I just pulled up the figures through our Multiple Listing Service for the first 4 months of sales in Oneonta School district compared to last year at the same time. Oneonta can be proud to say that we are not as effected as the rest of the country for real estate sales.
Our system shows that in 2008 we sold 31 homes vs 34 in 2007. The average days on the market was about the same at 158 days with the median sales prices increasing 4.8%!
The biggest hit was with investment (multiple families) properties. In 2007, there was 20 units sold vs only 8 in 2008 with the median price dropping 13%.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Newly listed in Oneonta, NY
120 Park Dr. in Oneonta, NYListed on 05/06/08 - $295,000
Listed by Brad Vohs
For more information on this property, visit chesser21.com
To enjoy a virtual tour, click here!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Newly listed in Franklin, NY
10830 County Hwy 21 in Franklin, NYListed on 05/01/08 - $155,000
Listed by Cricket Keto
For more information on this property, visit chesser21.com
Newly listed in Franklin, NY
10830 County Route 21 in Franklin, NYListed on 05/05/08 - $249,900
Listed by Cricket Keto
For more information on this property, visit chesser21.com
Newly listed in Oneonta, NY
18 Academy Street in Oneonta, NY
Listed on 06/2/08- $149,000 Listed by Brad Vohs
For more information on this property, visit chesser21.com
Listed on 06/2/08- $149,000 Listed by Brad Vohs
For more information on this property, visit chesser21.com
To enjoy a virtual tour Click HERE!
Friday, May 2, 2008
Newly listed in Edmeston, NY
Louie Dickenson Rd. in Edmeston, NYListed on 05/02/08- $28,000
Listed by Karen Cahill
For more information on this property, visit chesser21.com
To enjoy a virtual tour, click here!
Newly listed in Edmeston, NY
Angel Hill Rd. & Rosa Mystica Dr. in Edmeston, NYListed on 05/02/08 - $17,000
Listed by Karen Cahill
For more information on this property, visit chesser21.com
Prepare your home For Sale
Here are a few ways strategic thinkers prepare to sell their homes:
– Prelist Home Inspections. These inspections allow sellers to identify and repair problems rather than lose money during the sale. Statistics show that for every $1 of identified repairs, the buyer would ask for double that in a price reduction. Paying $5,000 to repair a roof is far more enticing than losing $10,000 in the sale.
– Neighborhood Environmental Reports. These reports provide important information on known and potential contamination that may exist on or in the vicinity of a property. The seller could use this information to ensure buyers that the home is in an environmentally safe neighborhood.
– An overview of the neighborhood’s assets. A list of the neighborhood’s assets can help sellers market the area’s positive attributes along with those of the home. Nearby schools, parks, community pools or other features can add value for a buyer.
– Minor interior cosmetic enhancements. Upgrading or enhancing elements in a home gives potential buyers the feeling that they can move in and feel comfortable in the home right away. Besides making kitchen and bathroom upgrades and cleaning floors and windows, the entry way should be well lit, clean and uncluttered, as it’s the first room a potential buyer evaluates.– Minor exterior cosmetic enhances, curb appeal. Establish the right first impression by making a home’s exterior more appealing. Make certain the lawn is green and mowed. Evaluate any stone walkways to be certain they’re even. Plant flowers to add color and vibrancy.
RISMEDIA
– Prelist Home Inspections. These inspections allow sellers to identify and repair problems rather than lose money during the sale. Statistics show that for every $1 of identified repairs, the buyer would ask for double that in a price reduction. Paying $5,000 to repair a roof is far more enticing than losing $10,000 in the sale.
– Neighborhood Environmental Reports. These reports provide important information on known and potential contamination that may exist on or in the vicinity of a property. The seller could use this information to ensure buyers that the home is in an environmentally safe neighborhood.
– An overview of the neighborhood’s assets. A list of the neighborhood’s assets can help sellers market the area’s positive attributes along with those of the home. Nearby schools, parks, community pools or other features can add value for a buyer.
– Minor interior cosmetic enhancements. Upgrading or enhancing elements in a home gives potential buyers the feeling that they can move in and feel comfortable in the home right away. Besides making kitchen and bathroom upgrades and cleaning floors and windows, the entry way should be well lit, clean and uncluttered, as it’s the first room a potential buyer evaluates.– Minor exterior cosmetic enhances, curb appeal. Establish the right first impression by making a home’s exterior more appealing. Make certain the lawn is green and mowed. Evaluate any stone walkways to be certain they’re even. Plant flowers to add color and vibrancy.
RISMEDIA
Newly listed in Treadwell, NY
1922 Case Hill Rd. in Treadwell, NYListed on 05/02/08 - $235,000
Listed by Carol Chesser
For more information on this property, visit chesser21.com
To enjoy a virtual tour, click here!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Myths and Facts about rebate checks
RISMEDIA, March 4, 2008-(MCT)-The Internal Revenue Service has gone into myth-busting mode. Just weeks after Congress passed an economic stimulus package that includes so-called “rebate” payments for about 130 million taxpayers, rumors and misconceptions abound over who is eligible and how to get the money.
The IRS has been busy releasing notices to clarify what’s going on, with plans to send out letters this week reminding people to file 2007 tax returns in order to receive their economic stimulus payments.
Here are some other morsels you might need to chew on when it comes to your stimulus payment.
Myth: You have to report the stimulus payment you receive this year as income and pay tax on it.
Fact: The payments are not taxable and will not negatively affect the 2008 tax return you file in 2009.
Myth: Economic stimulus payments will reduce your refund when you file your taxes next year.
Fact: Not only will the payment not reduce your refund, but if you receive less than the maximum amount, you could receive an additional credit amount, up to the maximum, on your return next year. If your stimulus payment is more than the credit calculated on your return next year, you do not have to repay the difference. (The maximum amount is up to $600 for individuals or $1,200 for married couples filing jointly, plus up to $300 for each qualifying child.)
Myth: Filing taxes is so hard, you can’t possibly do them yourself, and professionals are too expensive.
Fact: People not normally required to file can use a special, simple version of Form 1040A to qualify for the payment, only needing to fill out a few lines of the form. And there are dozens of free tax preparation sites in the Tucson area for low-income and elderly taxpayers. To locate such a site, call 1-800-906-9887 or 1-800-352-3792.
Myth: Payments are automatic for everyone. You don’t need to do anything but keep checking your mail in anticipation of its arrival.
Fact: You must file a federal tax return in order to receive it. If you are one of millions of people who don’t normally file a tax return, but got at least $3,000 in Social Security, railroad retirement or certain veterans’ benefits, or if you have a small amount of earned income, you need to file a Form 1040A to receive a minimum payment of $300 for individuals or $600 for married couples.
Myth: Payments won’t be mailed until July or later, which doesn’t help when you need your money now.
Fact: Payments will begin going out starting in early May and will continue through the summer.
The IRS has yet to release the 2008 stimulus payment direct deposit and mail-out schedule. The fastest way to get your payment is to electronically file your taxes and have the money directly deposited into your bank account.
Myth: Everyone is eligible for a stimulus payment.
Fact: Lots of people aren’t going to get it. People who have less than $3,000 in qualifying income who wouldn’t otherwise file a return, “nonresident aliens,” people who don’t have a valid Social Security number, those who can be claimed as dependents on someone else’s return, and anyone who files a Form 1040NR, Form 1040PR or Form 1040SS are not eligible. Also, anyone with an income above the level at which the stimulus payment gradually reduces until it is phased out will not get a stimulus payment. Phase-out income levels begin at $75,000 for a single head of household or $150,000 for married filing jointly.
Although the purpose of the stimulus payments, or “rebates” as some people call them, is ostensibly to encourage consumers to continue spending in a weakened economy, the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies suggests people first evaluate whether they are in a “personal recession.”
The association encourages you to ask yourself if you have done any of the following in the past three months:
–Saved any portion of your income in a savings or money market account–Decreased your credit card balances–Paid all of your other monthly obligations in full–Contributed to a retirement account.
If you answered “no” to two or more, the association says you may be in a personal recession and suggests you:
–Stop charging additional purchases to your existing credit card balances.–Create and use a barebones budget of necessary expenses including housing, transportation, insurance, food and utilities, and use any money leftover to pay down debt and start an emergency savings account. Use your stimulus money to pay down debt as well instead of incurring more, and stick to this budget until you can answer “yes” to all four questions.–Seek help from a qualified credit counseling agency if you can’t meet your basic monthly expenses.
Copyright © 2008, The Arizona Daily Star, TucsonDistributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
The IRS has been busy releasing notices to clarify what’s going on, with plans to send out letters this week reminding people to file 2007 tax returns in order to receive their economic stimulus payments.
Here are some other morsels you might need to chew on when it comes to your stimulus payment.
Myth: You have to report the stimulus payment you receive this year as income and pay tax on it.
Fact: The payments are not taxable and will not negatively affect the 2008 tax return you file in 2009.
Myth: Economic stimulus payments will reduce your refund when you file your taxes next year.
Fact: Not only will the payment not reduce your refund, but if you receive less than the maximum amount, you could receive an additional credit amount, up to the maximum, on your return next year. If your stimulus payment is more than the credit calculated on your return next year, you do not have to repay the difference. (The maximum amount is up to $600 for individuals or $1,200 for married couples filing jointly, plus up to $300 for each qualifying child.)
Myth: Filing taxes is so hard, you can’t possibly do them yourself, and professionals are too expensive.
Fact: People not normally required to file can use a special, simple version of Form 1040A to qualify for the payment, only needing to fill out a few lines of the form. And there are dozens of free tax preparation sites in the Tucson area for low-income and elderly taxpayers. To locate such a site, call 1-800-906-9887 or 1-800-352-3792.
Myth: Payments are automatic for everyone. You don’t need to do anything but keep checking your mail in anticipation of its arrival.
Fact: You must file a federal tax return in order to receive it. If you are one of millions of people who don’t normally file a tax return, but got at least $3,000 in Social Security, railroad retirement or certain veterans’ benefits, or if you have a small amount of earned income, you need to file a Form 1040A to receive a minimum payment of $300 for individuals or $600 for married couples.
Myth: Payments won’t be mailed until July or later, which doesn’t help when you need your money now.
Fact: Payments will begin going out starting in early May and will continue through the summer.
The IRS has yet to release the 2008 stimulus payment direct deposit and mail-out schedule. The fastest way to get your payment is to electronically file your taxes and have the money directly deposited into your bank account.
Myth: Everyone is eligible for a stimulus payment.
Fact: Lots of people aren’t going to get it. People who have less than $3,000 in qualifying income who wouldn’t otherwise file a return, “nonresident aliens,” people who don’t have a valid Social Security number, those who can be claimed as dependents on someone else’s return, and anyone who files a Form 1040NR, Form 1040PR or Form 1040SS are not eligible. Also, anyone with an income above the level at which the stimulus payment gradually reduces until it is phased out will not get a stimulus payment. Phase-out income levels begin at $75,000 for a single head of household or $150,000 for married filing jointly.
Although the purpose of the stimulus payments, or “rebates” as some people call them, is ostensibly to encourage consumers to continue spending in a weakened economy, the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies suggests people first evaluate whether they are in a “personal recession.”
The association encourages you to ask yourself if you have done any of the following in the past three months:
–Saved any portion of your income in a savings or money market account–Decreased your credit card balances–Paid all of your other monthly obligations in full–Contributed to a retirement account.
If you answered “no” to two or more, the association says you may be in a personal recession and suggests you:
–Stop charging additional purchases to your existing credit card balances.–Create and use a barebones budget of necessary expenses including housing, transportation, insurance, food and utilities, and use any money leftover to pay down debt and start an emergency savings account. Use your stimulus money to pay down debt as well instead of incurring more, and stick to this budget until you can answer “yes” to all four questions.–Seek help from a qualified credit counseling agency if you can’t meet your basic monthly expenses.
Copyright © 2008, The Arizona Daily Star, TucsonDistributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Tax Rebate Checks
1 in 4 Homeowners Consider Spending Their Tax Rebate Checks
on Home Improvement Projects
RISMEDIA, May 1, 2008-Resilient American homeowners intend to shake off concerns about the slumping real estate market and plant the money they receive as part of the federal economic stimulus package into what for many is their most important financial asset: their homes.
A national consumer opinion survey released today found that 24% of U.S. homeowners are “considering using” the money they will receive as part of the federal economic stimulus package to upgrade or improve their homes. In addition, roughly one in five respondents, or 19%, said they would “definitely use” their rebate money for a home improvement project. The survey was conducted in April by Johns Manville (JM), a building and specialty products manufacturer, and Opinion Research Corp., a market research firm.
“The federal government is hoping that Americans will spend these checks and help stimulate the nation’s economy, and this survey confirms that many Americans are prepared to do that, at least when it comes to their homes,” said Wayne Russum, senior vice president of Opinion Research Corp.
Among respondents who said they are not considering using their rebate check for a home improvement, the most common intended uses were saving it (45%), paying down debt (40%), taking a vacation (14%), purchasing a luxury item (9%), or something else (5%).
The tax rebates were created earlier this year by a Congressional bill aimed at encouraging consumer spending in the face of a slumping economy and a weak housing market. The checks started arriving in taxpayers’ bank accounts on Monday. Single taxpayers with annual adjusted gross income of less than $75,000 qualify, as do joint filers making less than $150,000.
The telephone survey of 751 American homeowners was conducted from April 11-14 by Opinion Research Corp., a national market research firm based in New Jersey, on behalf of Johns Manville, an international building materials manufacturer based in Denver. The survey’s sampling error was plus or minus four percentage points.
The survey found that the most popular projects for respondents considering using their rebate checks for a home improvement project included: household upgrades, including landscaping (23%) or an upgrade of the bathroom (13%) or kitchen (12%); improving their homes’ energy efficiency, including adding attic insulation (9%), caulking or sealing (4%), or installing energy efficient light bulbs (4%); or painting a room (10%).
The survey’s other key findings included:
Homeowners between the ages of 25 and 34 were most likely to consider using the rebate checks for a home improvement (33%); homeowners older than 65 were least likely (20%).
Homeowners in the West were most likely to use their rebate check for a home improvement (27%); homeowners in the South were least likely (22%).
The most common reasons cited for pursuing a home improvement project with the rebate money were comfort (34%), aesthetics (17%), environmental impact (15%), resale (13%), and return on investment (8%).
Among all respondents, 31% of homeowners said they are planning to start a home improvement project during May, which is National Home Improvement Month.
“Clearly, many homeowners agree that investing in their homes can improve their quality of life and provide a solid return on investment,” said Mark Ziegert, JM’s senior brand manager for building insulation products. “People who use their rebate check to improve their home’s energy efficiency not only enhance the comfort of their home, they will achieve cost saving in both the winter and summer through improved energy efficiency, and they may increase the resale value of the home.”
on Home Improvement Projects
RISMEDIA, May 1, 2008-Resilient American homeowners intend to shake off concerns about the slumping real estate market and plant the money they receive as part of the federal economic stimulus package into what for many is their most important financial asset: their homes.
A national consumer opinion survey released today found that 24% of U.S. homeowners are “considering using” the money they will receive as part of the federal economic stimulus package to upgrade or improve their homes. In addition, roughly one in five respondents, or 19%, said they would “definitely use” their rebate money for a home improvement project. The survey was conducted in April by Johns Manville (JM), a building and specialty products manufacturer, and Opinion Research Corp., a market research firm.
“The federal government is hoping that Americans will spend these checks and help stimulate the nation’s economy, and this survey confirms that many Americans are prepared to do that, at least when it comes to their homes,” said Wayne Russum, senior vice president of Opinion Research Corp.
Among respondents who said they are not considering using their rebate check for a home improvement, the most common intended uses were saving it (45%), paying down debt (40%), taking a vacation (14%), purchasing a luxury item (9%), or something else (5%).
The tax rebates were created earlier this year by a Congressional bill aimed at encouraging consumer spending in the face of a slumping economy and a weak housing market. The checks started arriving in taxpayers’ bank accounts on Monday. Single taxpayers with annual adjusted gross income of less than $75,000 qualify, as do joint filers making less than $150,000.
The telephone survey of 751 American homeowners was conducted from April 11-14 by Opinion Research Corp., a national market research firm based in New Jersey, on behalf of Johns Manville, an international building materials manufacturer based in Denver. The survey’s sampling error was plus or minus four percentage points.
The survey found that the most popular projects for respondents considering using their rebate checks for a home improvement project included: household upgrades, including landscaping (23%) or an upgrade of the bathroom (13%) or kitchen (12%); improving their homes’ energy efficiency, including adding attic insulation (9%), caulking or sealing (4%), or installing energy efficient light bulbs (4%); or painting a room (10%).
The survey’s other key findings included:
Homeowners between the ages of 25 and 34 were most likely to consider using the rebate checks for a home improvement (33%); homeowners older than 65 were least likely (20%).
Homeowners in the West were most likely to use their rebate check for a home improvement (27%); homeowners in the South were least likely (22%).
The most common reasons cited for pursuing a home improvement project with the rebate money were comfort (34%), aesthetics (17%), environmental impact (15%), resale (13%), and return on investment (8%).
Among all respondents, 31% of homeowners said they are planning to start a home improvement project during May, which is National Home Improvement Month.
“Clearly, many homeowners agree that investing in their homes can improve their quality of life and provide a solid return on investment,” said Mark Ziegert, JM’s senior brand manager for building insulation products. “People who use their rebate check to improve their home’s energy efficiency not only enhance the comfort of their home, they will achieve cost saving in both the winter and summer through improved energy efficiency, and they may increase the resale value of the home.”
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