About Chemung County, NY

As a Realtor, do you use a book or a laptop to present your marketing package to prospective clients? Which ever you use, there's one page to show your prospective clients that will help them better prepare their property for sale and give you a better product to market.

As a professional home stager I work closely with sellers and spend a great deal of time helping them prepare their properties for sale. The real estate agents are happy to have me address these condition issues and I know they like to show the clean, clutter free and improved staged home. I've always provide before and after photos for the agents, but today when a Keller Williams agent in Horseheads NY asked for a simple one pager with the before and after photos, the "ahh ha" bell rang loud and clear.

What she needs is a single page with the photos of the home that she had listed with the before and afters right there. She can slip this into her portfolio book. Pictures speak volumes. Do you have a quick way to show your clients VISUALLY the difference proper staging can make?

I'll be sending a ready page to this agent tomorrow.

Debra Landy

Stage Two Sell LLC

A touch of emotion can make all the difference. I've learned a lot this month. I love a perfectly groomed landscape. One that draws you in and invites you to poke around corners, only to find a little something unexpected. Garden statuary? I worked with, and have come to know Deb Landy of Stage Two Sell. I didn't know what Deb could do for me and my garden was even an option. She took my frustrated, often conflicting ideas of what my ideal garden should be, and made perfect sense of them. Laid them out beautifully. Deb is so much more than a stager. She is a master communicator.

New York home sales up nearly 8 percent in October 11/23/2009

Albany - Nov. 23, 2009 - Driven by buyers wanting to close before the anticipated first-time homebuyer tax credit deadline, October sales jumped nearly 8 percent from the previous month and nearly 6 percent compared to October 2008, according to preliminary existing single-family sales data accumulated by the New York State Association of REALTORS. The statewide median sales price rose by more than 2 percent between September and October.

"There is no question that the federal first-time homebuyer tax credit has been a significant driver of home sales in New York State since its inception," said Duncan R. MacKenzie, NYSAR chief executive officer. "New York's REALTORS are grateful that our Congressional delegation understood this and forwarded legislation to extend and expand the tax credit to President Barack Obama, who signed it into law."

"REALTORS know that the tax credit has helped to revitalize the housing market and position it to once again lead our economic recovery," said MacKenzie. "The extension of the first-time buyer credit and the creation of a tax credit for existing homeowners who purchase their next home will allow both the housing market and our economy to hold on to the gains that have been made in recent months."

"We anticipate the expansion of the tax credit will bring trade-up buyers back into the market, driving sales in all segments of the market in addition to helping to ease the tightening of inventory in the first-time buyer segment."

New York REALTORS sold 7,783 existing single-family homes in New York State in October 2009, a 7.7-percent increase compared to the September total of 7,224. The October 2009 sales total was 5.7 percent above the October 2008 total of 7,363.

The October 2009 median sales price in New York State of $209,900 represents an increase of 2.4 percent compared to the September 2009 median of $205,000.

The New York State Association of REALTORS is a not-for-profit trade organization representing more than 56,000 of New York State's real estate professionals. The term REALTOR is a registered trademark, which identifies real estate professionals who subscribe to a strict code of ethics as members of the National Association of REALTORS. These REALTORS are also members of the New York State Association of REALTORS as well as their local board or association of REALTORS.

Warren Buffet has proven to be one of the smartest investors of all time. My favorite quote of his is "Be afraid when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are afraid." I would agree. People are afraid now and deals abound. You can buy more for less right now than we have seen in a long, long time.

This is no such thing as job security. There never was and there never will be. If you don't want to be fully responsible for your own finances, then someone else will be.

House values go up and down, stock value goes up and down. Many people are feeling like they have lost money because their holdings are not worth what they were a year ago. Does it really matter? If you are playing blackjack in Vegas and you win a bunch of money and don't get up from the table, is it really yours? Of course not. If you lose that money back to the casino without ever cashing it in, it was never yours. Does it feel good to know when to walk away? Yes it does. Can anyone ever know for certain what he or she needs to do? Of course not. Stop beating yourself up.

Take advantage of a great time to buy. Rates are the lowest they have been in many, many years. There is a $8,000. first time home buyer tax credit. It is a gift. You don't pay it back! If you don't take advantage, who do you have to blame when it is no longer available?

"Be afraid when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are afraid." W. Buffet.

New Listings

210

Median Sold Price

$77,780.

Average Sold Price

$108,739.

Average Days on Market

156

Total Sold Dollar Volume (residential)

$6,741.800.