Plan Ahead if You Want to Sell Your Home

Looking to buy or sell a home in Central, New York? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (315) 449-6685 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.  

Summer is coming to a close in Central New York, but it is not too late!  The grass looks great, the flowers are in full bloom and glowing with color, the bushes have been pruned, and the plant beds are thriving. In a word, your home looks magnificent. What better time is there than now to take photos of your house, especially if you think you might sell within the next year?

Most people start thinking about selling their home in February, March, and April - a time of the year during which your home is not looking its most flattering. Take the time this summer to take some photos of your home. Don't just take a photo from straight on, but from 45 degree angles and from the back as well. This way, you have pictures of your home looking its best when you decide to put it on the market early in the year. It's an effective but easy form of preparation that will make the home selling process that much easier.

As always, if you have any questions about any other ways you can prepare your home for the market or are interested in buying or selling a home, please give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

50% Off Your Property Taxes, Honoring America's Veterans with Tax Benefit Programs

Looking to buy or sell a home in Central, New York? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (315) 449-6685 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.  

Click here to view the property tax exemptions available to veterans.

When our country gets into conflict overseas, it is our military that flexes their muscle in order to keep the rest of us safe. There are many veterans in Nassau County and all over central New York who have returned home from conflict to civilian life. One small way we try to thank America's heroes is by offering certain tax exemptions on their property.

I am trying to bring awareness to this great program because it is being underutilized. Only 50% of veterans currently have tax exemptions on their property. One reason for this is that veterans simply don't know about the program, so I want to bring awareness to all veterans with this video. Another reason that many veterans don't take advantage of this program is because of their pride. Proud soldiers don't want to feel like they are being given a hand-out, but they should realize that this program is not what this is. The tax exemptions offered to veterans are just a small token of appreciation that can never make up for what they have sacrificed to keep us safe.

Veterans of foreign wars can get up to 15% off their home tax. They can get an extra 10% off if they were in a combat zone and if wounded, an additional 20% off of that. That's almost 50% of the original property tax.

If you are a veteran, or know somebody who is, please reach out to them with this information. This is a great program in place meant to honor our heroes for keeping us safe. I will place the link to sign up below and you can begin taking advantage of the benefits that are in place for you. Thank you for serving our country!

Whether You Like Sunshine or Snow, Syracuse is for You

Looking to buy or sell a home in Central, New York? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (315) 449-6685 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. 

Today I'm at Toggenburg Mountain Winter Sports Center, which is one of 6 ski resorts that are only 20 minutes outside of Syracuse. This ski resort in particular is very family friendly, and also has 21 trails, two terrain parks, and five ski lifts. Night skiing is also an option here, with 16 of the 21 lifts available at night.

Another big attraction to Syracuse is Destiny USA. Formerly known as the Carousel Center, this mall is a six story shopping and entertainment complex located on Onondaga Lake in Syracuse. With more than 200 shops and 29 million visitors annually, it is certain to please anyone in the family.

Syracuse also has more snowplows than anywhere in the nation. This may seem like an odd statistic to boast about, but if you hate driving on snowy and icy roads, then you should take a look at what the streets of Syracuse look like after 14 inches of snow. There aren't a lot cities that could recover so quickly from that amount of snowfall.

These are just a few of the things that make this city so great. If you're interested in buying or selling in the Syracuse area, or if you would like to know more about Syracuse and why it is such a great place to live, then give me a call at (315) 449-6685 or email me at info@hodgkinshomes.com

One Simple Way to Make Move-in Day Faster, Easier and Cheaper

Looking to buy or sell a home in Central, New York? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (315) 449-6685 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Hello and welcome back to my video blog. Today I'm going to be heading over to Staples to show you one way that you can make your move easier, quicker, and cheaper.

My suggestion for you is that you color-coordinate the tape you use on all your boxes. For example, if you have boxes that need to go into the kitchen, then use 'bacon' decorated tape to notify your movers that these things need to be moved into the kitchen. If you have children, use a Spongebob Squarepants duct tape to signify that these things belong in the children's room.

To further notify your movers about where you want things to go, post a sign near an entryway that tells them where the designated boxes should be taken to. This will speed up your moving process, and by doing so, will also save you more money.

Moving is never enjoyable or easy, but hopefully this helps. Thanks for tuning in again!

If you have any questions or comments for me, I can be reached at (315) 449-6685 or email me at info@hodgkinshomes.com

What Can We Expect for the Central New York Real Estate Market in 2014?

Click here to find out what your home is worth or to search all area homes for sale.

Welcome back and happy new year! 2013 was a great year. In year's past we've seen stable, flat or downward markets. Instead, in 2013, we saw an increase; home listings were up 4% and homes sold were up 6%.

That means there is a shortage in inventory and buyers need your home. If you're thinking about selling, now is a great time. There is less competition and a high demand. That means more money in your pocket.

Give me a call today and we can get started on your listing!