Category Archives: Home & Real Esate

Jennifer Vucetic, broker/owner of EXIT Realty Empire Associates, has been named the 2020 secretary/treasurer of the New York State Association of Realtors.

In her role, Vucetic will be responsible for all records and financial reporting to the Association’s board of directors, as well as keeping meeting minutes and issuing calls for meetings.

Prior to being sworn in as the secretary/treasurer, Vucetic was also presented with the highly acclaimed New York State Women’s Council 2019 Member of the Year Award.

“This achievement demonstrates Jennifer’s willingness to be involved and help others,” said John DiBlasi, co-owner of EXIT Realty Empire Associates.

“When I see Jennifer, I see a leader. I see someone passionate about connecting people and serving others, as well as sharing her wisdom to help those around her grow and prosper,” said Craig Witt, president, U.S. Division, EXIT Realty Corp. International. “This unselfish method of leadership is indicative of influencing people by example. We are proud to have her in our company and excited to see what the future uncovers.”

By Christine Graf

Alyssa Hackett opened Wolf Hollow Home Inspection last year and is certified to perform both home and mold inspections and works in numerous counties including Albany, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington.

She is willing to travel within a 1.5 hour radius of Albany.

Just six months after graduating from high school in 2001, Hackett enlisted in the Navy. She had no intention of entering the military but felt a call to serve after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A few months later, she deployed to the Middle East aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy.

After serving, she returned home and worked at a variety of different jobs before earning a degree in social work from the College of Saint Rose.

By Christine Graf

Local real estate agents and brokers have been forced to change the way they do business in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Until this month, the work of real estate agents was considered non-essential, creating a severe hardship. This month, that was relaxed somewhat, but challenges still exist.

New York state opened up part of the real estate market on April 1 with a the ruling that residential and commercial showings and some other limited functions are essential businesses and can continue.

By Jill Nagy
Today’s home inspectors have access to an array of technological assistants: thermal imaging cameras, radon cans, gas detectors and computer software to help put their findings into an illustrated report.
However, “the two things I use most are a flashlight and a screwdriver,” said Mike Feeder of Assured Home Inspectors in Hudson Falls. Feeder does inspections in Saratoga County and the North Country. He works out of his home.
“I have a home in my office,” Jolene Lomnes of Informative Home Inspections in South Glens Falls. She meets clients at the inspection site and will travel anywhere within 100 miles or so of the home base.
Feeder said he recently did an inspection in Missouri.
Typically, home inspectors have a background in construction. They are licensed by the state following a training course and are required to take 12 hours of continuing education a year. They must renew their licenses every two years.

By Jennifer Farnsworth
Carmelo Vines and Harold Baldwin hope to bring home design to a new level in Saratoga Springs.
At VRED, the pair is bringing years of real estate experience and combining with a passion for designing. Vines said what may begin as an affordable fixer-upper property can become a dream home with the right amount of planning. He said he always wanted to design and has always had an eye for what a property could be when it comes to owning a home and loving it.

By Susan E. Campbell
A group of four Capital District real estate agents is offering personal safety awareness instruction specifically designed for real estate agents—but with a kick.
The idea for Personal Safety Services started to take root about two years ago when Bruce McClellan, a recently retired Realtor and founder of Pinnacle Realty Saratoga LLC, had a minor health setback that “caused him to pull away a bit” from his busy real estate practice, according to the group’s operations director and instructor, Genevieve Suguitan of Signature One Group Malta.

By Jill Nagy
Real estate broker Ferdinando Bruno is owner and broker of Re/Max Solutions in Clifton Park.
His office, at Town Plaza, 800 Route 146, is the third new Re/Max franchise to open in the Albany area in the past two years.
Although relatively new to Re/Max, Bruno has been in the real estate business for 18 years. He headed the Rubinger Team, made up of family members, at RealtyUSA/Howard Hanna before opening his own franchise with Re/Max.
He said the move to Re/Max gave him the flexibility to grow a business as an independent owner. He was also attracted by the overall brand recognition of the company and the tools it makes available to its franchisees.

By Christine Graf
Coldbrook Resort Campground, an RV park located off Northway Exit 16 in Gansevoort, was purchased for $1.85 million by real estate holding company Coldbrook at Saratoga LLC.
The campground has 280 sites and is open from May 1 until Oct. 16. According to campground general manager Glen Slaymaker, approximately half of the sites are rented for the entire six-month season.

By Jill Nagy
Karen Totino closed the doors of Green Conscience, her shop on Church Street in Saratoga Springs at the end of March to devote herself full-time to a growing real estate business.
Green Conscience was a mattress, furniture, and home products store dedicated to providing quality and education to people who seek a healthy, safe, and sustainable lifestyle.
She is a licensed real estate agent who will work out of her home and at the new Alexander Monticello Real Estate office in downtown Saratoga Springs at 511 Broadway, specializing in serving clients over the age of 50.
Totino owned and operated Green Conscience for 10 years. As she developed her real estate business, she thought she could do both but, she said, “I have discovered that I am not Superwoman. Ten years in retail is enough.”
So, she sold the last of her stock and the store furnishings.