Maggie Flartry-Kaminski

Broker, CEO - Century 21 Select Group

The month of May is not normally considered a peak time to visit the Poconos.  All the better to take advantage of the wildflowers, hiking trails and panoramic views with out the crowds.   Mountain biking at Brady’s State Game Lands – 25,000 acres or down the Lehigh Gorge trail,  can expose you to River vistas and wildlife.  Reminds me of the time my husband John and I were back in Bradys.  Bikes are quiet,  so it was no surprise when we stopped just short of two young bucks frolicking in the meadow.   We watched them for 10 minutes without being spotted.   Or the time John kicked up a flock of turkeys and managed to cycle down the road in the midst of them – it was awesome. 

 For the sportsman, Spring Gobler is in full swing and ends on May 31^st.  May 7 is opening day for walleye and saugeye.   Trout season kicked off on April 16^th.   Get loads of info and places to fish at http://www.fish.state.pa.us/  

 May 7^th – Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes  8:00pm at the Sherman Theater on Main Street in Stroudsburg. Southside and his band, the Asbury Jukes, worked on growing their reputation as a dynamic live blues band through the late 60′s and early 70′s.   www.ShermanTheater.com

If you are into hiking, check out the PoconoOutdoorClub.org.  May 7 they will be hiking Devil’s Hole.  I was lucky enough to know the people that owned the acreage adjoining the State Game Lands and spent much of the Summer I turned 19 and 20  camping along this pristine Mountain Stream with native brook trout.   Nothing like a group of good friends, acoustic guitars and a crackling fire, not to mention the tale of Devil’s Hole best enjoyed at midnight around a campfire!   What I found most interesting in hiking the stream was following it to its source at the top of a mountain. 

If you are into nature and hiking, check out Monroe County Environmental Education Center’s Kettle Creek Wildlife Sanctuary near Bartonsville.  www.mcconservation.org

May 18 – A Spring Bog Walk through the blooming Tannersville Cranberry Bog will be led by a naturalist from the Monroe County Environmental Education Center from 1:00 to 3:30pm. The bog is special as it is a northern boreal bog, which is very unique for this part of the country. Protected by The Nature Conservancy, the Tannersville bog is a National Natural Landmark.

Ok – I know, this is a real estate blog!   I suppose I should speak to real estate in the Poconos.  Another reason to enjoy nature;  the real estate market has not bounded back yet – so take the time to enjoy your natural playground until sales pickup.    The winter was tough with all the snow and the cold temperatures.  Our Ski Rentals did well and the season went well into March.  But the resale market is struggling.  Thankfully our agents’ “per person production” is double our competitors.    And our core of Full Time, Professional Agents are loyal and hard working.  There is something to be said for a company where each office has a strong Team Spirit.

Two things that I attribute to our great company team spirit:

1.      A strong presence in 10 different markets of the Poconos.  When our sellers need to see their agent, they don’t have to travel 45 minutes – their agent is only 10 minutes away.  What makes a real estate office think they can have one centralized location to handle a geographic area as large as the Poconos?  What if my seller needs a notary, needs to meet with me to revise paperwork, wants to chat and get some advice or just needs to fax something or make a copy?   If the seller is in Blakeslee, do you think he wants to travel to Stroudsburg for this complimentary service, I don’t.   That’s not service – that’s disservice. 

2.  Seeing each other face-to-face.  I know some companies tout that you don’t ever have to come in the office.  That can work OK for the top agents that really roll at their own pace and don’t need a lot of interaction, support and learning.   But let’s face it, each office’s top agents are a select few.  What about the rest of the agent population, sharing and learning from each other.  The middle producers are the back-bone of any real estate company.  And the team grows stronger as they work together. Don’t get me wrong – we are a very progressive and technology oriented group and we supply all the tools to work from home – Forms online, Transaction Management with secured document storage allowing agents to access files from home,   free online training and webnars, fantastic 21online, web based resource center.   Combine that with the face-to-face interactions and you have a dynamic – unparalleled by any of our competitors.  It’s what we all need in a slow market.  I hear that some offices’ morale is really low.  The slow market can do that – but come into our office and find energy and enthusiasm with agents always looking to grow and find new ways to capture the business.

Sunday, January 30, 2011!

Submitted By; Kim Stevens Owner/Broker

Mark your calendar for The 20th Annual Ice Tee Golf Tournament on January 30, 2011.  This unique event attracted over 220 golfers and an additional 200 spectators in 2010.  

Two 9 hole challenging courses will be created, complete with tree lined fairways, greens, water traps, obstacles, and roughs.  Golfers will receive a colored golf ball plus a scorecard and map illustrating the course layout, and each participant is restricted to playing with two clubs and one putter.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Time:  Tee times 9 AM to 2 PM

Ehrhardt’s Waterfront located on Route 507 in Tafton

Green Fee: $15 in advance or $20 day of -fees are a non-refundable event donation

Awards ceremony at 3 PM complete with prizes for Closest to Wally, Best Cart/Sled, Wackiest Hat and more, 50/50 and giveaways.

Please click below to download player registration forms.

http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1101992521600-75/IceTeeCoverLetter(2).pdf

http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1101992521600-76/IceTeeAPPLICATION%2B2011.pdf

Submitted By: Katie Daggett

Pinecrest Lake Golf and Country Club has plenty to offer in the Spring, Summer and Fall, golf, swimming, boating, fishing, tennis, outdoor heated Swimming pool with Slide. All this AND a secluded woodland setting.

 But what do you do when the temperature outside leaves no room to doubt that it’s winter? Well you can hop in the car and head to Camelback, Jack Frost or Big Boulder Ski Area’s – all just 15 to 25  minutes away. You can shop at the Crossings outlets or lunch in charming Downtown Stroudsburg or Jim Thorpe, once again just a short car ride away.

But what if you don’t want to get back into your car after your trip in from NJ, NY or Philly and points south? What can you do just outside your door? Better yet what can the kids do that will keep them occupied for more then 15 minutes AND will give them childhood memories to last a life time?

Well, I’ll tell you. There are some of the most beautiful and untouched cross country ski trails just outside your door at Pinecrest. Hidden and private, these trails offer sanctuary to all kind of local fauna. Pennsylvania White Tail Deer, Beaver, fox, winter birds as well as all other kind of small woodland creatures. If you don’t think that cross country skiing is your cup of tea grab a pair of skates or a warm blanket and a pic-nic lunch for you and the kids and head out to Beaver Brook Skating Pond.

If you have ever seen the movie “The Bishop’s Wife” (1947), and you should it’s a Christmas classic, then you will be able to imagine this most perfect of Capraesque places.

Two ponds connected by a spill way with a wooden board walk over it make up Beaver Brook’s skating area. The pond to the right is just the right shape and size for a game of pond hockey. Now the pond to the left is round and charming, with wooden steps to help you get from the woods to the ice. Both ponds are surrounded by pine tress big and small, but this pond, this pond to the left, well, it has the most perfect little island in the middle with three tall, thick pines to give it a bit of purpose and a pic-nic table to hold you when you want to take a break. And when it starts to get a little chilly all you have to do is lite a fire in the fire pit with the perfectly split and stacked dry wood straight from it’s shelter.

This is a special place that once only seemed to exist in books and films. So bring your skates, your family, your friends and don’t forget the smores and the hot coco too. You can have that perfect winter memory to share or to save for your very own. It’s all up to you.

Sales & Vacation rentals are available in Pinecrest Lake Golf & Country Club – visit www.c21poconopines.com or click on the link to the left for our Pocono Pines office.

 BLAKESLEE, PA : Sharon Ruggiero celebrated 25 years
with CENTURY 21. She was honored with a surprise party at the Blakeslee
office. Sharon started out as “OUR GAL FRIDAY” and did it all from front
desk, assigning leads, typing (ha ha) contracts and leases, bookkeeping and
receptionist. She recalls lugging in firewood to keep our woodstove going.
And she laughed about the “typing test” she had to take to get the job.
Sharon has been a loyal and hardworking employee over the years and there is
no way to truly thank her for all she does. Now she manages the accounting
for Blakeslee, Lake Harmony, Hazleton and Brodheadsville. Plus she is a
Super Relocation Director for our Relo Department for Select Group.

Sharon came on board when she was 18. We shared in celebrating her marriage
and birth of her two children Dylan and Cheyanne who are now 16 and 11. Boy
does time fly.

Congratulations to a great woman and a wonderful employee.

Brian McCardle, manager of the Hazleton branch stopped in to celebrate with
Sharon as they both started with the company around the same time. So we
gave him a little celebration too and crowned him.

We had a very Special visit from a very jolly ol’ friend and rental program home owner today!

During their travels through out our area today Mrs. Cindy Dautrich and Santa (Mr. Dautrich as a spot on St. Nick)) stopped by to wish us a very Merry Christmas and to drop off a little holiday cheer in the form of some excellent chocolate.

Mr. John “Jumper” & Mrs. Cindy Dautrich have a lovely and popular home here in Pocono Pines in the Lake Naomi Community that our office manages as a vacation rental property.  

As is the case with long time “Rental Owners” on our program we as agents and office staff become friends with ”Our Owners”. Many Home Owners stop by during the Holidays to wish us well, but never have we had one who has went to such lengths and enjoyed it so much!

Cindy explained to us that they were on their way to Pocono Medical Center so Santa could offer warm tidings and they thought we could use some red suited jollies as well.

Jumper loves to dress up as Santa during the Season and visit nursing homes and other community service providers in their “full time” town of Philadelphia but this year he especially wanted to visit  Thomas Jefferon Hospital in Philadelphia and Pocono Medical Center in Stroudsburg to give back to the two places responsible for him still being with us this Christmas.

After going out for a jog last January Jumper suffered a cardiac arrest on the road in Lake Naomi. Thanks to many passers by who stopped, Lake Naomi’s head of security and the staff of Pocono Medical and “Jeff” Jumper is able to continue his favorite holiday activity! 

We want to thank Cindy and Jumper for thinking of us and Thanks to everyone who helped when they were needed so that we got some warm and welcome hugs from Santa today!

Good Ol' St. Nick - The Miracle Man

 

 

 Editor’s note: If you would like to read more about Jumper’s miracle follow the link http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090309/NEWS/903090319/-1/NEWS01

~ Ivette Pigatt Joins the Century 21 Select Group Team ~

Moscow, Pennsylvania, November 2009 – CENTURY 21 Select Group is pleased to announce that Ivette Pigatt has joined the CENTURY 21® team working in the Moscow Office at 133 N. Main Street, Moscow. 

“We are thrilled that Ivette has become an integral member of the Moscow team.  Her professionalism and knowledge will definitely be an asset.” said Terri Ditty, Broker/Owner.  “It’s an exciting time to be with the CENTURY 21^® System as we continue to increase our presence in North Pocono.”

Ivette is a licensed agent in the State of Pennsylvania and has eight years of real estate experience.  She began her real estate career in Monroe County after spending 15 years as a Financial Specialist in the New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania financial markets. 

Ivette Pigatt

The Pigatt family relocated to Mt. Pocono in 1996 from New York.  They have resided in Clifton Township for the past four years.  

 Her transition from financial specialist to Realtor has been very rewarding.  She excels in working with clients and assisting them in buying and selling their homes and meeting goals for their future.  Client satisfaction is her main priority. 

 Buyers and sellers alike can trust Ivette to provide the insight, service, and support they need to make informed real estate decisions.  She has the expertise to make your real estate experience comfortable and pleasurable.  Give Ivette Pigatt a call at toll free 866-917-1818 or on her cell phone 570-801-8059 today.  She can also be reached at ivette.pigatt@century21.com.  You Will Be SOLD!

“Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays
‘Cause no matter how far away you roam
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze
For the holidays you can’t beat home, sweet home”

-”(There’s No Place like) Home for the Holiday’s” – The music was written by Robert Allen, the lyrics by Al Stillman.

It only takes a moment or two to complete the simple process, I sent one this morning and it took 2 minutes! Send your appreciation for all the sacrifice and service our Troops give on our behalf – Especially during the Holidays.

Editors Note: This site is legitimate and easy to use! For more information about the Lets Says Thanks program please visit http://letssaythanks.com/AboutUs.aspx

I would like to spend my whole life traveling, if I could borrow another life to spend at home.

– William Hazlitt

With a last name like mine, STRZELEC, it is a shock to see it any where in print or advertising. Most of the time I only see it on monthly bills or at the “Bottom of the Eye Chart” in the Doctors office, and then it is not always spelled right.

 You can imagine how shocked I was to learn that I am actually quite famous…in Poland!!!

Several years ago my kids started researching our family tree and one thing lead to another and we were all shocked to learn our roots can be traced back to a “Beer Brewery” that is still brewing Beer to this day.

 Well no more “Miller Lite” for me, I had to have a STRZELEC BEER. The search was on. My kids and I tried everything to get STRZELEC BEER with no luck. Years of writing the Brewery in Poland, contacting importers and searching collector clubs……no STRZELEC BEER.

 About a year ago I sold a home to a Polish couple who have been in America for about 15 years and asked them if they had ever heard of STRZELEC BEER. “Of Course” they said, “It was one of the biggest breweries in their country.” I told them that I had been trying to get some STRZELEC BEER for years with no luck and they just smiled and told me that they had not seen it since they left Poland.

What happened next was a shocker. I got a call from my Polish clients to come see their home and all of things that they have done to it. So I packed up the HEN…oops….Wife and off we went for a visit to their home. We walked in the front door and there on the table were 5 cans of STRZELEC BEER. We were floored. It seems that their sister was visiting from Poland and they thought enough of me to ask her to bring some STRZELEC BEER with her for their favorite Realtor.

 Some things you just can not put a price on. My clients thoughtfulness was hard to match with the STRZELEC BEER, my kids are already making plans for their STRZELEC BEER and everyone in our family is excited. Only got 5 cans that is all their sister was allowed to bring through customs. My kids will have to fend for themselves.

That's a Tall One

“Home is the place where it feels right to walk around without shoes”

- Anonymous

Hello my friends,
I think you all know how very proud we are of Kim.  Here is another reason.  Kim’s
Oncologist, Dr. Lisa Thomas, chose 4 of her patients, out of thousands, to be
featured in the Happenings magazine to tell their survivor stories. 
Needless to say, we are extremely proud of the way Kim handled herself giving
all of her family and friends inspiration during this difficult experience.
 
Here is the link so you can read what she had to say.
 
http://www.happeningsmagazinepa.com/survivor.html
 
Connie