DIANE & BOB's Blog

Funny Poem written by a 6 year old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:32:42 -0500

My assistant's nephew is 6 years old and as cute as can be! Every now and then Logan attends one of our open houses as make comments such as "Look at this awesome room" or "This house is amazing"!!! Last week Logan's teacher had each student write a "poem" on the 5 W's - Who, What, Where, When, Why. Here is what Logan wrote:

Who: My mom

What: Relaxing

Where: On the couch

When: Every day

Why: she's always tired

My assistant's sister was mortified!

California Wildfires

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:32:44 -0500

I just wanted to write a quick post letting fellow activerain members in Northern California know that we are thinking of them. I cannot begin to imagine the many emotions the homeowners in that area must be feeling knowing that the fires are threatening their homes but I hope everyone is safe.

Keep your sense of humor - it's your only chance !!!!

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:41:31 -0500

We finally have a Buyers' Market -- so why aren't the buyers' buying? How can we call it a buyer's market if the buyers aren't buying...Recenlty an associate of mine was showing a property - finally finding the perfect home for her clients. When they went back for an additional showing to measure, etc. and they brought their little lap dog. The little boy next door, soon to be their neighbor, came over to say hello. The boy was small for his age and looked like he was two years old but judging by his vocabulary he was most likely 3. The little boy says to the potential buyers - "Boy Mr. Smith-your neighbor on the other side has a huge pitbull. He's going to make your dog his dinner one night!!!" End of story; the buyers walked!!! Why wasn't this little boy in his own house? Anyway, back to square one. You gotta love it -- keep your sense of humor - it's your only chance -

How coasting downhills helps save you gas!!!

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:40:26 -0500

Did anyone read the Yahoo article this week about the hybrid car in California where the owner was getting 100 miles per gallon with his car? The driver achieved this amazing feet by driving the speed limit, coasting down hills and turning his car off at long red lights. I ran a small experiment this weekend and I improved my gas milage! I thought I would share this with everyone and see if anyone else read the article and if they performed their own test!!

Heat Wave!!! To show lisings or not to show listings in the scorching heat...

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:10:15 -0500

This weekend our area had an intense heat wave with temperatures in the high 90's and humidity that turned the nicest hair into a ball of frizz! I am not a fan of showing listings in intense heat as I feel that the customers are uncomfortable and a bit distracted by the heat...I am wondering how agents in hotter climates that deal with these temperatures on a daily basis help to keep their customers cool and focused!!!

McCain vs Obama!!! Who do you think will win the election!!

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:31:51 -0500

So it looks like this coming election we will be making the decision to vote for either McCain or Obama, both who are respectable candidates. What are everyone's thoughts on the outcome of the democratic primary? Did Hillary fight a fair fight and was she diplomatic in her speech tonight (I will bite my tongue...). If we had to take bets today on who would win the presidential election, would you bet red or blue?

Featured Member...What does this mean??

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Fri, 30 May 2008 20:21:43 -0500

I am a relatively new activerain blogger and my profile stats say that I am a featured member but I am not sure what this means. Any activerain veterans out there that want to help the rookie?

Oprah's O Ambassador's!!!!

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:58:51 -0500

Did anyone see Oprah yesterday? If you missed it please visit her website. This was a very inspirational episode, showing high school students that raise money to build schools (and other infrastructure) in developing nations. The high school team that was featured had raised money to build a school in Kenya. Only $8,500 was needed to build a school and you couldn't help but to go online and donate to this awesome charity!

My assistant works with a man who was raised in Kenya and that man sends $100 from his paycheck (twice a month) back to poor families in Kenya and he tells such wonderful stories that really highlight the cultural practices of his village back home in Kenya. The talk lately had been about our country's failing economy and rising energy costs but after yesterday's Oprah episode and I am grateful for what I have!

Appalachian in Mountain Creek 1 BR Unit for Sale - ski in/ski out unit facing the mountain

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Fri, 23 May 2008 08:15:06 -0500

1 BR CONDO - VACATION YEAR ROUND

If you love to Ski, Hike, Bike, Swim and Golf this 1 Br Condo may be your DREAM COME TRUE. Live part time or full time at the Appalachian in Mountain Creek. NJ/NY border 1 hour from NYC. Conveinient to the charming Village of Warwick. Top floor, ski in/ski out unit facing the mountain. Year round swimming pools, exercise room, near by golf. Fireplace, balcony, lg bath, granite, fully furnished.

200 Rte 92 at 17A google map yahoo map

Location: Vernon Valley

Please respond to this blog with your contact information if you have any questions!!!

Open House Websites

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:26:56 -0500

I recently opened a Trulia account and I see that you can post your open house dates and times to the website. Has anyone ever had a walk in that heard about your open house through Trulia? Are there any other websites out there that offer similar options? The past few weeks have been slow for open houses so any tricks to get more traffic would be welcomed!!

The Cost of Living is Rapidly Increasing...How to Lower Your Monthly Bills!!!!!

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:29:25 -0500

I don't know about you but all I have been hearing about on the news lately is how gas prices continue to climb and how these rising energy prices have affected the economy - for example even the price of groceries has increased due to higher transportation costs!! Here are a few ways that I was able to lower my monthly bills that I thought I would share with everyone...

•· Review your monthly cell phone bill - if you are not using all of your minutes see if you can switch to a less expensive plan

•· Call your cable company and tell them that their competitor (i.e. Cablevision vs. Direct TV) has offered you a discounted package if you switch to their service. I did this last week and saved $80 per month on my bill (Cable, internet and phone). It only took a quick phone call!

•· Now that the weather has warmed up turn the dial on your water heater down. You will still have plenty of hot water!!!

•· Take a defensive driving course to lower your car insurance bill

•· Call your credit card company's and ask them to lower your interest rates (nothing ventured nothing gained)

•· Buy an entertainment book - this book is filled with coupons and discount savings on everything from restaurants, movie theaters, travel, automotive service discounts, dry cleaning, etc.

Hope these ideas can be of assistance. Happy Savings!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:32:49 -0500

Bob and I just wanted to wish all the Mother's a very Happy Mother's Day! I hope your day is special and that you realize just how much your family appreciates what you do for them!

Sleeping Through Your Train Stop!

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:16:38 -0500

Last night a friend of ours was taking a train home from Manhattan, later then usual due to an office party, and he fell asleep on the train. Anyone that has ever been on a Metro North train knows that it is very common for commuters to catch a few zzzz's. Unfortunately for our friend he awoke to realize first that he had drooled on himself and second he slept through his stop and was 1 hour past where he should have gotten off the train. If waking up with drool on his face on a crowded train wasn't bad enough, sleeping through his stop meant he had to take a cab 1 hour south to pick up his car at the train station and then driving the 30 minute drive to his house in Somers. A 1 hour trip turned into a 3 hour trip all because he is exhausted from working 14 hour days and hours after his head hit the pillow he had to wake up and do it all again...

Question - Do you think that people are working more now then ever before?

Customers that bought at the peak of the market are taking a big hit to their wallet...

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:55:11 -0500

Currently we have multiple customers that bought at the peak of the real estate market a few years back and have come to us to list their house. A majority of these customers are moving down south, some due to a company relocation, and unfortunately we had to list their houses significantly below what they had bought the house for originally. Because these customers are already taking a HUGE loss if they get full asking price they are less flexible negotiating however buyers are convinced it is a buyer's market right now. We have many LOW offers on some great houses and I think this is mainly because buyers feel that there is a lot more wiggle room in the prices these days.

Is anybody else noticing that even though the list price of houses has declined, that offers are coming in lower than before? I did have a new listing that was on the market for 1 week and we received a full price offer but those sales seem to be few and far between...

Fannie Mae's reported $2.2billion loss!!!!!

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:48:22 -0500

I read an article on Yahoo this morning regarding the $2.2 billion dollar loss that Fannie Mae recorded due to people defaulting on their loans. The part of the article that really stuck out to me was that Fannie Mae is anticipating further decline of the real estate market and they are projecting an increase in loan defaults.

What does this mean for the industry we make our living in? Should we expect housing prices to decrease or will it be harder to have a buyer qualified? I think the days of putting less than 20% down are going to be a thing of the past. What are your opinions?

Amazing House in Yorktown Heights, NY!!!!

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:36:12 -0500

This listing is truly amazing. The backyard inspires visions of summertime BBQ's with Tiki torches and a big group of friends and the inside of the house has a wonderful open floor plan. 4 bedrooms, 3.1 baths, 3775 square feet and over a half acre of property with a very private backyard!!!

Listed at $849,900

Local Breast Cancer Support Group - Please visit thier site!!!

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:02:32 -0500

I wanted to take the opportunity to let all my fellow bloggers know about this wonderful local charity in the Town of Yorktown Heights, NY. The Support Connection was started in honor of a wonderful person named Myra who after many years passed away from her battle with cancer. The Support Connection offers support groups, counselors and healing activities such as yoga classes to individuals suffering from breast or ovarian cancer. Each year the Support Connection has an annual walk to raise money for this inspirational organization. They are having an event on May 6th for those locals who are interested! They have a great night of fun and glamor planned and the proceeds are used toward support programs. Please take some time to visit their website and read the inspirational stories of the brave survivors!

www.supportconnection.org

Jon and Kate Plus Eight - On OPRAH!!!

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:26:02 -0500

I just watched the new episode of Jon and Kate Plus Eight last night. For those of you that have never seen the show, give it a try! It is a hilarious reality show about a couple named Jon and Kate and their eight children (twins and sextuplets). Jon and Kate were invited with the kids to be guests on the Oprah show. So my two favorite TV shows were combined - and I missed the Oprah episode!!! Does anyone know when the episode aired? I keep calling the Oprah hot-line each month trying to get tickets and this would have been the perfect taping for me to attend:( Hopefully next time I call I will get through and score some tickets!!!!

Also, did anyone see Oprah's update on past guests? There was a segment regarding puppy mills and mistreated animals and I was in tears watching this. I would like to encourage anyone thinking of getting a cat or dog to visit your local shelter a rescue a animal in need!!

Last Weekend's Open House

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:52:53 -0500

Last weekend we had a great showing at one of our open houses! We had a few couples who we have taken out since the open house and we have even gone on a CMA! The warm weather seems to be bringing the buyers!!

We did have one couple walk through with their to children who were behaving very poorly. The children were running around the house (bumping into other customers who were looking the the house), going through the owner's drawers and eating candy the owner had on the dining room table. The parents did not seem to bit the least bit concerned with their behavior and I had no idea what to say. Has anyone had a similar experience and if so, how did you handle the situation without offending the parents?

First Time Home Owners - How do we better assist them through the entire process???

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:34:28 -0500

I was working with a wonderful couple, newly married, that were referred to me through mutual friends. This couple was delightful however very indecisive. The first time I took them out we saw 5 houses and they put an offer in on one. Through negotiation I was able to get them the price they wanted but they decided to back out of the deal because they felt it happened so quick. I reassured them that if they were not 100% sure about the house that backing out of the deal was the right thing and we scheduled an appointment for the following weekend. They liked one of the houses that we saw so we went back a second time and they put in an offer. We went back to the house a third time with their various family members and the next day they decided to not move forward with this house because they felt that the house needed some updating and that they couldn't afford the updates and the mortgage. We went through another weekend of showings for houses (in the same price range, go figure) and they put in a third offer (on a townhouse this time). The townhouse was in perfect condition and they were getting it for a steal! We scheduled and completed the inspection process and ironically enough they backed out of deal #3!! They said they hadn't factored in the taxes and thought the house was out of their range. They had an accepted offer for $405K, the same A/O price as the first two deals...their mortgage broker definitely could have better prepared them to understand what they could afford.

I would love to say that the 4th time was a charm but they backed out of the 4th house as well. They decided to take a break from house hunting to save a little more money and I just found out they purchased a FSBO for a great price and even-though they drove me crazy I am really happy that they were able to find a house (pre-forclosure) that was right for them.

The question is, how do we educate our first time home buyers to understand the process better, from choosing listings to visit, to understanding their total expenses and then finally the closing procedures?

I spent a lot of time explaining the process to them but did not get involved with the financing side (in NY the real estate agent usually leaves this part to the mortgage banker/broker). There is a fine line between helping customers understand what they can afford and stepping on their toes. Any ideas on a tactful way to ensure that first time home owners understand their total monthly costs as well as the costs associated with closing on a property?

Does online networking generate leads?

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:26:45 -0500

Bob and I both spend a lot of time networking. We are members of the Chamber of Commerce, belong to a bowling league and volunteer for lots of activities. I am curious to see how networking has helped other agents and if anyone had any helpful tips or tools for online networking. I recently joined the LinkedIn website but was curious if other agents have been able to generate leads from online tools. Looking forward to reading your responses!!!

Last Night' Yankee Game

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:22:51 -0500

Did anyone see last night's Yankee Game?!?!?! Talk about an exciting high scoring game. Boston played a great game but the Yankees rallied and won 15 - 9. Go Yanks!!! Joe Girardi seems to be off to a pretty good start as the new manager and I am excited to see what this season will bring!

The New Yankee Stadium Cursed? Think again!!!

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:51:31 -0500

It is all over the news (at least in New York)! A Boston Red Soxfan took a job as a construction worker on the new Yankee Stadium site with the sole intent of cursing the park by burying a David Ortiz Jersey in the concrete. Little did this Boston fan know that no one, NO ONE, should mess with the Yankees! I do have to say that the Boston fan must have made many proud back at Fenway but he certainly did not make any friends in NY!! The Yankees had two workers jackhammer the jersey out and the Yankees are now considering legal action. Can you imagine picking jurors (in New York) for that trial!! I would happily volunteer for jury duty:)

I wish the Yankees all the success in this season! Who knows, maybe the Boston Red Sox will suffer from the Yankee's outrage of almost being "cursed"!

Going Green!

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 14:36:22 -0500

Lately there seems to be a lot of focus on going green, meaning being environmentally conscious. I love the idea of going green and preserving natural resources so here are a few green tips that I can really relate to!

Energy efficient light bulbs - Not only do they save electricity and last for 5 years (thus less waste in our land fills) they are said to save a homeowner $45 each per year in electricity costs.
Canvas shopping bags - Think of all those plastic grocery bags that you use each time you make a trip to the grocery store and consider purchasing an inexpensive bag to reuse on your trips back and forth to the grocery store!
Shakley products - I am a huge Oprah fan. On Oprah's Favorite Things, Oprah featured Shakley all natural cleaning products. This chemical free concentrated cleaner not only reduces chemicals released into our atmosphere but cuts down on the empty cleaner bottles we throw away each year!

Hope these few tips help you and your family embrace being Green!!!

Gearing up for Spring

DIANE & BOB ARENHOLZ (Prudential Rand Realty) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 14:23:31 -0500

It's that wonderful time of year again! The daffodils have pushed through the ground and weather is getting warmer! I can't wait for the weather to really warm up! Showing houses in the snow is hard and buyers really get a better feel for the property when it is sunny and they can walk around the property. For the sellers, spring means that people won't be tracking wet footprints and salt through their houses! Here's to spring! Not only does the weather warm up but the market does as well!!!

Here is a great spring recipe to get us in the sunny frame of mind:)

Shrimp with Mango salsa:

Clean and De-vein shrimp (suggest 10 shrimp per person)

Marinate shrimp in teriyaki sauce (I like Ken's Honey Teriyaki)

Place shrimp on skewers (5 per skewer) and place on grill to cook

Mango salsa:

Need 2 mangos (serves 4 people), scallions, red peppers and limes (1/4 of a lime)

Peel Mango and chop into cubes. Cube 1/2 a red pepper and cut 2-3 scallions into thin slices. Add mango, red pepper and scallions together and squeeze a slice of lime over the salsa. Mix well and serve with the shrimp skewers.

FYI: mango salsa works well with most seafood and is great with Chilean Sea Bass as well!