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 […]

  _______________________________________________________________    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, […]

This is inspired by Jack Feldmann’s excellent piece on a home inspection he made recently. The posting has photos of some pretty amazing termite mud tubes in a crawlspace. Pretty compelling stuff. I think most home inspectors are fine but there are still some outfits that issue pretty bad reports- chicken scratch, really. A few years […]

I have voiced my displeasure at the antics and poor professionalism of certain REO agents in the past. Some REO brokers in my area are fantastic. Some flat out suck. And I don’t for a second think that REO agents have it easy. Evictions, trash outs, overseeing vacant property and the demands of asset managers […]

I have a position open for a buyer agent to work with a growing number of buyers in Queens. If you have a license in good standing,  high professional standards and a knack for working with buyers this might be perfect for you. You HAVE to be good at following up, staying with people and getting their questions answered. Unfortunately […]

 

When you drive past a car with windows tinted so dark that you can’t see the driver, do you get a slightly unsettled feeling? Does that feeling get worse when they drive aggressively or erratically? You get the very real feeling that their anonymity emboldens them. I see it on the Internet as well, especially […]

A question was asked on Trulia earlier today that stated a desire to not use a buyer agent so as to save 3%. Now, aside from the mistaken presumption that all buyer agents are paid 3%, the questioner inadvertently brings up a point that all purchasers should understand: You don’t bring a knife to a […]

  _____________________________________________    J. Philip Faranda is the Broker and Owner of J. Philip Real Estate, LLC in Briarcliff Manor, NY. He is a Top 10 Producer for closed single family transactions out of almost 7000 licensees in the Westchester-Putnam MLS in both 2007 and 2008. You can log onto the company Home Page at www.jphilip.com You can […]

________________________________________________    J. Philip Faranda is the Broker and Owner of J. Philip Real Estate, LLC in Briarcliff Manor, NY. He is a Top 10 Producer for closed single family transactions out of almost 7000 licensees in the Westchester-Putnam MLS in both 2007 and 2008. You can log onto the company Home Page at www.jphilip.com You can search […]

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all data in this post is from the Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service. There are 3,454 single family homes actively for sale in Westchester County. Of those, 148 are disclosing either a short sale or foreclosure proceeding in process. This is about 4.3% of the available single family home inventory. The actual number is probably far higher than […]

Here in New York attorneys are an integral part of the transaction process. The following occurred this past Monday on a home I listed where an old deal resurfaced from when the home was listed with a prior agent. I got a call from the attorney’s office of the purchaser of my listing. I was told told that […]

I write this as a fiercely proud broker owner of an independent firm. My company, my good name, my actual name. This thing is my baby. It is what I make it. We have an automated system (Centralized Showings) for appointments and feedback. It works very very well. Of course, if a seller is not quick […]

I still recall the instructor from my original 1996 license course admonishing our class that agents never give legal, accounting, or any other advice that is beyond the scope of our duty. We were even coached to repeat the phrase “I cannot give you legal advice.” Wise words. In New York, the real estate transaction […]

Dear REALTOR.com, I tried to think of a diplomatic to say this, but I’ll just cut to the chase. You suck. Not just because I have to pay you $3,000+ per year while providing you with my content. Not just because you telemarket the living crap out of me for banner ads. Not just because as […]