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

Instant Comprehensive Tenant Screening Services Available At Appleseed Homes 718-698-9797 Why take a chance and rent to someone without a comprehensive tenant screening service?  We at Appleseed Homes believe,  you the landlord deserve the same comprehensive, detailed customer service that we provide our homeowners when they are selling their homes.  Our screening service offers the following. Credit Reports (Experian/Equifax/TransUnion) State Criminal Check State Eviction Reports Income Verifications Employment Verification Previous Landlord Verification Experian Business Credit Reports And many More Screening Resources For more information about these services available give us a call today!  718-698-9797 07/29/2013

When do you put the "SOLD" sign up? Do you wait till the new owners get the keys, sign the contract or put in the accepted offer?   Some will say that if you put the sold sign up too quickly, you will not get more sign calls. But what will the neighbors think?  Wow, that house sold quickly, That's the Realtor to hire when I sell my house. That's the reaction I want, that's the reaction I get. What about you?  When do you put the "SOLD" sign up? 07/25/2013

Who wants to see clutter? Among other things, like toilet seat up, blurry pictures, furniture, dishes on the counter, etc?  Why do folks even take pictures like this?  To me it says; 1- Agent really doesn't care about giving best service to their client. 2- Agent too busy or too lazy to make unit look it's best. 3- Agent doesn't know how to take pictures or uses old cell phone to take them. 4- If were looking for an agent to sell my place, as a consumer, I would not even call them. Pictures are so important, bad pictures and customers click on the next unit.  How can you sell a place with lousy photos?   Suggestions;  Come back after the cleaning crew has finished cleaning, take photos of the yard after the lawn is cut, look at the sun, if it's in your face when you take the photo of th... 07/12/2013

Many Staten Island home buyers wonder whether they really need to have their own buyer agent rather than just work through the listing agent.  What buyers are not understanding is that the listing agent is hired by the seller to protect them and their interests.  The listing agent, also know as the seller agent, owes loyalty, obedience, disclosure, confidentiality, diligence, and accounting to the seller. But what about the buyer?  Who's protecting your interests? Nobody. Unless you get yourself a buyer agent.  A buyer agent is a broker who specifically looks out for the best interests of the buyer.  What does that really mean for the buyer?    Let me give you an example. Loyalty.  Obedience.  Disclosure.  Confidentiality.  Diligence.  Accounting. Buyer agents must tell their buyers ev... 07/11/2013

Vacation Watering tip #1 Going on vacation?  Have a problem with some potted plants?  Do they need water every other day?  Why not use my simple drip water method? Simply save a few gallon water jugs, poke a pin hole on the bottom side, fill with water and replace the cap.  Replacing the cap makes the drip last longer.  Now water your plants generously, place the gallon jug on top and you're good for 4 or 5 days.  Any longer, just give me a call and I'll come over to water for you. See mine below. 07/06/2013

Check Road Conditions Before You Travel A handy little app for your cell phone, or on your home computer, Sigalert,  tells you what to expect when you travel.  Just click on you area, anywhere in the USA, and you can see what the conditions are.  You may want to leave a little later, if traffic is very heavy, or take a different route.  Check out the site, there is much more information you can use.  Sample page below. 07/05/2013

Market Watch for Staten Island, N.Y, 10312 zip code How long are houses on the market before they sell? How big are they? What are the listing prices? How many beds, baths, etc? How many units are listed in a certain price range? These are all great questions for both home sellers and buyers.  Both need to know about the competition so they can be savvy players in this very complex field of Real Estate. Take a look at the sample report below, and if you're in the market for a Staten Island property, please visit my website and take advantage of the information I have for you.  You can always call me if you need any help with the market watch report. Call 917-696-0275 Market Watch Snapshot : Zip 10312 - Staten Island     Current06/20/13 Change Since06/13/1305/23/13   Last Week06/13/13   ... 06/26/2013

Fireworks on Staten Island 4th of July Update: Friday June 28th.  The fireworks on June 29th have been moved to Midland Beach, Turtle Circle. Rain date June 30th. See my video of past years fireworks.   Always a crowd pleas-er, the fireworks at Wolfe's Pond Park this year, 2013 will be on Saturday June 29th, with a rain date scheduled for the next day June 30th.  It is recommended that you get there early, parking can be a problem, because when it gets dark at 9 PM the fireworks will start.  If the past years are any indication of the attendance, there will be plenty of people.  You can bring blankets or chairs, the park has been restored after Hurricane Sandy.  Past years had a band playing music before the fireworks go off.  Usually a good nature d crowd mostly families attend.  You c... 06/17/2013

Widow Makers Sometimes a lumberjack will cut down a tree in the forest and a branch will hang up on an adjacent tree.  It will come down, and when it does, it can kill.  That's why they call them "widow makers". Now is a good time to check the trees on your property and see if you have any dead branches, or widow makers.  If the branch doesn't have any leaves on it, it's a good chance it's dead.  Take a look at the photo below to see what I'm talking about. 06/07/2013

Estimated Taxes are due June 17th, 2013 Normally due on the 15th, but this year June 15th is on a Saturday and so we have 2 extra days to pay our Estimated taxes. Let me keep this post positive, if I didn't have taxable income, I wouldn't have to pay any taxes, so I'm thankful for the income.  Now it's time to share. You can download the Federal forms for the year, 1040-ES vouchers, here; or you can click on the link http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040es.pdf for the PDF forms. Scroll down to pages 10 & 11 for the forms. BTW, a very good way to get the most for your money is to own a 2 family house, you will get a lot of tax benefits from this, not only from the real estate taxes but also from the interest on your mortgage. See a beautiful unit, 116 Highland Road, in the Dent Road area ... 06/07/2013

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 MAY - 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... 06/05/2013

Got a problem with the city budget?  Just raise taxes, that will fix it right? O wait, didn't they try that a while ago?  It seems that it's never enough.  I can remember when New York City didn't have an income tax or a sales tax.  That was sold to "FIX" the problem.  So if it was the grand fixer, why is John Liu, who is running for Mayor of our beautiful city, advocating for an increase in income taxes so as to give city workers and extra raise?  Aren't they already getting a 3% raise yearly? But let's put that aside for the time being.  Mr. Liu only wants to raise taxes on those making over $500,000 yearly.  Not to worry, we don't make that kind of money right?  OK, if that doesn't fix the problem will he lower the threshold  to those making over $250,000?  If that doesn't fix the pr... 05/29/2013

This elegant and sophisticated four bedroom, three bath center hall colonial is located in the exclusive Johanna Lane Estates, Princes Bay, Staten island. Exquisitely designed custom home complemented by a grand two story foyer, crown moldings,custom window treatments, french doors, jacuzzi, stone fireplace, maids quarters and so much more.  Stay nice and cozy in the sunken family room with radiant heating, two wood burning fireplaces and three skylights! Gourmet kitchen equipped with six burner Wolf stove, custom cabinetry, top of the line stainless appliances, granite counters, tumbled marble flooring and sliders to resort style backyard! Inground heated pool, pavers, and lush gardens make this the perfect place to relax quietly or entertain a large crowd! Gracious and beautiful descr... 05/22/2013

 Spotlight on Rosebank Staten Island Homes for Sale Spotlight on Rosebank Staten Island Homes for Sale Rosebank has it all – beaches, waterfront parks, incredible views of Manhattan and classic homes. This north shore Staten Island neighborhood is a diverse and friendly area, with deep roots and a rich history. This quiet enclave is a haven but still close to transportation to make it accessible! Since the late 1800’s, Rosebank has welcomed hard-working immigrants, who settled in and built up this residential haven. Rosebank has been home to several famous residents, whose lives are immortalized in various buildings. Pioneering female photographer Alice Austen's home is a museum and home to many cultural events. The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum recognizes the contributions of Italian patriot... 05/19/2013

 Spotlight on Charleston Staten Island Homes for Sale   Spotlight on Charleston Staten Island Homes for Sale Parkland and potential are the hallmarks of this South Shore neighborhood! Charleston Staten Island is a quiet community, perfect for those seeking privacy and plenty of greenery as a home base. Affordable homes in a safe community – Charleston is a must see destination. Charleston was settled by the Androvette family in 1699, and farmed the land for several generations. Eventually industry came to Charleston and over the years, expanded to increase the amenities in the area. More recently, several malls and outlet centers have sprung up, making Charleston a great destination for shopping and dining. Homes for sale in Charleston are a collection of classic charming houses, many o... 05/19/2013

 Spotlight on New Springville Homes for Sale Spotlight on New Springville Staten Island Homes for Sale New Springville is a mid-island conclave featuring spacious homes on tree-lined streets. It’s a major transportation hub – making it a great choice for commuters – and the home to some of the best shopping on Staten Island thanks to the Staten Island Mall! New Springville is a bustling and diverse neighborhood in a great location. Largely rural until the mid-1960’s, a real estate boom following the construction of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge created a large selection of well-built single family homes in New Springville. The more recent expansion includes apartment and condominium complexes as well as new school buildings to accommodate growth. Homes for sale in New Springville range f... 05/19/2013