Prodigy Real Estate - SI NY Real Estate Blog - Anthony Licciardello

Home Staging Tips

Whether yoou are staging your home for selling and open house tours, or just preparing it for company coming over, keep these things in mind:

• Grimy Bathroom Walls: Mold just looks bad and dirty. Get rid of it by mixing bleach and water into a spray bottle. 
• Unisex Master Bedroom: When selling a home, the master bedroom should be able to appeal both the male and female. Paint the walls a neutral color, and choose bedding that matches. Decorate the room where it does not just come accross feminine. Make it a room for the both of you. 
• Out-dated Kitchen: If replacing cabinets and appliances are not in your budget at the moment, there are simple and cheap fixes. Apply stain on the cabinets and resurface appliances with stainless-steel-stick-on…

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Real Estate Statistic Report Wrapping Up December 2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz_c1Fk3h44

The overall market of 2013 attracted plenty of buyers but very few sellers.  In December, there were under 2,000 homes available to be sold, which is considered very low.  Now that we are out of the economic housing bubble crisis, people need to be more confident rather than timid, when selling their homes.  A key tip for potential sellers is to know who they are working with and how to obtain the information that is provided to them.  The bank will inform them on how much their home is worth; it is then the seller’s choice whether or not to accept this advice when setting the listing price.

The average listing and sale price has not drastically changed in the last four years.  The average annual…

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Keeping Your Home Clean and Green in 2014!

When the new year rolls around, the resolutions usually revolve around self-image changes. We want to remind your not to forget about your home in this year’s set goals. Here are some ways to keep your home a clean and green living place. 

Out with the old! One of the best ways to make your home feel like new is to clear it of its clutter. We have been stressing the importance of decluttering; It makes a home look dirty. Vow to go home and clear away anything you do not use or wear and donate it to charity. Clear table tops and counters of everything you do not use daily. 

Keeping a green home. Going green does not always have to mean solar panels and a hybrid car. You can cut your bills and carbon footprint in half just by reducing your home…

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Snug Harbors Dr. Samuel MacKenzie Elliot House Landmark.

In the Snug Harbor area, you can find the Dr. Samuel MacKenzie Elliot House, which is a New York City Landmark.  This house is located at 69 Delafield Place, not far from Walker Park and the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens.

This house was erected by and for Dr. Samuel MacKenzie Elliot around the 1840s and 1850s.  It wasn’t the only house he built, though.  Dr. Samuel MacKenzie Elliot was born in Scotland and didn’t move to America until he was much older.  Around the late 1820s, he graduated with an M.D. from the Royal College of Surgeons with a specialty in eyes in Glasgow, Scotland.  Around the early 1830s, he moved to America and first lived in Cincinnati.  He then moved to Manhattan to open an oculist office, which was where people…

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A number of revisions were made to the housing market statistics from December of 2009 through October of 2013. In review, the numbers continue their unusual twist.

Last month alone, we saw some slight decreases in the monthly sales and monthly volume, the average listing and selling prices, the number of homes on the market, and the amount of time it would take to sell all the homes on the market in October.

The average cumulative number of days on the market for those homes rose just slightly, while the median sale price and the percentage homebuyers were paying from the listing price stayed the same.

With the revision to the amount of homes sold in October, the decrease for November is a bit less than what it could have been, but it is still much lower than we may have guessed.  According to the report, the number of homes sold in November was 264, which is a little more than eleven percent less than October’s…

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Shared Appreciation Mortgage Modifications--Too Soon to Tell?

With the news release of Governor Andrew Cuomo having introduced the notion of Shared Appreciation Mortgage Modifications, Americans have concluded to have mixed emotions about the new regulation.  Shared appreciation modifications allow banks to lower the amount of principle outstanding on a home, in exchange for a percentage of the home’s future value increase.  Sounds dreamy, no?  Seemingly a “happily ever after” for homeowners nearing foreclosure, this proposal allows for a way out.

The proposed regulation limits the mortgage investor’s share to either the amount of the reduction plus interest, or half of the appreciation amount in market value—whichever is less.  This important limitation—while solving the problem at hand—has investors skeptical. …

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Does Your Home Have Curb Appeal?

According to the 2013 National Association of Realtors, seventy-one percent of homebuyers consider curb appeal while looking for a home. Curb Appeal is the way the outside of your home looks, e.g. the landscaping. If you are looking to sell your home or even just make it look nicer to you yourself, here are some great tips as to how you can gain better curb appeal.

• Maintenance is key: By maintaining your lawn, trees, gardens, patios, walkways, and other items that are visible from the curb of your house it makes it easier to keep your landscaping up to par. Some items to look for while maintaining your yard are dead branches, weeds, broken objects, leveled walkways, sturdy and clean looking railings for steps, dead plants, overgrown shrubbery, as well…

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How To Transform A Small Room To Seem Bigger?

While looking for a place to live, a small room is not something most people want but you may not have a choice in the matter. If you live in a dorm room or a small apartment that is your only option and you will have to make it work in your best interest. Here are some tips as to how you can help make your small room look bigger.

• Add a mirror to the room. When you place the mirror on a wall it can actually help make the room seem bigger due to the reflection it gives off. Make sure you check all walls before hanging it, to see what place will help enlarge the room.
• Bring attention to the ceiling. If you place a bookshelf that extends from the floor to the ceiling it will help make the room seem higher than it actually is. Bookshelves are not only…

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How Do You Protect Your Home From Unwanted Intruders?

When you have a home you want to make sure it is safe, especially if you have children. Here on Staten Island the crime rate has been going down with each passing year; in 2012 there were approximately 740 reports of burglary, according to the NYPD CompStat report. Home safety is not something to take lightly, but you may not have enough money to spend on an expensive security system so here are some cheap effective ways to protect your home.

Since most burglaries happen during the day here are some good tips to go by.

• The most obvious way to help protect your home is to make sure all doors, windows, and garages are closed and locked when you leave the house. Make sure your home’s locking systems are sturdy, also. The locks on your windows and doors…

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Is your Home Costing you More Than It Should?

As it continues to get colder outside, your energy bills will continue to rise. What many homeowners are unaware of, though, is that your house could actually be costing you more than it should. Besides replacing products with energy-efficient ones, there are some other steps you need to take to make sure your home is saving as much as it possibly can on your energy bill.

Did you know that your roof, walls, windows, and even doors could be letting that heat escape? Well, here are some steps to take to make sure this is not the case and to reduce your energy bill by almost twenty percent.

• Insulation is key! Make sure you have at least 9 inches of insulation, anything less could be leaking air out and anything more is most likely unnecessary. You…

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