WestchesterCribs.com Real Estate News, Updates, and Rants

First Time Home Buyer Credit has been extended in more than one way

November 6, 2009 by Jaime Tineo

This is great news for home buyers. The plan has certainly contributed to stimulating the real estate market. I guess the government thinks it needs more stimulation because the credit has been extended.

The date by which someone needs to buy a house has been extended to April 30th, 2010.
The credit has been expanded to include [...]

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Statistics on real estate agents

November 2, 2009 by Jaime Tineo

I ran across an interesting article called “Study provides insight into typical New York REALTOR®” released by the New York State Association of Realtors® in the September/October 2009 issue of Realtor® Magazine. The article outlined the results of a statewide and nationwide survey of 91 questions sent out to approximately 100,000 random Realtors®. How many actually [...]

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Westchester Real Estate Quarterly Numbers

October 28, 2009 by Jaime Tineo

The bad news is that number of sales are down by 24% in Westchester County in the last 9 months compared to the first 9 months of 2008. The good news is that sales have actually increased from last quarter by approximately 35%. Although this is positive news for the local real estate market, I [...]

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No more getting shorted on a Short Sale

October 26, 2009 by Jaime Tineo

I’ve Added a New Service:

Do you currently own a home?
Are you behind on your mortgage payments?
Do you owe more than the home is worth in today’s market?
Have you lost your job or endured financial hardship?

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I hate some real estate agents…

October 19, 2009 by Jaime Tineo

Perhaps hate is too strong of a word. How ’bout cringe at the idea of interacting with many of them.
You as the customer may have the good fortune of only having to deal with a handful of realtors, but I on the other hand, have the unfortunate task of dealing with the entire lot. By [...]

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Why do I need a buyer’s agent in Westchester County?

October 16, 2009 by Jaime Tineo

Simply, to deal with the seller’s agent! But it goes beyond that of course. A good buyer’s agent with experience and market knowledge is indispensable. Think of them like a Batman with a utility belt full of useful tools. I realize you have the internet-Zillow and Realtor.com on your side, but do you really think [...]

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If property values have fallen in Westchester County, should property taxes drop too?

October 14, 2009 by Jaime Tineo

According to the a recent NY Times article, the reason property taxes are so high in this area (Westchester and neighboring counties), besides the political strong-hold of local unions, is because, for one, property values are higher than in the rest of the country. Westchester County median sale price is about $530,000 while the national [...]

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Real estate or poker?

October 12, 2009 by Jaime Tineo

If you’re just beginning the process of buying a home, you will soon learn that the real estate business has very little to do with the actual home itself. Instead, it is something so far removed that you won’t even recognize it. At times it’s like a poker game completely gone bad. Some agents think [...]

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Get a Federal Income Tax Credit Equal to 20% of Your Annual Mortgage Interest

October 9, 2009 by Jaime Tineo

This incentive is in addition to the $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Credit:
The State of New York Mortgage Agency, or SONYMA, is now offering a Federal income tax credit to first-time homebuyers in New York State. The aim is to make it easier than ever for first-time homebuyers to afford a new home. [...]

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Why are there so many foreclosures?

October 7, 2009 by Jaime Tineo

That is the question of the hour. I’m not an economist nor do I like to make predictions about the future. I will leave that to the quantitative analysis genius paid to that.
So I will try to make a observations based on the theories of one, Stan Liebowitz, Professor of economics at the University of [...]

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