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 […]

I am often asked why I blog. Clients wonder, fellow agents ask, and many who have read my words are curious why I produce all this commentary. There are a number of reasons: it is therapeutic, I have a big mouth, I like to write, it keeps my company visible, and many other motivations come […]

Sometimes you just have to tip your hat. It seems so rare these days, especially in New York, where terse tolerance of the competition is the most we expect in this market. With the State Association (NYSAR) in town this week, 4 kids just getting back into the school routine, and my admin out all […]

This market report is for single family homes in the Croton-Harmon school district. All data is from the Westchester-Putnam MLS. Last month I wrote the following observation: The median asking price of $624,450 is over 100k more than the median sales price, so I don’t think we’ll see a huge increase in volume until buyers […]

I have blogged about the Peekskill Dog Park before. It just happens to be the creation of clients of mine. The story is that they got the city to dedicate underused parkland to an attraction that gets dozens of users a week.  In 12 days, the park will have its 2nd annual fundraiser, the Peekskill […]

I have read a number of places on Active Rain about the protocol of posting your own links in comments and the belief that linking back to your own post is considered hijacking a blog. Others have stated that if a link is posted by a commenter, they’ll delete it. Where did this start? Isn’t linking back […]