The Jenna May Team Real Estate Podcast

Why Having a Buyer’s Agent Is Essential in Today’s Market

cassidy@getvyral.com (The Jenna May Team) — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 14:17:00 -0700

If you’re looking to buy a home, hiring a buyer’s agent is a must. I’ll go over why today.

Selling your home? Click Here For A Free Home Value Report

Interested In Buying A Home? Search for Homes here

If you’re looking to buy in the spring market there’s one thing you can’t afford to be without, a buyer’s agent.

Our market is incredibly hot right now. Buyers without agents aren’t getting to view homes fast enough, and by the time they get there the home is already sold. They’re also losing multiple offer situations because they don’t know the best ways to craft a competitive offer.

An agent is a must, and there are three things you need to look for when hiring the right one.

The first is responsiveness. If you can’t get to a home right away, you might not have the opportunity to write an offer before it’s sold. We have a team of agents, so even if the agent you’re working with is unavailable, we have someone that can get you to that listing as soon as possible.

If the agent you’re working with is unavailable, we have someone who can get you to that listing as soon as possible.

The second thing to look at is their track record. You want an agent or team that knows the tricks and tactics to win multiple offer situations while still protecting you and keeping your best interests in mind.

Finally, make sure they have a good understanding of the market. Even though many homes are selling over asking price because of multiple offers, we don’t want our clients to overpay. We will go over exactly what your investment in a home will look like in the future to make sure your offer reflects a price you’re comfortable with.

If you have any questions about buying in this market or any other real estate questions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We’re happy to help in any way we can!

How Long Does It Really Take to Buy a Home?

cassidy@getvyral.com (The Jenna May Team) — Thu, 9 Mar 2017 13:40:00 -0800

If you plan on buying a home this year, it’s time to start planning out your timeline. A typical contract takes about 60 days to close, so you need to plan a few months in advance.

Selling your home? Click Here For A Free Home Value Report

Interested In Buying A Home? Search for Homes here

With the weather warming up, a lot of you are probably thinking about making a real estate move. One of the first things we like to talk to our clients about when they decide to move is their timeline. Is there a specific timeline they need or want to be in their next home by? Once we have that information, we can work backward.

A standard contract takes about 60 days to close. If you come to us and tell us you want to be in your next home by the time school starts in mid-August, we need to make sure you are under contract by the middle of June.

Let’s say you have a lease that ends on May 31st, but you want to have a few weeks to make some changes in your new home. We would work backward 60 days, bringing us to the middle of March. If you have this type of timeline to work with, you need to act soon. You’ve only got a couple weeks to find your new house at this point.

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One of our buyer specialists would love to sit down with you.

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We have great buyer specialists on our team that would love to sit down with you, talk about the process, and get you on the path to achieving your goals. If you have any questions for us in the meantime, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

How Concept II Can Help Design Your Home

cassidy@getvyral.com (The Jenna May Team) — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 10:01:00 -0800

Concept II is a design studio here in Rochester with a special offer for our VIP members.

Selling your home? Click Here For A Free Home Value Report

Interested In Buying A Home? Search for Homes here

Today I'm excited to be on-site with Derek Pino of Concept II, a local design studio.

Concept II has been around for 47 years specializing in designing kitchens, bathrooms, tile, stone, and all renovations. If you've been wondering what you can do with different spaces in your house like your kitchen, closets, or bathrooms, you need to come check out their amazing studio. Their before and after work is incredible!

The showroom is a wonderful tool to find out exactly what you want in your home and to identify your style. They've got samples for everything and can make photorealistic renderings to help you get excited about what you'll see in your home. It also helps give you comfort and confidence in your renovations and really removes fear from the equation.

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The Concept II showroom helps you find out exactly what you want in your home.

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Concept II has a very unique offer for our VIP members, as well. VIP members can get a free in-home design consultation from Concept II, which usually costs about $500. They will come to your home, talk about what you want to do, and then really dive into the initial process.

If you'd like to speak to Derek, give him a call at 585-248-3510.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about the Rochester market or you're thinking about buying or selling a home, give us a call or send us an email. We'd love to hear from you!

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Hedonist Artisan Chocolates & Ice Cream

cassidy@getvyral.com (The Jenna May Team) — Tue, 7 Feb 2017 08:09:00 -0800

Since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, we wanted to stop by our favorite chocolate shop: Hedonist Artisan Chocolates & Ice Cream.

Selling your home? Click Here For A Free Home Value Report

Interested In Buying A Home? Search for Homes here

Today we are on site at Hedonist Artisan Chocolates & Ice Cream. The owner, Jenny, is with us to talk a little about this amazing business.

Hedonist Artisan Chocolates has been on South Ave for the last 10 years. Jenny and her team make handmade ice cream and chocolates in the artisan form. Hedonist Artisan Chocolates uses fresh ingredients.

“We are mostly known for our salty caramels throughout the country,” Jenny says. Hedonist Artisan Chocolates was on the cover of The New York Times a few years ago.

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Everything is handmade at Hedonist Artisan Chocolates.

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With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, Hedonist Artisan Chocolates & Ice Cream is incredibly busy. However, Jenny has been gracious enough offer 20% off everything in the store for our VIP members.

This is a one-time coupon, so don’t miss out! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We would be happy to help you!

How Will Rochester Buyers Fare If Rates Go Up Again?

cassidy@getvyral.com (The Jenna May Team) — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 08:47:00 -0800

Today we're on location to get our preferred lender Mike's expert opinion on the topic of interest rates. We'll discuss how rate changes affect home buyers.

Selling your home? Click Here For A Free Home Value Report

Interested In Buying A Home? Search for Homes here

Today we're out at Genesee Regional Bank with Mike Davis, who is one of our preferred lenders because he always does a fantastic job for our clients. Today, we want Mike to join us to talk about rising interest rates and what they mean for any potential home buyers in the Rochester area.

Interest rates are a hot topic right, Mike says, because they've gone up a full 1% since this time last year. What does that mean to the average buyer, exactly? If you bought a $200,000 house now as opposed to back then when rates were 1% lower, your monthly payment would be about $110 higher.

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Every time interest rates go up, your buying power goes down.

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According to Mike, when it comes to buying power, the same thing holds true if rates continue to go up in 2017. A buyer who qualifies for a $200,000 house now may only qualify for a $175,000 house if interest rates went up another 1%.

As you can see, if you're looking to buy a home, it's much better to buy now than to wait and risk another interest rate increase.

Thanks to Mike for joining us today to talk about rates. If you have mortgage questions or you're interested in obtaining a home loan, give Mike a call at 585-329-1183 or email him at mjdavis@grbbank.com.

If you have any real estate questions that we can answer or you're ready to buy a Rochester home, we'd love to help you. Just give us a call or send us an email.

Happy Holidays from The Jenna May Team

cassidy@getvyral.com (The Jenna May Team) — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 14:06:00 -0800

Our team has a special message for you this holiday season.

Selling your home? Click Here For A Free Home Value Report

Interested In Buying A Home? Search for Homes here

We are here at our annual client appreciation party, and we wanted to send a message to you!

This party is part of our VIP program, and we are very grateful for everyone who came out to celebrate with us. If you haven’t joined the program yet, you can do so on our website!

The entire team is here today to celebrate the year we had in 2016. We are happy to have helped so many of you, and we look forward to helping more of you in the future. We couldn’t do what we do without our great clients.

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If you haven’t joined the VIP program yet, you can do so on our website!

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From our team to your family, we hope you have a great holiday season. If you’ve got any questions for us in the meantime, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

A Special Offer for VIPs from Adrian Jules Clothier

cassidy@getvyral.com (The Jenna May Team) — Fri, 2 Dec 2016 14:08:00 -0800

Today we're shining a light on another great business here in Rochester, Adrian Jules Custom Clothier. Our VIP members are eligible for a great coupon here, too.

Selling your home? Click Here For A Free Home Value Report

Interested In Buying A Home? Search for Homes here

Today, we're on-site showcasing another great local business, Adrian Jules Custom Clothier.

I'm joined by Peter Roberti from Adrian Jules to get a rundown of this phenomenal custom clothing store here in Rochester. As Peter says, everything made by Adrian Jules is made right here in Rochester. They have about 80 tailors and 100 employees who all help them develop a pattern that's unique, and each client's pattern is different than everybody else's. Every garment is made just for you.

I can personally say that I've absolutely loved everything Peter and his team have made for me over the past couple of years.

If you look in the video above, you can see a shirt custom-made for a client that showcases how you can choose to customize anything you want about a garment. The beauty of it all is that the garments are unique to the client, so no other shirt will be the same as another.

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Each piece of clothing is unique to the client at Adrian Jules.

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Peter and Adrian Jules are offering a special coupon for our VIP members, too. From now until the end of the year, you can get $50 off a custom shirt.

If you have any questions for Peter, come visit him at Adrian Jules for some amazing custom clothing, and don't forget to use your VIP member coupon before the end of the year!

If you're thinking of buying or selling a home in the Rochester area, give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to helping you!

Another Great Perk of Being in Our VIP Program

cassidy@getvyral.com (The Jenna May Team) — Wed, 9 Nov 2016 09:01:00 -0800

Simply Crepes is a great place to grab a meal. If you are in our VIP program, we have a special offer to share with you.

Selling your home? Click Here For A Free Home Value Report

Interested In Buying A Home? Search for Homes here

We are on-site today for our first-ever local business showcase as part of our VIP program. We are here today with Nicole Heroux of Simply Crepes. They have three different restaurants, and she is going to talk to us a little bit today about them.

Nicole’s parents opened their first restaurant 13 years ago in August 2003. They decided to retire from the corporate world and "slow down" by opening a restaurant. Back when they started, they were just offering breakfast and lunch and had minimal hours. As the years went on, demand grew, and now they offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week.

One of the coolest things they started in 2016 was offering a seasonal menu. They feature and highlight local farmers and products each season. Their holiday menu is coming up, and Nicole promises that it will heavily feature fresh butternut squash from Stony Ridge Farms, juices and ciders from Red Jacket Orchards, and all of the beautiful Finger Lakes wine in our region.

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This offer is exclusive to our VIP members.

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If you haven’t had the opportunity yet to visit Simply Crepes, you are missing out. If you are interested in checking it out, Nicole and her family are offering a special deal exclusively to our VIP members. When you come in and visit them, they can offer you a $49 dinner special for two, which includes a bottle of wine, soup or salad, an entree, and a dessert. It’s a fantastic deal and we are thankful for Simply Crepes for offering it to our valued customers.

If you have any questions for us or would like to join our VIP program, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Our First Annual Pumpkin Giveaway

cassidy@getvyral.com (The Jenna May Team) — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 15:12:00 -0700

Today I’m at our first annual pumpkin giveaway at Ellison Park! This is just one way for us to thank our friends and clients for being in our lives.

Selling your home? Click Here For A Free Home Value Report

Interested In Buying A Home? Search for Homes here

Today I’m coming to you from our first annual pumpkin giveaway at Ellison Park!

I would like to give a special shout out to Greg’s U-Pick Farm and the Spoth family for providing the pumpkins! We are giving them away to our friends, family, and clients.

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Thanks for attending our annual pumpkin giveaway!

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That is the whole point of our VIP program — to give back. This is just one of the few things we are going to do throughout the year, so stay tuned for more events. In the meantime, if you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

Get Your Home Ready to Sell with These 3 Tips

cassidy@getvyral.com (The Jenna May Team) — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 08:50:00 -0700

Wondering which steps you should take to prepare your home for the market? Here are three quick, effective tips.

The one question I always get from friends, family members, and acquaintances alike is, “What should I do to get my home ready for the market?” Today I’d like to give you a few steps you can take to do this.

1. Declutter your home. Buyers love a clean, bright house. Clean is the key word here. Box up everything you want to take to your next home, and throw anything away that you don’t.

2. Get a home inspection. When preparing your home to sell, one of the most proactive things you can do is have a home inspector come out and perform a pre-listing inspection on your property. When a buyer enters into a contract and they’re paying for an engineer inspection, that inspector’s job is to find everything that is wrong with the property. Be proactive and take the opportunity to make repairs to things like non-grounded outlets or leaky water valves. This will eliminate some of the issues that a buyer might have once they are under contract.

3. Prioritize necessary renovations. If your roof is about to cave in, don’t spend your money on new granite countertops. A real estate professional can help you decide which renovations and repairs are most necessary to make in order to get your home to sell.

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Make necessary repairs, not cosmetic upgrades.

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If you have any other questions about getting your home ready for the market or you’re looking to buy a home, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to help you!

Launching Our New VIP Program

cassidy@getvyral.com (The Jenna May Team) — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 10:05:00 -0700

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our VIP Program, which will provide lots of benefits and value to our members. Signing up is easy and free.

We're excited to announce the upcoming launch of our VIP program!

With the VIP program, our goal is to provide as much value to our members as we possibly can throughout the whole year.

Our VIP members will be invited to our two annual client appreciation events (the first is a pie giveaway in November) and receive a monthly coupon from a wide range of great local businesses in our community.

Members will also receive a custom market report specific to their neighborhood or area, as well as two exclusive video emails per month designed to keep them informed and up-to-date on the local real estate market.

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We want the VIP program to bring you lots of value.

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We'll also interview and feature a local business owner each month and include a coupon for their business or service. We're really excited to showcase local businesses like restaurants and shops.

This will be free to all our members! All you have to do is sign up.

To sign up, visit our website.

If you have any questions for us, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We’re excited to have you in the VIP Program!