It's time to "monitor and adjust." I realized last week that while homes may sell, the people who input the closings may not do so for a while, so it's better to look at closings from a year's point of view.
This year since the first of January I see 13 closings for Skaneateles as published through the multiple listing service. There were 7 in January, 3 each in February and March. Of these, 6 were village homes, 3 were waterfront (even in the winter!). A couple were technically not in Skaneateles, but listed in the area because of the lake. Prices ranged from $117,900 to $825,000. Generally, the sale price was about 7% to 10% off the list price.
This last fact is difficult to generalize. Several homes have gone through cycles of listings, starting at a higher price and coming down as Realtors changed, as time went on and the homes became "shelf worn." The 10% figure might not be accurate in these cases from the initial pricing, just as the house which sells within the first day at a fire sale price does not accurately reflect what is happening.
Last week I forgot to publish the average price for a home in Skaneateles, which was $558,000 according to the paper. In reference to this week's number - $549,300 - the difference is minimal. Both are well above last year's average of $484,800. Not too many communities outside of central New York are able to boast an increase of over 11%!
Currently there are 94 active single family homes listed in the Skaneateles area. The lowest price is $114,900 and the waterfront on the west side remains the highest at about 3.5M, although there is a second one on the east side which is nudging it.
What to take away from this? Skaneateles is still a good investment!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Declutterization - Part One
Over and over I am asked what is the best thing to do to sell a home. I'm on my way to just such an appointment this afternoon, and the answer will be what it always is - get rid of "stuff."
Early on in my career I showed a house owned by an older couple who were down-sizing. Their home was filled with a lifetime of memories and just plain stuff. It wasn't just all over, but was boxed and on shelves, the workshop organized with every tool imaginable, and the house what my clients wanted. They expressed the opinion that the older couple would never move.
"Of course they will," I insisted. "Everything will go - you can even write it into the contract that by walk-through it will be gone."
"No," they said, and we looked at other homes and bought something else.
To my knowledge, they were right. The home of the older couple never did sell! The family took it off the market and it sits to this day, filled with stuff, I imagine.
My mother's house was the same. She knew she had to move and the moving date was scheduled for July, so in January she started filling boxes with a younger woman who came to help her once a week. They worked full days, sorting and throwing out, enjoying memories and filling boxes that eventually came to be stacked in the living room and walked around for months. Moving day came. We took out all the boxes - and the house was still filled with stuff. Every closet was still packed, the attic was still full - and now we had the boxes, too!
Over the summer she and my son, Alex, spent long days in the attic again sorting and boxing and letting go, supposedly. They would nod off in the heat, waking to work some more. We brought those boxes to our house, too. And the broken spinning wheel, the doll's house, the books and photos of someone's relatives.
I went back myself and got the clothes out. Yes, I saved her suede jacket that I remember from my childhood. All the muffin tins, loaf pans and cookie cutters came too. Besides the clothes, I had trouble throwing things out, too. My long-suffering husband sighed and built shelves in the basement and the garage.
"Your family never throws anything out!" he grumbled.
Over the years my mother lived with us she would go through a box a week, handing things to him with the exhortation of "Find a good place for this, would you, please?" If he got it past me, it went in the garbage. Of course one Christmas my mother asked for her cookie press and we assumed he had thrown it out, so we surreptitiously went out and bought a new one. After she passed on, we found the old one - and another two!
My birthmother's family gave me the opportunity to bring all her things to my house when she passed on, too. This was 1993, and I was still living in Skaneateles in a small cottage. Her belongings from her two bedroom apartment (and multiple storage units) in Binghamton overwhelmed our home for months. Alex and I walked around boxes ourselves, not having met Bob-the-shelfbuilder yet. For years afterwards I had mini panic attacks whenever I entered a dollar store.
So now you can guess the state of our house. My son seems not to have inherited the family penchant for stuff. He still has a closet here but it's half-filled. His tiny Manhattan apartment can't hold any. But despite many, many garage sales and e-bay sales after my mother passed away two years ago we are still overrun by stuff.
I had clients two years ago who told me quite seriously that they have decided not to accumulate stuff. They were just starting out, and they said they watched their parents take load after load to the dump in their 60s of things they had kept and moived with for over 40 years. They were determined not to do that, so in their own cross-country move they would weed out what was important and what not. I remember thinking how smart they are! (Of course two years later they tell me they didn't do it and thank goodness they bought a large house for all their stuff!)
Point is - we have stuff, you probably have stuff - and now what do we do about it?
Early on in my career I showed a house owned by an older couple who were down-sizing. Their home was filled with a lifetime of memories and just plain stuff. It wasn't just all over, but was boxed and on shelves, the workshop organized with every tool imaginable, and the house what my clients wanted. They expressed the opinion that the older couple would never move.
"Of course they will," I insisted. "Everything will go - you can even write it into the contract that by walk-through it will be gone."
"No," they said, and we looked at other homes and bought something else.
To my knowledge, they were right. The home of the older couple never did sell! The family took it off the market and it sits to this day, filled with stuff, I imagine.
My mother's house was the same. She knew she had to move and the moving date was scheduled for July, so in January she started filling boxes with a younger woman who came to help her once a week. They worked full days, sorting and throwing out, enjoying memories and filling boxes that eventually came to be stacked in the living room and walked around for months. Moving day came. We took out all the boxes - and the house was still filled with stuff. Every closet was still packed, the attic was still full - and now we had the boxes, too!
Over the summer she and my son, Alex, spent long days in the attic again sorting and boxing and letting go, supposedly. They would nod off in the heat, waking to work some more. We brought those boxes to our house, too. And the broken spinning wheel, the doll's house, the books and photos of someone's relatives.
I went back myself and got the clothes out. Yes, I saved her suede jacket that I remember from my childhood. All the muffin tins, loaf pans and cookie cutters came too. Besides the clothes, I had trouble throwing things out, too. My long-suffering husband sighed and built shelves in the basement and the garage.
"Your family never throws anything out!" he grumbled.
Over the years my mother lived with us she would go through a box a week, handing things to him with the exhortation of "Find a good place for this, would you, please?" If he got it past me, it went in the garbage. Of course one Christmas my mother asked for her cookie press and we assumed he had thrown it out, so we surreptitiously went out and bought a new one. After she passed on, we found the old one - and another two!
My birthmother's family gave me the opportunity to bring all her things to my house when she passed on, too. This was 1993, and I was still living in Skaneateles in a small cottage. Her belongings from her two bedroom apartment (and multiple storage units) in Binghamton overwhelmed our home for months. Alex and I walked around boxes ourselves, not having met Bob-the-shelfbuilder yet. For years afterwards I had mini panic attacks whenever I entered a dollar store.
So now you can guess the state of our house. My son seems not to have inherited the family penchant for stuff. He still has a closet here but it's half-filled. His tiny Manhattan apartment can't hold any. But despite many, many garage sales and e-bay sales after my mother passed away two years ago we are still overrun by stuff.
I had clients two years ago who told me quite seriously that they have decided not to accumulate stuff. They were just starting out, and they said they watched their parents take load after load to the dump in their 60s of things they had kept and moived with for over 40 years. They were determined not to do that, so in their own cross-country move they would weed out what was important and what not. I remember thinking how smart they are! (Of course two years later they tell me they didn't do it and thank goodness they bought a large house for all their stuff!)
Point is - we have stuff, you probably have stuff - and now what do we do about it?
Friday, March 28, 2008
Then and Now
Then it was past eight o'clock in Manlius, east of Syracuse, when I finished showing houses to my out-of-town clients. We were exhausted, having gone strong since 3:00. They went off for an evening of good food in a local restaurant and a long discussion of the possibilities we had seen. Great choices, but a difficult decision lay ahead.
I headed for home, knowing there would be dinner on the table (thank you Bob!), a warm bottle of Ithaca Nut Brown Ale, a cozy fire and NCAA basketball games to watch. The rain started to mix with snow as I flew past Wegman's in Fayetteville onto a scary 690. Lanes blurred and I wanted a distraction. NPR was hosting a discussion of ants and their habitats. That wasn't it. I turned to AM radio and found the West Virginia/Xavier game in progress. It had been a long time since I'd listened to a game on the radio, but it was most welcome.
At the breaks I heard commercials - local and national. RE/MAX apparently through Westwood One is a sponsor of the NCAA Tournament. I thought how apropos it was - my weary self being brought home to the sound of a RE/MAX commercial. But how true it was, too. "RE/MAX agents sell more homes per average than any other company." We do!
Now I'm in the office, finishing up before grabbing dinner from Doug's next door and running home for the 7:00 game tonight. After starting again at 9:00 this morning in the unexpected snow, the couple decided on a new home - hooray! Agents needed to be notified that despite their best efforts their homes weren't chosen. My family coming in from Florida tomorrow were just starting the process and I was also here to write their itinerary and make last minute adjustments. A latte from Vermont Coffee fortified me and as I typed from my desk in the front of the office I watched a pair of ducks waddling down the sidewalk on their way to the lake. Looking for a new home for their family, no doubt! I wish them well, and look forward to seeing their ducklings in the spring.
I headed for home, knowing there would be dinner on the table (thank you Bob!), a warm bottle of Ithaca Nut Brown Ale, a cozy fire and NCAA basketball games to watch. The rain started to mix with snow as I flew past Wegman's in Fayetteville onto a scary 690. Lanes blurred and I wanted a distraction. NPR was hosting a discussion of ants and their habitats. That wasn't it. I turned to AM radio and found the West Virginia/Xavier game in progress. It had been a long time since I'd listened to a game on the radio, but it was most welcome.
At the breaks I heard commercials - local and national. RE/MAX apparently through Westwood One is a sponsor of the NCAA Tournament. I thought how apropos it was - my weary self being brought home to the sound of a RE/MAX commercial. But how true it was, too. "RE/MAX agents sell more homes per average than any other company." We do!
Now I'm in the office, finishing up before grabbing dinner from Doug's next door and running home for the 7:00 game tonight. After starting again at 9:00 this morning in the unexpected snow, the couple decided on a new home - hooray! Agents needed to be notified that despite their best efforts their homes weren't chosen. My family coming in from Florida tomorrow were just starting the process and I was also here to write their itinerary and make last minute adjustments. A latte from Vermont Coffee fortified me and as I typed from my desk in the front of the office I watched a pair of ducks waddling down the sidewalk on their way to the lake. Looking for a new home for their family, no doubt! I wish them well, and look forward to seeing their ducklings in the spring.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Unusual Homes
Last Saturday an article on the "Space House" caught my eye. The title was "Drop in housing market brings Space House price out of orbit." It was sold at auction in Chattanooga, Tennessee for $135,000. It looks like a flying saucer, complete with a retractable staircase.
We have a few different homes in our neck of the woods. Way out overlooking Otisco Lake somewhere is a tree house. The owner wanted to live in one and found an architect to design and build it. To my knowledge, it still exists.
Then there's the geodosic dome just outside Amber on the east side of the lake. It was on the market a few years ago and one of my clients put in an offer. It was eerie - if I said something in a whisper in one part of the house the sound bounced to another. I still liked it - quite rustic and on a great piece of land. The trees had closed in on it over the years - you wouldn't know it was there from the road. It sold for around $90,000, if I remember correctly.
I'm about to leave to look at absolutely beautiful homes - four/five bedrooms, three full baths (at least), granite and cherry kitchens, new construction for the most part, and acre lots "in a park-like setting." I know that I would prefer these houses in the long run (not that I'm buying!) but I am still tugged back to the odd ones. As I sit here, I try to think what I would build, if I could, that would be different. I'll have to think about that for a while.
We have a few different homes in our neck of the woods. Way out overlooking Otisco Lake somewhere is a tree house. The owner wanted to live in one and found an architect to design and build it. To my knowledge, it still exists.
Then there's the geodosic dome just outside Amber on the east side of the lake. It was on the market a few years ago and one of my clients put in an offer. It was eerie - if I said something in a whisper in one part of the house the sound bounced to another. I still liked it - quite rustic and on a great piece of land. The trees had closed in on it over the years - you wouldn't know it was there from the road. It sold for around $90,000, if I remember correctly.
I'm about to leave to look at absolutely beautiful homes - four/five bedrooms, three full baths (at least), granite and cherry kitchens, new construction for the most part, and acre lots "in a park-like setting." I know that I would prefer these houses in the long run (not that I'm buying!) but I am still tugged back to the odd ones. As I sit here, I try to think what I would build, if I could, that would be different. I'll have to think about that for a while.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Skaneateles Real Estate - The Weekly Update
Listings continue to increase with the coming of spring. We now have 94 single family residences on the market. About 77 of these are actual homes, and the other 17 are "to be builts" placed by the builders' agents to show what could be placed on their lots. A good sign of the coming warm weather is that 2 of the new listings are waterfront. Soon we'll be basking by the water!
There were no closings or contingent contracts filed this week. As I went through the hotsheet last week I saw a closing in Skaneateles and was excited, knowing it would show up in this blog. Unfortunately - or not - it was a home I'd sold and closed on back in February. The agent's company just closed it out on the exchange. But still - it's a closing!
Adding to the listings this week were condos, 10 of them in the Seitz Building at the corner of Jordan and Genesee Streets. These have 1 or 2 bedrooms, with great views, and retail in the 500K range. There are three others on the market, also - 2 for $289,900 and a waterfront two level for $1,600,000. Condos are relatively new to Skaneateles but the success of the Thayer House on Genesee Street has encouraged others to try this form of ownership. There's also a tax advantage, but that's a further discussion.
There were no closings or contingent contracts filed this week. As I went through the hotsheet last week I saw a closing in Skaneateles and was excited, knowing it would show up in this blog. Unfortunately - or not - it was a home I'd sold and closed on back in February. The agent's company just closed it out on the exchange. But still - it's a closing!
Adding to the listings this week were condos, 10 of them in the Seitz Building at the corner of Jordan and Genesee Streets. These have 1 or 2 bedrooms, with great views, and retail in the 500K range. There are three others on the market, also - 2 for $289,900 and a waterfront two level for $1,600,000. Condos are relatively new to Skaneateles but the success of the Thayer House on Genesee Street has encouraged others to try this form of ownership. There's also a tax advantage, but that's a further discussion.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Coincidence? I Think Not!
Story #1
One of my clients told me an odd story recently. He had been looking for a home with me for a time, and really liked one we had seen. He was still uncertain so he didn't move on it - there were some drawbacks to it as well, major drawbacks.
He went to a conference on the west coast and was approached by a woman who recognized the company's name for which he worked. They got into conversation and she said she was from Utica, but lived east of Syracuse because she enjoyed the area so much. My client related his search for a home and as it turned out she lived in the same area in which this home he liked was located. Not only that, she had seen the home when she was searching too and considered it as well.
She encouraged my client - and bear in mind, these are two people who are meeting on the west coast (where presumably it's warm and springlike) talking about a specific house east of Syracuse - to pursue the home and work on the major drawbacks. We are doing that right now! Coincidence? I think not!
Story #2
I took a listing recently and as the talk turned to past lives I explored with the owner where our paths might have crossed. I told him that when I graduated I applied for a certain position in a school district but decided not to pursue it after they called me for an interview. I didn't have teacher certification and wasn't ready to be locked into a career path.
My owner as it turns out, was offered the position and took it, only retiring a few years ago! We believe it was the exact same job, and wonder how our lives would be different if I had taken it and he had gone on to something else. Coincidence? I think not!
Story #3
As many of my loyal readers know, I was adopted. In 1992 I was privileged to meet and come to know my birthmother. She lived in Binghamton but had grown up in Pennsylvania. Prior to my adoption at 11 months I was in foster care in Marcellus. I only mention this because there was no connection with central New York except that for her.
She passed away in April the following year. I was allowed to go through her belongings - we shared packratting in our genes, I think - and her photos. None in albums, just singles in drawers and boxes, very few with notations. But there among the photos was a lovely one of her standing on the pier in Skaneateles, St. James church in the background. I could tell that the photo was taken in the previous five years when I might have been on the same pier with her. Coincidence? I think not!
As one of the speakers at the RE/MAX convention so eloquently put it: "Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous."
One of my clients told me an odd story recently. He had been looking for a home with me for a time, and really liked one we had seen. He was still uncertain so he didn't move on it - there were some drawbacks to it as well, major drawbacks.
He went to a conference on the west coast and was approached by a woman who recognized the company's name for which he worked. They got into conversation and she said she was from Utica, but lived east of Syracuse because she enjoyed the area so much. My client related his search for a home and as it turned out she lived in the same area in which this home he liked was located. Not only that, she had seen the home when she was searching too and considered it as well.
She encouraged my client - and bear in mind, these are two people who are meeting on the west coast (where presumably it's warm and springlike) talking about a specific house east of Syracuse - to pursue the home and work on the major drawbacks. We are doing that right now! Coincidence? I think not!
Story #2
I took a listing recently and as the talk turned to past lives I explored with the owner where our paths might have crossed. I told him that when I graduated I applied for a certain position in a school district but decided not to pursue it after they called me for an interview. I didn't have teacher certification and wasn't ready to be locked into a career path.
My owner as it turns out, was offered the position and took it, only retiring a few years ago! We believe it was the exact same job, and wonder how our lives would be different if I had taken it and he had gone on to something else. Coincidence? I think not!
Story #3
As many of my loyal readers know, I was adopted. In 1992 I was privileged to meet and come to know my birthmother. She lived in Binghamton but had grown up in Pennsylvania. Prior to my adoption at 11 months I was in foster care in Marcellus. I only mention this because there was no connection with central New York except that for her.
She passed away in April the following year. I was allowed to go through her belongings - we shared packratting in our genes, I think - and her photos. None in albums, just singles in drawers and boxes, very few with notations. But there among the photos was a lovely one of her standing on the pier in Skaneateles, St. James church in the background. I could tell that the photo was taken in the previous five years when I might have been on the same pier with her. Coincidence? I think not!
As one of the speakers at the RE/MAX convention so eloquently put it: "Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous."
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Blogging in Skaneateles
Last Saturday Chris Briel from Skaneateles Design hosted a "How to Blog" seminar at Creekside. She came up with the idea only on Wednesday, but Saturday morning at 9:30 ten people showed up to learn about blogging. There is interest!
Chris was great. She had thought ahead to provide us all with sheets on how to get started on Skaneateles Talk (http://skaneatelestalk.com/blogs). Three other Realtors came to learn, as did shop owners and private business people. She took us through the whys and hows and gave some great tips.
Curt Feldmann from Skaneateles Suites (http://skaneatelessuites.com) contributed to the discussion as well. He and Chris have been sharing information for a while now, pumping each other's websites up and taking the lead to put Skaneateles on the map. He says that we are all there for the common purpose - promoting our wonderful village and lake. Curt's efforts are netting him more than 1,000 hits each and every day!
I suggested to Chris that we do another session with more notice, possibly put out a press release or get it on Erika's Creekside newsletter. From this small meeting you can see on Skaneateles Talk that others have recently joined and new blogs are being posted. Check it out!
If you're interested in joining a session, or sponsoring one for your own business, Chris can be reached via briel@brielcomputer.com or through her website: http://skaneatelesdesign.com.
Chris was great. She had thought ahead to provide us all with sheets on how to get started on Skaneateles Talk (http://skaneatelestalk.com/blogs). Three other Realtors came to learn, as did shop owners and private business people. She took us through the whys and hows and gave some great tips.
Curt Feldmann from Skaneateles Suites (http://skaneatelessuites.com) contributed to the discussion as well. He and Chris have been sharing information for a while now, pumping each other's websites up and taking the lead to put Skaneateles on the map. He says that we are all there for the common purpose - promoting our wonderful village and lake. Curt's efforts are netting him more than 1,000 hits each and every day!
I suggested to Chris that we do another session with more notice, possibly put out a press release or get it on Erika's Creekside newsletter. From this small meeting you can see on Skaneateles Talk that others have recently joined and new blogs are being posted. Check it out!
If you're interested in joining a session, or sponsoring one for your own business, Chris can be reached via briel@brielcomputer.com or through her website: http://skaneatelesdesign.com.
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