Lindenhurst NY Home Selling - Let's Talk Curb Appeal It's hard for most of us to be objective about our own homes especially when it comes to curb appeal. Selling your home during the winter months can be a challenge. With spring, the flowers are blooming and are very pretty, the trees and lawns are green. Your Realtor should also give you ideas on how to enhance curb appeal. Here are some inexpensive tips to improve your home's curb appeal during the winter: If you have wrought iron that is looking shabby, touch it up with spray paint. Purchase 2 large decorative planters and fill them with colorful, artificial flowers and place them on your steps. You will be amazed at how inviting that will be. And it will create a focal point to buyers. Brass door knobs - shine them up! Trim those ... 01/29/2010

Selling Your Lindenhurst Ny Home - What Are You Waiting For...Spring? Newsflash: Spring is here! You are wondering, Jackie, it's not spring. It's cold out. The flowers are not blooming and the trees are naked! Please explain. And that is what I'm going to do! The home buyer tax credit will expire on 6/30/10 and they have to be in contract by 4/30/10. Because of this, buyers are out early according to an article I read from USA Today. Spring home buying usually starts around March and runs through May. Not this year. As a homeowner, you may also be a trade-up buyer. It takes about 8 weeks to close on a home. If you list your home in March, you are cutting it close even if your home is priced at market value. Why take that chance? You may think January is too early but it's not. Other ho... 01/27/2010

Maxine - Gotta Love Her Wisdom                             01/24/2010

55 And Over Narragansett Villas Condos Lindenhurst New York Closed Units For 2009 Number of Units Closed in 2009: 5 Average Listing Price: $367,798Sold Price: $345,000Average Days On Market: 107 Low Listing Price: $354,990Sold Price: $330,000Days On Market: 43High Listing Price: $379,000Sold Price: $365,000Days On Market: 195 All were 2 bedrooms with 2 bathrooms. This development was built in 2002. Still the newest condo development in the area. Has an outdoor pool and an active clubhouse. Community Information Pets Allowed Smoking Allowed Adult Community Minimum Age: 55 Financial Information County Taxes: $5,768.20 Village Taxes: $361.13 Common Charges: $295 It's a great place to live and shopping is so close to this development. 01/14/2010

Cool Tech Car Care Center in Lindenhurst New York I started going there a few years ago when my Mom raved about Joe, owner of Cool Tech Car Care Center. He will not tell you your car needs a repair or part that you do not need. When he tells you your car will be ready at a certain time, you can be sure it will be ready. Joe is honest and always calls to tell you ahead of time of what is needed to repair your car. He is very fair with his pricing. I can't tell you how many times he has squeezed me in since I would call at last minute, lol. I am trying to not do this to him anymore. He will explain to you what your car needs and why. That is what I like the best about him. He makes sure you understand what he is talking about. I know I'm getting the best service and I never have to worry... 01/13/2010

Changing Images Hair Salon - Brazilian Keratin Straightening Treatment My hair has always been thick and coarse. It always frizzed no matter what. Even doing just housework and working up a little sweat, my hair would frizz. As a Realtor, I like to look presentable. I'm not a girlie-girl and never have been. But when I meet people I do not want my hair looking like I got married to an electric socket! My hairstylist, Carol, works at Changing Images in Lindenhurst, New York. She suggested I try the Brazilian hair straightening. I trust Carol 100% but I also know, or at least I thought, I knew my hair. I've tried everything to keep my hair from frizzing, let alone being semi-straight. Nothing ever worked except when she would style my hair. That is the only time my hair would look really ... 01/05/2010

Lindenhurst Real Estate Market ReportNewly Listed Homes As you can see, November 2009 saw a surge in newly listed homes compared to October. It dropped in December due to the holidays. Homeowners feel with so much to do as it is, listing their home during the holidays just adds more stress. If you would like to receive market reports for your area, email me and I will sign you up! I hope everyone has a Happy New Year! Newly Listed HomesAverage Listing Price: $353,422Average Low Listing Price: $188,100Average High Listing Price: $599,000 Homes Under ContractAverage Listing Price: $299,720Days On Market: 138 Average Low Listing Price: $134,900Days On Market: 12 Average High Listing Price: $569,990Days On Market: 647   Homes That ClosedAverage Sold Price: $302,974 Days On Market: 109 Avera... 01/01/2010

Buying A House Lindenhurst NY - Offer Accepted, Now What?  Congratulations! Your offer has been accepted. What happens now? A multitude of things are going to happen. The quicker you get them done, the faster the transaction may go. Here are several things you need to do in this order: You have to get a home inspection and a termite inspection pronto! Do not drag your feet on this one or the seller and their agent will think you are not serious and therefore may accept another offer that could have came in behind you. Once you are happy with the results of the home inspection, it's time to get that mortgage! Hopefully you were pre-approved when you started your house hunting and this can make the mortgage processing go faster. In about 4 weeks you should receive your commitment letter ... 12/29/2009

Lindenhurst NY Home Selling - Price It High They Will NOT Come! You sit down with me, your Realtor, and I tell you what the market value of your Lindenhurst NY home is. You cringe thinking you can get more for your home. "What made you think you can get more?" I ask. You tell me your friends and relatives, who are not real estate professionals, tell you, you can. Why are you listening to them? You see, I know what market value is and so does the bank appraisers. This is key here. Let's say we list your home above market value and you get a buyer (that really won't happen but stay with me here). You accept the above market value offer and the buyers get the home inspected and all is good there. Now you go to contract then the buyer starts the mortgage process. Six weeks in and guess what... 12/28/2009

Lindenhurst NY Home Selling - 55 And Over Senior Citizens Thinking of selling your Lindenhurst NY home so you can downsize and not have to worry about lawn care, high costs of heating and electric, snow removal, etc.? Senior Citizens need a break these days. You work most of your life, raise your children, hardly take vacations that are well deserved in the first place. Now you want to sell your home so you can move maybe into a 55 and over retirement community on Long Island or you want to move out of state like the warm South. Either way, I will help you sell your home.   I look at my Mom who is 69 and I  hear a lot about rising health care costs and low social security, a cap on how many hours she is allowed to work because she collects social security and they tell her she can only ... 12/28/2009

Lindenhurst NY Homes - Winter Home Safety Tips It's always good to remind everyone about winter safety in and out of the home. FAMILY DISASTER PLAN Meet with your family to create a plan. Pick two places to meet: a spot outside your home for an emergency such as fire, and a place away from your neighborhood in case you cannot return home (a real possibility during the day when adults are at work and children are at school). Choose an out-of-area friend as your family check-in contact for everyone to call if the family becomes separated.     Implement your plan. Post emergency telephone numbers by the phones. Install safety features in your house such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers. Inspect your home for potential hazards and correct them. Have your family... 12/21/2009

Lindenhurst Long Island Volunteer Fireman And All The Good Things They Do! We always hear the negative about all public and private jobs whether paid or volunteer. A few years ago, a "reporter" wrote about how volunteer fire departments across Long Island, New York spend tax payers money in areas they shouldn't be spending. Those departments were a select few. Most are careful and conscious as to where the money gets spent. She didn't even go as far as pointing out what the other departments do. Just the negative. A few bad apples does not have to spoil the bunch is what I say! My Brother, Eric Donnelly, is part of the Bay Rats located in Lindenhurst, Long Island has been a volunteer fireman for 18 years which is half of his life. I get to hear the good side about these men and women a... 12/21/2009

Lindenhurst NY Home Buying - Foreclosures And Home Inspections Go Hand In Hand! I came across this article that gives very good advice but, always, always get a Home Inspection:   Foreclosed homes aren’t always the best deal in town – even if they do come with a price tag that appears to be lower than some other homes in the neighborhood. Here are 10 reasons why that is true, offered by Vince Mastronardi, president of On-Site Specialty Cleaning & Restoration in suburban Detroit. No heat in the winter. When a home has been left unheated, buyers run a risk of damaged pipes. Not removed but ripped. Thieves and even angry former owners can do a lot of damage when they depart with fixtures and key systems like heaters and air conditioners. Peeling, bubbling, and discoloration. Water incursio... 12/17/2009

Lindenhurst NY Homes - Driveway Repairs And Upgrades Can Be Affordable  Redoing a driveway doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Steve Gerischer, owner of Larkspur Garden Design in Los Angeles, built a new driveway out of recycled brick and broken concrete. The result was an attractive, patterned driveway that cost about $250. Gerischer excavated 3 to 4 inches of dirt and compacted the soil below. He spread 2 inches of road gravel. Then he arranged the pieces of concrete and brick to create a decorative pattern. Gerischer suggests checking Craigslist for people who are giving away bricks or other material. He also offers this installation advice: Turn bricks on edge so they sink deeper into the gravel. Use large chunks of concrete in key areas where there will be lots of traffic. Stabilize th... 12/16/2009

Lindenhurst NY Home Selling - Listing Your Home In The Winter. It's A GOOD Thing!!Did I confuse you? Every homeowner thinks the Spring is the best time to put your house up for sale. Yes, the weather is nicer, the grass is greener, but is it really? The spring brings out the buyers but there are a lot more "just lookers" in the springtime. A serious buyer will be out in the wintertime looking for a new home. A "just looker" will not bother to look in the winter. They have better things to do like stay home in front of a nice, roaring fire. For you, the seller, the winter is perfect because you will have a lot less homes competing with yours. That is key. In the Lindenhurst and Babylon area I am hearing chatter about multiple offers. This is partly due to the first-time home buyers tax c... 12/10/2009

Last Hope Animal Rescue has two locations. Their Lindenhurst center is for dog adoptions and their Huntington location is for cat adoptions. They are a Not-For-Profit, tax-exempt organization that rescues death-due pound, stray and abandoned animals. Beginning in 2003, Last Hope's Fix-A-Feral Program has assisted the public with financial assistance to spay and neuter the feral cats in neighborhoods. To date, Last Hope has assisted with the spay and neuter of at least 8,000 feral cats. This program is vital to the Long Island community and heavily utilized. Their Lindenhurst Dog Center is having an open house and holiday celebration on 12/19/09 from 12:00 to 4:00 Come on down and see the wonderful dogs they have there. Who knows. Maybe you will find your new best friend!   12/10/2009

Lindenhurst NY Real Estate Market Report  November 2009 I decided to make this simple more for you. I'm only including: Low, Average and High. Lindenhurst Village Real Estate Market Report For Month Ending November, 2009This report is for single-family homes only. New Homes Currently On The Market -29 (Down 40% Compared To October) Average                                                     $343,258 (Listing Price) (Down 5% Compared To October) Low      $149,000 (Listing Price) (Down 10% Comared To October) Half of these homes are Short-Sales. Lindenhurst has a high rate of them right now due to people not being able to afford their homes. High    $650,000 (Listing Price) (Down 30% Compared To October)The above homes have been on the market for 30 days or less. When a home is priced rig... 12/01/2009

Lindenhurst NY Real Estate Market - The Importance of Days On The Market     The length of time a property is on the market is a significant factor in the selling process. Buyers want to know how long a home has been on the market before making an offer. Most buyers will make a lower offer when a home has been on the market for more than 30 days. They assume the seller is so anxious for a sale, they will accept less. However, if a home has been available for only a few days, buyers tend to make offers closer to the list price. If the days on market is very high, some buyers will not even consider a property, thinking something may be wrong with it. Educated buyers know what is probably “wrong” is the price was set higher than current market values and they use high days on market to the... 11/20/2009

Long Island Real Estate Market - Home Prices To Rise 4% In 2010                             Home prices are expected to grow modestly next year and sales will keep rising as the housing market continues to recover from the worst downturn since the Great Depression, the National Association of Realtors said Friday. Home resales are projected to total 5.7 million next year, up from an estimated 5 million this year. Prices will climb about 4 percent after a projected decline of 13 percent this year, according to Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the trade association. "Going into 2010, I anticipate that prices will also begin stabilizing or begin to modestly improve," Yun told the audience at the association's annual conference and expo in San Diego. That should help ease buyers' anxiety. ... 11/17/2009

  Giannini Landscaping is a full service landscape design and lawn maintenance company. They also specialize in commercial snow and ice management, and beautify the exterior of homes in the winter season with their holiday lighting & decorating service. I live in a townhouse development in West Babylon and we use them for our landscaping and snow removal. They really do an awesome job and their employees are very respectful of all homeowner's privacy. Here is the link to their website: Giannini Landscaping I highly recommend them not just because they do an awesome job, but they have been around for years. I remember them being around when I just not even a teenager yet so you know they are going to be around for more years to come. Previous Helpful ArticlesWill Installing Solar Panels... 11/16/2009