Sunday, February 27, 2011

Find the Support you Need at Nothnagle!

If you are thinking of getting into the real estate business or considering a switch from your current broker, let us tell you how easy it is at Nothnagle!

Nothnagle provides agents with the most support services of any real estate company in the region. We also give agents the largest support staff—over 100 people working behind the scenes to support you.

As one of our agents, you can use as many support services as you like. It’s completely up to you and the way you work. All services are provided free of charge too!

Here is a sampling of the support services we provide:

•Placing company-paid print advertising
•Placing company-paid self promotion ads
•Preparing presentation packets
•Preparing listing packets
•Producing online Guided Tours for your listings
•Listing your home on Rochester’s most popular real estate web site
•Scheduling appointments for showings
•Entering new listings into MLS
•Providing agents and sellers with copies of all paperwork
•Coordinating transactions and paperwork for house closings
•Ordering “Just Listed” postcards
•Sending out mailings
•Maintaining your mailing list
•Providing one-on-one support
•Providing training
•Brainstorming innovative sales strategies
•Providing carefully screened contractors to facilitate home sales
•And much more

All of these support services are available to Nothnagle agents, free of charge. Use as many—or as few—as you like. It’s totally up to you.

There’s a lot that goes into being successful at real estate. No real estate company does more than Nothnagle to give you the support you need.

Talk to us about switching to Nothnagle. Find an office near you and then call a Branch Manager to learn more. Our agents tell us they wish they had switched sooner!

Friday, February 25, 2011

Real Estate Market Makes a Come-Back

The real estate market has experienced difficulty over the last five years. From 2000-2006, house values climbed to unbelievable heights. Since then, we have seen much of this appreciation disappear. Many now look at the housing market as dead and lying in the ashes of its previous glory. However, there is growing evidence that the market is coming back to life.

Buyer activity is increasing
The first sign of an improving market is buyers again beginning to shop for a home for themselves and their family. That is taking place right now.

Pete Flint, CEO of Trulia said in a recent press release:

“We’re seeing a national resurgence of buyer and seller activity on Trulia.com. In January alone, we experienced an unprecedented level of site traffic including 11 million unique visitors – which is more than 70 percent year-over-year growth… (We) are now experiencing 100,000 property views per minute.”

The latest Credit Suisse Monthly Survey of Real Estate Agents reports:

Our Monthly Survey of Real Estate Agents pointed to another month of improved traffic – the third straight month, and the highest level for our traffic index since April 2010, the last month of the homebuyer tax credit. The improved economy and stronger consumer confidence has translated into an increase in homebuyer traffic.

But have they actually started purchasing?

The best news is that buyers are not just looking. The latest National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Pending Sales Report, which quantifies the number of homes going into contract, shows continued improvement:
Pending home sales improved further in December, marking the fifth gain in the past six months.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Nothnagle Home Services is Here to Help You

Whether it's a ripped carpet or rental services; from auto inspections to air purification. Nothnagle Home Services can do it all. Through their partnership with trusted Rochester area contractors, service partners, and retailers, Home Services provides Nothnagle clients with home-related products and services before, during, and after their move.

Home Services does so much more than just providing moving services. There are service partners that specialize in whatever you may need. From paint, interior decorating, mowing, pest removal, remodeling, trash/garbage pickup, home security, or heating/air conditioning, Home Services will help get the job done. A full list of our service categories can be found here.

Each one of our service partners provides some special benefit exclusively to Nothnagle clients who go through Home Services. Every partner is required to maintain a 95% satisfaction rate with our clients, so you can be sure you are getting the highest quality service. Take comfort in knowing the job will get done right. A full list of our service partners can be found here.

Take advantage of what Home Services can offer! Register now and get started.

Visit our Facebook page to stay up-to-date with our newest partners and special promotions!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

How to Buy Your First Home

Property prices are the lowest they've been in a decade or more. Mortgage rates continue to hover near historic lows. This is great news for first-time buyers.

"It's a great time to buy if you've got the credit," says Andrew Firoved, chief executive and founder of CounselorDirect.com. "They say buy low, sell high, and you're buying low."

To make sure you buy low and smart, here are a few tips:

Make sure buying is for you. If you are planning to move in the next few years or if your job outlook is uncertain, buying might not be a good move. After all, the days when houses could quickly be flipped for more money are all but gone. If you don't feel that you are going to stay in your job or current location then consider renting.

Do a credit check. Cash and good credit are critical to snagging a bargain home and keeping it. Before you start looking, make sure you have the cash on hand for a down payment and a mortgage lender who is willing to provide you with a home loan at an affordable rate. Pre-approval can help expedite the closing of your purchase.

Consider a down payment and the alternatives. It is suggested that first-time home buyers cough up 20% of the home value. This immediately adds equity to the house and lowers monthly payments. However, many first-timers don't have the cash to put up 20%. No need to worry; there are options that should work for you. There are several government-backed loans with 0% to 3.5% down, and a handful of other alternatives.

Be realistic about costs. Don't look for a home that will eat up all of your monthly income. In addition to mortgage and principal payments, buying a home means paying for insurance, maintenance and real estate taxes. One of the biggest mistakes first-time home buyers make is they don't leave themselves with enough money.

Don't cut corners on inspections. Always cough up the extra cash for a good home inspection, expecially if you're buying a foreclosed home. A home inspection is key to really understanding the condition the home is in.

If you're thinking about buying a home, we can help. Get started here.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Hilton Real Estate Firm Merges with Nothnagle Realtors

Braeview Realty is now Nothnagle Realtors! In a joint announcement, Mary Hauck Sceusa of Braeview and Nothnagle CEO Armand D’Alfonso shared the exciting news with their respective sales teams last week.

Braeview has served the Hilton area since it started in the home of Mary Ann Hauck 47 years ago in 1964. In 1977, the office moved into the Village of Hilton and has had a prominent presence in the area until the merger in January 2011. The Braeview team will operate in Nothnagle’s Hilton branch located at 49 Railroad Avenue.

The team who is now part of Nothnagle consists of Mary Ann Hauck, Mary Hauck Sceusa, Anna Migitskiy, Lynn Wilkens Neu, Cheryl Personte and Tom Personte. Throughout Braeview’s nearly fifty years in business, they have served Monroe and Orleans counties as well as portions of Genesee and Livingston counties.

“Tying the two companies together will be a tremendous asset to the Hilton/Western Monroe County area in the service that can now be provided. The Braeview team is an experienced sales force and we are so thrilled to have them on board,” said Nothnagle CEO Armand D’Alfonso.

“Braeview has been a part of Hilton for their entire existence. I believe that this partnership will only strengthen our local Hilton office and bring better service to Western Monroe County”, said Dan Head, branch manager of the Nothnagle Hilton branch.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

How to Preserve Your Home's Value

Proactive maintenance is essential to preserving the value of your home—without it, your home could lose 10% of its value. Regular, routine maintenance enhances curb appeal, ensures safety, and prevents neglected upkeep from turning into costly major repairs.

Outright damage to your house is just one of the consequences of neglected maintenance. Without regular upkeep, the property could easily lose 10% of its appraised value. That could translate into a $10,000 or $15,000 adjustment.

In addition, a house with chipped, fading paint, sagging gutters, and worn carpeting faces an uphill battle when it comes time to sell. Not only is it at a disadvantage in comparison with other similar homes that might be for sale in the neighborhood, but a shaggy appearance is bound to turn off prospective buyers and depress the selling price. Remember, first impressions mean a lot to potential buyers.

A study by researchers at the University of Connecticut and Syracuse University suggests that maintenance actually increases the value of a house by about 1% each year. However, maintenance costs money. How much money is required for annual maintenance varies. Some years, routine tasks, such as cleaning gutters and changing furnace filters, are all that’s needed, and your total expenditures may be a few hundred dollars. Other years may include major replacements, such as a new roof, at a cost of $10,000 or more.

Setting aside a cash reserve that’s used strictly for home repair and maintenance can be helpful. That way, routine upkeep is a snap and any significant replacements won’t blindside the family budget.

Some other strategies include:



Play offense, not defense: Proactive maintenance is key to preventing small problems from becoming big issues. Take the initiative with regular inspections. Create and faithfully follow a maintenance schedule. If you’re unsure of what needs to be done, a $200 to $300 visit from a professional inspector can be invaluable in pointing out quick fixes and potential problems.



Plan a room-per-year redo: Pick a different room every year and go through it, fixing and improving as you go. That helps keep maintenance fun and interesting.



Keep track: Having a notebook of all your maintenance and upgrades, along with receipts, is a powerful tool when it comes to sell your home. It gets rid of any doubts for the buyer, and it says you are a meticulous, caring homeowner. A maintenance record also proves repairs and replacements for systems, such as wiring and plumbing, which might not be readily apparent.

Not familiar with Nothnagle Home services?
Learn about it here.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Rochester Ranks Again as a Best Bet in Housing Recovery!


Median home price: $125,000
Drop since market peak: 4%
Forecast gain by 9/2012: 5.3%


This mid-sized, Upstate New York metropolis has had to reinvent itself a couple of times. As a stop on the old Erie Canal, it became one of America's first boom towns, and the biggest flour producer in the nation. Later, it became an important center of optical innovation with Eastman Kodak, Bausch and Lomb, and Xerox all locating there.

Today, many smaller businesses have picked up the slack from layoffs at the old corporations, according to Sandy Parker, CEO of Rochester's Business Alliance. It's also a center for higher education, with the University of Rochester -- the town's biggest employer -- and the Rochester Institute of Technology in the area.

Propping up the city's housing market is a large supply of good, affordable homes. The median home price is just $125,000, while the median family income here is more than $64,000.

Prices were so low even during the housing market boom that the bust has had little impact. Parker said foreclosures have not been a problem. Indeed, RealtyTrac, the marketer of foreclosed properties, reports the metro area ranks 196th among 206 housing markets for foreclosure filings.

To read the full article, visit: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/real_estate/1102/gallery.best_recovery_bets/4.html

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Stop Wasting Energy and Start Saving Money!

Small air leaks around windows and doors can cost you more than you realize as well as waste up to 30% of heating and cooling energy. Sealing these small leaks will save energy and money. Here’s how:

First, check for the leaks. With the window or door that you are checking, make sure it is closed and hold up a lit candle or stick of incense near the frames where drafts might be hiding. Watch for smoke and mark the areas leaking air.

For windows, especially older ones, caulking and new weather stripping will be very beneficial. Here are a few options:

Bronze weather stripping for around $12 for 17 feet lasts for decades but is more time consuming to install. Self-sticking plastic types are easier for installation, but don’t last as long. A good compromise between the two is an adhesive-backed EPDM rubber ($8 for 10 feet) that should last at least 10 years. You can also invest around $9 it an item called a pulley seal to block air from moving through the holes where cords disappear into the frames.

For doors check for air leaks and replace old weather stripping. You can try:

Foam-type tape that has an adhesive backing, which is inexpensive and easy to install. If it comes loose, just reinforce with staples.

Adhesive backed or metal reinforced felt is also an option and must be tacked or glued into place. It is cheap and easy, but lacking in durability.

The best sealing option is a tubular rubber, vinyl or silicone weather strip, however it is somewhat expensive and difficult to install. Some types do come pre-cut and designed to fit into jambs of newer doors.

Make sure to also check exterior trim for any gaps. Caulking with a latex caulk for around $5 is an easy solution.

A common place for air leaks is at the bottom of doors, so make sure to check the condition of your threshold gasket. Replace as needed and if you can see daylight under the door, you may need to install a taller gasket for around $25. You can also install a weather-resistant door sweep designed for exterior doors, which is easy and around $9.

If you need help, contact Nothnagle's Home Services Department!

Friday, February 4, 2011

Rochester Housing Market is Third in the Nation

Across the country, home values have fallen since 2006-in some areas by as much as 50 percent. But if you have good credit and plan on buying a home, it may be a good time to bag a real estate bargain. Last week, ABC's Good Morning America teamed up with the real estate website Zillow.com to figure out the top 10 places to buy. Zillow looked at four factors to determine the top 10.

Affordability: How many years of income does the median home cost? A medium home cost of 2.5 years of salary, for example, would get a better rank than a city where homes cost 4.5 years of salary.

Unemployment: Low unemployment is usually a reliable guage of the health and stability of the local economy. Change in unemployment over the past year was also taken into account. This is an indicator of the direction that the local economy is moving. If the unemployment rate in a particular city dropped 2 percent in the past year, it will rank better than a city which experienced no change.

Foreclosures: Zillow also analyzed the percentage of homes in each marketplace that have fallen into foreclosure in the past 12 months. The lower the percentage, the healthier the local real estate market is assumed to be.

Price Increases: Zillow looked at areas that have seen an increase in home values over the past quarter of the past year.

Based upon this criteria, cities all over the country were examined. Rochester made the top 10 (and even the top 5) as the #3 housing market in the country. Rochester is one of the most affordable markets with a median home value of $121,000. 91 percent of Rochester area homes sold for a gain in October 2010, which is an indication of a healthy market. Compare that to 70 percent nationwide. The unemployment rate in Rochester is also falling, down half a percent this past year.

A full list of the top 10 (three of which are in upstate New York):
1. Utica, N.Y.
2. Oklahoma City, Okla.
3. Rochester, N.Y.
4. Pittsburgh, Pa.
5. Tulsa, Okla.
6. Albany, N.Y.
7. Lancaster, Pa.
8. Madison, Wis.
9. Green Bay, Wis.
10. Lincoln, Neb.

If you are thinking about buying a new home, now is the time. And the talented agents at Nothnagle Realtors are here to help you. By hiring a Nothnagle agent, you are hiring a negotiations expert, pricing specialist and overall trusted advisor with the ability to meet all of your unique real estate needs. Click here to find an agent who fits your needs!