Spruce it up!  

When gearing up to put your place on the market, it is important that you spruce the place up a bit. Touch up your landscaping, clean up the exterior of your home, make repairs, and clean out/organize your closets. These few improvements will enhance your home’s curb appeal and boost potential buyer’s first impressions of your home. Messy closets give off the impression that there isn't enough storage in your home. Even if that is the case, you don’t want to give off that impression! A clean fresh exterior and landscaping makes it easier for a potential buyer to see themselves in your home. 

 

Depersonalize!  

When approaching listing, you should start to separate yourself from your home. Very soon (hopefully) the home will…

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For nearly two decades, I have made it my life’s work to deliver the absolute best in all areas of Staten Island real estate we at Casandra Properties practiced. Over the years we grew from a small boutique residential firm, to a full service real estate brokerage with divisions focused on seller and buyer representation, commercial leasing, and consulting.  We were thrilled to be named a top 10 boutique real estate firm in NYC.


LEASING EXPERIENCE 

One of my long-term goals always included adding tenant representation to our repertoire.  After successfully negotiating a host of successful deals on the landlord side with retail giants, banks, governmental entities, names such as Nordstrom’s Rack, Brooks Brothers, Wendy’s, Autozone, TD Bank,…

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As real estate professionals, it’s important to stay informed when it comes to industry news. The landscape is constantly changing especially with the advent of new technology in the digital arena. This is changing the way we sell, market and purchase real estate. 

It’s been reported that a new start up called Bungalo has launched a solely digital platform where buyers can search, finance and purchase newly renovated homes. Bungalo joins a growing group of iBuying platforms that includes Opendoor, Zillow and Redfin. All of these online platforms purchase and sell homes directly to clients after renovating the houses. 

According to the Company’s CEO, Greg Stuart, Bungalo will start by selling 25 homes in Dallas-Forth Worth and 10 in Tampa, Florida,…

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Agency disclosure defines the relationship between client and agent in all transactions of residential real property.

Agent’s provide this disclosure to make it clear to whom they owe ‘fiduciary' responsibility. With this disclosure in place, all parties involved in a transaction are aware of who is in charge of representing each client’s interest, and to what capacity they represent those interests. Whether you’re looking for an agent to help you acquire a property or sell, you’ll come across this disclosure form when you are signing all of your documents with your potential agent. As given away in the title, this law just mandates the disclosure of whatever agency agreement is in place and an acknowledgment by the client that they understand that…

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Summer is fading and Fall is approaching.  


The weather outside has hit the point where it is no longer too hot nor is it too cold yet.  Everyone can agree that it is a great time to take advantage of the weather and spend some quality time outdoors.  Time seems to always be an issue for many busy persons and families, so taking a weekend trip to have a fun outdoor adventure is not always convenient. The good news is that there is no need to spend hours in the car because Staten Island, NYC’s “Greenest Borough”, has it all!   Whether you are looking for biking, skating, walking, or jogging, trails; wooded hiking and rock climbing trails; a skateboarding park, an ice-skating rink or bocce courts; basketball courts, soccer fields or baseball diamonds;…

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Many of you know Staten Island Real Estate is a passion of mine, but when I’m not selling homes as a top producer at Casandra Properties, Inc., my other passion is cooking. 

I was born in Monopoli, Italy, which is 40 km south of Bari in the Puglia region on the Adriatic Sea.   As with all family who has moved away, each and every time I return to my birth home, my family always asks what is it that I wish to eat.  I always reply the same! 

Pasta con Fagiolini Salsa di Pomodoro Fresco e Cacio Ricotta Salata

In English, this means pasta with fresh green beans and fresh tomato sauce topped with ricotta salata cheese.

           This is considered a local “peasant dish”, a recipe with just a few ingredients which is very easy to make and easy on…

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Offers are simply proposals for the exchange of real estate. 

 

They are like the buyer and seller’s questions to one another in a legal conversation where the ultimate goal is to get the other person to give you a plain and definitive “yes!” The first offer begins this legal conversation of how the real estate transaction is going to play out. Once an offer is accepted, it becomes a legally binding contract. The process starts with a buyer extending an offer to a buyer. When the seller gets that offer, they have three options: make an offer back (counteroffer), reject the offer (end the conversation altogether), or accept the offer (making it a legally binding agreement). In order for a seller to accept an offer, they must do so unconditionally,…

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For those of you who know me or have read any of my blog posts in the past, you’ll notice my fiancé and I are avid foodies and spend most of our leisure time traveling and experiencing the best chic and well-hidden food concepts. My personal love for the hospitality industry helps to explain the gravitational pull restaurant leasing and sales has had on my business. As a resident of Staten Island’s North Shore, I’ve been especially excited and bullish on the development and culinary boom of the area. Yet, I still believe both Stapleton and Saint George to be the two most undervalued neighborhoods in New York City. Here are some of the restaurants to look forward to coming to the North Shore in the upcoming months. 

Flour + Oak - The newest restaurant…

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The Staten Island Real Estate Market is an extremely competitive one, after all, we are a suburb of New York City. New York City real estate is some of the most sought after real estate in the entire world. 

I am constantly collaborating with my All-Star line up of real estate agents to develop innovative ways to improve the customer experience.  Over the years we have taken great pride in staying ahead of this incredibly competitive market.  Being named one of New York City’s top 10 boutique real estate firms by the Commercial Observer was one of our proudest moments as a company.  

 

IDENTIFYING MISSED SALES OPPORTUNITIES

 

When marketing your property, be it a house for sale, commercial building for sale or retail storefront for lease,…

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Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or you’ve been around the block a few times with purchasing a home, there are some questions that people always ask throughout the process. Before fully diving into a search, one of the first questions to always emerge is...

  1.      How much can I afford?

For first time homebuyers, it’s really easy to pull a number out of the sky thinking that’s what you’ll be able to afford. Either that or you plug your figures into a website that spits the information right out to you. If you’re moving onto your second home or beyond, it is super important to re-evaluate your finances and the market to understand what will work for you this time around. Either way, before indulging in the full house-hunting experience, it…

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