Long Island Storm Aftermath of 2010 As I drove around the day after the storm, I was amazed to see how 1 home was untouched, and another home had trees on top of the roof. Some blocks were closed due to power lines being down. LIPA stated they ran out of transformers. Imagine that? This past Tuesday there were still 20,000 LIPA customers without power. Here are some photos of what the storm left behind.... Corner of Grand Avenue & Muncy in Lindenhurst, NY - Most stops signs were untouched but this one. The rest of the pictures are from our property.   03/20/2010

Losing Your Home In The Town of Babylon? Feeling Helpless? Let Me Help You Sell Your Home As A Short Sale! You are behind in your mortgage payments. You feel trapped and helpless. You are tired of getting phone calls and letters from the bank that holds your mortgage. Above all, you feel like you let down your family and yourself. Losing a job, getting divorced, suffering an illness is why homeowners can't pay their mortgages. After months of not paying, some give up their homes to foreclosure. It doesn't have to be that way. As of now, a short sale is better on your credit than a foreclosure. From what I've learned, selling your home as a short sale means you will not be able to get another mortgage at 3 to 5 years down the road. A foreclosure on the other hand, you are looking at a m... 03/20/2010

Finding A Realtor To Help Sell Your Home In Babylon, West Babylon & Lindenhurst Long Island  It’s Time To Expect MORE From Your Realtor! 03/18/2010

Don't Give Up...You Will Get Results! I have had the T-Mobile family plan cell phone service for almost 2 years. I've never had a dropped call or any other problems and was always happy with their customer service....until yesterday. Back in October of 2009, my son's cell phone stopped working for no reason. He got the dreaded white, flashing screen. No problem. I went to our local T-Mobile store in Lindenhurst, NY and they exchanged it for me. In January of 2010, the same thing happened again. Yesterday, the same thing. This time I wanted a different Nokia model as comparable to the one he had. I wasn't looking for an upgrade, just a comparable priced phone. The store called customer service and I spoke with the representative. She repeated over and over that there is no solution and ... 03/17/2010

New York Real Estate Agency Disclosure I Ain't Signing No Stinkin' Form!! As a Realtor, I do open houses for clients and also other agents as a favor when they are stuck. New York State requires us Realtors to give buyers the Agency Disclosure form to let them know that Realtors work for the seller, what a Buyer's Agent is and it also explains Dual Agency. I am amazed at how many consumers do not understand what this all means. They automatically think they are signing a contract. It is NOT a contract. Lately, I'm coming across many buyer's who are reluctant to sign this form. When I ask them how many open houses have they attended, they state "quite a few". Really? You have never been asked by a Realtor to sign this form? NO! That boggles my mind. It's our job to have you read and sig... 03/13/2010

Finding A Realtor To Help Sell Your Home In Babylon, West Babylon & Lindenhurst Long Island, Isn't Rocket Science... A Realtor works for you, the seller, plain and simple. Here are some things that are crucial in getting your home sold: My job is to make sure you get 12 pictures of your home into our local MLS system. Not 1, 3 or 6, but 12. They are to be clear and  they have to showcase each room. If a picture is too close-up, like just showing a bed and not the rest of the room, it won't give a clear description of that particular room. Internet Marketing - Just having your home on our local MLS is not enough. Coldwell Banker has over 12 websites. Once your home is listed on the MLS, your home will then be fed into our other websites. This is key because there are a lot of buyers that... 03/11/2010

Easter Egg Hunts On Long Island - Breakfast With The Easter Bunny - And Activities Across Long Island Spring is just about here and that means Easter is soon upon us! Below are links to great Easter Egg Hunts and Spring Festivals across Long Island: White Post Farms - 250 Old Country Road, Melville Easter Egg Spectacular - The annual Easter Egg Spectacular is of course no exception. White Post Farms have train rides, the petting zoo, the indoor and outdoor playgrounds, this Easter Festival offers a chance for your kids to decorate their own emu, goose, or ostrich eggs, giant egg cookie decorating, live bunnies to pet, hold, and cuddle, and of course, the Easter Bunny himself who is on hand for photos. White Post is holding it's Easter Egg Hunts on Sunday, April 5th, Saturday, April 11t... 03/09/2010

Short Sale Federal Program To Start April 5th, 2010 For those of you that do not know, the Obama administration is trying to encourage home owners to take the short sale route to avoid foreclosure. In short, (no pun intended :)) a short sale is when you have to sell your home for less than what you owe on your mortgage. It's also better on your credit than a foreclosure. As of now, it will take 3 to 5 years before you can get a mortgage. With a foreclosure, you are looking at, at least 10 years or more before you can get another mortgage. This new short sale program is also to curtail fraud among the mortgage banking system. Beginning April 5th, lenders will have to consult with real estate practicioners to assess home values and a minimum acceptable offer. Then they must accept any of... 03/08/2010

Babylon Home Buying Seminar - Babylon Public Library On 3/11/2010 This home buying seminar is not just for first time home buyers. If you haven't bought a home in years, things have changed dramatically! Learn about the home buying process, including how to apply for government grants and tax incentives, how to fix your credit, and the dangers to avoid when buying a home.Date: Thursday Mar 11, 2010 Time: 6:30 PM  -  8:30 PM Contact: Adult Reference Department    631-669-1624    Location: Community Room My Managing Broker, myself and a few of my Coldwell Banker Colleagues will be available to answer your questions!   03/08/2010

A Realtor That Will Work Hard For You From Beginning To End And Beyond....Call Jackie Connelly-Fornuff Today! No matter what, I'll be with you from beginning to end and beyond. Whether you are buying or selling, deal with a Realtor that knows your needs come first always! 03/08/2010

Daylight Savings Time Spring Ahead On 3/14/10 I long for this time of year! Spring ahead means, springtime! Ah, warmer weather, planting pretty flowers, the sounds of lawnmowers (ok, I don't mow but stay with me here), the sounds of children having fun, being able to stay outdoors longer, bbq's. The list is endless! So, don't forget to set your clocks ahead 1 hour the night before. We lose an hour of sleep, but we can make up for it the next night. And don't forget to change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. HAPPY SPRING!!!!!! 03/05/2010

Down Payment Housing Assistance On Long Island There are some organizations that assist with down payments, and give mortgage assistance on Long Island. Below are links to these organizations: Long Island Housing Partnership New York Down Payment Assistance Nassau County Down Payment Assistance Town of Babylon Down Payment AssistanceThe Town of Babylon is not currently accepting anymore applications but check back from time to time. HUD Down Payment Assistance I am hoping you find this information useful. If you need assistance with your home buying needs, please contact me anytime at: (631) 703-0201 Have an awesome day! 03/03/2010

Whalers Cove Condos Babylon Village Real Estate Market Report For February 2010 Newly Listed Condos 2 Average Listing Price $336,950 Average Taxes $3,718 There were no condos under contract and no condos closed during February 2010. Interesting stuff huh? This was the shortest market report ever! :) Whaler's Cove Condos are conveniently located. A short distance to Babylon Village shopping and to the Babylon train station for those of you who just love to commute to Manhattan! :) They are also in the Babylon School District. All of the above are something to consider. Partly for resale value. They also do not have a high turnover as you can see since there are only 2 units on the market right now. It is a desirable development to live in and that also helps for resale value. If you are... 03/01/2010

Whalers Cove Condos Babylon Village Real Estate Market Report For January 2010 There were no newly listed condos and no conds under contract for January 2010. Only 1 unit sold in January:   Condos That Sold 1 Listing Price $325,000 Contract Price $290,000 Sold Price $290,000 Bedrooms 2 Kitchen EIK % Difference 10.8% Property Taxes $4,748 Babylon Village Taxes $541 Maintenance Fee $233 Days On The Market 301 03/01/2010

Babylon Village Real Estate Market Report For February 2010   Newly Listed Homes 8 Average Listing Price $555,973 Average Taxes $11,971 Under Contract 2 Average Listing Price $364,495 Original Price $384,745 Taxes $7,447 Days On The Market 136     Homes That Sold 2 Average Listing Price $424,945 Original Price $449,495 Sold Price $412,500 % Difference 3.5% Average Taxes $9,936 Days On The Market 74 03/01/2010

Top 10 Cities with Climbing Home Prices Home prices aren’t tanking everywhere. In some cities they have bounced pretty high off the bottom, according to a report in Forbes magazine. Altos Research examined data for every U.S. city with at least 100 homes on the market – about 8,000 cities. It identified these 10 cities as having the biggest price increases from the previous year. 1. Lexington, Mass., +36 percent 2. Bay Village, Ohio, +32 percent 3. Sunnyvale, Calif., +32 percent 4. Poway, Calif., +27 percent 5. University City, Mo., +28 percent 6. Ambler, Pa., +26 percent 7. Allison Park, Pa. , +25 percent 8. New Braunfels, Texas, +25 percent 9. Kemp, Texas, +24 percent 10. Arcadia, Calif., +24 percent Source: Forbes, Francesca Levy (02/24/2010) 02/25/2010

Tax Credit Due To Expire June 30th - Home Buyers and Sellers, What Are You Waiting For? The tax credit will be expiring on June 30, 2010. Everyone has to be in contract by April 30, 2010. What are you waiting for? If buyers cannot afford to buy, then of course you can't buy. But the buyers that can afford it now, now is not the time to hold off. Mortgage rates will be going up to 6% by or before the end of 2010. The government seems reluctant to extend the tax credit again. I wouldn't count on it this time. It would be nice though! Are you waiting for a dramatic decrease in the long island real estate market? Not going to happen.We've hit bottom and have been flat-lined for a few months now. If the market does go down, it will be slight. The home selling season on Long Island usually s... 02/25/2010

Five Guys Burgers And Fries - Fast Food That Is Real Food My husband had been wanting to go to Five Guys Burgers go since it opened in Amityville, New York a few months ago. Me? Well, I always have my doubts about new fast food places because I have images of frozen beef stored for too long and therefore just tasting bland. Was I wrong! I was impressed that the beef is not frozen and perfectly pressed. It is all hand pressed. How could I tell? The burgers are not perfectly shaped and they taste like you did it yourself. Maybe for some that is not good? lol. I have to say the beef itself was tasty. I had the Little Cheeseburger and my husband had the Bacon Cheeseburger as you see pictured here. My husband had the Cajun fries and I had the regular fries. They are fried in no cholesterol ... 02/23/2010

South Bay Elementary School In West Babylon Needs Your Help! My husband received this email from someone in his running group that is coordinating donations:Hi All Many of you have heard about the West Babylon school fire. The k-5 South Bay Elementary School was destroyed. It appears that books from one Kindergarten classroom may recovered.   We are fortunate that no one was hurt and classes will resume tomorrow at The Our lady of Grace Church.   I am reaching out to everyone, especially my teaching colleagues, for donations of classroom supplies (for students and teachers), books, games, phys ed "stuff", "music stuff".   I know that we all contribute to various causes on a regular basis so please don't feel obligated.   Lightly used "stuff" is fine. This may be a good time to purge the... 02/23/2010

 Avi Korine Home Inspector Dix Hills Long Island This past Saturday, my buyers had an inspection scheduled for their co-op purchase. They decided to use Avi Korine because I told them he's very thorough to say the least. He's fair and doesn't overprice repairs that are needed. Avi was there for just over an hour and this is a co-op! He checked everything. In the end, he gave a detailed verbal inspection report which found nothing major and my buyers are happy. They were also impressed with Avi and were glad they took my advice. I also had a personal experience with Avi Korine 2.5 years ago when my husband and I bought our townhome. Since there was more to cover, he was there for 2 hours. 1 hour was spent in the basement alone. I was so impressed with how detailed his verbal report was a... 02/22/2010