-          Experience… years in the industry ensures your agent has earned his/her stripes yet a progressive thinker captures more attention for your home. He / she should be seasoned enough to do a walk through with you and make recommendations as to improvements needed to net you the highest price.. sometimes it can be as simple as powerwashing the exterior of the home to , let’s redecorate a bit—and stage your home so buyers focus on the room and how to best design the interiors.
-          Market knowledge .. agents you interview should come with a CMA or comparable sold & available homes in your vicinity & price point. They should have the depth to speak knowledgably about recent sales, pending deals, and what today’s customer is looking for—gives you insight
-          Advertising team.. today’s real estate world is vastly different that even 10 years ago.. the internet is the source of half of all buyer leads today therefore internet exposure, export feeds etc are all imperative. The agency behind the agent should have a marketing team who focus all different mediums such as traditional print, internet, direct mail & in-house clientele lists. Does the Broker have the resources needed to cast a wide net for you?
-          Pricing genius.. the agent who gives you the highest suggested asking price is not always your best choice.. in fact most times they can cost you valuable time & money. Too many agents will tell sellers what they want to hear just to get the listing.. don’t be romanced. I always say, the truth doesn’t always win friends and influence people but the truth is what prevails.. and when you are in the business as long as I am, reputation is paramount. The facts are what you need to make an educated decision—once you see the comps (sold comparable properties) and you see what your competition is then you can clearly see the range your home should be priced in. Then listen to your agent as to what their recommendation is and ask WHY? Pricing is one of the most important and one of the most difficult aspects of a successful outcome.
-          Communication expert … your agent should take the time necessary to LISTEN to you first and foremost,, hear what your motivation to sell is and the timing that is optimal for you. Then he/she should keep you continually apprised of all their marketing efforts and any feedback so that together you can tick & check
-          There for you… in today’s high speed world of instant gratification timely responses are critical. This could mean the difference of getting the sale or losing it! Your agent needs to be accessible 7 days / week. Obviously no one works 365 days a year—though most power brokers come very close—they should be accessible by phone, text or email… and if they can not be present for a showing or inspection, that’s fine, provided they coordinate, over see and have a qualified associate assist on their behalf
-          World class negotiator… once a potential buyer is engaged, your lead broker should be the only one negotiating for you. His or her skills becomes the clincher. In my professional opinion, negotiation skills are the last to develop in sales people, yet some are natural negotiators and others will always find limitations there. In your initial interview of agents, you will be able to ascertain their negotiation skills by how confidently they navigate the conversation of pricing, positioning and commission rate. You want to hire the broker who will close the deal skillfully in the most favorable light for you—the client!

The Peconic Bay Community Preservation Fund, or CPF tax is a 2% tax charged to the purchaser of real property on the East End (over minimal levels) since it’s inception in 1998.
We have discussed the parameters of this tax and the ramifications many times in this T&C BLOG, so I won’t bore you with the details.
BIG NEWS on the CPF front is the first quarter deposits to the fund… nearly twice that of a year ago!
In the first 3 months of 2013, $20.23 Million was raised in comparison to the same period in 2012 when $10.5 Million was collected.
$800 Million dollars total in the past 15 years has been accumulated for the sole purpose of preserving the beauty and light here in our little slice of Heaven.
So the next time you are sitting at that long awaiting closing table, and have to write out yet one more check to the Peconic Bay Community Preservation Fund, you can smile knowing this one is truly going to a useful means of preserving the reason you chose to purchase on the East End—it’s natural beauty! 

February marked the first month in 7 years — since the crash—that US Home Prices rose at the fastest pace as buyers jumped in before prices and interest rates rise too much.
Standard & Poor’s Case/ Shiller index jumped 9.3%.
This widely recognized report monitors 20 major metropolitan cities – for the second consecutive month ALL 20 cities monitored saw year over year gains.. this hasn’t happened since 2005 which for the East End, was the height of the home sales market with the most number of home sales closed.
The cities that were hit the hardest in this Great Recession, seemed to realize the greatest acceleration, with Phoenix rocking a 23% year over year gain in prices.
The next important conversation needs to be about inventory levels which are at a 10 year low.
We all know what happens when demand increases and inventory levels decrease—yes that’s correct—prices go up!
 
ARE YOU IN?

We all know of the scales of ‘supply & demand’ and how the price of any item is determined by this balance… or imbalance.
Here at Town & Country we have been blogging about how our particular housing market on the Eastern End of Long Island stabilized last year.
Well after stability, when there are fewer homes being listed, there’s only one direction for prices to go… yes that’s correct… UP!
The $75 Million dollar question—named after my favorite new listing on Georgica Pond—is how long and how fast.
The variables are inventory—this will be determined by homeowners who decide, the market’s better, now is the time to sell and buyers who decide I need to jump in now or maybe I will wait to see the long term affect.
Both in their dance to balance shall determine the future of property values.
In my professional opinion, many homeowners who did not wish to sell on the bottom of the market, and of course those who must due to personal circumstances, will list their homes… but that will not flood the market.
More buyers will move forward than sit on the sidelines.
The bottom line, our prices will continue to be stable with certain segments of the market that will experience a healthy pace of appreciation.
Nationally, home inventory level is at the lowest rate since 2000 and sales were up over 10% year over year in the month of March—which was the 22nd consecutive monthly year over year increase according to National Association of Realtors.
Locally, we are enjoying the most brisk buying spree in 6 years.. agents are all busy in all 8 T&C offices.

The Hampton’s Cannonball Express train from Manhattan will begin service out of Penn Station as of Memorial Day.

The whistle will blow on Friday afternoons as you sit back and let the conductor do all the work.

For a mere $27 you will be able to take a direct ride out east… in 94 minutes you will arrive in Westhampton Beach then off to Montauk.

It happens to be the longest train operated by LIRR with 14 cars including 2 locomotives, transporting 1,400 riders each day.

If you’re feeling particularly celebratory, you can pay an additional $20 to reserve a seat in special cars with food and drinks available.

Hassle free Fridays…. Gotta luv it!

The Hampton’s Cannonball Express train from Manhattan will begin service out of Penn Station as of Memorial Day.
The whistle will blow on Friday afternoons as you sit back and let the conductor do all the work.
For a mere $27 you will be able to take a direct ride out east… in 94 minutes you will arrive in Westhampton Beach then off to Montauk.
It happens to be the longest train operated by LIRR with 14 cars including 2 locomotives, transporting 1,400 riders each day.
If you’re feeling particularly celebratory, you can pay an additional $20 to reserve a seat in special cars with food and drinks available.

Hassle free Fridays…. Gotta luv it!

I must say, as a real estate agent I find that my work is embedded into all aspects of my life.  It doesn't matter if I'm at my son's lacrosse game or at a charity cocktail party, everyone loves to talk real estate.  They pass a sign on the way to the game and they want to know how much that house is "going for".  The conversation over cocktails at the fundraiser is about how much money will be raised and that it seems better attended than last year's version of the same event.  Does that mean people have more money and are investing in real estate more?  It is a passion and a curiosity for many and a hot topic in a lot of settings.  So, speculation must be made often, but is it always backed by facts?  Not always- sometimes they're merely predictions made from experience and trends. 

So- today I have a fact.  The rental prices and asking prices for homes on the market for sale have increased by a little over 5% from this time last year according to Trulia.  Also according to Trulia, delinquencies and foreclosures are lowering.  This is promising news….

People always want to know where the bottom is.  It's in our rear view mirror.  Investors are now scrambling to get the remaining "good deals" before the inventory is absorbed.  Don't miss out on the great buys that all of our hamlets in the Hamptons currently have….they're getting fewer by the minute!!

Everyone is Irish one day out of the year, and what better place to celebrate than in the Hamptons. The clocks are springing forward this coming weekend, and the parades are scheduled and promise to be a great time. Whether you wish to celebrate this weekend or next, here's the schedule….

Am O'Gansett Parade- Saturday, March 9th at Noon. The parade begins in front of Mary's Marvelous.

The Westhampton Beach St. Patrick's Day Parade is also on Saturday the 9th at noon and starts at the Elementary School.

The Montauk St. Patty's Day Parade is actually on St. Patrick's Day this year!! It's on Sunday, March 17th at 11:30am. This is my personal favorite because my cousins are bagpipers in this parade every year.

Start searching for your Irish sweaters and celebratory green and celebrate Hamptons-style!!

 Luck o'the Irish….