"Singing in the Rain!"

Wellington Florida Village Park Recreation Center- The Place Where Residents Get Together!

Where do we all get together for sports, games, concerts in the park and holiday activities? The Wellington Florida Village Park Recreation Center located at 3111 Fortune Way in Wellington Florida of course! If you have newly relocated to Wellington Florida you do not want to miss the activities at our new Village Park Recreation Center.

We have two great places actually. The Village Park is a multi sport complex. The Wellington Community Center is located on Forest Hill Blvd. and this is where the tennis courts and community pool are. We will post about the community center later and then come back to this post and post a link here to it.

The Wellington Florida Village Park Recreation center has 4 regulation soccer fields and 2 football fields complete with lighting and bleachers. It is rounded out with a concession stand.

Then there are 3 multi purpose fields and 2 inline hockey rinks. For baseball fans there is one Major league baseball field, 2 softball fields and 1 Little League field.

These fields are used for fun holiday events such as our yearly 4th of July Celebration complete with bands playing music, fun games for the kids and a grand display of fireworks. We go to the fireworks celebration each year. We grab our lawn chairs and our umbrellas because the last 2 years it rained until right before the fireworks started. I like to people watch so I just sit and enjoy all the goings on around me.

Here is a link to a post I wrote about the Wellington Florida Independence Day celebration in 2007.

The Wellington Recreation center has a huge indoor building that is home to some awesome regulations basketball courts and break out rooms for different classes.

During the summer the Village of Wellington hosts FREE concerts in the park at the Village Park Center.

During the school year our Wellington PEC homeschool group meets in the Pavilion once a month for our parent meeting. If you are looking for a support group for your homeschool you are invited to come to our first meeting of the new school year on Thursday August 12th at 1:00p.m. Our meetings are held the second Thursday of each month. Kids are welcome.

There are a some very nice Pavilions where you can have picnics and cookouts. You can reserve these pavilions for your special occcasions by calling 561-793-0546. There is a large playground area for the kids to play. It is a sandy playground so make sure you are prepared for sand.

Enjoy the fireworks display all year round below and the music!

 

Contact Nestor Gasset and Katerina Gasset, CIPS, Realtors®, International Properties and Investments, Inc. Licensed Realtors® in Florida at 561-753-0135 to list your property for sale or to purchase a property in Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Loxahatchee, Lake Worth, Hypoluxo Island, Lantana, West Palm Beach and the rest of Palm Beach County Florida and Port St Lucie Florida. We are accepting referrals.

Call us today at 561.753.0135 or Toll Free 800.444.3316. Contact us by email if you prefer by clicking on email me on the right side of this page under our profile.

To view all the Wellington Florida Luxury Homes For Sale Click here and then click on Search For Homes We know Palm Beach County and St Lucie Country; we will help you get your home Sold if you need to Sell your home and help you buy your Wellington Home or Land ; call us today.

Disclaimer:The information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice. Wellington Homes Blog does not guarantee or is any way responsible for its accuracy, and provides said information without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Entries on Wellington Homes Blog represent the opinions and ideas of the author(s). Wellington Homes Blog does not express the views of International Properties and Investments, Inc or those of the broker.

P.S. If you are listing your home as a short sale in Palm Beach County Florida and Port St Lucie Florida make sure you hire an agent who knows how to do short sales and has the experience to get the job done. We are doing successful short sale packages. Call us at 561-753-0135 to find out more about Palm Beach County Short Sales and Port St Lucie Short Sales.

Copyright © 2008 By Katerina Gasset, All Rights Reserved.* Wellington Florida Village Park Recreation Center- The Place Where Residents Get Together. *

 

******************** NEW LISTING ********************

Call Kim White for more information

661-312-0091

 

If you are interested in this home or know someone who is, please give me a call. Contact our office about this property as well as my other inventory of REO homes currently available for sale. 661-775-0757 for a list to be faxed to you. -Kim White

A new group was recently formed to serve as a clearinghouse to archive all of the articles published by ActiveRain Staff regarding the New Localism. Here is a link to that group:

The New Localism

In addition, here is a running list of all the articles relevant to the New Localism as well:

ActiveRain Unveils the New Localism

Localism: From Beta and Beyond

10 Steps to Success with Localism

Localism Q&A: Official Answers

Removing Skyscraper Ads on Localism

What if someone else sponsors your community on Localism?

9 Things about Localism

Errors on Localism: Let's get them Fixed!

Localism Sponsorship Land Rush Schedule

Going Loco over Localism

What constitutes 'Approved' content on Localism?

Localism FEATURED and Market Report FEATURED

The New Localism: Strategies for Sponsorship

What is Localism?

The Sneak Peek: The New New Localism

Changes to Localism Approved Content

You've Just Sponsored a Localism Community. Now What?

Making the Most of Your Sponsored Localism Communities, Part One

Making the Most of Your Sponsored Localism Communities, Part Deux

Making the Most of Your Sponsored Localism Communities, Part Tres

Making the Most of Your Sponsored Localism Communities, Part IV

Making the Most of Your Sponsored Localism Communities, Part V

Missing in Action: Not Chuck Norris, but Your Localism Posts!

What is Suitable Content for Localism?

Let me begin by saying that this is undoubtedly the LONGEST blog post I have ever written! I apologize in advance, But the subject matter is crucial to gain a better understanding of where we're going...

~    o    ~    o     ~    o    ~    o    ~    o    ~    o    ~

It's been interesting, to say the least, to observe the response and resultant discussions across the Network regarding the recent private BETA launch of the new Localism.

Member comments have covered the full spectrum from thrilled elation to threats of mutiny. We're either the best thing since sliced bread or the Anti-Christ. In a social network of our size, it's rare that you please everyone, most of the time, regardless of how hard you may try.

First, let me just state for the record that the powers that be at ActiveRain have always been open and responsive to the opinions, input, and feedback of their members. They have never turned away a deaf or uncaring ear, but have consistently remained sensitive to the needs of their valued members. That's been one of the primary hallmarks of this platform, and a main reason for its success.

Additionally, they have always been extremely transparent and forthright about their plans and intentions. They have worked very hard to earn/merit the trust and respect of this community.

If, for whatever reason, your voice/opinion has gone unnoticed or without meaningful response, please do not take that as any indication that your thoughts are not valid or appreciated. We genuinely attempt to answer any and all questions. We have repeatedly posted numerous 'featured' articles in response to your questions and concerns, and have been busily responding to literally hundreds of member posts by interjecting informative comments. In spite of all our efforts, we've still missed many of your concerned thoughts, either in posts or comments. We apologize if it appears we're inattentive or uncaring. Nothing could be further from the truth.

~    o    ~    o     ~    o    ~    o    ~    o    ~    o    ~

Since its inception, the phenomenal success of ActiveRain has been the direct result of a mutually beneficial cooperative collaboration. The visionaries/designers of the platform created/streamlined the vehicle, and our members provided the fuel (content). Together, we've achieved some truly amazing results - results that have been beneficial to all of us.

However, there are some clearly pronounced concerns over the direction we've taken with the new Localism. We have some truly passionate local content contributors who have invested a significant amount of time and energy. They have valid concerns and deserve reasonable, intelligent answers.

It is my intention here to help explain and clarify a few things, and to simply offer my $.02 worth as to why I feel contributing to Localism makes for a wise investment of your hard work/effort.

~    o    ~    o     ~    o    ~    o    ~    o    ~    o    ~

The guiding vision of Localism was to create a viable on-line environment where real estate professionals and consumers could have a meaningful dialog, and talk with each other.

In order to understand the value proposition of the New Localism, we need to revisit what was offered in the previous version.

When the Old Localism was first introduced, we all jumped on the Local Content bandwagon. I think my first Localism article was about crabbing (Gee, fancy that!). We all busily populated our local City, County, and State pages with various articles, market reports, listings, etc. Our posts were proudly displayed in the relevant geographical location for all to see. And, if we amassed enough points, our profile pic showed up as the "Featured" member. Life was good!

• Never-mind that Localism was never released from its BETA form.
  
• Never mind that few consumers ever found their way there.
  
• Never mind that, due to various reasons, Localism was put on a back burner, and lie dormant for months on end, without any content updates.

Nonetheless, because we were publishing our wonderfully relevant local content through our AR blogs, the search engines were happy, and consumers were finding us!

And now we come to the New Localism. It's not like the old platform. It's different. There's been some changes made. And Lord knows, many of us are resistant to change. Which is rather interesting, considering the fact that we pride ourselves as an industry for embracing change!

The basic premise isn't any different - "contribute good, relevant local content to engage and attract consumers to your blog."

"Content will always be King here on ActiveRain."

Those who achieve the greatest success with Localism will be those who consistently write/publish helpful, practical, informative articles for consumers, period. There are no shortcuts to that process. True success at blogging takes time, effort, and commitment.

THEN & NOW

In the past, when you would categorize and publish your articles to the old Localism, your listings would show up under 'Listings,' your market reports displayed promptly under 'Market Reports,' and depending on geographic location/topic, your posts would show up under the respective City, County, or State locations. When the site was being updated, the articles would be pushed/shifted down the page by subsequent articles, and become part of the indexed archives. Each article would also become part of the respective blog author's archives.

In the New Economy, all articles, with the exception of listings and market reports, show up on Localism within 10 to 15 minutes. They remain on the respective page until the Localism editors review it. If the article is approved, it will remain on that page. The length of time that a particular article remains in view will depend on how many other subsequent articles are approved, and push/shift your article down in descending order. Any articles not approved simply become part of the author's post archive on Localism. In the near future, there will be a link button for listings and market reports that will redirect you to a separate page for that respective geographic location.

That being the case, what we need to ask ourselves is this:

"What's more important - that YOU see your articles showing up on Localism, or that consumers find YOU through your articles?"

The window of opportunity/time for people to actually 'see' a given article is limited. The realities are that, initially, most consumers are going to be searching the Internet using key search terms, and will find your articles/profiles through their searches, not by necessarily accessing/viewing the Localism pages. As Localism gains traction through our aggressive promotion, and becomes a viable consumer destination, we will be incorporating numerous RSS feed options that allows people to subscribe to specific content segments.

On the Old Localism, depending solely on your AR point score, you had the possibility of having your profile pictures displayed on your respective city, County, and State pages as 'Featured' agent/member.

On the New Localism, we have 'Top Neighbors.'  Since Localism will eventually be partially populated by people who are NOT ActiveRain members (local residents, merchants, etc.), a more equitable method for determining 'Top Neighbors' was needed in order to be fair to all participants. Scoring for 'Top Neighbors' will be primarily derived from the amount of content you contribute to a particular region/community. Additional points will be awarded for 'approved' posts, pictures, and videos. Like ActiveRain, we will also award points for comments made on Localism posts.

Let's take a few minutes and talk about the 'sponsorship' of communities and neighborhoods. Many people are looking at this 'option' with an attitude of the glass is half empty. Their contention is that anyone can come in and sponsor a neighborhood/community. Without posting a single article to Localism, they can drop down some cash once a month, and pay for space on the neighborhood/community page, similar to a Google AdSense or Sponsored Links campaign.

Will some ActiveRain members adopt this mindset for sponsorship? No doubt. Some people are always looking to gain additional exposure. Will it be effective without any meaningful content to back it up? That's hard to say. When you search for something on the Internet, how often do you click on the Sponsored Links? Or do you normally access the Organic search results instead? Sponsorships should be like 'MSG.' They are designed to bring out the flavor of all your Localism ingredients!

But this 'purchase-only' mindset is simply one strategy. There are many other positive 'glass-is-half-full' strategies that can be employed by members who have consistently invested and contributed solid local content.

Imagine if you've been farming a particular residential development. You may even live there, and be active in the Homeowners Association. What better way to solidify your position and enhance your sphere than to sponsor that specific development on Localism. Send out a mailer and solicit involvement on the development page for all the residents. Have it become the local community bulletin board to share upcoming events, advertise garage sales, school events, whatever. And guess what? There you are right in the middle of it all!..

Maybe you're representing a builder for new construction, a downtown condo project, or an older upscale resurgent neighborhood. Perhaps even a commercial development could be created?...the possibilities are numerous!

Sponsorship is only an 'option.' You don't have to 'pay-to-play.' Many members will most likely continue to publish good relevant content to Localism, as they have been, and enjoy excellent returns on their contributions without sponsorship. According to Jonathan Washburn, Co-Founder of ActiveRain, sponsored areas will only comprise less than 5% of the overall content of Localism.

In the end, regardless of how much information we share, or how many times we attempt to explain our vision/direction, there will continue to be those who are suspicious and/or critical. That's okay. We welcome your concerns and continue to solicit your input in the process. Hopefully, over time, your outlook/opinions will transition to one of cautious optimism, and eventually, heartfelt support.

The long-term vision of Localism is huge, and we are only seeing a small portion of that vision right now. There is a tremendous future and potential for this community of ours, to make a positive impact in our industry, and in the communities we serve, as we all continue to work together!

If you're considering a relocation to Florence, SC, contacting our local Chamber of Commerce is a good place to begin.  They'll be happy to provide you with information on the many aspects of our great city -- from the arts to restaurants.  Tom Marschel is the president of our local Chamber and Susan Farver is the CFO.  You can contact them via . . .

Telephone - 843-665-0515

Fax -843-662-2010

Website - www.florencescchamber.com

Planning on a trip to Florence?  Drop by the Chamber at 610 West Palmetto Street.  The staff would love to meet you and they'll help you any way they can.

If you would like a Relocation Packet, we also invite you to contact us, The Home Team Pros, and we'll be glad to send you one.  Just give me a call or email me your request and we'll get it to you as soon as possible.

We've all the seen the added promotional mileage that auto manufacturer's have received from having their latest model receive the prestigious J.D. Power & Associates Award...

Well, the global marketing information firm based in Westlake Village CA, and a business component of the McGraw-Hill Companies, has been taking on the unbiased task of surveying consumers of real estate services, both buyers and sellers, and awarding the top national real estate organizations accordingly.

In their recent 2008 survey among Home Buyers, Keller Williams garnered top spot for customer satisfaction, while Prudential ranked the highest among Home Sellers.

Overall Customer satisfaction was determined/evaluated by examining the following factors:

For Home Buyers:

• The Real Estate Agent (65%)
  
• The Local Brokerage Office (21%)
  
• The Level of Services provided (13%)

For Home Sellers:

• The Real Estate Agent (43%)
• Marketing (38%)
• The Local Brokerage Office (12%)
• The Level of Services provided (7%)

Just to highlight a couple of their findings worth mentioning:

• When buying a home, customers particularly appreciated the level of agent professionalism; their responsiveness to calls and e-mails (gee, fancy that); and the agent’s skill in locating and showing properties in the appropriate price range

• Nearly one-half of respondents (46%) report using recommendations from family or friends to find their real estate agent. Approximately 28 percent used the Internet, while 23 percent used an agent they had used previously and 11 percent used a printed real estate guide.

Jim Howland, senior director of the real estate and construction practice at J.D. Power and Associates, made the following observation:

“Although the Internet provides home buyers and sellers with the ability to perform some essential tasks—such as listing a home for sale or researching a neighborhood in which to purchase a home—it still does not replace the importance of a good real estate agent. Particularly in an uncertain real estate market, professional advice from agents can be especially valuable to buyers and sellers. The knowledge and expertise provided by experienced agents is an important benefit of using a full-service real estate company.”

One interesting statistic from this survey: Even though more and more consumers are using online tools and technology to assist them in the home buying and selling process, the agent factor carries the greatest importance among the factors that comprise overall satisfaction among both home buyers and sellers.

It's not sure at this point whether or not the smaller regional real estate companies will be surveyed and ranked. For now, it only entails the larger national/international corporations.

So here's a question: Does the fact that a particular automobile has achieved/earned the J.D. Power & Associates Award influence your decision to purchase that particular vehicle? Do you think a similar rating for real estate companies will influence consumers to use a particular company/agent?

For more information, checkout the official J.D. Power press release

(From what I've been able to determine, J.D. Powers & Associates has been surveying the 1st Time Home Buying & Selling clients of national agencies, and providing customer service ratings since 2001. I attempted to contact J.D. Powers corporate to obtain clarification, but I was very curtly directed to their corporate website as the sole source for information.)

Everyone wants to know what they need to do to get their home sold in Ann Arbor in a buyers market. Homes that are selling have done the 10 steps listed below. You have a part and the Realtor has a part. Together you can make it happen.

10 Easy Steps to Sell Your Home in Ann Arbor

1) Hire a technology Realtor

2) Curb Appeal

Make sure the first impression is a good one. Paint the front door, trim the hedges, plant some flowers. Simple really.

3) Hire the Realtor that tells you the truth

4) Price it right from the beginning.

Don't reduce the price and chase the market down. Homes in Ann Arbor need to be priced in the top 5 best homes to look at for buyers. Price it right in the beginning.

5) Make sure your Realtor has a huge internet presence. 

6) Have your home professionally staged.

7) Use a Realtor that gets the most exposure for your home.

8) Use multiple photos and a virtual tour on every home, buyers want to see multiple photos. I can't tell you the number of times I get called from my search site, which is a direct feed from the MLS, with a buyer requesting more photos. Not my listing but they find it on line and want to see more. In this case there is never too many good photos.

9) Make sure your Realtor uses a home search site to bring more buyers exposure to the market.

10) De-clutter.

Throw away, pack it up, move it out. If your not using it then get rid of it. Take it to Salvation Army or Purple Heart.

***Notice any pattern in this ? Thought so...***

 

The Charlotte NC economic report (July, 2008) reflects that job growth and economic expansion continue to sustain Charlotte's real estate market.  With the news of Bank of America's (headquartered in Charlotte) recent decision to purchase Countrywide (it is what it is!), Charlotte is soon to become America's leading financial center.  Bank of America is but one of over 300 Fortune 500 companies represented in Charlotte, NC.

In a recent FORBES article, Charlotte was tagged as one of the top five cities with undervalued market prices in the U.S.  The National Association of Home Builders reflects that Charlotte does not have the inventory surplus that is crippling some cities nor, do we have the fast rate of new construction starts, keeping us more in-line with supply and demand.

Homes sold in the past month in Areas 3,4,5,6,7 and Uptown (area 99) 

Average gas price this week in Charlotte:  $3.95/gallon

Other accolades that our Queen City has received:

#1 Best Place to Live:  Relocate-America.com, May 2008.  Voting was based on community consistency and number of nominations received.

#1 America's Most Livable Communities:   Partners for Livable Communities. The communities honored are evaluated on their strategies, visions, and actions towards preparing for new economy as well for creativity of leadership and collaborative efforts across 10 areas: New economy, tourism, human development, housing, neighborhoods, city center, leadership, finance, regionalism and environment.

Charlotte has major interest in the arts and sports, including many museums, professional football (Carolina Panthers), basketball (Charlotte Bobcats), semi-pro Charlotte Knights (baseball) and Charlotte Checkers (hockey).  Charlotte is also home to many NASCAR teams and houses the new NASCAR Hall of Fame Museum.  Come visit Charlotte and you'll fall in love with this fabulous city! 

About the author:

Debe Maxwell is a Charlotte Residential Real Estate Broker, Certified Neighborhood and Relocation Specialist who can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of real estate in Charlotte NC or any place in the country by connecting you with a relocation professional in your destination of choice. Debe has created a team of professionals throughout the country to ensure that you enjoy a smooth transition to your new area. These professionals are experts in the field of relocation and can serve many purposes beyond a simple home search. The destination service is of no cost to you! Please visit www.TheMaxwellHouseGroup.com  for your relocation and/or your local needs.

Debe Maxwell- HELEN ADAMS REALTY - 704.491.3310 - Debe@DebeMaxwell.com

Copyright © 2008 By Debe Maxwell, All Rights Reserved...*Charlotte NC Economic Report (July, 2008)*

 

 

  Chevalier Restaurant Lafayette Bienvenue

Upon hearing that there was a new French restaurant in Lafayette, Chevalier Restaurant, my wife and I knew we had to try it.  Lafayette has become known for a Mecca of fine restaurants.  A few years ago, the Lafayette California Chamber of Commerce started their "Restaurant Row" campaign to bring High quality restaurants into town.  This campaign was highly success.

Our reservation at Chevalier was a Saturday evening, 7:00 pm.  Saturday day was hot but Saturday evening was just perfect: no wind, quite, short sleeve weather.  We chose to sit outside on their patio with many other guests.  As we sat down, I notice the table was set on top of a white table cloth with soft French music floating in the wind. 

Of course, we started the evening with wine off of Chevalier's well balanced wine list.  We chose a De Loach's 2006 California Zinfandel.  Their wine list was extensive with French wines but my wife loves her Zinfandels.  The De Loach Zin had a berry nose and a spicy finish.

It took us a little while to order dinner. There were just so many inviting dishes on their Dinner Menu to choose from.  Eventually, my wife decide to start with a Butter Lettuce Heart salad, fresh herbs and a Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette.  For her main course, she ordered the 12 oz Meyer's Ranch Rib Eye Steak.  One thing I really love about eating out with my wife is I get to taste her meal.  My quick impression was the salad was fresh and crisp, tart, well spiced and very good.  The Rib Eye was very tasty, melting in my mouth. The accompanying béarnaise sauce was a great accompaniment to the steak.

To start, I ordered the French Onion soup.  French Onion soup is a favorite of mine that I rarely pass up.  The soup was dark and rich in flavor.  It disappeared before my eyes.  For my main entrée, I ordered the Colorado Lamb roast.  I love lamb and I was not disappointed.  And the Zin went very well with both our dinners.

I couldn't believe that my wife asked for the Dessert Menu.  I had no room left for dessert.  But she had seen several other tables order the Soufflé Grand Marnier.  Yes she was determined to order it.  But the best laid plans do not always go the way we intended.  The restaurant had been so busy that the chef would have had to start fresh to make us their Souffle which would have taken 45 minutes.  So we choose the "Surprise du Chef":  a warm petite brouche filled with rich ice cream severed with seasonal berries and topped with a raspberry coulis.  We were very plesantly supprised. 

Over all, I would recommend this restaurant to all my friends.  I will definitely return and give you an update on that dinner as well.  Yes, try Chevalier Restaurant. 

Chevalier Restaurant
960 Moraga Road
Lafayette CA 94549
1.925.385.0793
Philippe Chevalier 

Chef/Owner Philippe Chevalier brings his Provence inspired French restaurant, Chevalier, to Lafayette.  Chevalier presents an inviting place to have a delicious meal with friends, family or that special someone.  Chevalier is located downtown Lafayette at 960 Moraga Road.  There is plenty of parking in the evening.

You can find AJ Nisen on Active Rain at Contra Costa California Mortgages.  Call AJ to talk about your Mortgage, Mortgage Rates, Free Credit Report or visit AJ's website to use his mortgage calculator. 

Alan 'AJ' Nisen
Mortgage Loan Officer
AJ's Email
AJ's Mortgage Website 
AJ's ActiveRain Blog 

Today my son and I decided to spend some time together. We like all types of food so we decided to go to Aroi, a Thai Restaurant in Rhinebeck. This restaurant is one of the newest in the area and is rather popular, so on a couple of occasions I tried to get in but it was full. It is not a large restaurant - there is seating for about 49 people inside. The menu offers something for everyone . I especially liked the curries and the use of ginger and coconut milk. There are lunch specials served with soup for about the same price as some sandwiches elsewhere. Today my son and I both had curries. I had the red and he had the green. However, we did agree on the soup, Vegetable Tom Yum Soup. So, if you are in the Rhinebeck area and you love Thai food or you are just curious as to what it is all about drop in. They would love to see you.

The restaurant is not open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for lunch. Thursday to Monday lunch is available from 11:30- 3PM and dinner Sunday - Saturday 5PM to 9Pm. Here is an example of what's on the menu

Located at:

55 E. Market Street, Rhinebeck, NY 12572

Telephone:

845-876-1114

Jennifer Fivelsdal - JFIVE HOMES REALTY LLC - 845-758-6842- jennifer@jfivehomes.com www.jfivehomes.com or www.midhudsonhomevalue.com Flickr | Facebook | Linked-in |Twitter |subscribe to Blog Copyright © by Jennifer Fivelsdal, all rights reserved