Blogs

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Have a SAFE and HAPPY holiday weekend!

Opening Up Your Home To Travelers -- Hmm?

Ever thought about renting your house out for a few nights, or for a week?  How about renting out a bedroom in your home?

There are easy and reliable ways to do this that are becoming very popular.  You can make extra money, especially during big events where hotels are booked or are charging exorbitant fees.  Depending on your location and what's going on nearby, especially if you are near a big special event, you could earn a couple of months of mortgage payments by just renting your house out for a week! 

In fact, Airbnb.com., the largest home-sharing website, started because of the lack of hotel rooms.  The company's founders came up with the idea after a 2007 design conference in San Francisco led to full occupancy of all hotels there.  Airbnb introduced its platform in 2008 for the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Century 21® System Sweeps JD Power Awards for THIRD YEAR IN A ROW!!

We are so happy to announce that the Century 21® System has once again swept the JD Power Awards --  for the THIRD YEAR IN A ROW!

This national survey, the JD Power 2016 Home Buyer/Seller Satisfaction Study, measures customer satisfaction across 4 categories: first-time buyers, repeat buyers, first-time sellers and repeat sellers.  The Century 21 System was #1 in all 4 segments!

Read the full article here:  http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/jd-power-2016-home-buyerseller-satisfaction-study

A Family Outing To Beacon New York

Filmmaker Josh Aronson captures the fun of a family visit to Beacon, New York, a city that has benefited greatly from Scenic Hudson's work to create new parks and revitalize urban centers.

Did You Know? How Low Mortgage Payments Can Be

Mortgage interest rates are amazingly low right now.  If you are thinking about purchasing your first home, or considering selling and buying something different . . . well, now might be the BEST time to make your move.  The cost of a mortgage is about as affordable as it gets. 

The chart here shows what your monthly principal and interest payment would be for various mortgage amounts.  Did you realize how much of an impact the interest rate has on monthly mortgage payments?  As a result of the lower payments, buyers are able to purchase 'more' home for the money.

Not only are the monthly payments low, but the long term financial impact is also stunning.

Love it or List it . . . A Fun TV Show! Should You Renovate Or Sell?

Cute homemade rustic birdhouse with love nest with a heart painted over the hole and two signs painted under the hole.  One says for rent and the other says lifetime lease.The premise of he show is that homeowners are faced with a decision … keep their current house and remodel it to fit their changed needs, or list it, sell it and move to another house that is already set up for them.  The show pits Hilary, an interior designer who wants to remodel the home to a point where the owners can’t resist but to stay in it, against David, a Real Estate Agent who wants simply to sell them another home that fits their needs better than their remodeled home ever could.

The decision is not an easy one for the Owners.  Many times the current house for a potential seller is comfortable and familiar.  Sometimes the school district is a factor, the owners needing to keep their kids in the same schools due to sports, academics, etc.  BUT, the square footage can be limited for their growing family or maybe the location has become less ideal.