Category Archives: Cross River NY

Cross River New York Real Estate for Sale

Surprise costs of custom-built homes | Cross River NY Real Estate

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Q: My fiancé and I reside in Georgia. He’s been in Afghanistan since January and is due to return in 2013. We are looking to purchase our first home once he returns.

I’m making sure I get my credit report in order and educating myself about the process in the meantime. The area we live in really doesn’t have many new homes, so we are really leaning toward building our own. Can you suggest some resources and things I need to know before deciding to build our dream home?

A: Congratulations on all the momentous life milestones you’re about to experience. You’re wise to get prepared as far in advance as possible and to do some serious research before you proceed down the path of trying to build a custom home.

I’m going to make some assumptions here, including the assumption that what you’re actually contemplating is hiring a contractor to build a custom home for you rather than simply buying a newly built home in a developer’s subdivision.

Personally, I like old and older homes; I like to live in neighborhoods that are more established, and I like the idea that any glitches or flaws in the home will certainly have made themselves known before the time I move in. No home is perfect, but with new homes, the home and the neighborhood often have to settle for a year (or a few) before any problems start to surface.

But to be clear, this is largely a matter of personal preference. There are many advantages to buying new, as well.

Understanding the financial and logistical hurdles

When you buy a resale home or even a new home in a subdivision, you’re generally able to do the basic work of getting your credit and down payment ready, conducting a house hunt, and closing a single mortgage and purchase transaction in one fell swoop.

When you decide to build a new home, you have much more work ahead. You may need to find a lot that is suitable for building the sort of home you like and buy it. You may have to bring utilities to the lot and obtain permits to build on it. You will need to select architects, engineers and contractors to do the work. Finally, you’ll need to have plans drawn up and undergo the building process and all that entails.

You might have to come up with cash out of pocket for the lot, as very few (if any) lenders will lend money to borrowers for a bare lot. Then, unless you have the cash to pay for the build out of pocket, you’ll have to obtain a construction loan, which is a separate transaction that requires the lender to sign off on the plans, and often involves a much larger down payment requirement than a traditional home loan.

Construction loans also require the lender to sign off on your building plans and choice of builder upfront, and to be involved in approving and doling out funds for construction throughout the process. You’ll have to obtain construction insurance, and be prepared to deal with your city building inspectors every step of the way.

I don’t mean to paint an overly negative picture of the work involved with building a custom house from the ground up, just a realistic one. It requires much more time, work, and energy than buying an existing home or a new home in a subdivision, and some would say it’s also more risky.

And that’s a lot for a first-time homeowner to take on.

I would encourage you to ask other folks in your area on Trulia Voices about their experience in building a brand-new home to get a full picture of what the experience is like, warts and all. I also strongly recommend you read the classic book “Building Your Home: An Insider’s Guide, Second Edition” by Carol Smith (Builder Books, 2005) to get a better sense for the complexities involved.

Get clear on if and why you’d rather buy new

Often, people simply like the idea of living in a home that no one else has ever lived in before, or the idea of creating a home layout, design, etc., from scratch, to their personal tastes and needs.

What I’ve found, though, is that the average layperson is less skilled at coming up with good ideas for a home’s design than all the architects, builders, developers and designers who have worked on homes over the years.

Sometimes, custom-built homes end up with well-intentioned but ill-conceived features that make them difficult to resell precisely because they are so heavily customized that the home simply doesn’t work or appeal to many other buyers than the home’s original owners.

Are you absolutely, 100 percent certain that you couldn’t get your wants and needs met with an existing home or a new home in a subdivision already being developed?

If you haven’t already, start house hunting online and start visiting open houses; you might find that a home that has been recently remodeled, or a fixer-upper that is in need of an update, can give you the fresh, customized-home look, feel and features you want, with a fraction of the cost, risk and hassle of building brand-new.

Don’t fall for the myth that it’s cheaper to build

If your primary motivation for wanting to build a new home is the rationale I hear so often that it’s “cheaper to build” from the ground up than to buy an existing home, beware the many pitfalls and fallacies that are often built into this line of thinking.

Is it ever cheaper to build than to buy a home? I’m sure it’s possible. But I often hear people say this who have seen a single, inexpensive lot somewhere, heard an anecdote about a cousin’s cousin who paid $12,000 to build a house, and then add those things up and conclude it’s so much cheaper to build! The reality is that the one lot they saw might not even be buildable, and whoever related the story about their cousin was talking about a treehouse!

Buildable lots, the cost of bringing utilities to them and obtaining the city’s “entitlements” to build on them, the costs of building permits, architect and engineer services, and the margin of error for building cost estimates are all much greater than the average person would estimate. So, don’t let the thought that it might be cheaper to build stop you from exploring other alternatives for owning your dream home.

via inman.com

Don’t let buyers shop new homes without you | Chappaqua NY Real Estate

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If you have nothing but resales on your showing schedule, you might want to add a stop by a new homes sales office, just in case. I have the proof.

According to a recent market study commissioned by BHI Inc., homebuyers can be divided into three groups: those who insist on a resale; those who insist on a new home; and those who are indifferent — those who will buy a resale or a new home.

Our qualifying approach to this “indifferent” segment must be anything but indifferent. From our perspective, the indifferent prospect might be the one who, after spending weeks with you looking at resales, decided to wait — then shops new homes without you. Or, he buys a resale and then cancels.

BHI, a consortium of 32 of the largest production homebuilders in America, recently commissioned a marketing study to determine consumer preferences regarding new homes versus existing homes.

In active new-home markets, sales of new homes represent 12 to 15 percent of all residential sales in any given month, when compared to MLS sales for the same period.

According to industry consultants, 60 to 70 percent of all new homes are sold through general real estate agents or co-brokers. Usually the higher priced the home, the greater the percentage of co-broker sales.

BHI is committed to increasing its members’ market share, and is about to roll out a multimillion-dollar campaign to do so, according to CEO Tim Costello.

The study sample structure included 984 completed surveys of prospective homebuyers committed to purchasing a home within the next 12 months, across 25 major markets. Shoppers were at least 25 years old, with a household income of $50,000 or more.

Sixty percent of this group were actively looking for a home and had:

  • Met, spoken to or hired a Realtor.
  • Sought preapproval for a home loan.
  • Visited a model home in a new homes community.
  • Attended a homebuying seminar or had placed their home on the market.

Forty percent had taken the above actions, or had:

  • Regularly looked at home listings online or in the paper.
  • Visited a Realtor and/or homebuilder website.
  • Calculated living costs as a result of a new-home purchase.
  • Attended an open house.
  • Watched a TV show about local homes and real estate for sale.
  • Driven around the neighborhoods looking for homes for sale.
  • We are “considering.”

Here are some highlights from the study:

  • People buy homes for a variety of reasons. However, amenities and features that enhance daily life, increase privacy, and address needs of family and children are at the top of the list.
  • People are citing market conditions, rather than events, as triggers to start looking. Favorable home prices and interest rates are notably more likely to trigger consideration among first-time homebuyers as compared to repeat purchasers.
  • Shoppers are prepared to take their time and most expect to spend between $150,000 and $500,000. Almost two-thirds are unsure about when they will purchase or expect to take at least nine months to make a buying decision.

When people actively search for homes, they go online and they find these two resources most trustworthy:

  • Local real estate listing websites: 34 percent.
  • National real estate listing websites: 27 percent.

When it comes to where they want to buy, most want their homes in the suburbs

  • Suburban area-closer to urban: 54 percent.
  • Outlying suburban area: 20 percent.
  • Heavily populated urban area: 13 percent.
  • Small-town rural: 5 percent.
  • Small town: 5 percent.

People generally prefer existing homes, but many will consider a new home offered by a builder in their search.

When looking for your new home, how strongly will you consider each of the following home choices?

Existing home

  • Will consider existing home: 75 percent.
  • Will consider new (indifferent): 20 percent.
  • Will not consider existing home: 5 percent.

(Comment: If 1 out of 5 of your resale prospects will consider a new home, do you see a need to qualify for “new” as well as “existing”?)

Brand-new home offered by builder

  • Will consider: 49 percent.
  • Will consider resale: 30 percent.
  • Will not consider new home: 21 percent.

Which type of community do you prefer?

  • Established neighborhood of older homes: 33 percent.
  • Existing subdivision of newer homes: 42 percent.
  • New-home communities: 25 percent.

Why do you prefer established neighborhoods/existing subdivisions over new homes?

  • “The neighborhoods have a warmer inviting feel.”
  • “Better constructed.”
  • “Better privacy, homes are not on top of each other and cookie cutter.”
  • “Better pricing.”
  • “Good variety. Established neighborhoods. Good value.”
  • “Prices are more negotiable.”
  • “Houses are still new and may be under warranty, but the neighborhoods will be somewhat established along with landscaping.”

Why do you prefer new-home communities over existing ones?

  • “Ability to make changes to home during construction to suit my needs and desires.”
  • “I like newer home. They are generally more energy efficient and require less upkeep and have lower maintenance costs.”
  • “More modern. More amenities.”
  • “No need for repairs. Less hassle. Able to customize.”

According to the study, “new homes and existing homes are neck and neck on the most important attributes. The majority (69 percent) of shoppers believes there is no difference between the two with regards to safety, and almost half (44 percent) say there is no difference in construction quality.”

Other top concerns regardless of new or existing homes, include floor plans, maintenance expenses, cost per square foot, living space, energy efficiency, architecture/overall design, and larger lot size, in that order.

Existing homes lead for mature landscaping, lot size and sense of community.

BHI asked for beliefs and attitudes that might constrain a visit to a new-home community. Here are some of the comments made by those preferring new-home communities.

  • “You don’t have any existing experience with the community. It’s brand-new to everyone, so any issues that arise you will discover together.”
  • “General not built as well as older homes were.” “Construction may be ongoing, newer communities tend to be more expensive.”
  • “Neighborhood associations are likely to come with newer homes and can restrict individual freedom and impose silly rules.”
  • “No mature landscaping — usually has smaller lots.”

Regardless of segment, new homes dominate for energy efficiency, customization and maintenance costs. There is agreement that new homes offer more living space, but at the expense of yard/lot size.

While less important than other considerations, convenience to work, friends/family and good schools is more important to those who prefer existing homes.

According to the study, those who prefer new homes are more likely to have visited model homes and met with a builder, while those preferring existing homes are more likely to visit an existing home, hire a Realtor, or bid on a property.

There are no differences among the segments for more general behaviors, such as:

  • Visited a Realtor and/or homebuilder website.
  • Calculated living cost.
  • Watched a TV show on local homes and real estate for sale.

In my next column, look for the psychographic results of this compelling study and why new-home buyers tend to be more spiritual and controlling.

via inman.com

Proposed budget for Westchester County, NY, includes 126 layoffs, no tax hike | Chappaqua Realtor

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The Westchester County executive says he’ll have to lay off 126 workers, mostly in social services, to balance next year’s budget.

County Executive Robert Astorino says the layoffs wouldn’t be necessary if workers in Westchester’s largest union had agreed to contribute to health care costs. The union says it’s still negotiating.

Astorino’s $1.72 billion proposal sticks to his no-tax-increase pledge for a third year. He said Wednesday the layoffs are necessary to offset the increased costs of salaries, health care, pensions and Medicaid.

Astorino’s budget would cut funding for three neighborhood health centers and increase the amount parents would pay for day care.

He also proposes borrowing to cover some pension costs and the costs of court-ordered tax reductions.

The county Legislature has until Dec. 27 to adopt a budget.

via therepublic.com

Travel Apps That Save You Time and Money | Cross River NY Homes

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While the recession has taken a bite out of most people’s paychecks, an interesting side effect is that travel deals abound. Companies large and small are hurting, and tourist destinations need those American dollars more than ever before. Of course, that doesn’t change your desire to get the best deal possible, and thanks to mobile technology you’ve got more ways than ever before to work the system and keep that cash in your pocket. So whether you’re traveling across the state or across the world, charge up your tablet or smartphone of choice, head to the app store and check out some of the best options to save you time and money while planning your next trip.

Since you are going to be relying on that mobile device on the go, one of the new necessities is finding free or very cheap Wi-Fi sources wherever you may be. So let’s start there, by downloading the Free Wi-Fi Finder app, available for both Android and iOS devices. Simply launch the app and a GoogleMap will pop up, showing you everywhere in the vicinity you can hop on the world wide web without paying a dime. It’s a great tool to keep handy when you’re a stranger in a strange land and need to make additional plans in a hurry.

If you’ve yet to leave home, or if you’re in a foreign destination and want to keep the trip going, download the Kayak app. Kayak is one of the best discount travel sites out there, and the app they’ve created is highly sophisticated. You can download it for free on any device, and you’ll be able to hunt out cheap hotels and airfare rates based on a wide range of criteria. You may not want to do your final booking here, but as far as research is concerned there’s probably nothing better.

When it comes to coordinating your travel plans, time is of the essence. You’ve got flights, transfers, car rental packages and hotels to confirm, and each confirmation number is in a different email. You’re liable to lose track of something. Streamline your organization with the Tripit app. It’s also completely free, and available for almost every device. Tripit basically acts as your one-stop itinerary planner. Once you download the app and open an account you simply forward each confirmation email to a dedicated Tripit email address, and the app puts them all together in one detailed itinerary. It will even look up driving directions and maps, and tell you what the weather will be like when you arrive.

While Yelp is a fantastic app, you really have to know what you’re looking for and be willing to spend the time to read all those reviews. When you’re away from home that can sometimes cause more questions than answers. So check out the free app AroundMe, also available for almost any mobile device. Launch this one and it will immediately show you all available options in every category in your vicinity. Then you can narrow it down to hotels, restaurants, ATMs or whatever else you might be looking for. Finally it will give you step-by-step directions on how to get there. It might not save you money like orbitz and travelocity coupons can, but it will help you locate several similar options and then choose the cheaper one. And you won’t have to wander around with that ‘deer in the headlights’ tourist look.

via technozeast.com

Quick Tip: The art of the retweet | Chappaqua Luxury Homes

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One of the easiest ways to provide valuable information to your followers and add to your content strategy on Twitter, is to retweet valuable information. As part of an overall social media strategy, you should retweet a few things each day that you think are interesting, consistent with your brand message and that you think your followers may read. But, what most people don’t realize is that there is the “art of the retweet.”

There are two ways to retweet a message. The first way, is that you can simply click the “retweet button” under a tweet. If you do that, that tweet gets sent out to all of your followers exactly as is – as if it were from them (not you.) The other way to retweet (which is a much better way in my opinion), is to copy the tweet into a new tweet, add the characters: “RT” and then add a short note at the beginning or the end.

Here are a few screenshots to explain:

Option 1:

Click the “retweet” button

Option 2:

Copy text

Click ‘reply’ and then copy/paste

What is the difference? See below!

Important: When you tweet the second way, the person you retweeted gets an “@” notification that you retweeted them. When you retweet the first way, they are NOT notified unless they have their email notifications turned on.

For mobile users:
If you are on a mobile device, here is how you can do this easily.

Click the ‘retweet’ button, and then click “quote tweet”

You can then add your text below

In social media, many times it is the little things that make a big difference – and this is one of them! Would love your feedback about this article, leave me a comment below!

via next.inman.com

Why the Fiscal Cliff Is Inevitable and Also Necessary | Chappaqua NY Homes

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Image: Fiscal cliff
getty images

The fiscal cliff is a powerful metaphor. It sounds like an impending disaster, but in reality, we’ll wake up on the morning of Jan. 3 and life will be unchanged. Sure, tax rates will nominally be higher, some tax breaks will have been canceled, and the government will be expected to implement major cuts in military and domestic spending. If that continues for several months, it will have an adverse affect on the economy.

(VIDEO: TIME Explains: The Fiscal Cliff)

But letting the law take effect will also have some real benefits. For one thing, on the other side of the cliff, we’ll be a big step closer to the kind of fundamental reform of the tax code that both Democrats and Republicans say they want. Two provisions that limit the deductions and personal exemptions the wealthy can take — similar to the cap on deductions proposed by Mitt Romney — will come back into effect. Capital-gains rates will rise from 15 % to 20%, and dividends will be taxed at normal rates, reducing the incentives for tricks like the notorious “carried-interest loophole.” And instead of a tax system that produces less revenue as a percentage of GDP than at any time since 1950, we’ll move toward one that is adequate to the needs of a modern, dynamic economy. The fiscal cliff is, all by itself, a budget deal and a step toward tax reform. A flawed and dangerous one, to be sure, but a far better starting point for a real budget agreement than the temporary rules of 2012.

(MORE: Fiscal-Cliff Deal? Don’t Hold Your Breath)

Once tax rates and other provisions have returned to their previous levels, as planned, Congress and the White House will have a little time to look at taxes and spending, and decide how best to keep the economy moving, now and in the future. Is it by cutting taxes for low- and middle-income working families, who were hit hardest by the recession and gained little in the George W. Bush years, when most of the benefits of growth went to the top? Or is it another round of tax cuts for those who have gained the most?

Let’s remember also that the fiscal cliff is not a natural phenomenon, it’s the law. None of the tax cuts that will be changed by it were supposed to be permanent in the first place. Some of the cuts, mostly those from the early Obama years, were to provide economic stimulus during the recession. Those should be revisited every couple years, and if we think the economy still needs a boost, we should renew them for another year or two. But the bulk of the tax cuts that expire date from 2001 and ’03. At that time — when our country had budget surpluses — both Democrats and Republicans wanted to cut taxes. But Republicans wanted to cut them by about twice as much and to make much bigger cuts for the wealthy than for the middle class. Rather than compromise with Democrats, Republicans twice employed a special rule, known as reconciliation, to use their narrow congressional majorities to push their version of tax cuts through. Because that special rule can’t be used to make permanent changes that worsen the deficit, they had to put an expiration date on those tax cuts. So the fiscal cliff is a long overdue chance to revisit choices from the past and better address what we need to do for our future.

In the world on the other side of the fiscal cliff, Democrats and Republicans will have no choice but to work together on tax cuts that will be fairer to the middle class and encourage economic growth. And then, over several years, we have an obligation to look closely at Medicare, in particular, and figure out how to slow the growth of health care costs in that program. That work can only begin on the other side of the fiscal cliff.

via ideas.time.com

3 homeowner rights that are often underutilized | Chappaqua NY Real Estate

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USA Today reports that about 132 million people showed up to vote in this year’s election. As large as that number sounds, that maps to only 60 percent of registered voters.

As I see it, everyone who voted (or tried to) did their civic duty, but I’m most humbled by our Floridian compatriots who had to wait in line for hours to cast their votes, and our East Coast neighbors who dialed in and otherwise took time out of their efforts to get back to normal post-Sandy life to make their voices heard.

The fact is, it’s all too easy in the course of everyday life to simply flake when it comes time to vote and exercise one’s civic rights. People do it for many reasons, from feeling like their single voice is too small to have an impact or simply finding it too inconvenient to take the time out of their already-hectic schedules.

Whether your ancestors came over on the Mayflower, a slave ship or via Ellis Island, though, they likely fought hard for your right to vote — and that’s good enough reason to bear the inconvenience to make your little tiny vote count.

In the real estate realm, it’s easy to feel like almost everything about the market, your mortgage and the value of your home is out of your control. But the truth is that there are many real estate rights that go unrecognized and, thus, unexercised:

1. The right to control your own utility bills. Many a homeowner feels slightly held hostage by their utility companies. Who else can you buy electricity, gas or water from, they wonder briefly, before waving a mental white flag when they sign the check for their monthly payment?

In truth, there is much a homeowner can do to control both the amount and the provider of his utility services. You can go solar, whether by buying panels yourself or working with a solar power service that owns the panels and charges you a reduced, preset rate for energy over 20 years.

And there are many other investments you can make — at many levels — in improving your home’s efficiency and, thus, reducing your utility bills. Things like installing dual-paned windows, improving your insulation, installing tankless or solar-powered water heaters, and converting every faucet to a low-flow fixture are among them.

On a less conventional side of things, installing graywater tanks that use wasted sink water for toilet flushing and landscaping, and replacing swathes of green lawn with low-water-consuming native landscaping or food gardens are some more work-intensive — but more rewarding — ways to put you back in control over your household’s energy and water consumption (and expenses).

2. The right to fire your mortgage lender. Most people find their mortgages to be burdensome, to say the least. Even those who aren’t among the 28 percent of homeowners with mortgages that are still underwater are almost always positioned such that their mortgage is their largest monthly expense and a looming financial obligation. Paying it off seems remote and hard to imagine; further, many homeowners will take out equity lines or refinance their mortgages over time, simply restarting the already long countdown to payoff.

But here’s a shocker: Roughly one-third of American homes are owned outright by their owners, free and clear of a mortgage. Truth is, there are many ways to get your home unmortgaged, and I’m not talking about asking your lender to forgive it.

You can exercise your right to live and own your home mortgage-free by pulling one or both of two basic levers: (1) you can cut your existing monthly spending and redirect your savings to paying down the principal balance of your home loan, (2) you can bring more income in, using that to pay your mortgage off earlier than planned, or (3) you can do both!

This might seem impossible, but if this is a right you’d like to exercise, calendar a few quiet hours to really review last month’s bank statements. What you face is a decision about values and priorities: What’s really important to you?

Some financial experts advise that lunches and dinners out, coffee shop stops and cable TV are common categories of budget leaks — these seemingly small expenses add up. But don’t go extreme and try to deprive yourself of every night out or coffee chat with your friends; it’s not sustainable, and you’ll end up turning these moments of happiness into moments of guilt. Instead, cut back where you feel you want to and also cast an eye at larger expenses that can be eliminated.

I’ve known homeowners who have found hundreds of dollars a month they could redirect away from cable TV packages they didn’t really watch and payments for cars and other big toys (motorcycles, boats, etc.) they didn’t really drive.

In the same vein, it can be relatively painless to turn your hobbies or passions into small-scale side businesses, generating some early mortgage payoff funds. I personally know folks doing this through part-time bookkeeping, getting a stand at the local farmers market or even doing some cake decorating on the side. As well, an increasing number of homeowners are using their own homes to generate side income, either renting out rooms or floors on an ongoing basis, or just for a couple of nights here and there on sites like Airbnb and VRBO.

3. The right to HOA sanity. While the vast majority of homeowner associations (HOAs) are functional and smooth, the fact is that many have at least the occasional personality or financial drama. The spectre of rapidly rising dues, inane restrictions on minutiae like the color of your window coverings and scary “surprise” special assessments for unbudgeted property repairs have made many a homebuyer simply refuse to even look at properties that belong to HOAs.

It would be naive and inaccurate to suggest that you can 100 percent bulletproof your HOA experience from these sorts of potential potholes, but there are a number of rights you can exercise to minimize their likelihood of happening.

First, exercise the right — really, the responsibility — to spot red flags of impending HOA dramas before you even close escrow, by truly reading all the HOA disclosures you receive, no matter how mind-numbingly long and boring they might seem. If you see that many homeowners are behind on their dues or that the HOA’s budgets don’t seem to include plans for reroofing buildings, replacing windows or making similar repairs to the common areas over time, be concerned.

And don’t forget the seemingly fluffy newsletters or the seemingly boilerplate board meeting minutes: That’s often where talk of neighbor disputes and proposed dues hikes and special assessments pop up first.

Once you’re part of the HOA, you have even more of a duty-slash-power to participate in it, if you want to do your part to avoid problems. Attending board meetings or even becoming a member of the board is not overkill if you want to have a hand in choosing the accountants, building managers and contractors who will have such a huge impact on your experience as a member of an HOA.

via inman.com

The 15 Commandments of Social Media Communication | Cross River NY Real Estate

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Utilizing social media is a great way to spread the word about your brand or your business. Some businesses rely almost exclusively on social media to get the word out about their products and services. If you are going to use social media for your business, you should be aware of some key rules to follow in your communication strategy. Here are what we believe to be the 15 Commandments of Social Media Communication:

1. Keep your Interactions Clean & Positive

Be Positive

Any time you post content, or comment on someone else’s posts, you are representing your business. Try to avoid saying anything offensive or controversial unless that is what your brand is all about. In most cases, it is best to be polite and courteous, so that people will view you and your company in a positive way.

2. Respond to all External Communications

When you post content on a social media site, people will usually comment on it. You should respond to the comments quickly or even it’s not quick, just make sure you respond. This will show that you take your business seriously, and that you appreciate the people who take the time to read your posts or watch your videos.

3. Take Time to Get Involved in the Community Get Involved


It’s tempting for a business owner to use social media only for their own benefit. They don’t want to waste time on something that is not going to bring in more customers. However, if people get the sense that the only reason you are involved in a social media site is to promote your business, they may not like it too much. Take some time to participate in discussions that are not directly related to your business. You never know, doing so may actually bring you more customers and at the very least, it will make you look like a more valuable member of the community.

4. Respect the Ownership of Digital Property

When someone posts articles, videos, photos, or anything else online, it’s not okay to use that content however you see fit. You cannot use someone else’s content as if it were your own or even change it up and repurpose it in some way. If you want to post something on a social media site, make sure you are posting original content.

5. Lay off the Sales Pitch Once in a While

No sales pitch

Social media is a great way to get traffic to your website and sell more products and services. However, it’s a good idea to just participate in some of these communities once in a while without trying to sell products. If every message you ever send out on social media is pitching a product, a lot of people won’t be interested in following you or reading your content any longer.

6. Learn from your Competition & Not Attack It

It’s a good idea to follow your competitors on any social networking sites so that you can see what they are up to. You may have competitors following you as well. Be respectful and never attack your competitors.

7. Handle Negative Communications in a Positive Manner Handling Negative Comments


If someone posts a negative comment about you or your products on a social media site, you don’t want to get into a fight with that person where you start to verbally assault each other. However, it’s not always a good idea to simply ignore people either. You need to defend your products or services, but be as courteous and respectful as you can when doing so.

8. Be Modest When You Get Positive Reviews

If someone posts positive comments on your products or services, it may be tempting to re-tweet those comments every time you get them. If you are over the top in pointing out the praise you are getting, it will turn a lot of people off.

9. Don’t Use Cookie-Cutter Responses

When someone comments on a piece of content you have posted, take some time to come up with a thoughtful response. It won’t look good if you just paste in “thanks” under every comment and your followers will appreciate it if you are actively involved in conversations taking place about the content you have posted.

10. Promote Other Peoples Products and Services too

Your followers will appreciate it if you recommend good quality products and services to them, even if you are not the owner of those products and services. If you promote some quality products and services that you do not profit from directly, it can help build trust and respect in your followers.

11. Don’t Try to Hide the Fact That You Are Promoting a Business

If you are using social media to try to sell products and services, be upfront about it. Most people will realize if you are promoting your business and it looks very dishonest if you try to hide it.

12. Get to the Point

There’s no need to have very long, drawnout messages when you post content to social media sites. Keep your messages short and sweet, and get to the point. People are busy and your followers may not have time to read a 2000 word essay.

13. Participate Consistently

Be-consistent

It’s a good idea to post content on social media sites on a regular basis. Even if it’s just once or twice per week, make regular posts to keep in touch with your followers, and of course to keep your products and services in front of your potential customers.

14. Provide Some Visual Interest

Most of the time on social media sites, you will be posting text. It’s also a good idea to include a photo or a video once in a while to keep things visually interesting.

15. Provide Value to Your Followers

To keep your followers interested in following you on social media sites, provide value to them. Post useful information, or links to useful information. But avoid spamming on social media sites.  If you offer your followers value on a regular basis, they will continue to follow you.

via blog.socialmaximizer.com

Exec Who Looked Other Way As Countrywide Sold Off Bad Mortgages Is Now Running Chase’s Foreclosure Review Dept. | Katonah NY Real Estate

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The federal government recently filed a lawsuit over a Countrywide scheme dubbed “The Hustle” that removed impediments to a mortgage approval so the company could sell as many mortgages as possible to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Now comes news that a Countrywide exec who ignored warnings about the Hustle is currently running Chase’s foreclosure review initiative.

At the time The Hustle was being put into action, Rebecca Mairone was the Chief Operating Officer of Countrywide’s subprime lending division Full Spectrum Lending. She apparently stayed on with Bank of America after it acquired Countrywide and only left earlier this year.

And according to the complaint filed last month by federal prosecutors, Mairone was “repeatedly warned… that the Hustle would generate excessive quantities of fraudulent or otherwise seriously defective loans that were ineligible for sale to [Fannie and Freddie].”

Even after the Hustle began to roll out and internal quality reviews allegedly showed that “the quality of the loans originated under the Hustle was exceptionally poor,” the complaint says that Mairone and FSL President Greg Lumsden “ignored this information, continued on with the Hustle as planned, and restricted dissemination of the quality reviews.”

Now Mairone has moved on to Chase, where sources tell Pro Publica she was put in charge of the Independent Foreclosure Review folks.

The review process, announced in late 2011 in the wake of the robosigning scandal that called a number of foreclosures into question, is intended to sort through the mass of foreclosures at the nation’s largest mortgage servicers to find out if borrowers’ loans were given the proper review.

Oh, the irony of taking an executive who looked the other way while her company removed every speed bump, road block, and toll gate to approving a mortgage, and putting her in position to review whether all the proper procedures were followed during the foreclosure process.

Neil Barofsky, the former special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, doesn’t hold back about his feelings on the matter to ProPublica:

“Finding out that the person running it for JPMorgan Chase is a person whose conduct in the run-up to financial crisis was allegedly so egregious that she somehow managed to be one of the only people actually named in a case brought by the Department of Justice goes beyond irony… It speaks volumes to the banks’ true intent and lack of concern for homeowners when addressing the harm that they caused during the foreclosure crisis.”

Chase would only confirm that Mairone, who is not a defendant in the federal lawsuit, is working on the foreclosure review process, but would not comment on her involvement in the Hustle at Countrywide.

via consumerist.com