Walking this tour really gives you the opportunity to see just how manageable a city like Syracuse  is by foot.  Shuttles are also available along with special discounts at downtown restaurants, shops and more.

If you’re thinking about a move downtown or your guilty pleasure is peeking at cool interiors then this is the tour for you.  If you’ve got a thing for historic preservation or love that urban scene, then this tour is for you too.  It’s a fun day with a great vibe celebrating the emergence of Downtown Syracuse as THE place to be and live.

1632 Westmoreland Avenue is located in the Sherman Park section of the University Neighborhood, just minutes away from Syracuse University.  This 3 bedroom, split-level home is cheerfully bright and features a sliding glass door opening up to a heated Florida room overlooking the yard.  On cold winter nights you can cozy up next to the black Italian tile fireplace.  Syracuse University is known for its athletics, most famously the top-seeded men’s basketball team, the Syracuse Orange.  But there’s plenty more going on in the area.  There’s never a shortage of entertainment options here, whether it’s shopping, theater, dining out, parks, museums, or nightlife.  

Located in East Syracuse’s Fremont neighborhood, 204 Manor Drive is a 3 bedroom ranch.  With its fireplace, large sunroom, open kitchen, and lovely gardens, this home is perfect for entertaining or relaxing all year round.  The East Syracuse Minoa School District offers state/district-funded pre-K programs for children aged 1-4, as well as a full-day kindergarten program.  The high school is one of 11 in the state designated as a “comprehensive high school,” offering courses for college credit, AP courses, and Career and Technical Education Programs.  In addition to the good schools, Fremont is just minutes away from beautiful Green Lakes State Park.

502 Boyden Street in Eastwood is on a dead-end street just steps away from Sunnycrest Park.  It’s a 3 bedroom colonial with a fireplace, hardwood floors, and many updates within the past five years including the driveway, appliances, bathroom fixtures, furnace, and hot water tank.  Perhaps the most enticing part of this house is the price – listed at 60,000, this would be a perfect starter home or great choice if you are down-sizing. If investment property is your financial goal, this would be a great addition to your portfolio. The Eastwood area has been nicknamed “The Village within the City” because of its numerous shops, restaurants, bookstores, churches, and other community attractions.  There is a strong sense of pride and community amongst residents of this urban neighborhood.  

Stop by and get a taste of Central New York living — 3 different homes in 3 different neighborhoods.

The Home & Garden show begins on Thursday, March 15th from 5:00-8:30 PM.  It runs Friday from 2:00-8:30, Saturday from 10:00-8:30, and Sunday from 10:00-5:00.  It will take place in the Exhibit Center and the Center of Progress Building at the Fairgrounds.  Free shuttles directly to both buildings will be available.  Tickets are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, and free for children under 16.  Weekend passes can be purchased for $12.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is offering a loan opportunity called the On-Bill Recovery Loan Program.  You can finance these home improvements through a charge right on your National Grid bill, and the amount you pay is based on projected savings on your energy bills.  No payments are due until June 2012, and there is a low interest rate (2.99% fixed) that could be tax deductible.  If you decide to sell your property, the loan can be transferred to the new owners.

How does this process work?  The first step is to participate in the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program.  A BPI accredited contractor assesses your home to recommend the most optimal energy improvements that can be made as well as the cost and the estimated savings for you.  Next, you apply for your loan (through Energy Finance Solutions) and the improvements are completed by a contractor.  Beginning in June 2012, your utility bill will show a separate line item for your loan.  

The best part of this program is that you can finance these improvements and not even see an increase in your energy bill.  The loan is set up to project your energy savings at rates that equal or exceed your payments.  

Aside from all the savings, these improvements will make your home more comfortable.  You might even get the peace of mind that goes along with doing the right thing for the environment, the economy, and the future!

We recommend you visit the NYSERDA website to access all of the details on this program.  If you are considering selling your home either now or sometime down the road, talk with your realtor about how to best market this affordable and utility cost saving program. ]]> http://yourcnyhomeblog.com/featured/make-energy-efficiency-improvements-now-with-nyserdas-new-program/feed 0 http://yourcnyhomeblog.com/featured-homes/le-moyne-college-residential-area http://yourcnyhomeblog.com/featured-homes/le-moyne-college-residential-area#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:24:17 +0000 Sarah http://yourcnyhomeblog.com/?p=908 Le Moyne College on Salt Springs Road in Syracuse was founded by Jesuits in 1946.  Known for its liberal arts program, Le Moyne now has about 2,300 undergraduate and 800 graduate students from both the U.S. and abroad.  With a 13:1 ratio of students to faculty, classes are small enough for students to receive plenty of one-on-one attention.  Le Moyne offers degrees in over 30 majors as well as a variety of sports, music, internship, and study abroad opportunities.  In addition to academic focus, school spirit and fun are not lacking.  One example is Dolphy Day, a tradition that commenced in 1971.  Students celebrate the coming of spring after a long Syracuse Winter (usually until the sun comes up the next morning!).   

With 17 sports, the Le Moyne Dolphins have an impressive athletic program.  Le Moyne has even won three national championships (two lacrosse and one softball).

The performing arts program is also lively, and includes groups such as the Jazzuits, the Le Moyne College Chamber Orchestra, and performances at the Gifford Family Theatre.  

Surrounded by dining, shopping, and recreation, Le Moyne is in an excellent location.  Erie Boulevard restaurants like Delmonico’s Steakhouse and Thai Flavor as well as Outback Steakhouse and Olive Garden are less than a mile away.  Also close by are Westcott Street, Marshall Street, and Downtown Syracuse, all providing nice selections for dining out!  The shopping is equally convenient, and there are many choices for entertainment (Westcott Cinema, Thornden Park, and the Regal Cinemas at Shoppingtown Mall to name a few).

If the Le Moyne College area is appealing to you, you might check out our listings at 302 Demong Drive and 139 Sunnyside Park Road.   302 Demong is a beautiful four-bedroom Colonial with a large master suite, gas fireplace, hardwood floors throughout, and a spacious, private back yard.  It has also had recent updates including furnace, patio, hot water tank, fence and more.  139 Sunnyside is just that – a bright, sun-filled, contemporary home complete with five bedrooms and two bathrooms, hardwood floors, a wood burning fireplace, and an enclosed, screened-in porch.  Both houses are located within a one mile radius of Le Moyne college!

Buying a home can be a mixture of feelings — excitement, fear, confusion, anxiety, the list goes on and on. In addition to these many emotions, the home buying process is also about DISCOVERY! This is the perfect time to review your financial portfolio. Making the decision to finance your home should be based on the results of your entire budget analysis, not just the mortgage payment.

Too often people decide what financing option is best for them even before they even find “the house.” They are so driven to the predesignated plan that they forget to reassess based on the home they’ve chosen. Instead of pursuing knowledge from a mortgage professional, they listen to their friends and colleagues for advice. Unfortunately, the advice that is given may have been best for those individuals, but not necessarily for those being advised. As time changes, so do the mortgage products that are available.

Let me give you some examples:

John and Mary purchased a new home that needs a new kitchen and bath. In order to avoid mortgage insurance, they put 20% down and now have minimum savings left. They will close on their new home and incur the costs of the remodeling on charge cards. The result is a high monthly payment and non deductible interest. The better option would have been to put 10% down with lender paid mortgage insurance (which still accomplishes the goal of eliminating paying for the mortgage insurance). This leaves money left over for the improvements. Result: no charge card debt.

Susan qualifies for a home mortgage based on her income to debt ratio. Based on what she qualifies for, the home would not meet her family’s long-term needs. She accepts this as “the way it has to be” and purchases a home that she knows she will outgrow in three years. After that time, she will have to sell and find a larger home. Had she met with a mortgage professional, she would have been given the option of using sellers concessions to help pay for the costs of purchasing. With the cash saved, she could have paid off a monthly debt thereby qualifying for more home. Not only would she have been happier with her purchase, but it is a much more financially sound plan. At current rates, financing an extra $10,000 for closing costs only changes the monthly payment by $47.02 — just a little over a dollar a day. Having that extra $10,000 freed up allows her to pay off debt, which is not tax deductible, has a higher monthly payment obligation, and restricts her from qualifying for a larger home. In addition, being able to buy the home she needs now saves her the costs of buying and selling again three years.

I could give many examples of how shifting of funds can help your financial picture. I encourage you to think outside the box and DISCOVER the many options available to you — Syracuse housing prices and current interest rates make it the perfect time.

If you are looking for an excellent loan officer who will help determine what you are most qualified for, look no further.  Contact Debb at parkerd@commonfundmtg.com or 315-422-2325 Ext 1052.

In addition to being a Depression-era child, Babe witnessed the tragic death of her eldest granddaughter at age 16 and lost her husband of over 40 years after his third heart attack.

Years later when Parkinson’s Disease insidiously debilitated her muscles, my husband asked her how she was doing. She said, “Well, I can’t walk anymore, but that’s OK. I have a good wheelchair!” Always possessing a positive outlook, she never seemed to have any trouble counting her blessings.

The media, I feel, can take a lesson from Babe (as she was affectionately known by family and close friends, so named by her future husband because he thought she was such a good-looking babe!) .

As a graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, I know the news has to be reported. But interpretation, I think, can instill confidence and hope or just as easily send a depressing message.

I am not unrealistic about the economy or the hardships of those unfortunate to lose their jobs. However, there is good news and opportunity that I  do not think is being properly reported, which is an injustice to the consumer.

Over the last 10 years, rates have consistently come down and now are at an almost all-time low. The chart here from Stefan Swanepol’s RealTrends 2012 clearly shows the downward trend of mortgage rates. The affordability index has never been better. For the same payment of 10 years ago, buyers can now buy more house.  Alternately, the same house now costs much less monthly.

That is the first piece of good news. The second opportunity is that prices are good — and affordable. That, coupled with lower interest rates, makes housing even more affordable. Homeownership is within the hands of many who formerly were priced out of the market — if they only knew!

And the last piece of good news is that there is a good inventory of choices. All of these items should align for unparalleled opportunity. Yet the media, in my opinion, has not done a good job of informing the public.

This is not an original notice on my part. New York State Realtor of the Year Don Radke, and outgoing President of the Greater Syracuse Association of Realtors, highlighted these facts in his speech earlier this month at the GSAR Installation Dinner. As he said, the stars and the moon are aligning for opportunity never before seen.

Real estate is local. And locally, opportunity knocks. Yes there are REO’s and short sales, but not in the unparalleled numbers seen in other areas of the country.

They exist, just as my mother-in-law’s disease was a reality. But, like her, I choose to look at the positives and grab opportunity while it is here in the present, rather than wait for interest rates or prices to rise. I think the opportunities offered today is a cup running over, not just one half full — if you choose to find it, for both homeowners and investors alike.

What if your favorite pet stains your carpet?  Your dog pees and poops on your carpet. DISASTER. What can you do? Try a cleaning  and stain removing solution.

Since there are many types of products available in the market that can and will remove stains, there are many choices. Some products are strong and harsh to carpet fabric, while some are not. Ideally a cleaning solution will minimize and remove stains by cleaning the spills and dirt as they crop up. Cleaning stains does not always require you to go out of your home and purchase expensive products.

There are lots of ways to clean pet stains on a carpet without even leaving your home.  One way is by using everyday cleaning products. These can oftentimes clean stains as effectively and efficiently as expensive cleaning solutions.  You should always use less first.  Here are some easy options.

Option No. 1:       The simplest way to get rid of stains is water. Apply water to the affected area of the carpet, then blot it with paper towels or a clean white towel.  Be sure to let the carpet dry and never let its backing get wet when you pour water.

Option No. 2:       Make a solution by mixing a tablespoon of detergent with one quart of water. Spray and blot the affected area and let it dry.

 Option No. 3:       Mix one teaspoon ammonia with half a cup of cold water. Spray the solution or apply it to the stain. Use a paper towel to blot the stain away. Be sure to let the affected area dry.

 If you have a stubborn stain that you can’t remove yourself, you can call Joe Merluzzi at 315-480-7159. He has a complete line of stain removers that may just be the miracle cure you need!