6 Things To Do Before Upgrading to A Larger Long Island NY House The decision to sell your Long Island NY house shouldn't be made quickly. You can't leave until you know where you are going. If you desire a larger home, you have to know what type of home you want. Across Long Island NY there is a shortage of inventory in most price points and home prices are rising. Buyers are having a difficult time finding "the one" and they cannot afford to be picky. What would happen if you place your Long Island NY house on the market, get a buyer then discover you can't find a house in a short period of time? You lose your buyer unless they love your home so much they are willing to wait months. Some say put your house on the market and worry about finding a home later. If you do that, you could e... 03/03/2014

How Many Homes Are For Sale In Lindenhurst NY? There are 148 homes for sale in Lindenhurst NY as of 2/20/14 and that includes short sales and REO homes. Without the distressed properties, there are 115 homes for sale. What does this mean for sellers? We are without a doubt in a seller's market. This does not mean you can overprice your Lindenhurst NY house. Home prices are not going to soar through the roof like they did in 2004/2005. Buyers will not buy an overpriced home and banks will not issue mortgages if the home appraises for less than the offer. What does this mean for buyers? You do not have as many choices as you did a year ago. Either increase your purchase price or do not be too picky. What does this mean for the Lindenhurst NY real estate market?It could force buyers to sta... 02/20/2014

Why Do I Need an Elevation Certificate When Selling my Lindenhurst NY House? When selling your Lindenhurst NY house and you are in a flood zone, you have to get an Elevation Certificate. You hire a land surveyor or architect (they have to be licensed to survey land) and they certify the elevation of your home against the bay, ocean or any other body of water you live near including natural lakes and streams. The reason you have to get an Elevation Certificate before you sell is because mortgage banks are not closing loans without one as of October 1st, 2013. It's the same thing as you having to get a CO (certificate of occupancy) if you built an extension onto your home. This will be at your expense and the costs are around $500.00 to $700.00 Anything above $1,000 is considered price go... 01/20/2014

How Incorrect Information in a Listing Can Cost You a Buyer One of the most important pieces of information in a listing besides the listing price are the property taxes. I showed a fabulous Lindenhurst NY short sale house to a buyer recently. It had everything: spacious rooms, beautiful kitchen and baths, gorgeous hardwood floors and high end carpeting, master suite, crown molding, full basement, and a garage that would make any man drool.  So, what's the problem you ask? When I verified the property taxes with the Town of Babylon they were almost $3,000 higher than stated in the listing. Damn! My instincts that this was too good to be true was spot on. This increase in property taxes put my buyer over her budget. The listing agent told me to have my buyer lower her price and he will m... 01/07/2014

How To Grieve Taxes in the Town of Babylon? From Mid-April through the 3rd Tuesday in May, which is May 20th, 2014, you can apply for a property tax grievance in the Town of Babylon. The form can be obtained from the Assessor's Office at 200 Sunrise Highway in Lindenhurst NY. Tax grievance forms can be dropped off or mailed but make sure you mail them on time. I also think it is better that you hire someone to do the tax grievance for you. They have many years of experience and in most cases can tell you if the town will approve you for the tax grievance before you apply with no cost to you. Below are two professionals that can help you: Cori Kaplan, ESQAll Island Tax GrievancePhone: 631-470-6033 Mark LewisPhone: 696-2222 01/02/2014

Happy New Year from Long Island So here we are, another year come and gone. In one hour and six minutes we will welcome 2014. I hope all of you had a fabulous 2013. I can't wait to see what 2014 brings. That's the best part about life is that each day is a gift and full of surpises. We may not have perfect lives but we should all live each day as if it were our last because one day it will be. I wish all of you much love and success in 2014. Happy New Year from Long Island! 12/31/2013

Lindenhurst NY 3 Bedroom Colonial For Sale | Beach Street Colonial House For Sale Lindenhurst NY Move right into this turn-key, 3 bedroom Colonial House For Sale in Lindenhurst NY. Meticulously updated with a beautiful Eat-In granite kitchen with sliders to the 195 feet deep backyard! 12 Reasons Why You Should Buy Their Colonial House in Lindenhurst NY: Turn-Key condition. Nothing to do but move in and decorate with your own style. Granite Eat-In Kitchen with custom cabinetry and hardwood floors. Plenty of counter space to cook and bake! Beautiful full bath off kitchen. Dining Room with hardwood floors. Conveniently located next to kitchen. Den with hardwood floors, in-wall speakers, and sliders to a very spacious backyard. Grand living room with hardwood floors and new gas fireplace. L... 11/07/2013

You Can't Leave Until You Know Where You Are Going Recently I met with a Lindenhurst NY homeowner to preview their home so I could figure out what their home is worth in the current real estate market. They seemed excited to get their home on the market and when I asked where are they going, they responded with "we don't know". They knew something wasn't right when they saw my bambi-watching-her-mother-get-shot-and-strapped-to-the-van-look on my face. Seriously, you have to know where you are going before you put your home on the market. Imagine getting a nice offer on your home and then rushing out to find your next house. What if you do not find a house? What if you find one in the heat of the moment then discover you do not like it after you move in? I've heard these stories before a... 11/04/2013

How Flexible is My Seller? One thing I do appreciate is when a real estate agent calls to find out how "flexible" my seller is with the list price. They do this because their buyers are only prequalified up to a certain amount and do not want to waste my time, their time and my client's time. Buyers think they will get a steal by sellers accepting their offer based on their highest mortgage prequalification amount. In my client's case, she is not going to accept $55,000 below the list price since we are already priced perfectly. Buyers do this because they cannot find anything really nice up to $250,000 and start grabbing for straws in the hopes a seller is desperate enough to go very low below their list price. You will turn blue from holding your breath. My advice is this: increase yo... 10/16/2013

Recent Home Sales Lindenhurst NY September 2013 This Lindenhurst NY recent home sales report is provided by Jackie Connelly-Fornuff of Century 21 AA Realty in Lindenhurst. The median housing sales price for Lindenhurst NY during September was $285,000 an average of 96 days on the market with 21 homes selling. Lindenhurst NY saw 200 homes remaining on the market at the end of September. Lindenhurst NY is not in a seller's market. More homes are coming onto the market than going off. What are homes selling for in Lindenhurst NY for 2013? 36 homes sold in Lindenhurst NY between $300,000 & $349,999. 48 homes sold between $250,000 and $299,999. The gap between these two price points is closing. Last year we saw more homes sell in the mid $200,000 price range but that is now changing. Call Ja... 10/15/2013

2013 Halloween Activities Long Island NY Halloween activities on Long Island are never hard to find. There is always something to do and see this time of year. Below is a short list of Halloween activities on Long Island NY for 2013: Bayville Scream Park Where: 8 Bayville Avenue Bayville, NY Phone: 516-62-Ghost When: September 13th - November 3rd Bayville Scream Park features five haunted attractions which include Bloodworth Haunted Mansion, Uncle Needle's Fun House of Fear, Temple of Terror, Zombie Pirates and Evil in the Woods! visit their website for time, dates and prices. Spooky Fest Where: 1 Tanglewood Road Rockville Centre NY Phone: 516-764-0045 When: October 19 - October 28 Admission: $10 The 4th annual Spooky Fest is held by the Center of Science Teaching and Learning and has s... 10/14/2013

Have Questions About the Basic Star Program? New York State wants everyone to reapply for the Basic Star Exemption. You must reapply by December 31st, 2013 or you will not get your basic property tax deduction for 2014. I would not like to see anyone lose out on this. Some folks receive $1,200 a year off their property taxes.Instructions on how to apply online are below: Retrieve your code here Provide the names and social security numbers of all property owners and their spouses. Confirm the property is the primary residence of one of the owners. Married couples with more than one property can only claim one star exemption. Confirm that your combined income of the owners and spouses do not exceed $500,000. Be careful with this because it's easy to say yes that you make more than $500,0... 10/07/2013

Recent Homes Sales for Lindenhurst NY August 2013 Lindenhurst NY recent home sales report for August 2013 is provided by Jackie Connelly-Fornuff of Century 21 AA Realty of Lindenhurst. The median sold price for Lindenhurst NY as of August 2013 is $296,000 up 10.03% compared to last month and up 7.16% compared to August 2012. The Lindenhurst NY housing market is recovering. Lindenhurst NY Homes Under Contract August 201332 homes went under contract with 135 days on the market. 207 homes are currently for sale in Lindenhurst which is slightly down from 216 in July 2013. In May 2013 we had 177 homes on the market. What are Homes Selling for in Lindenhurst NY?39 Lindenhurst NY homes sold between $250,000 & $299,999 and 32 homes sold between $300,000 & $349,999. One home sold for $450,000 wh... 09/02/2013

Sold in Lindenhurst NY in Merridale Park Listed by Jackie Connelly-Fornuff Listed for $379,000 and sold for $380,000 408 S.1st Street in Lindenhurst NY located in the Merridale Park section has closed. This historic home has had a long journey and now my clients can move on. I am not one to tell Lindenhurst NY expired homeowners it's their price that has caused the house not to sell. More times than not, it's not the price as the case with this home. This Victorian home was built in 1891 and my clients kept to that era decorating-wise and this style is not for everyone. The back of the house has a conservatory room that took up a lot of the back yard making it undesirable for buyers that want a pool and swing set for the kids. Now this means we lost about 50% of potential buyers. I tol... 08/28/2013

Sex X 4 = Mo' Money According to the Institute of the Study of Labor, people that have sex 4 or more times per week earn higher wages. Really? I have got to talk to my husband! :) They said people that have a healthy sex life are healthy in general and are not depressed. More sex does not mean a hefty raise but they have found these people to be happier, have higher self-esteem and better reasoning ability. Workers with health issues make less money since their productivity is limited. Workers between 26 and 50 (I have 2 years left :)) get higher financial returns on their sexual activity. I guess this means we all have better get to work! To get you in the mood, watch the video below: 08/14/2013

10 Things From The Past I Know You Do Not Know About Me When I was 14 I snuck out of the house through my bedroom window to hang out with my friends. When I climbed back in my bedroom my Mom was waiting for me. My dog "told" on me because he was pacing the floors and crying which woke up my Mom. The fear on her face was enough for me to never do that again! I was a "tomboy" growing up. We used to take our skateboards and make ramps to skateboard over cars. To this day, I have no idea how I never broke a bone or got stitches. I Did get lots of bruises! Back in the late 80's right before Halloween, I placed a movable bloody arm in my Mom's bosses desk drawer. A few hours later I hear my Mom scream! (we worked at the same bank) Ooops, sorry Mom, that was not meant for you :) A few years a... 08/12/2013

10 Things About The Present That You Do Not Know About Me Well, this was a fun contest! If I do not dye my hair, I will be all grey. My hairstylist won't let me go all grey. She says I'm too young to do that. Anything for a good tip right? :) I love my family. They are my priority and spending as much time with them as possible is important to me. I'm a prankster. You'll find out why in my Past post. I'm a homebody. I do like to go out but love being at home relaxing. I love being a real estate agent. Best career for me to be in! I have two rescue dogs and if I could have more, I would. I'm an icecreamcoholic. My favorites are coffee, mint CC & chocolate/peanut butter. I'll do just about anything for ice cream :) Kayaking is my favorite sport. It gives me a different sense of accomplis... 08/12/2013

Recent Homes Sales for Lindenhurst NY July 2013 Lindenhurst NY recent home sales report for July 2013 is provided by Jackie Connelly-Fornuff of Century 21 AA Realty of Lindenhurst. The median sold price for Lindenhurst NY as of July 2013 is $279,000 up 3.7% compared to last year with 125 homes selling at an average of 95 days on the market.   Lindenhurst NY Homes Under Contract for July 201327 homes went under contract with 104 days on the market. 216 homes are currently for sale in Lindenhurst. In May 2013 we had 177 homes on the market. The upswing is due to Sandy damaged homes. There are 83 homes for sale south of Montauk Highway. What are Homes Selling for in Lindenhurst NY?We have a tie! 30 homes sold this year for between $250,000/$299,999 and 30 sold between $300,000/$349,999. Du... 08/01/2013

6 Reasons Why Your Long Island NY Home is Overpriced Are you wondering why your Long Island NY home doesn't have a sold sign and other similar homes are selling? Maybe the list below will shed some light. You've had 45+ showings in almost a year and no offers. No showings at all whether your home has been on the market for a month or six months. Very little or no traffic to the open houses. Your Realtor® gives you feedback from other Realtors® and buyers who state the house is overpriced. Offers that come in $50,000 below your asking price. Blaming your Realtor® for your house not selling. You are probably watching the news and are also seeing the National Association of Realtors® commercials stating there is a shortage of homes on the market. While that is true for Long Island NY, an ... 07/31/2013

Fast Food Restaurants in Lindenhurst NY 11757 If you are looking for fast food resaurants in Lindenhurst NY, look no further. Below is a list of fast food restaurants located all over Lindenhurst NY along with a map to help you find the restaurants. Checkers Drive-In - 121 West Montauk Highway Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) - 320 E. Montauk Highway Lindenhurst NY (on the corner of Greene Avenue)Boston Market - 163 E. Montauk Highway (just East of Wellwood Avenue) McDonald's - 334 Montauk Highway (west of Park Avenue) Taco Bell - on Montauk Highway across from the McDonald's McDonald's - 221 Sunrise Highway (across from the Babylon Town Hall) Subway - 66 Sunrise Highway Taco Bell - 85 Sunrise Highway (on the corner of Delaware Avenue & Sunrise Highway) Subway - 477 Park Avenue (located it... 07/31/2013