Recent residential sales in New York City and the region.

For seniors, recent graduates and new hires, finding a home in this market without pay stubs is hard, but not impossible.

A fledgling preservation group is urging the restoration of the long-suffering memorial lighthouse, but funds are scarce.

Funds are scarce for the restoration of the Titanic Memorial Lighthouse.

Well known in the Greater Toronto, Canada, area, large commercial indie KOLT Realty recently joined forces with Keller Williams Real Estate Associates, Mississauga, to spearhead its commercial division. KOLT specializes in three avenues of commercial real estate: investment sales, leasing, and management. The 10-agent team focuses on industrial investing and has been a strong boutique brand for many years. KOLT found a niche in industrial condo conversions, buying on a cap rate or income valuation based on the lease in place, and then changing the title to condo. Team Leader and Broker of Record Daniel Kolber offers, “We buy a property for fair value, put in 30 bucks or more a foot to improve it, and turn around and sell it at a premium. Our customers love them, and we deliver really good returns.”

In 2021, KOLT Realty closed 41 commercial transactions, representing $37.5 million in volume generating almost $1 million in gross commissions. And, in 2022, the hardworking team has already closed several significant transactions with 58 more pending, representing over $184 million and growing, with over $5 million in GCI slated for 2022.

Led by Kolber and Takashi Yamashita, the KOLT team is thrilled about the union. Kolber says, “With hundreds of residential agents at KWREA, the KOLT team looks forward to helping them expand their services to include commercial transactions.”

With the support of Keller Williams Team Leader Stephen Hanlon and Broker/Owner Sunny Daljit, KOLT aims to grow to at least 20 commercial agents by year’s end. In addition to KW’s tech platform, educational resources, and global brand, the KOLT team points to Hanlon and Daljit’s energy, leadership, and success as their primary motivation to join Keller Williams. “They have about 400 agents with them now who get a lot of commercial leads. Our agents are already working on them. As we launch and do more internal marketing with KWREA and within KWRI, the opportunities are endless,” says Yamashita.

The team is already experiencing the synergy of the physical location of the office in one of the vibrant learning centers in Mississauga. Yamashita says, “With KW’s extraordinary training programs, we’re seeing a variety of people coming in to take part. It’s very compelling to be amidst the energetic and expectant flow of people and professionals that are coming through.”

This week’s available properties are on the Lower East Side, in Sutton Place and in Greenpoint.

This week’s available properties include a five-bedroom home in East Hills, N.Y., and a five-bedroom house on seven acres in Robbinsville, N.J.

Nearly 10 percent of U.S. homes sold in the first quarter of 2022 were flipped, but investors were challenged by shrinking supply and rising costs.

After stints in Florida, Arizona and Britain, a longtime renter fell in love with Southern California. But would $800,000 be enough for a single-family home?

Trends in the market can sometimes heavily favor either buyers or sellers. When this happens, staying connected to your audience through social media can help you successfully encourage those who are hesitant to get started, keeping your business thriving. 

Explore this month’s prompts to see how you can use your social media plus Designs in Command to keep home sellers and buyers engaged.

Week 1

July 1 – First day of the month, last day of the work week! Use your story to share your summer playlist or a new song that you’ve recently added that you’re excited to start the weekend with.

July 2 – Remind your potential buyers about the joys of homeownership with a client testimonial. Use a testimonial template from Designs to highlight your favorite home-buying success story.

July 3 – The Fourth of July is tomorrow! Make sure your audience knows where and how it’s safe to celebrate. Use your story to pass on local government updates about personal fireworks and share some tips about firework safety during the celebrations.

The path to homeownership often begins with a budget. But it may not be the one you think. Personal financial habits are actually the foundation for home-buying opportunities. So, helping a client understand their personal budget will help them determine not only what their home-buying or investment budget may be, but also spot opportunities for aligning their habits with their goals.

Layout A Monthly Budget

Have your client gather the following materials:

The last three months of their bills, pay stubs, bank and credit card statements, and any other financial document.Using the categories provided in the personal budgeting resource, have your client calculate how much they spend, on average, in a month.Download Our Personal Budgeting Worksheet

If your client is satisfied with their spending habits, congrats! Their work is done. You know what their monthly budget is and can use that when evaluating the investment that they want to make in a monthly mortgage payment.

Once each of the categories is filled, if they feel less than stellar about how much they are spending each month in total or in any one of the areas, they are in a position to re-evaluate their habits.

As their agent and fiduciary, remember that you cannot decide what is important to your client. Your commitment to them is that you will help them evaluate their priorities and their options. So, if your client needs to adjust their budget, have them work through the following exercise to decide where they may want to make adjustments.

While Ecuadoreans power the market in greater Cuenca, the city has long attracted retirees with its low cost of living and high quality of life.

An 1873 Victorian in Hudson, a three-bedroom townhouse in Chicago and a 19th-century home in Gloucester.

For more than a century, the Bergen County village has drawn buyers with its upscale shops and restaurants and its ‘interesting and beautiful’ homes.

For more than a century, the Bergen County village has drawn buyers with its ‘interesting and beautiful’ homes and its upscale shops and restaurants.

No, mowing less often doesn’t mean more ticks. And there’s a way to get around those homeowner association rules. Read on.

The Amagansett, N.Y., cottage had to be rebuilt from the ground up. So one couple went all in with nautical style.

The Amagansett, N.Y., cottage had to be rebuilt from the ground up. So one couple went all in with nautical style.

A two-bedroom bungalow in Oakland, a Craftsman home in Long Beach and a Spanish-style house in Ojai.

With so many appealing ones out there, it’s never been easier to dress your table up (or down).