Thursday, April 2, 2020 / by Vanessa Saunders
By Vanessa Saunders, MBA, MIMC , Broker Owner, Global Property Systems
If you had two dollars and could double it as often as you wanted, how many times would you need to double your original "deuce" to reach a million?
Just nineteen times.
So how does that apply to social distancing? This is how. If someone is infected by the COVID-19 virus, they will be symptom free for several days, if not longer. If they interact with and infect just two people, and those two don't conduct social distancing (staying away from other people) and also interact with two people and so on and so on, over one million people will eventually come down with the disease in just 19 social interactions. Here's a chart from a UK website that tells it better than I ever could.
[caption id="attachment_27067" align="aligncenter" width="596"] Thanks to Matt Hancock, UK Health Minister for letting me steal this chart. It's that serious.[/caption]
Got it?
Stay home!
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Wednesday, April 1, 2020 / by Vanessa Saunders
The above video has nothing to do with this blog, but what the heck. We love seeing a rabbit playing with a Rotweiler.
After you watch, if you want to read this blog, it's about the economic slow-down and how home buyers should prepare for when the economy gets back to normal. Enjoy!
The rapid spread of the Corona virus has been compared to prior pandemics and outbreaks not seen in many years. It also has consumers remembering the economic slowdown of 2008 that was caused by a housing crash. This economic slowdown, however, is very different from 2008.
One thing the experts are saying is that while we’ll see a swift decline in economic activity in the second quarter, we’ll begin a sharp rebound in the second half of this year. According to John Burns Consulting:
“Historical analysis showed us that pandemics are usually V-shaped (sharp recessions that recover quickly enough to provide little damage to home prices), and some very cutting-edge search engine analys ...
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Tuesday, March 31, 2020 / by Vanessa Saunders
March 31, 2020
By Vanessa Saunders, MBA, MIMC , Broker Owner, Global Property Systems
Every home owner pays property taxes on their home or commercial property. No one likes how much they're taxed. Even if you pay off your mortgage, taxes are still assessed. Along with death, they never go away. But there are some simple tricks home owners can use to lower the taxes they pay. Most involve lowering either the estimated value of the property, or lowering the tax rate.
Ask to see your property card.
Your town hall has tax cards for every home that is taxed by that municipality. This card includes information about the size of the lot, the precise dimensions of the rooms, and the number and type of fixtures located within the home. Other information may include a section on special features or notations about any improvements made to the existing structure.
Errors are not uncommon on tax cards, so as you review your card, note any discrepancies, and raise these issues with the t ...
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Friday, March 27, 2020 / by Vanessa Saunders
By Vanessa Saunders, MBA, MIMC , Broker Owner, Global Property Systems
While COVID-19 is still going viral and many people are sidelined from our usual activities, you don't have to press Pause on your dream of finding a home. Here are four things you can do right now to keep your home search on track, so you're ready to go when the pandemic subsides.
Get Pre-Approved for a mortgage
Use this time to take one of the most important steps in buying a house. A pre-approval will show you how much a lender is willing to finance, and it shows sellers and their agents you're serious. It's a great time to gather up necessary documents like income verification, credit history, and asset documents. You can even call a lender as financial institutions are deemed essential services and reach out to a lender.
Virtually connect with an agent.
Start working with a trusted Realtor so you're ready to move quickly when the right house pops up. However you connect, a Realtor can help you navigate t ...
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hudson valley real estate, hudson valley home, buying a home, 'urb to 'burb, hudson valley house, why work with a realtor, first time home buyer, mortgage
Thursday, March 26, 2020 / by Vanessa Saunders
Inman News, the real estate industry's leading online information source, reported today that the economic slowdown during the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting home sales negatively. From Mar. 9 to Mar. 16, Google traffic saw a 35 percent decrease in home searches.
The report quoted one broker who said, "Over 350 homes withdrew or canceled from MLS across Massachusetts in the past four days alone.” The broker went on to point out that "One in four properties had already reduced their price. One out of 20 had reduced their price by 10 percent or more, and one out of 12 were listed for less than the assessed value."
What this tells us is that sellers need to be more realistic about setting their asking prices. Setting the right price for your house is one of the most important things you can do.
With prices slowing from their previous pace, homeowners must realize that pricing their homes a little over market value to leave room for negotiation will actually dramatically decreas ...
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hudson valley real estate, hudson valley property, hudson valley home, buying a home, hudson valley home sellers, 'urb to 'burb, housing sales, selling your home, making an offer on a house, sales strategies, house pricing, negotiating price, the economy, health crisis
