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Tips on Dealing with Nasty Neighbors

Yesterday, a segment appeared on the Today Show featuring Barbara Corcoran. Have you ever lived on a street with an annoying or unpleasant neighbor. A neighobr who for instance leaves garbage in the driveway, spare tires, doesn't mow the lawn, makes noise in the middle of the night, have kids that gun the engine of their cars or want you to trim your tree that overhangs their property? How do you avoid moving in next to a problem neighbor?

Seems that a whole lot of web sites have arisen, try to Google "difficult neighbors" or "nasty neighbors" and see what comes up. Barbara Corcoran has suggestiond as to how to handle this, click here.

Profile of Buyer's Home Features

2007 Profile of Buyer's Home Features

This week the National Association of Realtors released its' 2007 profile of what home buyer's consider important. The last survey was done in 2004 and there are changes. Home buyer's were asked to rate 75 home features and the number 1 item in 2007 is oversized garages. The number of home buyers who now consider this most important increased 16 pts to 57%.

Next came:

2. Air Conditioning

3. Walk in closets in the master bedroom (53%)

4. Hardwood floors

5. Granite countertops

6 out of 10 buyer remodeled within 3 months, please read more.

Photograph courtesy of Geekphotographer.com

Find Out if You Qualify - Middle Class STAR

Soon every homeowner in New York State will receive a mailing from the New York State Department of Taxation and Financing about the new Middle Class STAR which our new Governor, Elliot Spitzer initiated when he took office. The deadline for application is 11/30/07.
You must wait for the letter from the State to arrive before you can apply.

In Westchester County you can call 2-1-1 for further information and applications. If they answer the phone United Way you have not dialed the wrong number.

New York State Department of Taxation and Finanace 877-6-STARNY.

Middle Class STAR

Find Out if You Qualify

NY State Individual Taxpayer Answer Center

2007 2nd Quarter Housing Stats for Westchester County

Hot off the presses is the 2nd Quarter Housing Housing Report from the Westchester-Putnam County Board of Realtors. The median price for a single family home in Westchester County is now $700,000 which is down 2.1%. The number of single family properties sold is up 1.3% to 1363.

In the Journal News this afternoon, please read their report

From the Westchester County Board of Realtors, the 2nd Quarter Sales Report.

Location, Location and Good Schools, Ardsley, New York

A profile of Ardsley, New York is in the New York Times today. This is part of the "Thinking of Living Here" series by Elsa Brenner who has been writting community profiles for a while and I think they are thorough and give the best picture of these communities that I have seen. Ardsley is a small Village with individuals who have lived there years, a wonderful bakery, pet groomer and the last of a breed, the Village hardware store. Location is central, highways abound and schools are good. So, information about the community, schools, location and real estate please click below:

From the New York Times, Ardsley, New York

Homes for Sale in Ardsley

Call Your Real Estate Agent!

An article that will appear in next weeks Newsweek is about Buyer Agency. Check it out.

Call Your Agent

Just Plain Interesting - Not About Real Estate

This is not a political blog and I am not endorsing anyone. But I saw this piece on the blog of Tim Maistsi and think it is great and something to think about. I even managed to watch the whole piece, it caught my attention and it might catch yours as well.

"Always Use A Real Estate Agent!"

The following is the experience of a homeowner who tried to go For Sale By Owner (FSBO). As reported by Blanche Evans of Realty Times this is a cautionary tale of what can go wrong in a real estate transaction. It really isn't as simple to get these deals done as some would think.

Some highlights:

1. Buyer and seller agree to use the same attorney;

2. Problems were found at the home inspection, it is what happens next that is the problem;

3. Buyer hires a contractor to do the work and after cashing the retainer the contractor dies (I kid you not);

Alan Jacobson, a homeowner, reports his tale on a web site called:

www.FSBOgonewrong.com

The Statement on Subprime Mortgage Lending

On Friday the Federal Government tightened the standards for mortgage lending. The Department of the Treasury, Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Commission and the National Credit Union Administration issued "The Statement on Subprime Mortgage Lending" a subject that we have all been reading about or effected by in the last few months.

Concerned about "payment shock" to borrowers this document outlines how to offer Adjustible Rate Mortgages (ARM) in a safe and sound manner and clearly disclose the risks to consumers.

"Borrowers should not be penalized for refinancing a mortgage before a low introductory rate resets to a higher level"

Lenders must now warn borrowers when a reset is coming and grant 60 days to refinance. The Federal Reserve now expects lenders to insure that borrowers can afford the loan both at the lower rate and after a reset.

To read the document please click here.......

July 4th in Westchester County

An evening of patriotic music by Westchester’s premier orchestra and a dazzling fireworks display is in store at the Kensico Dam Music Fest with the Westchester Philharmonic on Tuesday, July 3 at the Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla.Entertainment starts at 5:30 p.m. with the Cal Payne Project, performing a mix of jazz, Latin, R & B and rock.At 8 p.m. the Westchester Philharmonic takes the stage with a rousing rendition of the John Philip Sousa classic The Stars and Stripes Forever, along with other music by American composers and popular Broadway show tunes. The Westchester Philharmonic is a nationally recognized professional orchestra that has served the county’s culturally diverse population and provided an artistic outlet for the area’s composers and performers for more than 20 years. Under the direction of Paul Lustig Dunkel, the orchestra has brought many of the world’s most renowned soloists to Westchester, and has introduced some of today’s best-known artists. The Philharmonic performs concerts throughout the year at SUNY Purchase and performs annually to an audience of more than 30,000.

Fireworks will follow the music at approximately 9:15 p.m.Admission and parking are free. The event will be held rain or shine. The Kensico Dam Music Fest is presented by Westchester County Parks and sponsored by Commerce Bank, radio stations 100.7 WHUD and 107.1 The Peak, The Westchester Arts Council and Friends of Westchester County Parks, Inc.Kensico Dam Plaza will open at 5 p.m. for pre-concert picnicking. Seating is informal; concert-goers should bring blankets or folding chairs. Refreshments will be sold at the concession stand. Kensico Dam Plaza is located at the north end of the Bronx River Parkway in Valhalla. Parking is limited and car-pooling is recommended. The plaza is accessible to the disabled with assistance. For more information, call County Parks at (914) 864-PARK. General information on Westchester County Parks is available by logging on to www.westchestergov.com/parks. To receive weekly e-mail updates about upcoming County Park events and activities, follow the homepage link to subscribe to the Parks E-Club.

There's A New Scam in Westchester County

"Need Your Deed? Be Careful of Mailings Asking for Big Dollars Warns County Clerk Tim Idoni:Westchester County Clerk Timothy C. Idoni advises homeowners to beware of a direct mail solicitation letter from New York Record Retrieval, Inc. offering to obtain a certified copy of the homeowners deed at a cost of $59.50. Westchester County homeowners can always obtain a certified copy of their deed from the County Clerk's Office for the cost of only $5.00 for up to five pages, plus $1.00 for each additional page. Deeds recorded in the County Clerk's Office remain valid whether or not the homeowner has a certified copy of that deed in their possession" (more)

Ethics? In Real Estate? You Betcha

The principes and ethics are just what you would follow in your everyday life. The Golden Rule:
"Do unto others......"

Realtors are bound by a Code of Ethics that has evolved over many years and is constantly updated and tweaked.



From Realty Times

Please, Don't Ask Me That! I Can't Tell You.

This is a difficult subject for agents especially in this day of the internet. Individuals who are relocating from other areas are trying to figure out the communities and schools where they want to live. Traditionally it was the real estate agent who was their contact and the individual they would turn to for this information. I am asked often by buyer's "I want a good community" I say "you do?". What is a "good community?" Buyer's expect real estate agents to sit and talk frankly about the ethnic makeup of their potential communities. They want to know if they will be comfortable in their new communities. There are some really racist comments made about specific ethnic groups by buyer's who don't want to live in certain neighborhoods. Some make me really uncomfortable.

Last month I received a referral from the potential buyer who was relocating with her husband and children from California. She began her search by talking to friends which lead her to one particular area and school district in Westchester County. When she called me she asked me if I could please introduce her to members of her particular ethnic group so that she could ask the questions she wanted to ask. She wanted to live in a community where her children would not be isolated. What's an agent to do? This particular buyer got a bit annoyed when I told her that I am not permitted to answer her questions about communities and school districts. She accused me of not knowing and using the Fair Housing Laws as an excuse for lack of knowledge. So while I have lived in the New York Metropolitan area for my entire life and in Westchester County for 25 years and have the knowledge I am not permitted to discuss racial makeup of communities and schools. I told her that her friends and the internet would be a great source of information.

One of the things that I have done is suggest that if a buyer is interested in a particular school district that since this is a very personal matter they should make an appointment with the school and go ask the questions they have directly. I suggested this to the referral from California. She said that her daughter wanted to "shadow" a student at a couple of schools to see what their days are like and get a feeling herself for the school. Apparently that is common in California. So she called the district in question and since 9/11 that is no longer for security reasons done. She was completely frustrated trying to figure this all out.

What Brokers Can't Tell You