Home Tour in Pictures: 195 Summit Avenue
Posted on 03. Nov, 2008 by Joshua Ferris in Home Buying Guide, Landlord Guide, Orange County
I don’t get to take photos of home listings that are not my own all that often but I jumped at the chance when I saw the potential in one of my broker’s listings. The home is nearly 5,000 sq.ft. (approximately 4,800 sq.ft.) with four bedrooms all on one level.
Built in 2004 on over one acre of land, the home sits prominently at the top of Summit Avenue and resides in a private location with all municipal services (water/sewer) and is only about five minutes to I-87.
Let’s get started with our tour…
The home features a half circle driveway with parking area and garage on the left side of the home.
The entrance to the home is covered with a landscaped and paved walkway leading to the door.
A foyer with exquisite detail greets you and your guests as you walk in. Notice the barrel ceiling.
As you enter the foyer there is a music room which can also serve as a spacious home office.
The dining room features a tray ceiling with recessed lighting and a bay window.
The hallway is completely open to the grandiose living area that overlooks the private back yard.
The kitchen has a full range of high end stainless steel appliances, cabinetry and granite counter tops.
Off the kitchen sits a breakfast nook. Just off the breakfast nook is a screened room and deck.
Screened room.
Back inside, the master suite easily accommodates a full bedroom set.
The master bathroom is designed to indulge you with a shower that has plenty of elbow room, a bench seat and large, deep soaking tub with jets.
The three remaining bedrooms are of varying sizes, all above average, and the third affords a view of the wooded back yard with a built-in window seat. Two of the three bedrooms also have their own on-suite bathrooms.
The lower level of the home spans the entire length and width of the level above it and provides plenty of space for entertainment, relaxation and serving as host to live-in guests.
The in-law suite for family members or live in guests. Now it’s time to check out the back yard!
With a deck overlooking a wooded tree line and open back yard, the home offers a very flexible outdoor living space.
List Price: $899,900
Check out all of the larger resolution pictures by looking through the gallery below. If you would like to schedule an appointment please contact Joshua Ferris toll free at 845-476-8468 or use the form below.
Photo Gallery
Disclosure: Keller Williams Realty is representing the seller of this home.
Top 7 Home Staging Secrets of the Pros
Posted on 25. Aug, 2008 by Joshua Ferris in Home Selling Guide, Home Staging, Landlord Guide
With inventory piling up and home buyers now faced with multiple home choices in the same neighborhood, the first impression your home makes is more important than ever.
It’s no longer acceptable to pass off unfinished projects to home buyers in hopes that the buyers will overlook the flaws in favor of your home’s more positive characteristics. Today’s home buyers care about two things: location and price.
To offset tough competition and make home buyers fall in love with your home, check out the top seven home staging secrets of the pros:
1. How are your floors? - The very first thing every home buyer will do is watch their step as they enter the doorway of your home. If you have dingy, wet dog looking carpet or severely worn hardwood floors you should replace your carpet/refinish the floors before putting your home on the market. You will easily reap the benefits of new flooring with fewer days on the market and possibly receiving an offer closer to asking price.
2. When you have less than three bedrooms do NOT convert one of the bedrooms into a home office. - Although home offices are easier to set up and the smaller furniture will complement a narrower room, bedroom space is at a premium in two bedroom or less abodes. Instead, use a day bed to show off the flexibility of the space while still showcasing it as a bedroom.
Living Room with a View
3. Share your views with the world! – Overlooking a river, park or private garden is a tremendous asset for any home seller. When staging your home for sale, move large objects away from the windows and keep window treatments to a minimum. A stunning panoramic view can win over even the biggest home buying critic.
4. Don’t interrupt the flow of the room. - Ninety degree angles are great in math but square edges create visual interrupters that catch the eye as buyers navigate the flow of a room. When possible, use round tables to create a visible, circular flow throughout the room.
5. Use rugs to anchor furniture. - Especially popular in dining rooms, stagers love to use rugs underneath dining room furniture to anchor the furniture to the space.
Round Features Soften Hard Edges
6. Soften hard furniture edges using pillows and/or blankets. - Square edged furniture can look very substantial and executive, evoking the styling of a boutique hotel room. Be sure to try different styles of pillows and blankets to soften the edges of the furniture and make the room more inviting.
7. Clearly define each room’s purpose. - Multi-tasking has become a part of everyday life for most of us and we tend to apply this characteristic to our homes. Clearly define each space so home buyers don’t have to think about how a room will be used and possibly lower their offer price to compensate for missing rooms.
Utilizing the steps outlined above you will be able to create a warm, inviting space that will entice home buyers to pay top dollar for your home. For more extensive staging or to rent furniture, consider hiring a professional home stager who will be able to guide you through the staging and, if necessary, furniture rental process.
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Rental Report for Monroe New York – May 2008
Posted on 26. Jun, 2008 by Joshua Ferris in Home Buying Guide, Home Selling Guide, Landlord Guide, Orange County, Real Estate Reports, Renter Guide
Monroe is a suburban community of Orange County New York, about 46 miles outside of New York City. With excellent commuter transit options, simple highway access to Westchester County and Northern New Jersey and world famous shopping, Monroe offers an ideal blend of convenience and comfort. The Capitol Region is about 2 hours away by car while Westchester is around 45 minutes and New York City is about an hour drive, depending on traffic.
The Monroe New York rental market has been heating up over the past few months as prospective home buyers look to renting in the area as a way to experience living in the suburbs without the long term commitment of home ownership. There are a variety of rentals to choose from too including month to month, 6 month, 12+ month and lease with option to purchase rentals.
Something to also consider when renting in the Monroe area is the style of home you would like to rent. Monroe is very diverse in its offering with lakefront rentals, townhouses and single family homes to name a few. You might even be surprised to know that the monthly rent for a lakefront home is similar to what you would pay to rent a single family home or townhouse in a gated community.
Without further ado, here are the rental statistics for May 2008, based on April 2008 data.
Number of Active Rentals: 18
Average Active Rental Price: $1,902 per month
Average Leased Rental Price: $1,659/month
Average Leased Rental List Price: $1,684/month
Above data gathered using the GHVMLS and is deemed accurate but not guaranteed.
For more information on renting in Monroe New York please feel free to leave a comment or call me toll free at 845-476-8468.
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Meadow Glen at Monroe: May 2008 Real Estate Report
Posted on 26. Jun, 2008 by Joshua Ferris in Home Buying Guide, Home Selling Guide, Landlord Guide, Orange County, Real Estate Reports, Renter Guide
Meadow Glen at Monroe is a gated community of 198 townhouses in Monroe, New York within a few minutes of a MetroNorth train to New York City (Penn Station via Secaucus Junction, approximately 75 minutes), Shortline Bus to the Port Authority Terminal and well known tri-state shopping like the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets and various other national brand stores.
Above: Meadow Glen at Monroe Clubhouse
Located within the Monroe-Woodbury school district and featuring community amenities like a fitness center and lounge in the clubhouse, outdoor swimming pool, playground and tennis court, Meadow Glen at Monroe is well suited for those looking to find an ideal combination of suburban living with city conveniences.
Below are the sale and rental statistics for Meadow Glen at Monroe for the month of April 2008. If you have any questions about the statistics below, please feel free to leave a comment or call me at 845-476-8468.
Rental Statistics:
Number of Active Rentals: 3
Average Active Rental Price: $2,367 per month
Average Leased Rental Price: $2,400 per month
Average Leased Rental List Price: $2,575 per month
For Sale Statistics:
Number of Active Homes For Sale: 11
Number of Homes Under Contract: 3
Average Active List Price: $386,036
List Price High: $432,900
List Price Low: $339,900
Sold Statistics:
Number of Sold Homes: 1
Sold List Price: $399,000
Final Selling Price: $380,000
Expired Statistics:
Number of Expired Listings: 3
Average Expired List Price: $436,300
Expired List Price High: $469,900
Expired List Price Low: $339,900
Above data gathered using the GHVMLS and is deemed accurate but not guaranteed.
Now it’s worth noting the disparity between the listed price highs and lows. This is mostly due to the fact that there are five models in Meadow Glen at Monroe. I don’t have exact square footage on each model, though they do vary for even the same model due to finished basements, but from what I’ve gathered the models range from smallest to largest in this order: Georgetown, West Point, Lehigh, Belmont and Cornell. I have included a summary of each model to give you a better idea of what each one is like.
Model Descriptions:
Georgetown: The Georgetown model is a three bedroom, two and a half bathroom model with a three story layout. You enter the home from the lowest level, which is below grade in the back but above grade in the front of the home.
On the lowest level there is an entry foyer, one car garage, laundry room, storage closet and a small basement area. Most Georgetown models I’ve been in have unfinished basements but there are a few with the finished basement. A well finished basement in this model is spectacular to have. First living level has a family room, dining room, kitchen, living room, half bathroom and dinette area with access to the rear patio. The third level, second living level, contains two bedrooms next to one main bathroom and a master suite with walk-in closet and master bathroom.
West Point: I found the West Point to be an interesting model but a little small for my liking. You walk into the first level where there is a coat closet, one car garage, kitchen, eat-in kitchen area, dining room and living/family room. Access to the full basement is through the first floor, near the foyer and stairs leading to the second floor. Two bedrooms and a full bathroom sit across from the master suite with master bathroom.
Above: Lehigh Model Living/Dining Area
Lehigh: The Lehigh is the only two car garage model in the community and features three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms. It’s a great layout for someone who is looking for a lot of open space because the kitchen opens to the family room and eat-in kitchen with no walls separating the rooms. Before I get ahead of myself with the first floor, I have to describe the entry way. The door opens to a bi-level type stair arrangement with the left stairs going to the first living level and the right side leading downstairs to the two car garage. Because of the two car garage under configuration, the basement is about half the size of the first floor. I would definitely look for this model with a finished basement but you could certainly do it afterwards if you wanted to.
First floor contains the kitchen, eat-in kitchen, family room, dining room, living room and half bathroom. It’s very similar in layout to the Georgetown model but bigger. The upstairs is magnificent as well, featuring a huge master suite with a walk-in closet and master bathroom. The other bedrooms are large, notably larger than some single family homes, and the laundry room is on the second floor.
Above: Belmont Kitchen/Family Room/Dining Room/Living Room
Belmont/Cornell: The Belmont and Cornell models are nearly identical with the exception of the Belmont serving as the inside units and the Cornells on the end of each building. The main difference between the two are two bay windows: one in the dining room and one in the master bathroom sitting over the tub. Also, you walk in from the front of the home in the Belmont model versus the Cornell model’s side entrance.
This model is my personal favorite because of the spacious layout. On the first floor are the one car garage, two closets (coat and storage), a half bathroom, access to the basement (more on that in a sec), two story family room and kitchen with breakfast bar. In walk-out basement configurations this home will feature a deck off of the kitchen and a patio at the ground level (basement). I would absolutely, 100% recommend finding this model with a finished, walk-out basement if possible because it’ll bring the finished square footage up from 1923/1930 sq.ft. to 2583/2600 sq.ft. (estimated sq.ft. numbers).
Second level of the Belmont/Cornell hosts two nice size bedrooms with a main bathroom, laundry room across the hall from the master bedroom and a master suite with TWO walk-in closets and a big bathroom.
The Cornell model can sometimes be found with a fourth bedroom though it is rare. The fourth bedroom sits over the family room and takes away from the abundant natural light that would otherwise fill the room. It’s a trade off for the fourth bedroom but it may be worth it depending on your needs.
Conclusion:
Buying Advice:
Meadow Glen at Monroe has been hit with a few foreclosures over the past 12 months which has wreaked havoc on pricing in the community. While I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad time to buy in the community, negotiability on home prices may be limited as many homeowners are near or below what they paid for the home a few years back. I would still recommend the community to most home buyers, especially commuters of Westchester, northern New Jersey and New York City but the market is currently favoring a hold time of at least 3-5 years for these homes. Once the economy and credit crisis gets straightened out I think the excellent location to services and places of employment will ensure strong resale value for the community.
Renting Advice:
Rental inventory is very limited in Meadow Glen with only three active rentals as of this writing. Facing a slow buyer market, many sellers are weighing their options and considering renting out their homes instead. Meadow Glen is a great rental community due to its amenities and convenient location. I would recommend Meadow Glen if you are looking for a maintenance free lifestyle with useful community amenities and a relatively short drive/ride to work.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at 845-476-8468. Alternatively, you can check out my links below:
Meadow Glen at Monroe Homes For Sale
Meadow Glen at Monroe Homes For Rent