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Staging Your Home

May 29th, 2012 | Posted by christinem in home ideas - (0 Comments)

Queens real estate agentsWe’ve spent a lot of time talking about buying Queens real estate. But what if you’re in the market to sell your home? What can you do to attract more buyers and to help potentials visualize your home as theirs? Real estate experts will tell you to stage your home. Staging will make your house look inviting, showing buyers its full potential. The staging process should be done after you’ve made any repairs, painted, de-cluttered, etc.

You can hire someone do to this for you or you can try your hand at it yourself. Start by removing all personal items and removing excess furniture and decor. The idea is to make the home look as though it were a page in a magazine. Keep decor items simple and clean, such as large bowls of polished fruit and colorful cookbooks on the counter. In the bathroom place scented soaps and lotions and roll up towels and tie with a ribbon. Essentially make it look as though no one has lived there. If you need to repaint, always choose neutral colors.

The important fact to remember is to not overspend. You’ll see a return on major repairs but not on the jars of lotion and vases. Be smart about spending and look to a Queens real estate agent for help.

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Queens Real Estate and Parking

May 23rd, 2012 | Posted by christinem in queens - (0 Comments)

When you move to a big city, you don’t realize it but you need to think about parking in your area. Not every piece of real estate has a driveway or a garage. It’s unfortunate, but true. A lot of houses do not have one because there are a lot of people living on top of each other in a small space, so often houses are built right next to each other. Or you may find pieces of Queens real estate  that have driveways with minimal space, so if you own more than one care, you may not be able to fit both.

When you look for a good choice in Queens real estate, consider the neighborhood or at least the span of blocks you are looking at.  Get an idea of what parking looks like when you are there and ask the current owner what their experiences have been. It may be to your  benefit to stick to a single care if you can. Also remember that living in the boroughs means easy access to dozens of bus and subway lines that will get you anywhere you need to go. It may be worth switching over to public transit!

Queens Real Estate and Considering Fixer-Uppers

May 14th, 2012 | Posted by christinem in home ideas - (0 Comments)

Homes categorized as “fixer-uppers” can scare a lot of potential buyers away. It’s understandable;  the fear of putting in even more money after making a big financial purchase in the first place is a big one. But some fixer-uppers are actually worth it, you just have to do some real inspecting of that Queens real estate before choosing you buy one or not.

If the biggest issue with the home is a couple of cracks in the walls or old wood floors that need replacing, the cost of repairs won’t be much, especially if you do it yourself. Besides, repainting walls and redoing the floor are things that are going to make your home more in line with your own style. It may be a project worth doing whether there’s issues or not.

If you find that the problems are bigger, like pipe leaks and problems with electrical wiring, you may find yourself hiring professionals to take care of these jobs the proper way. That can really cost you. So think about your spending and whether you mind really  turning your Queens real estate into something more profitable to sell down the line, or if you’d rather go with something within the budget that will be a permanent home.

Queens Real Estate and Things to Do

May 7th, 2012 | Posted by christinem in queens - (0 Comments)

When you consider Queens real estate, you’ll want to think about what there is to do in your area. This is especially important if you have kids as you want to keep them busy outside of the house. You’ll want to be aware of where the local parks are, how far the nearest library is and if there are often activities for children in the area.

When look at Astoria as an option, there’s plenty to do. Besides their own branch of the Queens Library and plenty of parks, there’s also the Museum of the Moving Image, which focuses on television and movies and will sure to entertain kids and adults alike. There’s also street fairs held during the warmer months that have wonderful food to experience, games, and trinkets to be bought.

Astoria is one of those areas where Queens real estate is sought after because there is so much to do. Right on the main stretch of Steinway Street are shops, food, movies, and more things that the whole family can enjoy. There’s a reason it is a hot spot right now and that reason may be a major one for why you’ll want to take a look at the neighborhood.

Staying in Close Contact With Your Queens Real Estate Agent

April 23rd, 2012 | Posted by christinem in home ideas - (0 Comments)

When you house hunt, there is nothing more important than being on top of the market. Doing that alone can be stressful and that’s the last thing you want. That’s why you need to make sure you are in close contact with your Queens real estate agent. Especially in a market where houses may sell fast at the right price, you need them to let you know whether you need to act fast on a house you saw, or if there are new listings that may better suit your needs. They’ll know when something has sold so you can move on to a new choice and they’ll know when you need to act fast and make an offer.

With the ease of contacting people nowadays, it is very easy to get a hold of your Queens real estate agent whenever you need to. Through cell phones, email and even other options like Skype, you can always ask questions, get updates, discuss wants and needs and be more on top of getting that perfect dream home in New York City that you’ve always wanted. Moving in New York City is a big deal and it’s important that you get exactly what you are looking for.

Queens Real Estate Means Affordable and Spacious

April 16th, 2012 | Posted by christinem in queens - (0 Comments)

If there is one thing I learned growing up in Queens, it’s that it offers spacious homes while still being affordable, especially when compared to living right in the middle of the city in Manhattan. You can’t exactly get a backyard on the Upper West Side but you can get one with a great amount of space and two floors for your whole family when you look at Queens real estate.

Queens is also super flexible when it comes to the price you pay. You’ll be sure to find a home that fits your budget with the right amount of research. It really is welcoming to families of all incomes. We had a 3 bedroom, 2 floor  home with a basement, attic, and backyard, and my parents had it for a great deal. It was a bit of a fixer upper, but was still worth it in the long run. And for a family of four, it was enough space for all of us, especially for my brother and I to grow older.

So if you’ve been considering Queens real estate and money really matters, it’s definitely the right place to look. With the right broker, you can find a home within your means that will still be big enough to handle your family!

Working With An Astoria Broker

April 9th, 2012 | Posted by christinem in queens - (0 Comments)

Looking for Astoria real estate is exciting, but it is also a competitive market. Astoria is one of the most sought after neighborhoods in Queens and there’s plenty of reason why. Not only is it located conveniently near the city, but it also has great food, great nightlife, and plenty of its own entertainment right within the neighborhood borders. It’s also very safe and a great area for new families and single 20 and 30 somethings alike. So there’s a reason why everyone is flocking there and you might not want to jump into the market solo.

An Astoria broker knows just that, Astoria. In fact, brokers know it like the back of their hands. They know what a good price is and what is negotiable, they know what streets you’d really want to try and find a house on and they know all of the hot spots around the area that may be of interest to you.  They also can get you the house you’ve always dreamed of.

It’s hard to try and house hunt solo, you definitely need the assistance of a broker who knows what she’s are doing in the neighborhood. Bianca Colasuonno has had years of experience in Astoria and can help you find that perfect house for you.

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How to Read Queens Real Estate Listings

April 2nd, 2012 | Posted by christinem in home ideas | queens - (0 Comments)

When you are looking at Queens real estate listings on your own, you might be confused by a lot of abbreviations. If you aren’t well versed in it, it may look like a whole other language! But with a good guide on how to read them, especially the most common abbreviations, you’ll know what to check out in person and what you may want to skip altogether.

The first thing you should know is the abbreviations for various rooms:

  • kit: kitchen
  • lr: living room
  • la: Living area
  • mbr: master bedroom

A full bath means a bathroom with at least a toilet, sink, shower or tub.  A 1/2 bath means just a toilet and sink, with no shower or tub.

When it comes to design of a room, there’s a few things to know: “w/w cpt” means wall to wall carpet and “wbfp” means wood burning fire place, a plus to some people!  Watch out for abbreviations like TLC, which as well all know means tender loving care. It’s a nicer way of saying the house is a fixer-upper, which mean it’ll need a lot of work and money put into it after moving in. Sometimes this is worth it when looking at Queens real estate, but if you want to avoid the extra expenses, avoid it!

Queens Real Estate Has Rich Culture Around It

March 26th, 2012 | Posted by christinem in queens - (0 Comments)

Queens has a lot of culture. In fact, the borough itself is one of the most culturally diverse places in the entire country. So, when you look the perfect Queens real estate to find a house to settle into, you’ll be joining many of the other cultures and experiencing a lot of new and exciting things. Throughout every year, there are street fairs, cultural shows and events and food festivals, as well as a ton of great cultural places to visit. And you’ll never go wrong with restaurants in Queens because most of them are the real, genuine thing, made by immigrants who know exactly what they are doing to bring you unique and delicious cuisine.

Queens real estate is wonderful for that fact, especially if you have a family. Raising kids in a diverse area means that they’ll have access to people and experiences that many others could only dream of. It’s also a place that offers an open minded and compassionate attitude for all, because everyone is welcome, no matter where they are from. It’s a great value to teach your children.

Consider the culture and how great it’ll be to experience when you look into a new home for your family.

Ease of Mass Transit with Astoria Real Estate

March 19th, 2012 | Posted by christinem in queens - (0 Comments)

Astoria is a great location in the Queens area because of its proximity to a lot of mass transit options, as well as main roads if you are driving. When look at Astoria real estate, you should consider if you have a car or not and how far away your place may be from the nearest subway.

Astoria is serviced by the N, Q, M and R trains that will take you to a variety of areas in the boroughs. All four go into Manhattan. The R and M can be taken further into Queens, towards the Queens Center Mall in Elmhurst or shopping in Forest Hills. The N is express into the city and will take you through the east side, connecting to most other major subway lines along the way. And if you need to get into Brooklyn, all of these will get you there in one fashion or another.

There are plenty of main roads and highways leading from Astoria into Manhattan as well as other areas of the city. Northern Boulevard travels a great deal of Queens and it’s surrounded on both sides by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the Grand Central Parkway, both getting you wherever you need to go from your Astoria real estate if you are driving.