The September edition of Real Estate In Depth, the official publication of the Westchester Putnam Association of Realtors, has an announcement that WPAR is in discussions with neighboring organizations on the possibility of a merger. The other associations are the Rockland County Board of Realtors and the Orange County Association of Realtors, and the idea […]

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“Staging for the Average Homeowner” will be the theme for Marie Graham‘s workshop to be held Thursday, October 6th at 7pm at the John C Hart Memorial Library in Shrub Oak. The event will cover many of the more important underpinnings of home staging and how it can aid in the sale of the home, […]

Recognizing that not all markets are the same and that we as brokers have an obligation to disclose material facts, my thoughts are centered on practices here in my home market of Westchester and the Hudson Valley. Simply put, I am not sure that marketing listings that are short sales as short sales first and […]

One of the somewhat unique things about Westchester County, especially south Westchester, is that it was almost completely developed after the 2nd World War. What this means is that there are very few newer homes, and the inventory that we have is older, often much older, than a typical home in other communities around the […]

Discovering Westchester County is like peeling an onion-anyone that views “the 914” as an amalgam of bedroom communities slumbering while all the action takes place south of us in Manhattan is missing out. For the last 37 years, Broadway has had an outpost right in Elmsford at the Westchester Broadway Theatre. Just last night, Ann […]

Something I read on Facebook earlier made me just a little sad. Chris Somers asked for opinions on the banks’ role in the downturn versus the borrowers, and one of the comments was just callous. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard it. I just wish it were the last. Rather than get into a […]

To the guy who thinks it is clever to inquire on one of my listings as if he were an interested buyer, only to pitch me  that he is an Internet search firm and can improve my search engine rankings: I will never, ever do business with you.  I really get pinched by the false […]

I have written before on real estate investor mistakes, and one of them is worth expanding on. It is little discussed, but if an investor buys a property for rehab and resale, there is more than a simple margin to be focused on. The investor should also be guided by a realistic timetable.  All too […]

I’ll never say never, but this evening I had to explain to a seller client why I was unwilling to take a listing for only 90 days. I fully understand the reason why sellers want to hold their agent’s feet to the fire and ensure that they aren’t stuck in a long term contract with […]

Growing up in Ossining, even though I went to Catholic schools after 1st grade, I always got the connection between the local history and the high school mascot, the Ossining Indian. We were told of the Sint Sinck heritage, stone on stone, and how the high school teams were emblematic of that history. That changed […]

A brief rant on agent Feedback, which, as I have said before, is often an excercise in futility. If an agent is kind enough to email back feedback on on of my listings, “call me” is not an option. Our Feedback system is online and my clients get cc’d on all submissions. I don’t need […]

I have read with some interest on the recent blogging debate on how much we should cross polinate business with our personal lives. On one side you have people who feel it inappropriate to be very forthcoming about family and personal matters in a professional relationship, and then there are folks who see being open […]

How can a kid that cute make that much… Given my work schedule, sometimes we kill two birds with one stone: we pile all 4 kids into the car with a sign and a lockbox, and drive out to a new listing so Dad can put up the sign and install the lockbox. Then we […]

The joke among many in my area is that many forms of networking are called “notworking.” I could attend a networking event almost every day, nurse a cocktail, wear a nametag, and converse with fellow agents about life, the universe, and everything, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it generates business or helps me sell one […]

What can you get in Ossining for $741,000?  If you acted fast, you could have gotten a gorgeous 2002-built colonial in Waterview Estates. Here’s what it had under the hood: a level half acre lot backing up to wilderness (General Electric-owned reservoir), exquisite landscaping, a lawn sprinkler system, a wrap around porch and a 2-car […]

Earlier this year, I wrote a piece on how the 2011 market was starting out far slower than the same period in 2010. I qualified the statement with the prediction that 2011 might surpass 2010 later in the year, as early 2010 results were skewed by the stimulus.  Here’s how we are doing thus far:  […]

Labor Day is past us and school has begun. So I’ll rub it in a little and show you a cool photo essay of Rye Playland, Westchester County’s revered amusement park and home of a million happy memories.  As the sign says, Playland has been open since 1928. It is the only county-run amusement park […]

A few months ago, fellow blogger Susan Mangigian referred me to a high powered business woman who was looking to get into real estate. So, on a rainy April afternoon at Coffee Labs in Tarrytown, I had a nice discussion with Barbara Bartell about career in brokerage. It has been a circuitous route, but this […]