Although it is a sellers' market, some times when selling your house in a slow real estate market isn’t easy, (some times it is hard selling in general - except at Tom Crimmins Realty) but it can be done. Pricing your home right is the key to selling it within a reasonable amount of time.

Sometimes this means lowering your price while it’s on the market. Of course, you want to get as much money as possible, so how do you know when it’s time to lower your asking price?

  1. No One Is Looking At Your Home. If you expect your home to sell, you need to have people look inside it. Most buyers search for homes within a certain price range. If you aren’t getting any showings, chances are it’s because your home is overpriced compared to other homes in the…

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Staten Island's real estate market is still on the upside. May 2014 had a sight monthly sales decrease but increase in average sale price in camparison to May 2013.

Staten Island May 2014 Real EstateLast month, the Island had 248 sale sides with a monthly volume of $96,902,646. This differentiates to April 2013's 255 with a monthly volume of $101,895,194. There was an increase monthly sales from April 2014 to May 2014. 

Month Year Monthly Sales Monthly Volume Avg List $ Avg Sale $ Median Sold $ Avg DOM
May 2014 248 $101,895,194 $432,147 $410,867 $381,250 124

Staten Island wrapped May up with an average sale price of $410,867. This is a decrease from the $448,397 that was raked in May 2013. However, there was an improvement of Average…

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"today's writers...tomorrow's leaders"

Alas, the Tom Crimmins Realty 5th Grade Essay Contest has ended!

Students were asked: To what extent will the St. George Ferris Wheel impact the Staten Island community? Support all answers with either three major benefits or disadvantages.

Over 500 essays were submitted and read. Our young writers varied in listing benefits and disadvantages of the 625 feet tall St. George Ferris Wheel and side attractions that will follow. Benefits ranged from new job opportunities like handymen, tour guides, chefs and waiters in local restaurants to a boom in St. George real estate market to the wheel's efficient energy usage. Some disadvantages extended from lose of parking spaces, littering and finally to an idea of…

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Newly renovated Westerleigh Park has been on the up and up lately. Westerleigh Improvement Society and Friends of Westerleigh Park teamed up to bring the beautiful neighborhood of Westerleigh a fun and eventful summer for all families. 

June 14 - Fitness Mobile    12-2PM June 21 - Make Music New York    3-9PM *June 22 - Patriotic Sunday In The Park    2-4PM July 1 - Puppet Mobile    12-12:30PM July 8 - Art In The Park    10AM-12PM July 15 - Art In The Park    10AM-12PM July 17 - Starlight Concert July 22 - Fitness Mobile    12-2PM July 29 - Skating In The Park    12-2PM Aug 8 - Army National Guard Band    7-9PM Aug 29 - Movie In The Park    TBA Sept 3 - Wag Your Tail Social    8-10PM Sept 13 - Westerleigh Park…

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Now that the title search is complete and you have your mortgage commitment signed, you are ready to set a closing date.

When setting a closing date, there are a few things to keep in mind. First off, most people decide to close at the end of the month. The reason behind this desire is due to the fact that there is prepaid interest due at closing. This means that at closing, you are required to pay the interest for the month you are closing. The prepaid interest is calculated from the date you close until the end of that month. For example, if you close on the March 14th, you will pay interest from that date until March 31st. If you close on March 30th, you will pay interest until March 31st, or only one day’s worth of interest. Closing towards the end…

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By Timmy Rail of Citybrook Corp.; NMLS I.D. #: 12812

As a homebuyer in today's marketplace, one should be aware of all mortgage programs that are available to a borrower. The first step in the home-buying process should be getting "pre-qualified" by a seasoned mortgage loan officer that can assist in showing you all of your available options and answering all of your questions. Today, we focus on a comparison of a Conventional mortgage versus an FHA mortgage and emphasize the benefits of the Conventional loan. On a 1-family unit, a borrower can obtain a Conventional mortgage with 5% down. Assuming a 760 FICO score, let's compare a Conventional mortgage versus an FHA mortgage at today's interest rates:

  • As evidenced above, although FHA…

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Animal Planet Treehouse Masters

Remember when you were a kid climbing up that knotted rope to get to your secret place up in the trees? Well Animal Planet's Treehouse Masters does not create your typical childhood hideaway. If you haven't seen or heard of Animal Planet's brillant new show - think of ABC's Extreme Home Makeover but with an obvious twist.

This past Friday, Treehouse Masters and Pete Nelson have returned for their second season. 

Pete Nelson is the mastermind treehouse builder. He has his own treehouse-building business, runs a treehouse hotel in Washington State and has written a number of books about treehouses all over the world.

Nelson and his crew of contractors travel across country to build luxury backyard escapes that feature arboreal architecture. All…

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