Every year, termites cause billions of dollars in home damages. These pests feed on wood, but also damage insulation, swimming pool liners and filtration systems. Acknowledging termites is important when buying or selling a home since a termite inspection/infestation report is normally a condition of sale. It's time to face termites head on before they ruin the biggest investment of your life.

When Is It Time to Start Preparing

Between the spring months of March and May, infestations are mostly discovered of winged termites, known as "swarmers," emerge inside homes due to warmer temperatures and rainfall. These termites will eventually drop to the ground, shed their wings, pair off with a mate, and attempt to begin new colonies in the soil. Winged…

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"Pull open the door and you are in a Southerwestern cantina, with walls reminiscent of sun-dried clay, a glowing fireplace and memorabilia of the borough's unlikely 1930s rodeo days." - NEW YORK TIMES

When Adobe Blues in New Brighton on the Staten Island North Shore first opened, it showcased 45 brands of beer and the dining area opened about a year later. 

Recently, the Mexican restaurant and bar Adobe Blues ranked in the top 10 for biggest selection, variety, rarest brews and cheapest prices among hundreds of bars around the city.

The draft list changes regularly and there are myriad options for bottle consumption, depending your preference. There's live music many nights, too, and food should you need it. If you don't end up ordering a plate…

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So you've found the perfect Staten Island home, but there's just one problem: the kitchen isn't as big as you'd like it to be. At first glance, a smaller kitchen might seem like a deal-breaker. With a few space saving design tricks, though, you'll have all the space you need and then some. Here’s how you can turn even the smallest kitchen into an efficient cooking and dining space.

Fill Up The Walls: There’s Ample Storage All Around You

Walls are a surprisingly underused surface area in most kitchens. From spice racks to towel racks to magnetic knife boards, walls can offer a wealth of space options. Ditch the bowl fruit painting and throw up some hooks and shelves. Not only will everything you need be within reach, you'll open up more space in your…

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A borrower's credit score is one of the most significant driving factors that can influence the interest rate and loan terms they qualify for, and this can impact the mortgage payment and even loan qualification and approval. Because of how important a credit score is in the home loan process, many are searching for ways to improve their credit score. The good news is that there are several tips to follow to improve a credit rating.

Reduce Outstanding Balances

It is not necessary to have all debts paid off in order to have a great credit score, but a credit rating can be dinged if outstanding balances are too high. Paying off accounts that have a low balance and reducing balances on accounts that are close to being maxed out can be beneficial. For…

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Buying or selling a Staten Island home, comes great responsibility. Your Staten Island real estate professional also has the same responsibility to uphold when it comes to equal housing opportunity.

What is Equal Housing Opportunity?

The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) was established "to eliminate housing discrimination, promote economic opportunity, and achieve diverse, inclusive communities by leading the nation in the enforcement, administration, development, and public understanding of federal fair housing policies and laws."

How is Responsibility Shared?

Responsibility is held by home buyer, home seller and your Staten Island real estate professional.

Home sellers and landlords have a requirement under the law not…

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Buying a Staten Island home? You need to consider that you aren't only buying a home - you are buying a Staten Island neighborhood, a school zone and neighbors. So start playing detective to ensure that not only your future house could be the home of all your real estate dreams but be sure that it is a neighborhood you will love also!

Think outside the box and really look into the Staten Island area you're interested in. Buy a cup of coffee and stake out (so to speak) your potential new Staten Island home and neighbors. Take strolls along the block at different times of the day. On a lax weekend, observing the neighborhood and getting a vibe will tell you a lot about the area's real estate owner's and tenants. Do the neighbor's interact or wave to each…

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When you're grocery shopping it's common sense to try and cut costs when you can - like purchasing the store brand products over high-name brands. Although in your Staten Island home, you can do a lot of DIY's and it will save your wallet some hurt; however, there are limits on where you should cut costs and when you should not be sparse when working with a contractor. Be aware of contractors that will try to take any money.

Virginia Sherry from the Staten Island Advance put together a list of tips to avoid home improvement pitfalls from contractors in your Staten Island home. Below are her tips:

  1. The home improvement contractors' company name, address, phone number, and license number.
  2. A list of the materials to be used in the project,…

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By: Adam Bronko, New York State Licensed Real Estate Salesperson bronkohomes.com   "I don't need an agent to help me buy my home. I'm better off negotiating directly with the seller's agent" REALLY??? WHY???

The real estate market can be, at times, a tumultuous market; especially when it comes to the buying side of the deal. Real estate transactions can become be very complicated. Navigating through the ins and outs of a real estate transaction can be daunting. So why do so many home buyers think that they can sort through buying process without the assistance of a licensed professional?

In order to answer this question we must first understand what a buyer agent does. A buyer agent's responsibilities include:

  • Conducting customized…

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Do you working from home, and need to get away from daily distractions or need to set up camp in your Staten Island home? You need a haven to "get in the zone" and concentrate on the important work tasks that you need your attention.

It's quick to think and say that the spare bedroom in your home, would be your the answer; but for those who don't have a spare room there is still hope in creating your distraction-free space. Here are some ideas:

Convert/Renovate The Attic

If you have an attic in your home, use the space for a quiet and private home office. It will be separate from your home and free from any distractions. If your attic is unfinished, consider renovating the space into living space; it can turn into a great investment that will…

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It's always nice to offer the greatest hospitality during an open house of your Staten Island home. There are a few don'ts that the homeowner should avoid when potential buyers come in for showings. It's obvious that you want to take pride in your home and let the buyers know every nook and cranny, but at the same time you don't want to sabotage the chances of a sale. 

Here are some tips to consider when being a smart seller during a sale:

  1. Don't be presence or attend. Give the buyers the chance to express both pros and cons about your house to their Staten Island real estate agent. Over sharing information about the home or neighborhood may persuade the buyers into looking elsewhere. The seller's agent will deliver feedback from buyer and broker…

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