kaulat

So here we go! I am glad I am doing this only twice a month...the winter has taken a heavy toll on closings and activity, so there is very little to report, unfortunately. I shouldn't say "activity" - I do think people are out there showing homes and getting ready for spring listings, but memorializing them on the computer - not yet! There are currently 106 active listings in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listings service. Of these, 31 are in the village. We had four new listings come on the market in the last couple weeks. Three of these are slightly altered re-lists: a village home now listed under $400,000, a town Victorian with a substantial decrease in list price to under $350,000, and a village "to-be-built" now listed as a home rather than simply a lot, also in the $300,000 range. The one new property is a waterfront home, or camp, as we say here, for slightly above $400,000. Great location, fairly flat - not my listing either, though I wish ...

One of my favourite weekend pass times is a visit to the website of the Gold Coast Bulletin. It's cheap (in every sense of the word), you don't have to cram into a Jetstar plane and unlike a visit to the Gold Coast, you don't have to wash the sleaze off as you depart. Post website requires only a brief wipe with refresher towel.   And it's the virtual Matterhorn of newspaper led real estate spruiking. It's why I was so pleased to see The Bulletin was covering Ray White Surfers Paradise's "The Event" auction weekend. To me "The Event" is an extravagant term, especially for something that's so far been as memorable as a wet fart. The GC Bulletin pushed on regardless... THERE has been a strong start to the residential section of Ray White Surfers Paradise's The Event auction weekend. Almost 150 people gathered in Tedder Avenue, Main Beach, this morning for the chance to pick up one of seven apartments for sale . Three sold under the h...

One of the things I do as a Realtor is hold open houses. This weekend I am having one and everyone is invited! My listing is at 105 Golden Eagle Drive in Camillus, ML#S245960. If you look it up on http://cnyhomes.com/ or http://remax.com/ or http://cnyrealtor.com/ you will be able to see more pictures and a further description. Try my website, too: http://megbrooks.nys.mlxchange.com . It is really a lovely home! Some agents don't do open houses, but I love them. I love sitting in my listings and soaking up the atmosphere. Especially in winter, in a home like this one, I can sit by the fire and watch the kids play outside. I was speaking with a friend today whose home is listed on Otisco Lake, and we laughed about my first open house there that took place in a driving rainstorm. Not a window shook, and it was almost eerie being inside and watching the world blow by outside, like in a movie. Think The Wizard of Oz , when Dorothy sees the Wicked Witch riding by.... The open hous...

Smithton is the type of place where formal attire is considered to be shirt with a prominent Ford or HSV logo, so yeah, it's kind of rural and kind of working class and if you're not from there it's likely you've referred to it more than once by the pejorative name of 'miffton. I'm not here to empty my bladder on Smithton and the wider Circular Head Municipal region, just giving some background and stating some facts. The region has been hit hard over the past year; 200 employees were scalped when McCain's pulled the pin on a processing plant, a forestry agreement has skewered local contractors and this was topped off by the local sawmill, owned by Tasmanian arch super villain, forestry giant Gunns, apparently processing its last shipment of logs in December. This is hugely significant within a town of around 3500 and a wider Municipality over 7500. The trashing of those jobs and the flow on effect probably still hasn't taken full effect - they're pr...

It occurred to me that I started this about my life as a Realtor. I have written about parts of my life - my home, my friends and family, the world around me in general - but not really about what I do day to day. As I walk more and take time to reflect, that might not be a bad thing to do on occasion. So - the last 24 hours are done, so.... Yesterday afternoon I drove up to the GSAR offices on Taft Road in North Syracuse. They are newly built and really quite lovely. I must say I preferred the old ones on Seventh North simply because they were close to India House and I could swing by there for something to eat or take home for dinner, but that's a personal preference. I drove all the way up there for a class that had been recommended by others at RE/MAX - a tutorial in the MLXchange, the system we use for our listings. The instructor, Bill Roesser, was great. There were only 8 of us, each with a computer, and he took us through the steps (this was the advanced class) with a...

As David Bartlett facebooked himself out of the premiership yesterday, I suspect there must have been a hint of frustration in real estate circles. Their latest spruik attempt had been overshadowed by the emergence of our new Premier, La La Giggles and her deputy, Bryan 'two hung juries' Green. It's a comforting thought the state is now being led by an arts/law graduate, with a history of being an ex Labor staffer, portfolio bungler and blame shifter - Tanya Plibersek eat your heart out. And the deputy? Well he returned two hung juries in a criminal conspiracy case; accused of giving a building accreditation company, run by a former Labor minister, a state-wide monopoly worth a million dollars a year. What this fiasco overshadowed was the revelation the east coast of Tasmania is heading for boom times. YOU ain't seen nothing yet - that's the message from a Tasmanian real estate expert who says the East Coast is buzzing and on the cusp of a property boom. The Mercur...

I have waited well into January for all the closings to be released, so I must imagine all of them are here. We ended up at 75 total for the year - respectable, but certainly not on the high side. I had a fantastic December, and everyone with whom I spoke said they did as well. Amazing, with the snow and more snow...! So without further adieu, these are the last fifteen, in order of their closing. 1340 Laxton Lane - Town of Skaneateles (waterfront) - $375,000 OFF West Lake Toad - Town of Skaneateles (waterfront) - $530,000 4530 Vinegar Hill Road - Town of Skaneateles - $136,000 692 Franklin Street - Town of Skaneateles - $320,000 118 Orchard Road - Village of Skaneateles - $440,000 792 Britcher Road - Town of Skaneateles - $127,000 64 Onondaga Street - Village of Skaneateles - $155,000 2637 East Lake Road - Town of Skaneateles (waterfront) - $1,800,000 942 Hencoop Road - Town of Skaneateles - $265,000 21 Lakeview Circle - Village of Skaneateles (lake rights) - $150,000 2444 Winding...

While I was attempting to decipher James Montier's, "In Defence of Old Ways", (not a knock on Montier, just a comment on my stupidity) it struck me - there's usually two ways brick pushers respond to figures showing Oprah's favourite country is in a real estate bubble. Either they acknowledge them, then fiddle them, to suit their own ends - hello Commonwealth Bank. Or they dismiss them entirely, as being outdated methods of measurement, to suit their own ends - hello ANZ. So, it's either dubious fudging, or we're in a new paradigm. And if we're in a new paradigm, are we really in a new paradigm? As Montier points out: It is also worth noting that in order for mean-reversion-based strategies to work, it is not required that the mean be realized for long periods of time, but that markets continue to behave as they always have, swinging pendulum like between the depths of despair and irrational exuberance, or, from risk-on to risk-off.  Kind of like this ...

You have to hand it to CommSec, while they might have deals in place to keep their logo, heads and voices, on TV and radio throughout the day, they never stop thinking of shameless ways to find free publicity and talk up the economy. I spent a few minutes pursuing CommSec's "State of the States" report this morning, authored by, yes, Craig James. I'll save you hunting this rubbish down, thus lessening the need to pour acid into your eyeballs, but a quick summation would be this: it's one of those reports designed to make everything look amazing and works exceedingly well if you're at, or just coming off, the peaks of a boom decade. Basically CommSec takes the decade average for economic indicators and compares them against where those indicators currently are. Whatever floats your boat, but it makes for the situation where even if your wheels are currently falling off, if you manage to have some economic indicators currently parked higher than the past decade ...

Since there is no new inventory to speak of, out of "Where Are They Now?" curiosity I've been revisiting past Long Beach Housing Blog properties. Although most RE in the LBC victims--ERRR... featured sellers have since pulled their properties after unsuccessfully pursuing insane wishing prices ("Well, I'm not going to just give it away! "), a few deluded soldiers continue marching on. Like this idiot: This dreadful piece of doodie is now entering its FOURTH YEAR on the market. The good news is that after more than 1,100 days of wholly ridiculous prices and slack-jawed market chasing, this dolt seems to be finally waking up to reality. To wit: Jan 05, 2011 Relisted - $223,000 ($210 per square foot) But take another look at the photos and ask yourself if $223,000 is even that great of a price for this shit hole. Even if it was asking $50,000 -- the 1981 sales price -- I still don't think it's worth it. In addition to the property taxes and insu...

So here we go! I feel as if it's been ages since I did an update - and it's actually the first time in almost two years I haven't done a weekly one...but looking at the numbers, I can see why I've changed this. "Monitor and adjust" - it's the only way! There are currently 109 active listings in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service. Of these, 33 are in the village. Another 28 are waterfront, which leaves 61 plain old town or non-waterfront homes for sale. And many of these are hardly "plain!" Four "new" listings came on the market - but all are re-lists. I've re-listed the waterfront plus 3,000sf ranch plus 50 acres property now at $700,000 with 78 feet of waterfront, and $950,000 with an additional contiguous waterfront building lot which brings in another 75 feet. (It's an amazing deal! sorry - just had to say it!) Also back on the market is a lovely home with an incredible view on the east side - think high $20...

In the midst of an ungodly amount of media fuelled disaster porn, it's tough to find any urge to post. Despite some of the ham-fisted, cliché-ridden, one eye on an award, reporting seen this week, I still managed to get a sense of the devastation, mainly through turning the TV's sound down. And what I took in really didn't put me in the mood to have any concern for the property market, nor its ups and downs. Yet doing a quick whip around of property investment forums, and other classless hives of legislated looters this morning, I noticed more than a couple of people had one eye on the TV and the other on their wallet. Wondering if they will be winners or losers out of this. The possibility of jacking rents being the question ever so subtly eased out following a variant of the lead in disclaimer, "first let me send my thoughts out to those affected..." As if in-between wiping mud off their walls, people in Brisbane would be checking in and might be miffed at the d...

When I first started this blog, I stated my intention of writing about what I did as a Realtor. I have faded more into the real estate of Central New york and specifically Skaneateles, of course. But I still think it's interesting to chronicle a bit of my life. When I started real estate, I knew nothing about the process and remember asking my then-manager Mary MacKaig "What do you do all day?" She cordially told me about a week in the life and I greatly appreciated it. One of the things that makes RE/MAX different is our lack of regular meetings. Most of the other agencies pull everyone in an office together each week or so to talk about what is happening, give kudos where they are due, allow other interested persons to present their businesses (mortgage people, inspectors, etc.) RE/MAX prefers to have agents out there, doing what they do best - selling, listing, networking, and other profitable endeavors. We share when we are in the office, but most of our work is done ...

A commenter mentioned a while back that this place finally sold. Jan 2003 - Purchased $730,000 October 2010 - Sold $699,000 Looks like we're below 2003 prices even in Naples! Tough to even comprehend, given how Naples was supposed to be "special" and "immune," but this is indisputable evidence that the last eight years of equity for most homeowners has been completely wiped out -- even the "special" ones. Crazy. So, a $74,800 loss after commissions. Not terrible, given what we've seen over the years. But we musn't forget the substantial improvements DJ Bankrupt spun into the property. If you recall, the house's condition in '03 was so decrepit that the agent described it as "once thought to be lost to neglect." And I guarantee the "meticulous restoration by the [now former] owner" cost him at least $150,000. MINIMUM. So now we're staring down the business end of a $225,000 loss. And the bank sure as f...

Ugh. This dummy is still around? The listing says "77 days" but don't be fooled -- this thing has been begging for nearly a year with absolutely no interest. Tiny square footage aside, it's obvious that the rabidly delusional pricing is the primary cause of its long, sad tenure on the MLS. The current wishing price is $595,000 , a whopping $5,000 discount since we last checked in last March. Aggressive! Anyhow, it appears the last realtor didn't work out (probably suggested lowering the price to, you know, actually get it sold...which is exactly what sellers afflicted with My Place Is Special Syndrome -- MYPISS -- don't want to hear) so the new listing agent, instead of doing some actual work, decided he'd just fire up MS Paint and fuzz out the Century 21 sign from the old listing photo: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Can you believe this lazy turd?! Gee, with a consummate pro like that on your team, I'm positive you'll find that full-price buyer during th...