One of the things we as licensees often take for granted is that people are like us when it comes to emails, voicemails, texts and cell phones. They aren’t. Most people, at the end of the day, don’t take work home. We are on call 24/7/365. Clients aren’t agents and don’t live in our world. However, if […]

This photo was taken at dusk on June 18, 2010 from a boat in New York Harbor. The soft light from the torch, crown and base set against the sunset in person was powerful. 

Did you know that sometimes, despite our best efforts, lenders in a short sale will want the borrower to pay some money back? For example, if you have a $300,000 house with $315,000 on the first mortgage and $75,000 on the second, that the second mortgage might only release in the lien in exchange for a promissory note, unsecured terms, or […]

Westchester County is sought after because it is the suburbs of New York City. You have the best of both worlds- proximity to Manhattan and the Boroughs, and a suburban (and sometimes downright rural) lifestyle. It is for this reason that Manhattan Folk choose Westchester as their home. Goodbye apartment, goodbye storage rental space, goodbye […]

In 2007, we moved our family about a mile, one neighborhood over. Even though it was a short move, it took us across the line from the Village of Ossining to the Village of Briarcliff Manor. When you’re me, you don’t really expect to have many experiences with the police, aside from civic or social […]

Eileen Kennedy has written a great series on why agents change companies which I have read with interest. Much of what is said confirms why I run my own firm, including the oblique references to an unnamed Corporation in the Northeast with high fees and claustrophobic regulations. It reminded me of a number of great […]

 

  It took 13 months, but we finally closed on a short sale in Poughkeepsie that I originally listed in April of 2009. It took 4 months to get an offer, but there was a nightmare process getting assigned a negotiator and then a title issue was discovered that took another 3 months to clear. At one […]

In read Brian Rugg’s posting today about starting from scratch in real estate in a new market, and it dovetailed with a post I have been working on in draft form since Rose Marinaccio’s piece a few days ago as well. I relate to Brian’s thoughts on starting in a new place because it calls […]

The HUD-1 is the official closing statement required by law that documents all money exchanged in a real estate transaction involving a mortgage. In general terms, any money exchanged not mentioned on the HUD-1 is considered a side deal and in all likelihood, illegitimate. I’m not speaking of the separate sale of furniture or a lawn tractor; I’m […]

I love White Plains and White Plains loves me.  Closed July 14: 16 Manor Ave, White Plains, NY. I have blogged about this one before. I was the selling agent. I sold my clients’ White Plains Co op apartment last year in Bryant Gardens and we lost 2 other bids before landing this beautiful ranch […]

Let’s review some facts: Prices are down. Way down. Asking prices are so low, as a matter of fact, that some homes are getting multiple bids again. Rates are low. Really low. I just had a buyer close on a 30-years fixed for their home at 4.875%, and the lender was perfectly happy with the […]

Valhalla isn’t just where Vikings go when they die; it is where smart central Westchester residents live. Valhalla, NY is a hamlet in the town of Mount Pleasant which is served by the Valhalla School District and punctuated by a quaint downtown, a scenic train station and Kensico Dam. Kensico is one of the largest dams in […]

I will be hosting an open house at 4 Hickory Lane in Mahopac today from 1-3pm. The owner is a restaurateur, so you never know what might be on that dining room table!  The home is very unique and has a terrific location for work or play. MLS description is as follows:  Fantastic value and pride […]

In Westchester County, property taxes are high. Really high. My old house, a modest 2000 square foot home, has taxes of almost $14,000. My current home is pushing $17,000. With numbers that high, an inaccurate tax figure on the MLS can be a deal killer. When I started my company in 2005, tax figures on our MLS […]

Cynthia Larsen wrote a post I almost missed (but caught, because I subscribe to her) about an agent that left a voice mail message with no name and number. I feel the same way and expressed it before in a different context. It really isn’t rocket science, but many agents still don’t get that when they […]

It has been New York law since 2005 that home inspectors be licensed by the Department of State. The reasons are fairly numerous, but they include the following: Consumer protection. Licensure is a starting point for vetting people to hire for the job.   Oversight. The population of inspectors is no longer murky, either.  Peace […]

   

Buyers of residential property in the state of New York are by law supposed to be furnished with a form known as a Property Condition Disclosure from the seller. It is a form with several dozen questions on the physical characteristics of the property, such as the roof, plumbing, and electric systems. One question asks […]