The Easiest $8,000 I’ve Ever Made

About a month after purchasing my new condo in the quiet neighborhood around Messiah College I received a rather nice surprise in the mail – one of those colorful treasury checks from uncle sam in the amount of $8,000. Well in all honesty it wasn’t really a surprise, the credit was the main reason I decided to buy the place to begin with, but holding that check in my hands I was indeed surprised at how easily the money came to me.

Most people have heard details about this popular program available to first time home buyers making that big decision at some point in 2009. That being said, I’m not so sure that people are really aware that this program is about to expire on December 1st, 2009. That doesn’t leave much time for interested home buyers to participate, as the closing process on a house can take well over a month from start to finish. What I’m really trying to say is; if you want to receive an $8,000 check from the government simply for buying your first house time is running out!

Sure there is strong emphasis on the free housing credit, (and for good reason) but how about historic low interest rates? I locked in my 30 year mortgage at 5%!

Just think about the numbers:

$100,000 home with 30 year 5% mortgage = about $500 monthly payment!

That should sound pretty affordable to most people, but add a roommate to that spare bedroom for $500 a month and buying a home never looked so enticing. It’s hard NOT to purchase a home right now.

Personally I was able to close on my condo with about $5,000 up front which was returned to me not a month after I closed and applied for the credit. And thanks to my realtor, the process was a breeze. Seriously, I know realtors depend on referrals and I’m happy to recommend mine, even if you’re just looking for some great resources and help getting started you can find a lot of fantastic tools on Keith Reilly’s homepage: KeithReillyRealEstate.com, check it out yourself sometime.

And for anyone even THINKING about buying their first place, don’t delay, this incentive is about to run out!

Harrisburg Makes Forbes.com List of Most Livable Cities in America

At first glance, ‘most livable’ could mean a lot of things, but I wanted to make sure this article gets a little more attention because Forbes.com actually uses a very legitimate set of statistics to grade their picks for ‘Most Livable Cities in America-

“Results were the result of comparing five-year income growth per household and cost of living from Moody’s Economy.com, crime data and leisure index from Sperling’s Best Places, and annual unemployment statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

Harrisburg ranked 12th on the list. Personally I think making the list at all is really quite commendable, what do you think?

Check out the full article as well as Forbes ‘Most Miserable Cities’ list.

Buying Local. Target: Harrisburg

If you haven’t already noticed, I’m taking on a new page to my blog that is currently entitled ‘local specialty shops.’ I haven’t found any other list of independent specialty stores around the Harrisburg region so I decided to build one myself.

It’s still very early stage but please feel free to leave your favorite shop in the comment section, I’ll be happy to add them.  I just wanted to build a place where people could learn about all the fantastic little niche shops we have in the greater Harrisburg region; from food and drink to home decor and clothing retailers. There’s just no reason to shop national stores with all that’s available to us here!

Where’s Your Favorite Caffeine Destination Around Harrisburg?

I’ve noticed lately that there are more coffee shops around Harrisburg than I have time to visit, especially around Camp Hill. I thought I’d create a poll to get an idea of which places are the most popular, please add a destination if I’ve missed it!

Local Stores Offer Creative Gift Ideas

Whether you’re looking for last minute holiday gifts, stockpiling future birthday presents or just want to reward yourself for all that hard work you’ve put in lately (of course we believe you), you don’t have to settle with a boring best buy gift card. You honestly don’t have to try too hard or look too far for some creative gifts that are sure to please. I’m personally a huge proponent of the whole buy local movement, it’s just a smart way to support your local economy and get more for your money, gifts are no different. More likely than not, wherever you live there is a unique little gift shop or food store, a local winery, a mom and pop shop that makes something you’ve never seen at Walmart.

In the greater Harrisburg area there exists a number of unique shops that are sure to be enjoyed, remembered, and most importantly used. The National Retail Association estimates that nearly 20% of gift cards are never even used- pity. Instead try the Virginia Nut Shop, a family owned nut and candy specialty store since 1959 offering the absolute tastiest varieties of snacks, along with their famous ‘blisters.’ How about some incredible sauces? Torchbearer Sauces have a number of unique flavors for any type of cooking or food that requires something sticky. Harry’s House of Heat is another local sauce shop that offers some intense hot sauces for that extra tough guy uncle of yours (he will cry, trust me).  You can even find international gifts right here in Central PA, Oxford Hall Celtic Shop and Josie’s German Food Market and Delicatessen both offer authentic ethnic groceries, baked goods, sweets, and much more. Sinful baked goods are never hard to find around Harrisburg, my personal favorite is Ciao! Bakery, bring some peanut-butter truffles from this shop and you’re guaranteed to make friends at that holiday party. Of course, you can never go wrong with the gift of award winning wine, West Hanover Winery is a local business that is worthy of sharing (responsibly of course).

The list can really go on and on, please feel free to add your own favorite specialty shop if I’ve missed it. The idea here is simple: give something that actually has some thought or meaning behind it, give something that represents your locale, give anything besides that boring best buy gift card.

Ethnic Grocery Stores Around Harrisburg

It has recently occurred to me after randomly stumbling upon a few wonderful ethnic grocery stores that Harrisburg has quite a few shops unfortunately existing under the radar for most people. As such, I’m starting a list of the shops that I’ve visited personally or am aware of around Harrisburg, please feel free to leave a comment with any additions you might have as I know I have probably missed a few. These places are truly unique and well worth trying for something new or unusual.

Choe’s Oriental Food Market, 829 State Street, Lemoyne. (Asian)

Dong My Asian Special Foods, Westshore Farmer’s Market, 900 Market Street, Lemoyne.

European Restaurant and Food Market, 5202 Simpson Ferry Road, Camp Hill. (Eastern Europe)

Fraulie’s German Delicatessen and Import Shop, 224 S 3rd Sreet, Lemoyne.

Fuji Do Japanese Market, 1701 Paxton Street, Harrisburg.

Goldy Market, 110 Old York Road, New Cumberland. (Eastern European)

Hampden Grocer – Asian Indian Grocery, 4704 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg.

India Groceries and Fashion, 2650 Walnut Street, Harrisburg.

Josie’s German Food & Deli, 5238 East Trindle Road, Mechanicsburg.

Kim’s Oriental Food, 2501 Paxton Street, Harrisburg. (Asian)

La Kasbah Deli, 913 North 2nd Street, Harrisburg. (Moroccan)

Landau Jewelers & Antiques, Asian American Market, 3507 Simpson Ferry Road, Camp Hill. (Vietnamese/Asian)

Little Saigon Food Market, 2800 Paxton Street, Harrisburg. (Vietnamese/Asian)

Madina Halal Meat and Grocery, 407 North Front Street, Harrisburg. (Middle Eastern/North African)

Mid East Market, 829 State Street, Lemoyne. 

Oxford Hall Celtic Shop, 315 Bridge Street, New Cumberland. (Brittish Isles)

Saint Thomas Village Store and Oriental Market, 5978 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg. (Filipino/Asian)

Shab’s Pita Stroller, 2269 Paxton Church Road, Harrisburg. (Mediterranean)

Tu Do Food and Gift, 2223 Derry Street, Harrisburg. (Vietnamese/Asian)

Tres Hermanos Taqueria, 216 N Front Street, Steelton. (Mexican/Latino)

Troegs to Host Harrisburg Young Professionals Networking Event

Troegs Brewing Company, the Harrisburg based and family owned microbrewery will be packed with current and prospective members of the Harrisburg Young Professionals on December 10th, 2008 for a networking event facilitated monthly by HYP referred to as the 2nd Wednesday Social. This inclusive monthly gathering is an opportunity for current HYP members to network and allows those curious about joining the organization a chance to meet members and test the waters before putting up the $30 to join.

For anyone interested in expanding their personal network, there’s not a more active young professionals organization than HYP, now in its 10th year of existence. With multiple monthly social events, year round sports leagues, special events, dinner and book clubs, various committees, a home tour, and much more, HYP is a great way to meet new people and expand your network all while supporting local businesses.  The Harrisburg Young Professionals have been a key component of the redevelopment and growth of the city of Harrisburg, a city once recognized as the 2nd most depressed city in the nation during the early 1980s, but has since received almost 3 billion dollars of investment and was just last year named in the top 100 Best Places to Live list by Recolate-America.

You can learn more about the Harrisburg Young Professionals, including information about the 2nd Wednesday Social to be held at Troegs Brewery on HYP.org.

Harrisburg Young Professionals Launch New Website

If you haven’t already noticed, the Harrisburg Young Professionals (HYP) have successfully launched a completely new website. The update to HYP.org was a long time coming, and Factory 44 did an exceptional job with making the site as clean and user friendly as possible. Users can now find brief descriptions of events and news about HYP happenings right on the homepage, including links to other sites where HYP has a growing online presence like Facebook, twitter, Myspace, and LinkedIn.

Other helpful aspects of the site include information about committees, both HYP and community events (a la Spotobe.com), community links, and a classifieds section with real estate and job notices.

If you’re not familiar with HYP, they are “a group of young, active, civic-minded professionals who have a clear vision of Harrisburg’s future as a great place to live, work, and play.” It’s a membership organization that is host to a number of committees, events, social gatherings, sports leagues, book clubs, and much more. For only $30 you can obtain membership for a whole year in addition to a discount card good for a number of Harrisburg businesses.

If you’re curious about the organization, they hold a monthly social open to both members and non-members, usually at a pub in downtown Harrisburg on the second Wednesday of the month. I can speak from my own experience, HYP is a great way to network, make new friends, and have fun in the process. Check out their new website to learn more!

$100k Business Plan Contest: What’s the Big Idea?

If you’ve got a great idea for a  new business venture the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern Pennsylvania are putting up $100,000 to make it a reality. Think you’ve got what it takes? It’s okay if you don’t already have a business plan, as long as you are willing to locate your business should you win into one of the 32 eligible counties in Pennsylvania you are encouraged to enter. Ideally, the business should be related to nanotechnology, green technologies, alternative energy, advanced manufacturing,  advanced materials, medical devices, information technology, or software, but that’s not a requirement so make sure to double check to see if your idea is still eligible.

This is a wonderful opportunity to win the funds necessary to launch your own business, just make sure to turn in your business plan prior to the December 17th, 2008 deadline. Click the logo for more details.

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Like Beer? Curious About Entrepreneurship?

Then check out this great upcoming event taking place at both Troegs Brewery in Harrisburg and the Market Cross Pub in Carlisle. You can register online at MurataBusinessCenter.com: