Mary's Scoop on Rochester Real Estate

The City of Rochester is offering a lead grant for rental properties that will assist with 90% of the lead remediation related project cost up to $18,000 per unit for porch repair/ replacement, window/door repair/replacement, painting and bare soil treatment. In extreme cases, funding may be used...

I've not done a home buyer Seminar in a couple of years but there is so much good stuff going on right now with the $8000 first time home buyer credit that the timing just seems right. So mark your calendar or tell a friend. Wednesday, June 24, 6 to 7:30 pm at 2024 W. Henrietta Road, Suite 2A; wh...

There is absolutely nothing more fun in real estate than calling your buyers and saying, "Congratulations! Your offer was accepted!"And there is almost nothing worse than calling buyers and having to tell them their offer was out-bided.My weekend started off marvelously when I showed a house in B...

For the past two weeks or so, there have been rumors galore that first time home buyers will be able to borrow their federal tax credit in order to use that money for closing costs and down payment towards the purchase of a home. The details have not yet been worked out but I think this is going ...

Okay, I'm getting grumpy! I'm tired and have not had a day off in a while. With that being said, let me get this off my chest! The purpose of the home inspection is NOT to renegotiate the terms of the sale. If you put in a purchase offer on a house with a tarp over the garage roof, don't expect $...

At some parks, there are signs telling you not to leave the walkway. But not so at Rochester's Highland Park. In fact, they have many park benches well off the beaten path just beckoning you to come and sit and ponder. What a delightful way to spend a spring day.   Highland Park might be best kno...

Very, very, very quickly!Case in point, a new listing came up Friday afternoon. There were no photos but my clients decided to drive by anyway. They called me from the driveway and said we want want to see this. I pull up the listing and there is not even a flowery description of the property and...

I've got a very good feeling that young people have been watching the news and learning from the messy financial situation facing the country and world these days. While they are enticed by the excellent market conditions (very low mortgage rates, lower house prices and a tax credit!!) there is ...

Some of my clients think I'm a little crazy when I advocate for buying ugly houses. Now I'm not talking butt-ugly. I'm talking about the type of ugly that a coat of paint or perhaps new carpet will fix. And I advocate for that type of house because that is where the best deals are.Houses with "Po...

I spent the day in Albany yesterday with approximately 50 other Realtors from both Rochester and Buffalo to meet with several of our state legislators to discuss upcoming legislation that affects local homeowners and the real estate market.The most important item on our agenda was the need for pr...