Change is on you!

“Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Greetings friends and associates, as I write to you it is the morning after Election Day. I want to congratulate all the Candidates that were elected into office. Of course Election Day always gets my wheels turning. I am sure it does the same for you. This year there is a lot of frustration out there but, people are too overwhelmed with daily life to feel they can do anything to make a difference.
If you weren’t aware, The Greater Mahopac/ Carmel Chamber of Commerce has a Government Liaison/Economic Development Committee. If you would like to see the business communities have more say in local issues such as taxes, Business improvement districts, Planning and Development etc…Please join that committee and become a champion for local business advocacy. The time has come to pay attention to our local government that has been functioning with very little input from the business community as a whole. Together we can effect change but it takes awareness, diligence and influence in order to be successful and This Chamber is the best resource we have to do so.
We are very blessed to have people in office who ARE willing to work with us, but we need to ban together, get a pulse on the real needs of the business community and effectively communicate that information to those in office.
The Chamber also has a grant writing committee. This is another area we could use some collective effort. Wouldn’t it be great to uncover some funds to assist the business owners (you) in these times of change? I remind you this is a mainly volunteer organization. We have Eileen and Pete to keep our house in order; however this entity solely relies on volunteer effort for growth. So call the Chamber office today,(845-628-5553) let’s put a plan into action to create positive change with precise vision and input from your business community!

Yours in victory and well being,

Jennifer Maher

P.S. Where is your “locus of control”? A lot of people asked me what that meant I encourage you to Google it Good stuff!

Checking in With Putnam County

It’s been a busy year in Putnam County. Let’s start with Economic Development projects. The county has several shopping centers in the works. On the table there is Union Place that is on the border on Mahopac & Somers, Patterson Crossing right off 84 & 311. And the Putnam County Economic Development Agency is also working on bringing 2 Hotels to the area. Just to name a few.

We now have a visitors center in the Town of Carmel, Hamlet of Mahopac at The Greater Mahopac Carmel Chamber of Commerce office at 953 South lake Blvd (6n). Stop by, bring your brochures, cards & giveaways. You also would be amazed at how much there is to do right in our own County.

The Putnam County Chambers of Commerce have also been meeting jointly exploring the option of becoming a County wide Chamber of Commerce. This would enable us to have a stronger voice on public policy & economic development issues as well as better marketing and exposure opportunities for businesses that participate or are located in the County. Myself(Incline Real Property Services , Grace Vinciguerra (Re/max Classic) and Debbie Boccarosa (524 Realty group) are all on the Putnam County Chambers of Commerce Exploratory Committee. There is a County Wide Chambers of Commerce Event on Dec 9th at The Garrison. Details on this event to follow in the next In Depth.

Lastly but not l least, The Real Estate Market is in my opinion is getting where it needs to be. The prices still need to adjust a bit, The banks need to find some balance, buyers need to get out and buy and sellers need to awaken to the situation at hand. All in all it’s the same as it always has been. You get out of it exactly what you put into it with just a few more obstacles along the way. There is hope that Commercial market stays strong, however with the combination of high taxes, increased expenses, and business down it will be a struggle for landlords. So do your part and Shop Local!

Putnam County is a magical place with an abundance of natural and commercial resources. I am very blessed to both own a business and to live here.
Jennifer Maher

MTA Tax

Just some info on the MTA tax and its effect on Putnam County

Projected financial impact on Putnam County.
895,438,000 x .0034 = 3,044,489.20 excludes self employed (Total Put Co 2006 Payroll)

cty paid 17,778,631in 2007 x .0034 = 60,447 (total govt payroll)

total estimated tax burden of MTA Tax: $3,104,936 (excludes self employed)

MTA tax is unfair burden on local businesses – being asked to subsidize inefficient activity of MTA without any explanation by the MTA of where the money is going.

No accountability or transparency – MTA budget does not reflect the leaner times – everyone else being asked to do more with less

Mortgage Tax currently pays for MTA – now they are looking for additional sources of funding because the mortgage tax revenues are down – should be tightening their belts just like the real estate, mortgage and legal professionals are already doing.

Tax will take millions of dollars out of the hands of local independent businesses (mom and pops), schools, hospitals and charitable organizations

The language in the law that states “An employer is prohibited from deducting from the wages or compensation of an
employee any amount that represents all or any portion of MCTMT.” is naive – businesses, unlike the MTA, cannot count on external bailouts and must balance their books every year. Businesses will compensate for the added tax burden by hiring fewer employees, making less raises/bonuses, offering fewer services, etc.

The MTA tax adds an additional layer of regulation on already-burdened small businesses. Somebody has to account for the amounts deducted from the business’ ledgers – this adds time and expense.

Services remain relatively sparse in Putnam County from the MTA.

Putnam has no real representation to look out for its interests with the MTA.

Form your own opinion.

Loitering…Quality of life issue???

I am wearing several hats as I write this blog.

1. a Business owner

2. a Property owner

3. President of the Local Chamber of Commerce

4. A Realtor sworn to protect property values

5. Someone who strives for and attempts to practices compassion always in all things

So this topic is not one I am one sided on. I can see the situiation from all angles. Its not pretty:(

So here goes……… There is a loitering issue in my hometown where I happen to do most of my business in. The loiterers are day laborers looking for work. They gather in groups of 50 or more in the morning daily. These loiterers happen to be primarily undocumented citizens or illegal immigrants. This obviously creates alot of emotional turmoil regarding the situation.

I mean the public officials are in a situation where their hands are tied due to the impending doom of a lawsuit. It seems you cant open a paper without reading about a town being sued for the same situation.

The bottom line is if this was teenagers or any other group of people gathering in the streets in such large numbers, The police would be able to break them up and send them on their way.

Now on the other hand I am certain that the majority of these people (like any group of human beings)are good, hard working family people and well …………..we let them into our country……………… we definetly have an obligation to their safety and well being.

So how do we do something that will accomplish both?

1.Ridding the town of large groups of ANYONE in front of our Downtown businesses & parks.

2. Making sure that all people are treated humanely and equally.

OR!!!! maybe this is all just perception? Perhaps the loitering is a non issue? Maybe its NOT hurting property values and businesses?

I am using this blog as a tool for some clarity. I hope you can share your opinion with us. I hope you do so in a mindful way….. I dont want to open a negative thread but rather an insightful dialouge.

Time to legalize!

I cant believe how often I take a listing and there are finished basements, bonus rooms,bedrooms,inground pools, sheds, all without C of O’s.

Times have changed! These properties more than likely will not make it to the closing table with these violations! YES even if you bought it that way!
And the code is constantly changing. So I suggest you legalize NOW!!!

This is not just a plug for my company that can help you with these issues, rather just some good ADVICE!

All in a days work.

Today while siiting at my desk at the front window at Incline Real Property Services I did the following: Negotiated a short sale, CMA on 5 vacant lots, in put a new listing to 10 web sites, negotiated a rental, helped 3 of my agents with their transactions, debated with the MLS over the rules, figured out best use for a mixed use piece of property, pulled a property deed to see if there were any deed restrictions, emailed  listings to hundreds of commercial brokers, filed an application to the building department for a finished basement and  took out the garbage.

Favorite style home?

Self Discipline

As I write this letter to you I am ending Day 1 in my new quest of a Vegan Lifestyle .There are many aspects to why I have made this dietary choice, such as philosophical & health reasons. But for me it boils down to the one thing I have lacked my whole life, Discipline.
I have come to believe through studying those who I admire and respect that Discipline is the fundamental building block that most successful people utilize to achieve greater success in life. Once you have acquired the skill of discipline, it doesn’t matter what the economy is doing or what business you are in, your success is within reach at all times.
Discipline requires consistency, action & sacrifice, and the reality is that once you get out of your comfort zone you can truly grow. I experienced the initial awkwardness of being outside of my “comfort zone” when I made a decision to open my own company outside of my typical territory, however I knew I needed to expand my vision of local in order to grow. I basically removed the ceilings I was self creating the minute I made that decision. If I hadn’t been practicing self discipline I probably would have given up after a month and went running back to my old way of doing business! As a result my business is growing daily and the opportunities that are unfolding are beyond my best expectations. Not to mention the practice of self discipline has made me a better mother, daughter, and friend.
So my challenge to you is simple. Take one area in your life and challenge yourself. Whether it be to lose weight, stick to a fiscally sound budget, organize your business, work on a business plan, open that second location etc….. Just do it. And enjoy the momentary growth pains with the knowledge that they gradually convert to inner strength and better yet self mastery.
It is my pleasure to have the experience of being the president of this sovereign organization we call the Greater Mahopac Carmel Chamber of Commerce while growing my own business alongside yours.

Yours truly,
Jennifer Maher

President of The Greater Mahopac- Carmel Chamber of Commerce :Time for Growth

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. ~Andrew Carnegie

As I write this first Presidents letter I am reflecting upon the 5 years of my chamber membership. The past 5 years have been both the most difficult as well as the most rewarding in my life. I made tons of mistakes and had many failures and some accomplishments The biggest change that has taken place is going from an agent in a local Real Estate office to the owner of my own Real Estate company.
I attribute this major accomplishment firstly to the support of my Mother, Eileen and my 2 daughters, Olivia & Juila, but had it not been for my experiences on both the Chamber Board of Directors and The Co-Chair person of the Shop Putnam Business and Home Expo 2007, 2008 & 2009, I would never have had the opportunity to have learned the lessons (some of them hard lessons!) necessary to run a business.
That being said, the reason for the quote up top is to share with you my new found love & respect for Team Work. If you were at The Expo this year that is exactly what that Day was all about, team work. We all utilized our individual strengths to accomplish something that individually would be impossible. At times it felt like we were the Egyptians building the Pyramids one Brick at time and that it would never come together. But this year’s Expo was an amazing success that far exceeded the prior years. All because of the Combined effort of all involved.
The next amazing result of team work is the new series of Television Commercials featuring Chamber businesses that will be airing shortly. Charlie Melchner came up with a CRAZY idea and his ground breaking vision combined with some practical application from Tom O’leary, Kevin Bailey & myself resulted in one of the most beneficial member benefits I have ever seen (next to the directory of course). But that is just my humble opinion.
There are so many benefits to being a member of this Chamber of Commerce and one of our first tasks this year is to make sure you are aware of all of them as well as growing them by leaps and bounds.
Thank you to the members for voting me in again and thank you to the board, whom I consider my dear friends for having enough confidence in making me President. Together let’s make this a year of growth & success.

Jennifer Maher

Tools ‹ Incline Real Property Services — WordPress

Tools ‹ Incline Real Property Services — WordPress.