New York does not have one MLS (I belong to 7) and some of the localized practices strike me as a little crazy. Here is a list of selected silliness from some of the numerous market areas. Some are the agents themselves, some are actual policy.    In Dutchess County, the Mid-Hudson MLS publishes square […]

“We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.” -George Orwell On this Memorial Day, I would like to say “thank you” to the following people: My grandfather, Ivan Post, for serving in the first World War in France and […]

Greg Nino has written a very good post on constructive criticism of ActiveRain, or changes he’d like to see. Good idea, I say. It isn’t bashing; quite the contrary. Who better than the active membership to suggest ways the platform can improve? Here are a few things I’d drop in the suggestion box: Active Rain […]

Let me first say that I cut my teeth working for a broker who was a big investor and I still to this day work with investor clientèle. I am an investor myself. However, I do not recruit real estate investors as I do those buying a home, and if you ever heard what I say to […]

We have just listed a nearly new, virtually mint condition 2006 build corporate owned foreclosure for $499,000 at 6 Marble Place, Ossining, NY 10562. Among the features: Almost 3000 square feet 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths Master suite with jet tub and walk in closet 1st floor laundry Family room with palladium windows, fireplace and sliders to deck Full […]

The New York market is returning to a more balanced one, with the severe tilt toward a buyer’s market in 2008-2009 yielding to a less skewed advantage. While buyer’s are still in the driver’s seat for most properties, there are more cases of multiple bids and even flat out bidding wars occurring, which is a surprise, […]

I think the New York market must be in some stage of recovery, because I am starting to see more multiple bid situations as well as strong first offers. It makes sense; people are starting to realize that the world isn’t going to end, and asking prices have declined to a number that is roughly equivalent to […]

At 8pm, Korean Airlines landed at JFK, bringing with them a passenger by the name of Ann Faranda, who happens to be my wife, business partner, and mother of our 4 children. We had to endure a week in her absence while she was in Seoul to bury her father and support her mother.  It was not […]

As I type this, the chief financial officer and administrator of the company is on a plane to Korea. This leaves me without a better half as well, and the kids with an ill-equipped Mr. Mom. Every company worth its salt really has 2 things: marketing (my department, sometimes referred to as the hot air) and administration. […]

This post on agent safety should be required reading for us all, but especially female agents. We work with the public, and have exposure to opportunistic people with bad intentions.  And to think that some people still get huffy when we ask them if they have been pre approved!  Via Leesa L. Finley, REALTOR®/RE Strategist […]

I met my father in law when he first arrived in New York from Korea, 2 days after Ann and I were engaged in December, 2000. The 3 of us had dinner in Manhattan, and I was tending bar as a sabbatical from the rat race. I still recall sitting down and Ann’s father pulling […]

I am quoted in AOL’s Money and Finance: People@Work story on people who relocate due to job opportunities. The story examines the details behind last month’s creaion of 290,000 new jobs, and I was posed a question about people who choose to sell their homes to relocate to their new job.  I have one client […]

J. Philip Real Estate has vast experience in the purchase of distress properties and is an asset for any buyer seeking a short sale, REO or bank owned foreclosure. We can help you in the following types of transactions: Short sale (listing and selling representing the owner) of any home in Westchester or greater metropolitan New York […]

A happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there.  This will be my own mom’s 59th Mother’s Day, as she qualified in late July, 1951 while my father was deployed in Korea. She renewed her membership in 1954, 1958 and um, 1967 when I stepped off the caboose of the fertility train. Mom was […]

Staging is not rocket science. I have often stated that I am no expert in presenting a home, but I don’t think that it takes a Nobel laureate to figure out that people looking at homes priced a stone’s throw from (insert optional Dr Evil voice here) $1 Million have certain minimum expectations, among them […]

Last night I broke bread at the Tuscan Grille with clients to celebrate signing contracts on their next home after 14 months of work on the project. It has been a journey. I listed their Bryant Gardens co op apartment last Winter, and we soon found a house in White Plains they loved. Unfortunately, the […]

We have 3 Cherry Blossom trees in our rear yard that have to be at least 40 years old. In April, when they bloom, it creates an explosion of pink beauty that dominates the view from our rear window. There is something comforting about seeing my children play in their shade. I often think of […]

I am your agent. I am a professional. I have a college degree. I value your business; as a matter of fact, if I don’t produce a result for you and my other clients, my kids don’t eat. It is in that context that I am offering this post, in good spirits, good humor, and […]

The crazies are out there. You might be working with one right now and not know it. But they are out there, and they aren’t going to be nice if things don’t go their way. The crazies are the last minute home buyers who want to qualify for the tax credit by April 30. If […]