Joshua Ferris' Blog: All Categories

What happened to the good ol' days back in 2004/2005 when real estate was more people friendly? Sure the market crash landed with ferocity similar to the late 1980s (so I've heard) and banks were stirred into a frenzy by the numerous bad loans made to subprime borrowers whose dreams were bigger than their pocket books could afford but I'm seeing the bloodshed coming from familiar, though unexpected, sources.

Most recently I had a relocating client whose been through the ringer when it comes to buying a home. After being unsatisfied with the REALTOR® their relocation company hooked them up with, they found me through an internet referral (Thanks Mona!) and I found a dream home for them on the first day. Shortly after moving forward on this house we…

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Townhouse communities have evolved from what some considered to be "first time" home ownership to resort-like havens with luxurious clubhouses and lifestyle amenities that include full maintenance of the exterior with snow removal from the driveways and walkways, manicured landscaping around the homes in addition to superb convenience to commuter transit, shopping and schools. Two communities that match the modern needs of townhouse buyers are now for sale and set to take Orange County NY Real Estate by storm. 

Brighton Green - Brighton Green is a new townhouse community in the town of Newburgh, NY. I have visited this community well over a dozen times in the past year or so and for good reason. There are four models to choose from with the Aylesford,…

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I was reading a blog entry about Woodbury Junction on Morgan Carey's blog and in the comments I found a piece written by Sid Cohen who apparently attended the private viewing event of Woodbury Junction in early September and had a very disappointing experience. See Sid Cohen's original comment below:

"I was at the Woodbury Junction opening in september and was prepared to make a purchase. It was the worst presentation I have ever witnessed. No actual models, no info on taxes or association fees untill I asked and they weren't sure about those. All and alll not a very professional operation."

Although this is certainly a scathing review of Woodbury Junction by a potential home buyer but I think there is a lot that we can all learn from this about how… Read Full Post

STOP!

*kicking and screaming*

 

* drops to the floor and rolls around*

 

IT'S NOT FAIR!

What does that sound like? A child's temper tantrum?

 

Close. Towards the middle of September I received a snarky phone call from the sales manager of Woodbury Junction who was very upset that I had written a community profile about her community and posted it on my website alongside other community profiles of both new and resale neighborhoods. She then insisted that I remove the community profile and noted that she wouldn't honor any co-broke agreements, past, present or future, with me and she was so "outraged" that she called two other communities to let them know "what I was doing" (thank you?).

Of the two communities that she threatened to call I…

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It's a hard knock life for home builders these days. According to the National Association of Home Builders about 71 percent of home builders used incentives to draw in prospective buyers to their communities in June. Orange County, NY real estate hasn't been immune to this trend and incentives are spread far and wide on certain communities but the area is still prime for new development with new communities like Woodbury Junction and Encore Palisades opening their doors this Fall.

After learning of the two new communities coming to the surrounding area, Woodbury Junction and Encore Palisades, I added a profile of each community to the long list of community profiles already on my website; both resale and new construction. Recently Woodbury Junction…

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It's amazing to me that only about ten years ago the internet was a slow, fuddy duddy 56k gateway to brochure websites and news. The local board of Realtors and Greater Hudson Valley MLS have tried valiantly to keep up with the breakneck pace of internet and technology which I give them much credit for but their efforts just aren't adequate anymore. My local Orange County NY real estate peers might disagree with what I'm about to say since our MLS recently upgraded to MLXChange 3.0 which afforded us many new features so where did they go wrong?

The MLXChange 3.0 software only works with Internet Explorer. Mac users, including myself, make up about 5% - 6% of the entire computer using population, but we are not to be underestimated. In fact, a recent…

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The real estate market may be going through turbulent times but that hasn't stopped many builders, local and national alike, from forging ahead and creating a dynamic new home market in Orange County, NY. From the high $200s to the $1 million mark, Orange County real estate now offers a new home selection unmatched by many other NYC metro markets.

The list below will go in order of lowest starting price for Orange County, NY new homes in active adult communities and continue by price range until we reach the most luxurious homes offered for sale in the area.
 
Wildflowers at Wallkill is an active adult community located in the Town of Wallkill, NY. The absolute first thing you will notice as you drive into Wildflowers at Wallkill is the gate in front of…

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Brighton Green is a community of 154 townhouses set among 25 beautiful acres in the Town of Newburgh and offers a low maintenance lifestyle for residents of the community including maintenance of all common areas, sidewalks, garbage removal and resident exclusive clubhouse. The community clubhouse is 3,100 sq.ft., sits near the center of the community and features an outdoor swimming pool, billiards room, fitness center, lounge with kitchen and outdoor tot lot. All of the homes in Brighton Green come with a generous appointment of luxury amenities like central air conditioning, Corian countertops and GE Profile appliances in the kitchen, and master suite conveniences including a walk-in closet and soaking tub. Learn more about the community in general with… Read Full Post