< 6 Degrees

Several of her one thousand names are called for as such; Honour to She whose face is lit with a gentle smile, who is without pride, who is the bestower of happiness, who is deeply compassionate . . . In India, people worship Goddesses in hopes of attaining some of their life energies which they personify. One of these Goddesses is Lalita who has a thousand names and who is sought after because of her positive influence.

They do this "job" in the rain or snow, in extreme heat or sub temperatures because they are devoted to the task. They are also committed to others who may be joining them so they show up whether you do or not, starting out in the dark but not finishing until daylight.

MEET Norie Smith. A Construction Inspector for VDOT for 24 years. She exercises everyday

to maintain good health, for the love of it as well as the social aspect. Up at 4:30am you can find her cross training with an emphasis on swimming which is her favorite sport.

MEET Sandy Kreider. An RN at Rockingham Memorial Hospital and has been in the nursing field for 29 years. Her day begins at 4:30am because it starts her day out right. Cross training is her modus operandi with a special liking for biking and racquet ball.

How many degrees separate you from these wonderful women? Thank you girls for being so faithful and meeting us on the streets for our run/walks week after week in the dark of the morning. You make it happen.

Selling in a Soft Market

For the past few weeks, our real estate market has been as busy as the old days, at least in the lower price ranges. Now, however, the $8,000 tax credit for first time buyers is expiring and most observers believe that the market will return to its previous state of hibernation.

If market activity declines, there will be some sellers left out in the cold. The question for them becomes; if I absolutely have to sell and the market is down, what can I do to find a buyer? The answer for these "must sell" situations is very aggresive marketing. No matter how overloaded and inactive the market becomes, there will still be some homes sold and the task for a desperate seller is to position their property to be one of those sales.

The formula is simple. The property must be priced at or below comparable homes. If there is only one buyer in your neighborhood and price range, your property must be the best deal.

Jim Acker

< 6 Degrees

A 19th century tradition for these folks was to deliver eloquent Christmas poems to the townspeople. The poems were called "Carrier Addresses" and some were romantic ballads, variations of the Christmas story or poetically told stories about the townspeople and businesses of the time. These "Carrier Addresses" were written and
delivered by the newspaper carriers.


Meet Dick Johnson, our newspaper carrier for over 9 years. When asked why he does this job he responded "I wasn't happy with the way my paper was being delivered so when the route became available I took the job. Also my father had recently died from diabetes and I needed to do something about my health." How many degrees separate you from Dick?

Dick works full time at JMU as Director of Technical Services. He is happily married and the father of three children. One of the rewards of walking the streets in the wee hours of the morning is "The peace and beauty of a fresh fallen snow. It is also fun to be the first to make tracks in the snow and I was able to do a lot of that this past winter."

Not many people see you but many of us benefit from your wonderful work. These little things help to enrich our lives. Kudos to you Dick Johnson from all of us.

Our BIG Garden

We would like everyone to meet our GG, short for Garden Guard. Her only job thus
far has been to sit in her rocking chair, on her shaded front porch (out of the furious sunrays, biting bugs and dustbowl) and protect the garden from "marauders" whether they be the human or animal kind. BUT the other night while the garden crew was out (doing all the backbreaking work) they discovered that the GG had not done her job. In fact rabbits have been having a feast in our goldmine while the GG was sleeping! When called on the carpet about the lack of diligence given to her position she immediately went to work to correct the problem. See the pix below.




Without a doubt this should remedy the problem!



Perhaps rather than fire her we could train her for another position. Her first opportunity to get dirty.




We guess "dirty" isn't a word she knows.

< 6 degrees

Prior to the Middle Ages, in lieu of Jeff, these methods were used: dogsled, balloon, mule, submarine and pigeon.

Meet Jeff Huffman, continuing a long tradition of service to our community in the occupation of mail delivery. When asked what is meaningful about his vocation he states "My customers. They are the only reason I do this job." How many degrees separate you from Jeff?

Jeff is married and the father of three. When time allows he participates in Little League with his son and softball with his daughter. His hobbies are hunting and target practice.

Your community appreciates your friendly nature and diligent work. Thank you Jeff Huffman.

Our BIG Garden

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds - ohhh how exciting!


Rob and Carolyn Frank tilling the garden.

Rob and Carolyn Frank have turned to more of an organic way of eating not unlike many folks these days. Carolyn shops the farmers' markets heavily in search of local, healthier foods to prepare for her family.

The two of them also help in planting and harvesting a rather large garden in Harrisonburg. The majority of seeds are heirloom seeds. One variety of carrot known as the Tonda Di Parigi is a 19th century Parisian heirloom. Have you heard of the "Greasy Grits" bean that was a popular old Appalachian and Mountain folk heirloom that is now very rare? Then there is also the Crapaudine Beet that is said to be of the oldest varieties. Some experts feel this beet may be one of the oldest varities in existence dating back 1,000 years.

You are welcome to stop by and chat with us some beautiful evening. If you see our heads bobbing up and down and can hear our laughter being carried in the summer breeze from the hilltop of Franklin and Monticello Ave. you will know we are at home. So come on up and sit a spell.

Wake-Up First Time Homebuyers

In less than 18 days you could potentially lose $8,000 this year.

You have until April 30, 2010 to sign a contract and close on a home before July 1, 2010.

This is a tax credit, something better than a tax deduction in that it is subtracted directly from your tax liability. It is a dollar for dollar reduction in your tax liability.

Call us for further details now, you cannot afford to sit on the fence. Interest rates and prices are at historic lows and inventory is high so what are you waiting for?

If you can afford to buy and don't you may have made the biggest mistake of your life. This is a buyer's market so MOVE. Call 540-476-1214 for Sarah and 540-476-1215 for Kay.

Maiden Voyage

In an endeavor to stay current with the changing times we have decided to venture into more social media, via blogging. So today, April 11th 2010 we set out on our maiden voyage. The goal is to provide a sprinkling of information on a plethora of subjects. First and foremost, will be pertinent information on local real estate topics. From there we will discuss joys, new discoveries, as well as challenges facing many of us today.

Our attempt is to open our hearts to you in sharing information in hopes of helping the reader understand the importance of owning a home, types of financing, and building your net worth. In the other arenas we trust that you may glean information that will delight you, put a smile on your face, or just forewarn you of impending life issues. That you may learn from our mistakes and laugh along with us as we all grow to be better people would be wonderful. So let us begin.