Articles Tagged "Open house"

Laffey Real Estate, a leading residential real estate broker on Long Island, launched their Virtual Showing Platform in early April to much acclaim.  The demand for virtual viewings is still strong.  Visit Laffey.com/OpenHouse page to participate.  Interested buyers can find homes to preview every Wednesday from noon to 1:00 pm via Facebook Premier and Laffey.com. 

This is simple and safe home showings.  Go to Laffey.com/OpenHouse page.  Choose the property.  Click on the Facebook Live button under the listing address.  The open houses are scheduled in advance so the date and time is shown on the listing page as well.  Visitors will be notified when they are registered and will receive a notification that their Virtual Open House is beginning.  It is easy to explore open houses from a desktop, laptop and smart device.   

The market is very robust.  Nationwide, there was a 20.7 percent increase in existing-home sales — which includes single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops — between May and June of this year, according to the National Association of Realtors. 

On Long Island, the number of pending sales spiked by 60.6% in Nassau County and by 55.6% in Suffolk last month, compared with a year earlier, OneKey MLS, the multiple listing service that includes Long Island, reported Thursday.

Prices increased in both counties. In Nassau, closed sale prices ticked up 1.1% annually, to a median $551,250, and pending sale prices rose by 6.4%, to a median $580,000. Suffolk County median closed sale prices jumped by 5.8% to $439,000 and pending sale prices rose by 8.4% to $450,000, the listing service reported.

In July 2020, the median list price of single family homes in Queens County, NY was $750K, and media sale price was $650,000; condos median list price was $638,000 and media sold was $530,000. Homes in Queens County, NY sold for 3.5% below asking price on average in July 2020

Combined with record-low interest rates and high rents, City dwellers are adding another element to the frenzied pace of available home buyers. The average interest rate was 2.96% last week, down 0.64 percentage points from a year ago, mortgage giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday.

"This method of engaging our customers have proven fruitful for everyone", explained Donnamarie Chaimanis, President Laffey Real Estate.  "With Zoom, WhatsApp, Google Meets live streaming and showing appointments, the overwhelming number of buyers coming to our website requesting virtual showings and meetings has been awe-inspiring." 

Since mid-April, during the height of the pandemic and beyond, Laffey Real Estate débuted more than 500 Virtual Open Houses reaching thousands of potential buyers across Laffey.com, Agent Websites and Facebook. 

Laffey Real Estate announced the appointment of Donnamarie Chaimanis, Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker, to the position of President of the brokerage effective immediately. 

In this newly created role, Chaimanis is tasked with maximizing branch productivity; supervise the daily sales operations, branch services, recruiting platforms and growth strategies in the markets served including Long Island and the five boroughs.  She will continue in the role of overseeing the team of branch managers and career leaders.

The announcement was made by Philip C. Laffey, Broker Owner via a senior management Zoom meeting.  "We are very pleased to have Donnamarie work alongside us.  Since joining the firm in 2005, she has been a proven leader, innovator and team player," explained Laffey.  "This offers both Mark and me the opportunity to continue to focus on more strategic initiatives while ensuring that our company is moving forward as we have envisioned." 

Chaimanis, a 15-year residential real estate veteran, has previously served in leadership positions including Branch Manager Brookville Office, Regional Vice President and Luxury Marketing Division Manager.  Before her promotion, she led the company's Luxury Marketing Division instituting training strategy, marketing initiatives and agent mentoring. 

Donnamarie has a real penchant for luxury real estate, as the market on the Gold Coast certainly warrants.  Overall, these legacy sales include the $36.5 Million Searingtown Road, Manhasset land; $20 Million Easton Estate, Muttontown; $19.88 Million Alan King Waterfront Estate, Kings Point; the $9.035 Million, Oyster Bay Cove Cassini residence and many other notable estates.  

In commenting on Donnamarie's appointment, Mark T. Laffey, Broker Owner added that "we've been grooming her for this position for a few years.  She stepped up naturally and efficiently. With her professionalism and knowledge, we are confident that Donnamarie will be an integral part of the strategic growth of Laffey Real Estate for years to come."

With her extensive experience and background in residential real estate, she will continue to work closely with the Broker Owners.  As the firm enters another chapter in their storied and well-regarded history, the vision for expansion will be well served under her guidance.  

The world health community continues to monitor closely the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the disease it causes, named "coronavirus disease 2019" (COVID-19). At this time, no one knows how severe this outbreak will be. Given this uncertainty, and the fact that the seasonal influenza (flu) virus is also widespread, we are taking proactive steps to address a number of business concerns.

First and foremost, we want to continue to maintain a safe workplace, encourage our valued community residents to utilize practices that protect the health of family members and friends. We also want to ensure the continuity of business operations.  To that end, the company has contracted with a professional cleaning service to perform an extensive two step deep cleaning.  Within the last 24 hours, all Laffey Real Estate offices have undergone this essential service.  While we cannot eradicate every germ, we are confident that this activity will help reduce the unintentional spread of the virus. 

We ask that everyone cooperate in taking steps to reduce the transmission of communicable diseases. 

We are reminding you of the following:

• Stay home when you are sick.
• Wash your hands frequently with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds.
• Cover your mouth with tissues whenever you sneeze, and discard used tissues in the trash.
• Avoid people who are sick with respiratory symptoms.
• Clean frequently touched surfaces.

Of note, our senior management team has made a collective, albeit difficult, decision to temporarily close our branch locations in an effort to protect our employees, agents and of course the members of the communities we serve.  To that end, we have instructed our IT department to install remote software on all essential office personnel computers so as to continue with the business at hand. 

Currently, Open Houses are being scheduled at the behest of the Seller.  However, company initiated meetings where close proximity may put someone in danger of contracting the virus have been postponed. 

We are moving to a virtual platform to remotely schedule Closings, Lease Signings and other events deemed time sensitive or essential.  We are heeding the instructions from the CDC and other health care experts, taking every step possible to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

We know this is a difficult time.  Be mindful of the elderly and those with pulmonary or compromised health situations.  Check in (by phone) on older neighbors, family members and friends.  Use your common sense and discretion as you go about your everyday life. 

Laffey Real Estates wishes you safety and health. 

Springtime is almost here and that means prime real estate season is right around the corner. If you're thinking about selling your home, you're in good company. Our real estate agents are already working with many sellers who are preparing to list their homes in the coming months.

Want to make sure your house stands out from the crowd? You'll need to put in a bit of extra effort. Start with these six tips. 

1. Update Your Curb Appeal
   After a long, hard winter the outside of your home is sure to need a bit of TLC. Make sure you put your best foot forward by sprucing up your landscaping and adding some extra touches to make your outdoor space more appealing. This includes:

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Preparing your home for an open house can be overwhelming, but with a little planning and a lot of elbow grease, it's not so bad. Our real estate agents have helped many clients successfully stage their homes for viewing. Here they share some tips about prepping some often overlooked spaces that will wow buyers with the right look.

• Laundry Room
  It's easy to forget about one of the most utilitarian rooms in the house. After all, who loves spending time doing laundry? Believe it or not, lots of people. A clean, organized laundry room with space to stash products and fold clothing is a major draw for buyers. Putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls, giving it a thorough cleaning, and placing detergent and clothes on shelves and in bins will make your laundry room shine.

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Your home reflects the love and attention you have poured into it over the years. Colors and furnishings that make you feel at home may not be as attractive to a prospective buyer. When you prepare for an open house, consider how it looks from a buyer's perspective. You can easily augment what you have or make minor adjustments to improve its marketability.

Our real estate agents have compiled a list of six straightforward steps to spruce up your Long Island home for an open house.

1. Clear away the clutter
   This can be an excellent opportunity to begin purging in anticipation of a move. Pack up your personal trinkets, photos, and other items that you don't use on a daily basis. Clear off the countertops and coffee table. You want buyers to see the home, not the stuff. Store the boxes neatly in a closet or the garage.
   
   

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