55 and Over Communities - Lots Of Options On Long Island - 10/31/10 11:45 PM
If you're 55 or over and you've been giving thought to moving out of your home on Long Island and into 55 and over housing, you're like many of your peers.  Sometimes, no matter how much you love the home you live in, the one you raised your family in, it's time for a change. 
In the first scenario, your children have flown the nest, leaving you with too much space.  You're paying to maintain, heat and air condition a lot of square footage you don't use.  From a purely economic standpoint it makes no sense to continue. You're paying people to take care … (2 comments)

Happy Halloween - Make It A Safe One - 10/31/10 12:19 PM

Happy Halloween to all the ghosts and goblins out there in search of treats on what appears to be a perfect fall day here on Long Island.  Many of the young and young at heart have their plans made, costumes bought, parties scheduled for this fun and spooktacular day.  They've hung their cobwebs, positioned their spiders, decorated their windows with piercing eyes, black cats and mummies and they prepare their goodie bags for the night's haul.
There are many organized events celebrating Halloween on Long Island, as I'm sure there are everywhere else.  Fun for the whole family, including:
An 1880 Halloween … (6 comments)

Thankful Thursday - My Best Offer Yet - 10/28/10 11:35 PM

Just a little while ago my phone rang.  On the other end was the voice of one of my favorite guys in the world.  My very special little man said, "grandma, I was thinking, it's been a long time since we had a date.  I think it's time for us to have another one."  Not only was it my best offer of the day, it could qualify as my best offer yet.  I think I'm in love.
… (16 comments)

Pay It Forward - Best Friends In The Making - 10/26/10 02:24 PM
It was not at all unusual to be working with relocation buyers.  I'd been doing it for years.  Our first conversation was pleasant enough.  We discussed the parameters of his search, his preferences for this move and his concern that his partner, who had never set foot upon New York soil, might not be comfortable.  So, it was with some trepidation, and more than a little exitement that he arrived one weekend late in the summer. 
Little did I know at that time, a weekend of his arrival in town meant putting everything else on hold while we did a marathon … (10 comments)

Legend of Sleepy Hollow & A Hauntingly Good Time At The Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport, NY - Halloween Weekend - 10/26/10 01:24 AM

Next weekend, in celebration of Halloween, the Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium in Centerport, New York, on Long Island's north shore, will host events for the whole family.  From 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday bring the youngsters to an interactive retelling of bedtime stories.  Huge images, projected under star filled skies, will excite the younger set and bring new life to tales of old.  Come in costume for Our Night Out and greet other ghosts and goblins in this family friendly venue.
Where:  Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium Address:  180 Little Neck Road, Centerport Phone:  631-854 - 5579 Price:  $8.00 per person Time:  6:00 to 7:30 p.m … (6 comments)

Murder & Mayhem, Right Here On Long Island - Fall Events, Come Solve The Crime - 10/24/10 09:42 PM
Love a good murder mystery?  When you pick up a novel by your favorite author, do you find yourself putting everything else off so you can stay on the pages of the book, trying to figure out who the killer is? Does your heart beat just a little bit faster as the crimes unfold in terrifying succession?  If that describes you, what better way to spend a weekend than to be a willing participant in a live whodunit.
World famous producers Keith O'Leary and Margo Morrison, creators of Murder Mystery Weekend are bringing their troop to the Montauk Manor on the eastern end of Long Island for a weekend … (8 comments)

Is Decorating Your Passion? Visit The Designer Showcase At Orchard Hill - Old Westbury, NY - 10/24/10 12:03 AM
If there's a bit of a designer of you, or if you just love looking at beautifully decorated rooms, you're in for a real treat this holiday season.  From October 30th to December 12th, Orchard Hill, the former residence of Peggy Phipps Boegner will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a Designer Showcase with a Home For The Holidays theme.  Only the second time in its history, this 1856 farmhouse on Long Island's Gold Coast, will open its doors to showcase some of the most artistic designers in the New York area. 
Long before I started staging and decorating homes myself I was drawn to the … (4 comments)

Old Bethpage Village Restoration - An 1880 Halloween To Remember - 10/23/10 12:00 AM
One of my favorite places on Long Island is the Old Bethpage Village Restoration.  The minute you park your car, you find yourself in a time warp.  You've left the 21st century behind for the charm and quietude of a country village in the mid 1800s.  This recreated typical farming community of its time sits on 209 pristine acres.   With 51 historic buildings and seven reconstructions it offers a realistic representation of life in a rural setting at the time.
If you're looking for a different way to celebrate Halloween, why not get in your car and bring the family to the village to experience an … (4 comments)

Thankful Thursday - The Best Kind Of Love - 10/21/10 07:49 PM
Of all the things for which I am thankful, and there are many, nothing surpasses the joy of watching my grandchildren grow up.  It is with wonder that I watch and listen to them and their perceptions of the world around them.  My little one, having just turned four, will happily carry on a conversation on the phone for an hour if you let him.  He's funny, articulate way beyond his years and he's got a great sense of humor, an absolute necessity to coexist in my family.  I think I'm in love. 

… (11 comments)

Just When You Think Things Couldn't Get Worse - At What Price Care? - 10/20/10 10:58 PM
I was sitting at my computer at about 5 p.m. when the phone rang.  It was my friend who has been having a really bad run of luck lately.  Unfortunately he fell again last night and wound up breaking a couple of ribs and puncturing a lung.  To add to the misery, his cat was really sick, needing emergency intervention.  Since he couldn't drive, he asked me if I would go with his wife to the emergency vet.
We wound up at BrightHeart Emergency & Referral Center,  a most beautiful facility in Westbury on Long Island.  It looked like a classy, updated, … (13 comments)

A Picture Perfect Fall Afternoon in South Bellmore - 10/17/10 09:16 PM

What a serene way to spend a fall Sunday on Long Island.  I was fortunate enough to hold an open house in South Bellmore on the water on what turned out to be a picture perfect day.  Though I've sat here before, relaxing, watching the boats go by, there is something special about this place as the seasons change.  I love the juxtaposition of the still blue water and the branches of the tree, almost devoid of leaves, predicting the not too distant future.
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About the author:  Geri Sonkin is a Licensed Broker Associate/Stager/Decorator serving Long Island sellers and buyers for over 24 years. … (12 comments)

Dismissing Foreclosure Scandal is Not a Winning Hand - 10/16/10 09:53 AM
J. Philip Faranda's post about the foreclosure debacle is well conceived and written.  Since he's said it far better than I could, I'm sending it out there again.  The thing I find so disturbing about all this, aside from the obvious, is that real people with real problems are getting swept into the hopper right along with those perceived to have gamed the system.  These are not folks who have lived beyond their means, they're people who came upon hard times.
It's far too easy to criticize, but don't, at least till you walk a mile in their moccasins.  
Via J. Philip Faranda … (5 comments)

Thankful Thursday - There Is Beauty In Gathering Storm Clouds - 10/14/10 08:50 PM

I was on a mission today to complete a staging.  I only needed a few items so I headed to the Roosevelt Field mall.  All morning news reports warned of a coming Nor'easter, but there was no evidence of the storm to come.  It took less than an hour to assemble the things I needed and head back out to my car for the ride home. 
I looked up for a moment as I dropped a heavy package gently to the ground, rubbing my hand where it had left a depression.  If there has ever been a moment in time when … (6 comments)

To Stage Or Not To Stage Your Long Island Home -- Just How Much Do You Want To Sell? - 10/13/10 08:47 PM
If you've considered selling your home on Long Island, you should also seriously think about having it staged by a professional.  Statistics have shown that staged homes sell for more money and in a shorter period of time.
Kathy Nielsen's wonderful post this morning about table settings was so right on that I wanted to add my own experience with it.  When sellers put their homes on the market, I almost always recommend a staging to appeal to the widest audience. 
Our goal is to bring potential buyers into your home and allow them to envision themselves living there.  The look has to be uncluttered and … (6 comments)

Long Island Real Estate Networking Event - Wildfish, Nautical Mile, Freeport, NY - 10/12/10 08:11 PM
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With more stress in the local real estate market on Long Island than ever, regularly scheduled networking events are drawing more and more people.  Last night, the once a month meeting sponsored by a group of brokers, mortgage and home inspection professionals, was a huge success.  The venue, Wildfish, a charming seaside restaurant on Guy Lombardo Avenue on Freeport's Nautical Mile, was the perfect backdrop for a relaxing evening with old friends.  With an attentive staff, open vistas, and really good food, this location has become a favorite for the crowd.
"Networking Event - Wildfish, Freeport" Create a free slideshow with Picnik! The weather couldn't have been … (8 comments)

Interesting! Sometimes A Gain Is As Good As A Loss When You're On A Diet - 10/12/10 10:05 AM
Five weeks into the healthier eating diet, I've been getting sloppy.  No longer excitedly buying my fruit and vegetables, opting instead for the quick sugar fix, even if it is a better choice than before, I'm losing momentum.  As with so many things in life, our failures can teach us as much as our success if we pay attention.  The little critic who sits perched on my shoulder has been tsk tsking for two weeks now, shaking her head as I reach for the ice cream bar instead of an apple or some grapes.  I was so excited when, with each shopping trip, … (7 comments)

Save Yourself Time And Money, Stage Your Home On Long Island Before It Goes On The Market - 10/10/10 10:26 PM

After weeks of stripping off old wallpaper, removing wood paneling, painting and removing old carpeting, we were ready to stage this Long Island home in preparation for finding the perfect buyer.  Going for the house was its incredible location, on a wide, deep water canal just moments from the open bay.  It had great bones all along, just needing a little love to bring it into the twenty-first century.
So often homeowners, anesthetized by the same view day after day, week after week, see their homes as "just fine," the way they are.  They're not wrong in the sense that … (15 comments)

Real Estate Housing Statistics Are Always Right. Right? Thinking Of Selling Or Buying A Home On Long Island? Read This! - 10/08/10 09:22 PM
Last night quite late I wrote a post, taking a look at the statistical housing data for Merrick for the past six months.  I spent a lot of time accessing the information, interpreting it and writing my analysis of what it suggested.  Just as I clicked submit, my computer hiccuped, detaching itself from my live connection to the internet and sending my article like so much space junk into the black void.  It took me a few minutes to regain my composure.  No use searching for it in the hopes that it lurked somewhere just beyond my vision.  I've been there before.  This … (7 comments)

Merrick Open House - Oct. 9-10, 2010, 1-3 p.m. - 2043 Cornell Place - 10/08/10 02:15 PM
With a brand new price reduction to $729,000, this one-of-a-kind contemporary home, set deep on a wide cul de sac in the Lindenmere area is ready for the perfect buyer.  Custom built in 1992, the bright, light contemporary with skylights and hi hats is like no other.  "It just keeps going on," is a common comment we hear.

With 4, possibly 5 bedrooms, 4 full baths and a full, finished basement, you'll have room to roam.  Come home in the evening and cast off the cares of the day as you relax in your skylit living room or your spacious … (5 comments)

How My Under Sink Cabinet Will Help Get Your Long Island Home Sold - 10/04/10 11:47 PM
My family and friends think I'm more than a little bizarre.  I have a passion for cleaning products.  I wax poetic over things that sanitize, that scour, that cleanse.  Show me a new way to clean something better, faster, more effectively and I'm all over it.  The older I get, the more I want to pare down everything in my world.  I no longer want ten products that accomplish essentially the same thing.  Give me one, demonstrate it works and I'll clear the way and give it a place of honor in that admittedly less that stellar showplace, my under sink cabinet. 
Residing … (18 comments)

Selling Your Home In A Tough Market -- Know The Game And Play By The Rules - 10/03/10 11:44 PM
Sometimes in the world of real estate sales, we have to be cruel to be kind.  The current market can be challenging for all of us, at least on Long Island.  Many of the old rules no longer apply.  For the seller, the sale of their home could be a once in a lifetime experience, or perhaps they've sold a few times in the past, over a period of many years.  In either scenario, their experience is limited.  As the experts in our field, it's our responsibility to educate them about the process and about the realities of the selling environment in which they find themselves. 
If we're unattached … (17 comments)

Buying and Refinancing - - - Don't Trip over Dollars to Pick up a few Pennies!!!!! - 10/02/10 09:20 PM
I will never understand people who wait for the absolute bottom of the market, whether it be mortgage, housing or stock.  So many people miss out on real opportunities while they sit firmly on the fence.  With interest rates at historic lows, it seems a safe bet to me, to take the current offerings, rather than wait for a possibility of a slightly lower rate.  Larry Bettag's post says it better than I could.  So here it is.
Via Larry Bettag - Cherry Creek Mortgage:
Thirty year mortgage rates have been moving lower over the past week and are currently at in the low 4.0s, … (4 comments)

Take It Off In The Rain - Week 4 - A Change In The Menu - 10/02/10 08:40 PM
It's hard to believe we're closing in on the four week anniversary of our challenge to get healthier, and for those of us who previously packed on unwanted pounds, lose weight in the rain.  The Take It Off In The Rain group has turned out to be so much more than simply a support group.  We're getting to know each other on a deeper level.  We do support successes and act as a buttress for one another when the going gets rough.  We share our stories, our concerns, we share laughs and we swap recipes.
I've been more on the receiving end of tempting … (17 comments)

Open House S. Bellmore 10/2-10/3/10 - 10/02/10 12:00 AM
Open House - South Bellmore, NY
Saturday - Sunday, 10/2/10 - 10/3/10  1-3 p.m.
3054 Lee Place
WATERFRONT - Western Exposure

Just a short drive south of Merrick Road, you'll find an enclave of homes with beautiful water views.  For the very lucky few, homes with western exposure, on a wide, deep water canal offer so much more.  Fortunately for one buyer in this market, there is an affordable 5 bedroom, 2.5 bath Lands End splanch just moments from the bay, in protected water. 

This lovely, spacious splanch has a great flow for entertaining.  For those who like to host the holidays, you'll … (6 comments)

 
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Geri Sonkin - Long Island Real Estate

Merrick, NY

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Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Address: Long Island, New York

Office Phone: (516) 457-7103

Cell Phone: (516) 425-6098

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