A tale of two houses I've heard the phrase "With the internet we wont need Real Estate Agents anymore" Really?  Well that means Realtors don't think, have nothing to add to the process, don't earn their money. Now for reality. Not too long ago, my buyer told me "I would not buy that house, no way, no how.  It stinks, trash all over the place, and it's priced too high"  OK, fair assessment and accurate too. Deal dies, right?  Without a Realtor, yes, it's dead.  Internet does not think, has no original thoughts. Realtor to the rescue.   Me; Mr. and Mrs buyer, is this house in the area you want to live in? Buyer; yes. Me; is it big enought for you? Buyer;  yes. Me;  I've been watching the price drop, what if I told you that if you got this unit for the price you want to spend, had enought ... 01/30/2014

Prominent Staten Island REALTOR Herman Herrera, broker/owner of HERMAN & CO, is proud to announce the opening of his new office in Staten Island, New York.  Sporting an elegant new look, Herrera moved his firm into the 1,500 sq ft space on January 1st, 2014. "I wanted a space that reflects our firm's culture.  Our culture isn't dictated by a witty slogan.  It's something that is felt when you walk into our office, visit our company website, or talk to a member of our team.  I want my clients to know exactly what drives my firm.  This office is part of our branding and culture." HERMAN & CO has been providing real estate services in the area for over a decade.  A boutique real estate firm known for providing unparalleled concierge real estate services, it is composed of a team of season... 01/30/2014

Ice Dams It seems to me that many people are having ice dams in Staten Island, and other parts of the North East were very cold weather is present.  Same old same old.  I'm re-posting my Ice Dams post from 2010.  You can see it here.  http://activerain.com/blogsview/2043412/home-inspector-quiz So if you are having any of the problems talked about in the post, good comments from home inspectors, you might be able to fix them.  Good luck. 01/26/2014

Welcome to the most current Housing Trends eNewsletter.  This eNewsletter is specially designed for you, with national and local housing information that you may find useful whether you’re in the market for a home, thinking about selling your home, or just interested in homeowner issues in general. Please click on this link to view the Housing Trends DEC-2013 Newsletter http://deborahbracco.housingtrendsenewsletter.com The Housing Trends eNewsletter contains the latest information from the National Association of REALTORS®,  the U.S. Census Bureau, Realtor.org reports and other sources. Housing Trends eNewsletter is filled with local and national real estate sales and price activity provided by  MLSs and the National Association of Realtors, U.S. Census Bureau key market indicators, con... 01/15/2014

How can I get a good idea of what my house is worth today While every house is different is some way, even in tract house development, values of similar units can give you an indication of what you might expect to get in the sale of you unit today. There are sites on the web that you can go to for this information, but they don’t all have the same criteria in determining value.  So how are you to know what is ballpark and what is really accurate valuations? The answer is to seek a local Realtor who lives, works and plays in that area. Ask to see recently sold units like yours.  The key here is RECENTLY sold. Values change over time, so while your house might have sold for $500,000 back in 2007, it may not be worth that much today.  Don’t feel bad, one of the very few places that home va... 01/09/2014

Don't be afraid to go on vacation in the winter Want to put your home on the market in the winter and go south for a few weeks but worry about your pipes freezing? Worry no more.  If you list with me, you will have the option of using my Netatino weather station so you can check on the temperature inside and outside your home as well as other features. So when the temps are below freezing, you can check on the inside condition of your house so pipes don't freeze.  If you don't like what you see, you can call me and I'll check it out. So now while you're on vacation, you don't have to be concerned about your house.   01/07/2014

Christmas in Staten Island, New York 2013 Folks, a lot of work went into these homes for the Christmas season.  I would like to thank them for the beautiful display.  Below is a link to see just a few of these beauties.  Click on the link and when you see s photo, click on it to see the slideshow.  These are High Definition photos so you can click on "FULL SCREEN" if you like.  Merry Christmas to all. https://plus.google.com/u/0/114128440587521337773/posts/GAVkUpqV4Rk Christmas in Staten Island 12/21/2013

" The extra mile is a vast, unpopulated wasteland... Most people who go there think, "Wait... no one else is here... why am I doing this?" and leave.  Make the extra phone call.  Send the extra email.  Do the extra research... Don't wait to be asked; offer.  Every time you do something, think of one extra thing you can do..."   - Kamari     Going the extra mile is a subject that has been beaten to death with quotes and blogs.  But I have a story to share about going the extra mile…and how I learned to stay there for my clients.        Make a connection. I took a listing about 10 years ago.  The seller had requested a CMA (he was a walk-in...remember those? HA!).  I was working with a partner at the time but I went on the listing appointment solo.  The sellers were both in their early 6... 12/02/2013

Verrazano Narrows Bridge Taking twilight photos can be a challenge.  Even with good equipment you need to know how to use it to get the desired results. Many factors are envolved that you don't realize until it's too late sometimes.  One important factor is to dress appropriately for the occasion.  Fall weather near or at the ocean can be difficult to anticipate how to dress.  Declining temperatures can present interesting surprises.  Last night was no exception as I photographed the bridge in what I thought was 64 degrees.  I took along a winter coat "Just in case".  I was glad I had it.  Standing at the waters edge with the wind blowing about 15 MPH made for a brisk photo shoot.  I arrived just before dusk and took 67 pictures without moving the tripod my camera was on.  It took abou... 11/07/2013

   Our method of marketing attracting buyers and sellers had made it possible for seasoned real estate professionals to triple their production in just one year, as well as for new real estate agents just at the beginnin of their career produce with in just a few months. Want to learn how RealEstateSINY.com can make a difference in your real estate career? Please click on the link bellow to view the video.         11/04/2013

There will always be some homeowners that will enter the market as a For Sale by Owner or FSBO. What really happens to these homes is interesting. Should you try it? To learn more please watch the video.         11/04/2013

Illegal extension, no permits, no problem, no sale. Have you ever wondered about something and said to your self "something just doesn't seem right"?  Well I did while showing a beautiful listing to my buyer.  After the showing, house was beautiful by the way, neat, clean and roomy, my client wanted to make an offer, right on the spot.  I just didn't feel right about it so I asked for them to talk it over for a few minutes while I contacted the listing agent.  It seems that there was an extra room added where it should not have been.  I asked about the code for the place where this room was and no, no permits were taken and if it were, it would not have been approved because there was not enough distance to the property line. I then asked my buyer if they bought the unit and received a ... 11/02/2013

Local Park Open, Seaside wildlife nature Park While some National Parks are closed during the shutdown, our local park, Seaside Wildlife Nature Park is open.  This is a great local park in Great Kills, Staten Island, located at the foot of Nelson Ave.  Children and adults love it.  There is something for everyone.  A little beach area, sand to make sand castles, baby swings, and  a pirate ship to explore, a walking path at the waters edge where you will see little baby fish swimming,  and much much more.  Just one of the reasons why I live and work in Eltingville.  check out my High Definition Virtual Tour below.  If your interested in buying a house in this area, please give me a call, at 917-696-0275 Pirate ship at Seaside Wildlife Nature Park And coming soon, the old landfill is maki... 10/09/2013

I'm a pretty even keeled guy.  The Marine Corp taught me discipline....balance.  Today, being a father of two boys ages 10 and 14, I can honestly say that it takes a lot to get me angry.  I'm usually unaffected by ignorance. But I can't seem to shake this one. It gets to me when I walk into a FSBO listing appointment and the seller tells me that other agents spoke negatively about me or my company.  I work hard to preserve my reputation.  As anyone in sales will attest...your reputation is everything.  It takes a lifetime to build and a few minutes to destroy.  So I hold it sacred. Don't get me wrong.  I've been blessed to work with some fantastic agents and brokers from competing companies over the years.  After all, this is one of the only businesses in the world where we, as competi... 09/26/2013

Market Watch for Eltingville Staten Island New York You can get an in-depth report every week on an area in Staten Island that you either live in or want to buy in.  All you need to do is log-in to my website, Eltingvillehomesforsale.com and request the report. If you need help just give me a call, 917-696-0275. There is a lot more in the full report.   Property Search   Property Watch   Address/MLS# Search   Open Houses  Tip: You may update the report radius to widen or narrow your market area by clicking and dragging the radius handle SCHEDULE WEEKLY UPDATESCHANGE LOCATION Market Watch Snapshot : Zip 10312 - Staten Island     Current09/05/13 Change Since08/29/1308/08/13   Last Week08/29/13   Last Month08/08/13 Homes For Sale 146 -1%  -15%    147   168 Average List Price $501,065 — 2% ... 09/13/2013

Are you applying for a mortgage on your Staten Island home? Keep in mind that a mortgage is a major financial decision and choosing one will have a significant impact on the rest of your life. Many people go into this decision without understanding all of the essential mortgage information they need to know, which means that they are likely to make poor choices that will result in paying much more than they need to. If you want to save yourself from throwing away your hard earned money, here are a few common mistakes to avoid: Trying to Bottom Out the Market Many people will wait too long to make a decision to lock in their mortgage rate, trying to wait until they think that the rates have hit bottom. However, unfortunately most of the time this leads them to wait too long and end up w... 09/02/2013

Local Church Feast of Saint Clare Family Festival Located in Great Kills, St. Clare's church is hosting a "Feast" today, Saturday 10 August 2013 from 11 AM to 5 PM Free admission, bring the whole family.  Outdoor Dunk tank, traditional crafts and food, games for the kids, raffle table, play station and Apple ipad, Coach Bag and Lenox items for the raffle.  Photo below is of the gym in the Cardinal Cooke Center, with all the raffle baskets.   08/09/2013

I explain this to sellers as soon as I take a listing. You never know where the buyer for your home is going to come from.  So please DO NOT turn down any showing requests. I love when sellers tell me how bad they need to sell and then never show their home! "I really need to sell my house but...." "....we're going away this weekend." "....we're going to Disney Land that week." (I especially love this one when it's a short sale) "....we'll be at my daughter's dance recital that day." "....my son has back to back soccer games that day." "...I'm getting my hair done that night." If you declined a showing because of any of the above reasons....then you don't really NEED to sell.  You WANT to sell.  There's a difference.  Here's an idea...if you want to sell your home, you actually have to... 08/05/2013

Went went wrong? I didn't get the listing. Last summer I went on a listing presentation via a referral from a very satisfied client.  We had a good session.  I showed the comparable sold properties and suggested touch up work to maximize sale price.  We kept in touch while the touch ups were being taken care of.  Then last week I see that they listed with another agent. What went wrong? I doubled checked the comps, I'm right on the money.  I look again at the listing price.  It's $590,000, $80,000 over my estimate.  So, they overpriced the property.   Now I feel better, I did nothing wrong.  This prompted me to write a post on pricing the property right.   Now I'll print this for my next newsletter, so when you have lemons, make lemon-aid. 08/03/2013

Smart sellers pricing it right.   Did you know that overpricing a home can backfire on a seller? Here’s why.  Most buyers tell their agent what they can afford and not to show them anything over a certain price. They don’t even look at an overpriced home thinking the sellers will never come down in price. Some buyers may look at an overpriced home but will likely use it as a comparison for other homes.  Then folks by-pass the overpriced unit and buy the correctly priced home. So the unit just sits on the market and goes stale.   When the listing for the home expires, the next agent has a harder time selling it even if it is now priced right.  Folks will ask, “What’s wrong with this house?” knowing only that it’s been on the market for some time and did not sell.  Since it was out of the... 08/02/2013