• HOME
• ABOUT
• CONTACT

• Finger Lakes Info
• Resources
• Canandaigua Lake
• Keuka Lake
• Property Videos

Archive for the 'Information - Other Areas' Category

7 Tips to Boost Your Home’s Value NOW!

May 2nd, 2010 categories: Community Issues, Information - Other Areas, Real Estate News

A valuable report,

Presented by Mary St George Lakefront Property Specialist in the Finger Lakes Remodeling projects can be fun if you like fixing and building things, and this do-it-yourself inclination can prove invaluable when you’re planning on selling it. Whether or not you are leaving your home, it makes financial sense to renovate it. The value of your home will rise after improving visual appeal and energy efficiency. In previous real estate markets, investing thousands of dollars on renovation paid back. In 2006, the return on your investment was about 76 percent. Today, it is closer to 67 percent. This doesn’t mean, however, that you should consider renovation a thing of the past. It simply means that you have to either spend more sweat equity or find help at a discount.  Here, then, are seven steps you can take to boost your home’s value before you put it out on the market.  Step One: Improve Your Kitchen’s Efficiency Still using boring white or bisque colored appliances from the 80’s? Replace them with something more modern, especially Energy Star rated appliances. Their stainless steel look and electric bill savings make them appealing to home buyers. Using compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs instead of standard incandescent light bulbs, you’ll only use 25 percent of the electricity. CFL light bulbs use less wattage to produce the same glow and they can last 7 years or more. Add granite tiles to your counter tops. They are relatively cheap to install and give an attractive look to your kitchen. Change panels to raised-wood cabinet doors and drawers. Install a new faucet and sink. Improve flooring. Replace wall coverings. Research shows kitchen renovation costs are recovered by more than 75 percent, sometimes up to 100 percent.

 Step Two: Rip Out Your Old Carpets  Often when buyers walk into a home that they’re thinking of buying, they find fault with the carpet. Besides the popular appeal of hardwood floors, carpets are notorious for displaying stains left by coffee spills and odors left by pets. In addition, dirt embedded in carpets can agitate asthma and allergies. A hardwood floor not only looks appealing but it does away with all the musty problems of old carpeting.  If you’ve got hardwood floors underneath your carpets, by ripping out the old carpet and buffing the floor, you can do this in a short time and with less expense. Adding an area rug can add even more aesthetic appeal, adding to the look and feel of your home. Step Three: Paint Your Walls New paint in a house immediately radiates a new ambiance. Depending on the house, colors can be bold: for example, a bright red for the dining room and a pleasant yellow in the kitchen can give your house a cheerful look. Alternatively, if you’re not sure about the best colors for your rooms or are uncertain about your home décor savvy, use neutral colors.   Step Four: Embellish Your Bathrooms Besides kitchens, buyers closely examine bathrooms. Sometimes homes are sold just because the bathrooms have an aesthetic look. Changing faucets, retiling the walls and floors, installing new toilets, and replacing a vanity sink for a double sink model can dramatically increase the visual appeal of your bathrooms. Again, like kitchens, you can recuperate from 75 to 100 percent of your costs.  Step Five: Improve Your Outdoor “Look And Feel” You can do a number of things to improve the outward look of your house, including pressure washing dusty, blackened walls, decks and docks, adding colorful flowers and attractive bushes to your yard, trimming the lawn, and pulling up those weeds. With lakefront homes, all sides of the home lend themselves to first impressions.  How does your property look from the lake?  Are seating areas well defined?  How does the beach area look, is it full of weeds and debris?  A cute little shed would be ideal to store all of those boating items and keep them out of site. Well thought out landscaping will undoubtedly boost the perceived value of your home. The right plants in the right places, the right mature trees blowing in the wind, all go to create a pleasing appearance, a rustic appeal for urban dwellers. It’s estimated that a wonderful garden can increase a home’s value by as much as ten percent.      Step Six: Complete All Your Minor Repairs Remember all those things that you intended to do around the house but never found the time to do them? Well, now is the time. What bothers you about the house will also bother the discerning buyer. A few simple repairs can make the difference between changing the impression of a neglected home to the impression of a well-loved and carefully-maintained home. If you have a great dock, make sure it still looks great. Here are a few suggestions: 1. Replace siding using popular materials like fiber, cement, foam, and vinyl. 2. Windows and doors. If your windows and doors look weather beaten, consider refreshing outmoded styles with something modern. In addition, you’ll improve the energy rating of your home once you get rid of warped windows and doors that let the cold in.  3. Make your home eco-friendly. There are many ways to do it: insulation, weather-stripping, caulking, and adding energy efficient appliances as mentioned above, to name a few. Savvy buyers appreciate “green friendly” homes.  4. Miscellaneous stuff. Make a list of all the things in your home that need repainting, dressing up, repairing, installing, upgrading, updating, and modernizing. Look over your walls, decks, fixtures, appliances, hardware, mantels, and wall coverings for what needs repairing.  Step Seven: Add A New Room (optional) While the first six steps will impressively renovate your home–you may not even want to leave after you’re done!–here is the seventh step you can take that will complete your quest for excellence. This, of course, is an optional step, not necessary at all, but if you do it– it will make a huge difference. Consider adding an extra room, something that adds an extra functionality to your home, like dens, playrooms, and guest rooms. You don’t need to extend an existing space in the house to add a room!  You can simply divide a large room with some creative dry walling and framing. Dry walling can be done for as little as $250 a room.    In Closing: Here’s something to bear in mind: in any real estate market, whether the economy is booming or busting, some people do well. What makes the difference? Why do some people find that they simply can’t sell their homes? Why do others compromise and sell well below market value? And why do some sell at a great price, regardless of the state of the economy? The reason is simple–those who sell their homes at a great price aren’t waiting for things to get better. Instead, they are making everything in their homes better. When buyers walk in, they are blown away and can’t wait to sign the papers. Ultimately, renovating a home, like building a great life, has to do with your commitment to do more than the average person! 

Mary St George has been a Realtor® in the Finger Lakes Area since 2005. She takes pride in delivering valuable information to great neighbors like you.  If there is a topic you would like to see discussed in a future report, or if you have any questions about lake front real estate, please contact Mary at 315-694-1761 or mstgeorge@flpplake.com.  You can also visit www.thechaironthelake.com for more great information!

Some Information supplied by Coach Jig  

Share This

Spoken by Mary St. George | Discussion: 2 Comments »

Lakefront Changes on Keuka Lake

February 6th, 2010 categories: Community Issues, Information - Other Areas, Keuka Lake, Restaurants

As in most areas, there are usually landmarks that just seem to have been there forever.  The same holds true for Keuka Lake  in the Finger Lakes.  There was once a little (and I mean little) store on the East side of Keuka Lake called “Froggys“.  You knew you were there because it had a huge green frog outside of the store. Everyone knew what you were talking about when you said Froggys, and just as important, they knew what area of the lake you were referring to.  The place was sold and the frog became history.  Towards the end of its existence,  the old store had become one of those places that made you question whether it was even open. You know, something you would see in the movies.

Along came a young forward thinking man that decided to tear the old place down, build a new, larger, cleaner and more updated facility, and offer a deli. Since this stretch of road covers around 20 miles from Penn Yan to Hammondsport without any other stores, I see this as a wise decision to rebuild.  The name of the new facility is “The Olney Place” on Keuka, Market and Deli. The best part about it for the owner, is that it is opened seasonally allowing him to pursue other interests during the winter months when most lakefront properties sit empty.

Once Spring arrives, so do the lakefront owners.  I am sure they will all be meeting at Olneys, grabbing a fresh cup of coffee or maybe even the sandwich “Special of the Day”, and then discussing everything they missed during the winter. The area will be bustling.

As someone that has brought clients there for a quick lunch and a nice cold drink between home viewings, I can tell you first hand, they do have great food there.  The selection of sandwiches will make you hungry, even if you thought you were not.  The store is clean and has a great selection of items for your lakeside needs.

So when you are driving around the lake this summer, or you are stopping by your lakefront home, stop into Olneys, pick up something cold to drink, grab a sandwich and then tell Seth that Mary sent you.

Finger Lakes Information brought to you by Mary St George

Share This

Spoken by Mary St. George | Discussion: 1 Comment »

Lakefront Property Declining? No Way !

November 18th, 2009 categories: Information - Other Areas, Real Estate News

 Lakefront property has somehow been shielded from the effects of the economy.  The major reason of course, is that there will only be so much lakefront.   Another reason is that vacation properties are used as investments.  What other investment can you enjoy and use while building equity?  If the stock market takes a nightly nosedive, your lake house will still be standing and will still maintain it’s value.    

 As you can see from this chart sales on these six lakes did the best overall in 2007.  Cayuga  Lake showed the only increase in sales through the third quarter.  Sales spiked in 2007 on the lakes just like they did across the board in all types of sales which would include residential.  Because we are dealing with investment property, lakefront is still a viable option as shown.  The following chart will show the sales dollars comparisons through quarter three. 

  

   

Even though the number of sales went down on Canandaigua and Seneca  Lakes, the dollar values increased.  The two lakes would be considered in the sellers market.  Now looking at Cayuga Lake; sales have increased but dollar values have decreased, making this a buyers market. 

Buyers in the $300,000 and less market are purchasing properties on Cayuga, Conesus and Honeoye Lakes.  The upper dollar sales are being purchased on Keuka and Canandaigua with Seneca Lake showing sales across the board.

If you are seriously considering purchasing properties on the Finger Lakes between Conesus and Cayuga Lakes, call me and we can discuss the best strategy for you.

Information update brought to you by Finger Lakes Lakefront Specialist Mary St. George

Share This

Spoken by Mary St. George | Discussion: No Comments »

Is Your Home “For Sale” Ready?

June 8th, 2009 categories: Information - Other Areas, Real Estate News

Getting Your Home Ready To Sell

 

You are going to be moving, be it two months or six, you will still have to prepare.  Get a jump-start on the whole process. This is also going to assist you in the selling of your home.   Remember all of those closets, cupboards and drawers you have meant to go through and organize?  Well, right now is the time to do it.  This will give prospective buyers a clean slate to look at (remember that buyers will be opening cupboards and closets) and you will be a couple of steps ahead on your future move

 

Start with your closets.

1. Pack up a container of items you can donate.  You know, those items that you have thought about using, but have not in over a year - get rid of them.   Donate those items to a local charity and use it as a deduction on your taxes in the following year.  Keep good records - see form 8283 for non-cash charitible donations or visit the IRS website for more information.   http://www.irs.gov

 

 

2. Pack all of your out of season items and mark accordingly.  When you arrive at your new residence, you will be able to identify, allowing you to unpack and put away in its new location.

 

Now the only things left in your closets will be items you currently wear and use.  And look how neat and clean everything looks!  Do the same thing with drawers and cupboards.  Dishes and utensils used for special events and holidays can all be packed away and marked.  Any item you feel you don’t need, again - donate it.  You can also receive credit for household items you donate.

Share This

Spoken by Mary St. George | Discussion: No Comments »

Your Home Information Link to Tom

June 8th, 2009 categories: Information - Other Areas

I usually do not repost other blogs, but I have found Tom’s articles to be very informative.  These articles has been reprinted with Tom’s approval.  Call him if you have any questions about keeping your home up to date.

National Property Inspections of Rochester   Tom Sansone 212 Willowen Drive | Rochester, NY | 14609-3239   Telephone: (585) 654-7294 Visit us at www.NPIweb.com/sansone   Email: Tom@NPIRoch.com

Thanks Tom for the info

Share This

Spoken by Mary St. George | Discussion: No Comments »

« Previous Entries