“I can’t let you go inside my house with my kids home alone.”  Those were the words of a newer listing client when I asked to swing by the house to do something that would take under a minute. The kids were teenagers, a 13-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl.  Some background: When the home […]

Every so often, I have a nice comment or email from someone who read my blog. Sometimes they stick around and visit often, other times we are like two ships that passed in the rain. Sometimes, it is the other way around. When I first started on Active Rain, I would often “bookmark” a post […]

Perhaps because we speak with so many people in the course of a day, the odds of something memorable happening are far higher for brokers and agents than someone stuck in a cubicle all week. For example, a few months ago in Manhattan I walked out of a deli and saw a guy being arrested.  […]

Three real estate brokers were chatting after an association meeting about how slow business was. The subject of walk in business came up, and the first two expressed how long it had been since they last had a deal result from someone “walking in” off the street into their office.  The third broker however, said he just […]

Inman had news yesterday of REALTOR association mergers, and posed the question of the value of such moves. Given my involvement in a large territory spanning half a dozen MLS systems and many more boards, I feel that I should weigh in on the matter.  I am a big fan of large MLS systems, but […]

By now the whole country is talking about the over 25% drop in sales this past July in the wake of the stimulus. Here in the state of New York the sales were down 34.9% overall. Locally, Rockland County was down about 27% and Putnam was down 30.6%. But Westchester County was up, a surprisingly strong 8.7%, […]

I just spoke to a prospective client who has a bit of a complicated situation with a house he owns. It is vacant, and I met him there today along with a gentleman who turned out to be an older brother.  Without going into detail, this is not an easy scenario, and the guy clearly needs help. […]

The New York suburbs are often funny about real estate signs. One town won’t allow a sign with a company name, allowing only “For Sale By Broker” or “For Sale By Owner” on the panels. Another municipality prohibits anything bigger than 12″ x 12″. Some places ban signs altogether, while others have rules rendering them […]

How I found a stud with help from Stanley.  I’ve never in my 43 years needed to find a stud.  However, life does throw curveballs, and you have to adapt. So, being an open minded fellow and willing to try new things, even things that are foreign to me, against my nature, and frankly not to […]

Peekskill is one of the older River towns in Westchester County. I have blogged about Peekskill before, and I have done quite a bit of business there. It is by far the northernmost city in Westchester county, and in addition to being affordable, the quality of life there seems to improve by the week. This is the […]

Yorktown is a larger town in north Westchester County between Cortlandt and Somers. It is is very suburban in character- think post-war/baby boom subdivisions with ranches, splits and raised ranches and with larger colonials in the newer developments. It is served primarily by the Yorktown and Lakeland school districts, and it has abundant shopping and parks. […]

I have posted before about my philosophy with real estate investor clients. I don’t dislike newbies or amateurs, but I sure do a good job of scaring them about the realities of how expensive a mistake in real estate can be. I know investors who spent $400,000 on properties before the sub prime crisis hit, expecting to sell […]

The term “Vulture Fund” is used sometimes in real estate and other investments, and, as the metaphor suggests, is money earmarked for the purchase of a distressed asset. Often the instrument purchased is debt; if you have a loan or credit card you go south on, after it is charged off by the creditor it goes on […]

Earlier this summer I was contacted by a Manhattan resident who found me on the Internet and wanted me to show her and her husband some seven figure priced homes in an affluent suburb about 2 towns over. They chose me for a number of reasons, and our communication prior to our first meeting was […]

Three days ago, after 43 years of life, 9 years of marriage, and 4 children, Ann passed her drivers test. I know it may sound crazy that a suburban wife and mother, to say nothing of a partner in an active brokerage didn’t drive, but that was how things were. When we met in 1999, […]

Just a friendly reminder from a New York -based broker swimming in the shark tank of liability that discussions between brokers on commissions, M & Ms, jelly beans, or anything relating to compensation for brokering real estate is a big problem and potential liability for your broker. Two agents constitute discussions between two brokerages.  Big problem. Not […]

I originated mortgages full time for 5 years in the early 2000s. I worked for both mortgage brokers, who place loans with 3rd party lenders, and, as they are termed in New York, mortgage bankers, who are direct lenders. Up until recently, it was hard for a guy off the street to distinguish between the […]