Pages 15-16 - The Blue Valley Times

OCTOBER 25, 2016
Buyer Beware: There Are
Downsides to Buying a FSBO
Exclusively in the Blue Valley Times
Purchasing a property for sale
by owner (FSBO) may make
sense to many; because the seller doesn’t pay real estate agent
commissions, the price should be
lower. However, buyer beware.
There are downsides to purchasing an FSBO. According to research conducted by the National
Association of Realtors®, fewer
than 10 percent of FSBOs are actually sold.
Why? There are any number of
reasons, ranging from sellers not
knowing how to price the property to potential problems with the
condition of the house.
For example, without the advice
of a real estate agent, the seller
could overprice the home. So
when your lender has the property appraised (which you will
pay for), you may find that the appraisal comes in lower than the
seller’s asking price. And because
the lender is only prepared to lend
against this appraisal value, not
against the price the seller is asking, you may come up short.
A home inspection is always advisable, but with an FSBO, it’s essential. Even with an inspection,
the seller may refuse to fix the
items identified in the inspection
and the deal may fall through.
In purchasing an FSBO, you will
need your own real estate agent
to represent your interests-even
if you pay his or her commission
yourself. Your buyer’s agent will
evaluate the property in the light
of current local market conditions,
negotiate on your behalf, ensure
that the transaction closes seamlessly, and more.
Your home is the purchase of
a lifetime; if it’s an FSBO, make
sure it’s done right.
If you need am experienced, full-time
career agent who lives in your
neighborhood, call Faith Sarisky at
Realty Solutions of PA 1597 S. Delaware
Drive, Mt. Bethel PA 18343 610.452.2722
BLUE VALLEY TIMES
Continued from page 6 Data Driven Justice
One is, the letter called “high utilizers” of the criminal justice
system and the county jail. That’s “often people with serious mental illness, substance abuse and chronic health problems who repeatedly cycle through multiple systems, including jails, hospital
emergency rooms and other services,” Northampton County officials wrote. Such identifications can link people to less intrusive
services that are less costly, earlier in the process, resulting in
savings to the taxpayers and the community.
The second group, Northampton County officials said in their
letter, they want to address are “people held in jail before trial
because they cannot afford to bond out” but aren’t “a risk to the
community” and don’t pose “a risk of flight.”
In Browns’ and Keens’ letter to the White House officials overseeing the Data-Driven Justice Initiative, which the Obama administration announced in June, they said Northampton County
wants to create or expand data exchanges that can help people
whose mental illness has been a primary reason for committing
and being arrested for “low-level crimes.”
The county also plans to implement “data-driven risk assessment
tools to ensure decisions on pre-trial release are informed by empirically validated methods of gauging defendants’ risk to the community.
In a June news release announcing the initiative, the Obama administration said: “Every year, more than 11 million people move through
America’s 3,100 local jails, many on low-level non-violent misdemeanors, costing local government approximately $22 billion a year.”
According to that news release, 64 percent of the people in those
local jails “suffer from mental illness, 68 percent have a substance
abuse disorder, and 44 percent suffer from chronic health problems.
Communities across the country have recognized that a relatively
small number of these highly-vulnerable people cycle repeatedly not
just through local jails but also hospital emergency rooms, shelters
and other public systems, receiving fragmented and uncoordinated
care at great cost to American taxpayers, with poor outcomes.”
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County Executive John Brown stated “that while multiple components of our government and other systems will participate, Dan Keen,
Northampton County Director of Corrections will coordinate the initiative on my behalf, will report directly to me with respect to the initiative,
and will be the lead point of contact for the White House.
Over the coming weeks, in coordination with the White House,
we will outline a plan to advance the strategies in Northampton
County. In addition, Keen will participate in regular check-in calls,
engage with the White House and fellow communities on our
progress, and participate in communications and public engagement that make sense for Northampton County.”
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BLUE VALLEY TIMES
PAGE 16
Slate Belt Heritage Center
Calendar of Events for 2016
Thursday, November 10, 7 PM - Veterans
Program. Sunday, January 8, 2 PM - “Show
& Tell”- Audience interaction: bring an artifact
or family treasure and share its significance.
Pen Argyl vs Bangor Game
Pen Argyl High School will be hosting the
annual Bangor Pep-Rally on Friday, October 28th in Weona Park at the Band Shell.
The Band & Cheerleaders will perform and
our coaches and captains will offer some
inspirational words about Saturday’s game.
We invite all of our students and community
members to meet us at 6:45 before we torch
the Slaters at the bonfire at 7:30pm. Pen Argyl/Bangor Game tickets can be purchased
at the following times. Tuesday 10/25 at the
MS and JV Football games vs. Palisades at
4:00pm. Thursday, Public Sale from 5:006:30pm in the Pen Argyl HS A-Gym lobby
Annual Chicken Supper
Trinity United Church of Christ, 632 S. Delaware Drive (Route 611), Mt. Bethel, PA
18343. Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016 from 4:00 to
6:30 PM. Includes: Roast chicken, mashed
potatoes, filling (or stuffing), candied yams,
cran-apple sauce, creamed cabbage,beans,
homemade vanilla ice cream. Free parking.
Held rain or shine!! Call 610-588-1989 or
Email tjory2@aol.com with any questions!
Chicken Dinner
Saturday, October 29th, 2016 from 4:00–
7:00PM. For tickets call 610-588-7317. Tickets must be purchased no later than October
9th! Richmond United Methodist Church,
Route 611 – Bangor, Pa
Halloween Parade
The Belvidere LIons Club is conducting a
Halloween Parade. Wednesday, October 26
(Rain Date-Oct 27). Parade start time - 6:50.
Parade Staging - 6:15 - 6:50. Register 3 ways!
Online at http://belviderelionsclub.com/ and
click on “Halloween Parade Registration”.
Print out the Halloween Parade Registration
Form and mail it to :Belvidere Lions Club, PO
Box 291, Belvidere NJ 07823. Register on the
day of the parade at the Parade Registration
booth, set up in front of the court house from
3pm-5pm. Hot Dogs and Cider provided to all
participants by the Belvidere Lions Club.
BHS “Bandorama” Concert
Thursday, October 27, 7:30pm at M. Craig
Paine Performing Arts Theater. An indoor performance by the BAHS Marching Band complete with our 2016 Halftime Show “Jekyll and
Hyde”, school songs and pop tunes. For more
information visit: bahsbands.weebly.com
Soup and Study
Community Presbyterian Church of Mt. Bethel and Portland (1755 S. Delaware Drive,
Mt. Bethel) will host a Soup and Study on
Wednesday’s beginning October 26th, and
continuing on November 2nd and 9th, from
noon until 1:30 p.m. This event is free to
the community. You are invited to join us to
consider what these short, but great classics
might have to say to us today. The books can
be purchased through Barnes and Noble,
Amazon or downloaded on your e-reader.
For more information, please contact the
church office at (570) 897.6766.
Christmas Bazaar
The East Bangor United Methodist Community Church will hold its annual Christmas Bazaar on Friday, Nov. 18th - 9a.m. to 8p.m. and
Sat., Nov. 19th from 9a.m. to 3p.m. There are
handcrafted Christmas gifts and ornaments,
“white elephants”, hand-knitted items, estate
jewelry, baked goods, jams & jellies, and door
prize drawings. A light lunch and homemade
soup will be available. The church is located
at 136 W. Central Ave. (Rt. 512), East Bangor,
October 29
Immaculate
Conception
Doors 11am;
Starts 1pm
October 25
Portland Fire Co
Starts 7pm
October 26
Bushkill Twp Fire Co
Doors 5pm
Starts 7pm
October 28
Wind Gap Fire Co
Doors 5pm; Starts 6:45pm
October 30
Bangor VFW Post 739
Doors 3:30pm;
Starts 6pm
Open to Public
Progressive Jackpot
St. Elizabeth Church
Starts 1pm
October 31
Kunkletown Fire Co
Progressive
Jackpot - 7pm
PA. Call 610-588-4453 or visit: ebumc. org.
BHS Slater Band Bingo & Tricky Tray
Sunday, November 13, Doors open at
11:00AM, Games start at 1:00PM at Blue
Valley Farm Show. 20 games of bingo, tricky
tray, special raffles, 50/50, and door prizes.
Featured products from Longaberger, Coach,
Vera Bradley, Thirty-One, Alex & Ani and Michael Kors. Refreshments available for purchase. Ticket also includes sheet of tricky tray
tickets and a ticket for the special drawing.
For ticket information call: 610-588-4385.
Fine Artists & Craftsmen Needed
ARTSPACE Gallery, located at 18 N. Seventh
St., Stroudsburg, will open its doors as an art
gift shop for the Holiday season.An application form is available on line at poconoarts.
org or in the gallery and the deadline to participate is November 11, 2016. The store
opens on November 25 and runs through
January 2, 2017, with hours based upon
volunteer availability. For further information,
call the PoconoArts office at 570-476-4460 or
email laura@poconoarts.org.
Youth Chess Tournament
Northampton Community College (NCC) will
hold its annual Youth Chess Championship,
for children ages 18 and under, on Saturday,
November 5, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at
College Center, second floor. The college
is located at 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem Township. Participants will play five
rounds in unrated and rated sections. Trophies and prizes will be awarded as well as
random prize drawings. For more information, go to http.www.northampton.edu/chess
or call 610-861-4120.
Jump Start to Christmas Bazaar
Helping Hands across the Slate Belt. This is
not a church sponsored event. Crafters/vendors from the local area Sat. 11/12 from 104p, at Hope Church in Wind Gap. Food will
be available for sale. Please bring a canned
good, dry food item, or $1.00 to share with
Hope Food Bank
Bangor Womens Club Card Party
The Bangor Womens Club GFWC will hold
a Card/Game Party on Thursday Oct 27th at
11:30 am at Prince of Peace Church, Johnsonsville, PA. Soup and sandwich lunch with
homemade cake for dessert will be served.
Anyone interested in attending please contact Heidi Bates 610-599-8815 for full information and reservations.
4th Annual Starving Artist
Pocono Mac & Cheese
The 4th Annual Starving Artist Mac & Cheese
Bake Off is just around the corner on Sunday,
November 13, and PoconoArts is looking
for those recipes. Professional and amateur
chefs are invited to enter. Prizes are awarded
as a result of voting by our celebrity judges
and public “tasters” that attend the event on
November 13 at Rainbow Mountain Resort in
East Stroudsburg. Email laura@poconoarts.
org to receive an application form. Remember to invite your friends and neighbors to
vote for YOUR Mac & Cheese. Questions
and additional information: 570-476-4460 or
laura@poconoarts.org
Free Fall Country Dance
The Warren County Cultural & Heritage
Commission and Warren Grange # 110 are
OCTOBER 25, 2016
pleased to present a free afternoon of variety dances with polkas, waltzes, oldies, and
country western music with Fritz’s Polka
Band. This free Country Dance will be held at
the Warren Grange Hall, 102 Asbury Road in
Washington (Broadway), NJ 07882 at 3 PM
on Saturday, November 5.
PAHS Senior Citizens Holiday Party
Pen Argyl High School students and faculty
cordially invite you to attend a fun filled day
of food, music, and activities! This event is
open to all senior citizen’s of the Pen Argyl
Area School District. Friday, December 23,
2016. 8:30am to 12:30pm (Doors will open at
8:15am). Please RSVP by Friday, December
16th by calling 610-863-1293
Guest Speaker
The East Bangor United Methodist Community Church welcomes Ellis Williams as guest
speaker at the 9:15 a.m. worship service on
Sunday, October 30th. Ellis will be speaking
about his efforts with Bloom House, a recovery house for women. After-church fellowship
will follow worship. The church is located at
136 W. Central Ave. (Rt. 512), East Bangor,
PA. For more information call 610-588-4453
or visit ebumc.org.
Spaghetti Dinner
A spaghetti dinner is being held at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, 1440 Verona Dr.
West Bangor on Sunday, October 30th from
noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are available at the
door.
Free Movie Night
Cross Road Baptist Church located at 201
S. 2nd Street in Bangor will be holding a
Free Movie Night. The movie showing is War
Room. The event is scheduled for November
5th at 7:00 p.m.
Pastie Sale
The East Bangor Methodist Church will be
holding it’s monthly pastie sale on Tuesday
Nov. 1st. Pickup will be at the Church 136 W.
Central Av at 3:30. Choices are beef with or
without onion and broccoli cheese with or
without onion. Call 610-588-1745.
Fall Festival
Slate Belt Health And Rehabilitation, 701
Slate Belt Blvd Bangor Pa. Saturday November 5, 2016 from 9am to 3pm. Food, fun, live
entertainment, tricky tray and vendors. Funds
raised will help slater family network
Holiday Craft & Baking Sale
At the High Rise, in the community room,
Thursday, November 3, 2016 - 3:30 to 6:30p.
High Rise is located at 101 Murray Street,
Bangor, PA 6610-588-2428. Holiday gifts
and baked goods, and chances will be sold
for Holiday baked goods. The winners get to
pick the date you want 5 dozen holiday cookies. Hot dogs, coffee, and baked goods will
be sold.
Surviving the Holidays
DivorceCare and GriefShare support groups
will both be hosting free one-night “Surviving
the Holidays” sessions on Tuesday, November 15, 2016 from 6:30-8:30 PM. Both sessions will be held at Mount Eaton Church in
Saylorsburg, PA. Childcare is available upon
request. For more information or to register,
please contact the church office at (570)
992-7050 or office@mounteatonchurch.org.
Directions to the church and more information about the support groups may be found
at mounteatonchurch.org.
BASD Ski/Snowboard Club
Ski/snowboard club sign ups for Bangor Area
School District will be held on Wednesday,
November 2nd and Thursday, November 3rd
at7pm in the Bangor Middle School auditorium. Attendance is MANDATORY for any student interested in joining the club, students
must have a parent present for the meeting
as well. The program is open to students in
grades 5-12. Students/parents unable to
attend the sign up meetings must contact
Mrs. Lobb BEFORE the meeting dates at
lobbd@bangorsd.org. Questions regarding
the club can also be directed to Mrs. Lobb.
November Meeting
The Northampton AARP Chapter #3915 will
meet on November 9, 2016 at the Northampton Event and Banquet Center at 1601 Laubach Ave, Northampton PA. The doors open
at noon. Refreshments and entertainment will
be provided. If interested in any trips please
contact Sharon at 610-262-9182. In case of
bad weather and schools are cancelled there
will be no meeting.
Faith Quilters
The Faith Quilters of Faith United Presbyterian Church are selling beautiful hand quilted
quilts every Tuesday from 1 to 4 pm. All proceeds are given to mission organizations.
These quilts would make wonderful Christmas gifts. Please enter the church through
the Heller Avenue side door.
Pathways to Pardons
Senator Mario Scavello, in partnership with
Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack, will host the
seminar Pathways to Pardons on Tuesday,
November 15 from 6-8 PM at the Monroe
County Emergency Management office (100
Gypsum Road, Stroudsburg, PA 18360). The
event is free to the public and will inform constituents about the pardon process in Pennsylvania. While the event is free to the public,
an RSVP is required. To reserve your spot at
the seminar, please contact Kristine Bush of
Senator Scavello’s office at 570-620-4326 or
kbush@pasen.gov.
Low-Cost Shingles Vaccine
State Senator Mario Scavello will continue
his Healthy Living Series in partnership with
the Pennsylvania Department of Health to
offer low-cost shingles vaccine shots at his
Pen Argyl District Office on Friday, October
28 from 10 AM to noon (2 N. Robinson Avenue, Pen Argyl). To schedule an appointment,
please call the PA Department of Health at
610-250-1825.
Delaware-Lehigh Amateur Radio Club
Delaware-Lehigh Amateur Radio Club will
hold its meeting Thursday, November 3, 7:30
p.m. in the Bethlehem Township Community
Center, 2900 Farmersville Road, Bethlehem.
Program: “Wire Antennas of Every Flavor”
– Jon / NJ3I. Hams and others interested are
always welcome. Directions: http://goo.gl/
maps/qKUJC. FMI: www.dlarc.org, KE3AW@
ARRL.NET, 610.432.8286.
Pork & Sauerkraut Dinner
Family Style - All You Can Eat, Saturday,
November 5th, 4 pm - 7 pm. Hope United
Church of Christ, 2nd Street, Wind Gap.