A MEMORIAL DAY MEMORIAL  In 2014 on July 4th weekend I wrote a post that was featured. It was about things to do on a holiday such as the 4th here in the Hamptons...I had someone comment on that post and it was an unforgettable piece of writing---from the heart and soul of a man who valued his Father and the service he gave to this country...It was his Memorial to his now deceased DadI wrote the post below at the time just so I could share it with all of you here on Activerain---So here it is again in case you never saw it:   SOMETIMES THERE ARE TREASURES IN THE MOST UNEXPECTED PLACES: This morning, when I got the following comment on my 4th of July post from last year, I knew that I had to let you all see it. I couldn't figure out how he wrote this on that old post but it does not ma... 05/26/2017

DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO TELL?...A Story Can Make Your Marketing Sing!  In 2013, as we began our climb out of the great recession, I wrote the post below. It was a challenge because I was assuming that anyone can write! What an assumption! But, what I found out was that anyone CAN write if they get the encouragement and the right guidance. Now the idea that "The Story" about a product, a place, a home and every single thing you want to convince someone about will make the "sale"! People fall in love with a good story!!!: TELL ME A STORY....A Story About Real Estate and Local Information..Note: This is the third in a series of posts about the importance of blogging to real estate agents and brokers--starting it, keeping it going and doing it with continuity. We are in the middle of a major... 05/24/2017

DO WE ALREADY KNOW WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN REAL ESTATE IN THE FUTURE???I believe we do--on some level. If we open our minds and "free-associate" our thinking so that we narrow down the probabilities and possibilities we will very often find the seeds that bring the new reality into focus.That's what I find happens when I blog--The future will pop out of a post that I wrote years before and it makes me feel like a bit of a fortune teller!!Read on and see what I mean from this post written in May of 2013--I got over 17,500 hits since I wrote it:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A MAJOR MARKET SHIFT IS HAPPENING; LOOK AT THE POSSIBILITIES...I actually wrote this post in late March--Since then some major shifts have already begun and I... 05/24/2017

KILLING BROKERAGE--HOW LONG BEFORE ZILLOW SUCCEEDS???The Headline says it all: Zillow Launches Instant Offers Pilot Program  This is another way to allow sellers to list their homes and for buyers to buy them, resulting in a deal without having to pay a commission!! Sound familiar? I wrote a post several weeks back about another such Zillow link designed to side-step brokerages and to allow deals to get done without the "interference" of an agent:MAKE ME MOVE...Another Way To Take Money Out of Your Pocket!!Meanwhile, the push to get agents to pay Zillow for their own listings has heated up and here in the Hamptons now there are more and more agents buying into it just to survive. It is a major shakedown that Zillow is doing--like the mafia---making you pay for "Protection" of your own l... 05/22/2017

MAKE YOUR BUYERS AND SELLERS HAPPY--INFORM THEM!!It sounds simple enough, right? Nothing is easier than to keep your customers and clients informed of all the things that you know they need to know.Well, it rarely happens that an agent will be sure to inform them of every important detail from the taxes they don't know they have to pay at closing to the history of the area where the property is located.Informing the public is the part of doing real estate that seems to fall by the way side more than any other part of this business. Yet, that is the one thing that you can do to make sure your buyers come back to you and your sellers keep your name for future business.It's also a reminder of failure if your buyer finds out at the lawyers office or worse, at the closing table that they owe... 05/01/2017

DO YOU HAVE A LIFE GUIDE FOR SUCCESS??"Today is the first day of your life as a SUCCESSFUL real estate agent."Even though we  think we know we are successful, until we really look at our situation and evaluate it in truth, it is very hard to say that to oneself.I am telling you that I have a guide that you are welcome to use...or not!This guide below is the simple truth about real estate success.My guide begins with a few simple ideas:  Success in real estate is cumulative. You will never be successful in real estate if you think you know everything there is to know about it. You will not succeed in real estate if you don't like people, even the most difficult and unlikable sort. Success in real estate is based upon all your failures and what you have learned from them. You don't necess... 04/01/2017

REAL ESTATE *DABBLERS: A NEW MARKET DRIVER FOR 2017?When the real estate market dropped dead in 2009 there were no risk takers, or Dabblers in real estate out there buying up real estate--at least here in the Hamptons.These buyers,  whom I will call Dabblers have been more negatively affected by the housing crash than anyone else. Unlike the new builders who arrived in town in 2014-2015 to buy up existing homes by the dozens, to bulldoze and then rebuild, these Dabblers stepped aside. Many became renters for the first time in decades!No one had the stomach for going in and swooping down on the desperate homeowners who had to divest themselves of their largest investment of their lifetime! Not only that, so many were affected by the crash themselves that very few Dabblers  were prepared ... 12/07/2016

 "MASSIVE OVERHAUL" OF NEW YORK STATE FIRE CODEAs of October 3, 2016 New York State has made a major change in their required egress window code for lower levels or basement living spaces in private residences .These changes will make a significant increase in building costs for new builds and new renovations, regardless if the lower level is finished or not! This means you will need to hire a knowledgeable builder to advise you and to create the egress.    If a home has a basement or lower level, the homeowner is required to  create a legal escape through an egress window or door. These egress escapes are required to be a certain size, open a certain way and this applies to all new, renovated or existing homes. If you have an existing home that has a basement and you do laundry, do exe... 12/03/2016

THE ILLUSIVE BUYER...I don't know about you but I am finding that the whole real estate market has changed in the last year or so. Not just the attitude of buyers and sellers but the whole way of doing business has changed.It is like the Jeanie is out of the bottle and anything goes with buyers and sellers... IT ALL BEGINS THIS WAY... A lead comes in from a popular website:BUYER: I want to see the house at such and such Lane on Saturday at 12:00AGENT: Great,  can I show you other houses in that community? There is another one that may work.BUYER: No thanks!AGENT: How about other houses in that price range? We are having a lot of activity on a street nearby.BUYER: No thanks---I only want to see that one.The conversation ends as quickly as it began and this is usually in the form of an em... 12/03/2016

STATE OF THE MARKET …ONE YEAR AND COUNTING     Hampton real estate has had several really good years since the 2008 housing crash and the recession that followed. The years of 2013 and 2014 saw record sales and price increases that brought us back to the 2006-2007 levels. Buyers and homeowners never looked back to the scary times immediately following the 2008 housing recession and instead, moved forward as if the downturn never happened---at least they did here in the Hamptons…2015 was a year that no one thought we would see again. Prices went into the stratosphere and seemed to take on an irrational upward momentum; some even spoke of another “bubble” Then, at the beginning of 2016, things changed! 2016 began with a very slow start. Buyers were looking at record high prices and even i... 08/14/2016

A MAJOR SHIFT IN NORMAL SUMMER VACATION MONTHS? Last year about this time, I was asking myself and my fellow agents what was going on? The rental market had been so quiet that it was like the dead of winter traffic-wise right up until Memorial Day here! Hamptons Summer rentals traditionally rent from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The average home usually gets rented here in the mid-winter months of January through March for the summer season. Many actually get rented in November and December to those who want the creme de la creme of the Hamptons summer offerings.   Last year we ended up with a decent rental season but it took a while to get there and many tenants who normally chose Memorial Day as a beginning to their summer season decided to come for July and August through Labor day and... 05/18/2016

Explosive New Development in Southampton Village, NYA BUCOLIC SUMMER HAVENThose who have lived in the Hampton's for the past 25 years or more know that Southampton Village is very quietly the preferred place to live. It’s the only Hampton built right on the ocean and it is in close proximity to 9 ocean beaches, world famous shops and restaurants, to say nothing of the nature trails, parks and playgrounds that dot the 7.22 mile square Village…A very desirable location!Southampton Village is also fairly close to the city for those folks who like to be within reasonable driving distance. It takes about 1.5 hours to drive to Southampton versus 2 to 3 hours or more from the city to drive to points further east on a summer weekend.NEW CONSTRUCTION EXPLODESNow, with proximity driving so many h... 03/22/2016

 Finding a Big Payoff For Your Local Knowledge.... As real estate professionals we all know the tremendous value of knowing what is good in your marketing area and what you find the public needs to know about if they decide to buy  and live in your niche area. I have spoken to so many of my fellow agents about my blog here on ActiveRain and when I tell them they should at least try it most say "What in the world would I write about?" Most have no idea that all you have to do is sit down and make a list--literally, a list of the things that you enjoy doing and places you find are your favorites. Then take that list and write around it, giving as much colorful detail and readable data as possible. One of my fellow agents at Douglas Elliman and a dear friend Susan Hovdesven did just that: ... 07/29/2015

THE BEST SUMMER IN THE HAMPTONS IS AHEAD!!! This historical 4-square traditional, located on one of  the most desirable streets in Southampton Village is on the market for under $5million and offers a pool, tennis court and close proximity to the famous Little Plains Beach just blocks to the center of the Village.Sure there are other villages and hamlets to enjoy and each one has it's own personality and attractions; but there is something about Southampton Village, New York that makes you want to come back again and again and again!!!HAPPENINGS IN SOUTHAMPTON VILLAGE       Agawam Park and Playground was just recently updated to include all kinds of new equipment. Located at the West end of Jobs Lane, this park has been in existence for decades. The park was established as a memorial to... 07/01/2015

HOW DO YOU VIEW THE WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE ON NAR?It has been some time since I have read such scathing things about the real estate profession, but this one takes the cake: article recently published by The Washington Post.I believe we all recognize the frailties of the real estate business and the agents who fill the ranks. This article points out the most obvious problems and covers the worst offenses--and does nothing to mitigate the negative attitudes faced by the better segment of this profession.Maybe I am wrong but I see the agent population in this industry as split into four very different parts; all with varying reputation results: The established "Old Guard" of agents who have been in the business for 15-20 or even 30 years and bring professional experience and recognizable... 06/21/2015

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FRESH, LOCAL PRODUCE!!!This is a post that I wrote a year ago as we settled in here in the hamptons for a wonderful summer. This summer has begun with the normal crowds but this year more than last is a beauty--the weather has been spectaular and after that long horrible winter, ....well you  guessed it! We are enjoying it more than ever!!!                 LOCAL PRODUCE, HEALTHY EATING AND FUN...ALL FOUND IN THE HAMPTONS!!! Farm stands are just one Iconic statement of the Hamptons...There are many but the Farm Stand is the stand-alone Icon that has been brought forward from the earliest times to now with very little if any change! The Farm land and the Ocean, seemingly the most crucial elements of earth and water that seed, cultivate, propagate and create the primary ... 06/14/2015

THE TOWNHOME BUSINESS IS ON FIRE!!!...at least it is here in Southampton Village.It has been almost a year since I last posted something here on AR and it feels so good to be doing it again!,First of all, this has been a record two years for me in real estate so finding the time to blog has been a little difficult. Now is the time I think in spite of the short time I have to do it!I am not so sure I am familiar with the new way of doing things here but here goes:TOWNHOUSE PROJECTS ARE THE WINNERS IN 2015Back in 2013, I wrote a post that was all about the need for more luxury town homes here in Southampton--since that post there have been 2 major developments that have been completed and guess what? They are all sold out! One project made up of 62 townhouse units, priced between $800k to... 06/12/2015

THE MOST OBSCENE THING TO HAPPEN.... There! I knew I would get your attention by the title! Now, I can tell you what it is: Activerain has been taken over by the likes of Trulia; and my blog posts and all the time I spent over the years since 2007, now belongs to this BEAST of a website! All my hard work in writing the local posts that were so highly read by the public is down the tubes----Trulia has absconded with my "content"!!!   I can no longer just sit by and let this happen. Short of going on Activerain and deleting every single blog post I have written, I have no idea how to "get rid" of this obscenity of a website. Any ideas from all those out there who get what I am saying? How do you go about getting the monster off your back? I do NOT want to be identified with Trulia in any ... 01/28/2015

BIG HOUSES ON SMALLER LOTS: "AFFORDABLE LUXURY"  In 2011, I sold two small capes on small lots (.33 acre lots) and a developer bought them through me. With my guidance and his builder's and Architect's acumen we created a whole new market for this historical Village of Southampton. Both of the new houses were top of the line luxury homes on 1/3 acre lots. These houses traded for 1/2+ as much as the original homes and this set a trend in place for buyers to buy any new construction in the same neighborhood, paying even more than the original two homes. Fine workmanship, craftsman style custom finishing  and creatively planned layouts created a demand that did not exist before now. What is the most important thing to the buyer who has unlimited funds to own a home here? Proximity! Near th... 11/03/2014

LOCAL PRODUCE, HEALTHY EATING AND FUN...ALL FOUND IN THE HAMPTONS!!! Farm stands are just one Iconic statement of the Hamptons...There are many but the Farm Stand is the stand-alone Icon that has been brought forward from the earliest times to now with very little if any change! The Farm land and the Ocean, seemingly the most crucial elements of earth and water that seed, cultivate, propagate and create the primary foods for our table, are the big draw here. When the masses head out this way for summer fun, they normally first seek out the nearest farm stand to gather the local fare for their dinner tables.  Very few people from the outside world fully understand the importance of the land here in the Hamptons; fertile and always producing the most enjoyable and healthy farm fare for th... 08/02/2014