Is It The Delicious Coffee, Great Conversation Or The Location... What's Brewing On Staten Island's North Shore ?

Do you wake up anticipating a great cup of coffee? Is it the jump start of your day ....the fuel that keeps you going ? I definitely look forward to a great cup of coffee....after my morning run in Silver Lake Park.... a stop at the "Coffee & Tea Market" on Forest Ave. is a great way to start the day. This wonderful niche gathering place is located within Silver Lake; part of Staten Island's North Shore community.

 

 

The Silver Lake community has many options of housing...charming colonials, capes, condos, apartments and magnificent victorian homes. Many of the home date back to the early 1900's. Click here to find homes within the Silver Lake area. http://mysibor.com/%28lkmz1sewfcn5pr554avtvj45%29/default.aspx?sitecode=9425 

Many local buses and the X30 express bus to midtown Manhattan, travel along the main street of Forest ave. Also in the area is the beautiful Silver Lake Park http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/silverlakepark , which just added a tot park for the little ones to enjoy.

 The "Coffee & Tea Market" is part of  the Forest Avenue Business Improvement District or BID http://www.forestavenuebid.com/about-us    Owner Todd David provides a large selection of coffees and teas to fit everyone's taste. I personally enjoy the flavor of the day....every morning there is a different flavor of coffee written on the chalk board. The anticipation of the flavor of the day ....is something I look forward to daily.  

Many locals enjoy their morning and afternoon coffee or tea...while chatting with old friends and new friends. The sense of community and good old neighborly interaction is so pleasurable here. Knowing everyone in the Coffee & Tea Market just by being a customer...is certainly a nice feeling.The next time you are in Staten Island's North Shore.... make sure to travel through the Silver Lake community. Discover why so many love this area....parks, golf course, small town community....just to name a few attractions... a wonderful place to live.

Check out homes for sale in Staten Island at www.holly1.listingbook.com .Staten Island's North Shore http://facebook.com/northshoreholly. Also join me on twitter http://twitter.com/hollyolivieri

There are 2 kinds of Real Estate professionals...those who understand the emotional and financial complexity of selling a home....and those who don't. Have an extraordinary day !

Posted via email from Holly Wiesner Olivieri , The Staten Island Real Estate Resource

Discounts Expected In Spring Housing Market........Lights A Fire Under Buyers !

Sales of previously owned homes fell sharply in February, setting the stage for steep discounting in the spring market.

The National Association of Realtors reported Monday that existing home sales dropped 9.6%, and the median price, $156,100, was the lowest since February 2002.

Buyer's Market

Existing-home sales in February

View Interactive

The silver lining, say economists, is that bargain prices, coupled with low interest rates, might finally spur some buyers off the fence as the real-estate industry prepares for its busiest season. Even without the $8,000 federal tax credit that stoked sales last spring, industry watchers predict a larger number of transactions this year.

"The job market is getting better and that will make people feel more confident about their income-earning prospects," said David Berson of the PMI Group. "You need that confidence to buy a house. Household formations are also very important. ... Kids may have moved back in with their parents, or two people may have moved in together, because of job concerns. Now they can move into their own place."

Still, Monday's data painted a picture of pain and price declines that have spared no region.

"The housing market is still clearly years away from staging any meaningful recovery," Toronto-based Capital Economics wrote in a note to clients.

February sales data due Wednesday are expected to show that the market for new homes is just as lackluster as that for existing dwellings.

Some builders of new homes are increasing discounts on residences and boosting commissions to brokers.

"They don't do that if things are going well," said Alex Barron, a home-builder analyst with the Housing Research Center, an independent sell-side research firm. "The level of desperation in the builders is just going to increase substantially in the next two months, which is the heart of the spring selling season."

Overall, February's weakness could have been driven by bad weather, deals canceled over lowball appraisals and a higher number of distress sales, according to the National Association of Realtors.

A third of transactions were all-cash sales, and investors accounted for 19% of February sales activity, down from 23% in January. Low prices in many markets also reflect a new reality as sellers finally give in and reduce the asking prices on their homes in hopes of a fast deal.

"After three years of the housing downturn, people are becoming much more realistic in terms of valuing their homes," said Lawrence Yun, the National Association of Realtors' chief economist.

In Atlanta's upscale Buckhead neighborhood, Natasha Swann put her family's five-bedroom colonial on the market about six weeks ago. The $1.6 million asking price won't recoup the roughly $200,000 that Ms. Swann spent on renovations such as finishing the basement and adding a bedroom. Still, the 41-year-old mother of three is eager to sell because she is building a bigger house nearby.

After six showings, she is optimistic the home is priced competitively. "We had to be kind of aggressive" about making the price attractive, she says. "We don't know where the market's going, and I'm not going to wait a long time in an uncertain market."

Economists say the number of distressed sales will continue to rise, and put pressure on prices. But mortgage rates, which were trending upward during the fall and winter months, have been falling in recent weeks amid global turmoil over the crises in Japan. Rates for 30-year loans were well below 5% last week.

via online.wsj.com

Spring is here......job market getting better...Wow ! Bargain prices.....low interest rates.....buyers get ready for the opportunity of a life time! In my opinion right now is the time to make a move....wait no more !

Posted via email from Holly Wiesner Olivieri , The Staten Island Real Estate Resource