34 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • APRIL 2018
“There is so little inventory, you had
a lot of pent-up buyer frustration
last fall because a lot of people got
shut out,” says James Izzo, licensed
real estate broker and owner of
Weichert Realtors Cow Harbor
Realty in Northport.
Patrick McCooey, a licensed
associate real estate broker at
the Garden City and Manhasset
offices of Douglas Elliman Real
Estate, stresses that it “could take
90-plus days to get the mortgage
commitment and get closed, so you
don’t want to feel that pressure” by
waiting until the last minute.
GET PRE-APPROVED
It’s absolutely crucial to “get pre-approved”
for a home loan, because if
you find a home you like and you’re
not pre-approved, you’re going to
miss out,” says Izzo.
STICK WITH A BUDGET
Some buyers fall in love with a home
and don’t factor in all the potential
costs involved, including property
taxes and commuting. That’s why it’s
important to “stick with a budget,” says
Izzo. When home buyers don’t stick to
a sensible budget, they often end up
buying a house they can’t afford.
“You don’t want buyer’s remorse on
a home,” he warns.
BUY THE
NEIGHBORHOOD
Realtors we interviewed all stressed
how important it is for buyers to
select not only a home they like, but
a neighborhood they like.
“If you can buy a home in an area for
significantly less than a similar home
somewhere else, there is usually
a good reason,” says McCooey.
“Schools, commute and safety are
generally the biggest factors affecting
price. If you are not interested in
the schools and don’t commute you
might consider taking advantage of
the price discrepancy in another area
that doesn’t offer those things.”
Izzo has often seen people buy
homes and quickly become unhappy
– “not so much because of the house
but because of what’s around them,”
he says. “The house is only, to me, a
third of the equation.”
“If you buy a nice, big home you love
and you’re in your car two hours in
each direction,” he says, “you’re not
really enjoying your home.”
“Everyone should do their own due
diligence,” he continues. “There
are a lot of good websites for all
different categories, whether it be
proximity to shopping or proximity
to transportation.”
He also suggests calling the local police
precinct to see what the crime rate
is. But he adds: “Nothing substitutes
driving around and looking at the
areas and looking at neighborhoods
and seeing where the shopping is and
seeing how far the railroad is.”
BE REALISTIC
“When working with a buyer, I will
ask them as many questions as I can
to find the right fit for their needs,”
says Jamie Gorman, a licensed
real estate salesperson at Charles
Rutenberg Realty in Plainview.
But, if you’re looking for a home, it’s
best to be realistic.
“I always tell them that you can’t
have it all and you have to prioritize
what is most important to you and
your needs,” she says.
PRESS HOME
TIME TO BUY
TRUST IS KEY TO SUCCESS
Being a real estate broker on
Long Island presents its own
unique challenges, including the
current trend of rising prices and
a low inventory of homes. But
Fort Salonga-based licensed
associate real estate broker
Anthony Perrotta has been able to
overcome such challenges by
remaining focused on the most
important part of his job: building
long relationships through trust.
“I decided early on in my real
estate career that I wanted to
work by referral,” says Perrotta,
who has been with Signature
Premier Properties for more than
five years and works out of its
East Northport office. “I didn’t
want to rely on advertising, cold
calling or door knocking. Instead,
I wanted to focus on building
relationships and have my friends
and family be my referral source.
“Working this way allows me to
build trust with my clients, which
makes buying and selling a home
a lot less stressful and results in a
smoother deal,” he adds.
Perrotta got started in real estate
by accident, he notes. While
vacationing in Aruba more than
15 years ago, a realtor there
showed his parents a timeshare
property that they wound up
buying.
“The next day, I was in the pool
at the resort talking to a random
couple and I was explaining the
benefits of buying a timeshare,”
he recalls. “The next day, the
couple told me they bought the
timeshare and they bought me a
drink for introducing them to the
resort. I immediately signed up
for a real estate course when I got
back.”
Since he joined Signature, it has
grown from having four offices to
15 (and two more on the way)
with more than 700 agents,
Perrotta says. The company has
“built a beautiful culture where
all the agents are like-minded
and truly respect each other,” he
says.
The company has been in
business for only 10 years but
has become “the fastest-growing
real estate company on Long
Island,” he said.
Asked what he likes so much
about his job, he says: “I love
real estate because no two days
are alike, and I get the privilege
of guiding people with one of
the most important investments
of their lives. I also get to see
my clients go through life. I hear
about the births of their babies,
when their children get accepted
into college, or when they decide
to end one chapter and go on to a
new one.”
Perrotta is also a certified
mentor with real estate coaching
Anthony Perrotta, Sugnatire Premier Properties
firm Buffini and Company. He
teaches 14-week classes on how
to work by referral and mentoring
agents on the power of
working by referral and the
importance of having balance in
his industry.
To reach Anthony Perrotta at
Signature Premier Properties,
call 516-286-5640 or email
aperrotta@signaturepremier.com
“You have to prioritize
what is most
important to you.”
continued from page 33
link
