Yesterday, the housing world was rocked when Zillow announced that their CEO of 10 years, Spencer Rascoff, would be stepping aside and that co-founder and original CEO Rich Barton would be taking over again. I, of course, have thoughts; so does the rest of the housing world, and you can divide them between those who […]

The REALTOR Code of Ethics Standard of Practice 3-6 states the following: REALTORS® shall disclose the existence of accepted offers, including offers with unresolved contingencies, to any broker seeking cooperation. (Adopted 5/86, Amended 1/04) This has been the rule since Reagan was president. I was 18 when it was instituted (I am now 51). Cleveland had […]

You learn quite a bit about people when you see how they handle it when life throws them a curveball. For Liz Koski Jessup, who I am delighted to introduce as one of our newest associates, meeting me was one in itself. I’ll explain. A few months ago, one our esteemed associates, Tana McGuire, asked […]

“So, have you written the State of the Firm blog post yet?” I was just asked. Basking in the glow of the Christmas break, with three teenagers here and an 11 year old out with friends as I type this, I laugh because as much as I love writing this stuff, time is a rough […]

A rare guest post from my friend Elyse Berman, a star agent in Boca Raton, Florida. I have known Elyse for ages and she’s more than knowledgeable about the New York to Florida real estate process. You can connect with here at her sites below.  https://BuySellHomesBocaRaton.com http://www.ElyseBerman.com   ADVANTAGES OF OWNING A HOME IN SOUTH […]

$649,000 just bought a great 5 bedroom 3 bath Chilmark colonial like the one we just closed on Meadow Road. As described in the MLS: Sought after Chilmark colonial on a fantastic half acre just a stone’s throw from Chilmark Park. Unbeatable lifestyle: large living room with fireplace and bay window, formal dining room, eat-in […]

After crunching the numbers a bit, I have some good news to report. The firm is 30% ahead of last year at this time for transactions closed, and 15% over last year for dollar volume closed. On April 20, 2017, we had 58 transactions closed for a dollar volume of just under $20 million. For […]

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.” ― Henry David Thoreau My first impression of Stephanie was that she announced on Facebook that she’d joined the firm with a roll out of sharp, new professional head […]

Today, March 19th, is the feast of St Joseph, my namesake. Yes- the “J” stands for Joseph. My father, Joseph S Faranda, wanted to name me Joseph, and my mother, who had successfully avoided the matter with my three older brothers (she didn’t want a “Joseph Jr.”), made him a deal: I would be named […]

Back in 2015 the firm was contacted by a producer in Hollywood asking to see our sign for possible use in a movie they were producing. You might be wondering why they’d contact little old J. Philip Real Estate, but we’ve had a fortunate knack for getting found over the years. In news stories, it […]

In observance of International Women’s Day, I’d like to pay a tribute to the many fine women who have made our firm what it is. In 2012 I wrote a post on how I expected to build my firm with powerful women. Some of the things I said:  Of our 34 team members, 20 are women.  […]

Not many entries in this journal are “firsts” for me anymore, and this is a great pleasure to share. One of the firm’s very newest agents is actually the daughter of one of our established agents. It is very tempting for me to wax nostalgic on how young Imelda Cruz Avellan was when I first […]

From time to time there is an issue with a transaction related to the inclusion or exclusion of a fixture, an appliance, or an article of chattel. For the uninitiated, “chattel” are furniture or personal belongings not attached the house, such as furniture, clothing or wall art. When a property is entered into the MLS, […]

This past Friday, February 9th the firm had its annual award Gala at The Briarcliff Manor to celebrate a successful 2017. We’ve held the event annually since 2015, and the list of award recipients has grown as our collective professional acumen has risen. While I cannot do each of the dozens of recipients justice in […]

J. Philip Real estate is now closing more than a transaction every business day. The dust is still settling in tabulating January 2018’s final numbers. However, even with perhaps a few straggler status updates for closings we’ve had our best first month ever, with 27 sales for the 31 days of January. Given that the […]

The adage goes that in real estate, Spring starts January 2. The holidays are behind us, and in order to be in a new home by the summer, prospective buyers need some time just to find the right place and then 2-3 months more to close. Home shoppers are out as I type this, making […]

I always want my firm to be chosen, and that doesn’t just go for consumers. It also goes for licensees who are looking for the right brokerage at which to build their practice. So you can imagine my happiness when a past client joins us as an agent. That’s exactly what happened when Geraldine Bien […]

As a kid growing up in Ossining in the 1970s and the long shadow of Urban renewal, I had a first row seat to the decline of Downtown Ossining. The stately old buildings that punctuated centuries of progress, commerce and history were reduced to a crumbling, blighted row of vacant shells. Sadly, in the clearing […]

I was interviewed on News 12 this past Sunday on the “mansion tax,” a 1989 law that adds a 1% tax on properties sold for $1 million or more. In 1989, one million dollars probably did but an actual mansion, but in 2018, in a county with a median home value pushing $700,000, it doesn’t. […]

 [Note: This is a draft from 2015 but I thought it worth publishing. Some think a buyer’s letter to a seller is a smart move, others don’t. I think it has everything to do with what’s in that letter. This is an example of perhaps what not to write, borrowed slightly from one that was […]