While 2021 has brought many changes in the world, it has also affected the features that home buyers are looking for when searching for a new home. In the 50’s, people were looking for things like those indestructible pastel tile bathrooms, wood shake or shingle roofs, and gas heat – and things have come a long way since then. Today, people are more focused on different things such as being environmentally friendly, having an outdoor space for entertaining, walk-in pantries, mud rooms, laundry rooms and believe it or not – even pizza ovens! When helping clients look for a new...

From preparing for an open house to the final closing, there are a lot of factors REALTORS® should consider regarding safety. A solid safety plan will make it easier to focus on the job at hand, and will ensure your clients walk away happy. Today we are going to cover some tips on REALTOR® safety during closing and preparing for the sale of a home. These tips are easy to incorporate in preparing for an open house and we’ve included some tips for when you’re closing, too. Preparing For an Open House - REALTOR® Safety During Closing When it comes...

When the pandemic hit, we were unsure of what the future would bring – and we’re still learning every day as the world evolves to our “new normal”. September is National REALTOR® Safety Month. There is no better time to evaluate your safety strategy to ensure your listings and showings are as safe as possible. From the digital to the physical world, it’s important to take steps to make sure you’re not making too much information available to unknown parties. Too much information can backfire resulting in potential identity theft, theft at an open house, or a burglary at a...

For years, the Ulster County Board of REALTORS® Community Services Committee has provided critical community service through its annual Operation Backpack® program, and 2021 was no different. With many students across the region returning to school in person for the first time in nearly a year or longer, there was definitely the need for the Operation Backpack program. Focused on organizing throughout Ulster County to collect backpacks, books, writing utensils, and other school supplies for the region’s homeless youth population. Operation Backpack® relies 100% on support from the community and, each year provides new backpacks filled with grade-specific school supplies...

The short answer is no, you don’t really need a moving company to move any distance, but they can be helpful. If you want to do it on your own, it’s not impossible, even if it can be more difficult. Should you decide to go with professionals, always seek out reputable moving companies to do the job. Time Vs. Trips Many people don’t think about needing a moving company when they’re only traveling a short distance. If you’re moving all of ten streets away, it seems silly to hire professionals when your destination is so close. You probably think you’ll...

Buying your first home is beyond exciting! It’s very easy to get swept up in the process between searching for the right prospects, viewing each one, submitting your offer, getting pre-approvals and more. Once you get beyond the initial excitement and planning, the mortgage process and the closing will come next. As you’re processing all that goes into finalizing the sale, no one can blame you for forgetting to keep up with some of the other things that go into homeownership. Some of the advice for new homeowners below won’t apply to when you first move in, but will be...

Buying a home warranty plan is an excellent idea whether you’re buying a new home or have been living there for a while. If you purchase a home warranty, you can save thousands of dollars if your refrigerator or plumbing system breaks. As you shop around looking for the best home warranty companies, there are specific questions you want to ask yourself and the companies. What Do You Want to Cover? Before you start shopping around, take a walk through your house. Look at the appliances and your systems with a critical eye. Make a list of the things you’d...

This housing market has been a wild ride! From the slower spring market of 2020 to the rapid rise in home prices throughout the remainder of the year, even 2021 continues to change rapidly in terms of inventory and pricing. Overall, reports initially stated first time home buyers were negatively impacted by COVID-19. Further reports helped us to understand the true impact the pandemic has had on buyers.   Liberty Street Economics found that “Given the rising house prices and continuing high unemployment, concerns arose that COVID-19 may have negatively affected first-time homebuyers. Using a new and more accurate measure...

As REALTORS®, we’re keen on staying up-to-date on the latest trends to hit the housing market. One of our passions is to help keep our clients educated on the information we’re privy to that they might not be thinking about. Follow along below, and keep an eye out for our future reports as we track summer housing market trends.   In this week’s blog, we’re uncovering the trends from our latest June Housing Market Report.   “School’s out, and as vaccination rates rise and America enters a new normal, the U.S. housing market continues along at a frenzied pace, with...

Overall homeownership has been on an upward trend since Q2 2019. New data suggests homeownership has continued to be on the rise even during the pandemic, according to the Census Bureau’s HVS. As we drill down into the data by demographic, homeownership rates remain low for Black and Latino Americans. Why is BIPOC homeownership so low? REALTOR® Magazine outlines the following, referencing data from a new study:   Those populations have faced increased challenges during the pandemic, with layoffs and furloughs that have exacerbated their inability to purchase homes, according to a new study by United Way of the National...