I have often said that nearby Pleasantville is aptly named. It borders Briarcliff Manor to the east and is idyllic: a picturesque, charming little village on the Harlem line of Metro North with shops, eateries, and culture. The latest feather in the village’s cap is that GQ magazine voted it the second best smelling city […]

   

For the third time in the past 4 weeks, I have been contacted by a buyer who chose to call me directly instead of having their agent call me because their offer was not accepted. In each case, I have told the agent-and the buyer when they called- that I’d be happy to know what […]

New York State has something known as settlement conferences for homeowners facing foreclosure. It is a good law. Distressed borrowers can go to the courthouse and meet with lawyers of their lender face to face in front of a judge or court appointed referee. The referee is there to make sure that the bank is […]

Inman news is reporting a Youtube announcement from ARG (Abbott Realty Group) that they are not  permitting their listings to be viewed on 3rd party syndicators such as Zillow, Trulia and even Realtor.com. The link is already behind Inman‘s paywall so I have embedded the video below. This comes in the wake of a similar […]

I have written before on what a buyer’s market is and what a buyer’s market isn’t. Westchester County and our surroundings are a sought after destination; even if a home has been on the market for a year, once the price is right it will sell. I wish I could impress this upon a few […]

This is one of those topics I have been meaning to write about for a dog’s age (sorry) and I finally have the time and inspiration to do just that. It is my view that an inordinate percentage of real estate agents are dog lovers. Canine devotees. Poochophiles. And they aren’t just dog owners, they […]

I’m seldom political-I’m a capitalist, not a ideologue- and while I like President Obama, I have to say that I am incredibly disappointed by the State of the Union speech this evening for one good reason: he barely touched on housing or what he’d do to fix the industry. It is among our biggest problems […]

Let me preface my words clearly that I have no beef with franchises and treasure my many colleagues at other firms, large, small, independent and corporate. Everyone should hitch their trailer to the train that they feel best about.  My choice is that of an independent broker with no franchise or corporate affiliations because that […]

With apologies to Bill Clinton.  My firm sells a wide range of properties: upscale 7 figure estates right over to a $7500 trailer. Among our niches is the area broadly described as the distressed property market. This could vary from short sales to bank owned foreclosures to property that is owned free and clear but […]

Tonight was the installation party for the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors. Executives and directors of both HGAR and the Empire Access MLS (EAMLS) were sworn in for 2012, along with drinks, dinner and dancing. This will be my 3rd term as MLS Vice president, and it doubled as date night for me and Ann.  […]

Month by month, I have watched the 2011 Westchester Real estate market in comparison to the same month in 2010 to see how we’d stack up. Would values rise? Would transaction totals improve? 2011 started out behind the curve compared to 2010, but my theory was that 2010 started out artificially high due to the […]

What is market share in real estate?  Market share could mean percentage of closed transactions in a given area. Market share could mean the percent of closed dollar volume in a given area.Market share could be the amount of inventory for sale in a given area.  At around 11am today, market share took on a different […]

No one has asked me to, but I have taken down the post on the Hoax. I think I had a right to be critical of the way they handled this in Seattle, and I do think that we are owed an apology, but I also feel that the passions stirred are not going in […]

I remember the conversation like it was yesterday, even though it was 1997 or 1998. The typically sweet, warm and cordial client and I were discussing our next move on a purchase offer, and I was advising them against what struck me as making a rash response. “Well if you don’t agree, Phil,” she said […]

I have a conference all day in Manhattan tomorrow, so my Sunday was even busier than usual. At 9am I was at a kitchen table, discussing the next move for a new client. I seldom need “extra” motivation to get the job done for folks- I have 4 kids and a company to run. But […]

I’ll be the first person to admit that I do a crummy job of leveraging my database of past clients. We don’t have any regular communications like newsletters or emails, and that is a lost opportunity. The company will be 7 years old this June, and by that time I will have a good system […]

I am a huge fan of the Lake Superior State University Banished Words list. It is an annual survey of overused words and perusing past lists gives some insight into the pop culture of the time. Things like this really scratch that BA in English itch I get sometimes!  Via Janet Jones, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii […]

What can you buy in Yonkers for $350,000? So glad you asked. I happen to have a fresh example of just such a home that closed earlier today for $350,000 right in Yonkers a stone’s throw from Bronxville. The property is a charming Tudor with loads of awesome, pre-war appointments like leaded glass windows, classic […]

My pals at the Lucky Strikers Social Media Club will be putting on the 2012 edition of Real Estate BarCamp this Monday, January 9th from 9am to 5 (ish) at Simple Studios at 134 w 29th St in Manhattan. If you are a licensee and have never been to a BarCamp, you should check it […]