In response to the competitive nature of obtaining property listings, real estate agents vie to offer potential seller-clients bigger and better marketing plans. The logic is simple: homeowners are looking for the most bang for their buck.

So what does the well prepared listing agent offer? There are of course the old tried and true basics;

• Basic Listing on an MLS
• Basic Print Ads
• Open House

And then there are the newer additions to the marketing plan;

• Professional Quality Pictures, Pictures, Pictures
• Virtual Tours
• Audio & Video Promotion
• Home Staging
• Listing on Real Estate Company Websites
• Listing on Agent Website
• Listing on Multiple Public Real Estate Websites
• TV Ads
• Etc.

It is easy to see the appeal a thorough marketing plan has for a seller. After all, more is better, or is it?

A thorough marketing plan requires of the agent imagination, expertise, and increased time and expense. That is all worth it when a property has the potential to show well and bringing in top dollar, but the fact of the matter is not all properties have that potential.

So, what do you offer your seller-clients? Do you tailor your market plan to fit each situation, or is your marketing plan one-size-fits-all?

Several comments to my April 14th post, Extreme Remodels ~ Are They Worth It? , requested updates on progress made to the ambiscious project I depicted, and I am glad to oblige. 

This is a photo of the project in its earliest stage.

The roof had been raised to provide normal head room.

It has been nearly a month, and here is a photo I shot yesterday.

The facade is stripped down to expose original rock construction, the rear room is gutted, and a second level is being added in the rear.

My question still stands. Are extreme remodels worth it? 

When homes don't fit our modern lifestyles, what can we do? The answer seems simple, we can remodel. 

This photo shows a remodel currently underway on a true colonial. The 300+ year old structure has foot thick native stone and loose fill walls, sealed with a skin of stucco. Every beam and floor board in the structure started its existence as part of a tree that saw life before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

That after so many centuries this building still functioned as a residence boggles the mind. Long ago, out buildings for cooking were replaced with an indoor kitchen, the out house was similarly replaced with indoor plumbing, and drafty windows were replaced with aluminium storms, but other than that little has changed on this tri-centenarian.

The problem that motivates the remodel pictured here is one of space. Our colonial ancestors lived in small spaces, but we moderns do not. The current owner decided the best way to remedy this is to build up. He removed the roof of a low ceilinged attic in order to provide head room for a more comfortable living space.

I look forward to seeing the outcome of this ambitious project, and I hope it turns out well so this stucture may survive for many, many more years as a home.

In recognition of the fact that many of its students come from cultures totally unfamiliar with sports like baseball, football, and basketball, New York City's Department of Education has added cricket to its list of athletic offerings.  The response is overwhelming. Instead of the expected 4 to 5 teams, 14 schools have formed teams. 600 students are involved. The 14 teams are split into two leagues, each team will play 12 matches, and there will be a championship in May.

New York City, more than many other areas in our nation, experiences a great deal of immigration. Through out history, wave after wave of immigrants have come to New York to start new lives. In recent times, many of the ethnic groups to arrive in numbers in New York have been from the Caribbean and South Asian.

Being an immigrant is difficult. Things that the native population take for granted can seem very strange and alien to new immigrants. That is the situation faced by immigrant students in New York City's public schools. Sports, which are such a positive and integral part of the American school experience, are an uncomfortable challenge for many of the new population. Young people from the Caribbean and South Asia have not played baseball, basketball, and football in peewee leagues. The have not spent hours watching baseball, basketball, and football on television. They have not played pickup games of baseball, basketball, and football in back yards and in local parks. Their sports experience is different. Cricket is their game.

In the past the term used to describe blending of cultures in our nation was "melting pot," but now our multi-ethnic society is more accurately described as a "mixed salad."  In a "mixed salad," each ethnic group brings something special to the mix. Let's toss a little cricket in that salad. It will only make it tastier.

Instead of disposing of city-owned properties in the conventional way through sale to the highest bidder at public auction, Newburgh New York's Department of Planning and Development has chosen a more prudent path. They initiated The Public/Private Housing Partnership Initiative, a method by which buyer developers are carefully selected for their ability and intent to develop city properties. Newburgh currently owns 10 properties they plan to handle in his way. These properties will be sold in "bundles" with the expectation they will be resold individually for owner-occupancy only.

Earlier this month the City of Newburgh Department of Planning & Development issued a "Request for Qualifications" (RFQ) for these 10 city-owned properties. RFQs must be received by May 23, 2008 in order to be considered. Visit the City of Newburgh's website: http://www.cityofnewburgh-ny.gov/hom/home.htmto download an updated RFQ form.

To identify developers as pre-qualified developers under The Public/Private Housing Partnership Initiative plan, the City of Newburgh will look for the following qualifications:

• Successful housing development experience
• Demonstrated housing development expertise
• Sound financial backing
• Commitment to implementing creative, quality development in a timely manner

Interested developers should attend the Open House scheduled for Friday, April 25, 2008. During this Open House interested developers and their construction/design professionals will have the opportunity to take a careful look at each property in order to gather information pertinent to their submissions.

For Additional Information ~

Visit: The City of Newburgh's website ~ http://www.cityofnewburgh-ny/gov/hom/home.htm  

E-mail: Lourdes Zapata-Perez ~ lperez@cityofnewburgh-ny.gov or Jasmin Miranda ~ jmiranda@cityofnewburgh-ny.gov

Telephone: The Department of Planning and Development ~ Monday-Friday, 8:30AM - 4PM, 845-569-9400

Spring is in the air here in New York State, and many area outdoor sports' enthusiasts are anxious to go fishing. Whether their idea of fishing involves dropping a simple hook and line baited with a bread ball, or standing out in a rushing stream in waders painstakingly casting hand tied flies, this season is meant for fishing.

Here is information you can use if you intend to join the ranks of those in pursuit of the BIG ONE.

Some New York State locations and situations require licenses and permits, and some do not. For accurate information about New York State fishing requirements, visit: http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6091.html

New York State offers a wide variety of fishing opportunities. For a month by month break down of great fishing spots and the catches to expect there, visit: http://www.newyorkgameandfish.com/fishing/NY_0208_02/index.html

Now that you have all the information you need; go fishing, have fun, and create some great memories. Everyone loves a good fish story.

I believe that for every unique home there is a unique buyer. The trick is to find that unique buyer.

Homes don't get much more unique than Chattanooga Tennessee's Flying Saucer House. Constructed on Signal Mountain in 1970, this house looks like every alien space craft ever depicted in a sci-fi movie since the beginning of the genera.The completely round structure perches upon 6 "landing gear" legs, and access is through a trap door with retractable staircase on the underside of the dwelling.

I don't know what the seller expected when this property went up for auction Saturday. As we all know, selling unusual properties can be chancy, and selling at auction can be chancier still. If no offer is acceptable, a  propery can go unsold indefinitely. But that was not the case this time.

The Flying Saucer House was sold to a woman from Cincinnati Ohio for the high bid of $135,000.

May she live long and prosper.

Most of us have experienced at least once a visit to a property where conditions were offensive because of the homeowners pets, but I cannot even imagine what it was like when animal rescue workers entered a mobile home in rural Arizona intent on seizing an elderly couple's close to 800 pet dogs. The dogs are small breeds, but the stench and physical condition of the property must have been intolerable. 

This is a human tragedy. The Humane Society of Southern Arizona reports the dogs, along with 82 caged parrots seized at the same time, are in remarkably good condition. That says a lot about the pets' owners. Although the elderly couple who lived in close quarters with this managery were overwhelm, they still managed to keep their beloved animals healthy. 

Hoarding is a mental disease. Whether the compulsion is to save string and old newspapers, or to keep ever increasing numbers of pets, the urge is irresistible. I am glad the HSSA was able to help this incredible number of animals, and I hope the couple gets the help they need to avoid a recurrence. Hopefully there are some caring friends or family who can keep an eye on the couple.

Yes, it's true. Michael Jackson came dangerously close to losing Neverland Ranch. Read my previous blog for details. Foreclosures Come In All Sizes - Auction Of Neverland Ranch Set For March 19, 2008 

Jackson was able to avoid foreclosure, however, by following the same advice we give all homeowners who find themselves in similar situations, "TALK TO YOUR MORTGAGE HOLDER."

Details of the deal between Michael Jackson and his lender are "confidential," but we know this much. Fortress Investment Group, LLC and Jackson worked out an agreement that cancels a planned auction of Neverland Ranch. 

Whether a defaulted mortgage amount is in the tens of thousands or multi-millions of dollars, banks do not want your property.They want the money they are owed. So do as the celebrities do. Talk to your mortgage holder about a payment problem. There is chance you can save your Little Neverland.

For three days in April, the 3^rd thru the 5^th, Sullivan County New York will host Rally New York USA 2008.

Those familiar with the Catskill Mountain towns of Ellenville, Neversink, Thompson, and Warwarsing may not recognize these usually quiet places this April when approximately 380 miles of roads are closed to normal travel for three days to accommodate Rally New York USA 2008.

This will be no local county fair. Rally New York USA 2008 drivers and two man teams come from the United States, Canada, South America, and Europe to compete in this, the opening round of the United States Rally Championship. Friday's and Saturday's runs will be scored as events in the New York Rally Championship.

At first sight competing autos in Rally New York USA 2008 may look familiar, the kinds of vehicles you normally see on neighborhood streets, but these are not your average soccer mom Suba Imprezas, Mitsubishi Lancers, Ford Focuses, Volkswagen Golfs, all-wheel-drives, and two-wheel-drives. No, these racers are specially-modified, and they are fast!

Are you looking for some racing excitement? If the answer is yes, come to Sullivan County New York and watch the dust fly.

For information visit:   www.RallyNewYork.com