My first listing on the NY State MLS site is live. It is a 2 bedroom co op in Hudson Heights, Manhattan. This is right up on the tip of the Island, north of the George Washington Bridge between Washington Heights and Inwood. I hope more brokers join this site so we can better publicize our listings […]

For the past year, the Guild of Independent Real Estate Professionals has been doing great work with the independent brokers of Westchester County. The group’s core purpose is to give the independent companies of the county strength in numbers. There are member brokers from all over Westchester, and one common thread we all possess is […]

It is obvious to anyone that until the housing market turns around-as in, more people buy homes-the economy will not recover from it’s current malaise. When I was primarily doing mortgages in 2002-2003, wholesale representatives from lenders would introduce products that basically had Helen Keller type underwriting. We called it the mirror test; if they […]

Scarborough Glen is a townhome-style condominium community located in Briarcliff Manor, NY. It is right across route 9 (South Highland Avenue) from the Arcadian Shopping Center, but to walk around the complex you’d never get the idea you were so close to civilization. The reason for this is that unlike many newer developments where the […]

J. Philip Real Estate wishes to welcome the following new agents to our growing team of professionals: Briarcliff Manor Office: Cristina Gameiro Vivian Morales-Guerrero Ozichi Alimole Joseph Tucci Manhattan Office:  Sasha Gaertner-Zambrano Aricely Alcaide Cristina has just listed a great new home in Peekskill. Vivian closed her first transaction with the company today. Joe Tucci […]

Martha Brown has written a nice posting on a self defense class she took, and I have to say that, all things being equal, taking the course is better than not taking it. This is not a rebuttal, but something I wish to add, since real estate agents do get attacked, and, sadly, killed in […]

This is for both consumers and agents alike who have written about issues they have had with bad real estate agents. I have seen a lot of this lately, and the problems run from the annoying (won’t return calls) to the dumb (leaves a house unlocked) to the ridiculous (something illegal, like fraud, misrepresentation, or […]

The NY Times is reporting on a new Obama initiative to create a financial incentive for banks and home sellers alike to do short sales. A few highlights from the article:   Program starts April 5, 2010 Lenders will be “compelled” to accept short sales. We’ll see about that. The administration wants to streamline the […]

Ossining is one of the few places in Northern Westchester County with many cooperative apartments. The Village of Ossining actually has hundreds of co ops, and given the prices of Westchester County homes, they are often viewed as the starter home for our area.  Active Listings: 46    Median List Price: $144,950 Pending Sale: 3 […]

While at an open house today, I got the following instant message from my wife: Ann: While you are there take some better exterior photos. Today is sunny, and the old ones were taken on a cloudy day.  Smart idea. The last time I was here, I didn’t get anything from the rear of the home […]

Unlike many parts of the country, home sellers in Westchester and the surrounding counties (all of Metropolitan New York, really) are actually a long way from signing contracts. When I sold in upstate Rochester, we’d go to contract the same day in some cases, with broker prepared templates written and approved by the local Bar […]

I had the privilege yesterday of attending a reunion of my former co-workers from the position I held prior to my career in real estate. It was the first time I had seen some people in 15 years. It was sales in a different industry and we were all managers. The work was difficult (what sales job […]

There is no typical day. Consider Friday:  2am: Finished blog post “J. Philip Real Estate is Growing.” 2:30-7am: Sleep 7am: School morning scramble-Luke, Catherine and Gregory on the school bus by 8am. 10am: Meet with client in Manhattan. Photos taken of new co op listing. 12 noon: Lunch in Queens, handle a call where an […]

I awoke this morning to the typical Saturday morning pandemonium. So I went right to my home office and fired up the computer. Ann came in to talk, so the horde followed and decided to climb Mt. Dad (not an ambitious project). There is something very wonderful about being physically covered with your children. I look […]

As we enter the last month of 2010’s first quarter, I am happy to observe the growth the company is experiencing. A few facts: The firm now has 15 licensed agents living in 6 counties spanning from Long Island to Dutchess County. We have as a company over 50 active listings.  As of today, with […]

Although people don’t realize it, Westchester County does have plenty of homes with wood stoves. Many are decorative, some are even antique cast iron parlor stoves, but most can and do augment the heating of the home. There is nothing like walking into a toasty, warm living room with the thermostat down to 60 degrees […]

One misconception regarding the desirability of cash buyers is that because there is no mortgage, no appraisal is needed. Anyone who has ever done a few cash transactions, however, knows that people who are writing a check often do as much or more due diligence than a lender. They have a right; it is their […]

I got an email earlier this evening asking for a release from a seller client because they aren’t happy with the job I’m doing. They want to fire me. The house isn’t sold, and I have not shown it myself. Since 2005, I have cancelled a handful of listings, giving unconditional releases to problem clients […]

I’ll be brief. I wrote a version of this for my company agents to inspire them to get busy here, and I’ll share it with my colleagues: Get found. By buyers, sellers, reporters, other agents with referrals. Get followed. Why you want your blog to be engaging (sticky)- Not everyone who finds you is ready to […]