Saturday, May 29, 2010

$125,000. New Village Listing in Interlaken: Beautiful Victorian

I can't wait for you to see charming Victorian home in the Village of Interlaken!
This wonderful,well-maintained 1890s farmhouse has a huge,inviting wrap-around porch on two sides that affords three different entrances to the home. Upstairs are three bedrooms and one bath, and there's a second full bath down.
The formal dining room has large breeze-swept windows, and a built-in cabinet for linens and dining pieces. Two pass-thrus open up the dining room and living room to the updated kitchen for gracious entertaining.
Newer fixtures, fresh paint in soothing colors up & down. Many newer double-pane, easy-care windows throughout. Property has an exceptional barn/garage built in 1999,with garage door opener and space for 3 cars. A large second floor loft above the garage is ideal for workshop or studio space and has plenty of storage space.
The current owners have made lots of updates and have added stunning perennial gardens.
Here's the link to this Listing-- and you can register for more expanded listing information here on my website: www.CandeCarroll.com and type in mls 131763 or 3695 Railroad Ave., Interlaken

Friday, May 28, 2010

Post #3 from Lindsay: Getting ready to sell

We had a realtor friend of my Mom's over (Cande) to give us an idea about what might be involved in selling our house.
My husband and I decided that the time was ripe to put our home on the market but we really didn't have the foggiest idea about how to do it. It's the first time we've ever done this because the house in question is the first place we've owned.
Cande hadn't ever seen the place before so it was fun to catch up. She got to see our place and meet our daughter for the first time. She asked a few very good questions about our situation. She wanted to know a.) How soon do you want to try and sell your home? b.) Where do you want to relocate to? c.) What will be the asking price of the home?
We wanted to know what we needed to do to show the home as soon as possible. Her answer was to fix a few odds and ends that we had to get to anyway even if we were going to stay and also in an off-hand sort of way "oh and just tidy up the place," and she'd be back the following week to take some photos for the listing.
This last sentence makes me smirk internally. You see, I am a recovering pack rat and my husband is a pack rat in denial. I say recovering because it's a disease that you are never really cured from. The idea of moving makes me cringe at the thought of having to get rid of the stuff one accumulates when one lives in one place for a while.
I like to consider ourselves green individuals. This is just a simple excuse to hang onto everything in case one might use it later. What does a person do about said problem? Call the family for reinforcements. I say family because only they could manage to tolerate doing such a heinous task and they work for unlimited food and beverages.
Over the weekend the family helped us clear the detritus of several years of living in one place. I'm not going to say that it was fun, but boy I guess I wouldn't mind staying so much now that it's done. Wouldn't they be mad if I called them up and said "April Fools!" Ha!

Post #2 from Lindsay: Why Does Anyone Move?

My husband and I have recently acquired a beautiful baby girl who for the last 6 months has joined us on our daily 2-hour commute to our jobs. We live 7 miles from work, however, between us and work lies a giant 300-foot deep, 38-mile long chasm filled with fresh water known as Cayuga Lake.
There have been schemes hatched about getting a boat and working out dockage on both sides of the lake, but due to various logistical barriers, including a boat that just won't run when we get it to water's edge but will start on command within the confines of our yard with no trouble, we have scrapped the idea.
Getting back to our daughter, I have been lucky enough for the first six months of her life to bring her along to work with me. I have wonderful employers. That time now is coming to a close. It's hard for me because I'd really love to keep her at work but she is getting to the point where she needs to have a day care situation.
Truthfully the thought of leaving her with someone else has been one of the biggest heartaches of my life. It's amazing how you change when you become a parent. How someone can have such a death grip on your emotions and yet be so innocent and blissfully unaware of it themselves. You wonder if they will ever know just how much you unconditionally love them. What a sappy mother I am.
So with a new expense at our feet, daycare, one place in our budget that could be trimmed is gas expenses. Other benefits of getting closer to our jobs would be more time in the day not spent in the car. I can tell you for a fact that 2 hours a day of forced confinement with your spouse is good for your relationship but it might be boarder line overkill couples therapy.
We would also be closer to our family who also lives an hour away from our current home. It's time to sell.

Lindsay

ITHACA YACHT CLUB - Reduced rates for NEW members and re-joining members

This is your invitation to enjoy one of the most beautiful lakefront settings on the West Shore, The Ithaca Yacht Club.
You don't even have to want to own a boat, but if you or your friends or clients have ever thought about joining (or re-joining) the Ithaca Yacht Club -- OR if you're looking for a great summertime social atmosphere for leisure activity-- for both adults and kids-- by the lake, NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO JOIN! IYC is offering a tremendous incentive to do so this summer... read on.
IYC has just announced two initiatives to increase membership....
1. NEW categories for SINGLE and JUNIOR Memberships
2. 2010 Membership Drive - 50% OFF Full Dues (in any category) for NEW and RE-JOINING Members (and pay only 75% of dues in 2011)
What does membership get you? The opportunity for you and your guests (and clients) to picnic, paddle, swim, sail, play, relax, eat, drink, and socialize -- all at IYC's beautiful west shore setting. IYC members have access to the lake for youth and adult sailing programs, summer recreation camps, kayak usage, and the chance to enjoy IYC's casual lakeside dining and pub. And we have our "laptop by the lake wifi" so you can enjoy your membership on your free time and during work hours too! You also get limited reciprocal privileges with the Ithaca Country Club.
Help IYC celebrate the beginning of its second hundred years at "your lake level cottage on the lake"! For more information see below or visit www.ithacayc.org or contact IYC at membership@ithacayc.org or 607-272-9171. You can also plan to tour the club during one of our open houses on Sunday May 30 or Saturday June 19 between 11:00 and 2:00.
It will be great to see you on the Point!
2010 DUES FOR NEW (or re-joining) MEMBERS
SENIOR Family (SR) Full: $1292 2010: $646 (+tax)
for all family households where the eldest member is over 35 as of July 1st and includes grown children through age 24
SINGLE (S) Full: $775 2010 $388 (+tax)
is for an individual with no family members, defined as no spouse, partner or children
JUNIOR Family (JR) Full: $646 2010: $323 (+tax)
for family households whose oldest member is 35 or less on July 1st
Remember to try to get to the Open House this Sunday, 11-2, and also tell the sign up person at the open house, or when you join that you learned about this great membership incentive from CANDE's BLOG INVITATION.
All the best for a wonderful summer!
Cande
Member West Shore Homeowners Association and IYC
Don't hesitate to Invite your friends. And if you have questions, just email or call me!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

A Love Letter to our House

Dear House,

You were our first house. You were our dream. We needed a place close to work and a place where we could launch our boat to sail on the beautiful lake that you are so near to. We needed a place to plant a vegetable garden, and to have beautiful flowers planted just where we wanted.

We needed a place to call our own, with a big kitchen, a great laundry room, and a place to keep our cars warm and dry in winter. We needed a house with a great porch for summertime grilling and warm insulation to keep us toasty warm in the winter. You have provided that for us.

It's true, there were some things that we improved about you. We didn't like the floors upstairs so we put in laminate flooring. We planned to replace the downstairs flooring with hardwoods Dan sawed himself. We didn't like the old ceilings and lighting in the kitchen and the dining room so we replaced those too. You are a great house and we wish we could pack you too when we move.

We both now have jobs on the other side of that beautiful lake. We don't have time to enjoy your great wrap around porch, or ping pong in that great big garage. We have to move on, I hope you understand. It's not you it's our circumstances. We will find you a new family to enjoy your great virtues. As they say, breaking up is hard to do.

(written by the owner of a VERY wonderful village home, 17 miles north of Ithaca, that will be coming on the market soon...)

Absolutely MOVE-IN Ready, 116 Woolf Ln., Ithaca


Leave your toolbox behind! This beautiful home at 116 Woolf Lane, in Ithaca is totally move-in ready!

This low maintenance, must-see Colonial is on a very quiet street, near Cayuga Medical Center. Lovingly maintained and immaculate like-new two story, 3-bedroom, 1-1/2 bath home with many recent updates. Fabulous floor plan with great working kitchen with breakfast room / family room open to kitchen. Extra Large living room with newer bay window. Spacious dining room perfect for entertaining. New front porch and cozy rear patio. Newer flooring and recent interior paint. New storage shed and side patio. A must-see close to Ithaca and Cayuga Medical Center.

Directions: From Ithaca, drive 3-1/2 miles on Rt. 96 (Cliff St.). Turn right on Woolf Lane, drive .3 mi. to beige, 2-story home. Call your Realtor or go to 116 Woolf Lane, Ithaca for more info and a complete list of updates.

Request a Showing Appointment.

Interest Rates are Low, Low, Low!

It's hard to imagine that interest rates have continued to remain at 50-year lows.
My lending representative, Kimberly Rozell, at CFCU in Ithaca, sent me their Rate Sheet for today, and listen to this: Just 4%-- that's FOUR-- for a 10-year, Fixed Rate Mortgage, with a 60-day rate lock, no points, (4.471% APR, based on $100,000 loan amt and 20% down).
See all CFCU Mortgage Rates
Find your dream home at: www.CandeCarroll.com

First Quarter's done, and we're well into the Second... ??


Good grief!Where is this year going!

I recently decided to revitalize my blog (more about that later), so here I am looking at that stupid clock ticking down to -- well, of course, now it's ticking down to New Year's Eve 2010/2011.

Oh, well, Let's review. How's the Real Estate Business in Ithaca? Right now there are 741 residential properties on the market. As of today, the average days on the market is 146. The average selling price here is $184,332, and homes are selling at an average Listing Price to Selling Price of 94.93%.

For an individual agent such as myself? My first quarter surpassed my total sales in 2009; two months into the second quarter I've surpassed first quarter's numbers. And I'm psyched to push forward for my clients, getting them the best price for the homes I'm listing, and the best price for my clients who are ready to buy.

Go to www.CandeCarroll.com to search for YOUR perfect home, or to contact me about how to get your home ready to put on the market and we'll get it listed. Cande@RealtyUSA.com, or just pull out your phone and call me at 607-227-2978