Two items of significance today: I have a closing at 1pm. This is very pleasing to my wife, who attaches importance to having funds in the company operating account.  Regarding the wife: Nine years ago today, Ann showed up. For our wedding. This was something that at the time was not an absolute certainty, as she had […]

I was first licensed in Rochester, New York in 1996. I remember receiving a paper memo from my mentor about what tools I’d need to start my career. Just the fact that it was a paper memo speaks volumes. Among the things needed: Beeper Voicemail account 3-ring binder Plastic sleeves for the listing presentation Day planner Copy […]

Earlier this morning, Margaret Rome called me and we had a very nice conversation about the business. I emailed her after she commented on a post and she picked up the phone to reach out and speak in person. We had never met prior, so it was unexpected and completely out of the blue. Margaret just wanted […]

Having represented buyers and sellers for 14 years I can appreciate the job that licensees have to do for their clients on both sides of the transaction. I may expound on the role of the listing agent in another post, but for now I want to address a trend I am seeing more and more […]

I have a listing that has been on the market for almost 3 years. Counting the price with a prior broker, it has been reduced in price almost $170,000. I have had 66 showings on it, and as a 4-bedroom, it is tens of thousands of dollars cheaper than 3-bedroom units that have sold in […]

Since there appears to be a movement toward venting tonight, I’ll jump in the pool too. Here are a few offences that have gone unpunished recently, and I hereby appoint myself as Czar of Real Estate Justice. The Crime: Agents who keep their cell phone a state secret, even if they have an offer on one […]

I have to say that I normally cringe when Westchester Magazine ranks anything related to our local communities. My own home town of Ossining is often left in the shadow of the more affluent communities, and believe me, Westchester has some affluent towns. Yet the October issue of Westchester magazine has ranked Ossining 2nd out of 40 […]

I just found out that a former client passed away.  This was not just anyone; he was a father, a grandfather, and the house he listed with me was the home his grandfather bought in the 1940’s. I loved that house, and I liked Joel a great deal as well. It was a rare home […]

I know of two fellow brokers whom I like and respect who have said that they carry and are willing to use a handgun to ensure their safety on showings if some creep means them harm. I think this is a mistake. First things first: as a New Yorker, it is rather foreign to me […]

In their efforts to accommodate buyers and make deals work, more Westchester home sellers are agreeing to either credit money to buyers for repairs or make the repairs outright. In general, I’d rather issue a credit; buyers can do the work as they see fit and sellers have one less headache.  Often, however, the repairs are things […]

Early on the the beginning of the company, I listed a gorgeous old home that dated back to colonial times just outside the border of a village. It was a striking place, and even though it abutted commercial properties, its location outside the border of the village gave it residential zoning. A non-residential use required […]

Not long ago, we read about a judge throwing out a foreclosure case, resulting in a mortgage being de-facto-cancelled, due to the plaintiff not being able to produce documented ownership of the mortgage.  What is being done on the secondary market is not overseen and may well be rife with shenanigans.  Pay attention to this […]

  Carol Culkin, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in person recently, wrote a very thoughtful post on listing agent-accompanied showings that prompted me to finish and revise a draft I had. We work the same market, and my thoughts are for Westchester County, New York and the Hudson Valley. Your results may vary.  […]

I have meant to post this earlier. On September 16 the Wall Street Journal posted 10 reasons to Buy a Home, and the article is sound advice. What is good about it is the even keeled nature of the piece- real estate isn’t a 1-way ticket to dreamsville, but it is a savvy move for […]

Let me preface my remarks by making it clear that, all things being equal, I’d choose an agent from my own town over an agent half the county away…if all things were equal. Things are seldom equal in this market. Here are a few facts: Westchester County Home Buyers window shopped on Main Street in […]

No, we weren’t expecting another one- I’m a BLOGGING dad! This morning, as I perused the Active Rain features, I almost fell off my chair. I am so used to seeing Tom’s face that I almost didn’t notice, but there, 6 posts down the page from my own post, was Tom Ricapito, licensed agent with […]

As the beads of persipration gathered on my furrowed brow, I – Wait, this is a market report. Sorry. *ahem* Yorktown is a large town in northern Westchester County served by both the Yorktown and Lakeland School districts. It is is very post-war suburban in character- the vast majority of homes are 60’s and 70’s era […]

This post is inspired by Brittany Rollins thought provoking post. It struck a chord.  Real estate is  a hard business, especially right now. You have to love it. If you don’t, you should probably get out, or at least get out of the part of the industry you don’t love. I know many people in the industry […]

A brief observation prompted by nothing in particular.  One of the biggest ironies of government solutions to housing problems is how heavily regulated the foot soldiers (agents, loan officers) have become while the executives in the glass tower can build billion dollar ponzi schemes and get away with it.  I can’t have a discussion about […]

I seldom reblog, but this is an important message. September is Realtor Safety Month.  This is not a minor thing. We meet strangers in strange places for a living. There are news stories of our colleagues being assaulted and killed. I was once assaulted- by a client- an imbalanced one- and there was a huge […]