Tom Crimmins Realty Blog - Tom Crimmins Realty

Personalized Gifts For Around the Home ... And More

Thinking about something for the holidays to give to a friend or your family member that they can use around the house and will appreciate? Time to get sentimental and here are a few ideas on where to start:

Social Print Studio, formerly known as Printstagram, and Snapfish are ideal for the personalized gifts. Social Print Studio will take photos from your friends' social media or your own to make the perfect gift. You can make a sticker book to metal prints for a person's wall gallery to photostrips. Snapfish has similar products but you can upload your own pictures and customize any order. Create a wall calendar and you choose how many pictures are featured each month, or select a group picture and have it made into a throw blanket. Snapfish has…

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Only The Best In Office: Buyer Agency Representation

At Tom Crimmins Realty we are big believers in working very hard for our clients. Our clients could be either buyers or sellers. Once we have agreed to represent our clients, we aggressively handle the transaction, negotiate and advise each step of the way.

Training and continuing education is very important. At Tom Crimmins Realty we regularly educate our agents on all aspects of real estate so we can legally and properly represent our clients.

On Tuesday, December 1st, over 70 of our agents attended a Buyer Agency Representation Seminar conducted by the well known expert Rosanne Farrow, and a mortgage seminar conducted by Dan Boxman of United Northern Mortgage.

The seminar was held at the Manor House Restaurant and it was a great education…

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Budgeting For Affordable Mortgage Payments

A mortgage payment typically is one of the biggest payments that a person is responsible for. This financial responsibility might impact a person's budget significantly for several years to come. There are mortgage calculators online that can be used to estimate an affordable mortgage payment. However, it is important to start with a basic budget to determine more accurately how much mortgage payment is truly affordable before applying for a new mortgage.

List Income From All Sources

First, list all sources of income that is received regularly. This includes regular paychecks from both spouses, dividends, and annuities. Most budgets are prepared on a monthly basis, so ensure that the total amount of take-home for a typical month is included in the…

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Tiny, but Cozy How to Furnish Small Spaces

When decorating a small room, it may seem like a struggle to make the space look and feel larger than it is while also meeting basic functional needs. By following a few important tips, it is possible to furnish smaller spaces so that they are functional and do not feel cramped.

Functional Storage Solutions

Storage solutions can be decorative, and they can be a true benefit to the décor in the room. An ottoman with hidden storage, an entertainment center with cabinets and shelves or a tall bookshelf that can hold many of the items that are needed in the room are perfect furniture pieces.

Decorate The Space Vertically

Did you know it's not ideal to decorate a smaller room horizontally. In a smaller space, decorating the space vertically by…

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Remembering Those Who Served: Vietnam War

Members of VVA Thomas J. Tori Chapter 421 at Memorial Park located in Castleton Corners.

In January 1973 a peace agreement was signed ending the direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War. The last American troops were withdrawn on March 29 that same year, but the battle did not end then. On April 30, 1975, the last few Americans still in South Vietnam were airlifted out of the country.

To memorialize those who were lost, the Memorial Park was opened in Castleton Corners in May 1988, as a part of the New York State Armory.

Gene DiGiacomo, President of Vietnam Veterans Chapter 421, has said, "We were worried about what was going to happen to it when we were gone." 

This past year, the park has had some massive changes and reopened June…

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July 2015 Staten Island Real Estate Market Recap

It has been another year of big changes in Staten Island's real estate market. Here are the statistics that prove this!

In 2014, 324 properties were sold in the month of July. This year, homes sold in July increased to 349.

This chart shows that the average sale price of a house in Staten Island also had a healthy increase: from $447,357 in July of 2014 to $452,568 in July of 2015.

In conclusion, the real estate market has grown since July of…

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Selling Your Home? 3 Reasons Why You May Need to Accept a Bid That's Below Your Asking Price

When a homeowner makes the decision to sell his or her property, it is most common for a skilled real estate professional to provide valuation services so that a reasonable asking price can be established. While the asking price may seem fair to the homeowner, the fact is that not all properties will sell at the original asking price. There are several instances when a homeowner may need to consider accepting a bid that is below the asking price.

When The Property Has Been On The Market For A While

Most homeowners will learn about the average listing time for similar properties in the market through their real estate agent, but some homes will remain on the market for longer than average. When this happens, a homeowner may begin to get concerned,…

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June 2015 Staten Island Real Estate Market Recap

It has been another year, and much has changed in Staten Island's real estate market. Here are a few charts that show the changes that occurred between June of 2014 and June of this year.

The chart above shows that there has been a healthy increase in monthly sales. Last year, 307 properties were sold in the month of the July, compared to 340 this year.

This chart shows that there was a slight increase in the average sale price in Staten Island over the last year.

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2015 5th Grade Essay Contest

Our committee of over 12 people read and shared each essay. We could have easily chosen any of our top fifty essays. Because of our tough decisions, we opted to award six children instead of the promised four. Our 5th and 6th place winners received Kindle Fires.

The winners and parents were invited to attend our awards ceremony dinner at the Pepper Jack Grill on Tuesday June 23rd, 2015 to read their essay and receive their well deserved awards.

The winners are as follows:

• Platinum - Kayla Burkley of Blessed Sacrament (Laptop)
• Gold - Olivia Simmons of St. Rita's (iPad Mini Tablet)
• Silver - Avery Dixon of PS 53 (Kindle Tablet)
• Bronze - Ariane Miceli of PS 1 (Kindle Tablet)
• Honorable Mention - Andrew Barbera of OLGC (Kindle Tablet)
…

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How does your Credit Report Affect Your Mortgage?

One of the first (and very important) steps in qualifying for a mortgage is to have your bank run your credit report. Your credit report has a major impact on what type of mortgage loan you qualify for.

What is on my credit report?

 Your credit report will consist of three separate scores from each of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Transunion and Experian. The scores from each bureau are usually different of varying degrees. The report also consists of all your monthly payment obligations and your payment history on each one. What banks do with your credit report is to make sure you have a history of making your payments and making them on time. If you are behind on any of your payments, the bank will see this on your credit report. They…

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