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Real Talk with Sterling Real Estate Group is your go-to resource for all things real estate. In our episodes, we break down the latest market trends, share insider tips, and provide expert insights to empower your property journey. Whether you're buying, selling, building, or investing, we're here to help you navigate the dynamic world of real estate in New York's Capital Region and beyond. If you have any questions or topics you’d like us to cover in a future episode, we’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us at info@sterling518.com.
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Good day, everyone. This is Jo Wenner, a guest to today's Real Talk at Sterling Real Estate Group. We are here with Sharon of Habitat for Humanity of Glens Falls. And the topic of the day is Showcase of Homes 2025. This is, just to give a little background on Showcase of Homes, is the 29th year of Showcase of Homes. And the whole goal
for this activity that happens in October is to showcase the new builds of homes across Saratoga, some of Washington and some of Warren County homes, to showcase the builders, the architects, and the designers. And what we do is a committee gets together and ⁓ raises funds for local charities. And there are three recipients.
this year and I believe last year was the same. The first one is Rebuilding Saratoga, which is a nonprofit organization that has been around for 15 years and they work to revitalize communities by helping vulnerable populations and low-income individuals and also veterans and elderly to repair their homes when they can't, if and when they can't afford it. The second recipient
of this year's charity is Northeast Construction Trades Workforce Coalition, which basically educates the younger people in town at schools to make sure that they pursue or at least be interested in careers in the trades. And the third one is Habitat for Humanity of Glens Falls. And today we have Sharon, who is the new executive director of... ⁓
Habitat for Humanity. So hello and welcome. Thank you, Jo. I appreciate being here. ⁓ Yeah. The Showcase for Homes is an exciting new ⁓ chapter for me to experience, and I'm really excited to be a part of it and thankful that the Showcase for Homes project has enabled Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties to be a recipient.
Well, this is really on brand two because as you know, we are a committee of volunteers. There's builders, architects, engineers, ⁓ really, and I shouldn't forget the designers, interior designers and landscapers. And ⁓ we really put in time between April and October to organize this event that happens this year, just a little plug, October 4th through 5th and October 11 to 12.
And we really care about this community and the work of Habitat for Humanity is also very important. So I'm sure a lot of people know about Habitat, but can you give us a quick background and what it does and what its goals are? Yeah. So Habitat for Humanity has been around since the ⁓ early 70s, ⁓ started in Georgia by a couple who saw the need ⁓
for families needing decent, affordable homes. And so our chapter here covers ⁓ Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. And ⁓ we support that mission by giving families who can afford it an opportunity to be a homeowner, an opportunity to have a brighter future, an opportunity for us to build.
community within those regions. ⁓ And so we work together with ⁓ community collaborators, lots of volunteers to make these builds happen. And so we try to build, ⁓ you know, one to two houses a year, and we hope that that continues to grow as our organization grows. Great. Well, last year we raised ⁓ almost, I think, $100,000 for
But over the 29 years, the committee has been in existence. I've only been on the committee for three years as a volunteer. So ⁓ I believe the showcase has raised well over $1.6 million dollars supporting charities like this. And it's always been fun ⁓ to give a check to Habitat for Humanity. ⁓ Just give us a sense of where the money goes to and what it's used for and why it's important
to keep supporting charities like this? Yeah, that's a big question. I've been in the nonprofit sector for many, many years and coming into Habitat as an executive director and a leader in our community, ⁓ I feel ⁓ the supportive community brings ⁓ benefit to the community itself as far as
growing our community, ⁓ being able to support those who may be ⁓ in need, ⁓ vulnerable populations who may need a lift ⁓ up. And Showcase for Homes and the money that they raise obviously contributes to that mission for us to continue to help building community.
One of the things that I do love about Habitat, and I've been involved in Habitat in general across the country for well over 25 years, which is part of the reason why I joined the committee in the first place. ⁓ It's an organization that gives not a handout, but a hand up, as you mentioned, a lift up. In what ways, for example, some people might think you just build a house, you hand over a key.
to a family or a person, ⁓ typically a person with children or maybe not, ⁓ somebody who's had just a tough go at life for whatever reason, what are some of the things that you ⁓ seek for from the family to contribute to the project? Because I don't personally believe in just giving somebody keys to the house and then figuring out what happens. So there is an interesting process you go through.
to select a family and what their responsibilities are after they receive a beautiful house. Yeah, thank you for your comments on that. So the families who we're serving, who we're helping are hardworking local families. They're low to moderate income families who are committed to achieving that goal of home ownership. The requirements are that they have a need for housing.
So that could be due to unsafe, overcrowded, or unaffordable living conditions. They also need to show the ability to pay. So they can pay an affordable mortgage with a steady income and financial readiness. And then a willingness to partner. So they need to be willing to contribute sweat equity hours and participate in educational programs to prepare for the responsibilities of homeownership.
And those sweat equity hours could be involved in the build of their own property and a neighbor's property, ⁓ in work at our restore, which is ⁓ on Route 9 in ⁓ Fort Edward. And they could do volunteer hours with the organization. There are many different ways that they could contribute those sweat equity hours, but we do ask for that contribution. The investment in
in their dream. Sure. I mean, it's kind of poetic to have somebody who is selected to receive almost a brand new home, basically. I don't think you do a lot of renovating, but it's usually from the ground up. ⁓ From what I understand, they participate with a design. Some families have one kid, some families have three kids. So I understand that there's a collaborative process.
I mean, I'm putting myself in their shoes and I'm thinking I'm gonna get a brand new home and I get to put the first nail in, you the studs. I don't know construction terms. I apologize, but I know enough to be dangerous. But that's really, there's something poetic about that and also gratifying, I would assume. And then, ⁓ you know, to be able to help design the rooms, from what I understand, a lot of furniture is also donated because...
It's such a heartwarming thing for the community to get involved in. And ⁓ these homes are built to stand. They are not sticks and toilet paper. It is really like professional construction companies come in and volunteer their employee time and their materials. So that's exciting to watch. Last year I met a family who was a recipient and she had three kids. Beautiful.
And it was fun to watch them. I built a porch for them, actually. It's fun to watch three kids enjoy a room, their own room, sometimes for the first time. Right. So that is an exciting ⁓ thing to watch and really transform not only one person's life, but other people's lives. Absolutely. I love how you mentioned the children and I think
you know, what a lot of people might not realize is that impact on children, right? And when you're able to give a family ⁓ that feeling of security, that feeling of safety, ⁓ the children experience such benefit from this, right? We see ⁓ increase in academics, increase in mental wellbeing. ⁓
to your mention of having your own room or having your own space that you might not have had before, ⁓ it contributes greatly to the well-being of the family and the community in which that family is ⁓ enjoying that build. So, beautiful thing. Yeah, and especially I know that one of the biggest reasons any person with kids or planning to have kids
The most important thing is finding a location where there's a good school district, where there's a school nearby that can, you know buses can pick kids up. I mean, these are things that we people who don't necessarily need community help think about. you know, Habitat focuses on those areas to make sure that you're not only giving them a home, you're really giving them a whole life and, you know, breaking any kind of generational...
situation in kind of breaking the cycle of homelessness for some of these people. Yeah, I love that. I mean, I love that, ⁓ you know, breaking the cycle. And I think, you know, that that gives that opportunity for the children to experience that, like, you know, what what what the difference is in generational wealth ⁓ that they might have not experienced before. So ⁓ you are opening up a whole new generation of possibility. Yeah.
So Habitat has many different ways it raises funds, also ⁓ opportunities for the community to get involved. Can you just name some of the top ways, say somebody heard this podcast and say they wanna come by and help and be helpful. ⁓ What are some of the ways people can get involved? Not necessarily just financially, obviously.
Getting donations is always a great thing because there's always a need in nonprofit, the nonprofit world for donations. But how can somebody help? Yeah, well, I mentioned our Restore. Certainly our Restore funds a good amount of our mission. So the Restore is in a really good place. It's beautiful. There's donated, used, and
and new furniture, as well as household items. So, ⁓ you know, stop by the ReStore and, ⁓ you know, buy a few things, you know, maybe redecorate your house ⁓ and know that ⁓ while you're providing yourself with something nice, that you'd also be providing ⁓ or contributing toward a new home for a family. So I think that's the first thing that comes to mind for me. Obviously, showcase for homes, you know, participate, buy a ticket.
come by the houses and you'll be helping, you know, not only habitat, but rebuilding and, and then keep an eye out. We've got a lot of big things coming over the next year. So there's going to be more opportunity for the community to get involved financially, but certainly volunteer for builds, volunteering at the restore, volunteering for.
you know, upcoming fundraising opportunities that will be introduced to our community over the next year. I have been to the ReStore in Glens Falls many, many times. It's a huge facility and it's very well organized. It's not your typical thrift shop type of ⁓ place to go to. You cannot walk through without buying something or anything and things you've never even thought you needed. But it is a fun place to walk through and...
Every item is donated, so if I pay $100 for something, 100 % of the funds is actually used towards the charity's operations. So I would highly encourage going there. And also donating furniture. I mean, people can drop off or call Habitat to pick up, donate. If you're moving, Saratoga's not that transitional these days, but there are a lot of people who...
get rid of older furniture and restock. So there's also a website. There is a website, glensfallshabitat.org. And you can visit that website to learn more about Habitat as well as if you are thinking about homeownership and thinking you might qualify as an applicant, you can certainly go to that website, same website address and pick up an application, fill out an application and submit that.
Anytime. So ⁓ when you mentioned potentially applying to become a recipient of a Habitat home without getting too technical, ⁓ anyone who is in need can approach Habitat. ⁓ So families earning 50 to 80 percent of the area median income can apply ⁓ for the Affordable Home Ownership Program.
Yeah, and to what we pointed to before, know, a need for housing, the ability to pay for an affordable mortgage and a willingness to partner without those sweat equity hours. ⁓ Some people have asked me what happens to the home after it's given because in this area anyway, a lot of people buy and then they'll flip and make a lot of money because the real estate situation here is quite healthy and always growing.
Can a Habitat Home recipient resell the house and keep those profits? No. As a matter of fact, there is some grant funding that's also prohibited in that that we receive. And so the house ⁓ is intended for you to keep if you are a Habitat recipient. And ⁓ there's some stipulation in a contract that you would be obligated to ⁓ accept.
and sign that would say, would spell out those, that criteria. But this is not intended to, it's not intended for a temporary place to live, it's intended for your home, ⁓ for your, at least your first time home, and for you to be enjoying that home for quite some time, yeah. Which is a great distinction because, you we're not, as you said, this habitat's intention is to...
create a generational change, it will help children better, you know, get start, begin at a better starting point, if you will. So a home recipient cannot resell the house. I think that's a curious question for a lot of people. And if they decide to move for whatever reason, I understand that the house actually goes back to Habitat to be prepared for the next person who may need it in the way that.
the contract stipulates. I can't quite speak to that, but I can find out if anybody's interested and they need more details on that. There are, ⁓ you know, it's a complex ⁓ contract. So, you know, ⁓ call and ask those questions and I'm sure we can get you those definitive answers. At last year's Showcase of Homes Gala, there was a person who came from Habitat who was honored
And it was such a touching and moving moment of the night. I mean, the gala's great. Lots of people from the community go there. It's a bunch of fun people, which is part of the reason why I volunteer for the committee is just to be around fun people. But there was a moment where it was very poignant because a man was honored. We'd actually Barry the chairman of the Showcase of Homes committee.
said we have to honor this guy because he sets an example for the rest of us. And this person ⁓ had a property on Circular Street in Saratoga. So just like old lots, he literally had two lots, one lot had his house and the next lot was empty. Well, instead of selling that lot, which could have yielded him a lot of money, I mean, we're at Sterling Real Estate Group, I'm sure they would have.
Love to have that listing. Because there would have been a line of buyers and in 10 minutes or less that lot would have been sold for quite a bit of money. Instead of selling it, he actually contacted Habitat and said, I'm donating the lot next to my house so that Habitat can build a home for somebody worthwhile. I mean, if you're not touched by that, then you have a heart of stone, but...
I mean, he just, I think he got a standing ovation. He was honored really well. And he was just this humble man and all he wanted to do was help. And in exchange, ⁓ Habitat Home was built there. It is finished. Barry had attended the opening of the house and it was given to a woman. The home was given to a woman and I'm sure they trade garden tips now. But it's a beautiful, beautiful story. It's a beautiful home. I was actually at that build as well with some of the...
construction company. one way to help Habitat is if you have land laying around, you can donate it. Absolutely. Thank you. And you know, it's something that you can really change somebody's life in that regard. So which region do you work in for Habitat? Because Habitat is an international and national organization. this is specifically... Correct. Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties.
⁓ And so it's a pretty big region and a region certainly in need. ⁓ I wanted to mention, you mentioned Circular Street and I do want to ⁓ mention that Circular Street ⁓ donation, how amazingly extraordinary that was. And also I wanted to give a shout out to Mike Ervilek who is on our Showcase of Homes builder list this year.
He helped us actually finish that home on West Circular Street, as well as Saratoga Sod and E1, who helped us with the landscaping. So I just wanted to make sure that they also got recognition for their generosity and the help that they provided. Yeah, there's a lot. I mean, Saratoga is known for its incredible building situation, both commercial and ⁓ residential. It's just everywhere, right?
it turned a corner without seeing a construction site, which I love. I've been in this area since I was a teenager, went away for a while and came back and the growth is incredible. I love it now. It's where I choose to retire in air quotes. And actually I'm not retired if I'm volunteering for all of these organizations in town. But, you know, there's opportunities if you want to donate a truckload of gravel or lumber or anything, ⁓ every penny and every little help.
accounts for an organization like Habitat for Humanity. And lucky for you, there are lot of generous people in the region. Thank you, Jovita. So ⁓ just to talk about the responsibilities of Habitat for Humanity, again, not a handout, but a hand up. During Showcase of Homes, we do ⁓ showcase about 13 homes this year.
Hopefully no one drops out. I think everybody's gonna stay in and that's a matter of whether or not the house is finished in time. With all the rain we've been getting, I can't even imagine being a builder without wanting to scream every day, crying. So what Habitat and the other nonprofits rebuilding Saratoga and Northeast Construction Coalition does is...
the volunteers from those nonprofits actually man the houses to register people as they walk through the houses. That's what I understand. My first year was Showcase. Yeah. That's correct. Just learning this. Yeah. So you just gather about 6 to 12 volunteers who work through 2 weekends. So it's not easy. did it 2 years ago. I just did most of the shifts.
But it's fun, you meet the community, you get to thank them for their support. Every ticket holder paid, well most of them if they're not comped, to see the house. So it's a good opportunity to thank people who are literally putting their money where their mouth is. They are truly helping. But thousands, thousands of people participate.
It is absolutely incredible how the community comes out. ⁓ By the end of it, the committee, I'm probably the least hardworking person in the committee because they just tell me what to do and I do it. But there are so many people committed to making all of this work and organizing really a regional wide event. It's a lot of professional work, a lot of...
compassion and commitment and dedication that the committee puts forward. So, you know, that should be a fun and interesting thing for you to experience this year. it should. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. you know, just overwhelmed by the generosity of, you know, the Showcase for Homes committee and keeping us in mind, you know, the money that we raise from this project is just...
It's helping to build stronger communities, right? Brighter future for families. So ⁓ we can't thank you all enough. I think it also speaks to, you know, when a habitat home is built in your neighborhood, you can be sure that that place is going to stay neat and clean and tidy.
Because again, this is technically the community's house being given to one person and they are ⁓ required to keep up the property in good condition, ⁓ which is important. I mean, a lot of neighborhoods kind of fall apart, right? It's a good perspective. We want to build community, not tear it down, that's for sure. Yeah, and actually I just drove by the one in Circular and you you just feel...
a little prouder, a little happier that somebody's enjoying a beautiful house. Yeah, we're really excited about ⁓ our next project, which is in Warrensburg. We just closed on a property in Warrensburg. back to your ⁓ mention of the donor of land ⁓ on this property, interestingly, we have a donor of a modular home. And
We can't wait to tell that story as it unfolds, as I learn more about this project and this donation. ⁓ I'm just thrilled. What a generous donation of a home. That donation last year was a property, this donation this year is a home. we have the property ⁓ and we're anticipating placement of that in September. And we are
yearning for applicants for Warrensburg. So if anybody is ⁓ interested, please get your applications over to us right away. We're going to be doing a push this summer for applications for the Warrensburg property. So really exciting stuff coming. Or if you know someone. Or if you know someone. Some people feel there's a stigma attached to it. And the reality is there are a lot of people who just want to help. Yeah. And that's what I've found to be true.
So just to recap, Showcase of Homes this year, I believe tickets aren't on sale yet, but we're getting ready to push that out. This year it is on the weekends of October 4th through the 5th and October 11th through the 12th. And I'm praying to the Lord above, the rain gods above not to pour on us. One year we had pouring rain. But you know, people still come out. People still come out and do it. ⁓
And you know, it's a fun event. ⁓ You can be a voyeur and look at houses. We've got some exciting locations this year. If for anybody interested, just go to our website, Showcase of Homes, and you can see stories about habitat, rebuilding, and the coalition, the nonprofits we do all this work for. And also, I think eventually we're gonna have videos of the actual homes ⁓ and some more information about
how to buy tickets and participate and also how to help some of these nonprofits outside of this event. So I don't know if we're getting a one minute warning sign off here. ⁓ we've got a little more time. Three minutes. ⁓ But just from personal experience, are you ⁓ excited? What is the vision for ⁓ yourself within Habitat for Humanity and what do you hope to accomplish?
Thank you for that question. I've been in the area for quite a long time in the nonprofit world ⁓ with physical health as well as mental health. ⁓ So I've got a lot of great partners. If you're out there listening, ⁓ hit me up. Look me up at Habitat. ⁓ It's my new home. ⁓ And I look forward to growth and...
connecting with community and collaborating within community and really ⁓ building an organization that the community has not seen in quite some time. So, you know, I'm excited, I'm anxious to get started, I'm digging in, I've got all feet in. ⁓ And so I'm looking forward to meeting new.
new people. getting to looking forward to exploring the regions of Warren and Washington County, which I'm a bit unfamiliar with. ⁓ Certainly Saratoga, I've been integrated for a bit, but Warren and Washington County, I'm looking forward to beautiful country. I've already had some great opportunity to visit some partners out in that region and see our property out in the region. So it's, I mean, it's just a beautiful, you know, ⁓
canvas to paint. So I'm looking forward to connecting with the community and painting it together. You know, sometimes I've been around Saratoga long enough and around the world ⁓ to know that, and in fact, I just recently met with some elected officials in Saratoga and there's a misconception that Saratoga County is, you know, air quotes rich and that there's nobody in need in this region and
Nothing can be further from the truth. Just as an example, a statistic that ⁓ I learned was, I think 25 % of the children in the Saratoga school district are actually qualified for the free lunch programs, which means their families are operating below poverty level. We all know the cost of food, the cost of utilities, the cost of housing as part of that.
So I want to take just a moment for people to know that there is a need even in Saratoga. And then you go to Warren County and Washington County. ⁓ It is even worse in some areas. Well, I think a lot of people forget about rural community and not realizing that that is ⁓ an area of great need. So. Yeah. So actually, just on that note, I was talking to Barry. I said, you know what?
Greenwich is the next place to go. Just keep going north. We gotta get some homes and sponsors from that direction so that we can help Habitat and the other nonprofits more. I don't think there's any stopping this committee from doing this showcase every single year. We just need a lot more help identifying houses as well as sponsors. So anything folks can do out there. All for a good cause. Nobody gets paid for doing any of this. So we'd love your help.
But thank you for being on the Real Talk podcast. So grateful for your time, Jo and to Sterling and to Showcase. ⁓ Thank you. ⁓ Thank you so much. You're welcome. ⁓ well, contact us for Showcase for Homes. I would just go to the website. I don't have the actual website, but if you just Google Showcase for Homes Saratoga.
⁓ We were just talking today about having updated information. So take a look. We'll make it real easy to purchase tickets. ⁓ And there's contact information ⁓ on that website as well. And for Habitat for Humanity, glensfallshabitat.org. Thank you so much. Have a good day, everyone.