Friday, March 12, 2021 / by Vanessa Saunders
By Vanessa Saunders, MBA, MIMC , Broker Owner, Global Property Systems Real Estate.
When the pandemic hit the U.S. last March, remote workers started leaving New York City and its ultra-expensive housing in search of wide-open spaces, sunshine and affordable homes—all of which you can find in Florida, with the bonus of no state income tax.
Sounds logical, but the fact is each year nearly as many people move out of Florida as move in. They are fleeing hurricanes, heat and escalating home prices among other things. While COVID-19 has prompted some out-of-staters to buy homes in Florida, the state’s population growth has slowed in the pandemic to its lowest rate since 2014, according to the state’s November 2020 Demographic Estimating Conference.
According to statistics gathered by the national moving company Atlas Van Lines, there were fewer moves into Florida from other states in 2020 than at any time over the last nine years. Atlas' data shows that in Florida, as ...
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hudson valley home, 'urb to 'burb, buying a home, hudson valley home sellers, retirement, health crisis
Thursday, March 11, 2021 / by Vanessa Saunders
By
Vanessa Saunders, MBA, MIMC , Broker Owner, Global Property Systems Real Estate.
Public health officials and private environmental groups say that approximately 300,000 people in Rockland County don't have safe water to drink.
Recently, a test of a number of Suez's public wells revealed that their pollution levels exceed the state's maximum level for drinking water - which is 10 parts per trillion. News 12 Bronx reported that the levels in some of Suez's well water is almost double that - at 19 parts per trillion. The federal limit is 70 parts per trillion.
The polluting chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, are used to make materials like fire-fighting foam, food packaging and chemicals used to make stain-proof fabrics. According to the CDC, exposure to high levels can lead to cancer, high blood pressure and lessen the effectiveness of vaccines in children.
Local state and federal politicians including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and State Representative Mondaire Jones have voic. ...
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hudson valley real estate, hudson valley home, 'urb to 'burb, hudson valley home owners, health crisis, water pollution
Tuesday, January 26, 2021 / by Vanessa Saunders
By Vanessa Saunders, MBA, MIMC , Broker Owner, Global Property Systems Real Estate.
Considering the number of people we’ve encountered recently who are speculating on where the real estate market will go in 2021, it probably should be designated an Olympic sport. One thing’s for sure. The financial pressures we are experiencing today are felt by not just homeowners, investors but lenders as well.
The last time this happened was 2007, when the market crashed and many homeowners were “under water” with mortgages carrying negative equities. For those predicting the market these days, now may look like another 2007, but this time, it’s different. Real estate still remains strong. Property values have gone up and seem to keep rising, and there are many fewer properties with negative equity.
Still, many Americans have lost jobs, and subsequently lost their ability to keep current on their debts: consumer debt, car loans, school loans, etc. as well as mortga ...
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hudson valley real estate, hudson valley property, hudson valley home, 'urb to 'burb, home investment, hudson valley home owners, the economy, health crisis, forbearance, forclosure
Monday, January 25, 2021 / by Vanessa Saunders
It’s going to be cold today - below freezing tonight. And it’s going to be a long New York winter in the coming months. If you lost your income because of the Covid-19 shutdown and are having trouble finding ways to pay your heat and electricity bills, here are a few things you can do to keep the heat on.
Get a grant from LIHEAP
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps families living on low incomes pay their heating bills in the form of a cash grant. Households in immediate danger of being without heat can also qualify for crisis grants. The cash grant is a one-time payment sent directly to the utility company/fuel provider to be credited on your bill. These grants range from $200 to $1,000 based on household size, income, and fuel type. Remember: This is a grant and does not have to be repaid.
To see if you qualify for assistance, LIHEAP’s website directs you to call the National Energy Assistance Referral (NEAR) project at 1-866-674-6327. Y. ...
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hudson valley real estate, hudson valley property, hudson valley home, 'urb to 'burb, hudson valley home owners, pandemic, hudson valley living, health crisis, covid 19
Monday, December 28, 2020 / by Vanessa Saunders
By Vanessa Saunders, MBA, MIMC , Broker Owner, Global Property Systems Real Estate.
As we get ready to shuffle 2020 out the door, about the only thing missing from our New Year’s Eve plans is optimism for the coming new year. It's not surprising a mood of "good riddance" seems to sum up the national attitude about the year 2020. After all, we've faced a global pandemic, social unrest, an economic downturn, a lame-duck president and natural disasters. It even rained on Christmas. The year has driven many homeowners to reconsider their home spaces, where to live and what to live in to cope during 2021.
That said, we do have some things going for us. Here are three things we can be optimistic about.
The U.S. economy is still strong.
Even though independent businesses, especially in the service sector, are struggling, the markets have made impressive gains from last spring. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the economy. There is no “bubble” driving excessive ...
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hudson valley real estate, hudson valley home, 'urb to 'burb, hudson valley home sellers, housing sales, housing sales inventory, pandemic, financing, the economy, the future of real estate, health crisis
