140 Days and Counting

When the weather outside is frightful, you can usually count on the real estate phone going to sleep. Not this year! I worked with three different buyers yesterday during the raging snow storm. And of the 7 houses I showed, three of them were new to the market this week. That’s not a typical December day for Rochester, NY.With less than 140 days to be under contract to qualify for the home buyer

Getting Ready to List Your House

Right now, I'm getting more phone calls from people wanting to sell their home than individuals that want to buy a home. That's a change and I think it's been brought on by the federal tax credit for repeat buyers that have owned their current resident for at least 5 years. Of course, there are a million things to do to get your house ready for the market....cleaning, organizing, de-cluttering

Home Buyer Tax CREDIT, not deduction

I've made a few phone calls this week to individuals that might want to take advantage of the Federal Tax Credit being offered to qualified home buyers and was very surprised at how uninformed and/or misinformed the general public is about this program.Most importantly, this is a tax credit, not a deduction on your income tax. For most first time home buyers, the credit is for 10% of the purchase

Much to be Thankful For

Highland Maples Originally uploaded by maryshelsbyJust a quick note between stuffing the turkey and peeling the potatoes. I have much to be thankful for. I have a wonderful supportive husband and an awesome family back in Maryland. I am affiliated with the best real estate company that Rochester has to offer, ReMax First. And 99.9 percent of my clients feel like friends and family. There is

What does a Million Dollars Buy You in the Rochester Real Estate Market?

In some parts of the country, it's not unusual to pay a million dollars or more to buy a nice house but in the Rochester, NY area it is a rarity. In fact, for a measly million dollars you get a really, really, REALLY nice house!For just over a million, $1,059,000 to be exact, you can purchase a 6 bedroom, 3.5 bath waterfront front home with a 36 foot indoor pool, hot tub and three fireplaces. For

Mum 's the Word at Lamberton Conservatory

I just can't be quiet about the beautiful Autumn Mum Display at Lamberton Conservatory, scheduled to run till the end of November. The display featured darn near every type and color of mum you can imagine. It is beautiful. The Conservatory, located in Highland Park, only charges $3 to enter and is open every day except Christmas from 10 am til 4 pm. Enjoy the extraordinary weather Rochester

Why You Should Support Extending the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit!

Did you vote yesterday? I hope so. When I showed up at the polls at 8:40 last night, we had less than a 20 percent turnout. And then we complain about not liking what's going on around here.Anyway, speaking of politics, this seems like an excellent time to endorse the efforts to extend (and possibly expand) the tax credit for first time homebuyers that is scheduled to expire on November 30,