Real LI

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

Michael Maida’s Shirley ranch home has a mystery: Who was Candido Vasquez?

Apparently, Vasquez was somebody in the 1950s, because he was the first owner of the house that sits on a street named after him, Candido Avenue, in an area that’s called Candido Heights on some Brookhaven Town survey maps, Maida said. In fact, the house address is 1 Candido Ave.

That’s all the homeowner ranch has been able to find out or needed to know.

He first learned about Vasquez when he bought the house in 1996 and needed to get town permits to renovate it. But he had no certificate of occupancy -- somehow the sale went through without it -- and the town didn’t have the document either because a fire in the ‘70s destroyed many town records.

He needed two witnesses to verify that the house had been existed for some time so he could get a new certificate of occupancy.

So his real estate agent Patricia Lorenzo of Coldwell Banker M&D Good Life in Shirley suggested he see if anybody at the local fire department.

As it turned out the day Maida went to the firehouse, an older volunteer firefighter who knew Vasquez was there. “My boy and his boy used to play ball on the street there,” Maida recalled the firefighter saying.

The firefighter also said that Vasquez owned some land in the community and gave some property up so that Sunrise Highway could be built, the homeowner said.

So Maida got the firefighter and his wife as the two witnesses for the certificate of occupancy, and they verified that the house had been around in the 1950s.

But while Maida was taking out some kitchen cabinets during the renovation, he found a slip of a calendar paper behind the counter. The month was May and the year 1940. That’s why the house has a 1940 birth date on the sale listing.

Besides the mystery, the home has a $279,900 asking price, three bedrooms and vaulted ceilings in the sunken dining room.

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

It’s not Lincoln’s log cabin, but this former summer bungalow of logs in Miller Place harkens back to the tranquility of a past era.

The three-bedroom ranch is set in a woody area, where several dozen bungalows were built in the 1930s and 1940s and bought primarily by firefighters, police and teachers who came from the city for the beach, said Carol Wendell, an associate broker at the Miller Place office of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

The cabins were made of cedar or redwood logs, because they were inexpensive materials back then and they were trucked in along Route 25A, the agent said.

“It was like $900 for a one bedroom and maybe $1,800 for two bedrooms . . . for the entire house,” said Wendell, who checked with a friend whose father had built some of the bungalows.

The area’s been known by different names, including Pipe Stave Hollow and Laurel, for the mountain laurel bushes that grow there, showing a profusion of small pink or white blossoms.

To Wendell, who has lived in Miller Place for 35 years, the area hasn’t changed much, beyond residents expanding the original log cabins. She used to take her children to the summer bungalow area, a memory that’s reminiscent of a Currier and Ives print.

“I used to take my children on a sled there and have my dog pull the sled when the snow would first fall,” said the agent, who lives less than a mile away. “It’s all hills, small, little, little hills. We’d go out by 10 o’clock at night. The dogs loved the snow. It was great.

“It’s just so serene,” she said of the community now. “You don’t have a lot of traffic. People are more walking than driving.”

The house went on the market last week at $297,500. Much of the inside is original, from knotty pine on the walls and wood floors to kitchen cabinets. The bungalow was built in 1941 and sits on almost an acre.

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

In advertising his Rocky Point ranch, Frank Speringo doesn’t want to eat his words – just ask his waistline.

Six or so months ago, he and wife Yolanda Rivera bought new stainless steel kitchen appliances, but Speringo has barred everyone from using all but the refrigerator. The self-imposed boycott springs from his own house-hunting experience.

“Everybody claims that, ‘Everything’s new,’ but is it really new if people are using it?” Speringo said. “So I want to make sure it’s new . . . It’s good for my wife not to cook, but it’s kind of hard on our waistlines ‘cause we’re like fast food junkies right now.”

But Speringo himself likes to say almost everything in his two-bedroom home is newish also. More than two years ago, the plumber started renovating one room at a time, putting in bamboo and oak flooring, Andersen and Pella windows and doors, a roof and more.

“I gutted every room in the place, down to the studs,” he said. “The only thing that’s old is the boiler and the basement.”

That work has made the house so energy efficient, from appliances to insulation, that Speringo said he’s got the paperwork to prove that electricity costs $80 or less monthly and perhaps $20 more with air conditioning in the summer.

Listed at $289,000, the Rocky Point house is about a block from Long Island Sound and the real estate agent, Gerri Grieger of Prudential Douglas Elliman in Miller Place, claims another bonus is the “lowest” taxes around, about $1,683 with STAR.

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

As the real estate mantra goes, it’s “location, location, location.”

That’s the case for this one-bedroom bungalow in Seaford on Riverside Avenue, listed at a just-reduced $279,000, said real estate agent Robert Miller of the Century 21 AA Realty in Seaford. Built in 1935, the home is about 300-square foot on one-seventh of an acre, he said, but it’s a 30-second walk from the water and canals.

“For under 300 (thousand), usually the home would be a fixer upper,” Miller said. “This is move in. It’s going to be a little tight . . . but everything is there. You don’t have to fix anything up.”

Miller considers the house to be a starter home for a single person or a couple looking. House hunters in this price range have to be realistic and juggle location demands with size, the agent said.

“When the market comes back, they can sell it for a bigger profit and make their way up,” Miller said. “The house is for a first-time buyer or someone who wants to get away from it all. It’s very quiet. You park your car, go into the house, put your feet up, have a beer and watch TV.”

In a last point on the lifestyle, Miller painted maintenance as an almost non-existent chore: “All you need is a rake.”

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

There’s history in Nancy Tomaselli’s Patchogue Village century-old home, from the original subway tiles that are back in fashion and claw foot tub to original windows and built-in kitchen cabinets.

What’s now a three-bedroom cape was once “Miss Hughes’ Hospital” in the 1930s, named after the nurse who ran the place, Tomaselli said records show.

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

The stainless steel refrigerator and the stove are gone, sold for money by the last owners, but this Franklin Square ranch still has its black granite countertops in the kitchen as well as a relatively-new bathroom.

The two-to-three-bedroom house on Atlantic Street’s cul de sac is listed at $299,000 because it’s a foreclosure -- the last owners paid about $425,000 about three years ago, said Louis Nunziata, broker owner of Manor Gate Real Estate in Bellmore.

“It would be a steal for somebody to get it,” Nunziata said.

In fact, there have been several offers, some over the asking price, he said, but some of the interested buyers have come and then gone, due to the time involved in snagging a bank-owned property.

“People have to be patient,” said Nunziata, who’s also handling other foreclosed properties. “It takes anywhere from 10 days to two months just for the bank to say no. Even though we’re in a crisis, you call the banks up and they never call you back.”

The last owners updated parts of the house, the broker said. It has a fireplace, a finished basement, one bath and wood floors that need a little polishing.

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

It’s back to the future for this three-bedroom cape in Levittown.

Built in 1948, the home was one of more than 17,000 houses mass produced there by Levitt and Sons so they could be affordable, especially for GIs coming back from the war and ready to raise families.

Such homes went for about $8,000 then; now, it’s listed at $299,000, below recent comps of about $360,000, said real estate agent Steve Leighton.

Unfortunately, the lower price is a sign of the times, said Leighton, an associate broker of the Keller Williams Realty office in Carle Place.

It’s a “short sale,” which means the house will be sold for less than market value, a tactic to avoid foreclosure. A short sale can be complicated because several parties, including the lender, must agree to being “shorted” on what they’re owed.

Leighton said the more affordable price attracted a lot of interest at an open house two weeks ago. “I had close to 20 people there at a time when you can’t really get any action,” he said.

The home has undergone changes since Levitt and Sons built it as a “no frills” type of shelter, Leighton said. The bedroom, once a place where people just slept, has been extended into the back yard and features a sitting room, he said, while the walkway between the garage and house has been enclosed. The kitchen has several updated features, including cabinets, he said.

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

Birchwood squares cover a massive, living room wall of a Riverhead ranch, thanks to an owner who has an architecture degree and now works as a construction project manager.

It’s one of the contemporary-style touches that Jessica and Brian Frank put in to cover ‘70s-style dark paneling when they moved in three years ago. They first painted the wall purple, then put up the birchwood, creating a dark grid pattern around the light wood.

“We get compliments on it every time someone comes in,” said Jessica Frank. “It’s just like a focal point. We have lights that shine on it.”

The two-bedroom house has grown too small for the family, who two months ago celebrated the arrival of third child, Elianna. Out back, there’s a shower with heat, a hot tub and a three-level deck. Plants, put in by the last owner, light up the one-third acre property.

“Flowers bloom from spring to fall,” said Frank, who’s taking a post-baby break from teaching.

The railraod tracks are not far from the house, but Frank said there’s a lot of privacy and the train, which passes about four times a day with about two cars, isn’t noisy. “I hardly notice it and my kids love it,” she said. “I was very concerned about it when we looked at the house. I made sure I was here when the train passed and realized that it was not a big deal.”

The Franks are selling the house on their own for $299,000, but if the potential buyer does not have an agent, the price will be lower because the agent’s commission won’t have to be paid.

Those interested may email the Franks at house4sale04@gmail.com.

“It’s not the hugest house in the world,” Jessica Frank said, “but there’s nothing you have to do. You can walk in and put your furniture down here.”

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

The yards of a 1930s bungalow in Mastic Beach were designed for outdoor living, from a tiki bar by the reeds in the back to a three-level bird fountain in the front, by the circular driveway.

But the four-bedroom property is what real estate agent Antonia Flaherty calls a “diamond in the rough”, listed at $195,000 because it needs a heating system, a portion of the roof repaired and flooring leveled in the dining area.

For many who can’t afford dream homes on Long Island, handyman specials may be a way to buy, said Flaherty, who works for Mill River Realty in East Moriches.

“You can fix the heat and live with it for a while,” she suggest, “until you have the money to fix something else or improve something else.”

But Flaherty tells potential homeowners to do their homework: “You really need to know what you’re getting into. You need to have somebody who does boilers to come in and tell you how much it is . . . so you know what your expense is before you purchase the house.”

Getting a mortgage for the full value of certain handyman specials could be a problem, the agent said. Especially in this tight credit market, most lenders won’t make loans on houses that don’t have something as key as heating systems operating, she said, or they’ll just offer smaller loans. That means buyers will have to pay in cash, she said.

All that said, the house on Lafayette Avenue is within walking distance of Forge River, and with the state owning the land right next door, it’s unlikely there’ll be neighbors in the future, the agent said. The half-acre property does not have wetlands building restrictions, unlike a lot of properties near protected waters.

“Especially in the backyard, you are really like on you own private island,” Flaherty said. “It’s very pretty back there and garden like. It’s like you’re down there by yourself.”

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

There’s something unfinished about the $279,000 brand new home on Soccer Road in Mastic Beach.

Builder Justin Pollio deliberately left an upstairs room partly done, with studs up but no sheet rock or walls on them.

“It keeps the cost down,” said the president of 21st Century Homes in Medford.

By leaving a room unfinished, homeowners save about $5,000 off the listing price and have the option of making it into a bedroom, office or whatever they want, he said.

In this cooling market, with more than 300 listings in Mastic Beach, Pollio’s using several different strategies to lower the cost of his homes. He’s put in stainless steel kitchen appliances, central air and a fireplace in the three-bedroom house, when two years ago, he would just use basic materials and the properties would still “fly off the market.” He’s also trying to keep listing prices down on his listings to attract more potential buyers.

Two years ago, Pollio began leaving a "bonus room" unfinished in his newly-built homes when he saw builders do it in South Carolina, where he owns properties. It’s been a big selling point for buyers there, he said.

So far, Pollio said he doesn’t know of any other Long Island builder who’s recognized the value of leaving the studs exposed. “They’re not smart enough to put it together,” he said.

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

Think condo and two things may come to mind -- neighbors on the other side of the wall and restrictions set by homeowner associations.

But a three-bedroom condo on the market in Middle Island is a detached two-floor home with its own grounds, where one can probably put up a statue without condo cops coming around.

Audrey Brandt, an agent at Century 21 Rustic Realty in Coram, said some condo developments limit weight of pets allowed, bar statues in the front yard and allow only “cookie cutter” looks, but Strathmore on the Green is not one of them.

“It’s not the land of no,” she said.

Brandt said the house could be perfect for a golfer. The Spring Lake Golf Club is about a 20-minute walk away, but of course, there might be golfers addicted to the sport. "You cut through someone's back yard," she joked, "it would be even faster."

The house, which has a large back deck and doesn’t look its 17 years, is listed at $279,900. The monthly maintenance is $250.

People were so gung ho to snag a four-bedroom house in East Patchogue, highlighted on Real LI, that they were ready to meet the big requirement: $189,990 payment in full in cash before yesterday’s scheduled auction.

Three offers may not sound like a lot, but for Coldwell Banker real estate agent Gail Botchler, who had the listing for seven months, it was like an early holiday surprise.

The agent said Wells Fargo decided to negotiate with the owner of the home instead of auctioning it off yesterday. Missed payments will be tacked onto the end of the loan period, the agent said.

Bank negotiators gave the owner a break because they saw she had a steady job and it would look bad on bank records to have high numbers of foreclosures, Botchler said.

This means Botchler won’t get a commission on the house, but she’s not complaining.

The day of the canceled auction of the house, the Coldwell Banker agent bumped into the owner at the grocery store.

“I told her, ‘Happy holidays’ ” Botchler recounted, “and that, ‘You couldn’t ask for anything better at this time of the year.’ ”

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

A 1938 cottage in Patchogue Village is a case of “character vs. perfect amenities."

The $272,000, two-bedroom home may not have several baths, real wood floors and granite countertops, but what it does have is a “little bohemian” personality, said Diana Pombano, an associate broker in the East Setauket office of Coldwell Banker Residential.

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

If it were a darker shade of green to go with the red, the little cottage by the train tracks would look like a holiday treasure house.

But the 800-square-foot, one-bedroom home on a quarter acre of Huntington Station has been on the market for almost two years, first at $399,000 and now for $259,000, said the agent, Violetta Masterson, based in the Sea Cliff office of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty.

“It’s a tough location,” she said. “Plenty of people are interested. They love the style, but the location kills it. Or they love the location, but it’s too small.”

Owner David Boyle has outgrown the 1920 cottage that serves as the office of his Boyle Services, which removes mold, asbestos and other nasty things.

Facing environmental hazards can be a tough job, so when Boyle bought the place more than 12 years ago, he bought in 100 tons of rock – that’s 200,000 pounds – and poured in 60 yards of soil on what was essentially a dirt lot. Then like a garden god, he created a little hill, with flowers and rocks and water that tinkled down the rocks.

“It was kind of soothing to come in,” Boyle said. “The sound of the water is always soothing. The rocks always went good with the flowers.”

The house is not far from the train station and because the trains are slowing down, Masterson said, the house doesn’t shake and the sounds are usually train whistles in the distance.

Inside the cottage, Boyle has taken down the walls for an open space design, so anyone who wants an enclosed bedroom may have to do some work.

But the cottage shows Boyle’s quirky side. He renovates homes on the side and his style is using three or four colors to make an impact. Plus, he’s a collector of curios and antiques, from clowns with parachutes to planes that cover the walls and beams of the cottage.

The cottage and more -- an old diesel tank he’s painted cranberry with “Welcome” on the side sits yards from the porch -- can be for the taking. Said Boyle, “They can buy it as is too.”

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

It’s a sign of the times that a four-bedroom, 1.5-bath house would list at $189,990 -- cash.

That’s the big catch from Wells Fargo for an East Patchogue house that’s being foreclosed and scheduled for an auction Nov. 29 unless a buyer appears. Closing costs are expected to be less for foreclosures, especially in a cash deal, but services the buyer may need include a title search and a home inspection.

Coldwell Banker agent Gail Botchler said much in the house is a year or two old, including the heating system, the roof, siding and windows. What it needs is some painting, polish on the wood floors, grass in the backyard and repairs to the ceiling molding, she said.

“There really isn’t a lot to do on the house,” she said.

There’s not much time to sign a contract and close a deal, but Botchler said lenders know the benefits of delaying auctions when serious buyers come along.

“They can stop the auction because the banks know they can make money,” she said. “It does look bad for them because they have to report the foreclosure.”

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

There are two oddities in the ranch on Margaret Drive in Coram.

First, there's no door between the living room and den but a sort of floor-to-ceiling opening that looks like an upside-down pyramid, with the pointy end chopped off, all framed in dark timber.

"The lady that owned the house prior was a real estate agent and . . . she went to some place and saw a similar arch design so when she got back home, she told her husband, 'You have to do the house like this,' " current owner Frances Carr said.

The architectural feature was part of the charm that had convinced Carr to buy the house and has been a much-discussed topic by visitors, who stop and stare once they get through the front door. Initially, her agent, associate broker Steven Azzopardi of RE/MAX Integrity Leaders, thought it was a huge mirror.

The other oddity is in a basement closet. "It's our stairs to nowhere," Carr said.

Actually, the steps in the past went between the basement and garage, but the first-floor opening was sealed up after the last owner turned the garage into the den.

The three-bedroom, two-bath ranch goes for $296, 999. "The house, how it's designed, kind of embraces you," Carr said. "It's not too big that you feel lost."

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

Some good things are free, like the rights that go with a three-bedroom, $299,000 house in Center Moriches.

"It's near the beach and you can dock your boat right there," said Realtor Georgeanna Mortellaro of Georgeanna's Realty in Shirley. "It's only for residents. The beach rights you don't have to pay."

Holiday Beach is just a five-minute walk, she said, and the new homeowners can get a boating slip if one's available but Mortellaro said she's not sure how much that would cost.

On Cynthia Lane, the ranch-style house has cathedral ceilings, skylights and a hot tub outside, a few feet from the mud room in the main house.

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

How much would you charge for an anti-witch chimney? Maybe just as interesting is the price of this 1851 Freeport house: $299,000.

From photos and what RE/MAX Hearthstone agent Steven Kozlowski says, the two-bedroom Cape on quiet Bedell Street north of Atlantic Avenue even has charm and history with the price.

Back in really superstitious times, folks believed witches could get into a house by flying down chimneys. So some families built the chimneys slightly bent – after all, everyone in the world knows that a witch can't fly down a curve.

It’s a witch tale that Bellmore-based Kozlowski likes to tell agents and house hunters: “I don’t want anybody to think there’s something wrong with the chimney.”