NIMBY is an acronym for “not in my back yard.” It is a pejorative term, and, as I will explain, that is for a good reason. Real estate professionals with any involvement in their community will inevitably get exposure to NIMBYs, and, in my view this should be viewed as an opportunity to show some […]

I get an apologetic phone call from clients now and then, and I think its kind of sweet. They don’t want to transact but have a question they know I can answer, and feel like they are imposing. Post sale service is a legitimate thing to me, and I always tell them that their call […]

This was fun to make. I did it for fun on my iPhone, and I used iMovie to edit. You can’t ever go wrong with Mozart either, although this style might match better with Rossini. 29 Deans Bridge Road in Somers is now $849,900. Someone is going to get a wonderful house at this price, […]

You can still buy a nice 3 bedroom home in Putnam County for under $350,000 like the one our buyer client closed on last week. It is a fully renovated 1100 square foot 3 bedroom, 2 bath bungalow on a level lot with parking for at least 4 cars. The siding, roof, HVAC, walls, kitchen, […]

Decades ago when I was tending bar, we always knew to avoid any discussion of politics or religion because it was a powder keg. In real estate, that would also include any discussion involving Zillow, dual agency, and square footage. Ah…square footage. Where do I start? Broadly stated, residential square footage typically includes finished living […]

Escalation clauses are sometimes included in offers that essentially state that if the offer being presented is outbid by another competing offer that the buyer will raise their number by a set amount over the higher competing bid. Sometimes they are clever due to the confidential nature of closed bids in New York real estate, […]

The term “in law apartment” or “in-law space” has become misunderstood lately by both agents and consumers, so I’d like to clear up what should be fairly straightforward. First, if a home is a single family house, it is just that: a single housing unit. It is not a multi-unit building. If it has a […]

I LOVE THIS HOUSE! The dollar goes just a bit further in Ulster County than it does in Westchester, and this decked out cape that my clients closed on this week are ecstatic about their purchase. The prior owner did a marvelous renovation, and in addition to the wood burning fireplace and nearly an acre […]

If I were asked by a seller what separates me from other agents to get them the best price for their home, I’d answer their question with a question of my own. What type of mortgage do you have on the house now? If the answer were an FHA, VA, or USDA mortgage, I’d then […]

Westchester County has a population of about 1 million residents. Most of those folks who inhabit the 914 area code live in homes that are connected to public sewers, but there are a hefty number of properties, especially in the northern part of the county, that are on septic systems. I’ve said before that there’s […]

I posted not long ago that one of the reasons why inventory is so low is that we are not building new homes at a rate needed to meet our housing needs. It is estimated that we need another 7 million units to solve this, and that won’t happen overnight. What’s worse is that in […]

Ever since I got in to real estate in the 90s, the public has had a bit of a preoccupation with buying foreclosures. The perception that a bank owned property is a bargain is hard to argue with, but it’s not always a simple or straightforward process. Having specialized in distressed properties for decades, I’ll […]

When I went to pick my son up from baseball practice earlier this week, a friend came up an smiled at me. “Sorry about your pay cut!” I knew what she was referring to, and as I peruse the news reports on the recent NAR commission settlement, I share many other Americans’ frustration at the […]

For more than 20 years, home sellers in the state of New York have been required to furnish their buyer with a form known as a Property Condition Disclosure Statement (PCDS). It is a collection of several dozen questions that the seller is required to answer about the characteristics of the home. The law always […]

If you’re my age or older, you probably recall the the old Dick Van Dyke show. Dick Van Dyke Played Rob Petrie and his TV wife Laura was played by the great Mary Tyler Moore. You may not recall the exact address, but the Petrie family lived at  fictitious 148 Bonnie Meadow Road, New Rochelle.  […]

If you’ve ever wondered what the story is behind those flimsy looking signs nailed to telephone poles all over the place promising you a fast cash sale on your house, I have the answer. I’m sure you know the signs I speak of. They are known in the industry as “bandit signs.” Some are professionally […]

If your budget is in the $700,000 range and you’re looking in Ossining, you’ll be pleased to know that you can still buy a 4 bedroom home on over an acre like the one we just closed on this week in town. 5 Ridgeview drive has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, and a 1.6 acre lot. […]

Swimming pools are probably the last thing on most peoples’ minds but we are still selling homes that have them, and this thought is a bit overdue. Swimming pools are an improvement, so they add value to a property. They can’t not add value presuming they are in working order, but there’s a but. The “but” […]

When I was first licensed in the 1990s, if a house didn’t sell for a period of time like 30 or 60 days, we would often reduce the price. Sometimes it was because we had too few showings, or because the showings we had didn’t yield any offers. On occasion, some home sellers would voice […]

Back in 2009, I was approached by Redfin to help them enter the Westchester real estate market as a referral partner. They did not have employee agents here, so referring clientele to other brokerages would be a win/win arrangement to start. I was eager for any new source of business, and took a closer look. […]