Brockport Corners Mall has Retail Space Available For Lease Former Volunteers of America has closed the doors in NYS 936 SF to 12,500 SF Will be Sub-Divided into 10 Stores Access Inside Mall & Outdoor *SUNY Brockport (8,413 enrollment) under half mile away​ Highlights: Brockport Corners Mall is home to a strong long term tenant base including Sherwin Williams, Enterprise Car Rental, Time Warner, Edward Jones, Hewitt Jackson Tax Service, Verizon Wireless, and Cross Roads Hair Salon. The space that is available for lease was occupied by Volunteers of America which closed all of their retail locations in the state. We are subdividing all space into 10 Suites. Your option choose 1,000 SF - 2500 SF - 3500 SF - 4800 SF up to 12,500 SF ​(2 BLOCKS LIKE THIS SOUTH & NORTH) Retail / Medical Office / Restaurant / Tanning Salon / Miniature Golf  ​ ​Brockport NY's Main Retail Corridor at the intersection of Route 19 & Route 31 ​ Attractive Tenant Mix - High Visibility - Will SUB-DIVIDE to your needs. A solid well maintained building with excellent visibility and plenty of parking.​ Great Location !! Great Local Businesses!​ Mall currently has 8 Anchor Stores of which are all National Retailers like: Sherwin Williams, Time Warner Cable, Verizon Wireless, Enterprise, Edward Jones, Jackson Hewitt, CVS Pharmacy, McDonalds. Please note that all tenants have been there for over 15 yrs. each. The only reason we have vacancy is because of former Volunteers of America decided to close all (17) retail stores in upstate, NY. ...read more

Contact us at (585) 484-8738 in Brockport, NY, for various ways on how to achieve spiritual growth.  31 Market Street, Brockport, NY 14420 Phone: (585) 484-8738 Contact Email: info@lightwaysjourney.net Website: www.lighwaysjourney.com ...read more

First of all, it has been a true pleasure to receive so many comments on my past blogs! I haven't been able to write as much as I would like recently, but am looking forward to getting back at my computer! Despite the fact, and this is the truth, that some of the teachers I used to work with stated that they doubted my kids have ever seen an Oreo cookie, they aren't far from the truth. I have never bought a box of cookies other than Oreos to use in other recipes or girl scout cookies. I bake from scratch and definitely don't cut any calories. I'm sure many of you, including myself are scrambling to put together a last second dessert for the holidays. I have very easy recipe to throw together that people love. I was inspired by the popular "lava cakes" you can now order in many restaurants. You only need 2 basic store bought items to make a fantastic gooey chocolate dessert. All you need to have on hand is a brownie mix, ice cream of choice, and oh darn, chocolate candy of any sort. Most bags of holiday wrapped candy bars go half price after Christmas, so stock up! This is also great for using up Valentine's Day candy! Use any boxed brownie mix. Prepare as directed. Pour half of the prepared batter into a greased pie plate. Add 1 cup of any kind of chocolate candy. (The only one I don't recommend is M&M;'s) Add the remaining batter. Don't worry if there is not a solid layer of batter on top of the chocolate. Bake at 350 for the standard cooking time you would use for brownies minus 5 minutes. When removed from the oven all the extra chocolate you added will not be baked, but melted and gooey. Remove from the oven and serve warm over ice cream! If you want a great hot fudge sauce, just melt any chocolate chips with karo white corn syrup! Enjoy! ...read more

Can you hear that? Its the sigh heard around the world as summer comes to a close. For the past 3 months we've been lounging around the pool drinking ice cold beers and throwing impromptu backyard bar-b-ques. However, all of this is coming to an end very soon. That's right, after Labor Day we need to store the coolers, put away the Slip-in-Slides (along with your white linen pants) and transition into life post summer. Planning for the fall and winter seasons is a must! By planning I don't mean harvesting crops and keeping the farm nourished but, by adjusting our home to meet the changing seasons and creating a cozy living space. Think about it, when you're "spring cleaning," you're trying to get rid of stuff in your home since you'll be spending a majority of your time outside. I personally find that when the weather gets too hot and unbearable, decluttering my house of knick-knacks brings down the heat just a little. This probably couldn't be further from the truth but at that 105 degree California moment, its all I got. But the planning I'm talking about is more than just some comfy blankets and firewood for the chimney. I'm talking about leaky roofs and squeaky floors. Things that can keep you up at night-literally. Take care of these projects before the rainy and cold weather while you still have a chance. Rent one of our convenient and portable storage containers and store your equipment and belongings while the renovations happen. Plus, you wouldn't want to leave your belongings out in the cold would you?  Whatever your plan is to prepare for the fall and winter time, PODS is here to help! ...read more

Check out Homes for Heroes at www.homesforheroes.com.  If you are a teacher, fireman/woman, veteran, serviceman/woman, hospital professional, or have a past or present career as a law enforcement agent, you can get 25% donated to you from a real estate agent's gross commission.  For more details, check it out!! ...read more

I left teaching elementary band after 20 years. I joke with my husband that 20 years of hot crossed buns is all one woman can take. I always enjoyed my student's personalitites, but unfortunately, that was about it after all those years. I love selling real estate and staging, but yesterday was not a good day. I went to my 12 year old niece Annie's orchestra and chorus concert at a small very special parochial school last evening. After hearing several duets by beginning musicians I told my husband that maybe my day wasn't so bad after all. Annie, who has never had a piano lesson in her life got up to perform "Let it Be" by herself on the keyboard in front of 200 people. I never knew she had such a beautiful pure voice. She taught herself that song with intricate chords all by ear. That for a kid her age is in itself exceptional. I've never heard anything like it. She felt every word she sang. The audience did too. Half of us were in tears. Thanks for the perspective last night, Annie, I'll never forget the special moment you gave me last night. Perspective. http://youtu.be/yO79M7QTnII ...read more

Recently I researched and wrote an article for The Daily Record on how to apply and earn grant money for buyers.  Contact me directly on www.stageitlistitsellit.com.  I would love to help you! ...read more

     If you want to sell your house, you need to take it seriously. What I have been telling my sellers is that you may have a smaller profit when selling your house, but will be able to buy a house for less too. Here are my top 10 hints and tips for selling your home quickly for the most money. Get rid of things and de-clutter. Having out fifty storage bins and pots and pans on a shelf in your china cabinet is a red flag to buyers. I like playing a game with my kids. The game is, “why are these people selling their house.” I show them bad pictures from listings on line. It’s gotten to the point that both of them laugh as soon as the photos appear. If it’s possible to tell why somebody is moving by the photographs alone, there’s a problem. Don’t list the price of your house too high to, “see what happens” before getting it to the right price. Ask anyone who has sold a home if they took their first offer. If the individual didn’t take their first offer, did they regret it? The most serious buyers in every price range come to view new listings right after they’re listed. I can count on both my hands, my feet, and on all the hands, feet, and paws in my house the number of times I know sellers regret turning down that initial offer.  When I’m in a social situation and am asked what line of work I’m in, I get some interesting responses once the individual learns I’m a “stager.” If I gained a pound every time somebody told me that they knew how to stage and always bake cookies before showings at their house, I’d physically explode. Hire a professional to take care of defects and necessary repairs at your house before listing it. I apologize if you read my blogs or articles on a regular basis, but again the only way somebody knows how to stage a home is if they are a professional home stager with a portfolio.  Buyers can’t visualize cosmetic changes to a home all the time. Don’t have the attitude that a buyer will want to change colors of rooms and put their own style into a house anyway, so why should you change anything at all in your house. WRONG. Make sure all your rooms are painted neutral. Seriously, I have had buyers walk away from a great house because their couch doesn’t match in the duck wall paper in the living room.  If your house has been on the market since there was snow on the ground, make sure your on-line photographs are updated. Everybody is sick of seeing snow on the ground unless they see it in the photo of a potential house. Snow equals a low offer because it appears that your house has been listed for a long time. If your house has been on the market for a month with very few showings, it’s time for a price drop. This is assuming your agent has done a lot of advertising not limited to all social media sites and many cities around the state.  Watch what you write on social media sites and say at your daughter’s soccer games. Obviously that you have ducks swimming in your basement isn’t smart. How about saying that gas prices are killing you and you have to get a shorter commute? The divorce is almost final? Your hours at work were cut. Your neighbors are big time partiers. Need I go on. One of my favorite quotes is, “When in doubt, close your mouth.”   If your agent says to clean your house, clean using the same standards Martha Stewart demands of her house cleaners.   Purple bath tubs are not pretty. Install a new tub.   Leaving out flea powder and ant traps is not wise.   Yes, you definitely know my mood today. Seriously, don’t put your house on the market until you have made the right upgrades and changes. Your house won’t sell as fast or for the price you want if you don’t use common sense.  Go towww.stageitlistitsellit.comfor more tips and ideas to a fast sale on your home. ...read more

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Everybody is busy. Nobody needs one additional trip to the store to buy expensive cleaning products. Here are some very effective and inexpensive home remedies for easy clean up:   1.   Rye bread removes pencil marks on walls. 2.  Use raw spaghetti as a tester to see if your cakes are fully baked. 3.  Mayonnaise removes water marks on wood surfaces. 4.  Remove candle wax from table tops by placing a plastic bag of ice on them. Once hardened, remove the wax with a credit card. If there is any additional residue, it can be cleaned up using a mixture of one part apple cider vinegar to ten parts water. 5.  Did you know that banana peels work great to polish silver? 6.  Make your own furniture polish with 2 ½ cups vegetable oil and 1 ½ cups of lemon juice. This product is good for up to 6 months once made and refrigerated. 7.  White toothpaste works great to remove crayon marks on walls.   I hope this helps you out and gets your house squeaky clean!For more tips go tohttp://www.stageitlistitsellit.com ...read more

It goes without saying that the last couple of years have been rough on a lot of us. Between lost jobs and a plummeting economy, many households recently have downsized and shifted their spending styles. Downsizing for many is dreadful and tragic. Going from a 7500 square foot house to a 2000 square foot condo can be somewhat of a slap in the face. The most important thing about downsizing isn’t about square footage or neighborhoods, it’s about simplifying your life and making new memories. The bigger the house, the more stuff you’ll have. With ample amount of closet space, you really don’t have to worry about finding a place for your things but when you’re downsizing and moving to a smaller residence, that all changes. Smaller houses usually clutter faster and if you want a clean and spacious looking house, you really have to limit the things you store inside. Your moving process should begin in rooms you don’t use often. These rooms usually house stuff we don’t use on a normal base or really don’t need but still hold on too. The reality is most households spend a majority of their time in one or two rooms like the kitchen or living room. The guest room and formal dining room usually are reserved for special occasions and if you’re downsizing, chances are your new place won’t have a guest bedroom. Start with these rooms and really assess what you should take and what you should leave behind. When you begin the process of what to keep and what to toss, our PODS containers can be a good measuring device to limit what you take into your new place. Try to fill one PODS Container will all your belongings and when you run out of space, you’re done packing and can toss the rest. Once you decide you’re done sorting the keep pile with the toss pile, act fast and get rid of the stuff asap! The longer it stays insight, the more you’ll be tempted to go through it again and pull out knick-knacks you want to keep. It’s hard to believe, but there are plenty of benefits to downsizing. Spending less on your mortgage payments, lower utility bills, less cleaning and you getting rid of stuff that has just been laying around the house serving no purpose. Maybe smaller is better?       ...read more

The Top 20 Tips to HOME STAGING YOUR YARD Hopefully it’s getting safe to say that it’s stopped snowing in Rochester. Use these tips and ideas to make your house outshine all the others on the real estate market. The warmer weather has brought everybody outside including home buyers. As soon as a listing comes up, perspective buyers are going to drive by homes to decide which ones they’re interested in. It is a particularly difficult time of year to make your yard look beautiful. Here are some ideas to help your home look appealing and well cared for by both realtors and buyers.   1.  Be certain your house can be clearly seen from every direction of the yard. If there are bushes or trees blocking windows trim them back. 2. Have your curtains/blinds all uniform in color from the outside.  3. Wash your windows. 4. Power wash the exterior of your home and all decks and sidewalks. 5. Schedule your driveway to be sealed as soon as weather permits. If you have a stone driveway, put down a new fresh layer of stone. 6. Paint your front door. 7. Add new mulch and edge your yard. 8. Repair all cracked and chipping paint on the exterior of your house. A buyer may look past this defect. A mortgage appraiser particularly for VA and FHA loans will demand that the deteriorating paint is repaired or they will not give your buyer a mortgage.  9. Clean the gutters. 10. Rake your yard to remove all dead leaves and debris 11. Cut back all the dead brown remains from last season’s perennials.  12. If you have a front porch highlight it with a pair of chairs to sit on. 13. Display an American flag. All other decorative flags should be avoided.  14. Remove lawn ornaments. 15. Replace your mailbox if it is not in mint condition. 16. Make sure your house number is large and clearly visible. 17. Park in your garage with the garage door/s shut. Your home will appear bigger. 18. Buy a simple new front door mat. 19. As long as it is safe, add new light bulbs with a brighter wattage to your porch lights. 20. Keep your yard as clean as if it was another room in your house.   ...read more

What is really going on in Rochester Real Estate?   What is really going on with the Rochester real estate market?  As with everything, it's all how you look at it. People thought I was crazy when I gave up a 20 year teaching career to become a Realtor and home staging professional in the current economy. Although people still say I'm crazy, I couldn't disagree more. This January, www.Zillo.com rated Rochester the third best place to buy a home for a reason. The cost of Rochester real estate is 32.5% more affordable than the national average. Peter Stoller, Director of Communications and Government Affairs, stated that the median home sales price of homes sold in 2010 in Monroe and 11 surrounding counties was $119,900, a 3% increase from 2009. Stoller also stated that there were 4% fewer homes for sale in 2010 with only a 5% difference in completed sales from 2009 to 2010. Be mindful that both the first time home owners and buyers moving up tax credits were only for three months of the past tax year. The most recent interest rates have been at an all time low. This alone is an incentive that still makes purchasing a new or different home very desirable.  Two types of more affordable loans available to buyers are FHA and USDA 100% financing loans. Currently, these loans still allow a buyer may ask for up to 6% of their purchase price toward their closing costs from the seller. FHA loans require 3.5% to be put down for a purchase. There has been legislation proposed for several months decreasing FHA buyer's concessions to 3%. Fortunately, that proposal has not occurred as of yet. USDA 100% financing loans are available for homes west of Manitou Road. These loans still have some fees and a slightly higher interest rate, but require no down payment. There are also income and location restrictions for this financing.  To be certain you and the house you desire are eligible for that financing, a buyer should confirm this with their mortgage consultant. Say the words "short sale" to almost any Realtor; you will rarely receive a positive response. A short sale is when a seller owes more on their house than its market value. It is up to the bank that holds the mortgage whether they are willing to accept less than what is owed on the house.  On April 4, 2010 legislation was passed called the Home Affordable Mortgage Plan, HAMP. This was written to put pressure on banks to give a more prompt response, 10 days time, to an offer on a short sale. Actually, the bank has up to 30 days to review the offer. Once the review process has started, the bank then has ten days to respond. This time frame is not calculated by calendar days, but work days. In other words, buyers are going to have to wait up to 8 weeks for a response to their offer. If your house is on the market it had better looks better than its competition. HGTV has changed the world of real estate. Buyers expect a neutral, spacious, and updated house no matter what price range they're looking in. It is mind boggling to me when people don't think it's worth it to go buy a can of paint and put down a new rug before listing their home. Hire a home staging professional. It is absurd to think that you can stage your own home. The internet and how it portrays a house is what gets buyers in the door. Think about that when you see your home's photographs on line. It's not cute to have photos include the family pet on the countertop of the kitchen with dirty dishes and an overflowing garbage can. That would sure inspire me to ask for a showing of the property immediately. Don't laugh, if you want a copy of these type of photos, let me know. Buyers don't want to know that you had fish for dinner and a cat with a urinary tract infection. If your agent says they can stage your home, ask to see their home staging portfolio, and where they received their training.  Most recently I had an agent telling me that he/she stages all of his/her listings. I viewed one of their listings for a client. One photograph included a lovely poster of a woman in a bikini. She looked good, but come on, is that true home staging? Professional photography and a virtual tour are available and essential for listings. Sellers, if you are allowing on-line photographs of your house with garbage cans, toilet lids up, and kitchen counters with dirty dishes, that are your fault. Remember you hired the listing agent. They work for you. Be sure to work with them as well. Take their experience and advice when it comes to an asking price for your property and any offers you receive. Successful real estate sales take motivated buyers and sellers, great agents using a multitude of marketing techniques, and home staging. It is far less costly to stage your home than to drop its asking price. How you want to look at the Rochester real estate market is your choice. I think the market, at least for my clients is doing great. My business partner, Michelle Wiest, the eternal optimist is right; it's all about having a positive attitude.This article was first published in The Daily Record on February 15, 2010 ...read more

According to Peter Stoller, Director of Communications and Government Affairs with the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors, the median sales price of homes sold in Monroe and the 11 counties surrounding it in 2010 was $119,900. This is a 3 percent increase from 2009. Stoller also stated that there were 4 percent fewer homes for sale in 2010. That is only a 5 percent difference in completed sales from 2009 to 2010. Those are facts. Be an optimist about today's real estate market. My personal experience, although it may be different from other agents, is that when researching comparable sales, homes are selling for less than during the tax credit period. To me, that says one thing. In order to get the best price for any property, it needs to look better than all its competition on the market. Interest rates are still great. Robert Everhart, Mortgage Consultant for First Rochester Mortgage, www.roberteverhart.com, states recent rates still allow you to get financing in the high 4% range. I have been telling sellers that they may make as much profit, but they can make out well purchasing a home and getting a lower interest rate.   Do you want to sell your house quickly, have a smoother transaction, and get the most money for it? If yes, it takes some money and definitely preparation. I recommend several steps you can take to simplify the home selling process. Do the obvious repairs needed such as holes in walls, chipped paint, and things around the house that aren't working. Get your carpets cleaned. Have your furnace and chimney cleaned and inspected. Having receipts readily available for buyers gives them a good impression. Documentation of warranties, proof of recent upgrades such as windows and roofing, as well as recent utility bills are a big plus for you.  Be proactive and have a pre-sale inspection done. The price on this will be approximately $125 according to John White at Integrity Inspections. You will learn of any hidden issues that need to be addressed that may arise from a buyer. If you don't have changes to your home such as sheds, home additions, swimming pools, and finished basements documented with a certificates of occupancy, a "C of O" from your village/town, get one. Have your agent pull up your tax records on line. Be certain that everything listed is accurate. Many times they are not. Upon completion, have your house professionally staged and professionally photographed. In addition to the photographs, insist on a virtual tour. If your agent is not willing to invest in these things that absolutely promote your home, get a different agent.  Don't think because you are a regular viewer of HGTV that you alone can stage a house. Don't think your agent can stage your house.  No matter what your listing price is, staging is imperative. You need a professional home stager.  I don't want to hear one more person tell me that baking cookies before showings and de-cluttering is home staging. No kidding. Really, that's news to me. There is a lot more to home staging than just common sense. Leaving out a dirty litter box, getting clothes off the floor, removing dirty dishes from the sink, keeping a toilet lid down, and getting globs of toothpaste out of the bathroom is a given. You are selling a house, not getting a quote from a house cleaning service. The efforts you put into preparing to sell your home may cost some money, but it will be well worth it. Never list a vacant house. These preparations will save you money in the long run and give you some peace of mind. They need to be done no matter what your house is going to be listed for. As always, if you have any questions or a request for a future article from me, let me know.www.stageitlistitsellit.com ...read more

        Between the rain, snow and cold temperatures we've dealt with this winter, it's time for some clear, sunny skies and springtime weather. The spring season usually puts people in a more relaxed state of mind. Maybe it's because we can take that well-deserved vacation we're in dire need of during spring break or maybe it's an opportunity to start over again. For example, if the interior design and layout of your home is something you can't stand anymore, than maybe it's time for some spring cleaning. Spring cleaning is an annual ritual one can perform every year to get rid of the old and make room for the new. An old tradition that started with the Persian New Year, spring cleaning means to "shake up the house." Everything in the house is thoroughly cleaned, from the drapes to the furniture allowing your home to feel new and re-designed when in reality, you're just getting rid of the stuff shoved in the back of your guest closet and dusting the little corners you never get to. Some homeowners have maids come in and do a major overhaul of the house while others deal with the cleaning themselves. Maybe you can make it a family event and get everyone involved. Everyone can go through their belongings and work through each room and keep what we think we need and toss what we don't want. However big your spring cleaning may be, PODS can help!             Some of us have busy schedules that don't allow us to clean house the way we would during spring cleaning so when the opportunity arises, we scrub, dust and fluff up each and every room in our house. If you have decided to perform some heavy duty cleaning on the entire house, let PODS help! Chances are you have accumulated tons of stuff throughout the year and now you have to decide what to do with it. Renting a PODS Container will allow you to store your stuff in the container and work through everything without cluttering the current state of your house even more. It's unrealistic to think you can clean a 3500 sq ft house in 2 days and equally difficult if you have a 1200 sq ft house with all kinds of things laying around. Our PODS container will serve as storage and won't take up any space in your home. Park the PODS container right in front of your garage and easily take things in and out of the house. With PODS, you don't have any deadlines to meet and everything is done on your own schedule. Your spring cleaning can take two weeks or even two months, PODS won't rush you so take your time. Having no time constraints will let you put things aside and make decisions later on instead of immediately. This way you won't get rid of grandma's precious china set and feel guilty about it afterwards.         Aside from offering storage containers, PODS can also provide you with packing supplies. We can deliver packing boxes and all kinds of other supplies to your front steps whenever you need them. Ideally, at the end of your spring cleaning effort you will have more available space throughout your home and maintained the cleanliness by avoiding storing inside your home and in a PODS container. Let's say you get everything cleaned out and are undecided on some pieces since they don't have a place inside your home but are to sentimental to just throw out. You could store them in the garage and risk mold, leakage and even  damage and breakage or, you can send the stuff in the PODS Container to our storage center and we will keep them as long as you need us too. By keeping the items in storage, you will be able to keep the cleanliness and avoid creating a mess all over again since you'll only keep what you really need. PODS will hold your storage container in our safe and secure warehouse and when you finally make the decision to keep or toss, you can do so without waiting till next year's spring cleaning rush. When you're ready to get started on your spring cleaning, give PODS a call and let us help with declutter your home and life! PODS. The Best Moving and Storage Idea Ever! ...read more