45 lessons to pass on or just enjoy!!

I read an entry from an agent who does a Radio Show and loved it so I'll share it with his Web Reference: http://MikesRealEstateShow.com It's called 45 Lessons: ENJOY! 1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 5. Pay off your credit cards every month. 6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone. 8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. 10. Love your parents because they will be gone before you know it. 11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present. 12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry 13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it. 15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye.But don’t worry;God never blinks. 16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. 17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful. 18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger. 19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. 20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer. 21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special. 22. Over prepare, then go with the flow. 23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple. 24. The most important sex organ is the brain. 25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you. 26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words:In five years,will this matter? 27. Always choose life. 28. Forgive everyone everything. 29. What other people think of you is none of your business. 30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time. 31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch. 33. Believe in miracles. 34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do. 35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. 36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young. 37. Your children get only one childhood. 38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. 39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. 40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s,we’d grab ours back. 41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 42. The best is yet to come. 43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 44. Yield. 45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Opportunities Around for First Time Home Buyers

If you have recently decided to move from renter to homeowner, you are not alone. First-time homebuyers made up 41 percent of the market, according the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2008 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. And price declines in many markets around the country have created unique opportunities for those considering home ownership for the first time.
As a homeowner, you have security and stability, the freedom to decorate and remodel, potential to build equity and tax benefits. And with interest rates still at historically low levels – 5.22% for the typical, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (as of early August 2009), combined with ample inventory, now is a great time to buy.
Plus, there are several incentives and programs available specifically for first-time homebuyers.
First-Time Homebuyer Credit
One program that is a great financial opportunity is the highly publicized First-time Homebuyer Credit, which was part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. This federal initiative allows first-time homebuyers to take up to an $8,000 tax credit, which doesn’t have to be repaid, toward a new or resale property purchased prior to Dec. 1, 2009. For new construction, the purchase date is considered to be the date you first occupy the home.
Under this program, a first-time homebuyer is considered to be anyone who has not owned a principal home within the last three years. If you are married, both spouses must meet this criterion. However, unmarried joint purchasers may allocate the credit amount to any buyer who qualifies as a first-time buyer. In addition, ownership of a vacation home or rental property not used as a principal residence does not disqualify a buyer as a first-time home buyer. You are also eligible to claim first-time buyer status if you owned a principal residence outside of the United States within the last three years.
The actual tax credit may vary depending on the purchase price and your income. The credit is generally equal to 10 percent of the home’s purchase price, not to exceed $8,000. In addition, the income limit to receive full credit is $75,000 for single taxpayers and $150,000 for married taxpayers filing a joint return.
For complete details, visit www.irs.gov and www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com. As always, consult with your tax advisor on how this tax credit may affect you.
State Programs
Many states also have first-time homeowner programs. Under these programs, first-time homebuyers may be eligible for grants for down payments and closing costs. Some states even offer various tax deductions and credits. For instance in Babylon, NY. There is a first time home buyer program which provided a $15,000.00 interest free loan to be used to assist with closing costs. That program issued 70 loans and had more applicants than funds to continue the program. There are talks of extending the program once additional funding becomes available.
Mortgage Loans
As a first-time homebuyer, you don’t have the advantage of using the equity in a previous property to help bridge costs associated with down payment, closing and other fees. Many financial institutions have mortgage products with you in mind. In addition, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) offers mortgage programs in which your down payment can be as low as 3.5% of the purchase price, and allows most of your closing costs and fees to be included in the loan. Although FHA does not directly loan to consumers, you can work with a FHA-approved lender. For more information, visit www.hud.gov.
Workshops
Besides financial assistance, there are workshops specifically geared toward first-time homebuyers. They provide a wealth of information about the home-buying process, such as how to search for a home, setting up a budget, choosing a real estate professional, loan products, and so on.
The transition from renter to homebuyer is a large step and is arguably one of the largest investments you’ll make, so make sure you take advantage of all the assistance available to make the road to homeownership that much easier.
Nunzio Zappola can be reached at (631) 422-7510. Prudential Douglas Elliman is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Real Estate Environment Today

For starters the increase in the use of the internet by the 35 – 50 year old demographics has made most advertising and sales promotions, not to mention public office and government affairs, to get eyes on their product need to move to online ads. Lets not forget that the under 35 grew up with the internet and use it almost daily, oh wait the over 50 are getting addicted to the instant new information source, games and social networks also. These ads are not traditional they are blogs, information sources with agendas and social blurbs to name a few techniques used to get some of that attention. Newspaper is dead, this has been said for a few years now but with the tight economy we are seeing less advertising dollars going to this media than ever and more pouring into this effective, easy to monitor sensation. What does this mean to you? If you are going to buy or sell real estate today you need to be able to negotiate the internet. What I mean is you will get all the information you will need and then some. Are all the sources at your disposal beneficial? Web traffic is directed to the advertisers who pay extra this will get them front page placement, words that trigger them in the top of search pages and so on. You can post your own listing you can search for homes to purchase. But, are you being seen are you seeing exactly what you are looking for? Did you hire a professional that does not understand the power of this tool? Real Estate does get bought and sold over the internet but it is not common this is still a product that needs to be physical. Consumers should walk\view property in person to truly know what you are purchasing. It will not come to you other than in pictures and the pictures will\should look good! This means if you are selling or buying you will need to do the research view the property and follow through when committed to sale with inspections, appraisals, title search, true taxes and this list goes on. People believe that real estate agents are sales people and all they want is that commission. That is true, but these people do a great deal of work all year round staying informed and educated about the markets and their area trends, they know all the steps and people to contact help make a smooth transaction. A professional agent earns the commission they are trying to get, to most it is all about you; they want you to be happy with a major decision in your life. The ones who are successful know that if you are satisfied with them and the work they did for you, you will use them again and or refer them to people you know.
How this concerns you? Well with all the information available to you, you need to know, are you seeing what you are looking for or what is being paid for you to see , is the information current, what is the history of it or its market. Information is great, Knowledge is powerful. How you use it is ….. Learn from your mistakes, better yet don’t make any, learn from some one else’s. Use the knowledge and information of a local realtor to make this major decision in your life and get over it they get paid for this service.

First quarter Long Island Market Results

First Quarter Sales and Lis Pendens Statistics

Long Island Property Sales

First Quarter - 2009
Location
#
Amount
Median
Average
Long Island
3,754
1,733,885,242
374,995
461,877

Suffolk County
1,926
831,094,746
330,000
431,513

Nassau County
1,828
902,790,496
407,750
493,868

Babylon Township
275
86,245,626
310,000
313,620
Brookhaven Township
682
205,461,419
275,000
301,263
East Hampton Township
45
59,853,784
675,000
1,330,084
Huntington Township
228
126,955,708
458,554
556,823
Islip Township
393
135,325,088
315,000
344,339
Riverhead Township
51
20,550,755
370,000
402,956
Shelter Island Township
1
1,240,000
1,240,000
1,240,000
Smithtown Township
123
57,529,687
419,000
467,721
Southampton Township
87
113,519,699
660,000
1,304,824
Southold Township
41
24,412,980
400,596
595,439
Hempstead Township
1,044
438,443,703
377,500
419,965
North Hempstead Township
316
221,518,911
527,000
701,009
Oyster Bay Township
468
242,827,882
425,000
518,863
Click here to view our fully interactive Sales Statistics

Long Island Lis Pendens Filings

First Quarter - 2009
Location
#
Amount
Median
Average
Long Island
3,309
1,226,793,054
332,000
370,744

Suffolk County
2,076
738,526,595
312,000
355,745

Nassau County
1,233
488,266,459
359,650
395,999

Babylon Township
332
102,922,019
320,000
310,006
Brookhaven Township
742
227,989,691
283,875
307,264
East Hampton Township
28
22,281,191
605,440
795,757
Huntington Township
156
69,282,165
387,750
444,116
Islip Township
595
186,122,360
308,000
312,811
Riverhead Township
27
8,854,542
323,000
327,946
Shelter Island Township
1
922,500
922,500
922,500
Smithtown Township
80
38,484,785
401,875
481,060
Southampton Township
98
73,577,924
536,875
750,795
Southold Township
17
8,089,418
480,000
475,848
Hempstead Township
895
331,149,768
356,000
370,000
North Hempstead Township
135
75,667,491
399,200
560,500
Oyster Bay Township
203
81,449,200
360,000
401,228
Click here to view our fully interactive Lis Pendens Statistics
The Real Estate Report Inc is the most reliable information source for real estate professionals

Hamptons Properties

So you think you are ready to invest in a second or vacation home in the Hamptons, NY. You will need to be prepared have your financing options all in order. I have seen people lose a lot of money by not coming up with secured financing on TIME. The sellers will look forward to keeping your large deposits and moving on to the next buyer or even making you deposit more funds and not adjusting the price. It is business out here and a lot of money can be lost if you are not prepared.
Second thing of great importance is a REAL ESTATE attorney some one who knows about contracts and time managment is very important. You and your attorney will be dealing with high power attorneys that are on retainer for the principal and their business. They dont make mistakes and when they do it hurts you not them.
Third is to have a trusted experienced Real Estate agent. This person will earn a large commission and will WORK hard to make the deal flow by contacting involved parties and arranging to have the home available for inspections , all other investigations and to make you happy for the hope of future work and referrals, Just remember here in NY this person is working for the principal. It would be of intrest to you to get a buyer broker but than you will most likely have to pay this commision ,the value is worth it but if you could get an agent in an area you are intrested they generally are honest as required by law and accepted as the normal route of business.
RESEARCH the areas that intrest you, visit the towns and local shops. Become familiar with the ammenities and necessities or lack of what ever the case. Remember this is a business venture make sure you are buying value at a low cost in a good area. Then you will be happy as your options will broaden and view not squed.

market shaker

Investors it is now ,the time has come ! If you have been sitting around watching the markets crash and wondering where it would stop. If you are one of the smart people who contorled your loses. If you are that person and wondering how to make a profit a large profit from your controled discipline. I believe now is the time. Enter the market slow as fluctuations will continue , you want to enter on down days. the trend lines will advance now with level and dips but for the most part an up line will be seen ,when looked at next year, when it will be to late to make the large gains that could be made by investing now. Still worried, Take a good look at the real estate market . Look in your local area. This is an area you will know. Find the area that in the past was making the news for highest sales and amazing properties aquisition stories. This could even be commercial an income producing venture. This is the area for you to invest in where you will see the best gains. this area my not have come down as far in price as other areas but it was reduced as all areas have been. BUY FUTURE VALUE !!