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, […]

Watch CBS Videos Online I am a proud member of the Villanova class of 1989. Few places can turn a New York-born, Giant and Yankee rooting, Eagle and 76er hating guy like me into a dedicated cheesesteak muncher like that rolling campus on the Main Line. I was on pins and needles yesterday watching that game. […]

White Plains is the county seat of Westchester and is, in many ways, the hub of commerce for the area as well. It is home to the county government offices, numerous malls, the local Westchester Board of REALTORS, and some fantastic food and libation along Mamaroneck Avenue.  You don’t go to White Plains to hide- you go […]

Well cared for colonial on a quiet street and close to everything – shopping, the Hutchinson Parkway and more. Boasts a den, formal dining room, half bath, kitchen and spacious living room on the first floor. Has both a carport and 2 car garage, plus patio in the rear yard, perfect for barbequeing or social […]

I am from Ossining. I grew up here and no place is closer to my heart. The village lies on the banks of the Hudson River and is an amalgam of densely populated somewhat urban sections as well as more bucolic subdivisions as you go inland. Ossining is a hilly place, with streams, brooks and a […]

Yorktown is a town in northern Westchester County that is very suburban in character. The housing is dominated by post baby boom ranches, splits and raised ranches in quiet subdivisions as well as larger colonials in the newer developments. It is served primarily by the Yorktown and Lakeland school districts, and it has abundant shopping […]

Catalog this as one of those phone calls you don’t get every day.   “Call this woman,” my wife roared on my cell phone. “She wants to put you on TV!” Skeptical at first, but not wanting to ignore possibility, I called the lady. It was legit. She was a producer for one of the […]

Croton on Hudson is a small village just north of Ossining located in the neighboring town of Cortlandt. I spent a great deal of my youth there. As a scout I camped at Croton Point Park many times, and my high school youth group was based at Holy Name of Mary on Grand Street. It […]

Clarktown is a sought-after town in Rockland that comprises New City, Congers and some other small hamlets. I have 2 listings in Congers, which could be considered unusual for a Westchester-based agent. However, my clients understand that I am where the most likely buyer is going to come from. Rockland has always been an attractive alternative for Westchester residents […]