What about these Foreclosure Lists?  I had a Buyer Client ask me if I had access to the foreclosure lists he keeps hearing about.  I thought about how to answer him carefully.  Of course I had been sending all the foreclosure homes on the MLS to him but he was looking for the "special deals" that everyone keeps telling him he should be looking at.  You know, the houses being bought for pennies on the dollar.I told him that there are companies out there that for a fee will sign him up for daily emails with lists of homes that have been culled from the records of the county that are pre-foreclosure homes or that are actually foreclosed homes.  They may even tell him when "the big auction on the court house steps" is for this property.  I also mentioned that these homes are mostly bought b... 04/04/2009

Have you ever seen the bonding of a buyer to a house?  I am not talking the excitement of finding something they like that they can afford.  I am not talking about walking through a model home and falling "in love" with all the bells and whistles.  I am talking about seeing the connection of a person for a house that goes beyond explanation.  They walk into the house and it is theirs from that moment. The paperwork is just a formality.The house is often very different from everything they told you they wanted.  It is often in need of at least cosmetic work if not more.  It may be in the woods when they told you they wanted a neighborhood.  It may be in town when all they wanted was quiet seclusion.  But they are suddenly and completely "One with this House".Their friends and family can ... 04/03/2009

Hello Buyers.  Just wanted to clue you guys in on a fact that is surprising many of the buyers I have been taking out to look at listings lately, although it is being hyped as a Buyer's Market and there are many houses listed, there are only a few in your price range that are in the condition most buyers want and are priced correctly.  You see all the buyers in the area that want to spend around the same amount of money on a house in a particular location are looking at the same listings on line, they are going out either with their own Buyer's Agent or on their own to look at these houses, and they are all deciding that the perfect house for them is the best one of the group. We are finding more and more houses with accepted offers and others with multiple offer situations.  You can ha... 03/30/2009

Last night I had the pleasure of meeting with many future brides and grooms at a Bridal Fair.  I was there promoting the idea of using your wedding as a way to get a down payment on your first home.  The average shower and wedding gifts received by couples in this area is up to around $8000.  That is enough for the down payment on a starter home of around $200000.  With the interest rates low and inventory high it is a great time to start your married life as homeowners.Many of the couples were excited about the idea of harnessing the good will of their friends and family into giving gifts of cash toward the down payment fund but they said they felt uncomfortable asking for it.  I came home and worked up an insert for the shower and wedding invitations that I think is tasteful and woul... 03/25/2009

I am seeing a huge increase in inquires about my services as a Real Estate Buyer's Agent lately.  It seems people are starting to understand the value of this service.  What exactly can I do for the a potential home buyer?   As A Real Estate Buyer's Agent I Provide All Star Service! As a Real Estate Buyer's Agent, I can provide full service, start to finish assistance to you.  I have worked with buyers who are ready to buy that day and others who need time to save or correct credit issues.  I will provide you with the information resources you need to get to your goal.As a Real Estate Buyer's Agent, I will help you to narrow your search to the location and type of home that best fits your needs.  I have no stake in selling any one particular house to you.  If you are dealing with the li... 03/23/2009

Saturday March 21, 2009 in Orange County NY Saturday's Weather Mostly Sunny  (click here for the latest NOAA Information.) Special Events Pancake Breakfast - Middletown, NY 56th Annual Kiwanis Club Pancake Day at Middletown High School, Gardiner Ave Extension, MIddletown, NY starting at 7:00 AM.  All proceeds go to local charities.  For Further Information Call 845-341-5001 or 914-443-5925 Indoor Farmers Market - Warwick, NY Come to Pennings starting at 11:00 AM for a selection of produce from local farm vendors and music.  161 S Route 94, Warwick, NY For Further Information Call 845-986-1059 Maple Sugar Tours - Cornwall, NY The Hudson Highlands Museum is hosting Maple Sugar Tours, a look at the process of making syrup and the history of maple sugaring in New York at the Outdoor Discov... 03/20/2009

What fun last night was.  The annual "Dinner and a Show" was a major success.  This event held as a final dress rehearsal for the Pine Bush High School musical production made hundreds of area senior citizens happy.  The seniors, some of them arriving on buses donated by the local school bus company, were treated to a great meal donated by many local businesses.  They had fun buying raffle tickets that gave them a chance to win one of 41 donated prizes ranging from gift cards for food and services to a lovely framed print of a historic postcard of the early Main Street in Pine Bush NY (part of the Community Heritage program at my brokerage- you can visit my company website to see historic maps and post cards from many local communities.) The proceeds of the raffle are used by FAME (Fami... 03/18/2009

It is affectionately called "Hell Week" by the cast, crew, and parents who need to transport them.  I refer to the week leading up to the performances of Pine Bush High School's musical.  These kids put in countless hours preparing for the musical at Pine Bush High School.  As one of those parents, I feel like I have spent countless hours waiting to pick my daughter up from the evening and weekend rehearsals.  Last night we rolled into our driveway at 10:50 PM. This year they will be performing "Footloose".  Tonight is the final dress rehearsal and a treat for senior citizens in the area, Pine Bush area senior citizens are invited to attend "Dinner and a Show"  For one price (free this year!) they get a meal and some great fun before having the advantage of a sneak preview of the weeken... 03/17/2009

I am your Buyer's Agent and sometimes I have to tell you things you may not want to hear.  Yes, you may get angry because I will point out things that you may have overlooked in your excitement about a property.  You may be disappointed because I tell you that you probably can't afford the property with the improvements you will have to make to it to make it acceptable to you.  You may even want to "fire" me because I appear to be standing in your way rather than helping you out.  But as your agent I promise I will try my best to help you buy what you can afford and be comfortable in.  Honestly, as hard as this may be to believe, I would rather make less money than assist someone to purchase the wrong property.I know that there may be agents out there who won't stand up for you even if ... 03/16/2009

Sunday March 15, 2009 in Orange County NY Sunday's Weather - Mostly Sunny and Reaching for 60   (click here for the latest NOAA Information.) Special Events Spring Fair - Chester NY A new and used item sale of books, CDs, DVDs, and other electronics at the St Columba Church, 29 High St Chester, NY starting at 9:00 AM For Further Information Call 845-469.9503 Learn How Maple Syrup Is Made - Cornwall, NY Head out to the Outdoor Discovery Center of the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, 174 Angola Road, Cornwall, NY at 11:30 AM for their popular Maple Sugar Tours.  Dress for the weather. For Further Information Call 845-534-5506 Tricky Tray - Pine Bush NY Come to the Pine Bush Fire House, 2405 Route 52,  Pine Bush, NY for this benefit for the People to People Citizen Ambassador Program. Door... 03/15/2009

I was reading a blog post by my friend Cherimie Crane about an encounter with a buyer who made her so uncomfortable with his request that she walked away rather than take a chance and I applaud her stand and decision.  It got me to thinking that perhaps buyers and sellers, in general, are unaware that there are things we, as real estate professionals, can't do or we may endanger our livelihood. Did you know that there are things that I can not tell you because they would be in violation of Fair Housing Laws and I could lose my license to sell real estate?  Sometimes buyers want to know about schools, neighborhoods, neighbors, or a host of other things that I am prevented by law and, often, by my conscience to reveal.  I have buyers ask me things all the time that I can not answer.  Some... 03/14/2009

This is the start of the Spring Market and if you are thinking this might be the right time to Find your first home             or Trade up to a new one             orDownsize for you empty nesters             then  You are exactly right!   Don't waste another moment thinking about it.  The longer you delay the busier the market will become and the less likely you will be to find the right house for the right money.  Those of you with homes to sell need to have them on the market today in order to take full advantage of this spring forward push.This year we have an additional incentive to get moving quickly.  As you may have heard the first time homebuyer income tax credit of up to $8000 for qualified first time homebuyers will expire on December first.  That means you had better be sit... 03/10/2009

As many of you know The Pine Bush Area Relay For Life has been a huge success in past years and plans for this year's event are shaping up.  It will be held on June 13th and 14th and will have the whole area out walking and celebrating life.  Look for many upcoming announcements regarding Paint the Town Purple and other pre-event fund raising information.  You can register on line for this event so sign up as soon as possible.The post however is about an opportunity to become part of a Cancer Prevention Study.  Yes Pine Bush has been chosen as a site for the CPS-3 study being conducted by the American Cancer Society.  These studies started in the 1940's and have lead to key findings that have helped to identify major risk factors such as smoking and second hand smoke, the link between o... 03/08/2009

I am in a situation where I am trying to help one of our local senior citizens here in Pine Bush, New York.  She has owned and lived in her home for over 50 years now, and recently, she re-mortgaged it because she needed extra income.  She is 85 years old living on Social Security and was not able to get by.  She got a referral from a friend and dealt with a mortgage broker and took out what seemed like a reverse mortgage.   Without giving all of the details, she received checks for a period of time and was making monthly payments to a Bank, but then the checks stopped.  Recently, she started receiving notices that she was in jeopardy of losing her home if she could not continue to make the monthly payments.  Because she only received a very small portion of the money that she was suppo... 03/06/2009

Pine Bush School District area young people ages 8 through 13 are invited to take part in a great new Drama Program being offered by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Pine Bush and Town of Wallkill.  The TNT Drama Matters Afterschool Drama program, a joint initiative from TNT and Boys & Girls Club of America that seeks to bring the many benefits of drama to the Pine Bush School District area. The program will be held at the Infant Savior Church, Rt 302, Pine Bush NY on Monday afternoons from 3:00 - 6:00 PM for 12 weeks starting March 9th and ending June 8th.  For registration information, fees, and forms please contact Teri of the Boys and Girls Clubs at 845-361-2222. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Pine Bush and the Town of Wallkill are a great resource for parents and children in this area.  Th... 03/05/2009

1.  Your credit is not good... One too many late bill payments or a health issue that devastated finances several years ago can wreck havoc on your plans to get a mortgage.  Some may say why even bother to try but help is really just a phone call away.  By speaking with a mortgage professional you can find a way to start improving what you need to improve.  It may not be as bad as you think.  They will provide you with a list of items that need to be cleared and give you suggestions on how to clear them up! No need to pay some credit repair company.  Don't let this stop you on the path to home ownership. 2.  You don't have a down payment...  So you have been living life to the best of your ability but you have not found a way to save.  You are hearing that you absolutely need 20% down n... 03/04/2009

Why do some Real Estate Firms use gimmicks to try to hook potential customers into working with them?  Why not provide top notch service and gain a reputation for honesty rather than tricking someone into something that provides them with some iffy guarantees?  I was recently asked if my Broker matched a program being offered by a competitor in my market.  I reviewed the offer on the competitor's website and found some very specific criteria that had to be met in order to qualify.  The guarantee was to relist the house for Free for as long as you owned the home if it lost value but the fine print revealed that window of opportunity to take advantage of the promise was only a bit over 10 weeks.  As a buying client, you had to have begun a search for a home, found the home, gotten an acce... 03/02/2009

Look do you want a house or a bargain???  Sometimes I feel like saying that to some of my buyers.  I work hard to provide them with up to date comps and my professional opinions of condition of the property compared to those comps, resale possibilities for the future, and the seller's motivation and flexibility.  When I provide you with this range in pricing I will tell you a comfortable starting offer and how much I believe the house will sell for if the sellers are serious.  When I provide those numbers please don't subtract another 10% or more and expect the seller to respond to your offer in a positive way.  Don't just take the listing price and automatically subtract 20% either.   Some houses are priced to sell at the listing price, some priced a bit above expected sale price to al... 03/02/2009

Pine Bush School District residents who are interested in the youth of our district may want to attend a quarterly meeting of the Focus On Youth Initiative Committee.  The next meeting is Wednesday March 4th at 9:00 AM at the Crawford Government Center on Route 302 just across from the high school. This committee has been instrumental in many local efforts to help the youth of the district. During these meetings parents, senior citizens, school officials, local youth organization directors and staff, and business people hear reports on the various programs and initiatives that are being offered to the youth of the district and discuss ways that we can help facilitate coordination of programs.  I enjoy these meetings because they reinforce the reasons that I choose this district to raise... 03/01/2009

Putting in an offer on a property can be a bit overwhelming for home buyers.  Working with a Buyers Agent can give you the edge in so many ways.  A good Buyer's Agent will provide you with information to help you pick an initial offering price and help you to determine thetop amount you are willing to pay for that property. Cabin in the Woods or Colonial with Views your Buyer's Agent will help you determine value! Your Buyer's Agent will review recent sales in the area and compare the house you are interested in to them.  Many things affect pricing and home value.  It is not a simple as multiplying the price per square foot time the average for recent sales.  This does not take into consideration the location, condition, original construction quality, or any of the other factors that wi... 02/24/2009