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Rochester, NY Real Estate News

By Mike Liess
(Coldwell Banker Custom Realty)
As a Realtor here in Rochester I get weekly calls from investors all over the world, asking can you really cash flow properties in Rochester NY. Most investors think it is too good to be true. The answer to this questions is YES, you can really cash flow and make $ here in Rochester. That being said be careful!!! Any investor/ Realtor can find properties for $5,000 - $20,000 here in Rochester. But what are you really buying?? Are real estate values really that low? Yes they can be but you can also find single family homes and multi family homes here in Rochester for over $200,000 and even over $300,000. So again it doesn't take long to figure out what types of housing your looking at. I must be careful because as a licensed real estate person I can not steer people in and out of specifi...
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By Kristen Wahl, CBR
(Re/Max Plus)
Just a reminder to get out there and vote! Not sure where to go? Find your local polling place HERE. It's time for all of us to make our voices heard! Just watch out for those hanging chads!!
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By Kristal Perrone, Associate Broker
(Hunt Real Estate- Columbus Division)
10 Questions to Ask Your Listing Agent               1)     Are you a real estate agent or a Realtor®? Real estate agents are not always Realtors®.  Realtors® are members of the National Association of Realtors®.   Realtors® are pledged to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.   2)     Are you a full time or part time agent? It is important for your agent to respond quickly to customer inquiries about your home via email and cell phone.  Part-time agents can be skilled marketers, but they have other commitments that can limit their responsiveness.   3)     Is your company a full service brokerage?  One stop shopping is a great way to save time, and some full service brokerages offer discounts to their clients.   4.)  How do you use technology in your business? This is very ...
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By Kristen Wahl, CBR
(Re/Max Plus)
I've been saying over and over that the Rochester real estate market is incredibly stable. As a matter of fact, you're probably tired of hearing me say it! But guess what... it's not just me! The Democrat and Chronicle agrees! An article published today by the Democrat and Chronicle highlights the fact that the number of homes sold is down slightly since this time last year, but the median sale price is virtually unchanged. John Antetomaso, president of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors, is quoted as saying, "We're continuing to fare well compared to the rest of the country." You can read the entire article here.  
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By Kristen Wahl, CBR
(Re/Max Plus)
It appears there's good news about the national housing market for once! The following is an excerpt from an article by the National Association of Realtors. Pending home sales activity surged as buyers took advantage of low home prices and affordable interest rates, according to the latest report. The Pending Home Sales Index jumped 7.4 percent to 93.4 from an upwardly revised reading of 87.0 in July, and is 8.8 percent higher than August 2007 when it stood at 85.8. The index is at the highest level since June 2007 when it stood at 101.4. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said home buyers were responding to improved affordability. "What we're seeing is the momentum of people taking advantage of low home prices, with pending home sales up strongly in California, Nevada, Arizona, Florid...
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By Kristen Wahl, CBR
(Re/Max Plus)
It's been over 6 years since I moved out of the residence halls at Nazareth College. Time has flown. It seems like just yesterday I was wandering the lovely tulip-lined paths, lounging on the grass as the bands played at Springfest, and panting as I carried heavy books to the third floor of Smyth Hall. In many ways, my years spent at Nazareth were the best years of my life. Sure, I'm happy now and look forward to many new and enjoyable experiences in the future. But never again will 4 years of my life be so life-changing. I made deep and lasting friendships, learned about responsibility and being part of a community, and most importantly, learned about who I am as a person. Those are the true lessons of an education at Nazareth. Today, I took a trip down memory lane. I needed a new alum...
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By Kristen Wahl, CBR
(Re/Max Plus)
Yesterday, Bear, my 4-year-old Border Collie mix, and I discovered one of the Rochester area's best kept secrets for dog owners! Well, okay, maybe it's not a secret, but as a relatively new dog owner it was new to me! My aunt introduced us to the unofficial dog park at Ellison Park, located on Blossom Road in Penfield. Unfortunately, Rochester doesn't have any official dog parks, and Ellison does have signs up saying that all dogs must be on a leash, but it was obvious to me yesterday that rule isn't enforced! As Bear and I entered the park with my aunt and her Australian Shepherd, Merlin, we saw at least 20 dogs cavorting through the park without leashes. The dogs and their owners were all having a fantastic time on a crisp but sunny fall day. It appeared quite a few people knew about ...
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By Kristal Perrone, Associate Broker
(Hunt Real Estate- Columbus Division)
I do not blog very often, but I spend alot of time here reading and learning.  I do plan on blogging more in the future.  As a way of giving back I thought I'd share a true story for Halloween time. I had to meet an appraiser at a property I had just sold.  It had been a tough sale due to a few issues with the house.  I was walking around one last time, while the appraiser did his job. I noticed a black cat walking around in the back yard.  I said to the appraiser "I hope that's not bad luck." He said "Oh, that cat's been following me my whole life."   In this business I think working with people who have a sense of humor is priceless.  Don't you agree?  
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How did home sales fare in the City of Rochester in September? Here is some data from the Multiple Listing Service. New Listings: 251Average List Price: $72,027 Under Contract: 87Average List Price: $71,934 Sold: 61Average Sale Price: $66,960% Sale Price to List Price: 93.79%Average Days on the Market: 42 Compared to August, when there were 137 homes under contract and 144 sold, September was a relatively slow month. That makes sense when compared with what I've been experiencing in my business and what I've heard from my fellow agents. Plus it's not a surprise with everything that's been going on with the economy and the mortgage industry. The good news is that the percent sale price to list price and days on the market both remained stable. Sellers in Rochester are getting over 90% of...
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A policy is now in effect that requires all new, full-time city employees to reside in the city of Rochester. Police, fire, 911, and library employees are exempt, and current employees won't be required to move. The policy was enacted in order to shore up the city's tax base. Personally, I think this is a positive step. There are so many benefits to living in the city of Rochester. You're minutes away from entertainment, dining, worship, and a plethora of other types of activities. The various neighborhoods in Rochester have such different flavors that you're bound to find one that fits your lifestyle. If you're going to reap the benefits of working for the city government, I think living in and paying taxes to the city just makes sense. But that's just my opinion... what's yours?
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By Kristen Wahl, CBR
(Re/Max Plus)
I'm excited to announce that Tracy Martinez from Five Star Bank, Marty Sample from M&M Home Inspections, and I will be presenting a FREE Home Buying Seminar on Monday, November 10th at 7 p.m. at the Perinton Community Center, located at 1350 Turk Hill Road, Fairport, NY. The seminar is focused on educating first-time buyers about everything that is involved in the purchase of a home and how to best prepare for their home search. Here are just a few of the included topics: The mortgage process Finding the right home Submitting a purchase offer The role of the attorneys The importance of home inspections Buyer's agency In short, we will take you step by step through the entire process to help you understand what is involved in the purchase of a home! That way, when you decide to take the ...
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By Kristen Wahl, CBR
(Re/Max Plus)
Are you selling your home "For Sale by Owner" in the Rochester area? If so, I don't blame you. With the economy in such an uncertain state, we're all trying to save our hard-earned money whenever possible. How have you been marketing your home? On a FSBO website or Craigslist? In the Democrat and Chronicle? Those are all good options, but they probably won't make your home stand out from the rest. I would like to tell you about a sensational marketing tool I rent to FSBOs that can help you sell your home more quickly and for more money! It's called Talking House, and here's how it works: a curbside sign tells passersby to tune their car radios to a certain station. When they do, a VCR-sized transmitter in your home tells them all the best-selling features. This Talking House system is p...
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By Kristen Wahl, CBR
(Re/Max Plus)
In the blog post I wrote yesterday, Staging to Sell, I gave sellers some ideas about how to make their homes more appealing to potential buyers. In addition to staging, there's another extremely important element in getting your home sold in today's market that I haven't touched on yet, and that's pricing. Pricing is a much more personal subject for most sellers, but it's the most important component in getting their homes sold. Our homes have sentimental value to us, and understandably so. Most of us have years of memories there! We've completed home improvements projects, decorated, and created an oasis that's just right for us. We'd like to think that buyers will pay massive amounts to have the opportunity to live in such a wonderful place, but unfortunately, that's often not the cas...
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By Kristen Wahl, CBR
(Re/Max Plus)
In today's buyer's market, I'm seeing far too many homes languish on the market for months without selling. It's easy for sellers to become frustrated and feel like they have no control over the situation, but in truth, there are steps they can take to help make their homes more appealing to buyers. Ever watch HGTV? There's a good chance your buyers do. Buyers today want homes that are crisp, clean, and move-in ready. It's just part of the buying culture. But don't fear, there are some easy projects that can make your home appealing. It's called staging your home. Here are a few staging tips: Paint the interior of your home in neutral colors. That doesn't necessarily mean white. White can be too sterile. Choose tans and light browns to catch your buyer's attention, but avoid bright colo...
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Search for Homes for sale in Rochester, New York. www.FlowerCityRealtor.com is a great website to search for properties in the Greater Rochester NY area. From single family homes, condos and townehouses, apartment building, commercial properties, land, new construction, water front properties, investment properties, foreclosures and more.  http://www.mikeliess.com is currently under construction.
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By Mary Shelsby
(ReMax Realty Group)
I set a goal this year to walk the entire Riverwalk, a 15 mile urban trail that starts at the Port of Rochester and runs south along the Genesee River to Genesee Valley Park. I've done numerous mini trips and have yet to see the entire thing, but I got to tell you it is TREMENDOUS. The walk includes a lighthouse, three waterfalls, numerous historic districts, the Erie Canal aqueduct, many parks, sculptures and more. May favorite part has to be Turning Point Park. The slide show below is a work in progress. Check back often as I will update the slides as I complete the trail. 0
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By Kristen Wahl, CBR
(Re/Max Plus)
In case you haven't gleaned it from previous posts, I love Autumn. I didn't have anything scheduled this morning, so I had the luxury of being able to take my dog, Bear, for a walk. It was pure paradise for me. The air was crisp and clean, the trees were beginning to change colors, and I had my best buddy to keep me company. I was also delighted that, as usual, everyone in my neighborhood was so friendly. Every car that passed by returned my wave, every homeowner out tending their yard took the time to say hello. It's not just my small neighborhood in Macedon, this is something I've noticed all over Rochester. People really are just... nice! Last summer, I had some buyers who were moving to the Rochester area from New Jersey. They drove up for a few days so I could take them around and ...
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Here's a unique video to pass the time on your Thursday afternoon.   Did you catch the years flying by in the lower right? The market certainly has taken some plunges over the years, and it always comes ticking back up. Next time you think about how bad things are, both with the real estate market and the economy in general, remember this video. No matter how uniquely negative our national situation seems, we've been here at the bottom before, and we'll eventually be on top again. Just hang on tight and ride it out...
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As a real estate agent, I too often see shoddy work done by dishonest contractors. That's why I'm very glad to see that Andrew Cuomo, New York State's Attorney General, recently created a website called Know Your Contractor. New York residents can use the site to search their area for contractors that have had complaints or judgments filed against them. The new site also has information on what to do before you hire a contractor, links to consumer protection agencies, and even procedures for filing a complaint against a contractor. I'm glad to see that our government took the time to look out for homeowners. I will certainly be telling all my potential clients to check this site before they make a decision on their home improvements! *** Kristen WahlRealtyUSA(585) 455-5524KWahl@RealtyUS...
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