Jonathan Washburn has written a very good oath for licensees to aspire to, and, being the mischievous imp that I am, I have a few modest suggestions of my own to “raise the bar.”  I will limit my voice mail greeting to 20 seconds or less, and if I do not, I will tell you what button to press […]

I occasionally have clients who don’t have or have not committed to an inspector, attorney or mortgage company. They often ask me for a referral, which I happily give. I recommend good, experienced, local industry professionals who serve the clients well.  Upon occasion, the clients go their own route, with varying degrees of success. Sometimes it is fine, and […]

$500,000 can buy a great end unit 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath condo in the Scarborough Glen complex like the one we just closed on. As described in the MLS: Neat and clean Carlisle end unit with gleaming hardwoods and a beautiful rear view! Boasts a gas fireplace, sliders to the rear deck overlooking woods and […]

According to the Westchester-Putnam MLS, the market for single family homes in Westchester is getting healthier. Consider the following: In 2009, 217 single family homes sold at a median price of $568,000. In 2010, 279 homes sold at a median price of $610,000. That is an increase in median price of 7.4% and an increase […]

This is for single family home activity in the Ossining school district for May of 2010. All information is derived from the Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service.  The numbers are far better for May 2010 than they were in May 2009 for Ossining. In May 2009, there were 9 sales at a median price of $380,000. Therefore, the […]

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 […]