sq ft. List Price: $399,000 82 Lake Meade Dr. East Berlin, PA 17316 4 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, 1874 Sq ft. List Price: $399,900 342 Lake Meade Dr. East Berlin, PA 17316 4 Bedrooms, 3 Baths, 3374 Sq ft. List Price: $49... 10/29/2010

Darn Straight it Works!! SkippyToday was a good day for GettysburgGerry. Closed on another property, yeah that is cool, but what is cooler that once I am able to prove that ActiveRain is the place to hang your shingle. This closing was a direct referral from Activerain.  Put another notch in the Sentrylock card....Of course we all love closings, but referrals are the best. The silver lining to the whole thing.....wait for it, wait for it....the seller told me at the table that he is interested in doing more together in the Gettysburg Adams County area. I do believe the wife and I will be ordering some nice apps and good bottle of wine this evening.     For the life of me I still don't understand why Realtors are not diving into Activerain, there is story after story of the success that ... 10/22/2010

  Market Stats for the Gettysburg Pa Area Sometimes I just don't get the stats. It appears from hearing from my Realtor colleagues here in the Gettysburg Adams County area that things are looking up, that there is some life in the market in our local area. As you can see from the stats below, the average listing price is dropping, and the number of listings on the market are dropping as well. Well if you are a seller that's bad news, if you are buyer that is good news, we have pretty much been aware of this trend, however what does it mean for the Realtors. It could be good news that the number of listings is dropping, does that mean that inventory is being cleared out, sadly, I can't say as I believe that is the case. I think people are just not putting their homes back on the market o... 10/19/2010

Sunday night Gettysburg had the pleasure of welcoming Bill Deasy to Gary Owen Irish Pub.  You may find it strange that an establishment would feature an artist like Bill Deasy on Sunday evening but I can explain.  The owners of the Cashtown Inn, formerly of Pittsburgh, hired Bill who is also from the Pittsburgh area to play locally to celebrate their anniversary.  A gracious gift to their friends, employees and local Bill Deasy fans and also an opportunity to take a break from work to relax and enjoy Bills music.  They run a bed and breakfast and restaurant full time. www.cashtowninn.com Gary Owen is a local Irish establishment that is a great place to grab some Irish fare, a Guinness, and some Irish whiskey.  Gary Owen usually has music on Friday and Saturday.  If you're in Gettysburg... 10/19/2010

A Different Type of Colors comes to the Gettysburg BattlefieldDuring the Civil War each unit that fought on either side carried a flag announcing to the world who they were. These flags were called "the colors" and it was a great honor to be the color bearer. Men fought to be the one to carry the colors into battle. Interestingly it was almost a sure bet that whoever was carrying the colors would be one of the first to go down. Think about it, you are heading into a wall of bullets, out in front, with nothing more than a spear with a giant target on it. Talk about bravery....          Today the fall colors are starting to show up on the Gettysburg Battlefield. It is a different kind of colors than mentioned above, but these colors are sure to make one reflect on the events that took pla... 10/14/2010

Is Your Business going Down the Drain? Here in the Gettysburg Adams County area many townships are runnning new sewer lines through communities. This movement is meant to keep systems and communities growing and operating efficiently. The same thing holds true for our business prospects. We want things to keep running smoothly and flowing freely. You've heard the saying "I've got some stuff in the pipeline". Well what happens when that pipeline heads to the drain because you didn't act on the prospects. You didn't work the pipeline and everything goes down the drain. In a tough market such as this we need to keep things flowing to make it through. It is important that we keep the pipeline clear so that new prospects shoot through with the speed of a comet, and don't get stopped up and t... 10/13/2010