This Summer has brought several new Summer Enrichment Academies to the Pine Bush Central School District high school students.  Yes in the times of budget cuts and less less less in most school districts, Pine Bush has increased the options for high school students to five program choices including the original Law and Leadership Academy, the Science Academy, the Literacy and Education Academy, the Aviation Academy, and the Performing Arts Academy.  All the Academies have been in session since the beginning of July and I am hearing great things about them. The Performing Arts Academy is busy with rehearsals for this Summer's show "HONK!".  It is the story of the adventure of the ugly duckling and friends and is sure to be a hit with children and adults alike. Next week will be performan... 07/20/2010

We all have DREAMS!  We want so many things.  There is that perfect dream house in your future but what about NOW?  You might be bemoaning the fact that you can't afford to have it all.  You might have turned away from looking for a house when the $8000 tax credit opportunity passed you by.  You might be waiting for things to turn around but the truth is waiting never got anyone anywhere.  You need to act! So you dream of your castle with all the bells and whistles but you can build towards that home by finding a place that you can afford now with the things you NEED now.  Do you really need 4 bedrooms right now?  Most of the young couples I work with don't need that much space.  Does the desire to be off in your own world have you stuck in an apartment because you don't want to buy a t... 07/19/2010

Hello Pine Bush, NY!  I know it's only July but I wanted to remind you that our annual Harvest Festival is in the planning stages and you can reserve a spot for your business or organization now!  This year's Pine Bush Harvest Festival will be held on Saturday Sept 18th from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM (raindate Sept. 19th) If you have never been to this Pine Bush party on Main Street before let me tell you it is a lot of fun.  Main Street is shut down to traffic for a couple blocks and becomes a pedestrian walkway.  There are several stages set up where local performers and students from the schools and various after local programs for dance and cheerleading show their stuff!  Lots of food, chances to play games, and a wide variety of booths selling everything from art to clothing and beyond.  P... 07/14/2010

  Join the Navy and See the World!  No really, I remember this as one of the all time classics in tag line advertisements. Short, sweet and it says what it's target audience wants to hear. Well joining Mary Kay can help you to expand and enrich your world and no one will be shooting at you.   I know that many women today are sitting there wondering how they are going to get through another day.  They may have bills to pay with no way to pay them.  They may be facing a world through the clouded lens of abuse or low self esteem.  They may have children who they have hopes and dreams for but don't have it in them to provide the encouragement and example for their kids to follow.  They may not have such problems but are just be bored with the same old same old.  Those of us in real estate a... 06/05/2010

Well here in Pine Bush New York we have a wonderful organization called Focus on Youth Initiative that is a collaboration between a wide variety of community members to help youth with asset building.  I have been a member of this great organization for several years and the quarterly meetings are a great place to learn all the wonderful things that kids in Pine Bush are doing these days. Now you can visit our brand new website to find out the who, what, and where of this organization and learn what is available to help our youth thrive in today's world. This website was developed by a team of high school students,  Mitchell Moliterni, Austin Angelo, and Marcus Camacho assisted by Dave Smith of Real Estate Solutions and FYI member.  Check it out to see what a great job they did! The Mis... 06/04/2010

Hello ActiveRain!  It has been a while since I popped in here.  I have been busy with both Real Estate (I have a closing next week Yeah!) and my new Mary Kay business.  I am so excited about this I had to share it with you all! Please join me in KISSING THE VIOLENCE GOODBYE!  Yes Mary Kay is donating $1 from every of the limited edition Beauty That Counts Lipsticks to help women and children get out of violent situations and to fund groups that are working on solving this problem.  Check out some or the great things that the Mary Kay Ash Foundation did last year!  They provided grants totally over $3 million to shelters throughout the country among so many other things. You can order these lipsticks on my Mary Kay website and while you are there check out some of the other great product... 05/26/2010

Rave reviews are in for the annual Pine Bush High School Spring Musical which opened last night.  There are two more performances of "Children of Eden" today and you should not miss it.  Choose the  Saturday matinee at 2:00 PM, or the final performance at 8:00 PM.  Children of Eden tells the age old story of children who disappoint parents and are punished then given a second chance is explored in this musical based loosely on the Book of Genesis. The music and lyrics are by the same composer who did Wicked, Godspell, and Pipin. The curtain rises on the dawn of creation with Let There Be and it is music and dancing and drama and WOW!  The amazing thing is these kids put this together in a few short months hampered by all the snow and winter mess we had this year and have managed to pull... 03/20/2010

Did you know that with a library card from any of the libraries in the Ramapo Catskill Library System you can download audio books, ebooks, music, and videos for free? What an awesome service from the libraries in this area!       Most of the libraries in Orange, Ulster, Sullivan and Rockland counties of New York belong to this system.     We have recently added smart phones to my family electronic gadgets.  Unlike the famous shoe phone of a certain secret agentman these phones have so many possibilities.  It is now possible to read a book on the phone.      Nicole has downloaded a required reading book for school and is finding more time to get through it while reading it on the go.  You can also download audio books to listen to on the road.  I will be adding these to my IPod or phone... 03/18/2010

  Performances are Friday March 19 at 8:00 PM and Saturday March 20 at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM at   Pine Bush High School, Rt 302, Pine Bush, NY.   Advance sale tickets are available for $8 for adults and $5 for students or senior citizens.   Tickets at the door (if it does not sell out) are $10 for adults and $7 for students or senior citizens. You can contact me for advance tickets.   Come on out and support the arts in Pine Bush!   03/10/2010

I have been attending many of the Pine Bush Central School District Board of Education meetings and and budget forums recently in an effort to support the continuation of high quality educational programs for our District.  As I pointed out at the first forum I attended, the reputation of our schools will directly affect each and every one of us in the communities that make up the District. Whether we have children in the system or not our property values and future saleability of our homes and other real estate is influenced by how desirable the schools are to prospective home buyers and businesses who are considering a move to our community.   As a parent I am hoping that our children will receive the kind of educational opportunities that will excite them and keep them motivated.  I ... 03/09/2010

Well here it comes again New York.  They are predicting a lot of snow for tomorrow afternoon and night.  The snow is going to be wet snow which is soggy and heavy.  We know what soggy heavy snow can do don't we?     Be careful when shoveling This type of snow will be hard to move and shoveling will take a lot out of you.  Be sure to use common sense and find someone to help you if it is too much for you. Expect that we may have power outages throughout the area so get prepared.   Find your flashlights, I know that the kids have been playing with them so you may need to dig in the toy box and replace those batteries.   Gather some candles and matches.  Remember never leave a candle burning unattended or in a room alone with a small child. Fill some jugs or pails with water especially if ... 02/24/2010

Do you have a Carbon Monoxide Detector in your house or apartment?  Well if you live in New York you better get one.  Today, February 22,2010, is the day the Amanda's Law takes effect.  This State Law was passed in July and requires every dwelling in New York State to have a working Carbon Monoxide Detector installed.  They can be hard wired or plug in units with battery back up.  The plug in units are easy to find in stores and installation is merely plugging them into an outlet and maintaining batteries to back up the system.  They are like having your own little security system complete with a bouncer to sound the alarm in case of danger. This law came about through the efforts of Amanda Hanson's parents after her tragic death in January of 2009.  Amanda was only 16 and on a sleep ov... 02/21/2010

Are you thinking about buying a home this spring?  When I was growing up my aunt always had a puzzle out on a table in her living room.  It was always a race to get that puzzle would be completed.  If you are thinking of buying a new home it is time to put the pieces of your home buying puzzle together before you miss out on some extremely favorable buying conditions and incentives. Deadlines are fast approaching for the Tax Credit and it is doubtful that it will be extended again.  In order to qualify for the $8000 first time tax credit or the $6500 tax credit for buyers who are moving to a new home after selling another home they have owned for 5 or more years, buyer's must be in contract by April 30, 2010 and close by June 30, 2010.  In this area of New York state that means you had ... 02/16/2010

Pine Bush Central School District residents are asking what they can do to help with the efforts to encourage the State of NY to provide our District with a fair share of the pie.  The State has cut back on state aid to School Districts throughout the state but Pine Bush is one of seven or eight Districts that face severe cuts in aid.  Governor Paterson is proposing targeted school aid reductions based on wealth and student need. In figuring the aid cuts to Pine Bush the state is using data regarding reduced and free lunch participation from several years ago.  There has been a huge increase in students who are using this program in our schools in the past year and although the state has those current numbers they are using the old statistics.  Although it would not make up for all of t... 02/13/2010

When I am working as a Home Buyer Representative for some people they mention to me that the School District is not important to them because they do not have children.  I always point out to the buyers that resale value and ease of resale will matter to them and a good School District means higher value and easier sale in the future.   In this part of New York State the value of the property is determined not only by the house construction and features but by commuting distance to New York City and several other factors.  The School District that the property lies in is one of the major considerations when pricing a property.  The more highly regarded the district, the higher the test scores, and the better the school programs means a higher value for the property. To illustrate this p... 02/10/2010

Last night I attended a portion of the Pine Bush Central School District Board of Education meeting.  During the meeting one of the things that really hit home for me was the fact that the State of New York has used old data to compile it's budget for the cuts in State Aid to our district. Mr Steinberg, our Superintendent of Schools, stated that we are one of eight or so Districts state wide who got hit hard due to the determination that we were not burdening our taxpayers enough.  The formula used to determine this is based on several factors including the value of homes within the district and the number of students receiving free and reduced lunches.  Debora Brush, our Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Serivces, told us that the numbers of students in the program that the s... 02/09/2010

So many times we are tempted to defend our hard won gains or our positions at a point where it is no longer logical.  When we draw a line in the sand we often lose everything in the end.  Case in point a world known local Orange County Motorcycle empire.  I drove past the world headquarters on Route 17K in Newburgh yesterday and saw one of the Hummers that you have seen if you followed the show out front with a for sale sign on it.  I don't follow the show but have been aware of the rift between father and sons that has caused many problems.  There are lawsuits flying in many directions and the television show has lost it's draw for many because it was the very interaction between the family that drew people to watch it.  When I picked up the local paper last night I found this article ... 02/09/2010

I have been writing about the Pine Bush Central School District budget planning process.  At tonight's Budget Forum there were many wonderful people who showed up to express their concerns about and offer suggestions to help with the school budget. I heard a lot of great ideas and I was encouraged to hear a lot of  "we are in this together".  There were energy saving suggestions, town supervisors who offered the schools use of facilities, parents who volunteered to help, students who spoke eloquently about their passion for various school programs, and so much more.   It all comes down to finding new ways to do what we already are doing and it is going to take the cooperation.  One of the things that needs to be said is that everyone will have to give a little.  We are living in a diffe... 02/08/2010

You might find buying a house in the Greater Hudson Valley of New York's Orange, Ulster, or Sullivan Counties is a little different than buying a home in other states and even in different areas of New York State.  This series will prepare you for searching for and buying real estate in my neck of the woods. When you are looking for a house you should first speak with a mortgage representative.  You can speak with someone at your own bank, credit union, or a mortgage company.  It is my recommendation that you work with a lender who is at least familiar with the area you are planning to search in.  With the different practices in different states and even within areas of states the local representatives will know how best to help you.   The mortgage representative will give you the amoun... 02/08/2010

Our school district, the Pine Bush Central School District,  is in the process of formulating a budget for the next school year.  Like many school districts in New York state and I am sure across the country, Pine Bush Central School District is faced with severe cuts in income through lowered contributions by the state and lowered tax income.  There are several options being considered.  It seems that one of the options is to cut services to the bone. This would eliminate many programs that help to keep our children involved in school.  The quality of our schools affects our property values in the district.  It is important to keep our school's reputation intact.  Well I think it is time to rethink how we do things. You see it is not about cutting this program and slashing that one it ... 02/07/2010