KORI SASSOWER REAL ESTATE Q & A – July 9th, 2019

KORI SASSOWER REAL ESTATE Q & A

Two #FabULyss YouTube Videos Below For You

Welcome to Rye Brook and 20 Beachwood Boulevard

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_Nk2KGMUUo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imXky9GdklE

 

Q: What do you see as the biggest trend right now on the market for families looking to buy homes

A: It has become a real buyer’s market.  Home prices have come to more realistic numbers combined with lower interest rates it is a great time to be a buyer!  Buyers are looking for move in ready homes that offer close proximity to the train and yet afford them enough space to have a great backyard. 

Q: Where are most of your listings? What are the popular suburbs right now? I know they are always changing.

A: Most of my listings are in Rye Brook.  But my team has listings all over the east side of Westchester.  Larchmont is always a hot town because of the great stores and restaurants coupled with its walkability to the train. Many of my city buyers start in towns that are closest to the city and as they see what they can get for their money they expand their search a little more north.  They ultimately decide on a town that is north enough that they get value but still very commutable the city.

Q: How do you work with your clients? Do you like to set up an in person meeting first? What’s the best way to get in touch with you? Please provide your email and any other information. 

A: I first start with an initial phone call.  I get to know them a little bit better and what they are looking for.  I help answer all their questions, educate them on the market and the towns and then guide them to what towns would be the best fit based off their criteria. Many of my buyers know nothing about Westchester so this call is very helpful.  The next step is they come up to Westchester and I tour them around the towns of interest, and we see some homes so that they can get an idea of what they can get for their budget.  This helps them define exactly what they are looking for, as many times they don’t really know until they see it.  After the tour, I continue to update them on new listings, price reductions, off market opportunities and overall marketplace conditions.  This continued support carries through the purchase and I remain a great resource once they move into the community.  I help connect my buyers to people who live in the town with kids similar ages, local contractors, great restaurants, etc. 

My contact info is as follows: (m) 914-727-0169, (e) kori.sassower@compass.com or I can be found on Instagram @korisassower or on Facebook @korisassowerrealestate

Q: Please tell us about your experience working with Compass, anything in particular that you want our readers to know about?

A: Compass has been in Westchester for 1 year, but in its 7 years it has completely disrupted the industry with a single mission: to help everyone find their place in the world.  It’s a truly forward-thinking organization that today’s buyers appreciate. Working as part of the 3rd most powerful privately held RE firm in the country, founded in NYC, I have a direct connection with NYC agents, which is beneficial to clients selling their city homes and moving to the suburbs, and a powerful network throughout the country, with 12,000+ amazing agents nationwide. With programs like Compass Concierge, where Compass pays the upfront costs for sellers needing to update their homes, and bridge loans, Compass has taken the time to understand today’s most important needs for buyers and sellers and moved fast to improve the industry. Ultimately the role of the agent is to strategically advise clients. The home buying experience is a large financial commitment but it’s also emotional, exciting, and can be quite time consuming. Compass gets that agents alleviate that and empowers us to take a lot of the friction out of the experience. My goal, and Compass’ goal, is to make a seamless experience for my clients.

Q: The two videos that we are sharing in this blog post, can you please tell our readers a bit more about them.

A: Yes, the first one is a highlight video on one of the towns my team covers.  It was designed to make the buyer get to know the town a little more and see some of its offerings.  The other video is specific for one of our listings.  We created this video so the buyer could envision what a day would be like if they lived in this house – from the kids getting on the school bus – to a dinner BBQ.  It was created to get the buyer excited for what life could be like in that house.

Q: What made you decide to get into real estate? Was it always your passion? 

A:  When I graduated college, I went into ad sales.  I stayed in that field for 15 years and loved the sales and negotiation aspect of the job.  After I had my 3rd child, I was looking for a change and my family is in commercial real estate in the city, so I decided to get my real estate license.  I hit the ground running and never looked back.  Now I am proud to say I am a top 40 agent in Westchester, have a great team and I love what I do.

Q: How has the market changed compared to five years ago? What do you see as the biggest change?

A: The biggest change vs. 5 years ago is how we list homes.  5 Years ago, we would take pictures and put the home on the market.  Now, we sit with the sellers, make recommendations on what to update, work with them on decluttering, almost all homes now are being painted & staged.  Homes sells faster that are updated so we do everything we can pre-sale so that when we take the pictures they look perfect. In addition, we used to just take regular photos and now I do a ton of drone footage, 4D pictures, listing videos, live Facebook and Instagram tours as well as specialized events at homes to bring in the buyers.  We try and create an experience for the buyers, so they aren’t just looking at the house but also see the lifestyle.

Q: Do you find that there are more or less challenges when families are looking for homes today?

A: I think the challenges are different.  Technology has given the buyers a lot more information than they had in the past.  Many of my buyers know they will buy a house before they even see it because they obsess over the hi-res photos, satellite images, Google street views, etc.  The trend of all the home improvement shows has empowered the buyers to take on more renovation projects.  In addition, many city buyers are renting apartments that are very updated so when they go see a home in the suburbs, they expect all of the kitchens and bathrooms to be as updated their apartment rental.  We educate our sellers on this so that they can anticipate what the buyers are thinking.

Q: What’s one of your favorite stories about selling a home to a family? Please share.

A: My city buyer’s number one fear is that they don’t know anyone in the suburbs and will they make any friends!  Chuckling, I tell them everyone thinks the same things and I introduce them to a few friends.  Within a few months when I follow up with them, they already made life-long besties and they can’t believe they have only known each other for a short while.  Its’ like being a freshman in college all over again.

Q: Is there anything else that you want our readers to know, please share.

A: Yes, your readers should feel like it is never too early to get the process started.  I have buyers that call me three years out to just get the ball rolling and .  They then get themselves mentally prepared, financially ready and well educated on the different areas so once it is time to move, they can hone in on a town or two that they want to move to.  Also, we have delivery!  Whether it is seamless or uber eats, Costco or grocery delivery or your dry cleaning being brought to your front door, the suburbs offers all the modern conveniences that the city buyers have grown accustom too. From oyster houses, to steak houses to a great taqueria even our restaurants are city quality.