Central New York Real Estate Blog

Make Energy Efficiency Improvements Now with NYSERDA’s New Program

Sarah — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:33:47 +0000

Have you thought about making improvements to your home to maximize energy efficiency, but aren’t sure you want to spend the money? How nice would it be to have a better insulated home, keeping the heat inside during winter, and the cool in during summer? Think of the savings on your utility bills. What about more efficient appliances and lighting fixtures, not to mention a better furnace, boiler, and water heater? These are improvements that would ultimately lead to saving money, but can be difficult to finance at the present.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is offering a loan opportunity called the On-Bill Recovery Loan Program. You can finance these home improvements through a charge right on your National Grid bill, and the amount you pay is based on projected savings on your energy bills. No payments are due until June 2012, and there is a low interest rate (2.99% fixed) that could be tax deductible. If you decide to sell your property, the loan can be transferred to the new owners.

How does this process work? The first step is to participate in the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program. A BPI accredited contractor assesses your home to recommend the most optimal energy improvements that can be made as well as the cost and the estimated savings for you. Next, you apply for your loan (through Energy Finance Solutions) and the improvements are completed by a contractor. Beginning in June 2012, your utility bill will show a separate line item for your loan.

The best part of this program is that you can finance these improvements and not even see an increase in your energy bill. The loan is set up to project your energy savings at rates that equal or exceed your payments.

Aside from all the savings, these improvements will make your home more comfortable. You might even get the peace of mind that goes along with doing the right thing for the environment, the economy, and the future!

We recommend you visit the NYSERDA website to access all of the details on this program. If you are considering selling your home either now or sometime down the road, talk with your realtor about how to best market this affordable and utility cost saving program.

Winterfest – Through February 29th

Sarah — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:13:05 +0000

Even though this winter has been a mild one so far, the winter blues can still creep in as we hope to catch a glimpse of the sun and long for that warm spring breeze to arrive. Luckily, Syracuse turns this potentially dreary time of year into a celebration: Winterfest! This past Wednesday marked the beginning of a two week marathon of enjoyable wintertime events, both indoor and outdoor. Some of the upcoming highlights include theater, dancing, food festivals, and sports such as Syracuse Shakespeare Festival’s performances of Othello at the NY State Fairgrounds, the Chili & Chowder Cookoff in Hanover Square, Syracuse Crunch, a Salsa Survival Class, SU Lacrosse and Basketball, Sleigh Rides, and much more. There is truly something for everyone, so be sure to see the list!

The Winterfest event that’s top on my list is Downtown Dining Week. Through Wednesday, February 29th, more than 20 of Syracuse’s top restaurants will be offering three courses for $25 or less! Some of my favorites include Pastabilities, The Mission, and Dinosaur BBQ, but take a peek at the complete list of participating restaurants to see if your favorite is on it. What a perfect time to visit a restaurant you’ve been wanting to try!

With all of these exciting choices for fun, there is absolutely no reason to stay home this week. Please let us know what your favorite Syracuse Winterfest event is!

Le Moyne College & Residential Area

Sarah — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:24:17 +0000

Le Moyne College on Salt Springs Road in Syracuse was founded by Jesuits in 1946. Known for its liberal arts program, Le Moyne now has about 2,300 undergraduate and 800 graduate students from both the U.S. and abroad. With a 13:1 ratio of students to faculty, classes are small enough for students to receive plenty of one-on-one attention. Le Moyne offers degrees in over 30 majors as well as a variety of sports, music, internship, and study abroad opportunities. In addition to academic focus, school spirit and fun are not lacking. One example is Dolphy Day, a tradition that commenced in 1971. Students celebrate the coming of spring after a long Syracuse Winter (usually until the sun comes up the next morning!).

With 17 sports, the Le Moyne Dolphins have an impressive athletic program. Le Moyne has even won three national championships (two lacrosse and one softball).

The performing arts program is also lively, and includes groups such as the Jazzuits, the Le Moyne College Chamber Orchestra, and performances at the Gifford Family Theatre.

Surrounded by dining, shopping, and recreation, Le Moyne is in an excellent location. Erie Boulevard restaurants like Delmonico’s Steakhouse and Thai Flavor as well as Outback Steakhouse and Olive Garden are less than a mile away. Also close by are Westcott Street, Marshall Street, and Downtown Syracuse, all providing nice selections for dining out! The shopping is equally convenient, and there are many choices for entertainment (Westcott Cinema, Thornden Park, and the Regal Cinemas at Shoppingtown Mall to name a few).

If the Le Moyne College area is appealing to you, you might check out our listings at 302 Demong Drive and 139 Sunnyside Park Road. 302 Demong is a beautiful four-bedroom Colonial with a large master suite, gas fireplace, hardwood floors throughout, and a spacious, private back yard. It has also had recent updates including furnace, patio, hot water tank, fence and more. 139 Sunnyside is just that – a bright, sun-filled, contemporary home complete with five bedrooms and two bathrooms, hardwood floors, a wood burning fireplace, and an enclosed, screened-in porch. Both houses are located within a one mile radius of Le Moyne college!

Purchasing a Home? DISCOVERY awaits you…

CNY Guest Blogger — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:52:56 +0000

Debb Parker, our guest blogger, has been with Commonfund Mortgage in Syracuse for over 17 years. Her goal is to educate buyers and help them take advantage of what is out there for them, and she is very passionate about her work! Debb’s past professional credentials include ten years with New York State, and supervising a home for developmentally disabled children.

Buying a home can be a mixture of feelings — excitement, fear, confusion, anxiety, the list goes on and on. In addition to these many emotions, the home buying process is also about DISCOVERY! This is the perfect time to review your financial portfolio. Making the decision to finance your home should be based on the results of your entire budget analysis, not just the mortgage payment.

Too often people decide what financing option is best for them even before they even find “the house.” They are so driven to the predesignated plan that they forget to reassess based on the home they’ve chosen. Instead of pursuing knowledge from a mortgage professional, they listen to their friends and colleagues for advice. Unfortunately, the advice that is given may have been best for those individuals, but not necessarily for those being advised. As time changes, so do the mortgage products that are available.

Let me give you some examples:

John and Mary purchased a new home that needs a new kitchen and bath. In order to avoid mortgage insurance, they put 20% down and now have minimum savings left. They will close on their new home and incur the costs of the remodeling on charge cards. The result is a high monthly payment and non deductible interest. The better option would have been to put 10% down with lender paid mortgage insurance (which still accomplishes the goal of eliminating paying for the mortgage insurance). This leaves money left over for the improvements. Result: no charge card debt.

Susan qualifies for a home mortgage based on her income to debt ratio. Based on what she qualifies for, the home would not meet her family’s long-term needs. She accepts this as “the way it has to be” and purchases a home that she knows she will outgrow in three years. After that time, she will have to sell and find a larger home. Had she met with a mortgage professional, she would have been given the option of using sellers concessions to help pay for the costs of purchasing. With the cash saved, she could have paid off a monthly debt thereby qualifying for more home. Not only would she have been happier with her purchase, but it is a much more financially sound plan. At current rates, financing an extra $10,000 for closing costs only changes the monthly payment by $47.02 — just a little over a dollar a day. Having that extra $10,000 freed up allows her to pay off debt, which is not tax deductible, has a higher monthly payment obligation, and restricts her from qualifying for a larger home. In addition, being able to buy the home she needs now saves her the costs of buying and selling again three years.

I could give many examples of how shifting of funds can help your financial picture. I encourage you to think outside the box and DISCOVER the many options available to you — Syracuse housing prices and current interest rates make it the perfect time.

If you are looking for an excellent loan officer who will help determine what you are most qualified for, look no further. Contact Debb at parkerd@commonfundmtg.com or 315-422-2325 Ext 1052.

State of the Real Estate Market: Attitude is Everything

Pei Lin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:57:03 +0000

Over the years I’ve learned people fall into one of two groups: glass half full or glass half empty. My mother-in-law was the epitome of the former. Let me correct that — her cup, as my husband told me, wasn’t just half full, it runneth over, even during hard times. And she had many.

In addition to being a Depression-era child, Babe witnessed the tragic death of her eldest granddaughter at age 16 and lost her husband of over 40 years after his third heart attack.

Years later when Parkinson’s Disease insidiously debilitated her muscles, my husband asked her how she was doing. She said, “Well, I can’t walk anymore, but that’s OK. I have a good wheelchair!” Always possessing a positive outlook, she never seemed to have any trouble counting her blessings.

The media, I feel, can take a lesson from Babe (as she was affectionately known by family and close friends, so named by her future husband because he thought she was such a good-looking babe!) .

As a graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, I know the news has to be reported. But interpretation, I think, can instill confidence and hope or just as easily send a depressing message.

I am not unrealistic about the economy or the hardships of those unfortunate to lose their jobs. However, there is good news and opportunity that I do not think is being properly reported, which is an injustice to the consumer.

Over the last 10 years, rates have consistently come down and now are at an almost all-time low. The chart here from Stefan Swanepol’s RealTrends 2012 clearly shows the downward trend of mortgage rates. The affordability index has never been better. For the same payment of 10 years ago, buyers can now buy more house. Alternately, the same house now costs much less monthly.

That is the first piece of good news. The second opportunity is that prices are good — and affordable. That, coupled with lower interest rates, makes housing even more affordable. Homeownership is within the hands of many who formerly were priced out of the market — if they only knew!

And the last piece of good news is that there is a good inventory of choices. All of these items should align for unparalleled opportunity. Yet the media, in my opinion, has not done a good job of informing the public.

This is not an original notice on my part. New York State Realtor of the Year Don Radke, and outgoing President of the Greater Syracuse Association of Realtors, highlighted these facts in his speech earlier this month at the GSAR Installation Dinner. As he said, the stars and the moon are aligning for opportunity never before seen.

Real estate is local. And locally, opportunity knocks. Yes there are REO’s and short sales, but not in the unparalleled numbers seen in other areas of the country.

They exist, just as my mother-in-law’s disease was a reality. But, like her, I choose to look at the positives and grab opportunity while it is here in the present, rather than wait for interest rates or prices to rise. I think the opportunities offered today is a cup running over, not just one half full — if you choose to find it, for both homeowners and investors alike.

Syracuse Real Food Co-op

Sarah — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:59:32 +0000

I’ve heard great things about the Syracuse Real Food Co-op, so I thought I’d check it out. Located at 618 Kensington Road just blocks away from Westcott Street and Barry Park, this small, community-owned natural food store is packed full of groceries. The store, customers, and employees all had a refreshingly relaxed vibe. You can get all of your grocery staples at very competitive prices, and it’s so convenient not to have to fight the crowds at a larger grocery store.

I was especially impressed with the selection of organic brands available. In addition to the usual sections like produce, meat, and dairy (many of which are from local farms), there is a whole wall of bins filled with products you can buy in bulk such as granola, oats, sugar, flour, beans, nuts, and dried fruit, as well as quite a few choices of coffee.

The co-op also carries pet, cleaning, and cosmetic items. While perusing the store, I met Jeremy, the friendly front-end manager. He described himself as a “beer-head”, and just so happened to be stocking the beer cooler. The variety of brews was also impressive – a great selection of local and national craft beers. If you haven’t been to the Syracuse Food Co-op, it’s definitely worth a trip to check it out. I only wish this store were closer to me (I live in Baldwinsville) — I’d shop there weekly!

Carpet Stains and Solutions

CNY Guest Blogger — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:32:53 +0000

Our guest blogger, Joe Merluzzi, is the owner of Northeast Carpet Cleaning. Joe has been the Miracle Worker on many Central New York carpets, furniture–and he cleans air ducts too! A family owned business, Northeast Carpet Cleaning is training the next generation of Merluzzis early to service your needs.

What if your favorite pet stains your carpet? Your dog pees and poops on your carpet. DISASTER. What can you do? Try a cleaning and stain removing solution.

Since there are many types of products available in the market that can and will remove stains, there are many choices. Some products are strong and harsh to carpet fabric, while some are not. Ideally a cleaning solution will minimize and remove stains by cleaning the spills and dirt as they crop up. Cleaning stains does not always require you to go out of your home and purchase expensive products.

There are lots of ways to clean pet stains on a carpet without even leaving your home. One way is by using everyday cleaning products. These can oftentimes clean stains as effectively and efficiently as expensive cleaning solutions. You should always use less first. Here are some easy options.

Option No. 1: The simplest way to get rid of stains is water. Apply water to the affected area of the carpet, then blot it with paper towels or a clean white towel. Be sure to let the carpet dry and never let its backing get wet when you pour water.

Option No. 2: Make a solution by mixing a tablespoon of detergent with one quart of water. Spray and blot the affected area and let it dry.

Option No. 3: Mix one teaspoon ammonia with half a cup of cold water. Spray the solution or apply it to the stain. Use a paper towel to blot the stain away. Be sure to let the affected area dry.

If you have a stubborn stain that you can’t remove yourself, you can call Joe Merluzzi at 315-480-7159. He has a complete line of stain removers that may just be the miracle cure you need!

Living in Radisson

Pei Lin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:23:39 +0000

On my flight home the other night from an out-of-town class, I sat next to Mark, who has lived in Radisson since 1985! Since we were just about to feature Radisson on our blog, I was particularly interested in getting his input on what it’s like to live in Radisson. A resident since 1985, he certainly is well-versed on the area.

Mark gave me some insights on a few of the community activities such as snowshoe-ing and cross-country skiing on the golf course, the annual Radisson-sponsored shopping trip to New York City in December (book early!), and the Founder’s Day weekend, where friends and neighbors get together to listen to music, enjoy the fireworks, and barbecue together (nearby Budweiser is one of the sponsors). Mark talked about fishing in the ponds, which are maintained by ESF (SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry).

Mark and his wife have raised three boys in their Radisson home–one is getting his medical degree at SUNY Upstate Medical University, the other is studying to be a pharmacist, and the third is just entering undergraduate studies at Cortland. He has been very pleased with the education his boys received in the Baldwinsville schools.

I asked how he felt about the rules and HOA and, without any hesitation, Mark told me it was a positive thing. Not only are there the conveniences–such as the leaves being picked up from the curb on a weekly basis during the Fall–but he felt that all the homes are kept in good condition and the rules help keep the values up as “no one’s house gets rundown.”

All the neighbors are kept informed via the weekly Radisson Reflections, a community newspaper run by the HOA.

Every Friday night is Teen Night at the Ice Skating Arena, and it’s very well attended! In good weather, there are multiple playgrounds around Radisson for outdoor play.

Every December during the holiday season there is a contest for holiday light decorations. Alas Mark was not able to tell me the prize, as he ruefully admitted he has never won.

A recent neighborhood accomplishment is the boat ramp. This is a convenient launch for boats, canoes, kayaks, and jet-skis to the Seneca River. There is plenty of parking for RVs so people can keep them off premises and not visually litter the property.

No matter what your interests are, the Radisson community in Baldwinsville has something you’ll love. This planned community adheres to aesthetic guidelines in order to keep up its pristine appearance. The result? Lovely neighborhoods with a tidy look! In addition to attractive living, Radisson has a large variety of recreation. The trails along the lakes and ponds are great for walking any time of year, or biking and skating in the summertime. Radisson Greens Golf Course is an 18-hole course located right within the community. For sports lovers, there are soccer and baseball fields, tennis and basketball courts, and a public pool. Keep the kids busy on the playgrounds or in the kiddie pool (swimming lessons are offered). Radisson even has its own Nursery School. The community is conveniently located just a few miles from Great Northern Mall and several shopping centers (including Wegmans, Target, Home Depot, and more).

For 25 years, Mark has done the half hour commute to Nine Mile Point, a fairly easy ride from Radisson he says. Other nearby employers include Fitzpatrick Plants, Alcon, and of course Budweiser is just a stone’s throw away.

After hearing Mark’s personal perspective, I can see why so many of my clients concentrate their home search in Radisson!

If Radisson sounds like home to you, check out our listing at 8281 Luchsinger Lane! With 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a 3 car garage, and a corner wooded lot, this house has plenty of space and privacy. You won’t believe how much the windows and skylights illuminate the home throughout – even on the gloomiest of winter days.

Thornden Park Chili Bowl Festival – February 18th

Sarah — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:42:03 +0000

In just a few weeks, The Thornden Park Association will be holding its annual Chili Bowl Festival, now in its 10th year! Mark your calendar for Saturday February 18th between 12-4. Four varieties of freshly made-from-scratch chili will be available to warm you up at the Thornden Park Field House. Chili is $3 by the bowl, or $6 for a sampler of all four. Corn bread and home brewed root beer will also be on the menu. The proceeds from this event will be used for improvements to the park and to support park activities. Come out and support this local University Area park while enjoying some tasty food!

Home Inspections Demystified

CNY Guest Blogger — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:53:53 +0000

If you’re wondering how serious your home inspection results are, our guest blogger, Tom Sherman of Absolute Home Inspections, demystifies some common terms for us here.

“Every house is different and every house is the same.”

I remember hearing this way back in the early days of my home inspection career. Surely, all houses will have certain similarities…each should have a climate control system such as a furnace or a boiler; each will have electrical and plumbing systems. And of course, each will have walls, ceilings, floors and a roof. So, one could surmise that every house is the same. That having been said, one house may have a stand-alone water heater while another may have a side-arm tank being heated by the boiler, or any number of other dissimilarities.

Our challenge as home inspectors is to look at each house as a blank canvas and create our opinion from square one. That means, in a matter of a few hours, being able to look at the literally thousands of pieces that make up a house and provide an honest, factual assessment, all the while trying not to break the Hummel collection that is resting precariously on the edge of the mantel.

Along the lines of similarities, there are certain things that seem to crop up quite regularly. Listed below, I will try to take the mystery out of a few of these oft-heard phrases.

Double Taps

DOUBLE TAPS- A double tap is nothing more than 2 electrical circuits that are connected to the same breaker. This type of connection, while commonly found, is not permitted. Usually, it is a simple fix, though if there are many in a panel box; it may require adding a sub panel.
IMPROPER CLEARANCE TO COMBUSTIBLES- When you hear this phrase, we are generally referring to the minimum clearance permitted between a heating vent pipe and any combustible material. With a single wall pipe on a gas system, the minimum clearance is 6 inches. With double walled “B-Vent” the clearance is reduced to 1 inch. Installing a heat shield between the pipe and combustible material allows you to cut those distances in half.
ORPHANED WATER HEATERS- This is a common situation where a chimney flue is used to vent both the heating system and the water heater. It becomes a problem when the furnace is replaced with a sidewall-vented high efficiency unit. This eliminates the additional heat that assisted in providing good “rise” of the flue gas (hot air rises, right?) So now we have this oversized flue with only the measly water heater vent entering it. The flue is now far too cold to allow a good draft. This often results in back drafting, where the nasty combustion gas is entering the building instead of exiting out the top of the chimney. The solution is to have the chimney “relined” with a smaller flexible vent pipe.
REVERSED POLARITY- This simply means that the receptacle was wired backwards. There are two sides of a standard electrical receptacle, one side having brass colored screws, the other silver. Each side has a specific wire that should be connected to it. If it is connected backwards, there will still be power, though it will be fed through in a reverse path, which can be dangerous. This is a very simple correction for an electrician.
IMPROPER GRADING- Grading, in regards to a building, has a very important role of directing water (be it rain or melting snow) away from the foundation. This concern is almost boiler plate on our inspections, as most every house we look at has some sort of grading issue. Poor grading leads to water in a basement, potential mold growth and a slew of other negatives. In a perfect world, the soil would be built up around the building and sloped away at a rate of 1 inch per foot drop, extending 10 feet from the house.

These are but a few of the issues that are brought up regularly during a home inspection. I hope this helps to clarify some of these terms. In the end, keeping in mind the overall health of the home is important, rather than concentrating on all the minutiae, to keep a good perspective.

Tom Sherman can often been found under a porch, or crawling through attic insulation. He can be reached at 315-673-1755 or Tom@AbsoluteHomeInspection.com.