Home Builder & Home Automation Services

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Created: February 2, 2016

LeTip Chester County East met on Tuesday, February 2, 2106. We were joined by guests representing the categories of marketing specialties and landscaping.

Our showboaters were Claudia Roemer and Beth Rondinelli. Claudia is our gift basket provider from Ceiba (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). She had photos of several different types of baskets that she has made for her customers, all beautifully arranged and filled with edible products, functional items (towels, mugs, etc.), and decorative items. Claudia has a ribbon printer that uses a variety of ribbon colors and embroidery colors to personalize a basket with a business name/logo, a greeting, the recipient's name, or any other message. Contact her to make a personalized and memorable gift for any occasion. Beth (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) is our estate attorney, and she prepares simple wills, powers of attorney, and living wills. Beth understands the importance of having these documents drafted before they are needed, and she charges $150 for the set of three documents to keep this peace of mind affordable for her clients.

Our first speaker was Adam Perkowski (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), our home automation specialist. Adam can design home automation products differently depending upon the customer's desired final result. He wants each person to have the experience they want and expect. Adam's home automation designs allow people to control various systems in their home from one source, which keeps things simple. The Nest Protect system can detect carbon monoxide, which will trigger the system to shut down the heating and air conditioning in the house and ping the customer's phone to alert them. The customer can silence the alarm on the phone to turn everything back on. Adam can install a thermostat that learns customer patterns and reprograms itself accordingly. He can install Sonos sound system products in one room, several rooms, or throughout the whole house. Nest Cam security cameras can be programmed to respond to motion, light, alarms, or other triggers. Adam can install home lighting with controls to adjust brightness, colors, etc. As summer approaches, he will also work to make outdoor living spaces more enjoyable, with outdoor lighting and sound as well as pool jet control.

Our second speaker was Bob Latta (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) of Latta-Kennedy Builders, our general contractor. Bob's goal is to provide the construction services and products that his customers want while helping them to feel comfortable during the building process. He showed a home project for which he and his team moved several house functions (including the kitchen and bedrooms) to another part of the house for the duration of the project. Bob makes sure that all floors are protected to prevent damage and also to allow for easier clean-up. The air-return system in the house is typically shut off to prevent dust from travelling throughout the house. Bob showed pictures of two other projects, one in which a garage was converted to a living room, and another in which a separate garage was built on the customer's property. All of the work was clean and professionally done.

Insurance Duo Education

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Created: January 12, 2016

LeTip Chester County East met on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Exton, PA. We were joined by a guest representing organic food products.

Our two showboaters were electrician Dan Frame (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and graphic designer Leigh Friedman (Leigh@FullCircleGraphicDesign). Dan provided some promotional items as well as flyers that list many of the services that Electrical Plus offers to their customers. Leigh displayed a wide variety of items that she helped to design, including printed materials, shirts, and a mug. She has helped people and businesses in very different fields to create images and products to promote their company or vision.

Our first speaker was Mike Hoopes, our property and casualty insurance agent (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Mike talked about the growing trend of customers purchasing insurance online and buying the state minimum coverage. True, this tends to give a lower rate for the insurance premium, but it also tends to lead to people having inadequate coverage in the event of a loss. Mike wants to help people get great coverage--not too much nor too little--at a good price. All insurance companies have to raise their rates sometimes, but Mike will make sure that his customers know why rates are going up when that may happen. He knows that customers are frustrated when they see an unexpected surge in their insurance premium. Mike is happy to be a resource for all insurance questions, and he will look at anyone's current policy to see whether it can be improved. In addition to home and automobile coverage, he can write policies for boats, ATVs, snowmobiles, or business insurance. Mike also highly recommends renter's insurance for anyone who is living in a rental space, including college students.

Our second speaker was Dave Kozak, our life, health, and disability insurance agent (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Dave spoke about life insurance and gave an example of a higher-end policy that he wrote for a family who wanted to use their life insurance policy as a vehicle to provide money to pay for college tuition for their three kids as well as a second home after they retire. Not everyone is able to afford payments of the amount that this family is investing, but Dave can help people at various financial stages to find a policy that will help them not only to provide a death benefit but also to supply benefits while they are still living. There are tax advantages to building wealth in this way, and Dave is ready to help any individual or family to acquire a policy that fits their budget, needs, and goals.

Mortgage Process Explanation from The Rate Kings Mortgage

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Created: February 2, 2016

LeTip Chester County East met on Tuesday, December 29, 2015 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Exton, PA. We welcome new member Dan Frame, an electrician from Electrical Plus (www.electricalplus.net). A guest representing telecommunications visited with us. Our showboater for the meeting was our portrait photographer, Jack Ansley (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Jack showed us that, in addition to taking professional portraits of people and animals, he also has a large library of scenic photographs that would make excellent gifts or add a touch of beauty to any home or office.

Our speaker was mortgage broker Lonnie Cooper from The Rate Kings Mortgage (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). The mortgage loan process begins when a potential customer fills out an application, either online or over the phone. Lonnie will take a look at all of the pertinent data supplied in the application to look for anything that could become an issue once the application is presented to the bank. It's better for Lonnie to address the issues with his customers before they get surprised by unexpected questions or problems from the bank. If Lonnie feels that there are no issues (or that they have been dealt with appropriately), then he will give a rate quote to his client. Once the client accepts the rate, Lonnie will send them a checklist of all the items that the bank will want to see prior to approving a mortgage loan. Once again, Lonnie will check to make sure that all documents are accounted for and that he doesn't notice anything that could be a red flag for the bank. The customer then will look over several pages of disclosures, which they then need to sign. Lonnie then will review all of the documents and signatures prior to sending the whole package to the bank. Once the title to the home has been cleared and an acceptable home inspection has been completed, the client is cleared to close and can confirm the closing date. Lonnie is proud of the service that he provides, including all of his pre-underwriting that minimizes unforeseen problems from the bank. He wants the entire process, from application through closing, to be as smooth as possible. He typically receives five-star reviews from his clients once closing is complete. Contact him for mortgages or refinances.