Steve Rovithis - Your Real Estate Resource

In today’s episode I interview Dmitriy Dyachuk who is a credit specialist at United Credit Education Services. Dmitriy and his wife have been in business for a few years now and they help the real estate community by providing more home ownership to individuals and families. They specialize in helping people with difficult financial and real estate situations and work hand in hand with other real estate professionals to help them help as many people as possible become homeowners. Question List: What is the name of your company?  Tell me a little bit about what you guys do? How do you help people achieve this dream of home ownership?  Do you have resources to help with whatever needs a client has?  How do you help individuals prepare to purchase their home?  What is that Protection Plan? How bad is the current financial and credit situation for many consumers and what is the cause of bad credit for so many people?  What is the cost of having bad credit?  What if s

In today’s episode I interview Matthew Bracci, President at Title 5 Inspection Service. Matthew has 25 years of experience in civil engineering, design engineering and septic system inspections.    Question List: What is a title 5 inspection? Do you inspect anything else besides the outside components? Why look under the kitchen sink? Why do you look for salt staining in the basement, what is salt staining, and what does it have to do with a title 5 inspection? What is the high groundwater elevation? And what does that have to do with the septic system? So do you need to pick up research material form the town or from the health department to obtain any of this information? So what else do you have to look at in the basement? What happens if everything is not connected to the same system, What if there’s a secondary system or a laundry system?  If I have two systems, does there need to be two totally separate inspections? Is there a price difference for that? Once you’ve

In today’s episode I interview Dan Larouche, owner and team leader at Patriot Living LLC. Dan is a graduate of Westfield State with a degree in Accounting and Business Administration. His career has spanned business development through large scale health care operations in skilled nursing facilities as the chief administrator.  Streamlining operations, building employee satisfaction, improving patient quality care and turning facilities from heavy debt subpar performance to a cash producing entity is Dan’s expertise. Outside of being a licensed administrator, Dan is a licensed home improvement contractor and business owner of a cabinetry supply chain to support contractors and property investors. Question List: Why are your costs so reasonable and so competitive? Who are your largest clients these days? What is your business model? Why are you different?

In today’s episode I interview Tony Oliver, owner of Tony’s Wood Shop. Tony is a Father of 5, Married 30 years, Resident of Somers Ct for over 20 years, studied Business at Bryan College, he is also a self taught craftsman! Question List: What is you custom fireplace mantel process from beginning to end? Can you make a custom mantel look aged?  Can customers actually help create their mantel in the wood shop with our guidelines?  How fast can we complete a custom order?  Do you offer custom made countertops?  How do the floating shelves get made to size and how fast can they be built?  Do we offer professional installation?  What types of materials are used in a barn door for Tony's Wood Shop?  How are they different than most seen in the marketplace?  Do we sell barn door hardware?  What do we use to make custom countertops?  Do we tear down barns?  Do we know where the reclaimed materials we sell come from, is there a story asso

Mark Haynes is an environmental specialist, from Abide, Inc., and has over 25 years of experience in the Environmental arena with both Consulting and Contracting Services specializing in Regulated Building Materials and Remediation of Contaminated Properties. Question List: 1.  What are some environmental issues facing home owners today? 2.  What is asbestos and why should I be concerned about it? 3.  How do I know if asbestos is in my home? 4.  How do I test for asbestos? 5.  If asbestos is found what should I do about it? 6.  Is it required to remove asbestos is found? 7.  Who can remove asbestos and how is it performed? 8.  Is there anything else we should know about asbestos?

In today’s episode I interview Christina White who is the General Manager of Caring Transitions Hampden County.  Question List: 1.        What is Caring Transitions of Hampden County? 2.        How are you different from a moving company? 3.        What areas do you provide services in?  4.        How do you charge for your services? 5.        How long does a typical project last? 6.        What is the difference between an estate sale and an online auction? 7.        What is resettling? 8.        What is space planning? 9.        How do you conduct home clean outs? 10.        Who are you typical clients? 

Richie Bonney has been with Revolusun for four years, where he's helped more than 200 families reduce their energy bills and carbon footprints.  In his current role as Vice President of Sales, he focuses on training and personnel development, educating solar project developers on how to best serve their customers. The most rewarding part of his job is helping homeowners save, so he remains active in the field. Question List: How do you know the system is working and actually saving me money?  Does solar increase my property value?  I've heard you can't sell your house if you lease solar - is that true?  What is the difference between purchasing and leasing your system? What warranties and protections do I have as the homeowner?   How do you get the wires from the solar array to my main electrical panel? ‘ Are all solar panels the same? 8. Does solar still work in the winter - should I worry about snow removal?  Do you have backup batteries and how do they work? W

Gerry Verardo - owner and operator of Pioneer Valley Inspections - is a licensed home and wood destroying pest inspector in the state of Massachusetts and Connecticut.  Gerry has performed 1000's of inspections since starting his new career in 2015 and now owns a successful home inspection company where all his past knowledge, experience and continuing education can be shared with future homeowners.  Question List: 1. Can I perform a home inspection myself?  2. How much does a home inspection cost?  3. What components of the home get inspected?  4. How much construction experience does the inspector have?  5. How long does a home inspection take?  6. What will the home inspection report look like and when will I receive the report?  7. Do I need to attend the inspection?  8. Can the home fail an inspection?  9. What happens if there are problems found during the inspection?  10. Do I need to have a wood destroying insect inspection?  11. What is rado

Attorney Beauvais has been practicing law since 1995, and has proudly maintained her solo practice for over 23 years.  She graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Finance from Western New England College and continued on to Western New England College School of Law for her Juris Doctorate. Lisa later obtained a Master’s in Law degree in Estate Planning and Elder Law. Attorney Beauvais is a member of the following organizations: The Massachusetts Bar Association The Hampden County Bar Association The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys The Estate Planning Council of Hampden County The Western Massachusetts Eldercare Professional Association The Professional Women's Chamber The West of the River Chamber When she's not working, she enjoys lots of activities, particularly when they happen in the great outdoors. She loves reading, gardening, walking, cycling, skiing, spending time with family and friends, and spending time on the water. Question List: Tell me a little bit about your bu

In this episode I interview Justin Haggerty - President of Crystal Brook Concrete Concepts - Crystal Brook Concrete Concepts has evolved over the years with the hard work and creativity put forth by President and Owner Justin Haggerty.   Justin started in the landscaping business at an early age, creating his journey when he turned his paper route into a lawn mowing business.  With one truck and big dreams he began the road to what has now become a company stamping the way in stamped concrete designs throughout Western MA and surrounding counties.   Question List: How durable is stamped concrete? Is the surface slippery? How do you get the natural looking shades of stone? How many different patterns are there?  Does every pattern come out the same every time? Will the same colors come out the same way every time? Is it hard to maintain? How can you create amazing things such as waterfalls out of concrete? Are there any products that should not be used on stamped concrete?

In this episode I interview Jeremy Sawyer - Owner of All Exteriors - All Exteriors is licensed and insured in MA, CT & RI and they specialize in roofing, flat roofing, siding, windows, repairs, and snow plowing.  Jeremy is a GAF Certified Weather Stopper Roofing Contractor, Carlisle Authorized Installer and Firestone Authorized installer. Question List: Where are you located?  How Long have you been in business?  Do you use subcontractors?  Are you insured?  Where do you offer your services?  What type of roofing do you do? What brand of shingles do you install?  Do you only do residential roofing?  What do you have to offer to people that may want to call you for their roofing needs? 

In this episode I interview Patrick Soucy - Owner of Golden Gavel Auctions - a full-service auction company located in East Windsor, CT. Golden Gavel holds weekly auctions every Thursday. Preview starts at 2 PM, the early bird auction starts at 5:30 PM and the main auction starts at 7 PM. Auctions are open to the public and everyone is welcome  to attend. There is no cost to get in or to sign up for a bidding number! Question List: Can you set a minimum or a reserve bid on the item so that it does not sell for less than the consignor wants?  How many people come to the auction every week? What is an absentee bid?  How long does it take to empty a house? How soon do items go to the auction after they have been picked up? When do people get paid for the items they sell? How many items do you sell in a night? What makes a lot? How many trucks do you have? How many employees do you have? Do you require a license to do auctions? Can you sell guns? What is hot in today’s mark

In this episode, I interview Bridget Fiala - An attorney at Kriss Law, which specializes in residential conveyance. She graduated from Western New England University School of Law. She’s a lifelong resident of West Springfield, former City Council member, and Business West 40 Under Forty. Question List: 1. Do I need an attorney to buy or sell a house – what do you do? 2. How much does an attorney cost- who pays it and when? 3. What is title insurance, how much does it cost and why do I need it? 4. What is the difference between a lender and owner title? 5. What is the difference between an offer and a purchase and sale agreement? 6. What are closing costs? 7. What are closing cost credits? 8. What is a deed? 9. What is a mortgage? 10. Is it like a car, where I don’t own the property until I pay the mortgage off?

In this episode, I interview Drew Snook - An American International College alumni, who started his mortgage career at Citi Financial in West Springfield. In October 2017, Drew joined Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp and never looked back. As a second generation loan officer, residential financing is in his blood. He has helped hundreds of families with their residential financing needs and can help you too. Question List: 1. What is most important part of the process when pre approving a client? 2. When does someone get the actual pre approval? 3. When should someone start looking to get financing to buy a home? 4. Do you offer any help with clients credit? 5. What is most important to you when helping a client find the right loan program? 6. What loans do you specialize in? 7. Do you work by yourself or do you have a team that works with you? 8. Do you feel as though having a good team (lawyer, insurance agent, realtor) can make a difference for the buyer during the process? 9. Is Fairway only in MA? 10. H

In this episode I interview Jeremy Casey - Managing Partner of SR Commercial Realty LLC. He has 10 years of Commercial and Real Estate Lending & Banking Experience. Jeremy is also a Professor of Entrepreneurship & Economics at Elms College.  Question List: 1. How is the commercial market doing? 2. How are residential and commercial different? 3. How is commercial investment property different than residential? 4. How long does the process take to sell or buy a commercial property? 5. Where can i go to find or start looking at property? 6. How are you different from other companies that do commercial real estate transactions? 7. Where do I go to get funding for a building? 8. I'm a new tenant looking to lease space for my new business, where should I start? 9. How do I know what to price my property at?

In this episode I interview David Condon - President & Co-Owner of Northeast Security Solutions, Inc. in West Springfield Massachusetts. David has been in the safety and security business for over 15 years. He also serves as Vice President for the Massachusetts Systems Contractors Association.

In this episode I interview Lisa Scheff - Owner & Principal Designer at Lisa Scheff Designs - an interior design firm located in Longmeadow, MA.  Their team works on interior design projects ranging from new window treatments and furniture to kitchen remodeling and full home renovations.    Question List: 1: What is one of the biggest design mistakes new homeowners make? 2: When should a new homeowner hire a designer? 3. How you to help a homeowner prioritize? 4. How do you help a client who wants to hire you but doesn’t have a big enough budget? 5. After prioritizing, how can you help a client in ways they can’t help themselves? What are your services? 6. How long does it take from start to finish to do a design project? 7. How is an interior designer different from a decorator? 8. What design elements provide the most bang for the buck? 9. What are some current trends? 10. Can a designer help when moving into a new home? 11. What do you like best about being an interior designer?

In this episode I interview Jayson Lacasse - President of Circle9 Technologies.

In this episode I interview David Dambrov - Owner of Dambrov Appraisal Group - who is a certified residential appraiser and has been for 12 years. David is licensed in both Massachusetts & Connecticut, and is FHA approved.

In this episode I interview Joseph Mclaughlin - Owner of Lucky Lawn Sprinkler Company - who will be providing you with professional information about irrigation systems and everything you need to know about their irrigation process.