New York State Star Program

Welcome back to my video blog. Today I wanted to talk to you about saving money and who doesn't love to do that?

You may have received a flyer in the mail about the New York State Star Program. This program can earn you thousands of dollars off of your taxes.

If your primary residence is in New York, through the Star Program you get 30 percent off of your school taxes.

Remember, you need to sign up by Dec. 31 by either calling 518-457-2036 or visiting www.Tax.NY.gov  It only takes about a minute to sign up!

Are you a veteran? Whether you are a veteran of the Cold War, foreign war or a disabled vet you can get 60 percent off of your property tax. 60 percent! That means if you have property tax of $10,000, you can save up to $6,000!

Don't wait! This is an incredible opportunity to keep more money in your pocket!

3 Reasons Why You Should Sell During the Holidays

Welcome back to my video blog. With the holiday season upon us, sellers always ask me whether they should sell now or wait until the spring. That’s a great question and the answer is don’t wait!

Yes there are fewer buyers on the market, however, those who are looking for a home are serious. They are ‘have-to-buy’ buyers. In the winter there are also fewer homes on the market which means less competition for you.

Let’s not forget how great your home looks during the holidays with its lights and decorations. That plays a big part in the emotion of the buyer; often they get caught up in that holiday mood.

Don’t worry about landscaping; let’s face it; most lawns don’t look that fantastic in our Syracuse winters. Just have the bushes trimmed and the lawn hedged.

Don’t wait until the spring. Sell now when there is less competition and serious buyers in the market. If you have any questions, please give me a call at 315.449.6697 Thanks for watching!

Preparing Your Home for Listing

Welcome back to my video blog! Thanks for joining me today!

There are four critical things to consider when listing your home:

1. Landscaping
2. Kitchen
3. Personal effects
4. Closets

Today, I wanted to talk about personal effects. HGTV has done a huge disservice to tier 3 and tier 4 homes. What do I mean?

When you watch HGTV they showcase homes that are in the New York, Los Angeles and Miami markets. When you list your home in those top tier markets, your home is expected to look like a model home: no pictures and no personal items at all.

In our Syracuse market, that isn’t the case. When a buyer walks through your home here they want to feel a good and loving vibe. So go ahead and keep some of your fun photos, maybe some from your family vacation!

You don’t need to completely sterilize your home.  If you need anything about real estate from contractors, to plumbers or you are just ready to sell your house, please give me a call!

Thanks for watching!

How to Sell Your Home in Today’s Market

Welcome back!

I get asked all the time, ‘what do buyers really want?’ First, it’s important to understand who your buyer is.

The majority of buyers are between the ages of 32-45 years old. So what do they want? Let’s start with what they don’t want. They don’t want anything that looks, smells or acts like their parents’ house.

No doylies. No tablecloths. No pink or blue toilets. You need to update your home. If you have laminate floors, it’s time to replace them.

Buyers are looking for a property that is move-in ready, a home that they have to do the least amount of work to.

If you have any questions about how to get your home ready for the market, or are ready to buy or sell, please give me a call!

Thanks for watching!

How the Syracuse Market Compares Nationally

Hey, everyone. Welcome back to my video blog! We have all heard about how the national market is rising. A lot of people have asked me whether the Syracuse market is increasing the same.

The Syracuse market is increasing, but not at the same rate as many of the national markets are. That's not all bad, though. Let me explain.

There are 40 markets right now that are dramatically increasing causing the national average to go up 12-18 percent.

Let's take a look at one of those markets, Phoenix, Arizona for example. Their market dropped by 60 percent. That means at the  beginning of 2007 a home priced at $1 million dropped down to $400,000.

Since then their market has increased by 38 percent. So that $1 million home is now $520,000. That still is only half of what it's actually worth.

In Syracuse we only dropped 10-25 percent depending on what price range you look at. We have increased about four percent since that drop. So while we are increasing slower, we also did not have the dramatic losses the other markets had.

When you are getting ready to sell your home, it's important to know the market, the neighborhood, etc. The best way to do that is to get a comparative market analysis and a trend market analysis from an experienced realtor.

If you have any questions, or would like a market analysis, please give me a call!

Ready for an Exciting Career?

Hey everyone! I have two things I want to talk to you about today. First, I want to thank all my family, friends and past clients. Because of you we have doubled our business from last year, so thank you so much!

Because of that doubling business, I need your help! I am looking for one or two buyers’ agents right now. So if you know of anyone who is looking for a sales position, give us a call. We are looking for a special sales person who can spend time with buyers, drive them around and find the right house for them.

We will do all the training for this position. If you don’t have your real estate license, that’s fine. We will help you with all the classes and tests. You will shadow me and our other buyers’ agents. We will give you advice on how to walk through a home with clients.

We’d love to have you up and running in less than two months. You’re going to see growth happen. I expect you to see $40,000-$70,000. So give me a call at 315.449.6685

Thank you!