Welcoming Our Newest Team Member

Meet Lisa Chelenza, our newest team member.

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Today we want to celebrate a new addition to our team: Lisa Chelenza. Lisa got her license just a week ago, but you might have heard her voiceovers on the radio or seen her on television, where she was the dome host for basketball and football games. We’re so excited to have her on the Chip Hodgkins Team. In just the short time she’s been here, she already has a couple of listing and buyer appointments! If you have any real estate needs or questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d love to help you.

Why Should You Refinance Today?

Selling your Central New York home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Central New York home?  Search all homes for sale

  

I want to apologize to you all today. I should have told you this sooner. If you are a home owner, now is the perfect time to refinance, based on market conditions. 

The average American would save around $250 per month if they refinanced today. That's $3,000 a year! If you refinance, you can make the same payment, but put that $250 back into your mortgage, so you can pay it down faster. You could also just use that $250 to pay for something else.

Our advice to you if you're considering refinancing is to call a mortgage broker, or call us if you need one. We can get you in their office and discuss your options. The Mortgage Brokers of America met and redid their forecast. They are saying that interest rates are going to start to rise at a faster rate than they have been in the past. If that's the case, now might be the lowest we see rates for quite some time. In fact, my wife and I just recently refinanced our home, when we should have done it a year ago. 

If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We want to help you take advantage of this opportunity today!

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

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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!

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!

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!