The most striking home in the Village of Ossining, now available with owner financing! A rare offering, this 1922 stone (18 inch walls) colonial has Hudson River views & has been meticulously restored & renovated with the classic character preserved. Large corner lot, slate roof & patio grace the exterior. Inside boasts a modern gourmet […]

Gregory, our 4-year old, is on the spectrum for autism. He is in an ABA program and has made outstanding progress this year. This video represents more than something cute (although it is pretty adorable). It means our little boy is connecting with the world in a way that seemed impossible 6 months ago. We […]

According to the Discovery channel, fire ants can eat an entire lizard, killing it in a minute in some cases. However, some fence lizards are adapting. Evidently, a fence lizard’s main survival mechanism is to be perfectly still in order to blend in with the surroundings. That’s good if you are trying to avoid a […]

Utterly charming Village colonial with updated kitchen and electric service! Walk to downtown, train and shopping! Classic pre-war architecture with hardwoods, 2 fireplaces, formal dining room and updated, larger kitchen with sliders to the rear deck overlooking a deep back yard. Large bedrooms are upstairs, including a finished walkup attic currnetly used as a 4th […]

This entry in the Well Blog is intriguing. I did not delve into the theories (the pattern of the horse gallop, for instance) but do feel that animals have a postive effect on us all, including our Gregory. I am for anything that “engages.” There are also some interesting links after the story about the vaccine […]

My wife can articulate this better than I can, and this is not a real estate-related post unless you consider the fact that autism probably affects someone you know no matter what type of blog you might be reading right now.  We have 4 beautiful children ages 2 through 6. Three Boys and a Princess. […]

My blog is askew. The header is cut off, posts are center justified, and my sidebar is buried somewhere. I don’t exactly dither in exotic code- I do a postlet for new listings and I’ve embedded 2-3 videos. Since 4/8 I have had a trouble ticket opened with tech support and the answer is essentially […]

3200 SF Colonial on 2.5 Private Acres! Short Sale Bargain! Location: Pleasant Valley, NY Mint 3200 Square foot contemporary colonial on a dead end street set on 2.5 private acres. 5 minutes from the Taconic Parkway. Very energy efficient home- fantastic wood stoves can heat the entire home. Great covered rear porch overlooks serene woods. […]

On the tail of my recent post on the nasty Times report on REO brokers who had to gall to enjoy themselves at a conference, today’s Times editorial fires some skud missiles into the hides of mortgage brokers. You should read the editorial to get a sense of both the editors’ contempt for, and ignorance […]

The Village of Ossining is my hometown. Ossining is in Central Westchester County on the banks of the Hudson and is noted for being the home of Sing Sing Prison down by the river and Maryknoll Mission up the hill a few miles. Notable Ossining natives include Peter Falk, Martha Quinn, Dominic Pace and Erica […]

Evidently, a convention of REO brokers should be somber. At least, that what Eric Lipton of the New York Times seems to intimate in this report, which reads more like an Onion article than serious reportage. Apparently, REO brokers, or the brokers who list and sell bank-owned foreclosures, are just lighting their cigars with $100 bills […]

The best page on Facebook in my opinion is Alexander Yamet’s Westchester is Not Upstate You Idiot. This is one of those friendly arguments people in Westchester and the Hudson Valley get into with people when we get to college and meet Long Island and New York City types for the first time in the dorm.  […]

Miriam Bernstein wrote a post on mortgage brokers that cited a recent New York Times article on the problems facing mortgage brokers. I’d summarize the post as pointing out that now isn’t the best time to be a mortgage broker as well as pointing out that brokers are not fiduciaries. Miriam’s presentation was flawed in that […]

We live in a great big country. I grew up in Ossining, NY about a half hour north of New York City. My parents were both born in Harlem and grew up in Yonkers. So you can imagine the culture shock I had in 1993 when I lived in New Orleans. Strangers actually talked to […]

  Short sale bargain! Very special home — stone exterior, slate roofed structure with enclosed rear slate patio & detached 2-car garage. Great bones — hardwood floors, 2 fireplaces, tiled entry foyer, huge eat in kitchen, 2 large bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, & if you need a good garage, this will make your MOUTH WATER. […]

Solid 2 bedroom, 1.1 bath townhome style condominium with terrific amenities! Enjoy the stone fireplace, sliders to deck, new 1st-level floors, complex pool & tennis courts. Kitchen has a breakfast bar. 2 parking spaces right in front of the door. Walking distance to Peekskill train station, shopping is close by and highway is in close […]

Overlooking the Hudson River, Peekskill is the only city of all the municipalities in northern Westchester County. When I was growing up it was where you went to do to the Department of Motor Vehicles office and little else. Today it has a far more vibrant downtown with art galleries, cafes and shopping of all […]

One of the things I have heard in certain precincts is that while the overall market might be bad, some places are insulated from the bad economy and will continue to have a thriving market. One of the places mentioned is nearby Chappaqua, NY. Chappaqua is known for being the adopted home of the Clintons, […]

  _______________________________________________________________    You can search the MLS like an agent at http://jphilip.listingbook.com. J. Philip Faranda ranks among New York’s premier short sale REALTORS specializing in short sales in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam & Dutchess Counties. www.NYShortSaleTeam.com. Read Phil’s short sale blog at http://NewYorkShortSaleBlog.wordpress.com. J. Philip Serves Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, Croton on Hudson, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow, White Plains, Yonkers, Peekskill, Cortlandt, […]

Typically, we celebrate our “firsts” in this business- our first listing, our first cash buyer, or our first high priced transaction. My “first” this past Sunday was not a happy one. Thieves attended and stole some irreplaceable jewelry. My clients are crushed. I am mortified as well. It happened on my watch.  It was brazen, bold, […]