Laffey Knows Long Island Living

For many of us, coffee is the elixir of life. It's hard to start the day without it. And October 1st is International Coffee Day. What better way to celebrate than by enjoying a cup at your favorite coffee shop? Of course, this can be more difficult if you've just moved to a new area. Our real estate agents can help you find the perfect house, but where are the coffee shops nearby? We've got you covered. Here are our picks for the best places in Long Island to stop for coffee on October 1st.

• Bean Coffee House - 17 Fire Island Ave., Babylon, NY 11702
  Located near Babylon homes for sale, Bean Coffee House imports coffee beans from all over the world. That includes French Roast, Sumatra Mandheling, Columbia Supremo, Ethiopia Longberry Harrar, and many others. All their coffee is fair trade and delicious. If you're a coffee fan who appreciates the nuances of different varieties, this is the place for you.

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Our real estate agents know that financing is one of a homebuyer's biggest worries. It continues to be a concern even on your second or third home. In fact, homeowners have unique challenges when it comes to selling their existing home and buying a new one!

When there's a gap between the time you close on a new home and closing day on your existing one, it can introduce real financial peril. In many cases, this can stretch your budget to the breaking point. But even if the timing doesn't line up perfectly, you still have options you can pursue.

One of those is the bridge loan.

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When it comes to buying a home, planning is essential. The sooner you get started, the better. That is especially true for most buyers who will need some financing to meet their goals. Our real estate agents are always glad to clear up your questions and make homebuying easier.

You don't have to have the perfect credit score or a huge down payment saved up to buy a home, but there are some things you should avoid doing. While lenders have a lot of leeway in deciding who to offer financing to, there are some issues that they simply won't be able to overlook.

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Apple cider donuts are a favorite treat in the Suffolk County area of New York, and although you can often buy them fresh year-round, they're an especially good fall treat. The cake-like donuts are flavored with apple cider as well as spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to create a deliciously unique flavor.

Our real estate agents suggest visiting the following farms and farm stands in and near Suffolk County to indulge in apple cider donuts.

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The purpose of showing your home is to hook a buyer. You want the buyers to come through your house and be impressed - so impressed in fact, that they're ready to make an offer! You'll have one chance to make a great first impression on the potential buyers, so make sure to follow these five helpful tips to really make it count!

1. Focus on the outside. Make sure that you don't neglect the outside of your home. Curb appeal can make or break the odds of someone even bothering to get out of the car to come in. If they pull up and see a home with a lawn that obviously needs edging and has an unkempt flower bed, they're going to wonder what else hasn't been cared for properly. You want the outside of your home to be spotless. Clean the siding, the windows, and the doors. Make sure there are no dirt smudges, no cobwebs and that anything that needs painting has been spiffed up. 

1. Take yourself out of the house. That means that you want to take out all the personal stuff. Remove the family photos from the wall or tables. You want the home to look neutral so that the potential buyers can look at your house and picture it as themselves living there. Everything should be as neutral as possible in terms of personal items. 

1. Remove all the extra clutter you see at first glance. If you look around, it'll amaze you at how much stuff you've accumulated over the years. Some of it might very well be important, but that doesn't mean that your potential buyers should see it. When you have a lot of clutter, it shrinks the living space of the house. It makes it look and feel cramped and smaller. Many homeowners get something called house blindness. They've lived in the home for so long with the same clutter that they don't even really see it anymore. But a stranger will always notice. So clean out your house and make the space as big as possible.

1. If you have a pet, no one that walks through your house should be able to notice it exists. That means no cat litter box, no dog to jump on anyone, no food sitting around in a dish. Your home should not have any pet odors. Having a clean house that's odor free is a big selling point. You don't want to lose a possible deal just because they can smell your pet's presence or your pet makes a bad impression.

1. Stage your home! You can hire a professional or you can do it yourself. Stage your living areas in a way that shows off your home. You can rent furniture to make your home furnishings look good if you don't use a stager. Someone who knows how to stage a house knows how to play up the best features of your home and knows what to bring in or get rid of to make the entire house appeal to a buyer. 

First impressions are HUGE when showing you home to potential buyers, but by following the simple tips above you will be well on your way to making a great impression and, hopefully, receiving multiple offers!  (And if you are at all anxious about this important step, just reach out to a trusted real estate agent in your area who can help guide you through this process!)

Fall is a wonderful time for festivals around Long Island, with something to suit every taste and member of the family. With events celebrating the fall harvest, culinary culture of Long Island, and the communities we love to call home, there's something new to enjoy nearly every weekend throughout the fall. Our real estate agents have all the exciting details on five fall festivals that you won't want to miss around Long Island.

1. Long Island Harvest Festival – 1770 W. Main St., Riverhead, NY 11901
   The theme of this year's Long Island Harvest Festival is Apples, Pumpkins & Mums, Oh My! This year's event will take place on September 25, 2022, from 10 am to 5 pm at the Tangiers Outlets in Riverhead. Adults will love the food from local restaurants, classically trained chefs, and food trucks, along with drinks from local breweries and vineyards. There will also be some great details available at the shops. For younger attendees, there will be fun lawn games, live, interactive entertainment, and special attractions like the Bubble Palooza Bubble Bash.

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If you feel like your outdoor spaces constantly look messy, it's time to revamp your cleaning routine. A clean exterior helps your home look its best while making it more appealing to potential homebuyers. Our real estate agents encourage you to follow these hacks for cleaning your outdoor areas. 

• Invest in a Pressure Washer
  A pressure washer is a smart addition to your arsenal of home cleaning products. Instead of relying on expensive, potentially dangerous chemicals, a pressure washer uses a powerful stream of water to clean your home's exterior areas.

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Closing day is a big deal! It's a culmination of all your hard work: getting your house ready to sell, going through the work of keeping it clean and staged for showings, and negotiating with your buyer. It's normal to be both excited and nervous about closing day, especially if you haven't closed on a property as the seller before.

Fortunately, things rarely go wrong on closing day, especially when you have our real estate agents guiding you through the process. Here is a rundown of everything you need to know about the big day.

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