SML Movie Press Release
on May 5, 2012The following press release is currently on wires to more than 17,500 outlets in support of the World Premiere of LAKE EFFECTS filmed at Smith Mountain Lake, Va., a Hallmark Movie Channel Original starring Jane Seymour, Scottie Thompson, Madeline Zima, Jeff Fahey, Ben Savage, Evan Podell, Sean Patrick Flanery and Casper Van Dien, Sunday, May 6 @ 8 p.m. ET/PT, 7c.
Hallmark Movie Channel announces the World Premiere of the Hallmark Movie Channel Original film “Lake Effects,”starring Scottie Thompson, Jane Seymour, Madeline Zima, Eyal Podell, Sean Patrick Flanery, Ben Savage, Jeff Fahey and Casper Van Dien premieres on, Sunday, May 6, 8 p.m. ET/PT, 7C.
“Lake Effects” is the story of a high powered attorney Sara (Thompson) who while on her way to the top reluctantly returns to her childhood home on the enchanting Smith Mountain Lake to attend her father’s (Fahey) funeral and help her sister Lily (Zima) and mother Vivian (Seymour) settle the family estate. While there, Sara’s love for the lake and the townspeople is reignited, and with the help of her father’s ever present spirit, Sara looks inward, discovers the importance of love and family, and gives her all to save the family’s beloved home.
The inspiration for “Lake Effects” comes from the real community of Smith Mountain Lake in Southwest Virginia where the film was shot. Because Smith Mountain Lake residents were instrumental in the making of the film, producers of the film have pledged a significant giveback program which includes donations to clean and restore the lake and preserve its rich history.
LIFE OUT LOUD Films presents “Lake Effects,” a Sara Elizabeth Timmins Production. Written by Scott Winters. Directed by Michael J. McKay. Music by Kazimir Boyle. Executive Producers Bart and Lynn Wilner. Produced by Sara Elizabeth Timmins.
Hallmark Movie Channel, the second linear channel from Crown Media Holdings, Inc., simulcast in SD (Standard Definition) and HD (High Definition), is a 24-hour cable network dedicated to bringing viewers family-friendly movies with a mix of classic theatrical films, presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library, original Hallmark Channel movies and special events. In today’s crowded television landscape, the network is a unique and captivating entertainment experience, providing programming families can watch together. It is now available in over 46 million homes. Crown Media also operates Hallmark Channel which provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming to a national audience of 87 million subscribers.
VAR’s Agency Center is now online
on May 3, 2012Agency: It’s a simple word that describes a complex set of relationships that Realtors® engage in every day. Its complexity is evidenced by the volumes of books written about it, the fact that it is taught as a semester course in law school and, most importantly, the way it is misunderstood in everyday real estate practice.
The Virginia Association of Realtors® worked to help develop legislation to enhance the agency relationship disclosure requirements between licensees and those they represent. This means there are a number of changes to the existing agency laws in Virginia, and VAR wants to make sure that all members are up to speed on what they need to know to serve their client and customers and stay in compliance with Virginia laws.
VAR’s Agency Center covers a lot of ground, including:
- Agency law basics
- An overview of the upcoming 2012 changes to the law
- Information on the required disclosures and VAR standard forms and contracts
- Training and education information
- A statewide course calendar
- Videos and other resources
CLICK HERE to check out the growing library of resources in VAR’s Agency Center.
Why the change?
- Inform the consumer: The law is to make sure consumers are fully informed about the real estate services they’ll receive and the nature of the relationship with the licensee.
- Mitigate REALTOR® liability: The law is designed to protect licensees by making sure full disclosure is provided and the nature of brokerage relationship is reduced to writing. It’s to eliminate much of the consumer confusion that can come back and bite the licensee.
- Discourage opportunisitic dual agency: The law is intended to make sure that licensees who practice dual agency are fully informing consumers about the risky nature of that relationship.
Q1 2012 home sales report is now available
on April 27, 2012The First Quarter 2012 Virginia Home Sales Report has been released and brings good news for the Commonwealth! Several long-term trends indicate that Virginia’s housing market is continuing to stabilize.
As shown above, the pace of home sales in the first quarter of 2012 marked an improvement over both the first quarter of 2011 and 2010.
The median residential sales price has increased 2.4% in Virginia over the past year despite a slight (-0.5%) decline over a three-year time period.
Click here to download the full First Quarter 2012 Virginia Home Sales Report as a PDF to find out more about how different regions in Virginia fared in the first quarter of 2012.
Bass Blast Week at Smith Mountain Lake
on April 13, 2012
Beginning Friday, April 13th, ESPNs, Carhartt East Super Regional, the official Collegiate B.A.S.S. fishing tournament comes to Smith Mountain Lake’s Bridgewater Plaza. Scheduled to bring in over 150 college teams from Louisiana to Maryland to compete, this tournament top prize a coveted spot in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic. Created in 2006, Tournament Director Hank Weldon said that they only had 20 teams. Now over 200 teams from all over the country participate. Already on the line up for Smith Mountain Lake are ten teams from Virginia Tech, eight teams from Radford plus many more from as far away as Texas and Alabama and regionally like West Virginia. This event will be filmed and televised on ESPNU to over 73 million households. Launches and weigh ins will take place at Bridgewater Plaza. Launch times are scheduled for 7:00 a.m. with weigh ins taking place starting at 3:00 p.m. Come early because parking will be limited. FREE Shuttle services provided by T-N-T and the “Cool Bus” on Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Park at the Trinity Ecumenical Parish – 40 Lakemont Drive, Moneta VA 24121.
And just when you thought the week was over…..Oakley Big Bass Tour – Blue Ridge Big Bass Classic returns for it’s second year on Smith Mountain Lake, April 21 & 22 – Bridgewater Plaza. This all amateur tournament with hourly weigh ins had a record number of anglers last year participating for the first time. This year we expect 300 to 400 anglers trying for the hourly cash prizes from $100 – $500 to the total two day weight prize of a 2012 Triton Bass Boat. This tournament is an affordable $150 to enter for the two day tournament. More details can be found on www.oakleybigbass.com. Weigh ins will begin at 8:00 a.m. and will run hourly to 3:00 p.m. You don’t want to miss all the activities planned for Saturday, April 21st starting at 10 a.m. with a special appearance from “Moonshiner Tim” from the hit cable TV series “Moonshiners” on the Discovery Channel. FREE shuttle will also be offered on Saturday, April 21st beginning at 12 p.m. by T-N-T and the “Cool Bus”. Please park at the Trinity Ecumenical Parish, 40 Lakemont Drive, Moneta VA 24121. Last shuttle leave Bridgewater Plaza at 5:00 p.m. The Oakley Big Bass Tour will be televised on the World Fishing Network and Fox Sports South and Midwest.
Many thanks to the local sponsors, Bedford & Franklin County, Roanoke Outside, RVCVB, Bridgewater Plaza and Bridgewater Marina. There are limited vendor spaces still available. Please contact Debra Weir, debraweir@franklincountyva.org or via phone at 540420-8501.
Start a New Easter Tradition at SML
on April 9, 2012
Many of us at Smith Mountain Lake grew up thinking Easter was about Easter egg hunts and rabbits that brought candy, chocolate and pretty colored baskets. Many folks are still celebrating Easter in a similar fashion. It’s become tradition – it’s just what we do.
- - Palm Sunday – Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem and read Mark 11:1-11 and Luke 18:29-28.
- - Passover was the last meal together (Mt. 26:17-20). How did Passover come about? Read Exodus 12 as a family and discuss.
- - Read about how and why Jesus washed the disciples feet – and do likewise.
SML Is A Great Place To Be In April
on April 5, 2012
If you have been hoping for some excitement at Smith Mountain Lake this spring, you will not be disappointed! Here are just a few of the great activities you might want to participate in during the month of April.
Buy a raffle ticket for your chance to win a $5000 package, including 1 week’s vacation rental, 7 day Pontoon Boat Rental, local shopping packages and more, to “Experience SML”. Ticket are $5 each, or 3 for $10! Tickets will be sold at the SML Visitor’s Center, area events and various outlets around SML. Drawing July 5, 2012 (1 in 1500 chance to win).
THE ROCKY MOUNT CENTER FOR THE ARTS, in The Grainery Art Gallery building, 220 Franklin St., Rocky Mount, offers art lessons for adults and children. Classes open for pottery, stained glass, painting and weaving. Come and browse beautiful arts and crafts by local artists. Enjoy watching live glass blowing demonstrations. www.rockymountarts.org. 540-483-1317.
Saturday, April 14 - 100 Year Anniversary Titanic Event - Chateau Morrisette invites you to an elegant event aboard the ill-fated Titanic.Dine extravagantly on five courses and wine as our re-enactors animate a momentous evening’s final hours.6:30 p.m. Advance reservations only, $95 per person, includes tax and gratuity.540.593.2865, thedogs.com.
Virginia Dare Cruises & Marina is offering April Early Bird Discount on all cruises for 2012 season. Mention “Early Bird Discount” ONLY in the month of April when making your reservation to get group rate prices (10% off) on any size group this season. The Early Bird gets the “Discount”.
The 9th Annual Smith Mountain Lake Business EXPO will be held April 27th from Noon to 5pm on Route 122 in Downtown Moneta. 120 businesses will be represented in three large covered venues as well as outside exhibits. CLICK HERE to register to be in the EXPO. For more information, call Jim Shauberger at 540-721-1203 or email jims@visitsmithmountainlake.com.
Start your spring with Rockin Brews & BBQ’s, Saturday, April 28th from 11:00am – 6pm in Downtown Moneta. The site of the SML Business Expo will be transformed from tents filled with businesses into tents filled with tasty BBQ and rockin music. A variety of barbecue will be served from North Carolina to Kansas City and everything in between. $5 Cover Charge. Children 12 and under free.To be a sponsor contact Andy Andrews at andy.andrews60@gmail.com or call 540-721-1203. For more information, or to volunteer, contact Jim atjims@visitsmithmountainlake.com.
Penhook Boat Dock will be reopening this April. Remember us as your one stop lake shop when you are visiting SML. We offer ethanol-free marine fuel, minnows, tackle, boating supplies, convenience store items, and hot food from the grill. We also provide WiFi access for our customers. We hope to see you soon! (540) 576-2868. www.penhookboatdock.com
VAR’s Agency Center is now online
on April 5, 2012Agency: It’s a simple word that describes a complex set of relationships that Realtors® engage in every day. Its complexity is evidenced by the volumes of books written about it, the fact that it is taught as a semester course in law school and, most importantly, the way it is misunderstood in everyday real estate practice.
The Virginia Association of Realtors® worked to help develop legislation to enhance the agency relationship disclosure requirements between licensees and those they represent. This means there are a number of changes to the existing agency laws in Virginia, and VAR wants to make sure that all members are up to speed on what they need to know to serve their client and customers and stay in compliance with Virginia laws.
VAR’s Agency Center covers a lot of ground, including:
- Agency law basics
- An overview of the upcoming 2012 changes to the law
- Information on the required disclosures and VAR standard forms and contracts
- Training and education information
- A statewide course calendar
- Videos and other resources
CLICK HERE to check out the growing library of resources in VAR’s Agency Center.
VARbuzz: Ritholtz offers week long, in-depth housing analysis
on April 5, 2012Barry Ritholtz is one of my regular reads when it comes to housing. As with any “expert,” I take everything he says with a grain of salt, but I appreciate that he backs his positions with data and has a solid track record and a lot of industry respect.
If you’re interested in a detailed, deep analysis of the housing market, this week Ritholtz is going through five aspects of it, and “looking at the Housing Recovery meme, challenging the assumptions and data that make up that argument.”
Parts of it get pretty dense, but most of it is accessible if you sit down to read it. (I tried skimming and that didn’t work very well. It requires a quiet place.)
The series, which still has two more days, is worth a read for sure.
Monday: “Debunking the Housing Recovery Story” specifically, shadow inventory.
[W]e have heard from Housing Bulls as part of their recovery thesis that the decrease in inventory of homes for sale is a net positive. I would argue that the massive supply of homes in the Shadow Inventory make this judgment premature.
Tuesday: “Home Affordability Reality Check”
Regardless of the fact that homes are off 35% from their peaks, and mortgage interest rates at record lows, buyers have an insurmountable hurdle. For most potential home buyers, the NAR Home Affordability Index is a meaningless data point. Lacking any down payment and having restricted access to available mortgage credit, homes may be theoretically affordable — just not to them.
Today, Wednesday: “The Problem With Home Prices“
And therein lies the rub: Real Incomes have been mostly flat the past decade; this is making it challenging to grow into a full blown housing recovery. Without real income growth, the purchasing power of potential buyers remains flat.
VARbuzz: Housing crisis to end this year!
on April 5, 2012
Yep, you heard that right. “Housing Crisis to End in 2012 as Banks Loosen Credit Standards,” is the DSNews story, and it’s based on an analysis by Capital Economics (“the leading independent macroeconomic research consultancy”).
“[M]arket indicators point not just to a stabilization of mortgage lending standards, but also a loosening of credit availability,” it said.
Well that’s that, then.
VARbuzz: Housing gains appeal — or not
on April 5, 2012Conflicting stories? Or just a wacky economy?
The Wall Street Journal has a piece, “As Home Rents Head Higher, Owning Regains Its Appeal,” that says, well, this:
Climbing rents for apartments are combining with a continued decline in home prices to push once-reluctant home buyers into finally taking the plunge, say economists and real-estate agents, helping what appears to be a good start to the housing industry’s all-important spring selling season.
Meanwhile, Reuters is quoting a Reis study that found that the U.S. apartment-vacancy rate fell to its lowest level in a decade:
The U.S. apartment vacancy rate in the first quarter fell to its lowest level in more than a decade, and rents posted their biggest jump in four years, as Americans eschewed home ownership and renting retained its popularity. (Emphasis mine.)
So which is it? Or, perhaps, it’s more proof that everyone’s guessing about what’s causing what, why people are doing what they’re doing, and what’s going to happen next.
