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Easter Egg Hunts On Long Island - Breakfast With The Easter Bunny - And Activities Across Long Island

Spring is just about here and that means Easter is soon upon us! Below are links to great Easter Egg Hunts and Spring Festivals across Long Island:

White Post Farms - 250 Old Country Road, Melville

Easter Egg Spectacular - The annual Easter Egg Spectacular is of course no exception. White Post Farms have train rides, the petting zoo, the indoor and outdoor playgrounds, this Easter Festival offers a chance for your kids to decorate their own emu, goose, or ostrich eggs, giant egg cookie decorating, live bunnies to pet, hold, and cuddle, and of course, the Easter Bunny himself who is on hand for photos. White Post is holding it's Easter Egg Hunts on Sunday, April 5th, Saturday, April 11th and Easter Sunday April 12th. And yes, they are open Easter Sunday until 3pm.

Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary Eggstravaganzna
Saturday April 11 1-2pm
134 Cover Road Oyster Bay, NY
Let your children discover eggs left behind by their feathered friends!

Mr. Easter Bunny
April 1st 1 P.M.
BayWay Arts Center - East Islip
Adults - $10.00
(631) 581-2700
Follow along as Billy and Betty try to convince their Dad, the Mayor of Easterville, that you are never too old to believe in a six-foot, magical singing and dancing Easter Bunny!

Gurney's Inn Annual Easter Egg Decorating Contest
290 Old Montauk Highway - Montauk
(631) 668-2345
This event is scheduled for April 3rd between 2 and 4 p.m.
April 4th is their East Egg Hunt and starts at 11 a.m. The fun and games with the Easter Bunny starts at 12 noon.

Breakfast with the Easter Bunny!
Brightwaters Farms - 1624 Manatuck Blvd, Bay Shore
(631) 665-5411
Cost: Adults $15.99, Children 2 to 12 $9.99 and children 1 year and under are free.
Date: Sunday, April 4th, Sunday April 5th, and Saturday April 11th.
Time: 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Enjoy a buffet that includes, pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns and more. You will also get a complimentary picture with the Easter Bunny!

Long Island Children's Museum
11 Davis Avenue, Garden City
(516) 224-5800
Date: April 9
Time: 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Ukranian Eggs: Your children will explore the techniques used in the Ukraine to craft beautifully decorated eggs. Your child will take home their own colorful wooden egg that will not break.

Tanger Outlet's Second Annual Easter Egg Hunt & Spring Festival
Location: Deer Park at the center Piazza near the fountain.
(631) 667-0600
Date: March 27th
Raindate: April 3rd
Time: 9 a.m. sharp for the egg hunt. After the egg hunt and until 2 p.m., your kids will enjoy face painting, arts and crafts and more.
Cost: Free but you have to register at 9 a.m.

Babylon Home Buying Seminar - Babylon Public Library On 3/11/2010

This home buying seminar is not just for first time home buyers. If you haven't bought a home in years, things have changed dramatically!

Learn about the home buying process, including how to apply for government grants and tax incentives, how to fix your credit, and the dangers to avoid when buying a home.

Date: Thursday Mar 11, 2010

Time: 6:30 PM  -  8:30 PM

Contact: Adult Reference Department    631-669-1624   

Location: Community Room

My Managing Broker, myself and a few of my Coldwell Banker Colleagues will be available to answer your questions!

A Realtor That Will Work Hard For You From Beginning To End And Beyond....Call Jackie Connelly-Fornuff Today!

No matter what, I'll be with you from beginning to end and beyond. Whether you are buying or selling, deal with a Realtor that knows your needs come first always!

Daylight Savings Time Spring Ahead On 3/14/10

I long for this time of year! Spring ahead means, springtime! Ah, warmer weather, planting pretty flowers, the sounds of lawnmowers (ok, I don't mow but stay with me here), the sounds of children having fun, being able to stay outdoors longer, bbq's. The list is endless!

So, don't forget to set your clocks ahead 1 hour the night before. We lose an hour of sleep, but we can make up for it the next night.

And don't forget to change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

HAPPY SPRING!!!!!!

Whalers Cove Condos Babylon Village
Real Estate Market Report For February 2010

Newly Listed Condos 2
Average Listing Price $336,950
Average Taxes $3,718

There were no condos under contract and no condos closed during February 2010.

Interesting stuff huh? This was the shortest market report ever! :)

Whaler's Cove Condos are conveniently located. A short distance to Babylon Village shopping and to the Babylon train station for those of you who just love to commute to Manhattan! :)

They are also in the Babylon School District.

All of the above are something to consider. Partly for resale value. They also do not have a high turnover as you can see since there are only 2 units on the market right now. It is a desirable development to live in and that also helps for resale value.

If you are interested in seeing 1 or both of the units, call me at (631) 703-0201 and we will discuss a time and date for me to show them to you.

Whalers Cove Condos Babylon Village Real Estate Market Report For January 2010

There were no newly listed condos and no conds under contract for January 2010. Only 1 unit sold in January:

Babylon Village Real Estate Market Report For February 2010

Top 10 Cities with Climbing Home Prices

Home prices aren’t tanking everywhere. In some cities they have bounced pretty high off the bottom, according to a report in Forbes magazine.

Altos Research examined data for every U.S. city with at least 100 homes on the market – about 8,000 cities. It identified these 10 cities as having the biggest price increases from the previous year.

1. Lexington, Mass., +36 percent
2. Bay Village, Ohio, +32 percent
3. Sunnyvale, Calif., +32 percent
4. Poway, Calif., +27 percent
5. University City, Mo., +28 percent
6. Ambler, Pa., +26 percent
7. Allison Park, Pa. , +25 percent
8. New Braunfels, Texas, +25 percent
9. Kemp, Texas, +24 percent
10. Arcadia, Calif., +24 percent

Source: Forbes, Francesca Levy (02/24/2010)

Selling Your Home - Where To Put Your Pets?

As a Realtor, I see all too often home owners letting the pets stay at home during open houses. I hear comments from buyers about the pet "smell" or the pet jumping on them. If you have a large dog, that can be a liability to you. What if that buyer falls and gets hurt? You have to avoid that at all costs.

The prospective buyers also could have allergies and if they have an allergy attack, they will leave your home pronto and never return! The only thing they will remember about your home, is having an allergy attack there. Remember, bad news and experiences travels fast!

Some people are just scared of dogs. I know that is not your problem per sé, but you do want to sell your home right?

You worked hard on decluttering and making necessary repairs. What do you do with your pets?

You have to remove your pets from your home when it's being shown during the open house. Take fido and kitty with you. Go to a dog park, a friend or family member's house.

Sometimes, a pet can be a distraction if a buyer is an animal lover and that will detract them from seeing and remembering your home. I'm an animal lover myself and I know the pet will be a distraction. No one can help themselves when they see a cute and friendly pet! I know I can't :)

If you have a litter box, empty it and put it outside, in the garage or basement.

I do not suggest boarding. Boarding creates stress to your beloved pet and therefore will decrease their resistance to illness/disease.

I find that most times, family and friends will be happy to help.

Even when your pet is not in the home, their smell is lingering. You won't notice it because you live there with your pet for years. But buyers will notice the smell. Get your carpets  and curtains cleaned. It's a small expense but worth every penny.

Either way, do your best to remove your pets from your home. Like I said earlier, recruit your family and friends to help!

Tax Credit Due To Expire June 30th - Home Buyers and Sellers, What Are You Waiting For?

The tax credit will be expiring on June 30, 2010. Everyone has to be in contract by April 30, 2010. What are you waiting for?

If buyers cannot afford to buy, then of course you can't buy. But the buyers that can afford it now, now is not the time to hold off. Mortgage rates will be going up to 6% by or before the end of 2010. The government seems reluctant to extend the tax credit again. I wouldn't count on it this time. It would be nice though!

Are you waiting for a dramatic decrease in the long island real estate market? Not going to happen.We've hit bottom and have been flat-lined for a few months now. If the market does go down, it will be slight.

The home selling season on Long Island usually starts in March and the way I see it, that is when we will see more homes coming onto the market. January and February have been slower than we all thought it would be since the tax credit deadline is looming. We really thought there would be this sense of rush, but that has not happened.

I think sellers are waiting for the nice spring weather to come along. That is a mistake. Waiting for mid or late March is cutting it close. What if it takes 45 or 60 days to get a buyer? You will go past the tax credit contract date of April 30th and that means many buyers may not buy your home. The longer everyone waits to put their home on the market, the more competition you will have. Are you waiting for a dramatic increase in the long island real estate market? Not going to happen. In order to have a seller's market again, unemployment has to go down to at least 4% and salaries have to rise. That will happen when the job market increases and that will happen when the economy gets better.

Whether you are buying or selling, chasing the market is like trying to walk up the down escalator.