Happy New Year from They Might Be Giants!

Children's Miracle Network - Festival of Trees

You can decorate the Festival of Trees by donating to Children's Miracle Network up until January 2. Click here to decorate the tree. Check their website for more information or to donate at any time.

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Port Washington House Sales - November 2008

To help get an idea of trends in single-family home sales in Port, I will be looking at sales, days the houses were on the market, price reductions of houses on the market, as well as original asking price compared to sold price, and other relevant information. According to the Listingbook database, 5 homes sold in Port during November at an average price of $719,500. (Overall, in Nassau County, the average sale price of a home in November was just under $500,000.) Port sellers received an average of 93% of their original asking price. The average days on the market for these 5 homes was 184 days.

There are currently 25 homes pending sale and there are another 140 properties for sale in Port.

Please feel free to comment on this post, or send me an e-mail. Let me know if there are other statistics you would be interested in seeing.

Merry Christmas!

New in Port Washington - Bottles

Bottles Wine & Spirits, 63 Shore Road

Bottles, in the Stop & Shop Shopping Center, has been open for a little over a month. I finally went in to check it out and it's a really friendly and attractive place. The gift baskets look great and are made to order. Make your holiday shopping easier - these are gifts that will never be returned.

There are regularly scheduled wine tastings; there are tastings scheduled for January 16th and 17th from 4-8 pm, but call for details of other events (516-883-1634).


Their wine and champagne cases are currently 20% off and their entire stock is 10% off until the end of the year.

Let's welcome this new business and give them our support.

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Picture Day - Baxter Pond, December 19, 2008

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Four-Point Plan from the National Association of Realtors

Home ownership is the American Dream. One might argue that the misapplication of this dream helped to get us into the current economic crisis, with risky loans being made, and borrowers getting in over their heads. The National Association of Realtors is advocating a Four-Point Plan to stimulate the housing market and in turn help the economy. Realtors are being asked to support the plan, but I sincerely hope that lenders and borrowers alike do everything possible to avoid the pitfalls of the last two decades. Here is the plan:

• Make the $7500 first-time homebuyer tax credit available to all buyers and eliminate the repayment requirements. The credit's limited availability and repayment requirement severly limit the credit's use and effectiveness.
• Make the 2008 FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan limits permanent. New rules for 2009 wil reduce them. Now is not the time to limit mortgage affordability.
  
• Get the Treasury relief program back on track and target more funds to mortgage relief. Create a federal mortgage interest buy-down program and make below-market rates available and stabilize home prices.
  
• Permanently bar banks from engaging in real estate brokerage and management. The banks have proved that they have enough to do simply to manage the loan process. Banks should not manage home sales and purchases.
  

These sound like sensible suggestions, and I will support them in the hope that the dream of home ownership can still be within the average person's grasp. Let's hope for better things in the New Year to come.

Please feel free to comment on this post, or send me an e-mail.

Donate to Children's Miracle Network

Click here to donate

The Waterview Restaurant - December Special

The Waterview, 45 Orchard Beach Blvd.

The Waterview is offering 40% off Wednesday-Sunday until December 30th (with the ad from the Port Washington Calendar of Events publication only-see ad for details). This is a great deal from a great local restaurant serving seafood, Italian, and Continental cuisine. It is one of our favorites. Take a break from the holiday frenzy with a delicious lunch or dinner in a beautiful relaxed setting overlooking Manhasset Bay.



They recommend reservations so give them a call (516-944-5900). Take advantage of this exceptional offer. The hours are 11:30-10:00 Wednesday - Sunday (they are closed Monday and Tuesday).

Please feel free to comment on this post, or send me an e-mail.

Children's Miracle Network Festival of Trees - Click on the "Decorate" Gift Box to Donate

Shopping Locally in Port - White + One

White + One, 309 Main Street

As an incentive to shop locally, parking on and around Main Street is free until the end of the month (see the meters covered with red bags only).

One of the prettiest stores on Main Street is White + One, and it is all decked out for the holidays and looking festive. Why go to a crowded mall and get jostled by not-so-jolly shoppers?


























White + One has beautiful gifts, housewares, candles, lots of holiday decor, and more. Get friendly, personalized service, and your gifts beautifully wrapped for free! Mention you saw this post here on Port Washington Life, and get 10% off! (this offer is good until December 30th, 2008.) It's a win-win. Shop locally, save gas, avoid hastles, tell your friends. Happy Holidays!

Please feel free to comment on this post, or send me an e-mail.

As a Sidebar, the Sidebar

When you go to most websites, there is usually a lot of "stuff" all over the site that seems unnecessary and could be confusing. I've tried to include some useful and interesting tools and links and organize them on the sidebar of Port Washington Life. Here I explain how you can interact and benefit from these helpful elements.

"My Walk Score" is a cool little tool; just type in your address (or any address), and it will take you to a website that gives you your "walkability" score. A map will display what stores, schools, restaurants, hospitals, parks, etc. are within walking distance of that address, and it gives estimated distance and walk time.

The Mortgage Calculator will calculate your monthly payment based on information that you supply. The latest mortgage rates are displayed below that.

Click on the Lowe's ad to request a 10% off coupon, good for a savings of up to $500 ($5,000 purchase). The Home Goods blog has helpful shopping and seasonal tips.

There are links to local websites, home search sites, and "My Blogroll," which is still evolving. The "Eastern Connecticut Real Estate" blog is written by RE/MAX broker, Linda Davis. Her site is actually the inspiration for this blog.

"My Poproks" has nothing to do with real estate or Port, but it is my daughter Liz's very successful music news blog; a little nepotism never hurt anyone (well, almost). She also deserves a mention for helping me create "Port Washington Life."

"Active Rain Real Estate Network" is a great website and blog portal for those interested in the real estate biz, and under "Miscellaneous Links" is the Port Washington page on Active Rain. I upload some of the Port Washington Life posts to that site for more general distribution on the Web.

"Open House New York" is a great site to find unusual places to visit in the five boroughs, and "My Money, My Home, My Future" is a new sub-site on the HUD website, which is a great resource for financial planning (see my previous post).

Of course, please subscribe to the Port Washington Life blog, sign up for the RE/MAX Anchor Services Newsletter, follow me on Twitter, and visit my RE/MAX page and Listingbook page (click on Free Accounts at the bottom of the Listingbook page to sign up). I'm always looking for ideas to add to my posts, pictures, and useful links. So, please send me an e-mail any time with relevant suggestions.

Thanks to all the Port folk for your help with this endeavor, and to everyone everywhere for your support.

Habitat for Humanity Celebrates 300,001st house

In November of this year, Habitat for Humanity celebrated a major milestone when construction began on Habitat’s 300,000th house in Naples, Florida and its 300,001st house in Zacapa, Guatemala.

Since it was founded in 1976, Habitat for Humanity has helped more than 1.5 million people through new house construction, major house rehabilitation projects, and with house repairs. Habitat is a worldwide movement that has a presence in nearly 90 countries, including Canada, all 50 states in the United States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.













On average, Habitat for Humanity serves a low-income family somewhere around the world every 10 minutes.

In February of 2007, my daughters Liz and Catherine volunteered to help build houses in St. Bernard Parish, New Orleans, which was especially hard hit by Hurricane Katrina. Pictured here are some pictures my daughter Catherine took, and pictures of her using a hammer and power tools!

During this holiday season, the current economic crisis and homelessness have a special meaning. Check out the Habitat for Humanity website to see how you can help.

Please feel free to comment on this post, or send me an e-mail.

The Sands-Willets House

Sands-Willets House, 336 Port Washington Blvd.

The Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society held its annual Holiday Fair Saturday, December 6, at Port Washington's Sands-Willets House. Gifts, crafts, costume jewelry, antiques, collectibles, books, holiday decorations, as well as freshly baked cakes and brownies were available.

The house was built around 1735 by John Sands, and has 18 rooms, 11 of which are furnished and open to the public. Colonel John Sands served with George Washington's army. It's easy to tell which part of the house is the addition, built by Edmund Willets after he purchased it in 1845. Edmund Willets was active in the abolition movement prior to the Civil War. The older part of the house has a beautiful old colonial kitchen, pictured here with a volunteer in costume. The house stayed in the Willets family until Miss Eliza Willets sold it to the Historical Society in 1967. The Dutch barn behind the house is also pictured here.


The Historical Society is always working on preserving the house, which demands constant attention. Tours are available and are led by knowledgeable guides. Check out their website for more information, and to learn how you can support the Society.

Please feel free to comment on this post, or send me an e-mail.

My Money, My Home, My Future - New Website for Consumers

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development launched a new, comprehensive website to assist Americans with improving financial literacy, sustaining healthy homeownership, and achieving financial security. The My Money, My Home, My Future website provides a range of interactive resources to inform users about the importance of financial literacy, including a Self-Assessment Tool, online games, and informative classes.

One of the most unique features of this website is the Self-Assessment Tool. The Self-Assessment Tool provides an extensive guide to help users learn more about personalized options for purchasing and/or refinancing their home. Users will be prompted to answer a few questions. Based on the answers given, the Self-Assessment Tool lists numerous links to learn more about the necessary and correct steps to own a home, refinance a home, enhance their financial skills, and much more. Topics covered include:

- 9 Steps to Buying a Home
- Housing Counselors and Lenders
- Banking, Credit, and Building Wealth
- Foreclosure Process and Alternatives
- Refinancing Loans and FHA Insured Loans

From RISMEDIA, Dec. 5, 2008

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Millenium Software - IT Services for Small Business

"Let us manage your technology so you can better manage your business" is the slogan for Millenium Software, a company run by Port resident, Mitch Schwartz. He graduated from Cornell University in 1980 with a Bachelor's Degree in Science, and has been into computers ever since. As VP of Technical Services for Millenium (not a typo) Software, Mitch has been forging relationships with small businesses on Long Island and the metro area since 1981.

With more than 25 years of experience, the company is able to provide single-point-of-contact services including security assessment, network design and support, website design, software evaluation, and more. A specialty is VPN implementation, which allows secure remote access to a network from anywhere on the Internet. They function basically as an IT department with 24/7 service. Their customers are from a variety of industries, and ideally have 10-25 computers. Services can be a la carte or by retainer. Check their website for more information, and to see their free virus and spyware vulnerability assessment offer.

In addition to running his company, Mitch is also very involved in the community as a member of the Port Washington Chamber of Commerce, Cow Bay Business Network, and Toastmasters.

Please feel free to comment on this post, or send me an e-mail.

Five Things You Can Do to Keep Your Credit Looking Good

In this current period of uncertainty, you might be waiting out the housing market to buy a home. Why not take this opportunity to start checking your credit reports? According to MarketWatch, credit card companies are reducing credit limits, and for some people, that may cause a drag on their credit score. When your total available credit shrinks, the percentage of credit that is being used goes up - and that has the potential to do some damage. In addition to cutting limits, credit card companies have been making changes to interest rates and fees. Also, lenders have been freezing home equity lines of credit (although a reduction in these lines shouldn’t hurt a person’s credit score much).

If you plan on buying a new home in the next year, here are 5 things you can do to keep your credit looking as good as possible:

Check your credit report: Find out if there have been changes to your account limits, and make sure there aren’t any errors. Negative items should have been removed after 7 or 10 years.
Don’t get close to card limits: About 30% of your FICO score is based on the ratio of the amount that is owed on active cards to your available credit. Although utilization on individual cards is important, getting close to the limit will reflect negatively on your score. Pay down balances as much as possible.
Keep accounts active: Accounts get closed when there hasn’t been activity on them for a while. Make small purchases on cards a couple of times a year to keep accounts active and your available credit up.
Pay bills on time: This should be an easy one, but could prove challenging for people who could lose their jobs in the months ahead. Be proactive, and contact the credit card company as soon as possible if you’re having problems paying your bill. Payment history counts for about 35% of your credit score.
Don’t apply for new cards: Store cards are tempting when they offer discounts at the register, but don’t bite. Applying for that card will have a negative effect on your score in the short term.

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