These past couple of weeks, we enjoyed, or rather coped with, a number of snow falls.  I don’t mind shoveling 90’ of snow in front of my house and off my sidewalk.  When it’s 90’ of rainy snow, it can be a challenge.  When it’s heavy snow, it can cause back strain.  When I hibernate until it is too late and the snow or rain turns to ice, then I kick myself all the way to fetch the ice chopper and begin to steam—literally! 

One of my issues is the two-car garage and driveway that also has to be shoveled if I am forced to emerge from my warm house to take a listing or two or show properties to my customers.  Then I will either get the snow blower out or shovel.  ‘Sno fun! 

This week, I am very pleased to give a shout-out to three teenagers in my…

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While I had an absolutely perfect time hanging out with my grandson for four days last week, playing games, putting together puzzles, working on arts and crafts projects, laughing and teasing each other, I welcomed the arrival Saturday morning of my second grandchild--a perfect little girl.  Even the snow fall throughout this week couldn’t put a damper on my spirit!

What did you do last weekend?  Did you check in at your nearest New York Public Library?  Did you go on a nature hike with your children or friends?  Or did you attend the weekly Wine Tasting at Jean’s Fine Wines?  I received a couple of comments about Edith Susskind, her store and her presence on Forest Ave.  Patrick noted:  “Edith Susskind was an Island institution--Forest Ave. has never…

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We've created a Pinterest Board with tons of new ideas for organizing, decorating, and remodeling your home this year!

The board includes everything from ideas on how to spruce up old items around the house...

...to step by step Do-It-Yourself instructions on how to turn ordinary household items to beautiful ones!

Be sure to check out the whole board and follow us on Pinterest for more unique home decor ideas!

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Staten Island's very own Flagship Brewing Co. will start offering tours of their Tompkinsville facility beginning this Saturday, January 31st.

Flagship Brewing Co. is the only craft brewery located on Staten Island. They opened about eight months ago and, up until now, have only offered private tours of their small business. Opening up these tours to the public is a huge milestone for the growth of the brewery, as many other companies in the industry use tours like these to better connect with their customers. 

The tour takes guests through the brewing process with a 15-minute presentation, and those who are of legal drinking age are rewarded with a pint of beer at the end! Tours only cost $5 per person, are open to 20 people at a time, and will…

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Calling all night owls! Friends of Blue Heron Park will be hosting a series of evening walks to try to spot an owl or two. 

Cliff Hagen, experienced bird-watcher and intermediate school teacher, will be leading the walks through Blue Heron Park, beginning Sunday, January 25th. The trips are planned for 6:30pm-8pm, so as not to interfere with next-morning plans, yet late enough for the sun to have fallen. Hagen will be calling Eastern screech-owls in hopes that, whether territorial or just curious, he'll get an answer.

This should be a unique experience for bird-watchers and lovers of the outdoors. Taking a night walk forces your other four senses to become sharper when sight is limited. 

The walks are scheduled for February 8th and 22nd, and…

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Today in our Market Updates series, we would like to present why 2015 is the perfect year to sell your home. We have some very interesting infographics to present to you, courtesy of KCM (KeepingCurrentMatters.com). Recent predictions show that the number of homes to be sold this year will dramatically increase!

Here we see the existing home sales of three major industry leaders for 2014 and their projections for the coming year. NAR is projecting an increase of almost half a million home sales for 2015, with Freddie Mac and MBA projecting increases of about 300,000. This means that there is no better time than now to contact us and let us get started on selling your home!

This graphic shows home appreciation projections for this year and…

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Other than patiently waiting for the birth of my second grandchild any minute now, there are some happenings that are almost as terrific this weekend.

Have you applied for a New York City ID card yet?  For more information, check out IDNYC site http://www.memberdeals.com/nycgov/contact.php  Don’t miss out on this FREE opportunity!  Did you see the Dinosaur exhibit at the Zoo?  This Saturday’s Tavern Concert at Richmond Town features the band “Squirrel Stew”.  For times and reservations, visit HistoricRichmondTown.org   

Check out the New York Public Library site: http://www.nypl.org for so many happenings throughout Staten Island and the City each and every day.  There are events for children of all ages, teens and adults.  My grandson is becoming…

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How many of you went to the first performance of the Historic Richmond Town Tavern Concert Series?  I can confirm that it was a delightful evening around the wood burning stove singing along with Bob Conroy, Norm Pederson and Bill Doerge.  You can join in on the fun this Saturday with “Stout”. Believe me when I say you will forget how cold it is outside; order some hot mulled cider, wine or cold beer, nibble on peanuts and be glad you left your abode.  It continues every Saturday through 3/28.  Put it on your favorite list of things to do on Saturday night.  Call 718-351-1611 for reservations and info or visit online: http://www.historicrichmondtown.org/tavern-concerts 

If you are in need of a New York City ID card, IDNYC has made available beginning…

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How are you doing on your New Year resolutions?  I want to share one of my goals for 2015.  On Monday, I began the Sweathogs training with Vinny Zaloom at the Staten Island Board of Realtors.  I'm part of a winning team--“The A-Listers” consisting of real estate professionals of varied ages with varied experience.  After a 4 1/2-hour session, we left with training/mentoring, much enthusiasm, the tools to build a business plan, improve our work habits and as a team, to encourage each other to list and sell real estate.  We were told to identify our goals on a 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper.  How is that for an opportunity?  Is your goal a world class cruise around the world with family, a new home, Harvard tuition for a gifted grandchild or that much-dreamed-…

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Today in our Market Updates series, we would like to tell you about mortgage rates. Our friends at KCM (Keeping Current Matters) have provided us with some amazing infographics that we are pleased to share with you. We cannot stress enough that NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY!

Here we see the mortgage rates offered by Freddie Mac for the past year of 2014. There has been a steady decline over 11 months from 4.5% to right around 4% at the year's end. Half of a percent may not seem like a large drop, but remember that every dollar counts when you are locked in for 30 years of payments.

The above graphic shows mortgage rate projections for the four leading firms in the country. As you can see, mortgage rates for all four of these firms are projected to…

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