With Halloween quickly approaching, I thought it would be fun to share a story about one of my listings. Earlier this year, my partner Karen and I listed a house in Macedon. The house was originally built as a small cabin around 1850. The current owner purchased it in the 1970s, renovating and expanding it into the spacious ranch it is today. It's truly a unique property. If houses could talk, it would undoubtedly have a lot to say about its 150+ years of existence. When we listed the house, it had been sitting vacant for a while, and as a result there was a layer of dust over everything. We convinced our seller that it was worthwhile to have it professionally cleaned before it went on the market. An agent in our office also does cleaning on the side, so we set it up for her to go in an... 10/29/2010

I've decided to give something new a try. Once a week, I'll "spotlight" the real estate market in a community in the Greater Rochester area. I'll share statistics such as the number of homes currently on the market, the number of homes pending, great deals, etc. Whatever catches my eye as being relevant and interesting! Today, the spotlight is on my hometown of Macedon, NY. There are currently 63 single family homes on the market in Macedon. Of those 63, 19 are new builds! As a more rural community, Macedon is constantly growing and has plenty of room left to expand. Neighborhoods off of Gananda Parkway are especially popular places for new homes to spring up. There are currently 17 homes pending in Macedon. As you can see on the map below, they are spread out across the area, so homes ... 05/01/2009

Today is Superbowl Sunday. I have to confess, I'm not a huge fan of football. But when I was making my plans for the weekend yesterday, I decided to leave time to watch the big game, because it's history in the making. While lying in bed last night, I was thinking about that fact, and it dawned on me that everything we do is "history in the making". It may not be remembered by as many people as the Superbowl... but then again, it might. On July 13th, 1863, Jennie Wade was baking bread for Union soldiers in her home in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. A stray bullet passed through two wooden doors and killed her on the spot, making her the only civilian casualty in those three intense days of battle. Now, over 100 years later, her home is a museum, visited by thousands of people a year. I'm sur... 02/01/2009

As the current president's term draws to a close, I thought it would be a fitting time to take a look at some of my favorite Bushisms that emerged over the past 8 years. You don't have to like the guy, but you have to admit... he's pretty hilarious! "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." - September 2000, explaining his energy policies at an event in Michigan. "Rarely is the question asked, is our children learning?" - January 2000, during a campaign event in South Carolina. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." - Aug. 5, 2004, at the signing ceremony for a defense spending bill. "We look forward to hearing your vision, so we can more better do our job... 01/13/2009

As we end the 2nd week in December, here's a snapshot of the market in western Wayne County and an overview of this past week's activity:   Macedon Walworth Palmyra Active 49 60 28 Average List Price $171,452 $177,535 $114,840          Pending 8 12 14 Average List Price $195,500 $160,425 $130,735 Macedon: 1 home was listed 2 homes expired Walworth: 1 home was listed 3 homes expired Palmyra: 1 home expired 1 home went under contract It was a cold, snowy week, and that's reflected in the market activity (or lack thereof). The good news, though, is that the serious buyers are still out there! I held an open house this past Sunday and had 4 parties stop by regardless of the biting wind. So remember, if you're thinking selling your home in the Rochester area, there's still hope! Give me a ca... 12/12/2008

  Macedon Walworth Palmyra Active 49 62 32 Average List Price $167,983 $177,061 $123,557          Pending 10 15 12 Average List Price $172,350 $163,966 $106,833  Macedon: 2 home was listed 3 homes expired 1 home went under contract Walworth: 6 homes were listed 4 homes expired Palmyra: 3 homes were listed 3 homes expired What does this mean? It was another seasonally slow week. Not surprising. The fact that 11 homes were listed is not necessarily positive in a market that's already overloaded, but it is a good sign that sellers are not scared away by the current market. Now if only the buyers will join in... 12/05/2008

 It's time for this week's post-Thanksgiving market report!   Macedon Walworth Palmyra Active 51 60 34 Average List Price $176,982 $183,475 $125,927          Pending 9 15 10 Average List Price $136,500 $163,966 $108,720 Macedon: 1 home was listed 2 homes expired Walworth: 1 home was listed 2 homes expired Palmyra: 1 home went under contract 1 home closed Not surprisingly, it was another very slow week. The good news is that Palmyra's inventory seems to be moving in the right direction. Let's hope more buyers wake up from their turkey-induced sluggishness and jump back into the market! 11/29/2008

Here are today's statistics for southwestern Wayne County:   Macedon Walworth Palmyra Active 52 63 35 Average List Price $176,155 $182,713 $125,286          Pending 8 14 11 Average List Price $134,825 $156,042 $102,218 Here's a breakdown of the activity this past week: Macedon: 4 homes were listed 1 home went under contract 1 home expired Walworth: 1 home was listed 1 home expired Palmyra: 1 home was listed It was definitely a slow week in the area. Only one home went under contract, and none are recorded as sold so far. Let's hope the buyers come out again after the holidays! Have a great week, and stay warm! 11/21/2008

Here is this week's market report for western Wayne County:   Macedon Walworth Palmyra Active 49 66 37 Average List Price $179,305 $184,319 $121,855          Pending 7 15 9 Average List Price $104,871 $152,466 $103,502 Again, the numbers remain very stable. A few homes close, a few more come onto the market. As we get nearer to the holiday season, we will most likely see more homes expiring and staying off the market until spring. 11/07/2008

Here is this week's market reoprt for southwestern Wayne County. I've decided not to include sales every week, because many of them are not reported immediately and I've found the numbers to be misleading. Instead, I'll only report them on the last day of every month... which happens to be today! I did include last month's stats, too, so you have a basis for comparison!     When looking at the monthly stats, notice how closings have picked up in Macedon! That's what I like to see. I'm also impressed at how high our list-to-sale ratio has been in this area lately. For the most part, sellers who are reasonable on their price are getting solid offers! NOTE: For those of you viewing this post on www.YourNYDreamHome.com, my outside blog, I realize it looks terrible! I'm working on a better f... 10/31/2008

Here are this week's market statistics for western Wayne County: As you can see, it's been a slow week, but prices are holding steady. We can expect more of those pending homes to close in the coming weeks! 10/24/2008

In today's what's-in-it-for-me world, it's easy to become so focused on our own lives that we forget to think about what we can do for others. I know I'm as guilty of that as anyone else. But yesterday, I was reminded of just how great it can feel to do something solely for the benefit of others. I gave blood for the first time in over 8 years! Have you ever seen the Will and Grace episode where Will and Grace go biking in the Catskills with Leo and his friend to pick pumpkins? They agree to go on the day trip with Leo thinking it will never really happen, only to be shocked when Leo shows up in his biking gear. After he walks out, Will says, "He's kidding, right? We don't do things. We talk about doing things, but we never do them." I'm embarrassed to admit it, but when it came to givi... 10/24/2008

Here are this week's market statistics for western Wayne County:                                                   Macedon                      Walworth                     Palmyra Active                                      52                                 67                                  39Average List Price                    $174,618                     $186,065                     $133,157 Pending                                     8                                  17                                11Average List Price                    $106,300                     $164,588                     $85,256 Sold this Week                         0                                  1                                   0Average Sale Price                   --                         ... 10/18/2008

I apologize that this week's market report for western Wayne County is a couple of days late! I guess I was enjoying the lovely autumn weather a little bit too much! Here are this week's statistics:                                             Macedon                   Palmyra            Walworth Active                               51                               40                       69Average List Price          $173,297                    $131,524            $183,808 Pending                            9                                8                          18Average List Price          $107,811                   $88,750               $176,550 Sold this week                 0                                0                          1Sale Price                         --      ... 10/12/2008

Here are this week's statistics for single family, detached homes in Western Wayne County. Macedon Active: 53Average List Price: $173,199 Pending: 10Average List Price: $110,980 Sold this week: 1Sale Price: $220,000 Walworth Active: 65Average List Price: $187,443 Pending: 21Average List Price: $167,157 Sold this week: 0 Palmyra Active: 43Average List Price: $124,992 Pending: 8Average List Price: $96,762 Sold this week: 0 As I mentioned in a previous market report post, more homes may have closed and not been reported yet. We do have a healthy amount of pending listings in this area. My listing at 312 Walworth-Penfield Road is one of the pending homes in Walworth. It's due to close in exactly one week! If you'd like to know how much a particular home sold for or just get more information... 10/03/2008

A momentous event occurred tonight in the Wahl household. The cat and the dog, who are most often found battling each other for either food or attention, settled down next to each other on the couch for the first time. I had to rush and grab my grainy cell phone camera because I knew the moment wouldn't last, and sure enough, the cat decided to jump down no more than a minute later. But for that moment, those two enemies decided to put aside their differences in pursuit of a common goal: hogging my couch. Maybe there's hope for this world after all. 10/02/2008

MacedonActive: 56                    Average list price: $121,359Pending: 14                 Average list price: $97,960Sold this week: 1          Sale price: $27,000 (Foreclosure) WalworthActive: 72                    Average list price: $148,057Pending: 22                 Average list price: $111,983Sold this week: 11        Average sale price: $102,833 PalmyraActive: 43                    Average list price: $127,680Pending: 7                   Average list price: $97,028Sold this week: 2           Average sale price: $108,500 It was a great week for Walworth with 11 closings! Overall, the number of homes on the market is still fairly high compared to what's selling, but the prices are remaining stable. If you would like to see data from anywhere else in the Rochester area, just drop... 09/26/2008

I decided to begin posting my market statistics in chart form to make the data more "user friendly". I also switched to listing the total number of pending listings rather than just the ones that went under contract in the past week. Many listings don't become listed as pending until more than a week after the contract is written, so that didn't seem like a valid number to share. Compared to last week, the number of listings has gone up very slightly in all three areas. There were also closings this week in two out of the three, which is up one from last week. All in all, the large number of active listings as opposed to pending supports the fact that it is definitely a buyer's market in western Wayne County. If you would like to see data from anywhere else in the Rochester area, just d... 09/19/2008

I guess this is one way to attract buyers... 09/14/2008

I want to share some statistics about area home sales. My plan is to post them every Friday so you can see for yourself the trends that are happening in our local market. Note that Gananda homes are spread out between the towns of Macedon and Walworth. Macedon Active: 49 homes (+ 2 townhomes)Average List Price: $172,168 Under Contract Since 9/6/08: 1 homeList Price: $127,900 Closed Since 9/6/09: 0 homes Walworth Active: 68 homes (+ 2 townhomes)Average List Price: $184,455 Under Contract Since 9/6/08: 0 homes (1 with Walworth mailing; see Macedon Under Contract) Closed Since 9/6/08: 1 homeSale Price: $223,000 Palmyra Active: 38 homesAverage List Price: $135,298 Under Contract Since 9/6/08: 1 homeList Price: $199,900 Closed Since 9/6/08: 0 homes What can be extrapolated from that data? Co... 09/12/2008