How EZ Is It? Ask Eppraisal or Zillow October 31, 2006
Posted by Geri in General, Internet, News, Real Estate, Selling Your Home, Uncategorized.4 comments
With Zillow sitting in water hot enough to reach a rolling boil, another online appraisal service breaks the surface of the market in its beta stage. If one of Zillow’s problems was offering a finite price in their determination of value, Eppraisal with its huge range could be just as problematic. Zestimates were found to be so far off in many cases as to be worthless to a naive public. Eppraisal, on the other hand, based upon some observations on a very local level, is indeed in the ballpark when it comes to suggested valuations, but the ballpark is Yankee Stadium. It’s a little like trying to buy clothing for a woman, being told she’s somewhere in the range of 6 to 16. What size would you buy?
One of the big differences I see is Eppraisal’s offer of some information with an orientation of connecting the consumer with real estate professionals should a real life transaction loom somewhere in the foreseeable future. I’m interested to see where their business model takes them — and us.
I Couldn’t Have Said It Better Myself October 28, 2006
Posted by Geri in blog, Bloggers, Blogging, General, Marketing, Real Estate, Real Estate Market, Selling Your Home, Uncategorized.3 comments
Under the category “I couldn’t have said it better myself . . .” is this post from Seth Godin. I sat down to share it two days ago but sheer exhaustion forced me to temporarily put it on the back burner. I’ve been spending weeks unexpectedly acting as a general contractor, getting a home ready to market, and shopping for the necessary accoutrements to stage it for sale. The house was stuck in a time warp, with flocked wallpaper heralding your arrival into it’s archaic past. This project is in addition to a full load of other business in various stages of development. However, in our stagnant market in order to really serve our clients, we have to be very creative in our approach to selling their property.
But I digress . . . Seth’s very straightforward comments about how we interact with our clients and the impact it has on both them and our business reminds me of a technique we used many years ago when I was vice president of a sales and marketing company. We ran seminars all over the country and Canada, showing CEOs how to maximize their marketing dollars. Before these meetings we would phone their companies incognito and record the conversations to demonstrate how important the person answering the phone was to the financial well being of that company.
Grown men sat, head in hands, listening to the most appalling dialogues between their employees and us, or worse . . . they sat shifting in their chairs as time ticked slowly away while we were put on hold. Astoundingly these pregnant pauses sometimes lasted for four or five minutes. Bill, my boss, would then take out a crisp one hundred dollar bill and dramatically set it on fire as they reached out in horror trying to put out the blaze. When the room was once again still he would quietly tell them, “this is what you’re doing to your advertising dollars if you don’t train your people.
That challenge was made at least twenty-five years ago and nothing’s changed. If we’re trying to generate business but haven’t figured out how to nurture it once we have it, we defeat everyone in the process. The old adage “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” certainly applies.
It’s A Dog’s Life October 25, 2006
Posted by Geri in Dogs, family, General, Home, Pets, Real Estate, Uncategorized.1 comment so far
We all know that the real estate market is in the doldrums in much of the country. With houses stagnating in a constipated market, some real estate agents are beginning to wonder where their next sale will come from. Suggesting an interesting alternative, Glenn Roberts Jr. of Inman News exposes us to the world of Doggie Mansions.
In true consumer oriented fashion, Donald Gorbach, a veteran real estate broker in Palm Beach, Florida offers a wide range of custom homes for those princely pooches. Not to overlook the preferences of Fido’s owners, they’ve created a meditteranean Palm Beach style, a New England beach house and Casa Colonial, just a few of the many choices.
For all the dog lovers out there, it’s worth a look at this innovative site. If you’re thinking of buying a special home for your four legged friend and you don’t want your kids to be jealous, you might want to consider the 80 square foot mini-mansion.
Selling On Long Island . . . The New Math October 24, 2006
Posted by Geri in Buying a Home, Changing Market, General, Home, Long Island, New York, Real Estate, Real Estate Market, Selling Your Home, Uncategorized.1 comment so far
Your home is currently on the market or you’re just about to list it for sale. There are a few very important things you must remember if you want to keep it from languishing on the “failed to sell” heap. With ever increasing numbers of houses available, yours has to appeal to a buyer on one of several levels. They will either perceive it to be a real value, meaning it’s priced very well for what it has to offer, or it may be in a very desirable location. The latter can mean a beautiful view, waterfront, a lovely development or a gated community with great amenities. Sometimes it’s the home itself that pulls people in and makes for a faster sale.
You have but to drive down almost any street on Long Island to see multiple signs announcing to the world, “buy me.” Because of the increased length of time it takes to find a ready, willing and able buyer, you have to be realistic if your motivation is get your home sold. The days of multiple offers and bidding wars are a thing of the past and there’s a new mentality among the buying public. They very often and after much thought, proffer a price only to refuse to then play the game. It’s a one time offer and it’s not negotiable. And sadly it’s happening more and more. So think carefully before you feel insulted or turn it down out of hand, you might be chasing after them by next spring..
Sellers in Nassau and Suffolk counties who want to move on have to learn the new math. Don’t overprice and be willing to entertain all reasonable offers.
Snowbirds — What You Need To Know! October 22, 2006
Posted by Geri in Buying a Home, family, General, Home, Long Island, New York, Real Estate, Selling Your Home, Uncategorized.add a comment
For many Long Islanders, especially as they grow older, winter and 
cold weather is something they’d just as soon avoid. In growing numbers they head south for the season, many to their second homes in Florida. It seemed the ideal solution when they purchased, offering the opportunity to remain near family and friends in the north for the greater part of the year and to enjoy “paradise” while we shiver, and where nobody’s heard of a snow shovel.
Because of the inequity in Florida’s tax structure, these snowbirds aren’t entitled to the homestead exemption, resulting in property taxes totally out of whack with year round residents who just might be their next door neighbors. Unless Florida does something to accommodate their winter population, they’re likely to lose revenue to other states in the sunbelt.
Chartwell & The Bristal, It’s All About Seniors October 19, 2006
Posted by Geri in Assisted Living, family, General, In The News, Long Island, New York, Senior Housing.2 comments
Chartwell Senior Housing REIT, with it’s announced transactions today having a total value of approximately $850 million when completed would make it Canada’s number one operator of senior housing facilities.
What makes this significant to Long Islanders is the proposed acquisition of the five properties under The Bristal umbrella. These upscale senior assisted living facilities, opened between 2001 to 2006, attend to the physical needs of an aging population while celebrating their independence of spirit. Each of the communities from the north to the south shores of Nassau County have their own personality and style.
Everybody’s A Doctor, But Find Yourself A Good Plumber October 15, 2006
Posted by Geri in Buying a Home, family, feelings, General, Home, Real Estate, Uncategorized.add a comment
I’m always amazed when buyers, especially first time buyers, are ready to make an offer on a listing only to get “expert” advice from . . . everyone. It can be incredibly confusing in a frightening enough transaction involving enormous amounts of money when you get conflicting advice. I’m reminded of a statement my allergist made many years ago when we couldn’t figure out just what was causing my problem. This brilliant and talented man was putting me through a battery of tests to determine what allergen was creating havoc in my body. In surprising numbers almost everyone I met had a theory and a cure. When I called the doctor to ask about some of these possibilities, he said “everybody’s a doctor, but find yourself a good plumber.” That statement has remained with me all these years. It’s so true, everyone is an expert. Well meaning friends and family are all to willing to offer advice but their experience, if they have any might be so dated as to be worthless or worse, it could be a premise built on shifting sand.
If you’re in the market to buy a home, find yourself a competent professional and feel free to ask as many questions as you need to in order to feel comfortable with the process. Then rely on their expertise to point you in the right direction. Your goal, as is theirs, is to get you into a home that will serve your needs and hopefully bring you a lot of happiness.
Plane Hits New York Building — Again October 12, 2006
Posted by Geri in General, In The News, New York, News, Uncategorized.add a comment
New Yorkers are resilient, but we’re also skittish after 9/11, so when the first reports of a plane crashing into an apartment building on Manhattan’s upper east side started to fill the airwaves, we were frightened. Could it happen again? How vulnerable as a city and a nation are we?
Thoughts flooded my brain as I listened, second hand, to a conversation one of my co workers was having with her husband. “Oh no,” she gasped, turning to tell us about the crash. “Not again!” was my first thought. Needing more information, we tried to access the news media, first on a television and when that failed, on the computer.
Early reports were sketchy but clearly showed a hit on what turned out to be the 40th floor of a residential building on East 72nd Street, scattering debris onto the street below, and sending smoke and flames billowing up into an overcast sky. Logic suggested it was not a terrorist attack (the first thought in the minds of many) because of it’s location, but we needed proof.
It would be hours before we knew the true nature of the tragedy. Yankee pitcher, Cory Lidle with barely 75 hours of experience under his belt had taken off from Teterboro airport in New Jersey at 2:30 on what appeared to be a sightseeing flight around Manhattan. A short 12 minutes later a call came in to 911 reporting the crash into the Belaire. As of this moment nobody knows what went wrong, but in the midst of this incomprehensible event, there is the incredible good fortune that nobody in the building or on the street below was killed.
To all those mourning the loss of the 34 year old Cory Lidle, our prayers are with you.
A Saintly Visit October 10, 2006
Posted by Geri in family, feelings, General, Home, Long Island, New York, Religion, Uncategorized.add a comment
In an unprecedented move, the heart of an unassuming parish priest, known as the “Cure of Ars,” who was later to become St. John Vianney (Jean-Marie Baptiste), was brought to an 80 year old church named after him in Merrick in its first visit to the United States. Attracting as many believers in death as he did in life, thousands of people waited in long lines for their chance to pray before the relic, many of them expecting a miracle. They arrived by bus, by car and on foot for this once in a lifetime opportunity to witness the intact heart of a man who died in 1859.
The son of a poor farmer, St. John Vianney was ordained at the age of 30 after twice failing the examinations required. Though he had trouble learning Latin he was said to have the gift of healing and of reading the hearts of those who came to him. He lived so in the service of others that he started hearing confessions in the earliest hours of the morning, spending up to 13 to 17 hours in the limited confines of the confessional.
When his body was exhumed in 1904 due to pending beatification, miraculously his body was found intact. Both his heart and his body have remained, encased separately in glass in France for over a hundred years.
This gift of faith comes at a time when the church can certainly benefit from a healing of its own. As the patron saints of priests, I would say he’s still doing his job.
All About Long Island 