We have had the good fortune to receive some cash offers submitted on company listings recently. Cash is nice; no mortgage, no appraisal, no banks, and fewer headaches. Agents who submit a cash offer have every right to be enthusiastic and upbeat about it. However, there is a peculiar trend among cash offers which perplexes […]

Do you like privacy?  Looking for that quiet getaway?  Are you security minded?  Perhaps you seek a nice pied-à-terre. Maybe you hate schlepping out the garbage all the way to the end of the driveway twice a week.  Did you hear that the Hamptons and Catskills are “out?” I have just the place for you.  That’s […]

Should I get a little R and R? You tell me. Earlier today I put a slice of pizza in the microwave and began to input my bank card PIN.  Not long ago, Ann mentioned Catherine’s excellent report card, and for a fleeting moment I began to worry that it wouldn’t comp out.  On the […]

On September 11, 2001, I was preparing to drive my fiance’ to work at her office on the upper east side of Manhattan. Our wedding was in 18 days, her parents were literally in the air from Korea that very morning and due at JFK in a few hours, and the sky was blue. It […]

My fellow New Yorkers know we’ve endured a brutal winter. The kids were busting out to enjoy the warmer weather, and even when it rained, they were out there to enjoy mother nature. We have a great vantange point from our back door and caught preciousness many times. These are just a few examples of […]

I thought it might never come after the winter we endured, but Spring has arrived in Westchester County. As always, it is beautiful, with forsythia and cherry blossoms making their debut ahead of many other pieces of God’s artistry.  This is Gregory (who has stolen Mom’s iPad) and his faithful Max in the shade of […]

Gizmos Drive Me Crazy.  16 short months ago, I bought a Netbook laptop with a 3g Internet connection. It made me a tech savvy guy. I would see a client at their home and watch their jaws drop as I logged onto the Multiple Listing Service and produced a market analysis right before their eyes. […]

I had the pleasure of helping a new agent get his very first listing tonight. It was our second time at the kitchen table of this particular seller, and it was a textbook case of my standing offer to all my guys: Put me in front of your prospects and I’ll get you their business.  […]

I have barely had time to notice Active Rain’s server issues because of a frantic past two weeks in my own little corner of the world. Among many things, I had to take two days and drive to Rochester, 300 miles away, to handle some business with some properties we own. Like any busy broker, […]

How to Submit a Low Offer on a New York Listing What is more compelling to someone selling a home when presented with an offer on their property: A voicemail     or A well written offer sheet complete with a cover letter, proof of funds, pre approval and specific terms If you are like […]

Is a sale any less valuable if a broker or manager steps in and helps? One thing I appreciate when I assist members of my firm in their transactions is that my guys truly care for their clients. It certainly shows in their actions, and I have the front row seat as broker to see […]

Like many associations across the country, our own MLS had a moment of silence at our monthly meeting yesterday in memory of fallen Realtor colleague Ashley Oakland. The news has been a bitter pill to swallow for agents all over the USA, and I can’t fathom her loved ones’ grief and suffering.  Today’s news informed […]

If you haven’t heard, another real estate agent has been murdered. 27 year old Ashley Oakland was shot twice while at a model townhome in West Des Moines, Iowa. Her company, Iowa Realty, has suspended all open houses.  This tragedy sickens me as a father, as a broker, and as a human being. Here is, […]

Two follow up pieces of news on topics I have blogged on recently:  Ossining voters have overwhelmingly rejected the $69,000,000 bond proposal for the expansion and renovation of the school buildings. I wrote a piece voicing my own opposition to the proposal, and evidently, other school district voters agreed with me by a 57%-43% margin. Over […]

I read the NY Times far less because of the paywall, but today’s editorial brings to light a new problem with big lenders embroiled in the robo-signing scandal: they are already making a backroom deal for a slap on the wrist and permission to continue with business as usual. The banks gameplan that they are […]

  I seldom re blog posts from other authors but this piece by John Mulkey is sound advice that more people should consider. All too often, I’ll show a home that was bought at foreclosure and rehabilitated in a manner that addressed cosmetics but left mechanicals and structural matters in a dubious state.  There is […]

Here is some good business advice for both colleagues and clientele alike: Put something in your email subject line whenever you send something. And and don’t make it “For Phil” or “Attn: Phil.” Getting an email with nothing in the subject line is a minor annoyance. But it can also be expensive. Here’s why: 2 […]

Wednesday’s Journal News has a front page story on Ossining politicians urging Andrew Cuomo to close Sing Sing Prison. As a native of Ossining who worked a block away in a neighborhood market for years while in school, the idea gets my attention. Would closing Sing Sing make sense? Would it benefit Ossining?  It is […]

I arrived back home to Briarcliff Manor tonight after returning from Rain Camp Atlantic City and two days of intense instruction. My first Raincamp was excellent, but also different. There was so much information in the new-two day event that I am exhausted from being engaged and focused for so long. It is a “good” […]

Perhaps no phenomenon in real estate is as much of a lightning rod for strong opinions as the Zillow Zestimate. Most agents I speak with hate it; I have had instances where looking it up has helped a deal and I have had clients walk from a deal because of it. The Zillow Zestimate has […]