About Tompkins County, NY

Licensed REALTOR, MARY STOE, at RE/MAX In Motion Real Estate will be featured this Sunday, April 19th on HGTV's national program, "My house is worth what?"

Tune in to HGTV at noon on Sunday or DVR it! Ithaca NY makes it into the national spotlight again!

Okay, it's not your typical Real Estate topic, but it's REAL! And it pertains to signs of our local market conditions - certain businesses are GROWING in spite of the national slump we keep reading about. One of these, is the old Commonground, under new management (by Pam K), and re-emerging as "ITHACA OASIS" on Rt. 96B.

You must check this out - if not for the wine or tequila tastings (two Tuesdays a month), then for the live jazz sets on Friday at happy hour, or for Noche Latina, a crowd-pleasing format of dance instruction followed by a DJ'ed night of great latin dance tunes. People are totally cutting it up out there - you wouldn't know it was happening from the unassuming look of the place. Weekends tend toward bringing the party outdoors, especially as we move into better weather. Pam is doing a wonderful job with the event calendar - this week's lineup includes the Zydeco Trail Riders and Diana Leigh's Jazz Quartet on Saturday, and on Sunday, a "reunion" gig featuring Marie Burns, Harry and Eric Aceto, Chris Broadwell and Doug Richards. South Hill residents take note! The Hill is ON FIRE!!!

WHAT STRIPE ARE YOU??

So there you have it - an all stripes welcome, kick up your heels, put on your party dress venue where you can SPEND MONEY and help your new local businesses stay around and THRIVE into the coming decade!

That is it for this week's edition of "THE SHORT REPORT" by Santos!

See you on the dance floor ;-)

Some positive news about the housing market is starting to trickle in lately: Marketwatch reports that the rate of existing home sales is up 5.1% on the national level, boosted by price discounting. As a true sign of the times, the article states that 45% of the transactions recorded in February came from "Short" or distressed property sales, which have been averaging a 20% discount off current market values. See the entire article here.

If you are contemplating a short sale purchase, be aware of some of the myths and trends around these sales. You may need more time to close the transaction, and the bank may not necessarily "give" the house away. However, if you have the patience to get through the process, you may benefit by acquiring an excellent, under-valued property which will enhance your equity position, once you become the new owner. Hire an informed agent to help you identify potential properties, and present your offer in the best way possible. And be sure to have your attorney available for a thorough review of the contract. There are many opportunities out there - it IS a great time to buy!

Okay, time to unostrichize ourselves on the gas leasing that is rather quickly moving to the front burner with many landowners and activists in Central New York. We've heard about it for a some time now, and some people have actually walked away with money in their pockets from leasing their land to energy companies for gas and mineral extraction. What else though, is going on out here?

The realities of what the outcomes are in some cases have had people hitting the roof, and with good reason. Here is a short list of some isses that have come up:

• Loss of clean drinkable water on premises
• Loss of clean breathable air within the immediate surrounding area
• Destruction of roads from heavy traffic and infrastructure development
• Loss of privacy and quiet enjoyment of owned land
• Serious health issues and compromises that are related to exposure to the process of high pressure gas drilling

This is the SHORT list. It's well past the time to take action. What can you and I do about this?

1. Educate ourselves and others: visit ShaleShock.org - Drilling 101 to understand the issues at hand;
2. Familiarize yourself with the terms: Horizontal Drilling Hydro-fracking, Fracking Fluids, Waste-water Disposal, Well Pads, VOCs, and try having a conversation with a neighbor or a total stranger for that matter, and share your understanding with your own community;
3. Volunteer at the grassroots level - sign on to receive updates from Shaleshock, or become an organizer within the group;
4. Check out the Listening Project if you want to go into the fields (literally) to hear from people whose lives are being most directly impacted by the horizontal drilling processes.

Photos above are of active sites in rural PA and NY.

The next ShaleShock event will be in Bath, NY, Monday March 30th:

Gas Drilling in the Marcellus Shale: Informational Meeting in Bath, NY

Bath Fire Hall
50 E. Morris Street
Bath, NY (Steuben County)

I urge Realtors and all citizens to pay attention to this issue - we have a responsibility to our clients to understand this issue and help them get the facts. Please help spread the word!

AGENT SANTOS