This past Tuesday a team of medical personnel, our gov. Ed Rendell and our U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire all headed to the rescue  orphans from a collapsed orphanage in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

Many of the orphans in Haiti are stuck in limbo because their paperwork, identification cards, and adoption process information was completely destroyed or lost during last weeks earthquake.

The rescue mission was in response to messages last week from orphanage caregivers pleading for help to get the orphans out, as there weren’t nearly enough caregivers or supplies to now care for the children, aged 1-6 years at the BRES orphanage in Port-Au-Prince.  Of the 143,  90 have been sent to places in Denmark and France and 53 have now been brought to our beautiful Pittsburgh area.

The mission, food, clothing and medical aid for the children once they reached their new Pittsburgh homes were all funded by  an anonymous donor and Catholic Charities has made arrangements for the orphans’ care until they can be adopted. Many organizations are coming forward to volunteer in helping the orphans settle into their Pittsburgh relocation.

Relocating to Pittsburgh

It is wonderful the Haitian orphans were able to get away from all of the chaos to get the medical attention, food, and care they need, as well as, the Pittsburgh real estate space to house them until forever families are found.

To see how you can help, contact the Red Cross at redcross.org or Catholic Charities at catholiccharitiesusa.org.

Buying Pittsburgh Real Estate

Should you be interested in learning more about Pittsburgh homes for sale, browsing the Pittsburgh MLS, or relocating to Pittsburgh, simply contact me, Jim Dolanch, your expert Pittsburgh real estate agent.

Until next time,
Jim

Peters Township is a wonderful area, nestled outside of Pittsburgh. If you enjoy city activities, but want to live in a small community, then Peters Township real estate is perfect for you.

Peters Township Area Information

Peters Township offers real estate prices with great value, a small town feel with the large city conveniences, as well as, family oriented events mingled with perfect for date night activities. When you buy Peters Township real estate, you are buying not just a great home, but a wonderful lifestyle.

Peters Township Communities

There are many neighborhoods and communities to choose from, and you can search the entire Peters Township MLS, search Peters Township homes for sale by school, by Peters Township neighborhood, or search Peters Township featured real estate for sale.

Peters Township Real Estate

Would you like to learn more about Peters Township, PA? Then simply contact me, Jim Dolanch, your expert Peters Township real estate agent. Feel free to ask any and all questions-if I don’t know the answer I will find it for you.

If you are getting ready to relocate to Peters Township, be sure to request our Peters Township Relocation Guide-full of the local information, numbers, and addresses you’ll need to make your relocation stress free and smooth. We hope to see you around town!

Until next time,
Jim

The buzz word this winter season has been the Swine Flu, also called the H1N1. If you live in the Peters Township area, then you will be happy to learn that the Department of Health will be holding an H1N1 flux shot clinic at the Washington County Agricultural Fair and Expo Center, located at 2151 North Main Street on Jan. 8th and 9th from 8am to 4pm.

Peters Township Communities

Peters Township neighborhoods are glad to be able to offer the flu shot clinic. You can get shots for yourself and your family, or even go down and talk to the nurses and doctors there to learn more information, should you still be debating about getting the shot.

You can also get the regular flu shot anytime by going to the Department of Health during working hours, 8am to 4pm.

Peters Township Real Estate

One of the best things of living in Peters Township is that we are such a close knit community with a great, involved township council, which brings us events like the H1N1 flu clinic. If you would enjoy living in a family oriented community, then feel free to browse Peters Township homes for sale, request our Peters Township relocation guide, and contact me, Jim Dolanch, your Peters Township real estate agent.

Until next time,

Jim

Relocation to Pittsburgh

Often, relocating to Pittsburgh is due to a job opportunity or pursuing higher education. Your family may or may not have much choice about the move, especially if the move is for a job. Not having much choice may worry you, but you are, in fact, lucky to be moving to the Pittsburgh area.

Pittsburgh and Peters Township

Pittsburgh is a fantastic area to raise a family. Not only do we offer many great suburb lifestyles to choose homes in, but we also offer outstanding school systems, with choices ranging from public, private, religious, and home schooling. You can browse the Pittsburgh and Peters Township school system to learn even more.

Pittsburgh Areas

So you know you are going to buy Pittsburgh real estate, but do you know what area you want to be in yet? I personally think the Pittsburgh and Peters Township areas are all fantastic, but each has unique community amenities and events to offer, so you can learn more about the Pittsburgh neighborhoods, search homes by Pittsburgh schools, or find what schools are in the different communities.

Want to learn even more? Simply contact me, Jim Dolanch, your expert Pittsburgh real estate agent, and we will find the perfect home for you in the perfect neighborhood for your family.

Until next time,
Jim

All of us at Jim Dolanch Real Estate Team want to extend a heartfelt “Happy Thanksgiving” to everyone. The Pittsburgh and Peters Township areas have come alive with preparation for the holiday-and I am even starting to see Christmas excitement build and decorations appear.

The Pittsburgh area has some great shopping to offer any and all of you who will be partaking in the “Black Friday” madness.

Pittsburgh Homes for Sale

The last thing Peters Township home buyers need to add to the holiday is a stressful home buying experience. If you are ready to search the Pittsburgh MLS for your dream home, be sure you request our Pittsburgh home buying guide or inquire about our personalized Peters Township relocation guide; our tips, advice, help and information will make home buying simple, easy and smooth. You can learn more about our amazing area by simply contacting me, Jim Dolanch, your expert Pittsburgh REALTOR.

I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with joy!

Until next time,
Jim

Peters Township Area

The kickoff meeting is set for the 2010 Peters Township Relay for Life. If you want to learn how to get involved or ways to volunterr, then be sure to come to the first meeting at 7pm, October 27 at the Scout House behind Trinity Methodist Church at 530 Center Church Road.

This year’s Relay For Life theme will be “movies”  and participants are asked to bring written suggestions for a slogan to tie the relay in with the theme.

Peters Township Relay for Life teams raised a total of $90122.05 at the June 2009 event and we hope that this year we can raise even more to help the American Cancer Society.

Anyone interested in joining at team, forming a team, or volunteering in onther ways need to try to make this kickoff meeting. The Peters Township Relay for Life is tentatively set for May 15-16, 2010 at the Peters Township High School Stadium, and for more information you can contact Margie Smith at the American Cancer Society office at 724-222-6911.

Peters Township Communities

The Relay for Life is sure to be a huge hit; Peters Township Neighborhoods are  very close knit and family oriented. Every year Peters Township residents step up to support each other in helping to fight cancer.

Peters Township Homes For Sale

To learn more about the Peters Township area, search the Peters Township MLS, or request a Peters Township home buying guide, simply contact me, Jim Dolanch, your Peters Township Realtor.

Until next time,

Jim

Going trick-or-treating in the Pittsburgh Area?

Follow these tips to ensure your family has a wonderful, fun night trick-or-treating in our Pittsburgh neighborhoods:

• Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible.
• Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.
   Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.
   Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. Limit the amount of treats you eat.
• Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you. 
• Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent skin and eye irritation.
• Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible. 
• Lower your risk for serious eye injury by not wearing decorative contact lenses.
• Only walk on sidewalks or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.
• Wear well-fitting masks, costumes, and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls.
• Eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats unless you know the cook well.
• Enter homes only if you’re with a trusted adult. Otherwise, stay outside.
• Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.

 Throwing a Party in your Pittsburgh Community?

 
Individual packs of raisins, trail mix, or pretzels are great, healthy options to feed your guests, as well as, fruits, vegetables, and cheeses. To help curb some of the energy your younger guests will have, use active party games and trick-or-treat time as an opportunity for kids to get their daily dose of 60 minutes of physical activity.

Pittsburgh Real Estate

If you are looking to relocate to Pittsburgh and would like to search Pittsburgh homes for sale, then be sure to contact me, Jim Dolanch, your expert Pittsburgh Realtor.

Until Next Time,

Jim

Halloween is rapidly approaching, and the Peters Township area has resources to help you find fun ways to celebrate.

While younger kids can be easy to entertain with some simple dress up and trick-r-treating, teens can be a little more difficult to entertain. Never fear though, the Peters Township Community Center is here to give you fun, safe and age appropriate options for your teens that will allow them to have fun with their peers in a supervised fashion, while still letting them have the little bit of freedom by doing something just for their age group. A win win for parents and teens!

Peters Township Family Fun

Here are two upcoming events you will want to make sure you teen has the opportunity to enjoy:

Monsters, Creatures and Costuming

Wednesday, October 28

6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Get ready for an evening of tricks and treats at the
library. We’ll help you work on that perfect costume
and experiment with make-up, fake blood and more!
We’ll screen “The Corpse Bride” to help get you in
that spooky mood and even carve a Teen Room
jack-o-lantern!

Teen Halloween Party

Friday, October 30

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Celebrate Halloween with us in the Teen Room.
We’ll keep the library open late just for you! Wear
your costume and enjoy an evening of music,
dancing, costume contests, treats and much more!

Peters Township Real Estate

The best part of Peters Township is how family oriented it is. The Peters Township community offers year around family events and entertainment, as well as great night life options for parent date nights. If you would like to browse the Peters Township MLS home search, look for Peters Township homes for sale, or enjoy our Peters Township buying guide, then simply contact me, Jim Dolanch, your Peters Township Realtor.

Until next time,
Jim

Moving to the Pittsburgh, PA area is a joyful time, but it can still be very difficult on kids- especially if they are of school age, with friends, favorite teachers, and class activities that they are having to move away from.

Make Your Move To Peters Township With Children Easier

Though the move may be hard for kids in general, the part most parents dread is the drive to your new home. Unless you are staying in the same city, or an area close by, you will probably end up with more than a few hours of driving to reach your new Pittsburgh area real estate all the while dealing with a grumpy child in the backseat. What are parents to do? Never fear, I have a few tricks I have learned over the years as an expert Peters Township real estate agent:

• Brush up on your traditional car games. Even the alphabet game and licence plate game can be modified for younger children. Travel size board games, like battle ship, can be fantastic ways to pass the time.
• Have a basket of entertainment at easy reach. For younger children, keep the basket full of their favorite toys, books, and snacks. Hand out one item at a time, so younger children will get some good entertainment out of each one before they get bored. For older children, perhaps take them to a books store to buy a book they would enjoy reading, let them pick out an age appropriate magazine. Highlights, Zoo Books American Girl, are great for the tween years.
• Have snacks on hand. Even the grumpiest child will cheer up when given his favorite snacks. If the move is particularly hard on your child, perhaps splurge and get some items he or she has always wanted -like those double stuff oreos-but you never deemed as appropriate lunch food.
• Get the addresses of all your children’s best friends, and let your children pick out their own stationary so they can write their friends about the trip to your new home. If your children are upset about losing friends, this can be a great opportunity to help them realize they can still keep their friends. There are lots of great car travel trays you can find at Walmart,Target and other such stores, that will provide a great flat surface for your children to write on. This also provides a great way for your children to realize they can still stay in touch with their friends, and provides a great way to work on their writing skills. Even if you children are older and in the texting/twitter/facebook way of communicating with all their friends, they may still enjoy the novelty of writing a letter to pass the time.
• If your drive will be more than 6-8 hours, it might be a good idea to invest in a portable DVD play for the car. As much as I myself dislike entertaining children with the tv for hours at a time, on a very long drive, a short movie or cartoon might be just the trick to help ease squirmy passangers, and give you parents some downtime from entertaining.

Learn More About Relocating To Pittsburgh

Are you Relocating to the Peters Township area? Be sure to ask for our FREE personalized Pittsburgh and Peters Township Relocation Guide to get all the businesses, Peters Township area schools and other local Pittsburgh activity informaiton make the areas of Pittsburgh and Peters Township one of the greatest places to raise a family. All our tips will help you get settled quickly and to prepare even more for your move, read up on our Peters Township moving tips.

If you are ready to search Pittsburgh homes for sale, or would like to browse the Pittsburgh MLS, then contact me, Jim Dolanch, your expert Pittsburgh Realtor.

Until next time,

Jim

Everyday I receive calls Pittsburgh and Peters Township residents about the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit. How do you qualify? What are the details? What do you have to do to apply?

Since the entire tax credit document is very long , I thought I would do a brief overview, with future posts on more specific aspects to the tax credit. 

Please note  the short overview below pertains to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009:

• The tax credit is for first-time home buyers only. For the tax credit program, the IRS defines a first-time home buyer as someone who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase.
• The tax credit does not have to be repaid.
• The tax credit is equal to 10 percent of the home’s purchase price up to a maximum of $8,000.
• The credit is available for homes purchased on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.
• Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit.

If you are ready to start the search for Pittsburgh real estate, you can begin by using my free Pittsburgh and Peters Township MLS Search or by contacting me, Jim Dolanch, your Pittsburgh and Peters Township Realtor. Questions about whether buying Peters Township real estate will qualify for the tax credit? I can help you naviage the waters and together we will get you the best deal possible on your Peters Township area property.

Until next time,

Jim