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What a gorgeous weekend this is going to be!  The Jordan Fall Festival will be ongoing from Friday to Sunday with all sorts of fun events.  Check it out at jordanfallfestival.com . 149 North Main Street Village of Jordan 13080 Meanwhile, a short distance away in the Village of Jordan, I will have the beautiful home at 149 North Main Street (ML#S296384) open on Sunday, from 1:00 to 3:00.  It was built in the mid-1800s and they certainly knew how to erect homes that lasted back then.  The walls are thick, and the owners are amazed at how little the utilities cost for over 3,000sf of living space.  The bedrooms are large - something that is usually only seen in master bedrooms these days.  The kitchen has a walk-in (and around) pantry, plus there's a small office just off the living room. I love the porch and deck...Just sit on the front porch (accessed only from the house) and watch the world go by!  In the rear the decks overlook Skaneateles Creek.  Buy this house, and you own 5 acr

Below are the list of closings (in no particular order) and the published closing prices.  These single family homes were listed in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service and closed between June 28th and August 7th. 184 East Genesee Street - Village of Skaneateles - $170,000 23 Calemad Drive - Town of Sennett - $480,000 21 East Lake Street - Village of Skaneateles - $260,000 718 Sheldon Road - Town of Skaneateles - $430,000 782 Franklin Street - Town of Skaneateles - $168,400 2111 Terrace Lane South - Town of Skaneateles - $430,000 1983 Collard Road - Town of Spafford - $355,000 1275 Oak Bluff - Town of Skaneateles - $1,150,000 179 East Genesee Street - Village of Skaneateles - $244,900 2671 East Lake Road - Town of Skaneateles - $585,000 50 West Lake Street - Village of Skaneateles - $816,000 10 Goodspeed Place - Village of Skaneateles - $157,000 2445 East Lake Road - Town of Skaneateles - $975,000 3187 West Lake Road - Town of Skaneateles - $996,000 3 West Austin Street

I am not going to bore you with what came on and what sold.  A lot came and went, and there are more single family properties waiting to close than Village listings.  I can summarize though. Currently there are only 103 listings in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service.  Of these, 24 are in the Village and 30 are waterfront. There are 26 homes waiting to close.  Of these, 8 are in the Village and only 4 are waterfront.  Village for a second year remains highly desirable. So far, year-to date, we have 71 homes that have closed.  Of these, 25 (40%) are in the Village and 13 (18%) are waterfront.  The total number of closed homes compares with 2012 when by this date there were 81 sold and closed homes.  Not as good as last year, which was record-setting, but certainly better than 2011 when we only had 50 homes closed.  The trend is upwards, the Village is booming, and the prices have increased also.  The median list price increase is only $10,000, to $300,000.  But there we

I opened up today to finally write an update.  I took an unprecedented two months away (although it hasn't seemed that long).  I wrote to a friend that I wasn't going to let real estate consume my life - but it did this summer.  This blog falls somewhere between personal and business....I love writing, always have, but like much of my non-professional life it has to take a seat behind the pressing needs of seeing, showing, and selling homes.  This can wait.  And has - way too long! What was missed in the past couple months?  Personally, I can say the biggest change in my life was the birth of our second grandson, Oliver, on August 2nd.  I was taking photos of my new listing in Jordan (see above, and more on that later) when the call came that maybe we should think about heading down to Manhattan.  Bob came back from his job down the lake, I called for "dog support," and we left around noon.  A few minutes later we learned they were at Mt. Sinai.  An hour later the tex

If you're one of the four hardy souls who visit this abandoned dump on a regular basis, I can only assume you're suffering from Alzheimer's. Only someone without a memory could keep returning to read the same post day after day without update. If that's you, you've already read this yesterday. Now I can't even remember why I started this obnoxious site. I recall getting a little annoyed with BS real estate media reports. Something that may have been noticeable at one time or another. Initially, I had nothing more than mild contempt for the media. It has grown. It was fun for a while. People talked on forums. Came to visit. Occasionally left a comment. Even babes writing for respectable publications referenced me in their work. The impact had some Tasmanian media peeps actually being more measured in their spruiking. And fewer real estate goons were prepared to take ice-cold stats and pimp them in the media as scorching hot. Someone was watching. But why did it a

This is the best time to purchase real estate whether you are a first home buyer or an investor before the market turns around and properties start becoming unaffordable again. There are many different ways to acquire, finance and sell real estate whether you have cash or not. Having money helps you negotiate a better deal because you can close quicker and eliminate financing fees. The following are 100 ways to acquire real estate: One of the favorites for investors is for sale by owner (FSBO.) As a buyer you negotiate directly with the seller and are able to find out his needs thus getting a better price Having bird dogs that scout for properties for you to review and purchase and pay them a specific amount when the deal closes. These can be friends, fellow investors, neighbors and others Rental homes are another source of houses for sale. Most landlords are willing to sell a vacant property rather than wait to put another tenant in. Knocking on doors to ask owners if they are interes

While running a successful rental marketing company and renting out my numerous rental properties. I have picked up a few tricks along the way. Below are 20 ways you can rent out your home faster  (There are plenty more ideas and if you have some please comment and I can add to the list): 1) Pricing Matters There are many ways to price your home competitively in the marketplace. Some tools to help you along the way are: RentSlicer.com, RentOmeter.com and Oodle.com 2) The time of the Month Counts The best times to gain a tenant are March, April, May, June, July and August. These are the main months when renters move due to seasons, schools, etc. 3) Throw some Make-up On Have you ever toured a model home for sale? What do you notice? Are there magnets on the fridge? Are there clothes in the hamper? Are the walls scratched? The answer is no. Why? This is what sells homes. Touch up with paint and remove all clutter and you will see a big difference. 4) Replace Light bulbs and Fixtures A ru

This weekend had been about rebranding this almost derelict blog. It was to rebirth as one of those delightful cheapskate efforts. You know the ones - where I'd offer handy hints, like dropping a brick in your crapper to save money on every flush. The real estate element wasn't being abandoned, just complemented, with neat ideas like how to get the most out of your underwear elastic. It won't be this weekend. The unsettled masses and Google detectives have seen to that. Our story begins as most of these narratives do, talent was needed to fill one of those tired and lazy morning after stories - home owner welcomes interest rate cut. Insipid space filler, but much loved by the real estate cabal. What better marketing tool than an earnest home owner letting slip how hefty their mortgage is and how they're better to be contributing to it, than renting or actually putting the numbers into a Casio. Normalise the behaviour and you'll get people thinking, "well if tha

If Jeff Bezos was prepared to outlay $250 million for The Washington Post, you begin to wonder what price for Tasmania's three venerable newspapers? On honesty, integrity and credibility alone I'd expect no less than two bags of Doritos and a bottle of Coke Zero Lime. While we've long been harangued with the plight of newspapers and their depression like operating environment, the weight of the excuse has become tiresome. Important facts in stories are continually viewed as dust to be swept under the nearest Persian. Pride in your efforts? No need. In two years time the jerk on the local news sausage maker will be fitting themselves out as a social media expert or whispering in the ear of your local MP on a daily basis. Alternatively, they'll still be in the same chook pen, churning out the same garbage, while bemoaning the state of the media on twitter each day. You go, girl! Hating the Rupert ethos, while still trudging into work for him? The equivalent of being tea-b

High summer - rainy day....perfect for writing this blog.  I had thought about doing an open house out at Ten Mile Point in part because it's the boat show this weekend.  Glad I didn't.  On days like these Alex and I would head for the movies from camp.  We'd stop at McDonald's - a rare treat - and avoid going back to the lake as long as we could.  Now I love days like this - if I start at the lake and don't have to think about going there.  Curl up with a good book, put on an old movie.  Or, like today, write my blog. Currently in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service there are 108 active single family listings.  Of these, 27 are in the Village and 30 are deemed waterfront. Ten new ones have come on the market since I wrote the last update - 22 days ago!  They range from a low of around $200,000 to a high about $600,000.  Only two are waterfront and only two are in the Village. There are 23 homes listed as under contract.  Five are new - and four of

All you need to know about agents, listings, and home sales Real estate sales can be a confusing process for home buyers and sellers. Reading this brief article will help you understand the step-by-step process of a real estate transaction as well as the essential roles of real estate agents, brokers, and escrow professionals. Whether you are buying or selling a home or business, taking on a new mortgage, or looking to invest in real estate, you will be better equipped to succeed if you have good knowledge of the important terms and steps in a property sale. Real Estate: A Free Guide to Sales and Essential Terms Real estate sales can be a confusing process for home buyers and sellers. Reading this brief article will help you understand the step-by-step process of a real estate transaction as well as the essential roles of real estate agents, brokers, and escrow professionals. Whether you are buying or selling a home or business, taking on a mortgage, or looking to invest in real estate

Creating an amazing future buying and selling real estate for profit How to write compelling letter's and postcard's that get seller's and buyer's to respond immediately. This topic seems to be the most challenging for most investors. I know when I first started this was a big hurdle for me. So we’ll start out with finding leads. I don’t know about you, but I want sellers calling me with properties for sale. I didn’t want to be the one calling them. I hear about investor’s cold calling the FSBO’s (For Sale by Owners) in the newspaper. I personally would rather have my finger nails pulled off trying to cold call a potential seller in the newspaper.  I’m not saying that calling on the newspaper ads wouldn’t turn up a deal or two. What I’m getting at, is you need specific questions answered in order to find out if this is a deal. How many sellers that you contact from an ad in the newspaper would give you their loan balance? Not too many. But if they call you off your mark

How to take over existing properties "Subject To" the existing loans How to get Amazing Results Buying and Selling Houses for Profit I want to walk through subject to investing just to make sure everyone understands that this is your best strategy for making money investing in real estate in today’s market. Ok, first off let me explain exactly, what is subject to. Subject to investing is taking over the existing loan without paying the underlying loan off. When we take over loans subject to, the loan stays in place and the seller stays on title until we’re able to sell it sometime in the near future. Now, most new investors will ask how can you take over an existing loan that way and leave it in the sellers name when all loans nowadays have a due on sale clause? I get asked all the time…Won’t the lender call the loan due? Well, my answer is they certainly can. Will the lender call the loan due? Not likely as long as the payments are being made. The banks don’t want houses the

You need an agent-and other fairy tales! Is private selling a mistake? A real estate agent doesn't think so and here's why.. Let’s be clear here – the author of this article is a real estate agent. Not a newbie either but with 10 years in the industry. As an agent I should despise private sellers or FSBO’s as they are called in the States. Right? The For Sale by Owners and myself should be sworn enemies yes? Natural born enemies like a dog is to a cat, like an lion relates to an antelope, we should be at each other’s  throats shouldn’t we?  Well actually…. no! I run a business that assists people to sell their own home without the need for a real estate agent and I’m here to dispel some myths once and for all. People, you have been hoodwinked….. To be precise you have been conned for the past 100 years. Agents want you to believe that you absolutely need them in order to get your property sold. They want you to imagine that you cannot possibly attempt the gargantuan task of sel

Odd how it's turning out that these are batches of 21 - but that's fine, because they are closings! And now, in no particular order, here they are: 1390 Coach Road - Town of Skaneateles - $405,000 28 Orchard Road - Village of Skaneateles - $251,000 3959 State Street Road - Town of Skaneateles - $289,895 1053 Jewett Road - Town of Skaneateles - $285,000 718 Sheldon Road - Town of Skaneateles - $430,000 4519 Jordan Road - Skaneateles Falls (Unincorporated Community) - $30,000 1 Highland Street - Village of Skaneateles - $142,000 3754 Fisher Road - Town of Skaneateles - $134,000 1275 Oak Bluff - Town of Skaneateles - $1,150,000 42 East Elizabeth Street - Village of Skaneateles - $305,500 3858 East Street - Town of Skaneateles - $164,900 50 West Lake Street - Village of Skaneateles - $816,000 2 Prentiss Drive - Village of Skaneateles - $570,000 2605 East Lake Road - Town of Skaneateles - $995,000 130 Locust Lane - Town of Spafford - $525,000 2445 East Lake Road - Town of Spafford -