Clustrmaps
Archive for July, 2009
Travel around Syracuse: 1000 Islands
If you are sitting around this summer wondering what to do, deciding between laying out or going into your pool or cleaning the house, or maybe even cracking up that book you got for your birthday, maybe you should try a getaway to the 1000 Islands instead. There will be lots of fun, sun and good times for both you and the family to never forget! So put that book down, grab that lotion and get in the car for a fantastic getaway to the 1000 Islands.
The 1000 Islands features Alexandria Bay which is a place of year round beauty and calming waters. There are gift shops, casinos, go carts, a drive-in theater, an ice arena, and boat tours as well as a boat museum, island tours, a scuba shop and park, and much more. There are grocery stores as well as other shops near by for convenience. There is also golfing and fishing places offered. There is something for everyone.
If you are looking for a place to stay, they offer everything from campsites to bed and breakfasts and hotels as well as resorts. They also have restaurants and night life places that offer a variety of fun and food for everyone (http://www.getaway1000.com/redirect.htm?www.alexbay.org).
Also offered at the 1000 Islands is the “Ideal American City” of Watertown, NY. This has a little something for people who do not mind being outside and getting a little wet and dirty just for the fun of it. They offer parks, zoos, museums and more. Also, at the Islands are a Boldt Castle with one hundred and twenty rooms and a breath taking view (http://www.getaway1000.com/).
There is literally a little bit of something for everyone within the 1000 Islands. So, cover up the pool, put away the cleaning supplies, gather up the kids, and head to the 1000 Islands for a getaway you will never forget. It is filled with great views, adventure, great food, sites, and more. You will not regret your getaway to the 1000 Islands!
Showing your House to someone with a Disability
If you live in or around neighborhoods that have older residents, you may need to know some tips about how to show your home to someone with a disability. This is much like getting your home ready for any potential buyer with a few key differences. You will need to be aware of their needs as a buyer and what is important to them. Here are some tips to help make the process of preparing your home easier for you and everyone. This way you can worry less and enjoy your future more.
Ask your real estate agent for advice
Real estate agents have experience showing homes to a wide variety of people and clients and may be able to offer advice as to how to show your home to those with special needs and considerations. Starting here first is a good idea.
Make sure pathways and entrance are completely clear
This is an important step when showing any home, but it may be especially important to those using canes, walkers, or wheelchairs to get around. If the path isn’t clear, they will not be able to get to your home to see it.
Know the measurements of your hallways and doorways
An important consideration for a person with a disability is whether or not they can get around. Knowing the measurements of your hallways and doorways will be important to them and knowing this information will be helpful in selling your home.
Show them any special features of the kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms
Anyone with a disability might need extra space, so make sure to make clear pathways and show them any extra space you may offer in the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom, as well as anything that could be added later on.
Talk with the people viewing your home
Talk to the people viewing your home or have your agent help you. Knowing what they find most important and then highlighting those features is a good way to sell your home and may make it faster too.
Following these steps will make showing and selling your home to someone with a disability easier and smoother for everyone. This way you can know that you have done everything possible and can have fewer concerns and look to your bright new future.
Tax Benefits of Owning a Vacation Home
Maybe you think that with the economy the way it is these days or with many businesses suffering, owning a second home for vacation purposes might be a bad investment. This is not necessarily true. There are actually many tax breaks and benefits to owning a second home. Here are some tips about the tax benefits to help make the process easier. This way you can relax and enjoy your vacation home with fewer worries the way a vacation should be.
Ask your real estate agent about these benefits
If you are not sure where to start, ask your agent for advice. It is their job to sell homes, including vacation homes and they may have information and tips to help you invest in the best home possible. So start here first.
Research and know the laws
If you do your research and know the laws as well as ask your agent for advice, you can make sure you are getting all the possible tax breaks and benefits that you can.
Personal residence tax benefits
If you rent out your home but still use it yourself for vacation purposes, it is important to know about the personal residence tax benefits you can get. If you rent your home for a certain amount of time and then stay in that home yourself for more than that time say two weeks, you may qualify residence tax benefits such as certain deductions on mortgages or other loans.
Rental Property Benefits
If you use your home very little, then it will be filed as a rental property and you may benefit from these tax breaks. These may include: property taxes deductions, interest, and operating expenses, depending on how offer the home is being used.
Interest on second home is deductible
This applies to anything that is in the home such as the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, or any recreational vehicle. Some mortgage interest deductions are also possible as long as you spend time there yourself.
Owning a second home for vacation purposes has many benefits as long as you follow these tips and ask your agent for help. So, why not invest in a second home and enjoy a nice vacation every now and then. In this economy and with busy schedules, everyone needs a nice long break now and then.
Tips when Negotiating your Selling Price
You have decided to sell your home and move on to bigger and brighter things in the future. This is a very exciting time for you and your family. Maybe you have fixed up your home, even had the house inspection and had an open house and now you have a few offers. Well, you want to get the best value and price possible for your home so you have less to worry about in the future. Here are a few negotiating tips to help make the process easier for everyone involved.
Ask your real estate agent for advice and help
It is the job of your real estate agent to know buyers and sellers and know how to sell a home. They have experience with negotiating and will be able to help you get the best price possible from a buyer.
Make a counter-offer
You may be afraid to do this, but do not be. Most buyers expect that you will not accept the very first offer. You can offer the buyer certain incentives or conditions in order to get them to accept your offer. Ask your agent for help, if needed.
Offer to pay some closing costs
If the buyer’s offer is a little low, offering to pay some of the closing costs, may persuade the buyer to agree to the price and terms that you want. Do not give up.
Only accept offers from pre-qualified buyers
This means that the buyer has already been accepted for a loan and has the money to cover any offer made. This will save time later and there will be fewer surprises when it is time to close the deal.
Hire a home inspector yourself
Buyers may try lower the price because they have a home inspection cost, but if you hire one yourself, you beat them to it. Also, this can give you more leverage when getting them to accept terms you want.
Following these negotiating tips and asking for help from your agent, will help to ensure everything goes easier and smoother for both parties. This way you have less to worry about and can focus on a bright future in your new home.
Tips for Buying a Flipped House
If you are looking for a home but you do have a budget, you may want to consider a house that has been flipped. These are homes that people buy and fix them up and hope to sell to someone else to make a profit. Good and bad things can be said about these homes, but if you know what to look for and what to avoid, it could be the perfect new home for you. Here are some tips when buying a house that has been flipped. It may just be your dream house after all.
Ask your Real Estate agent for advice
The best thing you can do when deciding whether or not to buy one of these homes, is to ask your agent. They know all about the business and can offer some advice, tips, and they are just a great resource.
Get the home inspected
Have the home inspected for any problems and things that may need to still be fixed up. If you want, you can even ask your agent to recommend someone for a good home inspection to make sure it is done right.
Inspect the house for Quality Work
A home inspection usually just covers a basic checklist, so further checking by you or professionals may be needed. Make sure there are no problems with the roof, drains, pipes, walls, flooring, and more.
Make sure the house had work permit
This is not required, but if there was no work permit, there are no guarantees, so do some research and find out if a work permit was obtained.
Get a home warranty
With a home warranty, buyers are covered for a certain period of time if anything fails with the home such as roofing, plumbing, electricity and more. This will keep you safe and secure from any hassles.
As long as you follow these tips and ask professionals such as an agent for help, home flippers can be a good investment and actually be good homes to buy for you and your family. So you can be worry free and look forward to a bright and happy future in your new home.
Easy Ways to Improve Curb Appeal
Curb appeal can make or break a sale in today’s market.
If your sellers are willing to improve the outside of their homes, here are some low-cost ways to increase a home’s curb appeal.
- Clean up beds by weeding and pruning shrubs. Add mulch for a high-end look.
- Invest in pots. A couple of attractive ceramic (or ceramic look-alike) pots filled with attractive plants can really make an entrance look classier.
- Install landscape lighting on the path to the front door.
- Replace the mailbox with a newer one and put some nice plantings at its base to dress it up.
Source: Tribune Media Services, Cameron Huddleston (07/26/2009)
Home Owners Rent Rooms to Save Costs
Victims of layoffs or salary reductions, more and more middle-aged home owners are being forced to take in roommates or boarders as a way to stay current on their mortgages.
“When employment is falling, people start doubling up,” confirms National Multi Housing Council chief economist Mark Obrinsky.
The fact that the U.S. population has increased but homeownership levels and apartment occupancy rates are down, he says, suggests that more residents are living with relatives and friends, as well as with strangers who advertised for roommates.
Source: Boston Globe, Megan Woolhouse (07/27/09)
Travel around Syracuse: Buttermilk Falls State Park
If you are tired of same old vacation plans this summer and enjoy the outdoors and great scenery and want to get your kids out so they can explore and enjoy nature, you might enjoy taking them to Buttermilk Falls State Park. It features hiking trails through the woodlands, picnic areas and playing fields. It got it’s name from the foaming cascade from Buttermilk Creek and it flows down the steep valley into Cayuga Lake. It is great for taking photographs and enjoying nature and there is fun for the whole family.
The lower part of the park also features campgrounds, a pool, and playing fields and then goes into Larch Meadows. Larch Meadows is a moist shady glen perfect with walking trails and the park also features activities which are available from the Fourth of July through Labor Day. The park is open all year and camping season is from the middle of middle until October. Deer hunting with bow only is permitted in season.
The park features an accessible beach, nature trail, pinic tables, playing fields, senic views, tent or trailer sites, cabins, campsites, fishing, hunting pavilions, playgrounds, showers, waterfalls and much more. They also feature different events were you can take a hike through the falls and learn about them as well as explore nature (http://www.nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkId=25).
NAR: Existing-Home Sales Rise Again
Existing-home sales rose for the third consecutive month with inventory easing and home prices declining less sharply in June, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
Existing-home sales — including single-family, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops — increased 3.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.89 million units in June from a downwardly revised pace of 4.72 million in May, but are 0.2 percent lower than the 4.90 million-unit level in June 2008.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, is hopeful about the gain. “The increase in existing-home sales occurred in all major regions of the country,” he says. “We expect a gradual uptrend in sales to continue due to tax-credit incentives and historically high affordability conditions. Despite the rise in closed transactions, many REALTORS® are reporting lost sales as a result of new appraisal standards that went into effect May 1 of this year.”
HVCC Issues
A June survey of NAR members shows 37 percent experienced at least one lost sale as a result of the new Home Valuation Code of Conduct, with seven out of 10 reporting an increased use of out-of-area appraisers. Seventy percent of NAR appraiser members said consumers were paying higher fees, while 85 percent report a perceived reduction in appraisal quality.
“Clearly the process needs to be revised, but the most logical approach is to use appraisers with local expertise, industry designations, and access to local data, who make a physical examination of the property and use apples-to-apples comparisons with nearby home sales,” Yun says. “In many cases, normal homes are being compared with distressed homes sold at a discount, which often are in subpar condition – this is causing real harm to both buyers and sellers.”
According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage rose to 5.42 percent in June from 4.86 percent in May; the rate was 6.32 percent in June 2008. Mortgage interest rates have trended lower in recent weeks.
Inventory Declines
Total housing inventory at the end of June fell 0.7 percent to 3.82 million existing homes available for sale, which represents a 9.4-month supply at the current sales pace, down from a 9.8-month supply in May. Raw inventory totals are 14.9 percent below a year ago.
“This is another hopeful sign — if we can keep the volume of sales above the level of new inventory, prices could stabilize in many areas around the end of the year,” Yun says.
An NAR practitioner survey in June showed first-time buyers accounted for 29 percent of transactions, unchanged from May, and that the number of buyers looking at homes is up nearly 12 percentage points from June 2008.
NAR President Charles McMillan notes that there are very good opportunities. “Despite some of the challenges, the housing market continues to demonstrate signs of recovery,” he says. “The temporary first-time buyer tax credit is clearly helping people make a decision and is contributing to the overall stimulus impact, but since it’s taking longer to close transactions, many would-be beneficiaries may not be able to take advantage of the credit before the Dec. 1 expiration date.”
The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $181,800 in June, which is 15.4 percent below June 2008. Distressed properties, which accounted for 31 percent of sales in June, continue to downwardly distort the median price because they generally sell at a discount relative to traditional homes.
Single-family home sales rose 2.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.32 million in June from a level of 4.22 million in May, and are 0.2 percent higher than the 4.31 million-unit pace a year ago. The median existing single-family home price was $181,600 in June, which is 15.0 percent below June 2008.
Existing condominium and co-op sales jumped 14.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 570,000 units in June from 500,000 in May, but are 3.1 percent below the 588,000-unit level in June 2008. The median existing condo price was $183,300 in June, down 18.9 percent from a year ago.
By Region
Northeast: Regionally, existing-home sales in the Northeast rose 2.5 percent to an annual pace of 820,000 in June, but are 4.7 percent below a year ago. The median price in the Northeast was $249,400, down 5.9 percent from June 2008.
Midwest: Existing-home sales in the Midwest increased 0.9 percent in June to a level of 1.10 million but are 1.8 percent lower than June 2008. The median price in the Midwest was $157,000, which is 9.1 percent below a year ago.
South: In the South, existing-home sales rose 4.0 percent to an annual pace of 1.81 million in June but are 3.7 percent below a year ago. The median price in the South was $163,200, down 11.9 percent from June 2008.
West: Existing-home sales in the West improved by 6.4 percent to an annual rate of 1.16 million in June, and are 11.5 percent higher than June 2008. The median price in the West was $214,800, which is 24.9 percent below a year ago.
— NAR (National Association of Realtors)
Economist Sees Signs of Housing Stabilization
Independent housing economist Tom Lawler, who has pointed out frequently that his dog Kita could have qualified for a mortgage at the height of the boom — despite having a low “Fido Score” — is arguing now that prices for low- and mid-range homes are stabilizing.
He says they will continue to do so as the foreclosure rate declines for middle-income home owners. Lawler attributes that to the “stickiness” of home prices, which he defines as slow to adjust downward because stable home owners don’t need or want to sell immediately.
In previous downturns, driven by regional unemployment, home prices fell slowly, Lawler says. This time he argues that things happened a lot faster because banks that owned foreclosed properties sold them aggressively. That forced prices down much faster than they fell in previous downturns.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, James R. Hagerty (07/22/2009)