Date Archives: September 2020

Of all the home design trends that can shape your effort to buy or sell a home, house size is one of the most inflexible. You can remove crown molding or install a kitchen island, but adding or removing square footage is a serious undertaking. However, if you have a larger home, our real estate agents would like to talk with you, as after the tiny home trend, big homes are back in a big way. 

Home trends can lean toward greater square footage for a number of reasons, including suburban areas increasing in popularity and technological advances making large homes easier to maintain. But in 2020, the lockdowns and quarantines have left some homebuyers feeling cramped in homes that now must be ready to accommodate multiple functions. Millennials have expressed significant interest in larger homes and are moving out of apartments and starter homes for something ready to accommodate their next steps. Help potential homebuyers see their future in your home by staging and showing the best uses for the space you have.

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Searching for antiques and vintage pieces can be a fun treasure hunt, and fortunately, the Long Island, NY area—including Nassau, Sussex, and Queens counties—has plenty of shops you can explore. Each has their own special feel and history, and you'll have fun browsing for additions to your home.

Our real estate agents recommend stopping at the following five shops to go antiquing near Long Island:

• The Vintage Living Antiques & Collectibles - 2863 Long Beach Road, Oceanside, NY 11572
  When you make a trip to The Vintage Living, located around the corner from Oceanside homes for sale, you never know what you'll find, but odds are high that you'll come back with something you didn't know you needed. From antique furniture to vintage advertising collectibles, this friendly and affordable shop is packed with items large and small.

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Need some motivation for deep cleaning? According to Psychology Today, household clutter causes stress, lack of focus, and poor quality of sleep.

Sept. 17 is designated as Professional House Cleaners Day, and our real estate agents suggest getting a helping hand from these great Nassau County cleaning services.

• Tri-County Carpet Cleaning - 55 Hawk Lane, Levittown, NY 11756
  Dirty carpets look and smell bad, but cleaning them yourself is such a hassle. Tri-County Carpet Cleaning earns high marks from clients for their quality service and reasonable prices. Staff members use eco-friendly, pet-safe products with a pleasant hint of citrus aroma. Have a leaky basement? Tri-County specializes in flood damage restoration. While the company is headquartered near Levittown homes for sale, as the name implies, they serve an extensive part of the NY area. Hours are 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

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The pairing of wine and cheese has been practiced for centuries—in France, of course, but also in Britain. In both countries, it was recognized that cheese just seemed to bring out the best of the wine, and vice versa.

Turns out, it's all about chemistry. The astringency of wine is caused by a substance known as tannins, the acidity of which makes your mouth pucker. Cheese, on the other hand, is creamy and fatty and coats your mouth. Your mouth reacts pleasurably to the creamy coating at first, but then needs the wine to cut through it, cleansing your palate. Wine and cheese truly do complement each, causing you to crave the opposite whenever you consume one or the other.

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Laffey Real Estate Welcomes Gavilla to Huntington Office

Greenvale, NY – Laffey Real Estate recently announced the hiring of veteran real estate broker, Hector Gavilla to the position of Branch Manager of the Huntington Office, Laffey Real Estate's easternmost location.  Gavilla is a Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker.  He is responsible for the office's recruitment, productivity, and daily management of agent success and staff workload. 

Gavilla comes to the firm with an extensive background in real estate.  As a training instructor and realtor, Hector brings a valuable combination of mentor and agent into his management skill set.  His hands-on coaching style and experience in the field has already produced results in the office he leads. 

Upon introducing Gavilla to the management team, Donnamarie Chaimanis, President offered this about the appointment, "Hector is a great find and perfect fit for the team in Huntington.  His almost two decades of real estate experience, local knowledge and marketing savvy is the trifecta of traits we are looking for in our branch leaders."  She added, "We know Hector will be a valuable part of our team." 

Gavilla owned and managed his own brokerage for nine years until selling to a competitor in 2019, where he stayed until making the leap to head up the Huntington Branch for Laffey Real Estate.

A resident of Huntington, Gavilla is active in Huntington politics.  He serves on the Town of Huntington Affordable Housing Advisory Board, a committee of non-paid Huntington Residents appointed by the Huntington Town Board to make recommendations with respect to the administration of the Affordable Housing Trust and Agency Fund.