Old Mill Townhomes

March, the month when spring begins to show its face in Virginia. It is also the month that you really need to find things to do because it has been a long, gray winter. Well, as residents of townhomes in Lynchburg, VA, you have plenty of ideas for March right here:

Monday, March 12

• Lynchburg College’s Daura Gallery will open two new exhibits — What’s Up, Doc? Chuck Jones and the Animation Art of Looney Toons and Jere Real: 60 Years of Watercolors. Both exhibits will have opening receptions at 4 p.m. March 13 and remain up through April 15.

Communications professor Mike Robinson will give a related talk, That’s All Folks! Warner Brothers Animation,” at 2 p.m. March 18. (434) 544-8343, www.lynchburg.edu/daura.

Friday, March 16

• Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat opens at E.C. Glass at 7:30 p.m., with other performances at 7:30 p.m. March 17, 22-24 and 2:30 p.m. March 18 and 24. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. (434) 522-3712, extension 3511; www.ecglasstheatre.org.

Tuesday, March 27
 
• The New York-based Claremont Trio will perform at 7:30 p.m. in Randolph College’s Wimberly Recital Hall. (434) 947-8000, www.randolph.edu.

Friday March 23

• Liberty University will present Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps at 7:30 p.m., with other performances at 7:30 p.m. March 24, 26 and 27; 2 p.m. March 24; and 2:30 p.m. March 25. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for faculty, staff and seniors and $8 for students. (434) 582-2085, www.liberty.edu.

Thursday, March 29
 
• During the art lecture More to Tell, More to Do, conceptual artist Mel Chin will discuss both his artwork and his nationwide activist engagement, “The Fundred Dollar Bill Project,” at 7 p.m. in the Sydnor Performance Hall. (434) 544-8100, www.lynchburg.edu.

• The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Irish playwright Martin McDonagh’s Tony Award-winning black comedy about a lonely spinster, opens at 7:30 p.m. in the Babcock Studio Theater. Other performances are at 7:30 p.m. March 30 and 31 and 2:30 p.m. April 1.

St. Patrick’s Day is just a great excuse to have a party. The Irish know how to celebrate, so if you are having a “luck of the Irish” party in your apartment in Lynchburg, you need we have a great recipe for you.

First go out and get the (green) beer, green beads and some fun leprechaun hats. Download some Irish music, and grab some gold foil covered chocolate coins to toss around your townhouse. What’s the menu? Here is an idea.

Bangers and Mash:

4 links pork sausage or bratwurst
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons milk (optional)
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
salt and ground black pepper to taste
 
1 tablespoon butter
2 large onions, chopped
6 cups beef broth
2 cups red wine

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F

Directions: Cook the sausage links in a skillet over medium-low heat until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to an oven-safe dish and move to the preheated oven to keep warm.

Place potatoes into a saucepan over medium heat, cover with water, and boil gently until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two. Mix in 1/4 cup of butter, milk, dry mustard, salt, and black pepper; mash until fluffy and smooth. Set aside.
 
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat; cook the onions until translucent and just starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Pour in the beef broth and red wine; boil the mixture down to about half its volume, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. To serve, place a sausage onto a serving plate with about 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes. Pour the onion gravy over the sausage and potatoes.

Bangers and mash gets its name because sausages used to burst (or bang) while they were being cooked, because of the dried bread that was added to the meat. Mash, meanwhile, refers to the mashed potatoes. This recipe is a staple at in Dublin at Halloween, but it is well like too, so everyone will eat it at any time of year. Use good quality sausage or a bratwurst.

You have moved into your townhouse in Lynchburg, VA you now have to turn it into a home. How? Through decorating. Your townhouse is beautiful, it is your new home, but if you have empty corners, it is time to decorate. You don’t want empty spaces to dominate.

Decorate with plants. This is one of the easiest ways to bring life an color to your home. Not to mention, plants also act as air purifiers. If you have never cared for plants before, be sure you get the easy to care for plants. You want to use the plants to add cheer to your home, and dead plants or those that always drop dead leaves won’t do the trick.

Colorful toss pillows or throw rugs are another way to add life and design. When buying toss pillows, bean bag chairs or throw rugs, be sure to choose those that will accentuate a color already in the room.

Fish tanks are fun decorations, and add a nice focal point to any room. However, they can be an some trouble if you don’t think you will keep them clean. A dirty fish tank will have the opposite effect than what you are looking for, so be sure you are committed to cleaning it.
 
Are you or any of your friends artistic? If so, decorating with photos or “real art” makes quite a statement. See if you can purchase or swap for some artwork from one of your artistic friends. Original art always looks beautiful when used right.
 
A small corner book shelf or table with unique items like flowers, photos or other keepsakes make interesting and cozy décor that brings out your personality.

Have fun decorating your new townhome. Make it feel comfortable and welcoming; a place you would like to come home to.

That is what smart money columnist advises. Forget the conventional wisdom about renting. It turns out that renting is one of the smartest investments you can make.

In fact when economists run the numbers they find that renters save an average of $560 every month just by choosing to rent rather than buying.

And don't worry about losing out on the investment potential of a house. Renting allows you to use your "down payment money" for other investments, which provide a higher return than real estate, even in a booming housing market.

As a case in point, a $100 investment in housing in 1985 would be worth $293 today, while that same $100 placed in stocks would be worth $1146 - nearly four times as much.

When you add up all of the potential liabilities of home ownership - hidden maintenance and insurance costs, rising property taxes and potential price drops - renting is a smarter choice from the start.

Live smart; rent from the leading Lynchburg apartment home community: HHHunt. For more information on apartments or townhomes in Lynchburg, VA contact Old Mill Apartment Homes.

National Multi Housing Counci

“Home, sweet home” means a mortgage payment less and less often these days.

Despite historically low home prices, Americans are renting in greater numbers than ever. Nationally, the trend reflects an unstable housing market while many are choosing to rent.

“The housing collapse certainly illustrated that homeownership isn’t always a ‘can’t miss’ investment and entails disadvantages as well as benefits,” said Jim Lapides, public relations director for the National Multi-Housing Council. “We’re seeing long-term demographics that favor renting.”

The number of U.S. renter households grew by almost 4 million between 2005 and 2010. It is estimated that the number of renter households nationwide will increase by 360,000 to 470,000 annually over the next decade.

The majority no longer believe that a home purchase as a stable investment. That whole mentality has changed. People aren’t anticipating their home’s value will continue to increase like they used to. There’s a case for renting that wasn’t here five years ago.

A significant segment of renters are also young people who want to remain unfettered to a specific area or region.

About 76 million members of the Millennial Generation, those born in the 1980s and early 1990s, are entering the housing market, primarily as renters.
 
If it fits your lifestyle, renting an apartment in Lynchbug, VA is a good investment. Young people don’t want to be tied down. They’re at the beginning of their lives and they want to avoid the commitment and the cost of homeownership.

Original article – Shreveport Times

Sometimes in February, the month stuck between winter and spring in Virginia, it is hard to think of things to do. Well, as residents of townhomes in Lynchburg, Va, you  have loads of ideas right here:
 
Friday, Feb. 10
• The Maier Museum of Art’s Ninth Annual Love at the Maier event is set for 5:30 p.m. Admission is $5 for the general public and $4 for Maier members. A related event, Love at the Maier Family Program, in which children are invited to create valentines inspired by the exhibit, is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Feb. 12
• Riverviews Artspace will pick its On Screen/In Person Film Series back up with a screening of Concrete, Steel and Paint, a documentary about a prison art class collaborating with crime victims to design a mural.

Friday, Feb. 17
• Dance Theatre of Lynchburg’s annual Leaps and Bounds performance is scheduled for 7 p.m., with more shows at 7 p.m. Feb. 18 and 3 p.m. Feb. 19.
 
• Ragtime: The Musical will open in Liberty University’s Tower Theater at 7:30 p.m. Other performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18, 24, 25 and March 2 and 3; 2 p.m. Feb. 18 and March 3; and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 26 and March 4.

Thursday, Feb. 23
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream will open at Randolph College at 7:30 p.m. The theater department’s winter production also has performances at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24, 25 and 27 and 2 p.m. Feb. 26; all are in the Thoresen Theatre, and tickets are $10 for general admission, $8 for Randolph faculty, staff and alums and $5 for students and seniors.

• Lynchburg College’s theater department will also open its latest production, The Miss Firecracker Contest, at 7:30 p.m. in the Dillard Fine Arts Center theater. Other performances are at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23, 24 and 25 and 2 p.m. Feb. 26. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for students; the box office opens Feb. 20.

• That same night, LC hosts A Night at the Movies, in which the Wind Symphony and Orchestra will perform selections from films like “JFK,” “Forrest Gump,” “1941” and “Paradise Road” in the Sydnor Performance Hall. Another performance is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24.

Friday, Feb. 24
• Bedford’s Little Town Players will open Arsenic and Old Lace at 8 p.m., with other performances at 8 p.m. Feb. 25 and March 2 and 3 and 2 p.m. Feb. 26 and March 4. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger.

Saturday, Feb. 25
• The 8th annual Downtown Lynchburg Loft Tour runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with ticket sales benefiting the Free Clinic of Central Virginia. Tickets go on sale Feb. 1 and cost $20 in advance or $25 on the day of the tour.

• Later that night, the Jefferson Choral Society will present Water Music, featuring tunes like “Shenandoah,” “Deep River,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Ol’ Man River,” at 7:30 p.m. at Timberlake United Methodist Church. Another performance is set for 4 p.m. Feb. 26. Tickets are $20 for adults and $8 for kids 12 and older.

• The Blues Brother Revue will come to the Academy of Fine Arts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $27 for adults, $24 for seniors and $15 for students.

Sunday, Feb. 26
• Sweet Briar College will kick off its annual Gospel Fest, featuring some of the area’s best gospel choirs and singers, at 5 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. The event is free.

The News and Advance

Virginia is for Lovers. So if you live in an apartment in Lynchburg, VA, Valentine’s day should be a snap. This Valentine's Day you can show some love for your sweetheart and for the local  businesses. The Lynchburg tourism department is promoting several local Valentine's Day packages.

These packages include romantic dinners to private limo rides. There is also the added bonus of supporting the local economy.

"Our state tourism slogan is, ‘Virginia is For Lovers,' but when you get to down and figure out what is available you will find our ‘Lynchburg is for Lovers,'" said Nix, director of Discover Lynchburg.

Lynchburg lovers can enjoy a romantic night stay at several local hotels like the Craddock Terry. Many are offering package deals, and they will set the mood for you.

"You will also get a romantic petal turndown service in the evening, champagne, and a $20 voucher towards our gift shop," said Todd Swindell, hotel director of the Craddock Terry.

Another idea: escape to a local bed and breakfast like Acorn Hill Lodge, where the goal is to make you feel right at home.

"The suites are beautiful, and very comfortable," said Julie Robertson, an officer manager at Acorn Hill Lodge.

The special suites will include chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. Couples can enjoy some rest and relaxation at the Acorn Spa.

"The spa is going to offer a couple's massage for a $100. And, we are going to offer our beautiful king suite for a $175," said Robertson.

There are several Valentine's Day inspired events planned for the next few weeks. One event called Cupids and Cuisine will have a five course meal featuring chocolate.

There is a complete list of the deals at Discover Lynchburg's website.

Original article - ABC 13

Old Mill Town Homes, a community of town homes in Lynchburg, VA would like to remind you to check your outside pets for ticks. This winter, because it is so mild has seen more ticks than normal. Area veterinarians say the tick population is much worse than they typically see in the winter.

On Friday, animal hospitals around Lynchburg treated about a dozen dogs with tick bites.

It is thought that the mild winter is to blame because usually at this time of year, adult ticks are dormant far below the leaves.

As the temperature continues to drop, so will the number of ticks; and, unfortunately, the same thing goes for outdoor fleas, so make sure to check your pets.

It has been called the Big Selloff—America is headed toward a future in which fewer people own their homes. The effective homeownership rate stands at 62% percent, according to a 2010 report by the New York Federal Reserve.

As more people move from owning to renting, apartment vacancy rates have fallen fast, from 8% in 2009 to 5.6% in third quarter 2011. The trends on renting apartments and townhomes in Lynchburg is no exception.

Those trends are just the beginning, the US is becoming a nation of renters and home ownership will keep falling. And some experts say that could be good for the country.

This dramatic change, triggered by the 2008 housing collapse, has shifted people’s views of home ownership. The number of those who consider a home a safe investment fell from 83% in 2003 to 66% this year, according to a survey by Fannie Mae. In another poll last April, 40% of renters questioned said they plan never to buy a home. Another reason for this is that many baby boom retirees don’t want the burden of home repairs, rising property taxes and other responsibilities.


For more information on renting a townhome in Lynchburg, contact Old Mill Living.

Original article- the Fiscal Times

Many people are told when they are younger that renting is only for college graduates or people who cannot afford to buy.  Many parents hammer these ideas into their children and tell them that renting is equivalent to throwing money away every month.  Fortunately, today people are beginning to finally think for themselves and challenge these ideas.  Here are 4 reasons to pat yourself on the back for deciding to rent an townhouse in Lynchburg, VA at an HHHunt Community!  

1.  Renting can save money

At the very minimum you’ll be shelling out PITI for your home. That is:

• Principal
• Interest
• Tax
• Insurance

The PITI doesn’t include property maintenance like maintaining the yard, paint, plumbing, repairs, decorating, etc… When you rent an apartment in Lynchburg at an HHHunt community, the monthly payment is almost always quite a bit less than the PITI in your area and there are no maintenance expenses!

2. Homeowners’ tax deductions are overstated

According to research quoted by MSN, “… half of homeowners don’t get a break, because even with mortgage interest and property taxes, their total deductions do not exceed the standard federal tax deduction ($11,900 for couples and $5,450 for singles)”.

For these folks, it’s like spending $100 to save $20. They’re better off saving the difference and investing it.   Even if there is a “break” on your taxes, you typically had to spend more than you would have spent to rent to get back that $20 for every $100 spent in interest payments.

3. Renting gives you flexibility

For the up and coming young professional, you’re better off renting and saving for a few years than to buy a small condo. Who knows how fast you will outgrow it?  When you own a home, you can’t always sell it when you need to sell it at the price you want to sell it in order to accept a new employment opportunity.  If you have owned a home and don’t want the constant maintenance responsibility, renting gives you the opportunity to enjoy your weekends instead of completing that “to do” list.

4.  Our superb service teams!

Most apartment communities offer 24 hour emergency maintenance and technicians who are skilled in HVAC, plumbing, and electrical.  At an HHHunt Community, our service teams take great pride in offering prompt and professional service to you.  Whether you need a light bulb changed or a new compressor for your AC unit, we are there to take care of you as fast and efficient as possible.  We are always a phone call or email away and most service requests are performed on the same day or within 24 hours!