Inside Out: Catching up the Salmons, they of the ‘Greatest Generation.’ Her advice: Love, respect -- and exercise!

Ask active members of the “Greatest Generation”— those born in the 1920s and in their 90s today — about aging, and they’ll tell you they’ve been too busy living to worry about it. They’re traveling more, indulging in creative activities, spending time with family members and friends – and simply doing whatever makes them happy. And happy they are. We had a chance to catch up with Marie and Egon J. Salmon, who are 91 and 96 years old, respectively. Marie, whose birthday was Sept. 12, is a native of Port Richmond. Egon’s was June 4. Her dad was owner of a well known furniture store, Schiff’s Furniture. She attended PS 20 and Port Richmond High School and married Egon 69 years ago. Egon’s a Holocaust survivor, who granted an in-depth interview to Shira Stoll, a former Advance multimedia specialist, and was the subject of a feature story and video. In time the couple purchased a home on Ocean Terrace. Egon garnered the title of the “oldest living past president of the Staten Island Board of Realtors.” The illustrious senior was a real estate commissioner of the City of New York during the administrations of Mayor Ed Koch and Mayor David Dinkins. And according to his son, Jon, Egon was on the last refugee ship, The St. Louis, to leave Europe before WWII broke out. In fact, the Wagner College Holocaust Center will stage the fifth annual commemoration of Kristallnacht and the St. Louis, on Monday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The commemoration will be led by guest speaker Julian E. Zelizer, professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University and CNN Analyst. The talk will examine the ways in which fighting anti-Semitism and the quest for racial justice intersect. Egon continues to be a prominent figure on Staten Island. He started Salmon Real Estate in 1956, making it the oldest independent real-estate firm in the borough. His two sons, Jon and Henry, continued his legacy, and Jon is now the president of the firm. They are grandparents to six and great-grandparents of four. Although everyone’s been quarantining since March, this year’s birthday celebration saw Marie celebrating with family members over a private dinner in an outdoor garden in an independent living community in Maplewood, N.J., followed the next day with a visit to children Henry and Linda’s New Jersey home. “To live a long life you have to be happy," Marie told us. "You have to be in love and you have to have wonderful children,” she said. “And I truly believe in exercise. I really love to walk and exercise. And a big word is respect — to have respect in every way.” As Staten Island residents the Salmons were always well-respected and extremely active in a number of charities. “I was active with the Snug Harbor celebrity scene when we invited Mario Buatta and the ballet dancer Edward Villella, among others," Marie said. "Those were some of the people that I got in contact with to come and speak at Snug Harbor. And I also was active with the JCC and the Staten Island Council on the Arts, when I ran an auction for them.”  

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Sellers Are Ready To Enter the Housing Market

One of the biggest questions in real estate today is, “When will sellers return to the housing market?” An ongoing shortage of home supply has created a hyper-competitive environment for hopeful buyers, leading to the ultimate sellers’ market. However, as the economy continues to improve and more people get vaccinated, more sellers may finally be in sight. The Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) by Fannie Mae recently noted the percentage of consumer respondents who say it’s a good time to sell a home increased from 61% to 67%. Doug Duncan, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist at Fannie Mae, indicates: “Consumer positivity regarding home-selling conditions nearly matched its all-time high.” (See graph below): Fannie Mae isn’t the only expert group noticing a rise in the percentage of people thinking about selling. George Ratiu, Senior Economist at realtor.com, shares: “The results of a realtor.com survey . . . showed that one-in-ten homeowners plans to sell this year, with 63 percent of those, looking to list in the next 6 months. Just as encouragingly, close to two-thirds of sellers plan to sell their homes at prices under $350,000, which would offer a tremendous boost to affordable housing for first-time buyers.” Bottom Line If you’re considering selling your house, don’t wait for more competition to pop up in your neighborhood. Let’s connect today to explore the benefits of selling your house now before more homes come to the market.

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Introducing SIEDC’s Top 31 Honoree – Christine DeHart of Salmon Real Estate

Annually the SIEDC recognizes the Top 31 Most Influential Business Leaders.In this email blast series, we will be spotlighting each individual who will be receiving an award at the 2022 SIEDC Business Conference on June 2, 2022.“Christine DeHart is the owner of Salmon Real Estate. She is a 2 time Past President of the North Shore Rotary Club and is very involved in many organizations including Eden 2, JCC, and Community Health Action.”– Bobby Aanonsen, Director of Membership, SIEDCChristine DeHart is a lifelong Staten Islander who grew up in the real estate business. Her family owned and operated a construction company and property management firm for over 40 years. After college, Christine went into the family business. She took over managing a 52 unit rent-stabilized building. She enjoyed the challenge of finding a problem and correcting it. She loved helping people find their homes, as well as protecting their investments.Christine obtained a Certification in Property Manager from The New York Real Estate Institute. She is certified by the National Association of Realtors as an internet Real Estate E-Pro. She is also a Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES). This designation means that Christine has the knowledge and expertise to counsel clients 50+ through major financial and lifestyle transitions in relocating, refinancing, or selling the family home. Christine has completed The City of New York Residential Property Management course as well as their Working with Tenants course. Christine is a CCIM, Certified Commercial Investment Member, designee.  Growing up in the same community where Christine works taught her to try to bring the best out of each property she works with. She strives to be an asset to her community by being honest and fair. “I learned from my father to work hard and always do the best job possible, no matter what the task entails.” Christine is a member and two-time Past President of the North Shore Rotary Club. “I have been blessed with a great family and had a wonderful start in life. Now I feel the need to give back to those that may need a helping hand. I love it when I get to see the effect my hard work has on the community.” She chairs an annual event to support the Autistic community of Staten Island, as well as serves on committees that raise funds for various charities in Staten Island.Philosophy. To help homeowners achieve their goals of finding a new home through hard work, honesty, and integrity.

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