Tuesday, January 22, 2008

2008 - Still Going Strong!

Well, Watertown continues to grow, and developers continue to hesitate. Have you heard? He who hesitates is lost.

Sometimes I can't blame them, though. With all the wonderful restaurants and retail now available, one wonders where the buyers will come from, since the salaries in this town are waaaay too low to enjoy any of it.

Employers, come on. You can afford it. Another couple of dollars an hour? Come on! And how about joining forces so that you can supply your employees (you know, the ones who are actually making your business money) health care and other benefits. Where there's a will, there's a way, and I just don't see most employers here actually respecting the wishes of their employees. After all, with the employee, you would have no business.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Maybe the Dept of Labor Will Listen NOW ...!

A man was killed today at Brownville Specialty Paper. A 5,000-lb roll of paper fell on him and killed him.

Over the past few months, I have been disgusted by the treatment of employees in the North Country by certain employers, and Brownville Specialty Paper is one of them. My husband worked there for a time, and we both thought it would kill him. Thank goodness he had the insight to quit, regardless of our financial position.

I complained to the Dept of Labor, at least twice - by phone, by email, by letter - and nothing was done. I told them that OSHA has turned a blind eye when it came to Brownville Specialty Paper. Or, I suggested, maybe OSHA doesn't go there at all. Or maybe they hide it really well when OSHA does show up - but I don't see that this is possible.

There is a place at Brownville Specialty Paper called "THE PIT." It is a place where a man must go to, apparently, fix a paper jam. There is no light. There is no air, no oxygen. It is very, very hot, and steamy. An older man warned my husband, "When you start seeing white stars, get the hell out of there." Young men have come out of there crying.

When I spoke to the Dept of Labor, I told them, "Someone is going to die there." I guess I was right. Maybe the Dept of Labor Will Listen NOW!!!

NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS: TIMELESS FRAMES. People will have heart attacks from the grueling 10-hour day imposed on them!!

It is a factory environment. The Dept of Labor's web site says that by law employees working in a factory environment must get a one hour meal break. When I spoke to the Dept of Labor about this, they denied that it's on their web site, and they said that Timeless Frames is not breaking any laws. I know for a fact that people were hired to work an 8-hour day, 5 days a week, and for 14 weeks they were told it was mandatory, beginning in July, that they work a 10-hour day, 5 days a week! Outrageous! They finally gave these employees Fridays off - big deal! But not before 8 (EIGHT) PEOPLE QUIT IN ONE DAY this past November!!!

Attn. Dept of Labor: These employees are tired. They are on their feet for 10 hours a day. 10 hour days don't work - it was proven in the 80's. They're tired. They will have more accidents. They will get sick more often, because their immune system is down. It's an impossible schedule to leave at 6am and return after 6pm, and have a normal life. It's a 12-hour day. Somebody DO SOMETHING!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Buyers, Don't Get Scared Now

Even though a lot of people tell me they "know how it works," unless you've flipped several houses and buy and sell real estate regularly, through a real estate professional, you can't really know how it works.

The buyers don't pay the commission. Usually. Unless it's been established ahead of time. And that's not the norm. The seller pays the commission.

Even if you are part of a Buyer's Broker Contract, don't get scared now. You still don't pay the commission, unless there's a clause in there that you've discussed with your real estate agent.

The seller pays the commission. It's usually the most expensive part of the sale. That's why so many people want to sell their properties themselves. They'd do better to just raise the price a bit to cover the percentage. Although most people have already raised the price just a bit anyway, because there needs to be some room to negotiate.

I know there is some controversy about using real estate agents, but if you choose one that you are comfortable with, the transaction usually goes smoothly - whether you are a seller or a buyer. And the seller USUALLY pays the commission. So, Buyers, Don't Get Scared Now. Sign that Buyer's Broker Contract. You'll have someone working for you for free, weeding out the phone calls that you don't want, and matching you up with a property that really fits!

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Read It And Reap!

A fourth brigade coming to Fort Drum?! That's what there's talk about in the news this week! The Pentagon is lobbying for a fourth brigade, and the recent Impact Statement said that "the Army reported that no other installation under consideration hsaafewer logistical barriers than Fort Drum to absorbing more troops."

As many as 3,500 more soldiers would be added to this population, along with their families and 1,000 civilian jobs, and an "annual economic impact of $495M," officials say.

Developers: It's time to jump on the band-wagon. There will not be a better time.

The North Country's Pathetic Employers

When I first came to the North Country, I asked a friend of mine, who was about 45 at the time, why on earth he would work for $8 per hour. His reply was very simply, "That's the North Country." I didn't understand it then, but I understand it now. That's why I'm a real estate agent. I'd rather take my chances and work for chunks at a time, or nothing, rather than be a slave to some cheap employer that doesn't appreciate me. I mean, don't think they give you benefits in any way, shape or form, either.

One large manufacturing company here in Watertown, a very large, money-making, growing company recently made their employees work 10-hour days around the 4th of July. America's birthday was on a Wednesday, so the employees got it off, BUT the rest of the week they had to work 10 hours and, in essence, "make up" for the time taken off. They also did this on Memorial Day and Labor Day. AND, legally (I suppose) they didn't have to pay the employees overtime for that extra 8-hour holiday. In fact, these employees had to sign a contract, from what I understand, agreeing to an "occasional" mandatory 10-hour day. But for the last 4 weeks, "and until further notice," they are on FIVE 10-hour work days, with no end in site. 10-hour work days x 5 = exhaustion and accidents. And don't get me started on the cheap-ass raises. Pathetic! Can you say UNION?!

Another big company, retail this time, does not allow employees to work 40 hours in one week. Only management is given that privilege. After all, they'd have to give an employee benefits after 40 hours, right? Not! Not in the North Country.

And then there's ... well, we'll just call it a "mill." Ooooh. Where is OSHA? I would have to guess that OSHA has never visited this mill, or it would be closed down. It's so bad that I would be very much surprised if nobody ever died working there.

Well, on that happy note ...! You know, I just had to share this today. Because these employers are doing absolutely nothing for the economy of the North Country. There are restaurants and motels and lots of great retail going up here. Who's gonna be able to buy anything on minimum wage??! Do we actually want crime to get worse here? Happy, well-paid employees make good things happen - especially in the real estate world!

I don't know who's reading this - I get lots of hits, but nobody ever comments. I just hope you're enjoying my blog.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Area Description & Update - Watertown/Fort Drum, NY

Watertown/Fort Drum Area Description

Exciting growth is happening in this Watertown/Fort Drum area market. Every night on the television news here, every weekend in the Watertown Daily Times, there is new and exciting news about this market. There are housing projects going on, the schools are becoming over-crowded, and major streets are building additional lanes to handle growing traffic demands.

This year alone, Arsenal has expanded to 7 lanes, several restaurants have been built on Arsenal St. (Ruby Tuesday’s, Starbucks, Panera Bread, TGI Friday’s, Texas Roadhouse, and a new Ponderosa), a new outdoor mall, anchored by Target has taken a stand across the street from Walmart and Sam’s Club. The new Target-anchored mall includes Bed, Bath & Beyond, Old Navy, Petco, Payless Shoes, Sally Beauty Supply, and Panera Bread.

This is, of course, in addition to, and in competition with, the Salmon Run Mall, which is in the same area, anchored by JC Penney, Sears, and Bon-Ton.

Down the block, and still on Arsenal St., is Kohl’s, which opened up last year, and K-Mart and Lowe’s also have a presence on Arsenal St. in the same area.

And what’s happened downtown from there, just about a half-mile down the road, Pizza Hut has moved uptown and has become Pizza Hut Italian Bistro, and the Salvation Army is moving, building new, in fact, half a mile uptown, as well.

But it is inevitable that the spillover of retail, restaurants, and businesses will be coming downtown on Arsenal St. It has already begun. The old Pizza Hut building has just newly opened up as a car stereo installation business, the Mustard Seed (a health food store/grocery/restaurant) had built new and opened just last year, and McDonald’s has decided to stay in this location, just half a mile from “all the action uptown,” and build a brand new, state-of-the-art McDonald’s.

All this, presumably for our soldiers and the Fort Drum expansion. And their friends and families will need a place to stay while they are waiting for the housing developments to get underway, which in some cases seems to be on hold until next spring. Therefore, a new Holiday Inn Express was just built new this year, again in the uptown area of Watertown City, and a new Hampton Inn is just being completed in Commerce Park, across the street from the Watertown Post Office, and down the block from the Days Inn.

Further, several auto dealerships have bought property and set up shop to have their further presence on Arsenal St. in Watertown City, as well.

It’s all the buzz, and the reason for Jefferson County to presently be the fastest growing county in New York State.

The schools are expanding, the roads are expanding, and businesses and opportunities are popping up all through the area.

The other area of interest would be at Rte 11 and Rte 342 in LeRay, the SuperWalmart center. This is the closest shopping for Fort Drum soldiers and their families, for savings, auto dealerships, groceries, and some retail, besides the Watertown City area.

Fort Drum presently has a population of approximately 30,000. That includes military, civilian, and military families. It was recently announced on the tv news that Fort Drum is one of the only installations in the nation that could handle another 5,000 - 6,000 soldiers and their families. Therefore, another brigade at Fort Drum, NY, is being contemplated.

Housing info: 7,000 soldiers came to this area last year, half of them with families. The ones without families (ranked E6 or under) have to live on-post. So, the ground-breaking for 92 apts on-post (1- and 2-bedroom) began 7/30/07. 1,300 more (apt) units are planned for on-post housing.

As for the approximate 3,500 remaining soldiers, there is more affordable and desirable on-post existing housing. There are also many apartment complexes planned for development in the area. Some housing developments have begun and halted, because of the high prices of the homes.

It needs to remain affordable here. Aside from the military, this is so far still a common wage labor area, and much of the working class depends on government subsidizing for food, child care, etc.

The following (off-post) apartment units are being built, re-developed, or planned at present: 352 (apt) units on Rte 342; 200 (apt) units on Outer Washington St.; 40 (apt) units in Carthage (801 housing); and 100 fully-funded (apt) units near the Seaway Plaza (new P&C/Kinney Drug Shopping Center) in Pamelia. This particular apartment complex will bring in public sewer to the area, which has been annexed by the City.

The following houses are being built or planned at present: 130 houses at $200k or more; 17 houses in Great Bend; and 300 houses built "here and there" over the last 2 years. There is also a major house development project planned, but it was recently decided that individual lots are to be sold to developers instead of a development project happening at this time.

In addition to these 7,000 soldiers, there is rumor of thousands of air force soldiers, Immigration and Border Patrol personnel, and soldiers in Europe being sent stateside permanently. Closed schools have opened to accommodate the many more military children in the area.

Further, 3,500 soldiers are scheduled to arrive in November, 2007.

My sources of infotmation have been: Watertown Daily Times, DANC, Water Pump Station, Garr Assoc., Fort Drum Public Affairs, some of my sellers, and the Internet. Please note that this information changes rapidly and often.

A Commercial Real Estate Agent’s opinion of what is needed here, based on demographics:

On the outskirts of the main areas, and in lesser-populated, but affected areas, like Pamelia, Evans Mills, Philadelphia, Rutland, Black River, Felts Mills, Great Bend and Deferiet:

- Storage Unit Facilities
- Multi-tenanted Strip Malls – more laundry and cleaners, deli shops
- (and/or convenience centers with banks, smaller grocery stores, etc.)
- More Dollar Trees. There are only two “true dollar stores” in this area, and they are the Dollar Tree in the Price Chopper shopping center on Arsenal St., and The Real Deal at the Northland Plaza at State St. and Eastern. Dollar General, Family Dollar and the 99-Cent City are not dollar stores, they are discount stores.
- Perhaps another Big Lots would do well here.
- More ethnic restaurants – but they need to be affordable. We’ve got some Chinese and one East Indian restaurant ($7 for the lunch buffet, and I never see them really busy), perhaps a good Mexican restaurant.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Advertising = Sales ...Or something close

I have to say, I advertise and market my head off. I guess I'm fortunate, I work for a company that pays for it.

But there are a lot of advertising resources out there that are also priced just right for me - they are free! And I take full advantage of them. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. I honestly think there's a chance that free Internet advertising is going to be a thing of the past very soon. (I hope I'm wrong, but ...) When something is too good to be true, you know ... ?

I advertise in various newspapers, and I very rarely get a call. It's a bit discouraging. But I have had the experience of getting calls from newspaper ads months later. People have a habit of holding on to what they are interested in - sometimes for a very long time. It's almost like they don't really want the property to be available when they finally do call. Or maybe they have to get up the nerve to call. Or maybe they figure if it's for sale for so long, maybe the price went down by now. Who knows.

There is a good part about this, though - oh, yes. It generated a phone call. It didn't seem to be worth it at the time the money was spent, but it eventually generated a phone call. And that opens the door to other opportunities.

But I must say that when I post an ad through something like craigslist.org, for example, I get immediate results, if I'm going to get any at all. Maybe it's because they don't really have to talk to me. It's an email. They don't feel they're imposing, if I get to answer at my leisure(?) Am I reading too much into this? Well, they're just thoughts, I mean I need to try and analyze the nature of the buyer. After all, I'll be talking to him at some point - I hope!

So. To go on, when I do get that inquiry email, I tell all ... almost. I always try to leave something out. Something that they'll want to know. Like the price, maybe. Although that's a rather annoying thing to leave out. If it were up to me, I'd tell them everything about it right away. And wouldn't it be nice if they answered with a "Thank you, it's exactly what I'm looking for, and I'll be in touch very soon!"

Well, that's doesn't happen too much, so I try to get the "ping-pong email table" going. The more I communicate, the more likely they'll pick up the phone and communicate with me directly instead of through that cyberspace net.

So, advertising might not always equal sales, this is true. But no advertising surely equals no sales.

Until next time, comments are welcome, and questions, too!