Overall satisfaction among home buyers averages 803 on a 1,000-point scale in 2010—increasing by 12 points from 2009. This improvement is primarily driven by increased satisfaction with agents and salespersons. In contrast, overall satisfaction among home sellers has declined by 40 points from 2009 and averages 742 in 2010. Among home sellers, satisfaction has decreased in all four factors, with the largest declines observed in marketing of the home and the variety of additional services offered.
“Among both home buyers and home sellers, the importance of agents and salespersons has increased substantially in 2010, compared with 2009,” said Jim Howland, senior director of the real estate and construction practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “Buyers are increasingly relying upon negotiating skills of agents and seem to be satisfied with the purchase prices they are obtaining. Despite the fact that selling agents appear to be doing a good job of negotiating and marketing on behalf of home sellers, the tough economic conditions are negatively impacting their overall satisfaction with real estate companies.”
Among home sellers, Prudential ranks highest with a score of 760 and performs particularly well in the marketing and agent factors. Prudential is the only company to improve in home-seller satisfaction in 2010, compared with 2009.
J.D. Power and Associates offers the following tips to consumers who are buying or selling a home:
The 2010 Home Buyer/Seller Study includes more than 3,000 evaluations from 2,817 respondents who bought or sold a home between March 2009 and April 2010. The study was fielded between April and May 2010.
The 10th Annual Swing for the Hill Golf Tournament, sponsored by McLean Development at Heritage Square will take place on Friday, August 6, 2010.
The tournament takes place at Brockport Country Club with a 12:00 noon shotgun start. Registration is $90 per person and includes golf, cart, prizes, lunch and dinner. All proceeds benefit the Sweden Community Foundation.
Registration forms and Sponsorship information can be found at the Sweden Town Hall, The Sweden/Clarkson Community Center and online at SwedenClarksonRec.com or by following the link below.
Swing for the Hill Golf Tournament0001.pdf
Today is the beginning of the annual Spencerport Canal Days. The event is filled with vendors with various crafts and products. There will be food vendors and live entertainment throughout the weekend. A special area for the kids has games and prizes. Horse and wagon rides are available. The annual car show is part of the festivities. The event ends with the Canaligator race in the Erie Canal with prizes donated from area merchants such as Wegmans, Luxury Super Stretch Limosine, Seabreeze and Darien Lake.
For more information, visit: http://www.spencerportcanaldays.com/
ROCHESTER, NY - July 23, 2010 - Real estate statistics released by the Genesee Region Real Estate Information Services (GENRIS), the information subsidiary of the Greater Rochester Association of REALTORS® (GRAR) revealed an impressive second quarter.GRAR officials reported a 43% increase in sales when compared to second quarter 2009, with a total of 3,512 homes sold. In addition, the overall median sale price of $120,000 reflected a 2% percent increase compared to last year. The increase in purchases was a result of home buyers who still had time to take advantage of the $8,000 First-time Home Buyers Tax Credit and the $6,500 Tax Credit for current home owners who purchased a new or existing home. The tax credit expired on April 30, 2010. Those who qualified for the tax credit had until June 30 to close on their purchase. Pending sales were down, as expected, as people were rushing to close on their homes before the closing deadline. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed, though the sale usually is finalized within one or two months of signing.Recently, both houses of Congress passed a bill that extended the deadline for home buyers to close on their purchases and still claim the tax credit. President Obama signed the bill into law on July 2. Under the measure, buyers now have until September 30, 2010 to close on homes that went into contract by April 30. 2010."The tax credit was a critical factor in generating home sales and maintaining the momentum of the real estate market into the second quarter," stated Carolyn Stiffler, GRAR board president. "The program definitely had a positive impact on our local market and was an enormous benefit to homeowners."Stiffler stated that she anticipates sales to be steady and brisk through the third quarter."Although the tax credit incentive has expired, this is still a great time to buy a home," remarked Stiffler. Mortgage rates are still at an all-time low and this is a wonderful opportunity for people to take advantage of our very affordable and stable real estate market."There were some impressive sales results in several towns within Monroe County. Notable increases were realized in Brighton, Pittsford, Henrietta, Webster, Perinton, Ogden, Parma, and Sweden/Brockport.GRAR will continue to support the local residential real estate industry through its TIME2BUY marketing campaign, which focuses on the benefits of owning a home and using the services of a REALTOR® when buying and selling a home.
Click here to view the second quarter stats report.
The American Red Cross is holding a blood drive at the Sweden/Clarkson Community Center on Monday, July 26th from 1:30PM-6:30PM.
Please call the American Red Cross at 1-800-RED CROSS to schedule your appointment
Donors will receive a coupon for a 1/2 gallon of ice cream from Friendly's.
Great news for those who were under contract to purchase a home on or before April 30th:
Congress has voted to extend the closing date from June 30th to September 30th 2010.
570 Barry Road
W. Irondequoit, NY
Open May 2, 2010 from 1-3 pm
Beautiful ranch with 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths with fully fenced back yard and finished basement. Basement has Italian Kitchen and living areas with full bath for extra living space or in-law suite.
Come visit the Open House today!
For more information - call Amy at 585-662-3363 or visit this link:
http://homesteadnet.com/SiteContent/PropDetail.aspx?N=0&S=NYS&Id=24963929
365 Things to do in Rochester, NY
Please feel free to share your ideas too!
Updated Daily! Follow the list on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=12956&uid=172815333990
1. Hamlin Beach Earth Day April 24th 10 am - 2 pm, Area 4.
2. Laser Genesis Show at the RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium, 657 East Ave, Saturdays 1 pm thru July 3rd, Addl shows during April Break Apr 19-23 1 pm, www.rmsc.org for more info
3. Virtual Voyage to Mars, at the Challenger Learning Center on Wednesday, April 21st from 10-12,adults $16, children $13, Reservations required, 697-1942 for more info.
4. Visit Arbor Hill Winery in Naples, NY -
Complimentary wine and cheese tasting, gourmet foods, grape country gifts, world famous Naples grape pies available year round. http://www.thegrapery.com/
5. Go to a Redwings Game! The next home game is April 27th. Find the full schedule here: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/schedule/index.jsp?sid=t534 And see the Redwings website here: http://rochester.redwings.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t534
6. Go to a Rochester Rhinos game! The next home game is May 1, 2010 at 7:00 pm against the Carolina RailHawks. For more information of tickets visit. www.RhinosSoccer.com
7. Go see Wicked at the Rochester Auditorium Theatre thru May 2nd. Show times 7 pm daily. For more information Phone: (800) 745-3000
8. Indoor Rock Climbing - Rockventures http://www.rockventures.net/ for more information
9. Visit the Lighthouses
- Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse http://www.seathelights.com/ny/charlotte.html
- Rochester Harbor Lighthouse http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=909
10. Susan B. Anthony House, located at 17 Madison Street, Rochester, New York 14608, call 585-235-6124 or visit http://susanbanthonyhouse.org/index.php for more information
11. Jello Museum, 23 E. Main St. LeRoy. Call 585) 768-7433 or visit http://www.jellogallery.org/ for more information.
12. Visit Sonnenberg Gardens to view the magnificent gardens or to attend one of their events. More information at http://www.sonnenberg.org/
13. Help clean up your community - Clean Sweep starts tomorrow, Saturday May 1st in the southwest area of Rochester. Free coffee and donuts at 8:30 and picnic at 11am. Register online or call 311.
14. Go to the Strong Museum of Play. For more information: http://www.museumofplay.org/
15. Visit the animals at the Seneca Park Zoo - senecaparkzoo.org
16. Springdale Farm, 700 Colby St, Ogden, NY 585-349-2090, information online at http://www.heritagechristianservices.org/springdale/default.aspx
17. Go Skydiving over Rochester!! For more information visit http://www.rochesterskydivers.com/
18. Smell the flowers at the Lilac Festival www.lilacfestival.com. You can also follow them on Facebook.
19. Visit the Spencerport Depot & Canal Museum - Entrance is by Taste of Texa BBQ on Union Street.
Happy Easter!
I found this article today with a game that will score you on your ability to text while driving.
I would love to hear what your results were!
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/07/19/technology/20090719-driving-game.html
Governor David Paterson recently proposed an Executive Budget for 2010-2011 that includes a spending cap to control state spending. Tied into the cap is a property tax circuit breaker that would provide property tax refunds to New York's working families. The cap puts New York State on a path to economic recovery that will lead to future budget surpluses -- which will then be returned to taxpayers through property tax relief. Under the 2010-2011 Executive Budget, the spending cap would require sufficient spending cuts to generate a more than $1 billion surplus in the 2011-12 fiscal year. This will be returned to tax payers through a circuit-breaker tax credit that will result billions of dollars in property tax relief.
The circuit-breaker benefit will be calculated by limiting the property tax burden to a specified percentage of a tax payer's income. That percentage would decrease based on the size of the State’s surplus. And as New York’s fiscal condition improves, the circuit-breaker program could provide tax payers with an increasingly larger benefit, since they would pay an increasingly smaller percentage of their income in property taxes. "The amount of recipients and the average value of the benefit would increase based on the size of the State’s budget surplus. At the close of each fiscal year, the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance would calculate the benefit after the Division of the Budget has certified the size of the surplus and directed a portion to the Rainy Day Fund. Average projected benefits are included below:"
Surplus
Recipients
Average Tax Credit
$100M -$500M
868,000
$589
$500M-$1B
1,063,000
$943
$1B-$1.5B
1,322,000
$1,129
$1.5B-$2B
1,668,000
$1,188
$2B-$3B
2,125,000
$1,405
source:http://www.cc.ny.gov/view.cfm?view=7BEEFF3E-5056-9D0B-1A88294EB2803E4C_8690D701-C293-B74F-A79B237D5135AF7A
Amanda’s LawCarbon monoxide alarm requirements to go into effect February 22, 2010
As the result of legislation, Amanda’s Law will go into effect on February 22, 2010. It requires essentially all residences, both new and existing, to have carbon monoxide alarms installed. They will be required to have at least one carbon monoxide alarm installed on the lowest story having a sleeping area for each living unit.
For more information go to the following website.
http://www.dos.state.ny.us/code/COAlarm.htm
Carbon monoxide detectors ten years or older should be replaced with new ones to protect you from dangerous carbon monoxide levels.
The IRS has released a new form that will be needed to file for the Homebuyer Tax Credit. They also anounced that the processing of these claims will begin in mid-February 2010.
For more information & for a link to the form, you can follow this link:
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=218336,00.html
Mendon Ponds Winterfest Sunday Jan. 17, 2010
Seneca Siberian Husky Club
Dog sled "fun" race/ exhibit
Looking for sledders & skijorers!
Course is aproximately a little over two miles on the South Meadow Trail of Mendon Ponds.
Registration begins at 9 am in the horse trailer parking lot directly across street from race course. There is no registration fee.
Race begins 11:00 am. Mushers meeting at 10:30 to review course.
No class distinctions. Will place race order according to experience and number of dogs to try and make it as safe as possible. ie. We will run the skijorers first. We run the teams with plenty of time in between and no head on passing. The point of this race is safety and is mainly for fun and to gain experience. Recommended not to run more than a four-dog team. Any participants under 18 must wear a helmet.
There will be a patrol car at the road and plenty of assistance for getting to the trail. Course description of the South Medow trail is following the map on the attachment. We will be running the red trail in the South Meadow, counter clockwise, turning at first left (not red but gray trail) to avoid a big nasty hill and sharp turn. Wide trails that are well groomed with a groomer.
Plenty of dog truck parking in the Horse Trailer Parking area.
Please contact Amy Cochrane (585)243 5516 or email: amydavidbella@aol.com if you are interested in participating.
Location and Directions:
The park office is located at 95 Douglas Road, Honeoye Falls, NY 14472. Mendon Ponds Park, approximately 10 miles southeast of Rochester, is located south of the New York State Thruway I-90 in the Towns of Pittsford and Mendon. It is bordered by Clover Street on the west and Pittsford-Mendon Center Road on the east.
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Warning! - Phony IRS E-mail Lands In Many Inboxes
According to IRS.gov, a phony e-mail claiming to come from the IRS has recently been circulating in large numbers. The subject line is typically "Notice of Underreported Income," and the e-mail may contain an attachment or link to a bogus webpage directing taxpayers to their "tax statement." In either case, when the recipient opens the attachment or clicks on the link, they download malware including the hard-to-detect Zeus Trojan. This malicious code can take over the hard drive, giving someone remote access to the computer, or it could look for passwords and other information and send them to the scammer to gain access to bank accounts. Researchers estimate that the Zeus criminals are emptying more than a million dollars per day out of victims' bank accounts with the software, and it's the most prominent spam-delivered virus in the world right now. Please remember that the IRS does not send unsolicited e-mails to taxpayers about their tax accounts. If you receive an unsolicited e-mail claiming to come from the IRS, do not open any attachments or click on any links. Those who believe they may already be victims of identity theft should find out what to do by going to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's website, OnGuardOnLine.gov.
BPS Payroll
803-487-3578 Phone
803-746-4991 Fax
San Diego, November 11, 2009
The National Association of Realtors®(NAR) was the main proponent in getting the homebuyer’s tax credit extended into 2010 and expanded to include present homeowners.
“NAR is the leading advocate for private property and homeownership issues, and firmly believes that those who are in service to their country should be full participants in the homebuyer tax credit law,” said NAR President Charles McMillan, broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dallas-Fort Worth. “These men and women are often hindered by hardships from full participation in the American Dream of homeownership because their duty disrupts them in the buying and selling of a home.”
Two special provisions in the present tax credit law assist members of the military, intelligence and foreign services in taking advantage of the homebuyer tax credit, said McMillan.
Armed services members, as well as intelligence service and foreign service personnel, who are on active duty and out of the U.S. for 90 days during any part of 2009, get an additional year to buy their homes, to May 1, 20ll.
Another benefit is a waiver on the time of occupancy of the home purchased with the tax credit. Homebuyers who purchase their home using the tax credit must use that home as a principal residence for a period of no fewer than three years, or must forfeit the entire credit. Military, intelligence and foreign service members do not have to repay the credit if they have to sell their home after fewer than three years occupancy due to official business.
First-time homebuyers who are eligible can obtain a tax credit of $8,000. Current homeowners are eligible for a $6,500 tax credit, provided they have lived in the home they are selling, or have sold, as principal residence for five consecutive years in the past eight years.
Income limits for eligible home buyers are expanded to $125,000 for single buyers and $225,000 for couples. The purchase price of the home cannot exceed $800,000. To help guard against fraud, buyers are required to attach documentation of purchase to their tax return.
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
Merry Christmas
and
Happy New Year!
I am looking for land suitable for hunting within 30 minutes of Brockport for a client. Please let me know if you have or are aware of available land.
Thanks for your help!
December 3, 2009 -- Realty Times Feature Article by Broderick Perkins
Your credit score, a numerical rendition of your creditworthiness - or lack thereof - should be at 760 or above if you want the best interest rate, according to FICO, the leading credit scoring system provider.
Mortgage lenders as well as other creditors take a hard look at your credit score when you want to borrow against your home, refinance or buy anew.
If you are struggling financially as a homeowner you may be considering some of the new ways to make your mortgage more affordable, but beware.
Look beyond the savings you can net on a mortgage modification, workout or short sale and carefully consider how those savings could affect your credit score.
According to FICO, if you:
• Get a mortgage modification or short sale, expect some negative impact. There are many variables here: how the lender reports the deal; what's already on your credit report (negatives compound), etc. A loan modification or short sale are certainly less damaging than a foreclosure or bankruptcy.
Consumer Reports' Money Advisor suggests that before you enter a mortgage modification or short sale, ask how the lender will report it so you can weigh your priorities. If you need the break, take the deal sooner rather than later, even if it will hurt your credit score. Negatives on your credit file are removed after seven years. The sooner you get the clock ticking, the better.
• Are rejected for a loan several times, expect a small negative. It's the inquiries the credit scoring model sees, not the rejections. Too many rejections may indicate you are trying to pile up a lot of credit in a short time and that's deemed risky behavior.
Consumer Reports advises loan shop within a 14 to 30 day period. FICO counts all mortgage inquiries within that period as one inquiry. Also consider applying for credit in person so you can ask about the lender's requirements and your chances for approval. If one lender's underwriting standards are too tight, seek a more lenient lender, Consumer Reports also advises.
• Have a subprime or adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) on your credit report, expect zero impact. The FICO scoring system isn't privy to the underwriting terms of your loan. Keep making payments on time and or refinance to a lower fixed rate if you can and you'll keep your score intact or boost it over time.
• Get debt relief from a credit counselor, expect a ding. That's because you aren't living up to the original terms of the credit agreement. Get the help if you need it, again, the sooner you begin to correct credit problems, the sooner they leave your credit file.
Consumer Reports advises working with certified counselors from the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies or the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. For housing issues, see counselors certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Affairs
• Get a "goodwill correction" from your lender, expect a positive effect on your credit score. If, say, you were late once on your mortgage and never again in several years, it can't hurt to ask your lender to remove the one ding.
• Pay the mortgage but fall behind on other bills, expect black marks that negatively effect your credit score. FICO doesn't weigh your payment history on one type of loan more than another.
Consumer Reports says there are no "less important" creditors when it comes to your credit score. Call creditors before you get into trouble and try to work something out.
http://www.google.com/profiles/RochesterHomesForSale
What's yours?
The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,Transforming the yard to a winter delight.The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then thesure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,And I crept to the door just to see who was near.Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child."What are you doing?" I asked without fear,"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..To the window that danced with a warm fire's lightThen he sighed and he said "Its really all right,I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night.""It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,That separates you from the darkest of times.No one had to ask or beg or implore me,I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam',And now it is my turn and so, here I am.I've not seen my own son in more than a while,But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,The red, white, and blue... an American flag.I can live through the cold and the being alone,Away from my family, my house and my home.I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.I can carry the weight of killing another,Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..Who stand at the front against any and all,To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."" So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,Your family is waiting and I'll be all right.""But isn't there something I can do, at the least,"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?It seems all too little for all that you've done,For being away from your wife and your son."Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,To stand your own watch, no matter how long.For when we come home, either standing or dead,To know you remember we fought and we bled.Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."
-Unknown
Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe.
Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.
You’ve decided to purchase a home and take advantage of the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit. Here's what you have to do to get your benefit:
Documentation of Purchase
Details concerning the precise documents required to confirm your purchase have not yet been released. When this information becomes available, we will include instructions and links to the appropriate forms.
When to Apply the Credit
Buyers purchasing homes on or before December 31, 2009 may claim the credit on their 2009 tax returns.
Buyers purchasing in 2010 will have the option to:
If you, or your client, purchased a home between January 1, 2009 and November 6, 2009, please see: How to Get the 2009 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit.
Applying the Credit to Your 2009 Taxes
You will need to do three things to claim the credit on your 2009 tax return:
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