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 […]

I have worked in a ton of jobs in my life- bartender, deli counter, dishwasher, landscaping, telemarketing, and even pizza delivery. Each task in some way prepared me for Life. I want my children to be even better-prepared than I was for this adulthood thing, and the following are, I feel, some “must have” jobs […]

 ___________________________ 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 2008 and 2009. You can log onto the company Home Page at www.jphilip.com You can search the […]

Now, finding your dream home has never been easier. A new feature is available which allows home buyers to search the Westchester-Putnam MLS system (Which now includes Westchester, Putnam, Bronx and Dutchess Counties) virtually the same way an agent does. Click on the link for more information on this free service. J. Philip Faranda is the […]

Congratulations to Ossining High School senior James Brundage on winning the New York State championship for wrestling in the 160 Lb weight class this past weekend. He is only the 2nd Ossining student athlete to win at the state tournament. I wrestled in high school and it was one of the best experiences of my […]

Sometimes an inch or random extra effort is all the difference between making a sale or going broke. I got a buyer referral in an area that is about 45 minutes from my office. Far for some, no big deal for me. What was unusual about this was that she needed me to pick her up […]

I got a call from a very unexpected source today, just one day after getting my latest listing. The home just came off the market with another broker before I listed it, and while he had the listing there was a deal on it that died. The buyer agent from that deal was calling me. She […]

My office is located in Briarcliff Manor, NY but technically sits on Town of Ossining soil. The town of Ossining is the unincorporated portion of the municipality located outside the village. It mostly borders the hamlet of Millwood in the town of New Castle as well as Maryknoll, NY, home of the renowned Catholic Mission. The […]

Two featured posts on Active Rain this morning discuss short sales, and whether you love them or hate them, they are going to be a common occurrence in most markets for the foreseeable future. Full disclosure: I have specialized in short sales for a number of years, sold dozens, and have double digits in my […]

According to Inman News, Minnesota-based Webdigs, Inc, a discount real estate broker, announced a loss of $2.7 million since it’s inception in the spring of 2007. Many businesses lose money in their first year or two, and I know nothing of Webdigs’ merits or demerits. What is significant to my mind, and what should matter […]

A rather interesting homophone arose in the comment thread of one of my recent postings that I thought merited some commentary. A “homophone,” by the way, is a case of two words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. For instance, “bore” (to make weary by being dull) and “boar” (wild pig) make a […]