For almost a decade now, every time we talked about real estate we immediately discussed money. We didn’t talk about the value of a home but instead about the price of the house. We didn’t worry about a roof over our heads but instead the ceiling on our interest rate. We didn’t care as much about where we raised our family as we cared about how much we increased our family’s net worth.
That will change in 2011. The KCM Crew believes very strongly that real estate will return to what it has been for the 200+ year history of this country: a place for us and our families to live comfortably. It will also prove to be a great long term investment as it always has been.
Our parents and our grandparents didn’t buy their homes as a short term financial investment. They bought it so they had a place of their own to come home to at the end of the day; a place to raise their family; a place they could feel safe.
Sure they dreamed of a ‘mortgage-burning’ party. They realized it was a form of forced savings. They were taught that, if they paid their mortgage every month, they would wind up with a little retirement account decades later.
And, they realized that wouldn’t happen if they rented.
However, in the last decade, we somehow forgot that the financial aspect was the serendipity not the major reason to buy. We believe that 2011 will be the year that people return to the historic reasons families purchased a home. This is the year when we again remember that homeownership is a major part of the American Dream.
What about the challenges to a housing recovery? Let’s look at them.
2011: The Year a House Again Becomes a Home
29 December 2010
28 December 2010
Real Estate 2010: The Year of Intervention
This past year has been very challenging for real estate. The market was defined by outside intervention. This intervention tugged at historic trends. Government involvment caused market fundamentals to be distorted beyond recognition. Unpredictability was the only thing we could predict.
Modifications
The administration’s announced goal of the modification program was to save 3-4 million families from losing their homes. The actual number of homeowners assisted will come in at less than one million. Most consider the program a failure.
However, we believe that there was a secondary unannounced goal of the modification program: to slow the flow of foreclosed homes to the market. Putting homes through the modification process prevented banks from moving forward with the repossession process as quickly as they normally would.
Limiting supply was one of the ways the administration used to help stabilize home prices. However, the administration has recently slowed the modification process (see graph below from the latest Economic Letter from the Dallas Fed). Going into 2011, a larger number of foreclosed properties will enter the market. read more....
Real Estate 2010: The Year of Intervention
Modifications
The administration’s announced goal of the modification program was to save 3-4 million families from losing their homes. The actual number of homeowners assisted will come in at less than one million. Most consider the program a failure.
However, we believe that there was a secondary unannounced goal of the modification program: to slow the flow of foreclosed homes to the market. Putting homes through the modification process prevented banks from moving forward with the repossession process as quickly as they normally would.
Limiting supply was one of the ways the administration used to help stabilize home prices. However, the administration has recently slowed the modification process (see graph below from the latest Economic Letter from the Dallas Fed). Going into 2011, a larger number of foreclosed properties will enter the market. read more....
Real Estate 2010: The Year of Intervention
14 December 2010
Demand for Housing Will Increase in 2011
The last Pending Home Sales Index from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) showed a substantial 10.4% month-over-month increase. According to NAR the index measures:
housing contract activity. It is based on signed real estate contracts for existing single-family homes, condos and co-ops. A signed contract is not counted as a sale until the transaction closes. Modeling for the PHSI looks at the monthly relationship between existing-home sale contracts and transaction closings over the last four years.
This increase confirms a growing feeling that demand for housing has begun to increase.
Bottom Line
Sales will increase over the next several quarters. The increase will initiate a housing recovery. However, price increases will not take place until current inventory levels diminish. That could take 12-18 months. please read the entire article!!
Demand for Housing Will Increase in 2011
housing contract activity. It is based on signed real estate contracts for existing single-family homes, condos and co-ops. A signed contract is not counted as a sale until the transaction closes. Modeling for the PHSI looks at the monthly relationship between existing-home sale contracts and transaction closings over the last four years.
This increase confirms a growing feeling that demand for housing has begun to increase.
Bottom Line
Sales will increase over the next several quarters. The increase will initiate a housing recovery. However, price increases will not take place until current inventory levels diminish. That could take 12-18 months. please read the entire article!!
Demand for Housing Will Increase in 2011
19 November 2010
16 November 2010
04 November 2010
awesome buffalo video.. share with EVERYBODY!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT11IdWPvfc&feature=share
03 November 2010
02 November 2010
are your clients receiving worthy info ???
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28 October 2010
6 Reasons That Buyers are NOT buying... Tara-Nicholle Nelson
Interest rates are at historic lows: less than 4.5% on a 30-year-fixed and below 4% on 15-year fixed rate loans. And prices are low, too - at or near bottom in most of the country. Together, these items mean that affordability is near an all-time high.
It's like a massive, pre-holiday sale on real estate!
Nevertheless, home sales are only "gradually" creeping up, according to the most recent data published by the National Association of Realtors. And sellers are clearly still feeling price pressures; on Trulia's October price reduction report, an all-time high 27% of American homes listed for sale had had their price cut at least one time!
So, what's stopping buyers from running out to grab up all these affordable homes at affordable rates? And what can savvy sellers (and listing agents!) do to offset these obstacles?
1. (Perceived) difficulties in qualifying for a mortgage. Mortgage guidelines have tightened up significantly over the last few years, now requiring good (but not perfect) credit, documented income, a proven stable job history and cash for down payment and closing costs. Some buyers find it difficult to scrape the down payment money up; others find that they can qualify, but not for a large enough mortgage to buy any home worth owning (banks have tightened up debt-to-income ratios, too). Many would-be buyers don't even consider themselves serious prospects, disqualifying themselves in their own heads because they heard somewhere that a 20 percent down payment is necessary - in actuality, many buyers can qualify for a 3.5 percent down, FHA loan. Between actual difficulties qualifying and perceived difficulties that don't actually exist, lots of buyers are not biting because of loan "issues."
Seller Solution: Ask your agent to have a mortgage broker colleague prepare flyers reflecting various loan options, to give open house attendees a reality check about what it would actually take - including down payment, closing costs and monthly payment - to buy your home. Also, consider offering closing cost credits or being willing to chip in for lender-required repairs to empower buyers who are struggling with mortgage qualifying to close the deal.
2. Fear of buying a foreclosure. The ongoing robo-signing/foreclosure fraud scandal and the resulting foreclosure freeze is beginning to play a role. If you haven't heard, two of America's largest mortgage servicers have frozen foreclosures and resales of foreclosed homes in 23 states, and Bank of America, the largest lender in the land, has frozen them in all 50 states, all because sweeping fraud and improprieties have been revealed in the way the banks are processing foreclosure documentation.
More and more, buyers are fearful that if they buy a foreclosed home, that sale could be reversed down the road if it comes out that the banks wrongfully foreclosed on the former owner. And that could be stopping buyers from, well, buying foreclosed homes.
Seller Solution: If your home is not a short sale, all of your home's marketing materials should be trumpeting this fact - especially if most of your home's competition (e.g., similar homes in the area and in the same price range) are bank-owned homes and short sales. Seeing 'Not an REO/Not a Short Sale' on a listing or flyer is quite magnetic to buyers right now.
3. Waiting for the shadow inventory to come out. The phrase 'shadow inventory' refers to the homes that have been (or will soon be) foreclosed on by the banks, which are not yet on the market; some estimate this inventory to be as high as 7 million homes! Many buyers who are actively house hunting -- and who are disappointed with the homes that are available -- are fearful of pulling the trigger because they believe the banks are going to start releasing their 'shadow inventory' soon, and that those homes will be better than what's out there on the market right now.
Seller Solution: Work with your agent to strategically stage your home and even do basic, inexpensive repairs, to make it stand out against the competition as a desirable property. Also, ensure that your pricing is in line - or even slightly below - similar homes on the market right now, to ensure that your home seems like a very strong value for the price.
4. Waiting for the bottom. Given the trajectory of home prices over the past couple of years, there's a large contingent of buyers who are afraid that after they buy, home price will continue to fall and they will lose their hard-earned investment in the home. These are folks who are still waiting for the bottom (although by some accounts, including that of the Case-Shiller Price Index, the bottom is here or has already passed, in many cities).
Human nature is always to wait too long for the bottom, miss it, and then end up wishing we had bought sooner. The behavioral economics theory of myopic loss aversion explains this phenomenon as being due to the fact that the pain of losing money generates a greater psychological fear and avoidance than the prospect of gaining the same amount of money. Buyers can set themselves up to gain over time, even if they lose equity in the very near term, by making smart decisions about the home they buy and how much they pay for it, and planning to stay in their home for a longer term than previous generations of buyers did.
Seller Solution: This is a difficult one to counter, because it's really more about the would-be buyer's interpretation of the market than about their reaction to your home. If you live in a market that has had recent increases in home values, include that data in your marketing - make sure buyers are aware that they may already have missed the very bottom, and create a sense of urgency to buy your home before prices go up even more.
5. Unemployment/underemployment. Take California, for instance. The national unemployment rate is 9.6%; California's is a whopping 12.8%. But right around the same number of Californians are underemployed, meaning they work part-time, but want full-time work. That's right, a quarter of Californians are unemployed or underemployed, and -- right again! - none of those people are buying homes. On top of that, many people who do have jobs lack job security, the confidence of believing they'll be able to keep their jobs in the future. Interest rates could be zero, and people will not buy homes as long as they have no jobs or job security.
Seller Solution: If there are major employers in town that are within an easy commute of your home, both you and your agent should consider marketing it directly to employees there. Share your home's listing with Facebook friends who work there or even send an email out to your own contacts, if you work there yourself! Major companies' Human Resources Departments might help you get the word out to their employees - especially if you offer some incentive to an employee who buys your home, like a year's worth of subway passes. If you have universities nearby, there are likely online bulletin boards that offer housing options directly to relocating professors and employees.
6. Need to keep options open. Because home values are so volatile, currently, there's no guarantee that you can resell today's new home tomorrow without taking a loss. If we've learned anything from this crisis, we all know that it just doesn't pencil, financially, to buy a home on today's market unless you plan to own the home for at least 7 years (give or take a year or so, depending on how your market has fared in the housing recession).
Many Americans don't want to be tied to one location, given the changes in the job market, because they simply don't want to be stuck in one place, geographically speaking. They want to be free to meet someone via online dating and move if the match sticks. They want the freedom to move across the country or even to the next city or state for a job, if that's the direction their career takes them. The more mobile the person, the less likely they are to buy a home.
Seller Solution: Price your home well - if it's been lagging on the market, make sure you get aggressive and cut the price below a common buyer search cut-off price point (see this post for more details: Sellers: 5 Signs It’s Time to Cut the List Price of Your Home). Even buyers who are seriously in the market, get nervous about buying a home when it seems a bit overpriced, because they fear the price will drop some more in the coming months and years, extending the period of time before they can sell it at a break even or (hope beyond hope) a profit! Don't let overpricing cause you to lose buyers who otherwise would have bitten the bullet, pulled the trigger and hopped off the fence in order to buy your home.
It's like a massive, pre-holiday sale on real estate!
Nevertheless, home sales are only "gradually" creeping up, according to the most recent data published by the National Association of Realtors. And sellers are clearly still feeling price pressures; on Trulia's October price reduction report, an all-time high 27% of American homes listed for sale had had their price cut at least one time!
So, what's stopping buyers from running out to grab up all these affordable homes at affordable rates? And what can savvy sellers (and listing agents!) do to offset these obstacles?
1. (Perceived) difficulties in qualifying for a mortgage. Mortgage guidelines have tightened up significantly over the last few years, now requiring good (but not perfect) credit, documented income, a proven stable job history and cash for down payment and closing costs. Some buyers find it difficult to scrape the down payment money up; others find that they can qualify, but not for a large enough mortgage to buy any home worth owning (banks have tightened up debt-to-income ratios, too). Many would-be buyers don't even consider themselves serious prospects, disqualifying themselves in their own heads because they heard somewhere that a 20 percent down payment is necessary - in actuality, many buyers can qualify for a 3.5 percent down, FHA loan. Between actual difficulties qualifying and perceived difficulties that don't actually exist, lots of buyers are not biting because of loan "issues."
Seller Solution: Ask your agent to have a mortgage broker colleague prepare flyers reflecting various loan options, to give open house attendees a reality check about what it would actually take - including down payment, closing costs and monthly payment - to buy your home. Also, consider offering closing cost credits or being willing to chip in for lender-required repairs to empower buyers who are struggling with mortgage qualifying to close the deal.
2. Fear of buying a foreclosure. The ongoing robo-signing/foreclosure fraud scandal and the resulting foreclosure freeze is beginning to play a role. If you haven't heard, two of America's largest mortgage servicers have frozen foreclosures and resales of foreclosed homes in 23 states, and Bank of America, the largest lender in the land, has frozen them in all 50 states, all because sweeping fraud and improprieties have been revealed in the way the banks are processing foreclosure documentation.
More and more, buyers are fearful that if they buy a foreclosed home, that sale could be reversed down the road if it comes out that the banks wrongfully foreclosed on the former owner. And that could be stopping buyers from, well, buying foreclosed homes.
Seller Solution: If your home is not a short sale, all of your home's marketing materials should be trumpeting this fact - especially if most of your home's competition (e.g., similar homes in the area and in the same price range) are bank-owned homes and short sales. Seeing 'Not an REO/Not a Short Sale' on a listing or flyer is quite magnetic to buyers right now.
3. Waiting for the shadow inventory to come out. The phrase 'shadow inventory' refers to the homes that have been (or will soon be) foreclosed on by the banks, which are not yet on the market; some estimate this inventory to be as high as 7 million homes! Many buyers who are actively house hunting -- and who are disappointed with the homes that are available -- are fearful of pulling the trigger because they believe the banks are going to start releasing their 'shadow inventory' soon, and that those homes will be better than what's out there on the market right now.
Seller Solution: Work with your agent to strategically stage your home and even do basic, inexpensive repairs, to make it stand out against the competition as a desirable property. Also, ensure that your pricing is in line - or even slightly below - similar homes on the market right now, to ensure that your home seems like a very strong value for the price.
4. Waiting for the bottom. Given the trajectory of home prices over the past couple of years, there's a large contingent of buyers who are afraid that after they buy, home price will continue to fall and they will lose their hard-earned investment in the home. These are folks who are still waiting for the bottom (although by some accounts, including that of the Case-Shiller Price Index, the bottom is here or has already passed, in many cities).
Human nature is always to wait too long for the bottom, miss it, and then end up wishing we had bought sooner. The behavioral economics theory of myopic loss aversion explains this phenomenon as being due to the fact that the pain of losing money generates a greater psychological fear and avoidance than the prospect of gaining the same amount of money. Buyers can set themselves up to gain over time, even if they lose equity in the very near term, by making smart decisions about the home they buy and how much they pay for it, and planning to stay in their home for a longer term than previous generations of buyers did.
Seller Solution: This is a difficult one to counter, because it's really more about the would-be buyer's interpretation of the market than about their reaction to your home. If you live in a market that has had recent increases in home values, include that data in your marketing - make sure buyers are aware that they may already have missed the very bottom, and create a sense of urgency to buy your home before prices go up even more.
5. Unemployment/underemployment. Take California, for instance. The national unemployment rate is 9.6%; California's is a whopping 12.8%. But right around the same number of Californians are underemployed, meaning they work part-time, but want full-time work. That's right, a quarter of Californians are unemployed or underemployed, and -- right again! - none of those people are buying homes. On top of that, many people who do have jobs lack job security, the confidence of believing they'll be able to keep their jobs in the future. Interest rates could be zero, and people will not buy homes as long as they have no jobs or job security.
Seller Solution: If there are major employers in town that are within an easy commute of your home, both you and your agent should consider marketing it directly to employees there. Share your home's listing with Facebook friends who work there or even send an email out to your own contacts, if you work there yourself! Major companies' Human Resources Departments might help you get the word out to their employees - especially if you offer some incentive to an employee who buys your home, like a year's worth of subway passes. If you have universities nearby, there are likely online bulletin boards that offer housing options directly to relocating professors and employees.
6. Need to keep options open. Because home values are so volatile, currently, there's no guarantee that you can resell today's new home tomorrow without taking a loss. If we've learned anything from this crisis, we all know that it just doesn't pencil, financially, to buy a home on today's market unless you plan to own the home for at least 7 years (give or take a year or so, depending on how your market has fared in the housing recession).
Many Americans don't want to be tied to one location, given the changes in the job market, because they simply don't want to be stuck in one place, geographically speaking. They want to be free to meet someone via online dating and move if the match sticks. They want the freedom to move across the country or even to the next city or state for a job, if that's the direction their career takes them. The more mobile the person, the less likely they are to buy a home.
Seller Solution: Price your home well - if it's been lagging on the market, make sure you get aggressive and cut the price below a common buyer search cut-off price point (see this post for more details: Sellers: 5 Signs It’s Time to Cut the List Price of Your Home). Even buyers who are seriously in the market, get nervous about buying a home when it seems a bit overpriced, because they fear the price will drop some more in the coming months and years, extending the period of time before they can sell it at a break even or (hope beyond hope) a profit! Don't let overpricing cause you to lose buyers who otherwise would have bitten the bullet, pulled the trigger and hopped off the fence in order to buy your home.
17 September 2010
19 August 2010
Check out NAR's houselogic.com -for everyone!!
Great resource for homeowners to start a virtual binder for your property.. Track tax incentives, changes, ecofriendly opportunities, neighbourhood info and more.. Let me know how it works for you.. Explore it today! Http://www.houselogic.com and it is FREE!!
03 August 2010
28 July 2010
Galapagos Removed From UNESCO Endangered List - NYTimes.com
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) -- The Galapagos Islands have been removed from the UNESCO list of sites endangered by environmental threats or overuse.
The island chain, about 620 miles (1,000 kms) off Ecuador's coast, is home to unique animal species that inspired Charles Darwin's ideas on evolution.
In 2007, the United Nations body included the World Heritage site on its endangered list because of damage from tourism, immigration and invasive species.
A UNESCO committee meeting in Brazil Wednesday said strong action by Ecuador's government to battle these problems means the Galapagos Islands are now safer.
ny times
The island chain, about 620 miles (1,000 kms) off Ecuador's coast, is home to unique animal species that inspired Charles Darwin's ideas on evolution.
In 2007, the United Nations body included the World Heritage site on its endangered list because of damage from tourism, immigration and invasive species.
A UNESCO committee meeting in Brazil Wednesday said strong action by Ecuador's government to battle these problems means the Galapagos Islands are now safer.
ny times
26 July 2010
Post-Downturn Changes Affect Practitioners
Even the most resourceful, resilient real estate practitioners have run into challenges since the downturn. Here are some of the issues they face today:
• Buyers and sellers who strive to pinch pennies make the job more difficult — and less profitable. "Consumers are looking at agents differently and saying, 'We don't need to buy the full level of service,'" says Katherine Pancak, professor of finance and real estate at the University of Connecticut.
• The overall number of real estate professionals has dropped during the past two years, although some states, including Texas, Michigan, and New York, have seen increases in the past year of up to 10 percent in new real estate licensing applications.
• Persistence is an important factor in today’s real estate business. The average U.S. home is on the market for 150 days before it sells, up 43 percent from two years ago, according to Altos Research.
Source: SmartMoney, Alyssa Abkowitz (07/15/2010) via Realtor.org
• Buyers and sellers who strive to pinch pennies make the job more difficult — and less profitable. "Consumers are looking at agents differently and saying, 'We don't need to buy the full level of service,'" says Katherine Pancak, professor of finance and real estate at the University of Connecticut.
• The overall number of real estate professionals has dropped during the past two years, although some states, including Texas, Michigan, and New York, have seen increases in the past year of up to 10 percent in new real estate licensing applications.
• Persistence is an important factor in today’s real estate business. The average U.S. home is on the market for 150 days before it sells, up 43 percent from two years ago, according to Altos Research.
Source: SmartMoney, Alyssa Abkowitz (07/15/2010) via Realtor.org
19 July 2010
29 June 2010
Sculptor Simon Griffis Dies In Zoar Valley Fall - WBEN NewsRadio 930 : Buffalo & Niagara Falls, NY
so sad.. what a nice guy. grew up down the street in canada :(
Sculptor Simon Griffis Dies In Zoar Valley Fall - WBEN NewsRadio 930 : Buffalo & Niagara Falls, NY
Sculptor Simon Griffis Dies In Zoar Valley Fall - WBEN NewsRadio 930 : Buffalo & Niagara Falls, NY
28 June 2010
17 June 2010
15 June 2010
07 June 2010
01 June 2010
Center Court Commons in Tonawanda
Home sweet home
By David J. Hill
The Tonawanda News
TOWN OF TONAWANDA — A new patio homes community in the town is beginning to reach capacity as homebuyers respond to the lure of first-floor living.
Just nine homes remain for sale on the 29-building lots in the Center Court Commons, a subdivision along Cortland Avenue and Bering Avenue at the site of the former Jane Adams Elementary School.
To help bring the project to full completion, a “Tour of Homes” event will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. June 5 and 6. Visitors will be allowed to tour the inside of many of the homes in the subdivision, while also meeting with their potential neighbors.
“We are expecting a pretty good flow of traffic,” said Denice L. Subach, a real estate agent with Realty USA, the firm selling the homes.
“It’s still one of the hidden gems in the Ken-Ton area that people may not know about. We’re encouraging people to meet the residents and really understand what it’s like living in this community. We’re hoping to get it all cinched up pretty soon,” she said.
Each home is custom built, with an emphasis on one-story construction, although buyers do have the option of adding a second floor. Several homes are fully handicap-accessible, favoring a slight ramp instead of steps leading to the front door.
The homes range from 1,350 to 2,600 square feet, and come with an 8-foot ceiling basement, first-floor laundry room and two and a half car garage. Prices start at $229,900. Snow removal and lawn maintenance are also taken care of for residents. Fences and swimming pools are not permitted.
“The floor plans are similar, but every house is different,” said Center Court Commons President John Duerr, a partner with developer 250 Cortland Avenue Inc. “Everybody gets to modify anything they wish.”
Duerr bought the property four years ago. This is the third building season for the project. Sales slowed a bit last year when the recession took hold, but interest is back on the rise, he said.
Marcia Bogusthelawski was one of the first residents to move into the development. She had lived in the town her entire life before moving to East Amherst, where she resided for five years.
Bogusthelawski bought a home on Cortland Avenue 14 months ago and happily relocated to the town. “I wouldn’t go anywhere else,” she said Friday afternoon. “My roots are here and I wanted to return to my roots.”
Since moving in, Bogusthelawski, a retired teacher, has become one of the development’s staunchest resident salespeople. Her home at 222 Cortland will serve as the registration area for next weekend’s Tour of Homes.
“Having good neighbors is so important. Everybody I’ve met here, they’re all wonderful people,” she said.
Bogusthelawski’s home is among a handful of units with a loft that has extra bedrooms, including a guest room, and another bathroom.
Many of the subdivision’s buyers are retired empty-nesters, but the residents do span a range of ages, from 14 to 94, and professions, from teachers to doctors.
Duerr said many people have responded well to the idea of first-floor living, especially those with special needs. “With the transition from the big house to first-floor living, we’re extending the independent living of older folks,” Duerr said.
He said that because of the handicap accessibility of many of the units, some residents have been able to return home after having surgeries that would prevent them from going upstairs.
Once the project is finished and the remaining homes sold, sidewalks will be installed and a row of pine and pear trees will be planted in the middle of the subdivision, giving residents added privacy, Duerr said.
Realty USA’s Subach said she’s heard from numerous potential buyers surprised that first-floor living homes are available in the town. “They think they have to go to the Southtowns or Amherst because there hasn’t been anything available, and John has changed that,” she said.
“It’s like he created Florida in Tonawanda.”
By David J. Hill
The Tonawanda News
TOWN OF TONAWANDA — A new patio homes community in the town is beginning to reach capacity as homebuyers respond to the lure of first-floor living.
Just nine homes remain for sale on the 29-building lots in the Center Court Commons, a subdivision along Cortland Avenue and Bering Avenue at the site of the former Jane Adams Elementary School.
To help bring the project to full completion, a “Tour of Homes” event will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. June 5 and 6. Visitors will be allowed to tour the inside of many of the homes in the subdivision, while also meeting with their potential neighbors.
“We are expecting a pretty good flow of traffic,” said Denice L. Subach, a real estate agent with Realty USA, the firm selling the homes.
“It’s still one of the hidden gems in the Ken-Ton area that people may not know about. We’re encouraging people to meet the residents and really understand what it’s like living in this community. We’re hoping to get it all cinched up pretty soon,” she said.
Each home is custom built, with an emphasis on one-story construction, although buyers do have the option of adding a second floor. Several homes are fully handicap-accessible, favoring a slight ramp instead of steps leading to the front door.
The homes range from 1,350 to 2,600 square feet, and come with an 8-foot ceiling basement, first-floor laundry room and two and a half car garage. Prices start at $229,900. Snow removal and lawn maintenance are also taken care of for residents. Fences and swimming pools are not permitted.
“The floor plans are similar, but every house is different,” said Center Court Commons President John Duerr, a partner with developer 250 Cortland Avenue Inc. “Everybody gets to modify anything they wish.”
Duerr bought the property four years ago. This is the third building season for the project. Sales slowed a bit last year when the recession took hold, but interest is back on the rise, he said.
Marcia Bogusthelawski was one of the first residents to move into the development. She had lived in the town her entire life before moving to East Amherst, where she resided for five years.
Bogusthelawski bought a home on Cortland Avenue 14 months ago and happily relocated to the town. “I wouldn’t go anywhere else,” she said Friday afternoon. “My roots are here and I wanted to return to my roots.”
Since moving in, Bogusthelawski, a retired teacher, has become one of the development’s staunchest resident salespeople. Her home at 222 Cortland will serve as the registration area for next weekend’s Tour of Homes.
“Having good neighbors is so important. Everybody I’ve met here, they’re all wonderful people,” she said.
Bogusthelawski’s home is among a handful of units with a loft that has extra bedrooms, including a guest room, and another bathroom.
Many of the subdivision’s buyers are retired empty-nesters, but the residents do span a range of ages, from 14 to 94, and professions, from teachers to doctors.
Duerr said many people have responded well to the idea of first-floor living, especially those with special needs. “With the transition from the big house to first-floor living, we’re extending the independent living of older folks,” Duerr said.
He said that because of the handicap accessibility of many of the units, some residents have been able to return home after having surgeries that would prevent them from going upstairs.
Once the project is finished and the remaining homes sold, sidewalks will be installed and a row of pine and pear trees will be planted in the middle of the subdivision, giving residents added privacy, Duerr said.
Realty USA’s Subach said she’s heard from numerous potential buyers surprised that first-floor living homes are available in the town. “They think they have to go to the Southtowns or Amherst because there hasn’t been anything available, and John has changed that,” she said.
“It’s like he created Florida in Tonawanda.”
25 May 2010
18 May 2010
Five Bad Home Improvement Ideas
When considering adding value to a home, you consistently hear from the real estate industry that updated bathrooms and quality kitchens stand out in a home sale. Those are proven sale closers. There are certain other improvements you can make to your home that will beautify it or create convenience for your family. When it comes time to selling, however, those improvements may do nothing to increase the value of the property and may even turn off potential homebuyers.
Over-the-Top Renovations
Au contraire mon frère, not all renovations will raise the value of your home. Just `cause it's bigger doesn't mean it will be perceived as better by future homebuyers. Unless your home is located in Beverly Hills or some other very posh neighborhood, don't install the bathroom with the supersized steam shower, imported Italian marble and several different spray heads ... unless you have the money to do it for your own pleasure and enjoyment only. That kind of improvement doesn't typically do anything to increase the value of the average home.
On the other hand, if you updated an old bathroom, you could see an increase of several thousand dollars to your home's bottom line. Real estate professionals suggest that homeowners pour over local home listings to see what amenities are the standard in your area, then upgrade your home to meet it. If you overdo it, however, you may not recoup your investment.
Swimming Pools
If you think installing a swimming pool in the back side of your home will draw hoards of homebuyers clamoring to make offers on your home at sale time, you'd be wrong. Some may consider it a perk, but others may perceive it as a pain with all the maintenance it will require.
Homeowners have even paid to have their swimming pools buried to create more yard space. If you shell out the expense to build one, don't expect your home's value to budge. The only exception to building a swimming pool is if you live in states where they are considered the norm.
Home Office Renovations
Although, a home office is often an amenity appreciated by those shopping for a home, it should be built with frugality in mind. Overhauling an office doesn't pay off when it's time to sell your home. Don't steal usable space from another living area to create a home office. Instead, make sure the space can easily be converted back into a bedroom or other living space if needed. If you decide you just have to have the built-in Curly Maple wood shelves, know that you will only recoup around 50 percent of your cost at sale time.
Unique Builds
Home magazines are always coming up with clever and creative ways to change the look of your living space. Some are exotic and outlandish, but they can pique your interest. Tempted to put a classic disco ball with lights in your bedroom, a constellation ceiling in your family room or a peaceful Koi pond in your back yard? Avoid making outlandish changes to your home or changes that will be perceived as adding work for a future homeowner. Don't be tempted to incorporate these ideas into your own home, unless you don't plan on selling anytime soon. Homebuyers may not share your enthusiasm.
Roof Renovations
If your roof needs repair, don't hesitate to have the work done. It will be one less issue you'll have to deal with when listing your home. If in your pursuit to list your home you think replacing your roof with cedar shakes or clay tiles will increase the value, think again. Although they have the ability to make your home stand out, they probably won't inspire homebuyers to pay more for them. So, unless you have the money to burn, keep it simple when preparing your home to be listed on the real estate market.
Ki has been an investor in the Austin real estate market for several years. The website has an Austin home search for listings in Austin, Texas. It also has general statistics covering Austin real estate along with several neighborhoods in Barton Creek.
Over-the-Top Renovations
Au contraire mon frère, not all renovations will raise the value of your home. Just `cause it's bigger doesn't mean it will be perceived as better by future homebuyers. Unless your home is located in Beverly Hills or some other very posh neighborhood, don't install the bathroom with the supersized steam shower, imported Italian marble and several different spray heads ... unless you have the money to do it for your own pleasure and enjoyment only. That kind of improvement doesn't typically do anything to increase the value of the average home.
On the other hand, if you updated an old bathroom, you could see an increase of several thousand dollars to your home's bottom line. Real estate professionals suggest that homeowners pour over local home listings to see what amenities are the standard in your area, then upgrade your home to meet it. If you overdo it, however, you may not recoup your investment.
Swimming Pools
If you think installing a swimming pool in the back side of your home will draw hoards of homebuyers clamoring to make offers on your home at sale time, you'd be wrong. Some may consider it a perk, but others may perceive it as a pain with all the maintenance it will require.
Homeowners have even paid to have their swimming pools buried to create more yard space. If you shell out the expense to build one, don't expect your home's value to budge. The only exception to building a swimming pool is if you live in states where they are considered the norm.
Home Office Renovations
Although, a home office is often an amenity appreciated by those shopping for a home, it should be built with frugality in mind. Overhauling an office doesn't pay off when it's time to sell your home. Don't steal usable space from another living area to create a home office. Instead, make sure the space can easily be converted back into a bedroom or other living space if needed. If you decide you just have to have the built-in Curly Maple wood shelves, know that you will only recoup around 50 percent of your cost at sale time.
Unique Builds
Home magazines are always coming up with clever and creative ways to change the look of your living space. Some are exotic and outlandish, but they can pique your interest. Tempted to put a classic disco ball with lights in your bedroom, a constellation ceiling in your family room or a peaceful Koi pond in your back yard? Avoid making outlandish changes to your home or changes that will be perceived as adding work for a future homeowner. Don't be tempted to incorporate these ideas into your own home, unless you don't plan on selling anytime soon. Homebuyers may not share your enthusiasm.
Roof Renovations
If your roof needs repair, don't hesitate to have the work done. It will be one less issue you'll have to deal with when listing your home. If in your pursuit to list your home you think replacing your roof with cedar shakes or clay tiles will increase the value, think again. Although they have the ability to make your home stand out, they probably won't inspire homebuyers to pay more for them. So, unless you have the money to burn, keep it simple when preparing your home to be listed on the real estate market.
Ki has been an investor in the Austin real estate market for several years. The website has an Austin home search for listings in Austin, Texas. It also has general statistics covering Austin real estate along with several neighborhoods in Barton Creek.
17 May 2010
07 May 2010
home trends 2010 - consumers' most sought-after features
Most Important Design Features For 55+ Buyers
http://rebac.net/April_2010_LS.pdf
http://rebac.net/April_2010_LS.pdf
Business beyond the Home-Buyer Tax Credit
Business beyond the Home-Buyer Tax Credit
Posted By susanne On April 15, 2010 @ 3:57 pm In Best Practices, Business Development, Real Estate, Today's Marketplace, Today's Top Story
Comments Disabled
[1]RISMEDIA, April 16, 2010—The extension of the home buyer tax credit encouraged many fence-sitters to jump at the chance to achieve the dream of homeownership this past year. Tax incentives, low interest rates and prices have made homeownership more affordable than ever, creating an influx of first-time buyers in the market. As the deadline for the home buyer tax credit approaches, many REALTORS® are wondering: what happens next?
Any seasoned professional like yourself knows that real estate is cyclical. Prices will rise and fall, inventory will fluctuate and opinions will change, but your buyers and sellers remain. And today’s buyer is more educated than ever.
According to the 2009 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 93% of first-time buyers started their home search online. With an awareness of the homes available prior to meeting with an agent, today’s buyers are looking for someone to help them with the parts of the process they can’t do alone. According to the survey, 90% of buyers considered knowledge of the purchase process, responsiveness and knowledge of the real estate market as very important when deciding to work with an agent.
While it is still uncertain how the market will adjust to the expiration of the tax credit, low interest rates and affordability will still draw buyers into the market. In an attempt to get you thinking about building your buyer business this spring, I thought that I would remind you of some “back to basics” to ponder:
Know your market. From inventory that a buyer may have overlooked in an online search to short sale and foreclosure options, knowing your local market inside and out can provide added benefit to your client. The current market has made more options available to first-time buyers, in price ranges that some may have overlooked previously.
Host a home-buyer seminar. Home-buyer seminars put agents in front of motivated buyers and give them an opportunity to shine as a source of knowledge and a trusted advisor who can guide a buyer through the complex process. Try setting up one through your office or encouraging agents to co-host a seminar with a local lender to explain financing issues.
Connect with buyers on their level. Not only are today’s buyers educated, but they are technologically savvy. Whether it’s a phone call or a text message, finding out a buyer’s communication preferences is the first step in setting the tone for your relationship throughout the home-buying process.
Maximize your social influence. Social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn allow brokers to reach out to agents and agents to reach more buyers than ever before. Contributing to these online networking communities regularly can not only build sphere of influence but it creates top-of-mind awareness when a consumer decides to look for an agent.
Be a financial guide. From outlining key steps to suggesting preapproval, guiding buyers through the financial parts of the transaction is especially important in today’s market.
Marc Gould is the executive director of REBAC. A wholly owned subsidiary of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), The Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (REBAC) is the world’s largest association of real estate professionals focusing specifically on representing the real estate buyer. With more than 40,000 active members, REBAC awards the Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR®) designation to REALTORS® who work directly with buyer-clients. To learn more, please visit REBAC.net [2].
Posted By susanne On April 15, 2010 @ 3:57 pm In Best Practices, Business Development, Real Estate, Today's Marketplace, Today's Top Story
Comments Disabled
[1]RISMEDIA, April 16, 2010—The extension of the home buyer tax credit encouraged many fence-sitters to jump at the chance to achieve the dream of homeownership this past year. Tax incentives, low interest rates and prices have made homeownership more affordable than ever, creating an influx of first-time buyers in the market. As the deadline for the home buyer tax credit approaches, many REALTORS® are wondering: what happens next?
Any seasoned professional like yourself knows that real estate is cyclical. Prices will rise and fall, inventory will fluctuate and opinions will change, but your buyers and sellers remain. And today’s buyer is more educated than ever.
According to the 2009 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 93% of first-time buyers started their home search online. With an awareness of the homes available prior to meeting with an agent, today’s buyers are looking for someone to help them with the parts of the process they can’t do alone. According to the survey, 90% of buyers considered knowledge of the purchase process, responsiveness and knowledge of the real estate market as very important when deciding to work with an agent.
While it is still uncertain how the market will adjust to the expiration of the tax credit, low interest rates and affordability will still draw buyers into the market. In an attempt to get you thinking about building your buyer business this spring, I thought that I would remind you of some “back to basics” to ponder:
Know your market. From inventory that a buyer may have overlooked in an online search to short sale and foreclosure options, knowing your local market inside and out can provide added benefit to your client. The current market has made more options available to first-time buyers, in price ranges that some may have overlooked previously.
Host a home-buyer seminar. Home-buyer seminars put agents in front of motivated buyers and give them an opportunity to shine as a source of knowledge and a trusted advisor who can guide a buyer through the complex process. Try setting up one through your office or encouraging agents to co-host a seminar with a local lender to explain financing issues.
Connect with buyers on their level. Not only are today’s buyers educated, but they are technologically savvy. Whether it’s a phone call or a text message, finding out a buyer’s communication preferences is the first step in setting the tone for your relationship throughout the home-buying process.
Maximize your social influence. Social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn allow brokers to reach out to agents and agents to reach more buyers than ever before. Contributing to these online networking communities regularly can not only build sphere of influence but it creates top-of-mind awareness when a consumer decides to look for an agent.
Be a financial guide. From outlining key steps to suggesting preapproval, guiding buyers through the financial parts of the transaction is especially important in today’s market.
Marc Gould is the executive director of REBAC. A wholly owned subsidiary of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), The Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (REBAC) is the world’s largest association of real estate professionals focusing specifically on representing the real estate buyer. With more than 40,000 active members, REBAC awards the Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR®) designation to REALTORS® who work directly with buyer-clients. To learn more, please visit REBAC.net [2].
01 May 2010
Seven Secrets: Converting Real Estate Leads into Clients | Homes.com
When it comes to leads, are you a leader or a follower? Do you have a strategy to find prospects and turn them into clients and referrals? Regardless of their source, it’s important to make the most of the leads that come your way.
Here are seven Homes.com-endorsed strategies to help you make the most of your lead management program and turn those prospects into customers and referrals!
1. Showcase your neighborhood knowledge?
The Internet has whetted customer appetites for all types of real estate information. Educated buyers and sellers make the best customers, but the Web has also raised client expectations. Many consumers are proficient in finding information on their own and are no longer impressed by folders full of MLS and web page printouts.
Agents who provide relevant local information can quickly establish lasting client relationships. If you reinforce individual property information with neighborhood knowledge that interests buyers - including school, crime, housing prices and resident demographic information - you demonstrate a level of expertise few agents can match. By positioning yourself as a neighborhood expert, you avoid pinning your hopes of doing business on a single property.
2.Timing is everything
Most people end up doing business with the first real estate agent they speak to, so fast response is crucial. Research shows many people have come to expect a response from real estate agents within an hour of requesting information. Many brokerages now reward agents who respond quickly with additional leads or other incentives.
Your strategy should include a plan for both initial response and ongoing contact. For example, your goal may be to respond to phone calls within two hours and emails on the same business day.
3. Create a professional follow-up package... read this article!!
Seven Secrets: Converting Real Estate Leads into Clients Homes.com
Here are seven Homes.com-endorsed strategies to help you make the most of your lead management program and turn those prospects into customers and referrals!
1. Showcase your neighborhood knowledge?
The Internet has whetted customer appetites for all types of real estate information. Educated buyers and sellers make the best customers, but the Web has also raised client expectations. Many consumers are proficient in finding information on their own and are no longer impressed by folders full of MLS and web page printouts.
Agents who provide relevant local information can quickly establish lasting client relationships. If you reinforce individual property information with neighborhood knowledge that interests buyers - including school, crime, housing prices and resident demographic information - you demonstrate a level of expertise few agents can match. By positioning yourself as a neighborhood expert, you avoid pinning your hopes of doing business on a single property.
2.Timing is everything
Most people end up doing business with the first real estate agent they speak to, so fast response is crucial. Research shows many people have come to expect a response from real estate agents within an hour of requesting information. Many brokerages now reward agents who respond quickly with additional leads or other incentives.
Your strategy should include a plan for both initial response and ongoing contact. For example, your goal may be to respond to phone calls within two hours and emails on the same business day.
3. Create a professional follow-up package... read this article!!
Seven Secrets: Converting Real Estate Leads into Clients Homes.com
25 April 2010
Green Gadgets - ABC News
surge protectors that automatically turn off when the item is charged... green recycled cell pnones... read this!!
Green Gadgets - ABC News
Green Gadgets - ABC News
13 April 2010
it's NOT what you say....
I was on a listing appointment the other day and going through the house with the seller talking about things that could be done to help the home show better. She had interviewed several other agents before me. At the end of our meeting she said, "Gosh, you are so different than the other agents, they told me the same things that needed to be done, but totally offended me and I would never do business with that one lady." Case and point right there, same thing being said, and the client took it in two totally different ways. Needless to say I got the listing and one of the reasons was HOW I communicated with her.
read entire post...
http://brokeragentsocial.com/article/720/sales-communication
read entire post...
http://brokeragentsocial.com/article/720/sales-communication
12 April 2010
Your home can make you happier
By Elizabeth FennerMarch 29, 2010: 12:34 PM ET
(Money Magazine) -- With your house almost certainly worth less now than it was three years ago --and with more declines possible -- you may feel stuck in your current place. Stuck, and bummed out.
Time to get over it. A new house with a snazzier kitchen or a big media room may seem like the ticket to happiness. But the burgeoning field of evidence-based design -- backed by science that studies the effect of built spaces on our brains and bodies -- indicates that neither tons of space nor high-end furnishings are key to your home satisfaction. Much more important are things that may seem minor but that pack a big emotional wallop.
more... click here
http://ow.ly/1uxRl
(Money Magazine) -- With your house almost certainly worth less now than it was three years ago --and with more declines possible -- you may feel stuck in your current place. Stuck, and bummed out.
Time to get over it. A new house with a snazzier kitchen or a big media room may seem like the ticket to happiness. But the burgeoning field of evidence-based design -- backed by science that studies the effect of built spaces on our brains and bodies -- indicates that neither tons of space nor high-end furnishings are key to your home satisfaction. Much more important are things that may seem minor but that pack a big emotional wallop.
more... click here
http://ow.ly/1uxRl
08 April 2010
06 April 2010
22 March 2010
27 March - World Prepares to Turn Lights Off in Honor of Earth Hour
RISMEDIA, March 22, 2010—On Saturday, March 27th at 8:30 p.m. local time, the largest ever public demonstration for action on climate change will take place as lights are symbolically turned off for one hour in homes, office buildings, iconic landmarks, government buildings and retail establishments across the globe for Earth Hour.
Ninety-two countries and regions around the world have now made the pledge for Earth Hour to show the world what can be done to fight climate change. Last year 88 countries got involved in the lights out event.
With confirmation that the Tokyo Tower in Tokyo and Brandenburg Gate in Berlin will both turn off their lights for Earth Hour, all members of the G20 are now taking part in the event.
“Earth Hour is inspiring millions of people all around the world to join together and show their concern for the future of our planet,” said Leslie Aun, WWF’s (World Wildlife Fund) vice president for public relations and the managing director for Earth Hour U.S. 2010. “Here in the U.S., Earth Hour sends a message that Americans are ready to turn out the lights on pollution and climate change and make the switch to energy independence and efficiency.”
The Las Vegas Strip, Mount Rushmore, Sea World, the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge will join other iconic landmarks from around the world in switching off the lights for Earth Hour. CN Tower in Toronto, Grand Palace in Bangkok, Table Mountain in Cape Town, the London Eye, Hiroshima Peace Memorial and Taipei 101 will plunge into darkness to shed light on dangerous climate change.
Citizens of the United States will unite with individuals, businesses, civil groups and governments around the world including Athens, Bangkok, Cape Town, Delhi, Dubai, Geneva, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Manila, Moscow, Rome, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tel Aviv and Toronto. Communities will come together like never before with cities such as Stockholm and Hiroshima holding their inaugural Earth Hour.
Countries participating in Earth Hour for the first time include: Brunei, Cambodia, Czech Republic, Kosovo, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nepal, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Faroe Islands.
For more information, visit www.myearthhour.org.
World Prepares to Turn Lights Off in Honor of Earth Hour
RISMedia
Ninety-two countries and regions around the world have now made the pledge for Earth Hour to show the world what can be done to fight climate change. Last year 88 countries got involved in the lights out event.
With confirmation that the Tokyo Tower in Tokyo and Brandenburg Gate in Berlin will both turn off their lights for Earth Hour, all members of the G20 are now taking part in the event.
“Earth Hour is inspiring millions of people all around the world to join together and show their concern for the future of our planet,” said Leslie Aun, WWF’s (World Wildlife Fund) vice president for public relations and the managing director for Earth Hour U.S. 2010. “Here in the U.S., Earth Hour sends a message that Americans are ready to turn out the lights on pollution and climate change and make the switch to energy independence and efficiency.”
The Las Vegas Strip, Mount Rushmore, Sea World, the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge will join other iconic landmarks from around the world in switching off the lights for Earth Hour. CN Tower in Toronto, Grand Palace in Bangkok, Table Mountain in Cape Town, the London Eye, Hiroshima Peace Memorial and Taipei 101 will plunge into darkness to shed light on dangerous climate change.
Citizens of the United States will unite with individuals, businesses, civil groups and governments around the world including Athens, Bangkok, Cape Town, Delhi, Dubai, Geneva, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Manila, Moscow, Rome, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tel Aviv and Toronto. Communities will come together like never before with cities such as Stockholm and Hiroshima holding their inaugural Earth Hour.
Countries participating in Earth Hour for the first time include: Brunei, Cambodia, Czech Republic, Kosovo, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nepal, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Faroe Islands.
For more information, visit www.myearthhour.org.
World Prepares to Turn Lights Off in Honor of Earth Hour
RISMedia
19 March 2010
FIRST and NEVER
First and never
I met a new addition to the family the other day. She was eleven days old.
It was the warmest day of her whole life the day I was there. And she had just eaten her biggest meal ever.
Firsts are fun and exciting and it's neat to keep topping ourselves.
I've also come to grips with the fact that I'm never going to eat tuna ever again, and that I'm never going to be able to easily walk onto a shuttle flight at the last minute and just show up in Boston. Never is a lot harder than first, but I guess you get used to it.
The internet is like Ice 9. It changes what it touches, probably forever. We keep discovering firsts, the biggest viral video ever, the most twitter followers ever, the fastest bestseller ever... And we constantly discover nevers as well. There's never going to be a mass market TV show that rivals the ones that came before. There's never going to be a worldwide brand built by advertising ever again either. And Michael Jackson's record deal is the last one of its kind... And there may never be a job like that job you used to have either.
Revolutions are like that. They invent and destroy and they only go one way. It's like watching a confused person in a revolving door for the first time. They push backwards, try to slow it down, fight the rotation... and then they embrace the process and just walk and it works.
Seth's Blog
I met a new addition to the family the other day. She was eleven days old.
It was the warmest day of her whole life the day I was there. And she had just eaten her biggest meal ever.
Firsts are fun and exciting and it's neat to keep topping ourselves.
I've also come to grips with the fact that I'm never going to eat tuna ever again, and that I'm never going to be able to easily walk onto a shuttle flight at the last minute and just show up in Boston. Never is a lot harder than first, but I guess you get used to it.
The internet is like Ice 9. It changes what it touches, probably forever. We keep discovering firsts, the biggest viral video ever, the most twitter followers ever, the fastest bestseller ever... And we constantly discover nevers as well. There's never going to be a mass market TV show that rivals the ones that came before. There's never going to be a worldwide brand built by advertising ever again either. And Michael Jackson's record deal is the last one of its kind... And there may never be a job like that job you used to have either.
Revolutions are like that. They invent and destroy and they only go one way. It's like watching a confused person in a revolving door for the first time. They push backwards, try to slow it down, fight the rotation... and then they embrace the process and just walk and it works.
Seth's Blog
10 Staging Tips to Help Your Home Sell | RISMedia
Want to sell your home? Get out the bucket, mop and Mr. Clean. The key to making a positive first impression is simple, said Sandra Rinomato, host of HGTV’s popular “Property Virgins” show.
“Get it clean, clean, clean,” said Rinomato. “If your house isn’t clean, it instantly sends up negative thoughts that the home is not well maintained. If your house is spotless, you’re ahead of the game,” she said.
But don’t stop there, advised Rinomato. To increase your chances of making a sale, “stage” the house to make it as attractive as possible. Until recently, “Staging meant pulling out all the stops—setting the dining table with your best china and crystal, arranging flowers, lighting candles,” she said. “Now we take the minimalist approach. Basically, you want to strip the house to its bare essentials, depersonalize it so potential buyers can superimpose themselves and their lifestyle on the house.”
10 Staging Tips to Help Your Home Sell RISMedia
“Get it clean, clean, clean,” said Rinomato. “If your house isn’t clean, it instantly sends up negative thoughts that the home is not well maintained. If your house is spotless, you’re ahead of the game,” she said.
But don’t stop there, advised Rinomato. To increase your chances of making a sale, “stage” the house to make it as attractive as possible. Until recently, “Staging meant pulling out all the stops—setting the dining table with your best china and crystal, arranging flowers, lighting candles,” she said. “Now we take the minimalist approach. Basically, you want to strip the house to its bare essentials, depersonalize it so potential buyers can superimpose themselves and their lifestyle on the house.”
10 Staging Tips to Help Your Home Sell RISMedia
18 March 2010
R-E-F-E-R-R-A-L mind set
Realize that the primary purpose of your business is referral. Walt Disney said, “My goal is for a person to come to Disneyland, and love the experience so much that they go home, tell a friend, and come back with that friend." Isn’t that what Jesus did? He spoke on the side of a hill and delivered a message so compelling that people went home, told the people they loved that they needed to hear this man speak, and the next day they brought a friend. He built his business on referral. If you could pick only one word to describe the purpose of your business, a good word would be “Referral.” The name of my company is By Referral Only. We like to say that the definition of a referral is sending someone you care about to someone you trust. That is all the mission statement you will ever need to create profit, great service, and lots of happy clients.So the next time a person asks you what is the purpose of your business, smile and say, “Referral.”
read the entire article...
Broker/Agent Social Network
read the entire article...
Broker/Agent Social Network
17 March 2010
11 March 2010
FHA 203(k) – Understanding Its Real Value – Part 2
FHA 203(k) – Understanding Its Real Value – Part 2: "How Is the Appraisal Completed?
The appraiser is given a detailed report from either a licensed contractor [for the “Streamline” 203(k)]; or from an FHA 203(k) Consultant [For the “Standard” 203(k)]. This Bid/Report details the scope of work that will be financed into the loan. The appraiser visits the home and uses the scope of work report as his “rose colored glasses” and appraises the home under a “hypothetical assumption that the work has been completed”. Thus the home is appraised “As-Repaired” even though the work has not been completed nor is it required to be completed until after the transaction closes and will be completed by the buyer thru his contractor.
Financing at 110% of the “Repaired Value”
Yes, it’s true. Let’s use yesterday’s example; if the home is sold for $200,000 and the buyer’s acquisition cost is $258,000 including the renovation account. If the home is appraised “As Repaired” at $235,000, this transaction will close because 110% of $235,000 is $258,500 and the acquisition cost is $258,000 which is less than 110%. FHA will insure this loan and the transaction will close (some lenders have underwriting overlays and will only fund loans at 100% of the “repaired value”). The FHA 203(k) can keep transactions together and eliminate the seller from having to make price reductions at the eleventh hour to keep the buyer from walking because the value did not come in."
The appraiser is given a detailed report from either a licensed contractor [for the “Streamline” 203(k)]; or from an FHA 203(k) Consultant [For the “Standard” 203(k)]. This Bid/Report details the scope of work that will be financed into the loan. The appraiser visits the home and uses the scope of work report as his “rose colored glasses” and appraises the home under a “hypothetical assumption that the work has been completed”. Thus the home is appraised “As-Repaired” even though the work has not been completed nor is it required to be completed until after the transaction closes and will be completed by the buyer thru his contractor.
Financing at 110% of the “Repaired Value”
Yes, it’s true. Let’s use yesterday’s example; if the home is sold for $200,000 and the buyer’s acquisition cost is $258,000 including the renovation account. If the home is appraised “As Repaired” at $235,000, this transaction will close because 110% of $235,000 is $258,500 and the acquisition cost is $258,000 which is less than 110%. FHA will insure this loan and the transaction will close (some lenders have underwriting overlays and will only fund loans at 100% of the “repaired value”). The FHA 203(k) can keep transactions together and eliminate the seller from having to make price reductions at the eleventh hour to keep the buyer from walking because the value did not come in."
Better Customer Service Through Transparency, Tribes, and Talent
I confess that I have a warm spot in my heart for customer service operations. It is probably because I met my wife of 29.5 years when she and I were on the customer service phones at the Polaroid Corporation. As an old phone jockey, it is apparent to me that the world of customer service is transforming. If we look back at history, we can see that the central tendency of consumer businesses is to move more and more function to the end consumer and to provide them more visibility to the availability of the product or service.
read more.. it is great!
http://blogs.hbr.org/sviokla/2009/12/better_customer_service_throug.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-MANAGEMENT_TIP-_-MAR_2010-_-MTOD0311&referral=00203
read more.. it is great!
http://blogs.hbr.org/sviokla/2009/12/better_customer_service_throug.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-MANAGEMENT_TIP-_-MAR_2010-_-MTOD0311&referral=00203
10 March 2010
07 March 2010
04 March 2010
INCREDIBLE!! FHA 203(k) – Understanding Its Real Value – Part 1
The FHA 203(k) Renovation loan may be the most important, least known, and underutilized government loan that could save the Real Estate market in 2010 and Beyond…
FHA 203(k) – Understanding Its Real Value – Part 1
FHA 203(k) – Understanding Its Real Value – Part 1
03 March 2010
01 March 2010
What Do You Choose? how does it effect YOU?
There was a study in the Wall Street Journal reporting 50% of deaths are because of peoples choices, things like eating habits, lifestyles, driving under the influence, etc. The choice to eat one breakfast food over another every morning, or to skip exercise another day or whatever it is, each and every choice has a cumulative effect that adds up. And so the choices we make are the cause of 50% of deaths. According to a projection of life expectancy late last year, more than half the children born since 2000 in wealthy countries can expect to celebrate their 100th birthday.There is a lot of talk about how we are approaching immortality. All religions and spiritual systems believe in an end of days kind of thing, the good and the bad. The fact that people are going to live to a hundred is showing us the positive signs and power of the end of days. The other power is in our choices. They are linked because people won’t live to be 100 if they don’t make better choices.
26 February 2010
25 February 2010
23 February 2010
22 February 2010
19 February 2010
BUY a listing?? i think NOT!
http://rismedia.com/2010-02-18/a-curse-or-a-code-where-do-ethics-and-practices-meet/
18 February 2010
17 February 2010
Economists' Commentary: Realtors® Confidence Index
http://www.realtor.org/research/economists_outlook/commentaries/rci_021710
16 February 2010
15 February 2010
14 February 2010
12 February 2010
11 February 2010
Modern procrastination
The lizard brain adores a deadline that slips, an item that doesn't ship and most of all, busywork.
These represent safety, because if you don't challenge the status quo, you can't be made fun of, can't fail, can't be laughed at. And so the resistance looks for ways to appear busy while not actually doing anything.
I'd like to posit that for idea workers, misusing Twitter, Facebook and various forms of digital networking are the ultimate expression of procrastination. You can be busy, very busy, forever. The more you do, the longer the queue gets. The bigger your circle, the more connections are available.
Laziness in a white collar job has nothing to do with avoiding hard physical labor. “Who wants to help me move this box!” Instead, it has to do with avoiding difficult (and apparently risky) intellectual labor.
"Honey, how was your day?"
"Oh, I was busy, incredibly busy."
"I get that you were busy. But did you do anything important?"
Busy does not equal important. Measured doesn't mean mattered.
When the resistance pushes you to do the quick reaction, the instant message, the 'ping-are-you-still-there', perhaps it pays to push in precisely the opposite direction. Perhaps it's time for the blank sheet of paper, the cancellation of a long-time money loser, the difficult conversation, the creative breakthrough...
Or you could check your email.
These represent safety, because if you don't challenge the status quo, you can't be made fun of, can't fail, can't be laughed at. And so the resistance looks for ways to appear busy while not actually doing anything.
I'd like to posit that for idea workers, misusing Twitter, Facebook and various forms of digital networking are the ultimate expression of procrastination. You can be busy, very busy, forever. The more you do, the longer the queue gets. The bigger your circle, the more connections are available.
Laziness in a white collar job has nothing to do with avoiding hard physical labor. “Who wants to help me move this box!” Instead, it has to do with avoiding difficult (and apparently risky) intellectual labor.
"Honey, how was your day?"
"Oh, I was busy, incredibly busy."
"I get that you were busy. But did you do anything important?"
Busy does not equal important. Measured doesn't mean mattered.
When the resistance pushes you to do the quick reaction, the instant message, the 'ping-are-you-still-there', perhaps it pays to push in precisely the opposite direction. Perhaps it's time for the blank sheet of paper, the cancellation of a long-time money loser, the difficult conversation, the creative breakthrough...
Or you could check your email.
Governor’s cuts to MTA payroll tax do not go far enough
Statement from New York State Association of REALTORS® President Hank W. Fries
Albany – Feb. 10, 2010 – Gov. David A. Paterson’s proposed cuts to the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Mobility Tax in his 21-day budget amendments are inadequate and New York’s 54,000 REALTORS® strongly oppose shifting the cost to workers and businesses from one part of the MTA region to another. Nothing short of a complete repeal of the tax makes any sense in these difficult economic times.
It is little more than a shell game to reduce the tax for a portion of the MTA service area and then nearly double it for all businesses, including independent contractors like REALTORS®, operating in New York City. Governor Paterson is missing a key opportunity to demand meaningful reforms that result in long-term MTA cost containment. Instead, he continues to rely upon the taxpayer to bail out the MTA, which is widely regarded as a thriftless.
New York’s REALTORS® continue to strongly oppose this tax and others that only serve to hamper the Empire State’s economic recovery and encourage poor business practices from public authorities.
Editor’s Note: The New York State Association of REALTORS® is a not-for-profit trade organization representing more than 54,000 of New York state’s real estate professionals. The term REALTOR® is a registered trademark, which identifies real estate professionals who subscribe to a strict code of ethics as members of the National Association of REALTORS®. These REALTORS® are also members of the New York State Association of REALTORS® as well as their local board or association of REALTORS®.
~Salvatore I. Prividera Jr.
Director of Communications and Marketing
Albany – Feb. 10, 2010 – Gov. David A. Paterson’s proposed cuts to the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Mobility Tax in his 21-day budget amendments are inadequate and New York’s 54,000 REALTORS® strongly oppose shifting the cost to workers and businesses from one part of the MTA region to another. Nothing short of a complete repeal of the tax makes any sense in these difficult economic times.
It is little more than a shell game to reduce the tax for a portion of the MTA service area and then nearly double it for all businesses, including independent contractors like REALTORS®, operating in New York City. Governor Paterson is missing a key opportunity to demand meaningful reforms that result in long-term MTA cost containment. Instead, he continues to rely upon the taxpayer to bail out the MTA, which is widely regarded as a thriftless.
New York’s REALTORS® continue to strongly oppose this tax and others that only serve to hamper the Empire State’s economic recovery and encourage poor business practices from public authorities.
Editor’s Note: The New York State Association of REALTORS® is a not-for-profit trade organization representing more than 54,000 of New York state’s real estate professionals. The term REALTOR® is a registered trademark, which identifies real estate professionals who subscribe to a strict code of ethics as members of the National Association of REALTORS®. These REALTORS® are also members of the New York State Association of REALTORS® as well as their local board or association of REALTORS®.
~Salvatore I. Prividera Jr.
Director of Communications and Marketing
10 February 2010
Characteristics of Internet Searchers - great chart!!
Did You Know: Characteristics of Internet Searchers
December 21, 2009
By T.J. Doyle, Research Marketing and Communications Manager
http://www.realtor.org/research/economists_outlook/didyouknow/dyk122109td
There are some socio-demographic differences between buyers who rely on the Internet in their home search and those who do not.
Since younger home buyers generally make greater use of online resources, the median age of home searchers using the Internet is lower, 37 years of age compared with 55 years of age.
Also, Internet searchers are more likely to be married couple households and have higher median household incomes. Single home buyers are less likely to search online for a home.
There also is a significant difference in the length of the search process with Internet users spending twice as much time searching for a home and visiting three times as many homes.
For a complete 2009 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers - available free only for REALTOR® members.
Source: 2009 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers
December 21, 2009
By T.J. Doyle, Research Marketing and Communications Manager
http://www.realtor.org/research/economists_outlook/didyouknow/dyk122109td
There are some socio-demographic differences between buyers who rely on the Internet in their home search and those who do not.
Since younger home buyers generally make greater use of online resources, the median age of home searchers using the Internet is lower, 37 years of age compared with 55 years of age.
Also, Internet searchers are more likely to be married couple households and have higher median household incomes. Single home buyers are less likely to search online for a home.
There also is a significant difference in the length of the search process with Internet users spending twice as much time searching for a home and visiting three times as many homes.
For a complete 2009 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers - available free only for REALTOR® members.
Source: 2009 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers
09 February 2010
STILL FALLIN' FOR THE FALLS event is a success!!!
http://www.niagarafallsreporter.com/cover2.9.10.html
08 February 2010
St. Joseph's Day 2010
Hi Everyone,
It's that time of year again when we get ready to do our annual St. Joseph's Table. We will be having it on Tuesday March 16th from 12:00-2:00pm.
We need to decided who will be the recipient of this years proceeds. If you have any suggests please respond to this email, or you can give me a voice mail at 743-5971. We will then take a vote. I would like to have the voting done by next Tuesday's sales meeting so we can print the invites and send them out.
Please also supply me with the addresses or emails for any guests you would like to invite. I will also be putting the sign up sheets for food donations down by Sue Brandt's office by the beginning of next week.
Thanks in advance for all your help. As you all know, it could never happen without such a GREAT office, like we have.
~Michelle Wik
It's that time of year again when we get ready to do our annual St. Joseph's Table. We will be having it on Tuesday March 16th from 12:00-2:00pm.
We need to decided who will be the recipient of this years proceeds. If you have any suggests please respond to this email, or you can give me a voice mail at 743-5971. We will then take a vote. I would like to have the voting done by next Tuesday's sales meeting so we can print the invites and send them out.
Please also supply me with the addresses or emails for any guests you would like to invite. I will also be putting the sign up sheets for food donations down by Sue Brandt's office by the beginning of next week.
Thanks in advance for all your help. As you all know, it could never happen without such a GREAT office, like we have.
~Michelle Wik
02 February 2010
housing forecast 2010.. come see Dr,Yun on 10 feb.2010 - at Millenium
http://www.realtor.org/research/economists_outlook/commentaries/forecast0210
29 January 2010
houselogic.com.. for every homeowner
Teaming Up With Home Owners: NAR President: REALTOR® Magazine
Owners who register at www.HouseLogic.com will be able to stay informed about how federal, and eventually state and local, actions could impact their homes and communities. And they’ll be equipped to join with REALTORS® to make their voices heard. What a powerful coalition that will be!
all Realtors and homeowners should log on and sign up!!
*tax tips
*renovation return on investment tips
~~~ all by geographic regions... try it today, it only takes a moment!
Owners who register at www.HouseLogic.com will be able to stay informed about how federal, and eventually state and local, actions could impact their homes and communities. And they’ll be equipped to join with REALTORS® to make their voices heard. What a powerful coalition that will be!
all Realtors and homeowners should log on and sign up!!
*tax tips
*renovation return on investment tips
~~~ all by geographic regions... try it today, it only takes a moment!
28 January 2010
Brian Tracy Training set for ALL REALTOR professionals
to be held in our training room @ 6000 Sheridan.
see dates and topics as follows:
Brian Tracy - High Performance Selling
Tuesdays at 1pm and Thursdays at 10am @ 6000 Sheridan Drive
see dates and topics as follows:
Brian Tracy - High Performance Selling
Tuesdays at 1pm and Thursdays at 10am @ 6000 Sheridan Drive
- 02 February - The Winning Edge
- 04 February - The New Model of Selling
- 09 February - Mega-Credibility in Selling
- 11 February - Prospecting Power
- 16 February - Relationship Selling
- 18 February - Identifying Needs and Presenting Solutions
- 23 February - Overcoming Price Resistance
- 25 February - Selling on Non-Price Issues
- 02 March - Closing the Sale
- 04 March - Secrets of Success in Selling
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