long island real estate: It Was A Match Made In Heaven - 04/30/14 08:33 AM
It was the gloomiest of days here on the south shore of Long Island, taking back any promise of spring we'd witnessed in recent weeks.  But, on the agenda, weather not withstanding, was a long awaited closing that had magic written all over it from the first phone call.  The seller was referred to me by a friend many months before.  It felt like a foregone conclusion from the moment I met this delightful and straightforward couple that I would represent them in the sale of their home.
If we could custom order the perfect clients, they would have been these … (13 comments)

long island real estate: The Secret To Getting Your Long Island Home Sold - It's No Secret - 02/17/14 05:07 AM
This shouldn't come as a surprise, Mr. & Mrs. Long Island Home Seller, but all the marketing in the world will not get your home sold if you don't let people in.  It was sobering, trying to set up appointments yesterday for a serious buyer, looking for homes on Long Island.  Of the many I sent him to check out, he picked eight that he wanted to see.
I know we've had an inordinate amount of snow this winter.  It has affected everyone on the northeast and in areas farther south, unaccustomed to getting the sticky white stuff.  Just understand, if … (6 comments)

long island real estate: 55 And Over Communities - The Hidden Gems - 02/13/14 11:14 PM
Though this gem is hardly hidden, it is so often the thing that attracts a buyer to a 55 and over community on Long Island.  Sitting in safe residential communities dotting Long Island's north and south shores, there is something about the added protection of a gated community that brings with it a feeling of peace and serenity.
Visitors will be announced before wandering through the streets they call home and they won't have to deal with people ringing their bell at odd hours, trying to sell them something.  Most of these communities have amenities to a greater or lesser degree, … (6 comments)

long island real estate: Dorothy's Journey - Coming Home, Be The Star Of Your Own Movie - 02/13/14 10:28 AM
This is an entry in the Best Movie category, for the third annual Be The Star of Your Own Movie Contest.  I can think of nothing I would rather have done than put this together today, in the middle of yet another snowstorm in the northeast.
The Wizard Of Oz
Though the Wizard of Oz, released January 1, 1939, is older than I am, the memory of this iconic film is emblazoned on my brain and is recognizable by generations, young and old.  The movie opens in Kansas, in dismal black and white, as we watch Dorothy searching in vain for her … (22 comments)

long island real estate: The Road Just Led To A Different Place And I Loved The Journey - 02/05/14 12:57 AM
Trying to choose one story, among all the defining moments in a 27 year career is a little like looking at a showcase filled with flawless gems, trying to pick the most perfect.  I consider myself blessed, over the years, serving a diverse population of buyers and sellers, often at very emotional time in their lives.  I cherish the memories they have left in their wake and revel in my role, helping them reach their goals.
This last in the trilogy for the Love Is In The Air series, veers off the track slightly and, at the time, unpredictably.  I was … (11 comments)

long island real estate: Football Brought Them And Football Would Take Them Away - 02/01/14 05:18 AM
The day my phone rang with a call from Tennessee would, for many years, change my life.  The woman on the other end of the line had a lot of questions for me.  She was searching for a good real estate agent to help her daughter and her significant other find a house on Long Island.  At the end of her very thorough interview of me, she let me know she'd already investigated me and believed I'd be the right person to take care of them in the transaction.
Jeremy had been hired by the New York Jets as a quarterbacks … (18 comments)

long island real estate: 2014 Real Estate Market On Long Island Shows Signs of Renewed Vigor - 01/28/14 09:55 AM
In this very early stage of the 2014 real estate market on the south shore of Long Island, I see a continuation of the recovery that began early last year.  There already appears to be a very anxious, totally prepared buyer population, scouring new listings, prepared to jump on what they perceive as a good value and the perfect property for them.  One has to wonder whether some of the intensity of it has to do with a previous reluctance on their part to act precipitously after selling their own properties, or whether they may have been advised by counsel to … (1 comments)

long island real estate: Staging Your Home - Less Is More - 01/23/14 10:06 AM
One of the most important things to remember when staging a home for sale, or even when designing a room for your lifestyle is to edit what you bring in.  Overdoing a space is a common mistake and the one thing that takes a space from well done to clutter prone.  A few well placed, in scale pieces will do so much more for a room than a collection of little things that fight for your attention.
There is nothing that shouts something is wrong with this picture more than a totally out of scale item in a place.  If you've … (2 comments)

long island real estate: This Life, A Learning Experience - 01/20/14 07:54 AM
Some days I just wish I were younger and had miles of road ahead of me to accomplish all the things that flit around in my brain.  The plan from the start was for a relatively full day today, writing up a new listing, getting in to the office to clean up a lot of left over paperwork and heading back home to start processing some photos.  
The morning started haltingly, after a fitful night sleep.  Everything I did carried with it the spectre of an unfinished dream, weighing heavily on my psyche.  I sat just a little too long, … (6 comments)

long island real estate: Buying A Home on Long Island - Why Would You Pay More? - 01/17/14 11:44 PM
A buyer recently asked me, "why would I offer more than they're asking for the house?  I never pay full price for anything."  In the world of real estate on Long Island, there are several ways to price listings.  Sometimes an agent will purposely market a home at a price lower than market value in an attempt to create a bidding war.  You might think this would take money off
the table for the seller and not be in their best interest.  Quite the contrary is true.  Once again, as with anything real estate related, it comes down to perceived value.
… (2 comments)

long island real estate: Selling Your Parents' Home - Staging Pays Huge Dividends - 01/17/14 02:40 AM
It's time to put your parent's home on the market, despite their emotional need to hold on to the past, however tenuous that hold is.  You've already spoken to them about the need to sell a property they can no longer live in and one that is now little more than a financial and emotional burden.  You've already, with the help of family and a real estate agent, gotten rid of years of clutter and the house is ready to present to the world.

But hold on!  The bottom line price difference and time it takes to sell the home … (2 comments)

long island real estate: You've Decided To Sell Your Parents' Home - Getting Expert Help - 01/16/14 11:06 AM
The decision has been made.  You have a father or mother who can no longer live in the home they've been in for years.  Perhaps they've fallen a number of times and the two story structure just isn't safe anymore.  Perhaps dementia plays a role in the need for them to be in a safer environment.  Now it is left to you, and your siblings if you have them to put the home in order so it can be sold.
As happens very often, our aging parents can no longer keep up with the demands of cleaning and maintaining their property so … (3 comments)

long island real estate: Helping An Aging Parent Decide Whether And Where To Move - 01/14/14 12:28 AM
Helping an aging parent decide whether and where to move, when their current home is no longer a viable option is fraught with difficulty.
Scenario: Your parent or parents are getting older and you are discomforted by the things you see changing, almost on a daily basis.  The home, once immaculate, has become a repository for everything brought past the threshold and relegated to the dining room table, or chairs, or sofa.  It's subtle at first.  The lacy tablecloth shows signs of wear, the once white fabric yellowed with age and bearing the obvious burden of months or more of mail, read … (25 comments)

long island real estate: Selling Your Parents' Home - Navigating With Siblings - 01/10/14 11:42 PM
Getting a group of family members to agree on anything is often an exercise in futility.  The greater the number, the more opportunity for failure.  Add to that the stress of having to deal with the passing of a loved one, or transitioning them to a protected environment and you create an atmosphere of chaos.  These home sales can be difficult or not, depending upon how they're handled.
We, as professionals, have to navigate that mine field in the hopes that one of the members becomes the spokesperson for the group and the ultimate decision maker.  My experience suggests, when they … (9 comments)

long island real estate: Selling Your Home - Is It A Dress Rehearsal Or The Real Thing - 01/10/14 11:31 AM
It amazes me just how often I'm told by a potential home seller that they have a friend, neighbor, second cousin once removed or the mailman's daughter who has expressed an interest in buying the house.  Sometimes they want to delay putting the property on the market to see if the love affair leads to the alter.  
It has been my experience over all these years that these ideal transactions almost never come to pass.  I encourage them to explore the possibility at the same time as we market the home to a wider audience.  It's a win-win situation. By letting … (9 comments)

long island real estate: Market Report for Bellmore, NY, 11710 - Year End 2013 - 01/10/14 05:16 AM
Looking at the statistics for sold properties (single family residences, co-op and condos) in Bellmore for year end 2013, we see a similar picture to that of the town just to the west of it on the south shore of Long Island, Merrick.  
Sales are up, closing 283 properties in 2013, vs. 243 in the prior year, for a 16.5% change.  The graph below, provided by the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island, show a comforting increase in the number of properties sold, suggesting a return to stability after weather related issues affecting the area after Hurrican Sandy in late … (1 comments)

long island real estate: How Will You Sell My House On Long Island? - 11/22/13 08:10 AM
"How will you sell my house?" is a question I hear all the time from sellers of Long Island property.  For many people, what we do seems mystical and unfathomable.  Contrary to the opinion of some naysayers, we do not simply take a listing, stick a sign in the yard and pray that someone on the MLS brings a buyer to the table.  For those of us who take the process of helping homeowners take that next step in their life's journey seriously, getting their homes sold becomes our top priority.
The first thing I do is walk through the space … (2 comments)

long island real estate: Sold Home Statistics in Merrick Tell Only Part Of The Story - 11/19/13 08:53 AM

Statistics about home sales in Merrick, as in any other area of Long Island, tell only part of the story.  The following information about real estate sales in all of the Merricks through the month of October is provided by the Multiple listing Service of Long Island.
 
If you look at the numbers without factoring in the devastating after effects of Hurricane Sandy last November, it could lead you to extrapolate from the data that the market in Merrick took a precipitous drop, and was suggestive of a downturn, rather than a singular factor that righted itself over time. … (2 comments)

long island real estate: To Tell The Truth, It's A Way Of Life - Or Is It? - 11/15/13 09:25 AM
Twice, in a seven day period I got phone calls from people who began the conversation with, "so-and-so told me to call you to help sell my house."  They both went on to say their friends had cautioned, "don't expect Geri to tell you what you want to hear, but you can count on her telling you the truth, whether the news is good or bad."  It's always great to have past clients remember you for the role you played in their transition from one home to another.  
This tells me something else as well.  People value the truth and … (5 comments)

long island real estate: Changes in Flood Insurance - How It Impacts Long Island Housing Market - 11/07/13 07:13 AM
Flood insurance is nothing new on Long Island.  Homeowners in flood zones without mortgages requiring they maintain coverage have opted to have it or not, without much hoopla until Hurricanes Irene in 2011 and Sandy in 2012 devastated many of the low lying waterfront areas endemic to the region.
Always a major draw to incoming buyers, the serenity and opportunities offered by life on or near the water resonate with so many people.  Unfortunately, after the flooding disasters of the recent past, the National Flood Insurance Program was left with a $25 billion deficit.  Clearly, in order to survive, it has … (0 comments)