The Hideout, in Lake Ariel, is a popular gated community in northeast Pennsylvania.

Situated on over 4.5 square miles, The Hideout has something for everyone!

The Hideout is a 2,700 acre community with six lakes and ponds. The largest lake in The Hideout is Lake Roamingwood, which is 225 acres and allows up to 90 hp motorboats. 250 acres of land in The Hideout has been set aside as a natural preserve.

The 2800 homes are attractive and usually very well maintained. A variety of styles, sizes, and exterior choices give a feeling of individuality, rather than "cookie cutter" houses lined up in neat little rows.

Its convenient central location is another "plus" for living in The Hideout. Roughly ten minutes or less from Hamlin , residents can choose from two grocery stores, visit a public library, a pharmacy, convenience stores, service stations, diners, and other local businesses. The Comfort Inn is only a short distance away, making it easy for out of town guests to visit.

Honesdale, fifteen minutes away, offers a large variety of shopping opportunities, including Kmart, Walmart, Home Depot, movies, another public library, more restaurants, a full service hospital and other medical facilities.

Also nearby is Hawley (and Lake Wallenpaupack), with more places to shop and dine, antique shops, library, etc. The main gate of The Hideout is approximately ten minutes from I-84. Nearby Scranton offers even more shopping, medical, dining, and entertainment. (Personally, I love going to the Cinemark!)

Activities, clubs, and recreation opportunities abound in The Hideout:

Drinking water in The Hideout is obtained from five different wells located within the community. More information about the water quality can be found here.

In addition to the yearly association dues (of approximately $1,200) and sewar and water charges, there are amenity fees to take into consideration when considering what it will cost to live in The Hideout. The various amenity fees are outlined here. (pdf file, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.) Fees and dues are subject to change and should be used as a guideline only.

Housing is affordable in The Hideout; there are many options available ranging from modest chalets and ranch homes to more upscale retreats. There truly is something for everyone!

View Homes For Sale in The Hideout HERE

NEW! If you would like a printable "Hideout Handout" that outlines all the main features, amenities, current dues, and water fees, just email me and ask for one! Use the link under my picture on the right, and put "Hideout Handout" in the subject line. If you would like to see what's currently on the market in The Hideout, I'll be happy to send you a list. I will never send you stuff you didn't ask for! I hate spam just like you!

Helpful Links:

The Hideout Homeowner Association Website

Western Wayne School District

Google Map - Even though The Hideout is technically served by the Lake Ariel post office, many travelers locate it easier via Hamlin, PA. The Hideout is just a bit east of Hamlin off Route 590 - you can see the network of roads situated between "Avoy" and "Little Chapel."

Contact me about wayne county real estate & homes for sale in The Hideout in Lake Ariel PA.

 

 

The Hideout Lake Ariel PA Pocono Gated Communities, ©Copyright 2009 by Karen E. Rice. All rights reserved.

My kids were pretty revved up about Earth day here in the Pocono Mountains, (but they don't think about septic systems).

My youngest had a ball when her first grade class went out to the surrounding woods to pick up litter. She wanted us all to go around our neighborhood near Lake Wallenpaupack and pick up more litter - I promised her that we would set aside an afternoon to do just that. I have always loved the beautiful earth God created for us.

I remember seeing the famous "Crying Indian" pollution commercial starring Iron Eyes Cody, when I was just a little kid. While the actuality of Cody's Native American heritage seems to be a matter of debate, the power of this iconic commercial can not be denied.

Several years back, I saw the commercial replayed on Nick At Nite and was mesmerized into silence again, like I was the first time I saw it in the 70s. Thanks to the Internet, I can still see this historic clip whenever I want. It pains me to see litter strewn about Pike and Wayne County and I have been known to amble around Bingham Park in Hawley or the shore along Lake Wallenpaupack, picking up the trash laying around.

I was searching for something (totally unrelated to this blog, and meant for a future blog) tonight and somehow found The Simply Green blog by Danny Seo, which promotes, naturally, reusing, recycling, and just plain "being green." I was scrolling through the articles, enjoying many of them and admittedly, snorting at some. I am a conservationist to a degree but...well...I'm not perfect, and I just can't get into a pillow that looks like a thatched roof...OUCH! I was particularly interested in Lazy Laundry, part of Danny's series "Combat Global Warming Week". When it comes to laundry, I am definitely lazy, so this blog was for me.

Natch...this blog was NOT for me. I am one of the many homeowners in northeast Pennsylvania that has a home septic system for our waste management. While Danny's suggestion of doing several loads of laundry at one time, in order to dry all the loads one after the other, makes sense when it comes to conserving electricity, it does NOT make sense for your septic system.

Septic experts teach that one of the main reasons for failed septic systems is the washing machine! One problem is the lint released into the system by the washing machine, which makes its way into the drainfield and clogs the pores, preventing proper drainage. The other issue is an overload of water being flushed into the system in a short period of time. It is better for your system to spread your loads out throughout the week, limiting your laundry to one or two loads per day, rather than several loads in one day.

Danny's suggestion is great if you happen to live in town or in a homeowner community with central sewar systems - but if you have a home septic system, steer clear.

 

Here are some links for information on home septic systems and their care.

1. Local conservation expert Ron Tussel offers a variety of ecological services, articles and solutions on his company website: EcoScientificSolutions.com Ron is well known and respected throughout the community.

2. SepticProtector.com

3. Reader's Digest article "Maintaining a Septic System" - a very simplistic article but offers some helpful illustrations and other links.

4. Penn State Extension - Water Resources. I was going to link to just the septic page, but felt the entire section is link-worthy.

5. Sun & Earth Cleaning Products - I love this stuff, especially the cleansing spray and dishwashing liquid.

While I'm all for being green, protecting the environment, and conserving energy, I'm also all for preserving your septic system - it's a costly thing to replace. Fortunately, with care and education, a homeowner can have a septic system last for many years. As a REALTOR, I consider it part of my "Do" diligence to point homeowners in the proper direction in the care and maintenance of their septic systems...even if I loathe to do my own laundry.

 

 

Septic Systems and Earth Day, ©Copyright 2007 by Karen E. Rice. All rights reserved.

Open Office Suite - Everything You Need Without The Software Maker's Greed

While Microsoft Office (or Corel WordPerfect) may be the standard office suites /word processors of choice, I have found the free Open Office program to be useful, versatile, and CHEAP...definitely something REALTORS like to hear!

It's free. It does not cost a dime (though additional templates can be downloaded at a minimal cost.) I have used it for several years now and do not miss Word or WordPerfect one bit.

In many ways it is more powerful than Word or WordPerfect. It can open, edit, and save in most typical office document types, (so you can create a .doc file for your clients using Word; you can create .wpf for WordPerfect users...) but my favorite application is the ability to export documents to PDF format, which ensures that my documents, from home-for-sale flyers to MLS charts, will all look the same when opened by others.

It lacks some bells and whistles; it does not offer much in the way of clip art. Since I usually create my own graphics for my real estate website, this is not a problem.

Most of my documents are basic and simple in design, therefore, I am not missing the templates that I never used from Word anyway. The only disappointment for me is the lack of an address book. It will import and use your address book from Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, etc.

When downloading OpenOffice, you get an entire suite of applications besides Writer, including Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (alternative to Powerpoint, and can open and edit Powerpoint presentations), Base (database), Draw (graphics/desktop publishing), and Math (equations).

I make the most use of Writer, Calc, and Draw. It's a handy application, especially for those of us who like to keep our budgets on the frugal side - hopefully someone else can find it as useful as I do.

 

 

Recently, I received an email from a family member asking my opinion about homeschooling. She has very young children and is concerned about her current school district, which has a less than stellar reputation. As concerned parents, she and her husband are exploring some options for their children's educational needs.

• Option 1: Don't worry about the school district, and choose to homeschool. Or, use the current school district and spend lots of time at home supplementing and filling in the gaps.

• Option 2: Private school - very expensive and not within their means right now.

• Option 3: Sell their current home and relocate to a better school district.

Each option has appealing qualities and negative aspects. I believe in homeschooling whole heartedly. I tried it and have since sent my kids our school in the Wallenpaupack district - which is a darn good one, by the way.

If you can do homeschooling correctly, it is an excellent option. I am currently homeschooling our youngest until she is more ready for the large group setting.

Private school is a good option if you can afford it. Unfortunately, that is NOT an option for many, including my relative. That leaves selling their current home and relocating. But, there's a problem with that too.

Right now, they have very little equity in their home. They have a 30 year mortgage, that they've only just begun to repay. I gave them some ideas, which I thought might be helpful to others. My suggestions are a blend of the above Options 1 and 3.

1. Value of the Home. I suggested she contact her REALTOR and ask for a CMA for their home and get an honest opinion of what the home would sell for in their current market. (I would be happy to help but I'm a bit out of the way...like, 1,400 miles...). The home may be worth enough to cover their mortgage, closing costs, commissions, and a down payment on a new home...but probably not. Which brings us to suggestion number two:

2. Wait. Their children are still very young. The oldest will not be starting school for three more years, and even then, I feel they have at least two or three additional years before they need to be overly concerned.

Even in a poor school district, young children with involved and conscientious parents can get a solid early education - supplementing at home with math games & activities, and reading good books aloud to your children are great ways to reinforce what they are learning in their primary years.

Waiting five to six years allows the value of their home to increase, depending on the local market, of course. Suggestion number three piggy backs onto suggestion number two:

3. Pay on the Principal! Pay some extra on the mortgage principal if possible! Right now in the early stages of the mortgage, the lion's share of the monthly payment is going to the interest. Putting some extra money each month on the principal can help get that equity built up!

Whenever we could, my husband and I paid a little extra on the mortgage to get it paid off. Some people told us we were being foolish by paying our mortgage off early (an inheritance helped with that).

According to some, we should have left the money in the bank, used the mortgage interest as a tax write off, blah blah blah. Well, that may be - but the fact remains, we now have no monthly mortgage payment, and we have 100% equity in a house that is worth almost three times what it was ten years ago when we purchased it.

As difficult as it may be, sometimes the very best option for homeowners is to simply wait. Build up your equity and pay down that principal! And maybe, go buy a math workbook or two...

 

 

Home Equity, Mortgages, and Schools, ©Copyright 2007 by Karen E. Rice. All rights reserved.

It's not secret that not everyone is into email.  Some agents really hate computers and know nothing about it.  (I found a local real estate agent's website - if you could call it that - that was simply one page, featuing a picture of their office, with their phone number and address on it...snail mail address, that is...no joke!  Check it out:  http://www.guccinirealty.com).

Google doesn't want to anyone to be left out; Google is trying to be everything to everyone.  Here's your proof:

Google Paper Mail 

 

Enjoy!  (please notice my tongue planted firmly inside my cheek...) 

 

Okay, well, now that I have that little joke off my chest, please feel free to check out my Pike & Wayne County PA Real Estate Website.  My area is famous for Wallenpaupack lakefronts, as well as many other homes for sale in northeast PA.

Google Is Ready for The Old Fashioned Among US, ©Copyright 2007 by Karen E. Rice. All rights reserved.

Settled in a valley in the Pocono Mountains, the sleepy little village of Lackawaxen can be found where the Delaware and Lackawaxen Rivers converge in Pike County.

Once upon a time, the northeastern PA town bustled with activity from logging, quarrying for Pennsylvania blue stone, shipping on the D & H canal, and rail traffic. Now, it is pleasantly scenic and quiet, with a historic flavor.

 

Until recently, the Stourbridge Line used to run scenic rail excursions from Honesdale (the birthplace of the American Railroad) in Wayne County, through Hawley, along the Lackawaxen River, with the little town of Lackawaxen as the destination. (The train rides continue, with Hawley as the "end of the line".)

One of my favorite memories of Lackawaxen actually involves the public landing on the Delaware River. As a kid, my dad and Uncle Ivan used to take me along to fish for eels. Dad would tease me by saying the eels were going to get me when I took off my shoes and waded out into the pleasantly warm water, sand and stones squishing between my toes.

Later, when I was older, my dad took me shad fishing. Shad are vigorous fighters and not all that easy for a 14 year old girl to land! Eventually I became quite skilled at bringing those babies in, and to this day, I swear that it was no accident when my dad "lost" the stringer of several fish, most of which were mine. I will maintain that he didn't like to have a kid like me "out fish" a skilled sportsman like him!

One of the prominent features of Lackawaxen is the Roebling Bridge. Constructed in 1848 by John A. Roebling, (the architect of the Brooklyn Bridge), the aqueduct is a National Civil Engineering Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. It is purported to be the oldest remaining wire suspension bridge in America.

Also located in Lackawaxen is the Zane Grey Museum, part of the National Park Service. At one time, the famous author of western yarns called this Pike County village his home, and spent much time enjoying the river, just as we do today.

A popular and exciting passtime is spotting bald eagles all along the Lackawaxen River throughout the winter months. Sometimes dozens of eagles can be seen roosting in trees along the "swift waters" (or, at times, not so swift...), occasionally swooping down to grab dinner.

It's a spectacular sight, and comforting to see, considering how scarse the sighting of our National Symbol used to be.

Lackawaxen is a pleasant place to visit, and a peaceful place to call home. Keep up-to-date on the real estate market in Lackawaxen - sign up for my Lackawaxen Real Estate email alerts! Be sure to visit the links I have provided below to learn more.

 

Lackawaxen Area Links & Info:

Lackawaxen Official Website

Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct

The Inn at Lackawaxen

The Eagle Institute

Lander's River Trips

Angler's Roost/Two River Junction

Lackawaxen River on WikiPedia

Jim Kingston's Lackawaxen River Website

 

 

"Lackawaxen PA: Where the Heck Is It?" Copyright 2007 by Karen E. Rice. All photographs were taken by Karen E. Rice and may not be used in any way without express written permission. All Photos in this entry are the property of Karen E. Rice.

 

First, I need to say that I really do love Northeastern Pennsylvania. Both Wayne County and Pike County have some beautiful, breathtaking scenes dotting the landscape. I can never get enough of the woods, the trees, the fields, the piles of moss-covered rocks, the brooks, the Lackawaxen River.

There is one thing I do get enough of - winter. About this time of year many inhabitants of the Pocono Mountains get a little stir crazy. I for one feel assaulted when I go into the stores and see Easter Dresses that belong in stores in Texas, not Northeast PA! Good grief, it SNOWS on Easter here! What do you mean, putting out bathing suits and sun dresses and the sandals and tank tops? Are these stores MOCKING us?

The winter can be seen as a time of rest and reflectoin...or fun for the snowbunnies who like to ski on Tanglwood or Big Bear. Some however, especially real estate agents, can see the winter as depressing - even suggesting a metaphorical "winter" in the Lake Wallenpaupack real estate market: Don't get into real estate now! You'll starve...doom, doom, doom. Gee, thanks for the encouragement!

Fortunately, hope springs eternal - there are more warm days ahead for those of us freezing our patooties off in Hawley (currently it's 35 and windy...) and the rest of the Lake Wallenpaupack region. April can be a frustrating month - but I am not going to let it get me in a slump.

My ten year old daughter wrote an essay on Spring, and I thought it would be appropriate to share it here. The hope of a child - what happens as we get older? We should always have a feeling of hopeful anticipation of good things coming around the bend.

SPRING - By Heather

Do you ever like to go outside on an absolutely gorgeous day? I do, and I especially like to go outside during the spring. I will tell you why I enjoy spring so much.

In the springtime new life arrives. Birds are chirping with delight. Flowers sprout up from the ground. Green grass grows back again. Animals fill the trees and woodland, eager to explore. Bears emerge from hibernation and the honking geese fly back north, searching for their homes.

The trees, now covered in tiny buds, begin to gain their color back. The buds are enthusiastic to burst, and at last they do. Glorious flowers bloom beautifully on the apple trees. New leaves grow also, determined to see the world as soon as possible.

 

 

Streaming shafts of sunlight brighten everything up again. Fabulous warmth fills the smallest cracks and because of that the babbling brook rushes into action, ready to go on its journey once more. It crashes over rocks and it twists and curves around the bends, until just like cobwebs in the rain, all the ice has dissolved.

In springtime, everything comes back to life, leaving behind the stillness of winter. These are the reasons why I love spring so much. I just can't wait until it arrives!

(Photo by Heather Rice)

 

Hope springs eternal - not just here in Hawley; let its blossoms bless everyone everywhere! Happy Spring to EVERYONE!

 

Snowy Road Photo by echiner1

 

 

Hope Springs Eternal in the Poconos, Copyright 2007 by Karen E. Rice.

 early November, I wanted to have a family portrait taken outdoors, in the leaves. Too bad, on that day it was bitter cold; the wind was attacking with an icy blast. Mr. Rice and I were not looking forward to a winter that started with such cruelty!

Then, magically, December and January were almost spring-like. Okay, that is an exaggeration, but it was much warmer than normal, and, much to the dismay of our children, there was no snow. Until the big Valentine's Day storm, which got Pennsylvania some unpleasant attention nationally - our Department of Transportation kinda dropped the ball - I guess someone forgot to remind them that they really are still in the Poconos - where it does snow in the winter. (Usually, anyway.)

Here it is, Easter Sunday, and not only is it colder in Hawley than it was on Christmas, but it was snowing all day! Nothing that stayed on the ground, but sheesh! This is just a little ridiculous.

About nine years ago, in March, we got a terrific snowstorm that dumped a couple feet of snow on us. But the very next day, I was playing with children outside in short sleeves. It was almost 80 degrees! Have you ever built snowmen while wearing a t-shirt? The kids were crying because their snowpants and boots were too hot.

One year, we residents of Pike County, (along with most of northeast PA) were pummelled, week after week, with significant snowfall. I remember all this crazy weather being blamed on El Nino. Okay, and now, what is to be blamed for this?

Snow on Easter: The New Inconvenient Effect of Global Warming.

Sure. OR: Maybe it's just a part of the weird weather patterns that we really can not comprehend. Weather has not really been tracked for that long - only a hundred years or so. It could be that every few hundred years, things radically change.

At any rate, Spring can spring any time now, and I think more than a few people have a grudge against ol Punxatawney Phil. *smile*

 

Easter Candy photo by Sister 72.

In spite of bizarre weather at times, the Poconos in northeastern PA (NEPA) is truly a beautiful place to call home.

 

 

This Crazy Pocono Mountain Weather, ©Copyright 2007 by Karen E. Rice. All rights reserved.

How to pronounce Wallenpaupack: wall-en-paw-pack.

I have heard all sorts of funny attempts, my favorite is "Wuh-linn'puhpack" said as quickly as possible, with the "linnpuhpack" said very in a very rushed and staccato way. Another one I have heard is "Wall-en-poo-pack", which would have made my kids laugh hysterically.

The other day a client called and she said her last name was Porta. I was thinking...like a porta-bello mushroom? Or like Designed To Sell's adorable designer, Lisa LaPORTA? So, to be safe, I asked her to spell it - was I wrong. Her name was Porter. (Safe bet she was from Long-GUY-Land).

My friend is an editor, and one of her projects was to edit data entry for a children's dictionary. She got a chuckle correcting the pronunciations that were given - she had to replace "hun ' tuh" with "hun-ter". (Another Long-Guy-Land person perhaps?)

My neck of northeastern Pennsylvania (Wayne and Pike County) has an interesting mix of dialects, too. Nearby is "Da Valley" - which for non-locals is "Scranton." Scranton, to us, encompasses a whole slew of little towns - they may have their own zip codes and names, but they are still "Scranton."

There is an online Scrantonese Dictionary, which has given me more than a few chuckles. A lot of this Scranton dialect has trickled into Hawley and Lake Wallenpaupack, as I have heard several of these over the years. Here are a few in no particular order:

• Kuzzints: Your uncle’s children.

  Onnakowna: Because (“I got a flat tire onnakowna someone dropped nails on da road.”)

  Pellow: Where you put your head when you sleep onnakowna you’re tired.

  Kupple-too-tree: A couple, two or three...

  Wock: What you take the dog for at night.

  Tock: What you do on the phone.

  Plimmit: A muted reference to Plymouth, Pennsylvania.

  Otto: A car.

  Ackamee: The place where you get da grocery order. (ACME - no longer in our area. I used to work there.)

  Haitch Beeyo: HBO, the cable TV all night movie station, I tink.

  I totso: I thought so, too.

  Tot: What Mr. McArdle tried to do in school :)

  Lonn more: It cuts the grass.

  Rude aidy: The road that takes you to Penn State. (Route 80)

  Atha Leets: Lots of good ones play for Penn State.

  Wadder: Comes out the fosset.

  Be-endat: Means “because.”

  Hoddog: Tastes great with soss on it. (My mom used to say it like that...)

  Fil’em: the thing you put in your camera.

  Arthur Idas: What retired atha leets take Excedrin for.

  Burgarly: When you enter a building without permission and maybe take something.

  Yuge: Really big.

  Zenit: That brand of TV that you watch the Penn State atha leets on.

  Axe: Ask

  Termistat: thermistat

  Winda: as in "closeda winda, da ya live in a barn?"

  Ba-troom: a place to relieve yourself

  Ba-tree: battery

  Tinkin: when you put your brain in gear.
  
  seen : commonly used instead of "saw". "Don't tell me yiz wasn't dere, I seen yiz wit my own eyes!".
  
  Alla Youz: How you address several people at once
  
  radarater: the thing heat comes out of
  
  offah: He knocked da glass offah the table.
  
  
• warsh: Did you remember to warsh behind your ears? -or- I warshed my shirt.

  chimley: chimney
  
  mango: a green bell pepper.
  

There you have it. Any fun pronunciations from other parts of the country?

 

Hey, no matter what your accent or dialect, I'll be happy to help you with your northeastern PA / Pike County / Wayne County/ Lake Wallenpaupack area real estate needs! Feel free to send me email, or search the MLS (no registration required!)

 

 

 

Lake Wallenpaupack: Tomato, Tomahto, You Say Pepper, I Say Mango, ©Copyright 2007 by Karen E. Rice. All rights reserved.

My husband has an almost Pavlovian response to the magic words "Honey, I have an idea!" 

A sharp intake of breath, eyes rolling backward, and a desperate "oh no..." muttered just loudly enough for me to hear.  Poor honey.  He does suffer through one crazy scheme after another, I guess. 

As a real estate agent, I would hope that my clients would have a completely different response to my magic words. (I promise not to call them "Honey" - maybe that's the problem.  Maybe Honey will take me more seriously if I address him as Mr. Rice when announcing my latest scheme...)  

I have come up with all sorts of cool ideas, many of them gleaned either from watching too much HGTV, or late night blog reading adventures.

I love the idea of staging.  I also know that in some markets it is a difficult thing to get people to do - either they flat out refuse to change their home, or they are stubbornly unconvinced that it will work.

At any rate, we all know that there is hidden potential in many homes that are suffering from being dated, or cluttered.  I grow frustrated when I see pictures in the MLS of cluttered bathroom counters or kitchens hidden behind dish drainers, canister sets, toaster ovens, and the like.  Sure, sometimes you can blame the agent for not arranging for a "photo shoot", but I happen to know there are a lot of stubborn sellers out there too. 

One day in the office I had some time on my hands and I "recreated" a cluttered kitchen in my graphics program.  The change was dramatic; the kitchen looked twice the size! (All I did was use the clone brush on an empty spot of counter top and cover everything up.  Then I did the same with sections of the wall.)  The results though are hardly professional; I'd never show this picture to a client...they'd think some dork had too much time on her hands. (ahem).

Anyway, I got to thinking about those computer programs that kitchen remodeling centers have, that will spit out a new design of your kitchen, with new counters and cabinets.

Wouldn't it be cool, if you were viewing a house with a hideous kitchen, and were able to whip out a printout of what the kitchen would look like, and a rough estimate (emphasize rough and estimate) of what it may cost.  Let the buyers know that it is in no way a guarantee of cost but a rough idea.  Would something like this help encourage a buyer, sitting on the fence because of an ugly kitchen, to make an offer once the hidden potential has been unveiled?

For instance, take the two examples I have posted below. I used an online design program to create the two images below of a kitchen - fictitious, yes, but certainly based on actual kitchens I've seen in the Poconos:

Note:  I added the harvest gold dishwasher, the flouncy curtains, the orange counter, avacado fridge, and 1970s accessories in Paint Shop Pro.  We can assume that the floor is ugly linoleum tiles that have seen better days.

Next, I have a modernized version of this kitchen:

Wouldn't it be cool to whip this out and sell someone on the house?

Anyway, this is the sort of stuff my poor hubby is subject to, 24/7.  I think he's relieved that I can air some of my ideas here, and give him a break.   

 

 

 

Faux Staging, ©Copyright 2007 by Karen E. Rice. All rights reserved.