Bennett St.Marie Realtor

08/25/2026

Sal J. Prezioso Mountain Lakes Park has 1,082 acres of pure rugged wilderness at the TOP of the county here in North Salem, NY

Did I get a few bumps and bruises from slipping.. yes and worth it! The scenery, campsites, and amenities carry HARD with swimming at Hemlock Lake, a pool area, and endless trails

08/17/2026

7 Things Everyone in Their 20's Need to Do Before House Hunting

✅Check your credit report today and start building your score now IF you haven’t already. REMEMBER: Better the score, better the rate

✅Hold down steady employment for at least two years. Job hopping can complicate your approval, even with strong income.

✅Attack high-interest debt first! Credit cards hurt your debt-to-income ratio far more than student loans do due to HOW it impacts your credit score, utilization, and monthly debt

✅Open a High Yield Savings Account! Even $100 a month builds a real down payment once you are good and ready

✅Build 3-6 months of emergency savings before your down payment fund... Lenders want to see stability, not just a lump sum.

✅Get pre-qualified early, well before you're ready to buy. Knowing your real number keeps you from wasting time house hunting.

✅Research or Inquire about first-time homebuyer programs. Many offer down payment assistance or reduced rates you won't hear about from a typical bank teller.

Your early 20s aren't about buying a home tomorrow, but the financial habits you build right now decide exactly what you'll be able to afford in a few years. With mortgage rates above 6.6% and inflation stretching every paycheck, these habits will better prepare you for the market you choose to buy in

08/10/2026

Here Is How To Get Your First Home to Pay You Back Monthly

Most people think "first home" means a single-family house and a mortgage payment you cover alone. Alternatively, buy a small multi-family property (a duplex, triplex, or fourplex), live in one unit, and rent out the rest.

The math is simple. Rental income from your tenants offsets a chunk of your mortgage, taxes, and insurance and sometimes covering most of it. You can often qualify with an owner-occupant loan (like a FHA loan) requiring a much smaller down payment than a standard investment property purchase. One catch worth knowing is FHA only requires you to live in the property for a minimum of one year. After that, you're free to move out and rent your unit too turning the whole building into pure income!

It's not passive when you become a landlord. Starting day one understand that you'll get those maintenance calls, tenants who don't pay on time, or even systems (roofs, water heaters, HVAC) that fail without warning. Vacancies happen, and repairs eat into your cushion fast. You need a real reserve fund, not just a down payment.

Done right, house hacking can dramatically accelerate how fast you pay down your mortgage and build wealth compared to a traditional first home. Done carelessly, it can turn into a stressful, expensive lesson in property management.

08/03/2026

Going Under Contract? Here's What Happens to Your Deposit !

If you're buying or selling a home, chances are you've heard the term "earnest money" tossed around, but a lot of folks don't fully understand what happens to it if the deal doesn't close.

Earnest money is a good-faith deposit you put down when you make an offer, showing the seller you're serious and have skin in the game. It's typically held in an escrow account by the selling brokerage and or an attorneys office and NOT just handed over outright to the seller. In most cases, you'll need to submit it within the first five banking days of going under contract, and it's often 1% of the purchase price if not more depending on your financial positioning.

Here's the part people worry about: What happens if the deal falls apart? The answer almost always comes down to contingencies. If your contract includes standard protections such as financing, home inspection, or appraisal and one of those falls through within the agreed timeline,YOU'RE USUALLY ENTITLED TO GET YOUR EARNEST MONEY BACK!

Where things get risky is when a buyer waives a contingency, misses a deadline, or backs out for a reason not covered in the contract. In those cases, the seller may be able to keep the deposit.

One thing worth noting here is in a competitive offer situation, putting up a larger deposit with fewer contingencies can actually help push your offer higher on the seller's list as it signals you're committed and unlikely to walk away!

08/01/2026

07/27/2026

If you see “Contingent” on Zillow you may still have a chance

In essence, when you see this the seller has already accepted an offer, BUT it’s not a done deal yet. There’s still an inspection contingency, appraisal gap contingency, financing contingency, home sale contingency, etc to still be satisfied in order to move forward. Any of those can fall apart, which is why some listings on Zillow show “Accepting Backup Offers”.

Pending means the hard part is over, the contingencies are cleared, and it’s really just paperwork and a closing date at this point. Don’t get me wrong, deals can still fall through here, but it’s not as likely.

Submitting a backup offer costs you nothing and yet puts you first in line if it does go south. If it’s been sitting pending for a long stretch with no closing date in sight, that’s often a sign something’s dragging on the backend that’s causing a snag. Contingencies fall through more often than people realize (especially in a market with tighter lending standards )so keep your eyes peeled on those dream homes you thought were snatched up. A five-minute conversation with the listing agent tells you a lot more than refreshing Zillow ever will!

07/26/2026

Cape Cod charm meets modern perks in this 3 bed, 2 full bath home just minutes from D. Fairchild Wheeler Golf Club and Sacred Heart University in Fairfield Connecticut!

✅ EV charging station in the attached garage
✅ Solar panels = lower electric bills ($52/mo through 2036)
✅ Partially finished heated basement — bonus living space
✅ Sunroom + deck + fenced backyard, perfect for entertaining
✅ Hardwood floors throughout the main level

📍 06825 | Fairfield County, CT
💰 $590,000 | 1,357 sqft | Built 1941

Listed by Roxanna Bajra, Keller Williams Prestige Properties