This is the second time I have reblogged something by this home inspector, Joseph Michalski, and for good reason. The home inspector’s job, done properly, takes these 10 rules into account. Excellent commentary on a crucial part of the home buying process.  Via Joseph Michalski – PA Home Inspector (Sherlock Homes Inspections): “Are you really […]

  J. Philip real estate excels in providing a strong inventory of pre foreclosures and short sales in Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties that are great for people looking for a handyman or fixer upper at a good price.  We have a  short sale opportunity for a handyman or developer in northern Westchester County. This is a […]

The local rag has quoted me in the Sunday edition of the paper in an article on strategic defaults. The local rag, being, of course, the New York Times. The interview for the article was this past week, and the reporter, Lynnley Brown, was very nice. She said I’m a mortgage broker, which is a […]

This market report is for single family home activity in the Briarcliff Manor school district for November of 2010. All information is derived from the Empire Access (formerly Westchester-Putnam) Multiple Listing Service.  A light month in Briarcliff Manor. Median price is about the same as last November, but only 3 deals closed. Nine homes are under […]

  This market report is for single family home activity in the Ossining school district for October of 2010. All information is derived from the Empire Access (formerly Westchester-Putnam) Multiple Listing Service.  Ossining is a bouncing ball. Last month the median price was $535,000. November’s median was less than $370,000. The true picture is somewhere in the […]

Maybe it started with the emperors thumbs up or thumbs down in the Roman Coliseum. Maybe it culminated with Fonzie. Or Sally Field. Or Facebook. Nobody knows, but the human fascination with rating each other is well-documented. In light of Zillow’s new agent rating system, I am moved to opine on the online versions of how […]

I’ll be posting a market report on Yorktown in the very near future, but I thought I’d give a more specific snapshot at what $472,000 buys these days.  This is a 3 bedroom split colonial with a den and 1.5 baths on a quiet street in the Countryside neighborhood that just closed yesterday. It sits […]

Westchester Fixer Uppers for Sale I have recently listed two awesome opportunities for a buyer to get instant sweat equity in their ownership of a home. These are both rehabilitation opportunities, in need of complete renovation but priced very low for a fast sale. Neither are short sales and both can close quickly with clear title.  1. 11 […]

 

I very seldom re blog another author, but this was, in my view, a very timely message. All too often, it is suggested to me that that those I refer my clients to, such as lawyers, mortgage officers or home inspectors, are somehow in my pocket. Nothing could be further from the truth. No transaction […]

Upon occasion I get a call from a cooperating agent who is calling to show one of my short sale listings. I welcome these calls- anything I can do to equip the buyer’s agent with data to help the sale is something I am eager to do. They might have questions on the layout, condition, […]

Just over a year ago, Westchester County settled a lawsuit with the government that called for it to build 750 affordable housing units in mostly white part of the county. The background of the case is lengthy and the local discussion of the matter has been heated in some quarters. The bottom line was a promise from […]

Two parcel of land, one on the Byram River and another on Willett Avenue in Port Chester are being developed for a combined 183 apartments. According to the Journal News, The Mariner will be a 100-unit complex on the river and the castle will be an 83 unit project with street level retail units. Demolition […]

From 1945 until 1984, 60 Main Street in Sleepy Hollow (then known as North Tarrytown) was a battery factory operated by Duracell. It was a Superfund site due to toxic contamination, but was then de-listed after a 1993 cleanup. The village bought it in the 1990’s for $1 from Gillette, who had acquired Duracell in the interim, […]

In light of this article in Tuesday’s NY Times on the poor October in real estate sales, I thought it worthwhile to inject a little sanity into the implications for local market conditions. According to the Empire Access MLS, in Westchester County in October 2010, there were 285 closed sales of single family homes at a median […]

I have a day where I can catch my breath and veg out. I am surrounded by things I am thankful for, so I’ll share some of the reasons for my gratitude.  I am thankful that my parents made the sacrifices they made so I could build the life I now enjoy.  I am thankful […]

It sort of amuses me to see questions asked by people online these days, such as on Trulia Voices. I was inspired to comment on one with the “foreclosure mentality” of many buyers, but it was actually posted a long time ago. Everybody wants a foreclosure. The perception that they are a wonderful bargain is overblown, but […]

The time around Thanksgiving and Christmas is typically when the inventory is often at its lowest level in general, as people tend to get more into the holidays. Homes buying often resumes after the holidays, and there is a phrase that says that spring begins January 2nd in real estate. This past July, Ossining had 146 active […]

There are times when I wonder if the public really knows what it takes to run a decent business when they bring up our real estate commission. Today, for example, we got our error and omission (E & O) insurance premium for fiscal 2011 and it was over double what I paid in 2010. And […]