Should You Rent or Buy a Brooklyn Home?

If you’re sitting in your apartment right now thinking: I wish I could paint it, but my lease doesn’t allow it, maybe it’s time to talk to a Brooklyn real estate agent about purchasing a new home.  Before you rush off to the store to look at paint samples or, more importantly, sign on the dotted line of any mortgages, consider the pros and cons of buying.

Pros

1. Financial Investment: Given the gloomy news on foreclosure rates across the country, it is easy to forget that buying Brooklyn real estate is also a means of saving and investing.  The money you pay in rent to your landlord goes to your landlord; the money you put toward a mortgage goes toward building equity in your home.
2. Pride of Ownership: By buying a home, you will be able to paint the interior walls any color, renovate to your heart’s content, put nails in the walls and know that it is truly your territory. As a homeowner, you have a level of control over your environment that renters lack.
3. Putting Down Roots: Purchasing Brooklyn real estate is a commitment to a community, akin to staking a flag in the ground.  You’re not just passing through, if you own your own home.  Most mortgages are 15 to 30 years.  Certainly, you can sell before that time is up, but with closing and moving costs and an uncertain market, the era of flipping houses for fun and profit is at a close. Buying your first home may involve considerations on other long-term decisions such as where you want to raise your children.

Cons

1. Additional Expenses: Even if the mortgage you secure on your home is less than your current rent, home ownership comes with a lot of extra bills. You may not have considered the cost of yearly real estate taxes, insurance, repairs, and maintenance.  If your water heater dies as a renter, your landlord is required to replace it.  As a homeowner, you’re looking at the time and expense of getting it replaced yourself.
2. Less Flexibility: Rental leases often include provisions for leaving before the termination of the lease.  So, if you’ve decide to accept a job offer in Paris, while you might lose some money in security deposits, you can sever your connection relatively easily. That’s not the case with a mortgage.  You are responsible for the payment on the mortgage whether you live in your home, rent it out while you’re in Paris or leave it vacant. Buying [city] real estate is a serious, long-term commitment.
3. Less Time: With most apartments, someone else is raking the leaves, shoveling the snow, mowing the lawn, and replacing that broken water heater.  As a homeowner, those duties would fall to you or someone you hire to tend to those issues.

Whether you’re ready to stop renting and buy a home or you need more information before taking the plunge, I can help. Give me a call today Charles D’Alessandro Your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate at 718/253-9600 ext 206 or email me at [email protected]

Charles D'Alessandro your Brooklyn New York real estate agent

Before you put your home on the market, you want to make certain that it’s in tip-top condition to ensure a quick sale. The key to listing your home at a competitive price and guaranteeing you have what buyers are looking for is to think like a Brooklyn  real estate agent. To get your Brooklyn home ready to sell, here are five easy and inexpensive home improvements this Brooklyn real estate agent recommends: Layout – Take an objective look at your home and stage accordingly. Remove clutter and rearrange furniture so that potential buyers can envision each room’s purpose. Also, store any obtrusive furniture that disrupts walking flow or makes rooms look smaller.

1. Hardware – Update all hardware. Changing out door handles, drawer pulls and light fixtures is an easy way to modernize your home while costing little money.
2. Charm – Play up the unique features of your home. Refinish hardwood floors if scuffed, remove excess objects from built-in bookshelves and clean unique light fixtures. It’s these irreplaceable elements that make your home stand out from other homes and hook buyers.
3. Scent – Eliminate all bad odors like pet smells, stale cooking odors and cigarette smoke.  Just lighting candles or spraying air freshener won’t work.  Clean, deodorize and get rid of rugs or other cloth objects that still smell bad.
4. Curb Appeal – Spend some time sprucing up the yard. It’s the first impression buyers will have, and although the house might be in mint condition, a lots-of-work lawn could instill a negative notion before they even step a foot inside your home.

Buyers’ needs vary in every market. However, buyers will always consider these five features before they buy. So, stay one step ahead of the game and ensure your house is up to par with buyers’ expectations. If you’re getting ready to sell your home and are looking for a Brooklyn real estate agent who can help you sell your home fast and for top-dollar, I’d be honored to be interviewed for the job.  Give me a call today  Charles D’Alessandro Your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate at 718/253-9600 ext 206 or email me at [email protected],

Divorce and Your Brooklyn Real Estate

Divorce is hard enough without having to deal with the frustration of dividing assets. However, when it comes to valuable items such as property, you need to make sure you’re taking the logistical steps necessary to appraise and distribute your Brooklyn real estate.

Determining Value of your Brooklyn Home

• Hire a real estate appraiser – If you and your soon-to-be ex can’t come to an agreement on the value of your home, then you might want to consider employing an appraiser to come to a decision for you.
• Get help from a real estate agent – A more cost-effective, but maybe not the most precise, way to determine the value of your property is to ask a Brooklyn New York real estate agents to estimate the cost. They’ll usually charge you little to nothing, and you can use this as a way to interview real estate agents to sell your home.

Evaluating Equity of your Brooklyn home

• Calculate the true value – Computing the equity of your home is essential to figuring out how much it’s worth. Take the home’s value and subtract how much you still owe in mortgages, equity loans and secured lines of credit.
• Figure out non-marital vs. marital equity – In equitable property states, non-marital equity (such as assets acquired before marriage, prenuptial exclusions, gifts, personal injury settlements and inheritance) remains yours and is set aside from the communal marital assets.

Dividing Assets

• Know the difference between the title and mortgage – Many people try to have their name removed from the title thinking it will exempt them from the debt of the mortgage — this is incorrect. The title lists the legal owner and the mortgage lists parties responsible for payment. If one party is awarded the home, then you must refinance for it to be reflected on the mortgage.
• Sell and divide the proceeds – Put your home on the market for an immediate sale, and after all the costs have been deducted, divide what’s left.

When dividing assets during a divorce, an immediate sale isn’t the only option. You can award the house to one party and compensate the other with money or other valuable assets.

If you’re going through a divorce and need help deciding how to proceed with your [city] real estate, I’m happy to help.  Call  Charles D’Alessandro Your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate at 718/253-9600 ext 206 or email me at [email protected],

Feng Shui your Brooklyn Home

Feng shui is the ancient Chinese art of designing space so that energy flows through it in a harmonious way. While it may sound exotic and foreign, the principles of feng shui are based on making people feel secure and comfortable in their surroundings. If you want to try to implement some of the tools of feng shui in your Brooklyn home, here are some first steps to take.

• De-clutter. This is the first and most important thing to do. Think of energy in terms of new opportunities, helpful people, prosperity, happiness, health and movement. If your Brooklyn home is cluttered with stuff, it has a restricting effect, both physically and mentally, on those who live there and on those who visit.
• Eliminate ‘shars.’ Shars are considered ‘poison arrows,’ created by straight lines and sharp angles. For example, if your Brooklyn home sits at the end of a T-junction, with a road pointing straight at it, this is considered unfortunate. Think about it:  Any car coming down the road could come crashing into your home! While this is unlikely, it affects you on a subconscious level, making you feel vulnerable. A feng shui remedy would be to plant a hedge or build a fence across the front of the house, to hide the view of the road and remove the subconscious threat. Another type of shar is created by furniture with sharp corners; have you ever bruised yourself on a sharp corner, while dodging clutter? If so, you can see how feng shui could make your home and your life more harmonious.
• Pay attention to your front door. Is it easy to find? Is it clean and freshly painted? Is it easy to open? Is there an open pathway leading up to it? If not, these are some things you can address to make your entrance more inviting.
• Look at pictures of your Brooklyn home, inside and out. We become so accustomed to our own home we can’t see it as a newcomer would. It’s surprising the things that stand out in a photograph of something we look at every day.
• Get a book on feng shui. If you like the sound of these ideas, you should look into it further. This is only a rudimentary glimpse of an ancient philosophy.

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Recently, environmentally friendly or “green” remodeling has become more and more popular. Nearly every day you see a TV show or online article giving tips on how to make your Brooklyn home and life more eco-friendly.

The catch is that green building can sometimes be extremely expensive. And, in most areas there really aren’t enough buyers specifically looking for features like rain water catch basins and solar panels to make it worth your investment. However, there are some relatively inexpensive ways you can remodel your Brooklyn real estate that will benefit the environment and go easy on your wallet at the same time.

Refurbish what you can while remodeling. If it’s possible to refinish existing cabinets and woodwork instead of replacing them, you’ll save yourself tons of money. And, nothing says eco-friendly like re-using old, good quality materials instead of throwing them in a landfill.

• Pay for extra insulation. If you’re doing a major remodel or building from scratch, pay for insulation that exceeds the minimum code requirements. You’ll see an immediate reduction in utility bills and that can be a great selling feature in the future.
• Use sustainable and green materials. Low VOC paints and bamboo flooring are eco-friendly and still look great. You don’t have to sacrifice your overall vision in order to make your home more environmentally sound.
• Invest in new, energy-efficient appliances. Again, you’ll see an immediate reduction in your power bills. Besides, what buyer wouldn’t love brand new kitchen appliances and a modern, tankless water heater?
• Upgrade your windows. The biggest drain on the overall insulation of your home could be old, worn-out windows. By replacing them with new, energy-efficient ones, you’ll get immediate benefits that your potential buyers will also appreciate.

With smart planning and careful use of your money, you can remodel your home in ways that will help the environment, save you money and appeal to buyers when it’s time to sell.

If you could use help adding some green to your Brooklyn real estate, call me at call Charles D’Alessandro Your Brooklyn Realtor® with Fillmore Real Estate at 718/253-9600 ext 206 or email me at [email protected], for more information.

Back to School!

If you’re looking to purchase a new home, then you have a list of priorities. When looking at Brooklyn homes for sale, families with young children consider proximity to schools and quality of school districts as two of the top concerns on their home buying checklist.

With “back to school” on the brain, your top priority when looking at Brooklyn homes for sale might be how close a home is to schools. Before you purchase property near a school, take the following considerations into account.

Top-notch education – If the local school is the best in the surrounding area, then your property value could increase. Houses in your Brooklyn neighborhood will be in high demand because families will want to ensure their children are included in that district.

• Around the block – Living near a school could be beneficial if you have younger children you can walk with. Additionally, your proximity will allow you to react quickly if school closes early or your child gets sick.
• Noise alert – With cars whizzing by and children walking past, you might have to deal with daily commotion and traffic. Depending on how close you live to the school, you could also be subject to noise from recess, after-school practice and Friday night football games.
• School view – Living directly across from a school could actually decrease the value of your home and increase the litter. A view of a high school isn’t as good as a view of a quaint, tree-lined street; and the constant foot and car traffic could mean more mess in your yard.
• Neighborhood watch – Do your research. Some Brooklyn neighborhoods surrounding schools may have better relationships with the school. If your neighborhood civic association meets monthly with a school, you’ll be able to voice any concerns you might have.

While there are many pros and cons to living near schools, you need to decide what is best for your family.

Whether you’re interested in Brooklyn homes for sale near or far away from schools, I can help you find a home that fits your priorities.  Call me Charles D’Alessandro your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate at (718) 253-9600 ext 206 or email me at [email protected]

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Whether you have questions about the above
 Brooklyn New York homes for sale,
or looking for something else I can help.
 Call Me Charles D’Alessandro Your Brooklyn Realtor® with Fillmore Real Estate
  at 718/253-9600 ext 206
or email me at [email protected].

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Selling Your Brooklyn Home For Sale By Owner

In today’s economy, people are looking for ways to save money.  This is also true when it comes to selling their homes.  Some homeowners believe that selling their homes without a Brooklyn real estate agent will save them thousands.

Is selling your home on your own right for you?  After weighing some of the advantages and disadvantages to selling your home without a Brooklyn real estate agent, you will be able to make a more informed decision on which choice is best for you.

Here are three advantages of selling your Brooklyn home as a For Sale By Owner (FSBO):

1. You may save money by eliminating the commission. Selling your house as a FSBO means you don’t have to pay commission to a listing agent.  The average commission is 6% of the sales price, so you could possibly save that amount.  Unfortunately, buyers know that too.  So, most buyers believe that if you are selling on your own and not paying a commission, they should get the savings – not you.
2. 2. The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is now available to you. A FSBO can now be advertised on many local Multiple Listing Services.  In the past, this tool was only available to real estate agents and brokers.  You will usually have to pay a fee to get your home listed on the MLS.
3. Offers and counter offers can be negotiated face to face between you and the buyer. You don’t have to wait for your listing agent to talk with the buyer’s agent and get all the paperwork drawn up.  However, if you are not skilled in negotiation, you may leave money on the table.

One other thing to take into consideration before you put up your For Sale By Owner sign is the state of your local real estate market.  If it is a buyer’s market, you will most likely have a hard time selling your home by yourself.  It’s easier to sell your home by yourself when it is a seller’s market.

If you’re still not sure if selling as a FSBO is right for you, and you have plenty of time, you can try selling your home without an agent.  If your home hasn’t sold after a few months, you can then hire a Brooklyn real estate agent.

If you’d like information on how to sell your Brooklyn home on your own or what paperwork you need, I’d be happy to help.  Contact me  Charles D’Alessandro your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate at (718) 253-9600 ext 206 or email me at [email protected] to schedule a free no obligation interview or market price review.

Selling your Brooklyn Home For Sale By Owner!

Is it really that difficult to sell your home by yourself?  It depends.  Do you like to market, negotiate and fill out legal documents?  If yes, you may prefer to sell your home without the help of a Brooklyn real estate agent.

Before you make your decision, consider these three disadvantages of selling your Brooklyn home as a For Sale By Owner (FSBO):

1. You may under-price or over-price your home for sale. If you’ve overpriced your home, you won’t get many interested buyers.  When you drop the price of your home a few weeks later, you’ll have missed the “new on the market” window of opportunity that brings in a lot of potential buyers.  If you under-price your home, buyers will wonder what’s wrong with it, and if it sells, you’ll be leaving money on the table.
2. You have to pay to market and advertise your home for sale.  When you sell your own house, you’ll spend money on marketing and advertising costs including for sale signs, online ads, print ads in newspapers and real estate magazines, as well as the cost to be included in the MLS.  When you hire a Brooklyn real estate agent, they pay to market and advertise your home.
3. You are responsible for all the legal paperwork needed to sell your home. This means you must know what paperwork is required by the state and how to fill it out correctly.  If you fail to do this properly, it can delay the sale or even leave you open for a lawsuit down the line if something is wrong or missing.

If you determine that listing your home as a FSBO is not right for you right now, hire a Brooklyn real estate agent to sell your home for you.  Although you’ll have to pay commission, it will save you time and effort (and maybe even money) in the long run.

If you’ve decided to hire a Brooklyn real estate agent, I’d be honored to be interviewed for the job.  Please give me a call me Charles D’Alessandro your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate at (718) 253-9600 ext 206 or email me at [email protected] to schedule a free no obligation interview or market price review.

Selling your Brooklyn Home For Sale by Owner

In order to get the most buyers through your front door, you’ll need to do more than just stick a sign in the front yard. An aggressive and thoughtful marketing campaign can make the difference between a quick sale and your house continuing to sit on the market with little activity.

Utilize the weekends to take the time to thoroughly market your Brooklyn home for sale by owner (FSBO).

Take a lot of good photographs. You have to expect that buyers will look at your property online before they decide to take the time to visit it in person. Make sure you have a lot of photographs online and that they do your house justice. Take pictures from multiple angles in each room and choose the best ones. Also, if you have a great yard, make sure you show it off.

1. Make the most of your signage. Ensure your phone number is clearly visible. Also, check with your homeowners association and neighbors that live at busy intersections to find out if you can put a sign with an arrow pointing toward your house.
2. Put ads on every website you can. Most buyers start their search on the Internet, so make sure your Brooklyn home for sale by owner has a strong online presence.
3. Don’t forget about print ads. Many buyers still look at newspaper Classifieds, so make sure your house appears there. You can often place large ads in smaller publications for relatively little money.
4. Host open houses. Not every location is especially suitable, but try it a couple of times and see how many people turn out.  If you’re getting good foot traffic, keep it up.

If you need help marketing your Brooklyn home for sale by owner, please call me Charles D’Alessandro your Brooklyn Realtor® with Fillmore Real Estate at (718) 253-9600 ext 206 or email me at [email protected] for more information.   And, have a fun and safe summer!