About Suffolk County, NY

If your home isn't sold by APRIL of this year, your may LOSE MONEY!

WHY?

The homebuyer tax credit ends and interest rates are predicted to go up!

Most experts are agreeing these 2 factors will cause home sales to drop off dramatically after April.

There will be less buyers in the marketplace after the tax credit deadline.

Interest rates going up later in the year will make your home less affordable to the buyers that are still in the market. That means they will want to pay less for your home because they have to pay more in interest.

If you are considering selling your home in 2010,
call the SPOUSES SELLING HOUSES Team of
Toby & John T. Williams today!

631-363-5434
Serving Suffolk County, New York
www.tjplace.com
info@tjplace.com

Painting your home, does it really matter? When meeting a client for a staging consultation, they may not be open to the idea of painting their interior walls. They start to think about the cost and the inconvenience of moving furniture around. Their mind set is that the buyers can change the colors once they move in, just as they had. But we all know that buyers can’t see past what’s in front of them. If they did, stagers would be out of a job.

Some homes need painting because the wallpaper is outdated, or the color is too bold. Others, the color may be good but the walls are in such bad shape with bangs, scratches, or peeling, that the whole house looks neglected.

So how do you get the home owners to be more receptive to your color suggestion? Timing! Don’t come at them with paint color suggestion. They may not listen. Instead go through the house first, making recommendation on furniture placements, de cluttering, removing items and suggesting accessories. Make your clients feel comfortable with the process. Compliment them on a wonderful job they have done to their home. Once you see they are more comfortable with the process, then you can begin by explaining to them that their home should now be treated as a commodity. And as such, these colors may not work. Buyers will not see the beauty of their home. They will be thinking about the cost of painting your home or worse yet thinking they could never live here.

Color has a great impact on people. And when you’re putting your home on the real estate market, you want to create an environment that buyers can fall in love with. Painting your home is one of the cheapest and most effective way to change the look of any room. It can transform a room, enhance architectural details and camouflage defects in the walls. If potential buyer are too distract by the colors on the wall ,they won’t fall in love. And you could lose a buyer. It may sound so simple but it’s true. So its in their best interest to take your advice and paint your home because it does really matter.

First Time Home Buyers - What Do You Mean My Job Is Done?

I am currently working with a wonderful couple who are first time home buyers. They were approved for an FHA mortgage and wanted to purchase a condo in the Ronkonkoma area of Long Island where they are more affordable. But, a 40 minute commute at minimum to both their jobs and that is just one way!

Then I got the bright idea of maybe they can afford a co-op since they are cheaper and there are a lot of co-op developments that are closer to their jobs. Their income is fine and their credit scores are high. Turns out I was right and they can get a conventional mortgage. Yeah!

The downside of co-ops is some co-op boards want 15 to 20% down even though the bank said they can put 10% down. I found one development in Islip, New York called Forest Green. They require 10% down and that is perfect! The co-op board there is easy to deal with and that helps tremendously.

So, my buyers went to an open house without me last weekend. They told the listing agent they are working with me so no problems there. They fell in love with one unit that is absolutely gorgeous! The owner updated the kitchen beautifully and the co-op throughout is so nice. The owner really took care of it.

Their offer of $123,000.00 was accepted, they are happy campers and now the real "fun" begins.

I was on the phone with my buyer after I told them their offer was accepted. He and his wife were so grateful for all the help I had given them especially for being able to see they could get a conventional mortgage which means they had more choices for housing. He then told me, "your job is done". Huh? You mean I get to sit back and wait for closing which is pay day for me? I don't think so scooter!

I said to him, "do you know what needs to be done next?" No was his answer. I told him that is the other part of my job, guiding them towards what needs to be done next. Resolving problems if they arise. Giving them suggestions for home inspectors and real estate attorneys. Faxing paperwork to the listing agent and their attorney. Letting them know when it's time to submit their application to the co-op board. Being there during the home inspection. Going to closing with them. "WOW you do all that?" It's my job and I'm happy to do it.

They are amazed at how much work Realtors truly do. It felt good to hear that for a change.

Long Island For Sale By Owner - Why Go Without Representation?

I speak to 20 For Sale By Owners each week. Most of them say they want to try selling their home on their own for a while. Some want to save on the commission. Others say they bought at the top of the real estate market and truly cannot afford to pay the commission. That I can understand.

Buyers hire Realtors to represent them. Why should you go without representation?

As a homeowner trying to sell your home on your own, you have no representation. No one on your side to protect you. What does representation mean to you, the seller? Here is what representation will do for you:

1. First off, most buyers do not want to deal directly with the homeowner that is why those buyers have a Buyer's Agent to represent them. It's their job to get them the lowest price possible. As a Realtor representing a seller, it's my job to get you the highest price possible.
2. As a Realtor, I know what the market value is on your home. Most For Sale By Owners under-price or overprice. If you under-price, you could be giving away your home without realizing it. It's my job to make sure you do not under-price or over-price your home.
3. Negotiating - Once you have a buyer who wants to make an offer, the Buyer's Agent calls the Listing Agent and the negotiating begins. I go to you with the offer and you say either yes or no or you can counter. If you do this with the buyer directly things can get ugly if they low-ball you. How will you handle that? Most homeowners get upset with low offers and say it upfront to the buyer. That can turn off the buyer and they could walk away. Having a Realtor negotiating for you with the Buyer's Agent will make the negotiating process smoother and to make sure the offer is within market value.
4. Open Houses - Again, buyers do not like to deal with homeowners directly. A Realtor holding an open house for you makes things more professional. The prospective buyers know you are serious about selling your home when they see you have a Realtor representing you. And, you will have more buyers going to the open house than if you hold it yourself.
5. 1 website or over a dozen? When you list your home on the Internet yourself, it's only a few websites and I know one of them is Craigslist. That is free. A few websites is not enough. When you hire a Realtor from a major brokerage you can be sure you will be getting the maximum Internet exposure by having your home placed on over 12 websites. When it comes to buying a house, it's "location, location, location". When it comes to selling your home it's all about, "exposure, exposure, exposure". Why limit your exposure?
6. Guiding You During The Selling Process - As a Realtor, it's my job to guide you through the rest of the process that leads to the closing table. You are emotionally involved, I'm not. So when a problem arises and you can't see a solution, I can. I'm here to guide and remind you what needs to be done next. Most homeowners have no idea what needs to be done and when. For Sale By Owners will just "wing" it and that could cause the deal to end and it's back to the drawing board.
   

Overall, it's my job as your Realtor to keep the deal together, resolve problems and to keep your stress-level as low as possible.

It's really not worth selling your home on your own in the end. Keep this statistic in mind: 93% of For Sale By Owners end up hiring a Realtor. The odds are against you being in the 7%.

It really is in your best interest to have representation.

Make It A Great Day!

Windcrest at Smithtown is a private community in Suffolk County Long Island, North of Route 347 and East of Terry Road.

Built in 2002, each residence at Windcrest has a garage, basement, central air conditioning, and gas heat. There are 2 and 3 bedroom 2 story townhouses here. The community amenities include the clubhouse, tennis, gym, and some social parties. The students who live in Windcrest At Smithtown can attend the Smithtown School District #1. There is a coded security gate at the entrance here, and all the units are attached in groupings. According to public records and the multiple listing service, in 2009 townhomes sold and closed at Windcrest in Smithtown NY from $355,000 to $425,000.

LARRY AND SHEILA Realtors with Charles Rutenberg Realty can sell you a residence in Windcrest at Smithtown, or any other community on The North Shore of Long Island. You can reach LARRY & SHEILA at 631-805-4400. We're Licensed Broker Associate, Certified Relocation Specialists, Certified Short Sale Representative, Certifed Negotiation Specialists and Certified Buyer Broker Representatives. Are you Relocating to Long Island? We are Certified Relocation Specialists!

http://www.suffolkexperts.com

Email: sheila@suffolkexperts.com

All content, including text, photographs and images, is the exclusive property of Suffolk Experts, and may not be used without the expressed written permission of Larry & Sheila Agranoff. All information is believed to be accurate but is not guaranteed.