Seems like any other day. Sun is shining, I am setting in my office with a cup of coffee. The Bank is closed, so is the transfer station, the post office and the law office. Wonder if the employees really remember why they are not at work. I bet everyone knows some one who has been in the Armed Services. WW1,WW2, Korean, Iran, Iraq ,Afghanistan. Maybe you know someone who know someone laying in a bed at Walter Reed Hospital or going thru rehab learning to walk agin, minus a limb. Maybe a friend of a friend is leaving for basic training or being deployed or coming home. Everyday should be Veterns Day. We all should remember someone who made it possible to walk down to the mailbox or refill the bird feeder, stop at church, play with the dog, call the grand kids. I would like to remember Jim Ortlieb, Jack Kohl, Don Girard, Rodney Williams,Humerto Silva, George Washington, Phil Monfort and Bob Walden. 9th Infantry Viet Nam, 1967-68. Someone is raising the flag in the square, looks like someone else remembered.

Everywhere we go, everyone we see, seems to have a cell phone pressed against their ear. WHO ARE THEY TALKING TO?  If everyone is engaged in conversation there indeed is allot of communications going on.  So, when I try to talk to a person they don't answer the phone. WHY? Are they busy dong something else?   Yesterday the investor was 20minutes late to a showing. I called him... No answer, leave a message. But when he finally arrived he has his cell phone to his ear..  I have an offer of a multifamily house. I asked my seller for his bottom line after going back and forth several times. He gives it to me. The buyer agrees. Now my seller needs a little more. I call him to go over comps. Go to his house, knock on the door. No reply. I call cell phone. All three numbers he answered before. No answer. The co-broker sees him in his car with his cell phone to his ear. The lawn at the house is getting crazy with the fall/winter leaves. I call the young man who has taken care of the lawn all season just to remind him of the leaves and what day they have to be put out by. No answer. Next morning. no answer. I see him on his bike stopped along side of the road getting a drink ON HIS CELL PHONE. With all this communication going on you think someone would answer the phone. Excuse me I have to go not answer my cell phone that is not ringing. I just don't get it. Do you????

September says farewell to the Columbia County Fair and gets ready for the many celebrations to usher in the fall. September 10, 2011 from 11AM to 2PM The group called BELO 3rd will present under the big tent
The Taste of Hudson. They will feature 20 plus eateries, rain or shine. Beautiful displays featuring  many restaurants, cafes, and caterers will have their eats available to taste. Warren Street between 2nd and 3rd Street will be the location to be part of the fun. There are new businesses in this area to visit. The new Cafe Le Perche feautures patisseries, Bar drinks and Cafe. LICKS ice cream, the DAKOTA with the most beautiful mens linen shirts I have seen, plus much more. Then stop in to my favorite place, Ca'Mea and enjoy more of Hudson.  Get ready for the Fall festivities.

I hate to see summer go but, I love to see the Columbia County Fair arrive. For me it is the start of Fall. The Fair runs August 31 to September 5. Admission includes parking and all entertainment, Kids 12 and under are always admitted free, and ride discounts everyday. The Fair is located on Route 66 in Chatham NY.

Wednesday at 6:30 in the Grandstands is the Demolition Derby

Thursday at 9:00 AM is the 4-H horse show at the horse show ring.

Friday starting at 9:00am is the antique tractor pull, 6:30 PM is the 75th annual school queen show, and at 8:00pm is the 1964 tribute to the Beatles

Saturday start the day with the Fire Fighters Parade at 11:00am and watch the Monster tractor pull between 4-9PM

Monday watch the hit singers GLORANA in the Grandstand. One concert is at 3pm the other is at 8pm.

Monday enjoy the Painted pony championship rodeo from 4 to 8pm.

While all this is going on there are daily shows with 4-H, Bands, art displays, rug hooking and comedy and magic shows. Also there is the Morton A. Ginsberg Bounty Cooking Contest at 3:30 on Monday.

Hope to see you there. You can stay home and watch the leaves turn or be part of the fun in Columbia County.

After a potential buyer left the house, the buyers agent and myself were commenting on the felling a foreclosure has. We both agreed that they are just sad. You can feel the doom and gloom and most seem to have a cloud over them. They have had several agents. Their owners know more than anybody in the real estate business. The problems are just going to get better and soon their troubles will be over. Most seem to be painted GRAY.

SO WHAT COLOR IS THE HOUSE YOU ARE TRYING TO SELL???

GREEN?  Is the house green with envy because the house next door sold a week ago. Maybe the pool is that color. Or maybe the  house is eco friendly and its owners have used green products to produce a friendly atmosphere.

YELLOW?  The house maybe filled with jelousy as its watches potential buyers coming and going to houses in the neighborhood that are priced right.

RED?  Maybe the house is red hot. It is priced right ,ready for showings ,decluttered and makes every effort to get an offer.

BLACK and BLUE?  Is your house beat up? Maybe kicked around. No one comes to view it. You haven't talked to the agent in weeks. My excuses are my crutches and I have put band aids on all the problems that have come up.

BROWN? We have been for sale for so long. Nothing is going on. The lawn is brown and not cut. The flowers and plants in the garden are dead. All we lack are the tumbleweeds.

PINK? We are in the pink at this location. We love our agent, have open houses, Brokers open, and viewings. Our agents guided us to a current and real listing price. We are tickled pink.

So take a good look at your  property with your crayon box in your hand.  What color is the house? It does not have to be changed with a gallon of paint. It can be changed with a talk with your Real Estate agent. The color specialist. Tell them what color you want your house to be!!!!!!

May 21st 5-7Pm The Columbia County Museum will have an opening reception at the Vanderpoel House of History, 16 Broad Street in Kinderhook NY. The newly restored 1860s parlor can beviewed while exploring stories of patriotism during the Civil War. A donation of $7.00 includes other historic sites in the area. Also that weekend there will be a living History encampment at the Luykas van Alen House on Route 9H in Kinderhook. With a three dollar admission visitors can learn more about soldiers and civilians lives during the same period of the Civil War. There will be reenactors, vendors, music, crafts, food and military drills. Our hometown bank, The Kinderhook Bank and Mario's Home Center are contributors to this special event. Well, you can sleep next weekend or be a participant, learn something and maybe teach your children something special about our wonderful area.

I am in Real Estate and I love my job. This is not the easiest of times to make a dollar, be productive at work or do all the things one is suppose to do when the phone is not ringing. I blogg, use facebook, search our MLS,go thru my potential buyers and sellers and try to match them up. I e-mail my $95,000 clients and my $2.6 million hopefuls. We are an agricultural community in the historic Hudson River Valley. We are a stop off for Martin Van Buren's State Home lookers and fall leaf peepers.. I am always proud to answer the phone and hear someone ask to see one of our listings. This morning I was so excited I had an opportunity to meet a potential cliet, I forgot to ask for his phone number.I also forgot to ask if he was working with another realator, looked at other property or made any offers on other property, signed with a buyers agent, was he preapproved or how soon was he looking to move. We talked about how great the smell of Autumn was in upstate New York and how big the pumpkins were already. How the tip of some of the trees had changed their leaf colors to red and orange. We talked about bringing his son of 16 months in a back pack and how I had three grandchild of my own. If he was late how upset would I be if his son sleep later than usual and how close was the second house. What school district were these houses in and was their a Farmers Market near on the weekends. How long was the commute to an Albany Hospital and was Internet hookup available. Maybe all the connecting with the voice on the other end was enough and I can ask the other questions after we have the first handshake or maybe I will just be using my $2.73 gas for nothing. Even if he doesn't show I know a great place for an ice cream cone on the way home and I can leave a few of my cards at the counter. I am in Real Estate and I love my job.

Everyone knows that I am a big fan of the Chatham Fair and go as often as I can over Labor Day, in between sets of the US Open. I look for people I have not seen in a year, relatives, and old neighbors, pass out my real estate cards and basically act as the basic good relation ambassador for Columbia County. Sunday we were excited to go see the free show at the grandstands with country singer Craig Morgan. I didn't know that I knew so many of his songs and was really pleased that he was a class A act. Band was very professional, even had some locals included and that man can sing. All his songs sounded just like his records and he brought alot of enthusiasm to the stage. So move over Keith Urban and Kenny Chesnney, Craig Morgan is out there on the country scene doing a very good job. Totally deserves to be in  he Grand Olde Opera Hall of Fame.

One of the best weekends in all the world is here. The Columbia County Fair. We went last night for awhile and ate and ate and ate. Steak sandwiches and fried dough. Lemonade and french fries with vinegar. Just great for your heart burn and acid reflux. We checked out the cows,and the sheep, chickens and rabbits and the huge Budweiser Beer horses were there. They had their name tags on their stalls and fans on each of them. It was pretty hot. The demolition cars were taken place and what a crowd, could hardly get to the grandstands. The rug hookers were basking in their rugs along with the knitters and other fabric lovers. Stop to have your blood pressure taken from the Columbia Memorial nurse at their booth. Lots of good information including "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." Sunday should be a funday with country and western star Craig Morgan doing two shows 2-8PM. The price of your ticket to get into the Fair includes his concert. Many fairs charge another $35.00 for their showstoppers. The grounds are landscapedand clean, plus everyone says the rest rooms are spotless. Good parking and not that much to get in. Just another reason to live in Columbia County. grab a pumpkin, apples, cider, or a pie on your way home from one of our many farm stands and savor our county a little longer.

This past two weeks have really been something with buyers and their agents. Have we as realtors and the publicity that we hear on radio and tv given buyers the wrong idea?

The thought process of buyers seem to be, that things are so bad, just go for a ride with an agent, find a house you like and buyer it. I DON'T THINK SO.

Three potential buyers have found homes they like that are my listings. They like the furniture, the patio set, the school district etc, etc, etc. Two and three showings later (two on fathers Day, my kids loved that) we are going to discuss an offer. BUT everyone now seems to have another financial picture called doom and gloom via the mortgage consultant. Now we have new car payments, unpaid credit card balances, un paid college loans, forgot to file the paidup loan on the swimming pool they used the house for as collateral (remains unpaid from 2004)

Now, oh my God! we need to work on this!!! And your agent didn't tell you that you need to have money for the closing. Taxes, Lawyer, escrow, title, insurance.  What are buyers thinking????. Buyers need to sit down with several people and talk about stuff before they start looking and wasting time and energy. And the thought of having potentially three closings in the wings dashed on the rocks is down right tiring.

Find out your credit score.

Find your last three years income tax papers.

Collect your pay stubs for the last couple of months.

Talk with a mortgage consultant,a banker and your lawyer.

Don't buy a new car, or furniture, (and have your mother buy your  $7,000 wedding dress) until after the closing.

Make an appointment with an agent and spill the beans. They may be able to tell you right from the get go that you can't afford to purchase a house at this time. Ask the agent if they belong to Active rain You'll be glad you did.

Good Luck buyers, The interest rates are low, the prices of homes are reasonable, the inventory is more than normal, but banks are tough, appraisals are hard to accept and although people are motivated sometimes they just can't go so low as you would like them to.