NY Houses 4 Sale

Flushing NY - People talk!

Flushing New York, you either love it or hate it and that is just the thing if people hate Flushing NY - they REALLY hate Flushing NY but there are a few sections of Flushing NY.  There is what I call Flushing "Flushing" (which would be from 35th ave and 154th all the way up to Main Street) another section is Flushing North which runs from 154th and 32nd ave up to Whitestone and then there is College Point Flushing, which is very industrial and the home of Willets Point. 

Lately, there has been alot of talk about Flushing such as redeveloping and it really depends on who you talk to because you can get the pros and cons of both sides.   Flushing/College Point is probably the one subject that has been in the spotlight most with subjects ranging from the new Mets Field, eminent domain and condos being built.      

Yesterday, there was an article written by Lion Calandra in the Daily News,  "Give us a sign that all are welcome" and I can't help but stand up to applaud the author.  Lion is 100% right, there is not a welcoming mat and I don't know any person who feels comfortable shopping in an establishment if you can't read what store you are entering. 

Flushing is a great place to be but there are alot of things that need to be taken care of - like the rezoning for starters.

Is there hope for ALL of Flushing? 

Also read:

The Flushing Dream - Outer B.

Flushing - 1950 - Flickr (a hat tip to Meg C from Outer B)

Above Photo Courtesy of Bill Leahy, Flickr

Inside Scoop...

They are here and they are there.  People are talking abut them and starting new ones everyday.    I get emails about different ones everyday.  In My RSS Feeder I get fed alot - ahem, trust me.. alot.

Blogs.  Most people now know what a blog is and the truth of the matter is,  I have had to explain what an actual blog is a few times and well to be honest, defend myself because of my blog. 

This afternoon I got an email about Realtors blogging from MLS Marketing and it was a cute email - it went something this:

According to the 2007 Member Profile by the National Association of Realtors, only 4 percent of Realtors have a Blog. That means there is still time to get ahead of the competition by claiming your spot in the blogoshpere.

Blogs are a great way to share insights and opinions on a variety of real estate topics, from buyer-basics to the latest real estate trends. They are also a great way to build site traffic and prove your expertise to buyers and sellers in your market.

True... True. 

While all of that is true, they forgot to mention something very important: Social Networking!  Social Networking is naturally created once a Realtor starts to blog and starts to converse with another Realtor/blogger.  For some reason within the real estate industry it is very competitive, but when a two Realtors Blogs they become colleagues.  I speak to Doug Hedding from True Gotham and I love speaking with Noah from UrbanDiggs - both are two different bloggers and both excellent in my opinion, but they are not using either of their blogs to bash or talk down about each other - they have become colleagues.  Heck, Doug even referred me out.  (which, btw Doug - thanks again).    

Let me point out that there was a function this past month that drew hundreds of thousands of Realtors, Mortgage brokers, vendors and etc. together.  They were are there to bounce off some ideas, perhaps debate some ideas and maybe even walk away from some ideas.  But the fact of the matter still is - they (Bloggers) came from all over the place, two bloggers even took a month to make a cross country trip and meet up with almost every blogger from NYC to California.  (No, I am not making this up). 

Within a few weeks I will be speaking at the MLS Tech fair.  I am actually very honored and excited to be doing a panel and helping other Realtors learn how to PROPERLY blog and I will want to give my own reasons as to WHY blogging in a social way is important. 

As of this week coming, I have resigned as the manager of Carollo Real Estate.    I will however still continue to "practice" real estate and I will hope that my Broker will continue to allow me to operate with him holding my license ( I asked and he agreed, but..) . 

Please stay tuned for what happens next...

Future Auctions!

Here are a few auctions that are scheduled for August 17, 2007. 

18-34 126 Street, College Point, NY 11356

Mortgage Foreclosure - $548,116.00

This is obviously a new construction home that just never made it to the construction part.  It is, of course a two family home (R4) on a  50x100 lot.  Construction started in 2006.

 

Auction Location:

Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, New York In Courtroom

221-53 Horace Harding Expressway, Bayside NY 11364

Mortgage Foreclosure - $644,733.00

This is actually one of the most popular style of two family homes.  The set up is a duplex three bedroom over a triplex four bedroom apartment.  The foreclosure amount is way less than what the home could be sold for, so if you are looking for a bargin this one is it!

Auction Location:

Queens County Courthouse, 88-11 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, New York, In Courtroom 25.

Photos courtesy of PropertySharks.com

Thirty years ago...

I can almost remember it like it was yesterday.  Back in 1977 on this day (8/10/1977) my parents finished loading our rental moving truck and we had just said our good-byes to most of our family and friends.  I remember getting into the truck angry and thinking to myself "When I get older, I am moving back here".  I was 6.

We were moving to Arvada Colorado from Bayside New York and I was leaving "my life" behind and I was damn mad  -   I made sure that my parents would know this.   

They did not care - as we were pulling away from our old house David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam was just caught and arrested! 

Do you remember that day? 

Summer of 'Son of Sam' a world away -- Newsday.com

David Berkowitz - The Son of Sam Killer David Berkowitz

Top 25 Crimes of the Century - The Son of Sam - TIME

Just in case you missed this...

  Q: Mr. President, I want to get your thoughts about the volatility in the financial markets, but specifically, a series of questions. Do you think that housing prices will continue to fall? Do you think that the inability of people to borrow money the way they used to is going to spillover into economy generally? And what are you prepared to do about it? And, specifically, are you considering some kind of government bailout for people who might lose their homes?

THE PRESIDENT: David, I'm wise enough to remind you that I'm not an economist, and that I would ask you direct predictions and forecasts about economic matters to those who make a living making forecasts and predictions. I suspect you'll find on the one hand, on the other hand, in how they predict. (Laughter.)

To read the entire transcript:

Flushing North - Down Zoned.

It's about time.  Tony Avella is now pushing to rezone the Flushing North area. 

In the RealDeal this morning there was an article that talks about  a three family home in Flushing North on 172 and 27th ave., I find this kind of funny that Avella notices this home and not the monster "temple' thing on Bayside Ave.  I talked about this huge structure last week, I am still perplexed about how the zoning got changed from a residential zone to a CHURCH zone. 

"I think that it is very important that the areas that have not been rezoned as yet be rezoned as soon as possible, so that everything is zoned properly - the way it should be, the way the houses are at present," said Henry Euler, a member of the executive board of the Auburndale Improvement Association.

Oh, Ya think?

Answers for American Home Mortgage customers - I was just asking myself the same thing!

I have been getting calls from people who have or were going to be getting mortgages from American Home.  Most people are curious and some are down right petrified because they are scared that they will not be able to qualify for a mortgage now.  I have had to make two calls to people who have pre-approvals from AHM to make them aware of the unravelings, with little to no advice as to what to do now.

In my scrub to find any new news about AHM, I found this great in depth article of Q and A.  I think posting it here will be my new advice to  people, "just read my blog".

"What should I do if I already have a loan from American Home Mortgage?

Keep making payments, says Jonathan Pinard, Hauppauge-based president of the Empire State Mortgage Bankers Association. The loan's terms cannot be changed. It's likely the mortgage will be sold to another lender."  Newsday.com

A MUST MUST Read! 

Becareful what you do or say - we ARE watching you!

Have you ever felt like people are watching you? 

Well - they are!

The NY Sun reports that there has been a  proposal to create a citizens watchdog program so they can  to report building code violations  - the article goes onto say that the proposal has won the support from the DOB.

Shocked? 

I mean I am sure that no one who is pissed off at their neighbor will abuse this.  Nahhh.  Ohh and I doubt that any new home construction will be under tight(er) scrutiny and I would have to say that with a scouts honor no one will frivolously call in a complaint just to bust balls.  You know I must have a warped mind because another thing that comes to mind is I am sure that NO ONE will take bribery seriously.

Yeah, this is a great idea!   

Are you smarter than a .... Foreclosure?

This morning when I was going through my emails, I was greeted with this foreclosure quiz from the Realtor Magazine.    I am not going to boast or anything but I scored 11 out of 11, Take the True or False test yourself and see what you get.   

1.	As a general rule, foreclosed homes sell for less than their market value.
2.	If you bid on a foreclosed property at an auction, you also may be bidding on tax liens and other debt accrued by the prior home owners.
3.	The housing boom masked the high number of home owners who’ve struggled with paying their subprime loans — and these home owners may now be at high risk of foreclosure.
4.	Home owners who always pay their mortgage on time don’t need to worry about foreclosed homes in their neighborhood.
5.	Home owners can sidestep foreclosure by transferring the title of their home to a foreclosure rescue company for a year or two.
6 .	To purchase a HUD home (a home that’s in possession of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) you do not need to hold any special licenses or qualifications.
7 .	Reading the public notices at your local county courthouse — including bankruptcy claims and death certificates — is not an effective method of locating foreclosed properties.
8 .	Once home owners default on three mortgage payments, the home automatically goes into foreclosure.
9 .	In many states, owners of foreclosed homes can reclaim their property — even after someone else has already bought it — by paying off the loan along with any interest, taxes, and penalties.
10.	Lenders stand to benefit when home owners foreclose on properties.
11.	Once a bank takes possession of a foreclosed home, the previous owner is free of all financial obligations.
	Check your score here.