Buying a home can be stressful. I mean, look at the picture: the largest expenditure of most lives, housing, borrowing, lawyers, mortgages, down payments, contingencies, credit, taxes, closing costs, monthly payments, inspections…does any of that sound soothing? Another decidedly NOT soothing word is “decisions,” and consumers have to make quite a few of them throughout […]

If you are in the market for a 4 bedroom, 3 bath colonial, this property would have been for you. Set on .8 acres, it backs up to Ryder Park in the town of Ossining. While technically a 1966 build, another home was previously built on the lot and the original fireplace and mantel were […]

Here’s a short cautionary tale. Many years ago I was representing a buyer client in their purchase of a home in Westchester County. We found a listing in Cortlandt that appeared to check all the boxes, but Mrs. Buyer Client had something last minute come up and I saw it with Mr. Buyer Client only. […]

Inventory may be historically low, but quality options are still out there. A good example is this awesome cape we just sold on behalf of a long time relationship seller client in White Plains, NY. 33 Prospect Street is a 4 bedroom home in a quiet neighborhood but only a few hundred yards from downtown […]

I am paraphrasing the great Yogi Berra when I say that predicting the future is easy, but getting it right is a bit trickier. Many of my colleagues have offered their prognostications in a market that is the perfect storm of black swans, judicial actions, economic uncertainty, and so many competing interests that there doesn’t […]

A quick one today while I have a moment: I’m a NY Giants fan from way back. I remember when Fran Tarkenton was the quarterback and the futile 1970s when the team stunk. Just about every guy I know has a team they follow, and I’ll share with you some dots I connected back when […]

Everyone lives indoors. I share this with my team fairly frequently in our weekly training, and while it’s always good for a smile, the facts are that our shelter needs don’t change with election maps unless you yourself just got elected to something and have to relocate to Washington DC. If you are expecting twins […]

If I hadn’t gone through this myself with my own mother I doubt I would write about it. I do think that my (and my brothers’) experience is worth sharing for those who are considering this as an option. First, it is worth noting that getting old is good fortune. Not all people get to […]

One of the more frustrating things for consumers to experience when searching for real estate to is to see a desirable property online for sale, send it to their agent to schedule a showing, and then not be able to get in. Sometimes the listing agent doesn’t respond, which is a violation of the rules. […]

September is a big month in property tax circles in New York, and courts throughout the state are receiving “tax certiorari” cases filed in considerable volume. That term is quite a mouthful (thankfully, my spellcheck recognizes the word), and it’s related to the assessed value of properties for tax purposes. It’s no secret that property […]

It’s no secret that even in a hot market like this one, home sellers want all the stops pulled out by their agent to get their home sold for the most money. As well they should. Business is business. One ironic request, however, is when the seller does not want a yard sign. Their rationale […]

Ah, north Westchester! The land of horse country, idyllic lake communities, winding roads, and spotty cellular coverage. When you find a home with lake rights that has good mobile phone signal like this one, you know you’ve got something special. Snark about cellular data aside, this 1500 square foot colonial set on nearly a quarter […]

For many years, there has been an awkward moment when consumers attending an open house are asked to sign in. It is understandable to not want to become someone’s prospect or lead, and it doesn’t seem necessary to many folks. We see this pushback everywhere: a cashier asks a customer at checkout for their email […]

This was the house that came back; I interviewed with the prior owner who sold it to my clients but we didn’t get the listing. This time we did! It just closed on July 31st for $800,000. Somers is known for its bucolic setting and this property didn’t disappoint, as the nearly 1.5 acre lot […]

If you feel priced out of Westchester, fear not. Dutchess County, sometimes humorously referred to as “Nextchester,” often has what you need if you are open to living a little farther north. A great example is this renovated raised ranch on a 1.2 acre lot on a cul-de-sac street that we closed on today at […]

Contractual deadlines and “by when” dates are baked into industry practices. Listings have expiration dates. Buyer agreements do also. Purchase and sale contracts have mortgage contingency dates, closing dates, and other structures of fulfillment that are terms for principals to abide by. Deadlines are not exclusive to contracts. There is a reasonable amount of time […]

If your budget is in the range of $2.895 million, a recent sale by our company can illustrate what that will buy quite clearly. As the MLS description says, Welcome to the epitome of Bedford living. Meticulously crafted, this estate redefines opulence. Indulge in a serene exclusive haven offering 6 bedrooms, 8 baths and over […]

13 years ago I wrote a post entitled “How Salespeople Can Prevent Their Broker From Premature Gray Hair.” It was a fun piece on things that licensees do that range from driving their managers crazy to working smarter and not harder. With the evolution of the industry and technology, I’ve decided to update the list. […]

First, some backstory: When I joined Howard Hanna Rand, I had been based in Briarcliff Manor for almost 20 years. My company had other office locations in Pelham and Carmel, but I hung my hat near my home. This past December, I was asked to move a bit north and manage the Yorktown and Carmel […]

The quality of life in Patterson is mighty nice, and I’m sure our clients will agree after closing on this awesome townhouse for $410,000 last week. This 1700+ square foot home was technically listed as a one bedroom, 2.5 bath but it lives like a 3 bedroom with a 2nd quarters on the second level […]