I have been meaning to write about this for quite a while, and two recent incidents have moved me to do so. While inspecting the basement of an older home, I saw old furnace pipe insulation that was probably asbestos. When I pointed this out to the homeowner, he said “Oh, that isn’t asbestos,” and […]

   

It seems that anything the New York Times writes about suddenly becomes the fab new trend. Renting is now the chic thing in New York City. The upshot of the article is that renting is simpler, often cheaper, and has far fewer headaches. While one of the people interviewed did get a little misty eyed […]

Feedback.  Feedback feedback feedback.  Sellers want feedback. Listing agents want feedback. I’ve been out showing homes to people and had listing agents call me while I was still with the buyer for a showing 30 minutes prior and ask for it. I have sellers who have literally asked “Did they like it? Did they like […]

Many of my colleagues believe that a for sale by owner (FSBO) wants to eat their young, draw and quarter real estate agents, and own a broom with a glove compartment. My experience is that few do. FSBOs are not a different species. Consider this: Home Depot sold tens of thousands of drills in recent […]

“I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member”- Groucho Marx In either a sign of the Apocalypse, recognition from my peers or a little of both, it is official: the 2010 Westchester-Putnam MLS board of directors will include me as a Vice President.  Although the term does not […]

My wife and I don’t have a horse in this race, but I recall in my childhood in the 70’s that everyone in my neighborhood had a clothesline. Most of my neighbors used them. Ann grew up in an apartment in which many people dried their clothes on their terrace, but that was forbidden when […]

In 1955, Dwight Eisenhower was president, the Dodgers were in Brooklyn, and there were 48 states in the Union. My parents were married only 5 years, and just 2 of their 4 sons were born. I wasn’t on the scene until 1967.  In 2009, Dwight Eisenhower is gone 40 years. The Dodgers have been out […]

I recently closed on a co op purchase with a young couple that reminded me of the silliness that most co op board approvals really are. This couple had nothing to worry about- both were professionals and graduates of one of the most highly regarded universities in America, and believe me when I tell you […]

As happy as I’ll be when the day comes that I don’t have to do anymore short sales, the fact is that I am in the midst of several. And even though the public by and large understands what short sales are about now more than they did 2 years ago, questions remain, such as how to […]

The one thing I have in common with George Costanza is that sometimes I think of the perfect comeback or response about 15 minutes after I could have used it. This happened just recently, when I was asked to take a look at a house on a street where the last sale 2 years ago […]

Most consumers sort of understand how real estate works. These days, if they see a home they are interested in, they’ll contact their buyer agent and have them arrange a showing. If that is THE place, that agent writes the offer, guides the transaction, and gets paid at closing. It is an uncomplicated process, and […]

If you are a fan of the AMC series Mad Men, you probably know by now that Don and Betty Draper live in Ossining, NY. I am from Ossining. I remember first hearing Betty mention Ossining and thinking how neat that was, but now each episode this season is almost surreal. The producers clearly have […]

I am a big proponent of taking a child to work to see how their mom or dad works. Sometimes, the child will even emulate their parents and become more task oriented afterward. Here, Mark clearly demonstrates how impressed he is with his Daddy. 

After walking through yet another foreclosed home with some high-end renovations that were about 75% finished, I can’t stress this enough: Renovations to your new home do you no good if they cause you to not be able to afford to stay.  I don’t give financial or legal advice but it doesn’t take a rocket […]

** Rant Advisory** Since my 4 year old has elected to forego sleep and erect a Thomas the Tank Engine memorial on the dining room table, the 2-year old has followed him in the project and my 70 pound German Shepherd feels the need to jam his schnozz in my armpit, slumber has not been […]

Most of my listings are homes that were not sold by another brokerage. I work the “expired” niche, and I speak with people who have been trying to sell their home for 3, 6 and sometimes 12 months or more with another broker before they decided to go in another direction at the end of […]

Here in the New York area, it is not uncommon for people who live in the suburbs and work in New York City to request showings on weeknights after 7pm. If you leave work at 5 or 5:30 and it takes an hour to get home and settled, 5:30 showings are a logistical impossibility. I […]

Feedback on home showings has gotten automated, which is a good thing. Centralized Showings sends out 2 feedback requests to agents who show my listings, and if they don’t reply I presume that they don’t have anything Earth-shattering to report. Seller clients get upset when they don’t get feedback sometimes, but they need to understand that […]

The $8,000 first-time home buyers tax credit is going to go away after December 1, 2009. This means that if you are in New York and want to take advantage, you don’t have much more than 60 days.  “How can that be?” you might ask, since December 1 is almost 120 days away.  Note that […]