As a real estate agent I get asked this questions a number of times a week.  I could answer that question in a number of ways.  I could say the market is down, compared to 2 years ago.  I could also reply with the market is up compared to last year.  The number of days on the market is up, the number of sales per month is up, homes on the higher end–over $800–are sitting on the market longer, homes on the low end–$400 and under–are selling faster.  As you already know, data can be manipulated like Play-Doh into any form to get one’s point across.  Instead, I like to take a different approach at presenting data by allowing the numbers to speak for themselves, instead of making personal observations about the market. Using my Altos Research data, I will publish a monthly graph to track how the Westchester Real Estate market is doing.  If you are an analytical or are on the fence about purchasing a home, this data will be invaluable.

Residential house prices, in Westchester County or any other market for that matter, are a function of supply and demand, and market conditions can be characterized by analyzing those factors.  The Market Action Index (MAI) illustrates the balance between supply and demand using a statistical function of the current rate of sale versus current inventory. An MAI value greater than 30 typically indicates a “Seller’s Market” (a.k.a. “Hot Market”) because demand is high enough to quickly absorb available supply. A hot market will typically cause prices to rise. MAI values below 30 indicate a “Buyer’s Market” (a.k.a. “Cold Market”) where the inventory of already-listed homes is sufficient to last several months at the current rate of sales. A cold market will typically cause prices to fall.

I picked 3 different towns in Westchester and compared them to MAI of the county as a whole.

Market Action:l for Single Family properties in Westchester County, NY

[click to continue…]

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Pick your agent wisely, oh home buyer

by Jaime Tineo on February 8, 2010

If you’re like most home buyers, there’s an 87% chance that you started looking for a home on the web, according the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). And according to the National Association of My Personal Experience, there’s a high probability that you’re working with multiple real estate agents.  Most home buyers don’t realize that every Realtor® who is a member of the WPMLS has access to all the homes for sale in Westchester County and even Putnam and Bronx County.

dual-agencyAs a home buyer myself, I realized that the main reason buyers hop from Realtor® to Realtor® is trust . The agent you’re working with, and it might be me, has not given you a sense of comfort that would have you commit to that one agent. And understandably so! You just met the person once or twice. [click to continue…]

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Negotiating the purchase of a home in Westchester County: The Levers

January 17, 2010 by Jaime Tineo

When negotiating to purchase a home, understanding what your ‘levers’ are can be a significant advantage to winning a the deal.
Most people believe that price is the only bargaining chip when purchasing a home.  Although this may be true in most cases, it does not hold true for every case.  There are “levers” that you [...]

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Updated Closing Cost Calculator for Sellers in Westchester County

January 11, 2010 by Jaime Tineo

I recently released a calculator for sellers to calculate their closing costs when selling their home.  I did not realize it was going to be so popular.  In fact, I have already received some suggestions on how to make it better.
Hey, I listen. What the customer wants, the customer gets.  I’ve enhanced the calculator (with [...]

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Buying a home in Westchester County: schedule of events

January 3, 2010 by Jaime Tineo

I’ve written various posts on this topic before, but it’s so important I thought I would write another one.
I’m a huge believer in the term “managing expectations”.  Being in the business of providing a service, too often we tend to assume that the client is educated or informed on the process of buying a home. [...]

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What is PMI and how you can rid of it!

December 20, 2009 by Jaime Tineo

PMI stands for Private Mortgage Insurance.  When someone takes out a mortgage for more than 80% of the home’s value an additional premium, or penalty depending on how you look at it, must be paid to protect the lenders against default.  (a contributing factor why banks would rather foreclose than modify a loan–buyers were paying [...]

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The crazy things agents write on their listings.

December 10, 2009 by Jaime Tineo

Real estate agents, yes, we are a funny bunch!  Our creativity levels range from complete plagiarism to the absolute head-scratcher.  Most of us real estate agents did not go to school for marketing or advertising.  Attempting to make a compelling and memorable offer like the Geico Caveman is usually not at the forefront of our [...]

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What are the types of relationships?

December 1, 2009 by Jaime Tineo

With stuff like this I rather not make up my own interpretation, or worse, paraphrase.  That’s why I copied and pasted directly from the Realtor.org website.  I get no credit for this, but I thought I share it with you because I think this is a critical topic most people don’t talk about.
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For Sellers: New Closing Cost Calculator

November 24, 2009 by Jaime Tineo

As you may already know–or not know, I’m always trying to figure out how to help clients and future clients with their real estate needs.  Helpful Realtor® it almost sounds like an oxymoron (two opposites put together), but what the heck.  Here’s another FREE tool for your arsenal.
As part of my service offering I provide [...]

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Real Estate is not rocket science

November 12, 2009 by Jaime Tineo

I remember the time when I was looking for a home, before I became a Realtor®.  I only wished for one thing: to have access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) like my Realtor® did.  If only I could get in there and performed my own searches, I thought to myself.  I wish I [...]

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