Ideas to Beat the Heat

With the last couple of days in the 80's and 90's you may be trying to think of some ways to beat the heat. In this post we will give you a few pointers to help with the heat so you can still enjoy the great weather this summer.

• Wear loose fitting light colored clothing.  Lighter colors attract less heat and with loose clothing it will allow for more air-flow to help keep you cool.
• Change your routine.  As nice as that run may be early afternoon on a Saturday, summer is not the time for it!  Adjust your activities so they are happening earlier or later in the day when the temperatures are cooler and the sun isn't beating on you as harshly.
• Stay hydrated!  Stick with water unless you are working out or working hard (then add a sports drink in there).  Stay away from anything with caffeine or alcohol as those will dehydrate you faster.
• Use fans!  Even if you have central air or an A/C unit using a fan can make it seem cooler (that way you won't have to put as much stress on your A/C units.  If you are air conditioner-less then try getting a window fan and putting it on the sunny side of your home so it pulls the hot air out and open a window in shaded areas so it pulls cooler air in.

What kind of ideas do you have to stay cool?  Leave them here, on our Facebook, or Twitter!

Have a GREAT Memorial Day!

Monday is Memorial Day and we here at Nothnagle REALTORS would like to take this time to say thank you.  Thank you  to all of the men and women who have served or are serving to protect the many freedoms that we here in America enjoy.  Also, we would like to take a moment to say thank you to their families who, even though may find it difficult at times, support their loved ones through these difficult times..

To all of you...we say thank you for all that you do and this Memorial Weekend you will all be in our thoughts.

Events this Memorial Weekend!

Looking for something to do this long weekend? Thinking about going to see a parade?  Well here in the Rochester area that is something we are not lacking at all.  So take a look at the list below, choose and even or pick a parade or two (or three) and enjoy your long holiday weekend!!!


Saturday - May 26, 2012

• Village of Brockport's Memorial Day Remembrance and Celebration starts at 11 AM. At noon, there will be a chicken BBQ at Brockport Area Vets Club, 210 West Ave.
• East Rochester Memorial Day Parade- starts at 10:30 am. The starting point will be the Debbie Supply store for all participants.

Sunday - May 27, 2012

• Irondequoit - 3pm. Along Titus Avenue from Irondequoit Plaza to Town Hall, sponsored by American Legion Post #134.
• Newark - 1:30pm.

Monday - May 28, 2012

• Auburn Parade, 11:00am, along Genesee Street
• Avon Parade, 10:00am (starts at the high school)
• Batavia Parade, 10:15am
• Caledonia Parade, 10am
• Canandaigua Parade, 10am
• Chili Parade, 8:30am
• East Bloomfield Parade, 11am
• Fairport Parade, 10am
• Gates Parade, 9am, Memorial Day Service at the Community Center
• Greece Parade, 2pm. Starts at Janes Road and proceeds south on Long Pond Road to the Greece Town Hall. Long Pond Road closed starting 1:30pm
• Hilton Parade, 10am
• Honeoye Falls Parade, 11:15. Then check out their big town-wide Memorial Day picnic!
• Irondequoit Parade, 7am Flag Raising Ceremony at the Town Hall
• Lima Parade, 10am
• Livonia Parade, 10am
• Macedon Parade, 11am
• Marion Parade, 11am
• Medina Parade, 11am
• Mendon Parade, 9:30am
• Palmyra Parade, 9am
• Penfield Memorial Day Ceremony Day of Remembrance, 10:30am - Amphitheater, 3100 Atlantic Avenue, Penfield (behind Town Hall).
• Pittsford  Parade, 10am - Begins on Sutherland Street
• Riga  Parade, 10:30am, ceremony at elementary school steps, then parade up to the cemetery
• Rochester  Parade, 10:30 Parade forms at Strathallan Park and East Avenue, proceeds along East Avenue to Main Street, then west on Main Street to North Plymouth Avenue
• Rush  Parade, 9:30am
• Scottsville/Wheatland  Parade, 9:30am (Beckwith Ave to Main Street)
• Spencerport/Ogden  Parade, 9am
• Victor Parade, 10:00am (school to Village Hall) - Ceremony at cemeteries start at 8am
• Webster Parade, 9:30am (South Ave to Main Street, to Webster Cemetery, 9:50 ceremony at the cemetery)

If there are any other events you'd like to share...let us know in the comments or either place below!

Are you pre-approved?

If you are just starting to look for a house, you may have had someone ask you that very question.  "Are you pre-approved?"  Pre-approved?  For what?  Getting pre-approved is a great first step in the home buying process with a lot of benefits to make your path to a new home a lot smoother.

Have you already started looking at homes or want to but aren't sure of what price range to look at?  With a pre-approval letter they let you know how much of a home you would be able to purchase and afford.  That way you are looking within your limits and don't fall in love with a home that you wouldn't be able to purchase.

But that isn't the only benefit...there are quite a few.  You can use it as a negotiating tool as well.  When you put an offer in on a home and your agent lets them know you are pre-approved it will give them the assurance that there is a great chance you will have the funds available.  Which is great for a seller knowing the likely hood they would get to closing and have to start all over again is minimal.  It also can reduce your closing time.  You won't be putting in an offer and then going to see about approval.  Once you gain acceptance from the sellers, your mortgage broker can send an appraiser right out!

So if you are looking for a home and have yet to get your pre-approval...why not try one of our mortgage vendors?

New Site for Post Office

There has been a site selected for new Rochester Metro Station Post Office!

Nothnagle Commercial is pleased to announce they have signed the first tenant for the North Plymouth Terrace’s commercial building at the corner of North Plymouth and West Main Street in Rochester. North Plymouth Terrace is a new development of 24 single family attached homes and a 20,000 square foot commercial building.


The U.S. Postal Service has selected this site for a consolidate Post Office to serve customers in the downtown Rochester area. The new Rochester Metro Station, 116 West Main Street, will take approximately eight months to complete.

“Our Vision was to find a site conducive of the Federal Station and Midtown Station.” said Rochester Post Master Ignatius Vaccaro. “The space is centrally located and will be better accessible for post office customers.

The Rochester Metro Station will replace the Federal Station at 100 State Street and the temporary Midtown Station at 454 Broad Street.

The Postal service does not receive tax dollars for operating expenses; it relies entirely on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operation.

What exactly are seller concessions?

It's a question that many first time home buyer and first time home seller have.  But what exactly are they?  Does it have something to do with a concession stand?  When it comes to real estate we aren't talking about selling hot dogs and hamburgers...we are talking money!

The best way to describe seller concessions is a way for the buyer to pay for closing costs without having to use the money they have in their "pocket."  For example: If the buyer and seller agree on a selling price $100,000 and the estimated closing costs will be 4% the buyer can ask for that to be added on in the form of seller's concessions, making the price $104,000.  The seller would the "pay" $4,000 to closing costs for the buyer.

There are many different factors when it comes to seller's concessions such as loan to value and the appraisal.  We do recommend that you speak with your Nothnagle real estate agent or one of our mortgage partners if you have questions.

In the meantime...

Lilac Festival

Looking for something to do this weekend?  Check out the annual Lilac Festival!  It's free and it will start this Friday going all the way to May 20th.

Not only will you get to enjoy the over 500 variaties of lilacs but there are plenty of other activities to enjoy as well.  Saturday will be the lilac festival parade which is also the first parade of the year here in Rochester.  There will be live music from local schools to recording artists.  Great food and craft vendors.  Various children's entertainment acts.

There are some great events at the Big Top too!  Tuesday the 15th will be a business networking event (tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door) and on Thursday the 17th you can enjoy a wine tasting ($5 tickets).

You can find more information on the Lilac Festival website and be sure to check out one of the best festivals in New York and the only one of it's kind in the USA!

Loan to Cost (LTC)

In an earlier blog we talked about LTV (Loan to Value) which talked about how the relationship between the total amount you are borrowing to the appraised value of the property.  Well today we will be talking about a different relationship between the total amount of your loan to the cost of the property.

Most often used with commercial properties, LTC compares the amount you are wanting to borrow to the cost of the project itself.  For example: If you thought that building a new restaurant would be a great idea and the land was going to cost you $50,000 and then total construction costs were going to be $550,000 then your total cost would be $600,000.  Well, you've been saving for a while and you have $90,000 to invest in your dream.  This means that you still would need to borrow $510,000 and your LTC would be 85%.

There are many factors  as to if a bank or mortgage company would approve a LTC of that percentage.  One thing that they do look at is location.  Not just is it in a good area but how many of what you want to build are there already?  If you are interested in making your dream happen...contact one of our mortgage partners.  In the meantime - check us out below!

5 Tools for a First-Time Homeowner

If you are a first time homeowner this is more than likely something you have yet to think about. I mean if something breaks where you are now you are more than likely going to be calling either you parents or the landlord.  But now the home is yours and with that comes the maintenance responsibility as well.  So here are the 5 must have tools so you can keep up with everything.

• Hammer - There is so much that a hammer can do that there is no reason not to have one!  Putting nails into the wall, taking them out, or even using the claw to pull weeds out of your garden.  The hammer is a must have.
• Tape Measure - Often over-looked until you need to measure something then what do you do?  Pull out a dollar bill and count how many dollar bills wide your new entertainment system can be?  Trust us, the tape measure is something you will want to have around.
• 4 Headed Screwdriver -  Oh you already have a screwdriver!  But are you sure it's the right one?  How many times have you gone to fix something that was loose just to find out you needed a flat head and all you had was a phillips head?  With the 4 headed screwdriver you get small and large of both.
• Pliers - There are a few different types out there so you may want to grab more than one.  But they are handy!  Tightening nuts, loosening soda bottle caps, using a towel as protection and bending the tip of a metal fence back.  With those options and more, a must have the must be!
• Utility Knife - This is another often looked over tool that should be in the tool box.  Stronger than a box cutter, a utility knife can score drywall, cut rope and wires, and it can open a box too.

With these 5 basic tools a new homeowner can at least have a nice start to maintaining their own home.  Are there any others you recommend?  Leave them here in the comments or let us know at either place below.