My name is Phil and I am addicted to chocolate. My mother was the same way. I got Jeanne’s gene. When you have a homemade confectionery on the same road as your office, the power of suggestion can be compelling. Especially around Valentine’s Day, when justification for indulgence seems so…reasonable.  Chocolate Chalet has been a fixture in […]

I am often asked by seller clients “what are these people thinking?” when a low offer comes in. I can only speak of what I see in my marketplace (Westchester and other suburban New York counties), and it is easy to answer “they AREN’T thinking,” but the real truth is far more complex. At the […]

I should have known something would be up when the walk wasn’t shoveled… Here’s the new kitchen: Here’s the new bath: Thinking that perhaps the place was vandalized, I called the listing agent.  Him: “Oh, did you call Centralized Showings? The pipes burst and we discontinued showings.” Me: “CSS isn’t responsible. You are. You should […]

For Sale by Owner, or FSBO is not uncommon in Westchester County. I have sold quite a few of them. I had an interest in a FSBO assistance firm, and a number of selling gurus like Craig Proctor have systems for converting FSBOs to listings thorugh such programs. I have seen dozens of FSBOs sell […]

Spring is almost here, and many Westchester County home owners will be listing their homes for sale. Given that the market in New York is still weak, I am often asked what sellers can do to gain a competitive advantage. Here are a few guidelines: 1. Choose a good Realtor. Look for track record, references, experience and […]

The company started out with just me. Then, when I was in the weeds once, my wife Ann answered my cell phone for me. That got her on board. Not long afterward, a young guy asked me for help on a home he wanted to buy and resell. He became my first agent. That’s how […]

“5 under 5 in the 914” Some people need a lot of bedrooms. In my case, we have 4 children, so having more than 4 bedrooms was optimal. Here’s the challenge: kids are expensive, and so are 5 bedroom homes. Something has to give. Well, something did give. The market crashed, so there are now […]

When I first started my company in 2005, there were almost no single family homes in Westchester County priced below $500,000. Often, they’d be undesirable little shacks with 2 bedrooms and no yard. Not so today. As I type this, there are 319 single family homes  actively for sale in Westchester County under $400,000 with […]

Not long ago, I submitted an offer on behalf of some very good buyers I represent. These are dream clients-very well qualified, fun, and sincere. We’ve been looking for longer than usual, but that happens sometimes. The area they like has some nice stuff, but much of it is overpriced. None of the houses they have seriously […]

I think that most real estate professionals would agree that technology, for all it enables us to do, does not foster a more relaxed lifestyle. We live in an age where multitasking is so prevalent that we actually have to remind people that they need focus on the road when they are driving. I grew up on […]

I met with a new client to sign papers to list his house this morning. As I entered the house I was met at the top of the stairs by what sounded like a sonic boom with teeth. There, telling me who was boss, was Sam, a 90 pound German Shepherd. I have a Shepherd […]

New York Law requires that sellers of residential property provide the buyers with a property condition disclosure form filled out. The form is a series of questions on the physical condition of the house and property. The penalty for not providing this form is a $500 credit to the buyer at closing. In our Westchester […]

It happens once every year in New York real estate. I’m not talking about baseball Spring Training, Groundhog Day, or my son’s birthday. This is hammer time, courtesy of the winter frost line in the ground. In case you are wondering, this is the time of year that I have to break out the sledge hammer and […]

A client called today asking about a listing she found on Realtor.com. It was there in her zip code, but she couldn’t find it in her client IDX portal. The MLS number did not match our MLS. We contacted the phone number on the Realtor.com write up, and it is one of those companies that will list a house […]

As many people outside New York may know, lawyers handle the contracts in the purchase and sale of real estate in this market. That little aspect of the industry has created more than its share of animosity because of the extra layer of red tape it adds to a transaction and because, well, they are lawyers.  Very recently, on […]

We just got word that one of our short sale transactions in Peekskill, NY was approved. This comes just one day after we listed another one for sale across town!  On the approved sale, we had multiple offers. The one sent to the bank was less than 2% short of a full price bid, and […]

Closing costs on a New York transaction can be quite high. The state has a high transfer tax, municipalities, especially New York City, have their own tax, and title insurance is expensive. Otherwise qualified buyers might need to finance some of these costs, and a the mechanism for doing so is a seller concession.  There are […]

Westchester County is the first county north of New York City. Westchester’s southernmost border is with the New York City borough of the Bronx. To the east, several municipalities are on the shoreline of the Long Island Sound and the rest of the eastern towns border Fairfield County, Connecticut. Putnam County is to the north. The western […]

I attended Marie Graham’s home staging workshop this morning at the Ossining Public Library. It was outstanding. While I never disputed the value of stagers, I have gotten into my share of disagreements with them on matters probably not worth arguing about. One is about taking down personal photos. Marie made a good analogy about […]