Be Home with Your Dog During Showings I love dogs and I have two. My dog Kyra is in the photo and as nice as she is, I wouldn't leave her home if I were selling my house. I was making appointments to show homes to my new buyers. One agent told me to use the lock box since the homeowners wouldn't be home. She went on to say make sure you do not let the dog out. Dog? Don't worry, the dog is nice I was told. I am sure he is but this poses a huge liability on the homeowner, the agent and their broker if something should happen. Turns out the homeowner was home and yes, the dog was nice but skiddish. My dog Kyra is scared of everything and everyone. If you come into my home she will bark her head off and run upstairs. In about an hour she will want to be on your lap and be your best friend.... 02/19/2013

Bank Owned Homes for Sale in Lindenhurst NY There are 3 bank owned homes for sale in Lindenhurst NY. Shore Road Lindenhurst NY - This Ranch homes has 3 bedrooms, five rooms and 1 full bath with a 1.5 attached garage on 7000 square feet of property. North 7th Street Lindenhurst NY - This Colonial style home has four bedrooms, 10 rooms, two full baths with a 1 car attached garage on 6300 square feet of property. South 9th Street Lindenhurst NY - This High Ranch home has five bedrooms, 11 rooms, three full baths, 1 car attached garage on 6000 square feet of property. How to Buy a Bank Owned Home in Lindenhurst NYMost bank owned homes need a fair amount of work to a lot of work. You will either have to get a 203k mortgage or pay cash. Keep in mind that the bank pretty much wants asking pri... 02/04/2013

Recent Sold Homes in Lindenhurst NY for January 2013 Lindenhurst NY Housing Data reported by Jackie Connelly-Fornuff with Century 21 AA Realty of Lindenhurst NY 10 homes sold in Lindenhurst NY for January 2013. For privacy reasons, the house numbers have been omitted: South 13th Street (Short Sale) - Listed for $112,000 and sold for $112,000 and on the market for 113 days. It is a one bedroom home. Buffalo Avenue (Bank Owned) - Listed for $225,000 and sold for $200,000 and on the market for 352 days. This home needed little updating and the buyer got a great deal for $200K! 42nd Street - Listed for $239,000 and sold for $225,000 (not a short sale) and on the market for 107 days. This home needed a lot of work. South 8th Street - Listed for $249,000 and sold for $240,000 and on the mark... 02/03/2013

When to Pack when Moving Out of Your Long Island NY Home Buying and selling your Long Island NY home is exciting and hectic all at the same time. Start packing when you are under contract. I am hoping these packing tips will make things easier on you for moving day: Kitchen - Pack the items in your china and kitchen cabinets that you know you will not use. Living room/Den - Pack your bookshelves and start removing and packing your photos from the walls and coffee/end table. Bedrooms/Closets - Buy a few cardboard wardrobe containers and hang the clothes you do not wear now on those. You can hang them right up in the closets when you move to your new home. Price shop for these since they can be costly. Bathrooms - We all know that we do not use everything that is in the bathroom. Pack it... 02/03/2013

Does Your Long Island NY Home Have Curb Appeal? During the winter months it can be difficult giving your Long Island NY home the curb appeal we see during the spring and summer. Not to worry. Here are some ideas that are inexpensive and no maintenance: Front Door - Paint your front door to give it life. It doesn't take long to do and it really does make a world of difference. Place a floral wreath on your door that has cheery colors like yellows and pinks. Door Step - Buy colorful potted plants to sit on the stoop on the sides of your front door. You'll be amazed at how pretty it looks. Mailbox - Buy a new colorful one or spruce up the one you have by painting and decorating it. Fence - If you have a chain-link fence or wood fence, paint it to make it look almost new. Read the back of ... 02/03/2013

4 of the Best Mini Golf Courses on Long Island NY Fore! I love mini golf. Haven't played in years. I scoured the Internet for what I felt are the best mini golf courses on Long Island NY. They all offer more than just mini golf: Monster Mini Golf410-C Commack RoadDeer Park, NYPhone: (631) 940-890018 hole mini golf course and offer birthday parties, gift certificates and have a birthday club. They also have a location in Medford, NY. Tiki Action Park1878 Middle Country RoadCentereach, NYPhone: (631) 471-1267Besides having a mini golf course, they have go-karts, 40 game arcade, a Lazer Maze and so much more. They were voted for Best Golf Course on Long Island for three years in a row! Puff N Putt659 Montauk HighwayMontauk, NYPhone: (631) 668-4473Puff N Putt is a family fun center. Beside... 02/01/2013

Long Island NY Short Sales are Not a Fire Sale Long Island NY short sales are still alive and well. When I take a short sale I preview the home and then work on my market analysis. I base the listing price on location, condition and past home sales just like I would on any other home. I discuss with my client that pricing their Long Island NY short sale home at market value is the best way to start and to see how much showing activity we will get. Most times my short sale clients just want the home sold and do what I recommend. Then their is the stigma of short sales take months and months sometimes even a year to close. Sometimes that is true but in my experience it hasn't taken me more than five months to get a Long Island NY short sale home to close. This is because I stay on top of... 01/30/2013

4 Common Perceptions About Real Estate It's amazing about how the public perceives real estate agents, brokers and the real estate market overall. Real Estate Perception #1: If a home sells quickly, the listing agent gets recognized for that and they should. We work hard to get out listings sold quickly and for top dollar for our clients. But, let's say an agent lists a condo in a 55 & Over development on the first floor and another agent has one on the 2nd floor. In my market, buyers in this age group want a first floor condo most of the time. Those condos sell much faster than the 2nd floor condos. Both need to be priced right as always. The agent that sells the first floor condos quicker, looks better in the eyes of the other homeowners that live there than the agent that has the 2n... 01/29/2013

One Level Homes for Sale in Lindenhurst NY from $300,000 There are 13 one level homes for sale in Lindenhurst NY from $300,000. Asking prices start at $309,000 for a 3 bedroom six room Ranch on Burton Place, Lindenhurst NY to $409,000 for a 9 bedroom, 17 room Expanded Ranch on North Ontario Avenue, Lindenhurst NY. The three most popular one level homes are: Ranch, Farm Ranch and Expanded Ranch. They all have the living space on one floor. A Ranch style home may not always have an eat-in kitchen so when you are searching for Ranch homes in Lindenhurst NY, check to make sure it has an eat-in kitchen should that matter to you. This style home is also known as a starter home. A Farm Ranch has larger rooms when compared to a Ranch. Farm Ranch homes are far and few between so when you see on... 01/29/2013

Lindenhurst NY Rental Income Homes For Sale There are 18 rental income homes for sale in Lindenhurst NY. Most of them are legal 2 by Permit which means if you buy the house you can rent one portion of the house as a rental and you have to live in the other portion of the house. All you have to do is apply for a rental permit through the Town of Babylon. The cost for the rental permit is $250.00 and has to be renewed every two years. The rental income homes for sale in Lindenhurst NY start from $209,000 for a 4 bedroom, 10 room Colonial on North 7th Street to $439,000 for a 6 bedroom, 14 room Colonial on 36th Street. Some of these homes seem to need work but it never hurts to see them if you are considering buying a rental income home in Lindenhurst NY. Call Jackie today (631) 703-0201 a... 01/25/2013

Lindenhurst NY Houses for Sale Near Daniel Street Elementary There are 20 homes for sale in Lindenhurst NY near the Daniel Street Elementary School. List prices range from $159,000 (Short Sale) to $409,000 for a nine bedroom, 17 room Expanded Ranch on North Ontario Avenue. This is a great buy! If you are looking to purchase a home in Lindenhurst NY near the Daniel Street Elementary School you do not have a lot of choices. If you are preapproved for a mortgage for up to $250,000 you have six homes to choose from. From $300,000 to $400,000 you have 14 to choose from and depending upon how low you want to keep the property taxes, again you do not have a lot of choices. Owning a home in Lindenhurst NY near the Daniel Street Elementary School is great for resale in the future. Homes in this ... 01/20/2013

Lindenhurst NY 2 Bedroom Homes For Sale with an Eat-In Kitchen  There are 14 two bedroom homes for sale in Lindenhurst NY with an eat-in kitchen. Asking prices range from $116,400 for a two bedroom, eight room Ranch on 44th Street to $429,000 for a two bedroom, nine room Ranch on North Wellwood Avenue which is actually an office medical building with a two bedroom living space. Really should have been listed as commercial space for sale. Nine of these two bedroom homes are short sales. Sales History for 2 Bedroom Homes in Lindenhurst NY:17 two bedroom homes sold in Lindenhurst NY during 2012. The median sold price is $165,000 with 71 days on the market. Sold prices range from $134,900 for a two bedroom, five room Ranch on Centre Avenue to $269,000 for a two bedroom, six room Ranch on So... 01/18/2013

Being a Real Estate Agent is a REAL Job Every time I hear someone say, "I should get out of real estate and get a real job", it annoys me to no end. Real estate is not a traditional 9 to 5 job with weekends off and weekly paychecks. No one said it's easy. If it were, everyone would be doing it. Maybe people get into real estate thinking it's all glam and in a year's time they will be driving beamers, Jags and living in a Mansion. Talk about visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads. Or, they don't believe the advice they are given from other agents and Brokers that say it's a lot of hard work, you need at least six months of money aside to pay bills (I recommend a years worth in a down market), no weekly paychecks and you have to work weekends, and expect the occasional door to be ... 01/16/2013

Lindenhurst NY Kindergarten Registration 2013The Lindenhurst NY School District will be holding Kindergarten registration for all eligible students from February 1-15, 2013. Registration takes place at the McKenna Administration Building, 350 Daniel Street. Children must be 5 years of age on or before Dec. 1, 2013 in order to be enrolled in kindergarten for the coming year. Registration packets must be presented at the time of registration along with all required documentation. Packets are available in the lobby of the McKenna Administration Building and at all district elementary schools.  Registrants should follow the schedule listed below. Those who are not sure which school their child will be attending should contact the Central Registration Office at 631-867-3055. Albany Avenue E... 01/14/2013

Broker Open Houses: Who Stole the Food? I personally do not care if there is food at our local broker open houses. I go to preview the home, give the listing agent my price opinion that they want for their homeowner and to see if the home may be a fit for my buyer. In and out and on to the next one. There is a brand new condo development in our local area and I figured let me go and check out the new eye candy just in case I meet a new buyer and can tell them everything I know. I also saw they were serving a "nice lunch" as it stated in the listing. I get there and get the brochure and walk around for a while. I was impressed. The builder did a fabulous job. Half the development is 55 & over and the other half is not. Smart thing for the builder to do since it will attract a few types ... 01/09/2013

Narragansett Villas Lindenhurst NY Resale History 2012 Narragansett Villas located in Lindenhurst NY was built in 2004 and is a 55 & Over active adult community. Some units were selling for as high as $400,000 back in 2005.  In 2006 & 2007, we saw prices go as high as $420,000. 2008 prices were in the high $300's and 2009 is where we saw a significant drop in the sold prices and selling in the low $300's. In 2010 two condos sold in the high $300's. Below is a chart showing the resale history for Narragansett Villas since 2011: Currently, there are no condos for sale at Narragansett Villas and there are three under contract: 100 Building - List price: $349,990 with 69 days on the market800 Building - List price: $339,000 with 58 days on the market300 Building - List price: $359,000 with... 01/01/2013

Lindenhurst NY Housing Market a 10 Year Review The Lindenhurst NY housing market ended with the median sold price at $270,000 with 209 homes sold with an average of 79 days on the market. It was $262,000 in 2002 with 190 homes sold and an average of 89 days on the market. As of December 31, 2012, there are 165 homes on the market in Lindenhurst NY. The day before there were 185 homes on the market. 14 homes expired and the rest were withdrawn off the market by the homeowners. We are seeing a reduction of homes on the market in Lindenhurst NY to the point where it will spark a seller's market sooner than later. When this happens the median sold prices will rise since there will be more of a demand for homes. If you are thinking of buying a home in Lindenhurst NY the time is now, not lat... 12/31/2012

Why Do Narragansett Villas Condos in Lindenhurst NY on the 1st Floor Sell Faster? Not only do they sell faster they also sell for more money. One thing I do know is that buyers that are 55 & over have told me they think of the future and if one of them becomes wheelchair bound, living on the first floor makes that more convenient. That I can understand. This was the only objection I was met with when trying to sell a condo at Narragansett Villas in 2010. This was a beautiful condo on the 2nd floor. I met that objection with having a chairlift installed in the future but no one wanted to hear that. Below are the stats for Narragansett Villas in Lindenhurst NY showing how many have sold on the first floor vs. the 2nd floor and the sold prices. (addresses not disclosed for privacy reasons)... 12/30/2012

My Seller is Flexible but Not a Contortionist When I work with buyers I tell them that most homeowners need 24 hours notice. I feel that is a reasonable request. My sellers have jumped through hoops to show their home to buyers with short notice including the day before a holiday.   Recently an agent called my office to schedule an appointment for one of my listings. My office admin then called my homeowner to see if the appointment would work for her but it didn't. When I spoke with my client she explained that the time was too soon in this case. The agent wanted to schedule the appointment for one and a half hours after his call. That is not reasonable notice to give someone. My office admin told my client that is when the buyer wanted to go according to their agent and the agent sta... 12/29/2012

Lindenhurst NY Real Estate Update Since Hurricane Sandy There were just under 200 homes on the market in Lindenhurst NY before hurricane Sandy. Now there are 182 homes on the market as of today. Withdrawn ListingsThis is when the homeowner decides to withdraw their home off the market. There were 48 homes withdrawn from the Lindenhurst NY real estate market. Five of those homes were south of Montauk Highway and were withdrawn after 10/29/12. Lindenhurst NY Homes Listed Since 10/30/1226 homes were placed on the market since 10/30/12. Seven of these homes are south of Montauk Highway. Only one of the listings stated the house was not affected by Sandy. Always do your homework to make sure the house you are contemplating buying didn't have major damage. Hire a home inspector that is also a... 12/27/2012