Tip of the Day!

Winter is here!

Posted by amandamiller 01/14/2015

Yes indeed winter is here! But don't let that stop you from checking out some great buys this winter! 2015 is going to be a hotter year for sellers which means not so great for people still trying to get that bargain. Many sellers are much more flexible in the winter so get out there while things are still at "winter prices" !!!! Call us today! 

Fantastic New Properties

shortsales are few and far between but they are around!

Posted by amandamiller 08/07/2014

http://www.lakeontariorealty.idxbroker.com/idx/details/homes/a400/S305065/29333-Beaver-Meadow-Mews

Here is a great example of a local short sale here in the Jefferson county area! This Chaumont riverfront ranch is 2000 SF plus a 2000SF walk out basement, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 acres with direct access to Lake Ontario and Chaumont Bay! Call quick before this one is gone!

Buying Advice

What to ask your Home Inspector!

Posted by amandamiller 04/02/2014

When you buy a home, you need to know exactly what you’re buying. Imagine how frustrated you’d be to find out that the hot water heater wasn’t working—in the middle of a shower! This is why you should have a home inspection before you buy your home. A home inspection is an important part of buying your home. Before you hire a home inspector, ask candidates a few questions to make sure you hire a trustworthy inspector. 1.What does your inspection cover? Not all inspections are the same. Ask for copies of previous home inspections so you can see exactly what they will check inside the [city] home. If you are concerned about something specific, like a leaky faucet in the bathroom, mention that to the inspector so they can check it out. 2.Are you licensed or certified? If you live in a state that licenses home inspectors, ask to see their license. At the very least, choose a home inspector who belongs to American Society of Home Inspectors. This shows a level of professionalism and education that you can trust. 3.What kind of report will you give me? You should expect a written report detailing what the inspector found. Most inspectors will give you a typed report within a week of the inspection. Make sure the inspector will be available to explain anything on the report that doesn’t make sense to you. 4.Will I be able to attend the inspection? If the inspector refuses to let you be present during the home inspection, find someone else. This is your chance to know exactly what you are buying and what potential repairs you or the seller will have to make. As your real estate agent, I will guide you through the home buying process. Let me help you find your new home here in the North Country. Call or email us today at lakeontariorealty@yahoo.com or 315-649-3434 1.Home inspection - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_inspection 2.American Society of Home Inspectors. - http://www.ashi.org/ 3.Easy household repairs. - http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/repair/5-home-repairs-you-should-do-yourself.htm

Great info!

Amanda Miller receives the "20 Under 40"award for Jefferson County!

Posted by amandamiller 02/13/2014

Amanda Miller, Broker/Owner of Lake Ontario Realty LLC in Chaumont, received the "20 under 40" award for the tri-county area in December of 2013! Her commitment to excellence is evident in their business practices and how she and the team at LOR do a tremendous job in real estate ALL OVER Northern NY. They serve all the communities surrounding Fort Drum, Watertown NY, 1000 Islands, Lake Ontario, Sackets Harbor, Clayton, Alex Bay, Copenhagen, Adams, Carthage, Black River, Henderson Harbor and beyond!!

Great info!

Amanda Miller receives the MRP Designation

Posted by amandamiller 02/13/2014

Amanda J Miller, Licensed RE Broker and Owner has earned the prestigious, "Military Relocation Professional" designation!

We are constantly committed to helping our Military buy, sell and relocate to our wonderful Fort Drum area!

Buying Advice

Lake Ontario Realty LLC awarded "Busines with Excellence" award

Posted by amandamiller 02/13/2014

I am proud to say that we received the 2012 "Business with Excellence" award! This goes to show our constant dedication to our business and our community. We are proud to be a local women owned independent company that supports our are and other business's as well!

Tip of the Day!

VERY IMPORTANT FEMA FLOOD INFO & UPDATES FOR SELLERS & BUYERS!!!

Posted by amandamiller 01/22/2014

ATTENTION ALL WATERFRONT SELLERS AND BUYERS!!! VERY IMPORTANT INFO!! Tip of the day: SELLERS, if you are planning to sell and you are on or near the water including the Black river, you must find out if your in a flood zone. If you are then you will need to hire an surveyor/engineer to do an elevation certificate which will run $700-$1000. If you know you are already in a flood zone, you STILL need an elevation certificate as your buyer can not obtain a new flood insurance policy with out it. BUYERS: Please be prepared to pay some type of flood insurance, although with an elevation certificate it will drastically bring down the cost or possibly eliminate it from a flood zone all together! LOMA "Letter of map amendment" will take the parcel out of the FEMA flood zone all together. This is the last step a buyer can take after closing on the property to hopefully eventually remove from flood zone. Sellers you must act now, the few surveyors that can do the "Elevation certificates" will probably get very backed up in the summer and cause buyers to walk. Buyers, please have some patience, the superb agents here at Lake Ontario Realty LLC are trying to stay way ahead of this for you! Contact one of our outstanding agents today for more help and info! Todd O'Donnell-Lic RE Salesperson, Gail W Miller-Licensed RE Salesperson, Kim Call-Licensed RE Salesperson, Desiree L Webster Lic. RE Salesperson, Lois Aubin, Anne George, Jeanine Powell, Barb Mckeever, Patricia Aubin, Beth Hopkins, Linda Donaldson or Amanda Miller. http://www.dailyfinance.com/2014/01/19/1-massive-threat-to-real-estate-across-the-country/

Tip of the Day!

Happy New Year!!!!

Posted by amandamiller 12/28/2013

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and that you made it through the ice storm! LOL Happy new Year, may 2014 be the best yet!

Selling advice

Should you market your home during the holidays?

Posted by amandamiller 11/22/2013

http://realtytimes.com/consumeradvice/sellersadvice1/item/1422-20111125_holidays Continue reading ...

Selling advice

Correct way to price a listing!

Posted by amandamiller 11/22/2013

http://realtytimes.com/consumeradvice/sellersadvice1/item/26041-20130820_pricingalisting

Fantastic New Properties

UNDER CONTRACT IN LESS THEN A WEEK!

Posted by amandamiller 11/12/2013

http://www.lakeontariorealty.idxbroker.com/idx/details/homes/a400/S301502/23861-County-Route-59

 

Click on the link above to see a new listing that we put under contract in less then a week after 3 other agents had it for sale over 5 years!!

Call US today and see the LOR difference!

Buying Advice

Get buying while inventory good before rates go up !!!

Posted by amandamiller 10/20/2013

Inventory is still good! Weather still nice! Get in your new home before the interest rates go up and the snow flies!! Call us today!  649-3434

 

Buying Advice

Big No No's while getting Your Mortgage!

Posted by amandamiller 09/24/2013

Ok here are some big things NOT to do when buying a home:

1-Change Jobs

2-Open any new credit cards or line of credits

3- Deposit money in your account that has no paper trail

4-Buy a new car

5-Have multiple lenders check your credit

These are very important and can if any of these things are done, you can lose your loan and dreams of buying a home!

Local Info

Happy Fall Y'All!

Posted by amandamiller 09/13/2013

 

Ok, its almost that time of year! My Favorite season full of warmer clothes, fresh apple cider, pumpkin pie and festive fall fun! Summer is great, don't get me wrong, but we are so lucky to see all the amazing seasons in the North Country and this is one of my favorites!! Don't forget to visit the Burville Cider Milll! What a great spot for sure! Enjoy Fall, it has so much to offer!

Local Info

Fall is in the Air!!!

Posted by amandamiller 08/28/2013

 

Fall is not far away! And with that comes what I think is the best time of year! The best NY state apples, yummy apple cider, spiced cider, Fall festivals and so much more! Make sure to visit our local Burville Cider Mill just outside of Watertown for the freshest cider and donuts! Enjoy the last bit of summer!

Local Info

The New Cape Winery is a great new attaction to our area!

Posted by amandamiller 08/07/2013

http://www.thecapewinery.com/

A must visit awesome new winery! Wonderful wines, wonderful owners and all adding to our ever growing winery region here that is kicking butt!

Local Info

Woohoo! North Country Wineries rock!

Posted by amandamiller 07/22/2013

 

Click the link below to see the new Coyote Moon River cam!

 http://www.coyotemoonvineyards.com/RiverCam

Click the link below to read a great article about the TI Wine trail

http://lakeontariorealty.com/default.asp.pg-ThousandIslandsSeawayWineTrail

 

Thousand Islands Wine Trail Website

http://tiswinetrail.com/wineries/

 

Local Info

A Great Place to VIsit in the 1000 Islands!!

Posted by amandamiller 07/22/2013

Ok here is one of the places you just have to visit! We are so lucky to have such cool amazing places here in the North Country that no one else has! Boldt Castle in the Heart of the 1000 Islands in Alexandria Bay just keeps getting better and better every year so if you have been there before you must come back! We take a boat trip every year in the summer with our boat, or you can hop on Uncle Sam's Boat tours and really see the river right plus visit the castle!

You can also stop on Uncle Sam's to visit Singer Castle which is just up the river and another amazing masterpiece!

I love the North Country and you will too!

 

Buying Advice

Now is the time to buy before interest rates go higher and higher!!

Posted by amandamiller 07/21/2013

Ok the rates are on their way up! Time to get shopping for your new home or vacation spot now! Best inventory and prices in years! Look what you can buy: Homes FHA/VA approved start around $100k Lakefront lots start at $62k Lake cottages starting at $69k Year round lake homes start at $175k Call us today! 649-3434 Continue reading ...

Tip of the Day!

Enjoy the Beautiful Weather coming our way!

Posted by amandamiller 06/21/2013

 

Tip Of The Day: Ok folks, looks like summer might almost be here! So now is the time to get out and enjoy all that mother nature has to offer and enjoy every minute if it! You never know when the snow will be back so get out there and take full advantage! We live in one of the most beautiful areas on earth and have so  much to be thankful for! So get out there and visit the lakes and have fun!

Tip of the Day!

Amandas Tip Of the Day!!!

Posted by amandamiller 06/04/2013

Ok everyone, if you ever want to know where your agent has your home listed/advertised, there is an easy way to find out!

Just Google your address! Yep, that's right! All the online advertising will magically appear.

Buying Advice

A Contract is Legally Binding

Posted by amandamiller 05/30/2013

Oh these are the days.... please remember a purchase offer is a legally binding contract that can be enforced, so please think long and hard if you are unsure about making an offer on a property. You should be totally confident and ready to go and if your not then taking a step back and waiting is not a bad idea!

Tip of the Day!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Posted by amandamiller 05/23/2013

Happy Memorial Day weekend Everyone! Please be safe, have fun and remember what memorial day is all about!

 

Remember we have some incredible properties this summer, please call  us today to see them!

Buying Advice

Get ready for great Summer properties!

Posted by amandamiller 05/20/2013

Yep, its that time of year! If your looking to buy on the water, now is the time! Here are some of our very happy clients from last year standing on their new cottage deck and loving it! The best selection is NOW! The best interest rates are NOW! The best time is NOW! Call us today if you are looking to buy any where in the Northern NY area, 1000 Islands, Lake Ontario, Inland Lakes, edge of the Adirondacks and more!

Selling advice

Top Ways to Get your Home ready for sale!

Posted by amandamiller 05/14/2013

This is what you must do to get your home ready for a great sale!

1-Declutter

2-Get rid of any odors

3-Repaint to freshen up and neutralize

4-Make any minor repairs

5-Clean! Clean! Clean!

6-Curb appeal! Curb appeal! Curb appeal! update your landscaping

7-Stage your home as much as possible, rent storage and get rid of anything you dont need in the home!

8-Listen to your Realtor!

9-Be prepared for all offers

10- Get ready to get it sold!

Tip of the Day!

Its Waterfront Season!

Posted by amandamiller 05/13/2013

 

That's right! The best time to buy any kind of 2nd home or waterfront property is now! From the 1000 Islands, to Lake Ontario to all the little inlets, bays and inland lakes, the best selection is now. Peak season is Memorial day to Labor day and will offer the most inventory and is the best time of year to see what your getting! Call our office today and have an agent find you your perfect spot on the water today! 649-3434

Buying Advice

A Good Realtor will treat you like Family!

Posted by amandamiller 05/13/2013

 

 

 

Buying a home is a very important decision, one that should not be taken lightly! With so much involved in the process, you need the best agent by your side possible. There can be many hurdles, roadblocks, twists, turns and stress's on the way that can make or break a deal and mean the difference between getting you into your dream home or not. Having an agent is like having another person added to your family, the amount of time that you will spend together, converse daily, and have that person help you through it all, you need to know you have someone great by your side! Make sure that your personalities click, your trust each other, and that it is someone you can have a long term relationship with happily because your Realtor often can be a part of your life for a long time!

Selling advice

Spring is in the Air! Getting ready to sell?

Posted by amandamiller 04/30/2013

Continue reading ...

Tip of the Day!

It's getting nice out!

Posted by amandamiller 04/30/2013

Ok everyone, summer is on it's way! Don't forget to start feeding your lawn with good fertilizer and clean debris out of your gardens! Summer will be here soon and you want your lawn and gardens looking its best!

See you soon! Amanda

Buying Advice

What are "seller concessions" and is the seller really paying my closing costs?

Posted by amandamiller 03/20/2013

The bank wants it to look and feel as if the seller is paying all of your closing costs, but here is the deal. They really are not and here is why: Continue reading ...

Buying Advice

"Find and Good Agent and stick with them"

Posted by amandamiller 03/20/2013

Many consumers skip around from agent to agent, not really understanding how the process works and also not realizing that they only need one agent....Thats right, one agent can show you any property listed by ane agent or broker anywhere in the area and beyond! Continue reading ...