The ‘FROG’ automation system can be fitted to new gateways or most pairs of existing gates that you may have. York Vale Fencing Ltd are able to visit your gateway to professionally ensure that the ‘FROG’ automation system is the best possible solution for your requirement.

As its name implies this superb, much copied gate machine is designed to operate in damp, below ground level conditions. It is indeed the most popular machine with the discerning customer, who not only wants a long lasting reliable gate machine, but also does not want to see any type of armature attachment on the inside of the gates.

Jean Nouvel’s bold design for the Guthrie Theater has sparked a real estate boom in Minneapolis

When Jean Nouvel’s bold, blue Guthrie Theater opened on the Minneapolis riverfront last summer, locals behaved as though a strange, outsized critter had just landed. Then they began flocking to it, finding delight in the three new theaters and the long cantilevered bridge overlooking the Mississippi. Other cultural buildings have since opened nearby—and real estate developers are capitalizing on the neighborhood’s new cachet.

One new project is The Portland. This 42-unit condominium building, located near the Guthrie in Mill City, exhibits a lively, Modernist flair. James Dayton Design used honey-colored resin and wood veneer panels and Galvalume steel for the exterior cladding. Windows project outward providing space for breakfast nooks or balconies. Under construction now, The Portland is due to be finished in late 2008. Read more…

Donald Anthony has slashed the price on his four-bedroom, two-bathroom house by almost $80,000 — and added $40,000 worth of improvements, including a new kitchen and landscaping in the leafy yard.
He’s used three different agents. He’s listed the 1,800-square-foot home — an immaculate ranch on a quiet cul-de-sac — on for-sale-by-owner sites, in newspapers, on cable television and community site Craigslist. He or his agents have spent at least 50 idle afternoons hosting open-house events. Read more…

Just a year ago, real estate and resort condos for sale were the hottest thing going. If you advertised one with a price even near appraised value, or offered a preconstruction condo loaded with amenities, investors couldn’t buy it fast enough. Realtors were happily making huge commissions, and the investors happily anticipated huge profits from “flipping”.

Prices increased in the resort areas like Florida and Las Vegas, while huge high-rise developments took over and carpeted the landscape with bulldozers and construction workers. Then hurricanes came, the war progressed, interest rates and gas prices went up, and the so-called real estate “bubble” became a reality. Read more…

AT A RECENT get-together at my home a few of my girlfriends were admiring the beautiful new drapery panels in my master bedroom. They captured attention because the previous draperies had hung there for 14 years. I was so happy to finally replace them with a gorgeous Italian satin stripe fabric. I casually mentioned that this was the very fabric that I had used to design draperies for a client. Having fallen in love with the fabric and the design of the panels I decided to treat myself.

One of my friends asked how much draperies like these cost my client. A bit shocked, I answered her. I explained that my client’s bedroom has 12 of these panels, because she has six windows — I have only one window. I also mentioned that my client lives in a $2 million home in a very prestigious neighborhood. My friend gasped, “I don’t care how beautiful they are and what kind of home it is, that price is just ridiculous and no home is worth that kind of money for draperies!”
Read more…

Say it’s a sunny Sunday in the Santa Clarita Valley. You and your spouse are out running errands.

Suddenly, while driving through an attractive area you’ve longed to live in but felt you couldn’t afford, you spot an “Open House” sign. Behind it is a large, handsome home adorned with lovely foliage and expensive masonry. Your eyes gleam. Your breath quickens.

“Gee, dear, shall we go in?” you ask your mate. “I mean, it’s probably way more than we can afford, but hey, what’s the harm in looking, right?” Read more…

Properties are not getting multiple offers and selling within hours of listing anymore. Things have calmed down a bit across most of the country, and properties are now sitting on the market. The traditional method of listing your property with a real estate agent and waiting for people to buy isn’t going to cut it anymore, unless you price very aggressively.

What can you do? The market has gotten a bit cold - showing a definite slowdown. If you insist on hollding out for top dollar, you may get a bit creative Read more…

Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski has asked state officials for an additional $500,000 to help the Fegley family, owners of Bethlehem Brew Works, complete plans for a restaurant and brewery on Hamilton Street.

The Brew Works’ Allentown location, announced three years ago, has already been awarded more than $4.5 million in local, state and federal loans and grants, and will be exempt from most state and local taxes until 2011.

The project is also slated for $1.8 million in loans through a regional financing pool administered by the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp.

But unforeseen construction costs have created a $700,000 funding gap, raising the cost of the project to more than $7.7 million, and further delaying its opening. Read more…

Who doesn’t know the story about David grabbing a single stone from his pouch, placing it in his sling and letting it fly at the giant Goliath?

What you didn’t know is that today, Goliath has transformed into huge, real estate conglomerates who market on a broad scale to buyers and sellers.

David Sirsi, a Realtor and Broker, and his wife, Bonnie, are a power couple, who followed their own dream to serve clients.

Miki Garcia: Why did you and Bonnie leave the hallowed halls of a large real estate company?

Dave Sirsi: Conventional real estate is rapidly being defined through the larger corporate real estate companies and the smaller, locally owned firms. Of course, corporate real estate views transactions from broader need than the local firms. Both of these entities offer specific advantages and disadvantages based on the sellers’ paradigm of desired needs. Read more…

America’s wealthiest have higher hopes for their stocks this year, but are worried about prospects for real estate, according to a survey released Tuesday.

Nine out of 10 wealthy portfolio holders said they expect their portfolios to rise in 2006, according to the 2006 U.S. Trust Survey of Affluent Americans. On average, they expect an 8 percent return from U.S. stocks.

Faith in the real estate market, however, was weak: Only 48 percent said they expect real estate’s value to increase in the next year, down from 72 percent who thought it would in last year’s survey. Read more…