There continues to be a series of article at Inman News about the compensation of real estate agents. The latest article, entitled “6 Percent is Dead,” the owner of a web-based company chimes in with his view. A version of my response is below: I have not read every article in this series, but the […]

J. Philip Faranda | J. Philip Real Estate LLC | 914-762-2500 136 Foltim Way, Congers, NY Congers End Unit Townhome! 2BR/2.5BA Townhouse offered at $389,900 Year Built 1999 Sq Footage 1,600 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 2 full, 1 partial Floors 3 Parking None Lot Size Unspecified HOA/Maint $120 per month DESCRIPTION Move right in to this […]

Debbie Clifton wrote a thoughtful piece on how friends listed their house with someone else. I can relate. About two months ago I got an email from a dear family friend. She was my 82 year old mother’s college roommate, her life-long friend, and my oldest brother’s Godmother. She sat with us when we said our […]

Why can’t the hundreds of thousands of NAR members who have to pay for our health insurance as individuals pool our buying power together and get group coverage? I pay $1200 per month for my family’s coverage. We are on our 5th or so insurance company since were were married in 2001 and this is […]

I am home tonight, alone & playing Mr. Mom with the Little Begotten, while Mommy is in Queens cleaning the in-law’s apartment to prepare it for the market. Her parents have been in Seoul, Korea for the past year and unfortunately my father in law’s health precludes him from returning to the States. Sad. Given our […]

My BA is in English. I am far more of a man of letters than of numbers.  I’ve always sort of disliked math, unless it was related to money or baseball stats.  But there are times when numbers are clearly more imprtant than letters. Take for example a recent conversation I had with an agent on one of my […]

Just a random thought, and I’ll feel better after saying it:  the next agent who asks me how I got all my listings (especially the ones in “their town”) will be told the following: I prospect at funeral homes. I attend all wakes in my area, and I hand out my business card to all the […]

Remaining in touch is the best way to generate referrals and repeat business. You don’t need lame excuses to remain in touch with old clients. Here are 5 things I’ve done in recent months for people I’ve done business with: Help them grieve their taxes. Unless you sell in an area where prices are rising, […]

I sold my first short sale in the 90’s. I have over 10 in my pipeline. I am known in my marketplace for the specialty. Buyers are justifiably interested in the savings a short sale can offer. However, few buyers are prepared for the process, often because it is new terrain for their agent as […]

One of the biggest thorns in my side is how Zillow offers to estimate home values for consumers. It never fails to amaze me how I can walk through a home, sit with the owner, apply my 13 years of experience to a detailed market analysis, quote the owner my best price opinion, and then be […]

There is some debate going on in some Inman News stories as to whether or not agents ought to be on salary in order to improve the industry. The author, Buz Hurley, is actually an Active Rain member and has a few blog entries. I don’t see it. It wouldn’t improve the quality of service, […]

I awoke this morning to an offer faxed on company letterhead, complete with a preapproval. While the offer was low, it was clear that the selling agent had his act together. I spoke with him on the phone briefly, and he was, as I thought, a pretty together guy. In the ensuing conversation, he shared […]

Who or what is ANNLEE55? I’ll tell you at the end of this post. After my post yesterday I received mostly positive comments but a few thought that I was either advocating that people cold call FSBOs instead of blogging or anti-blogging & anti web 2.0 for real estate altogether. One blogger said I “denigrated” what she did. […]

If you are pressed for time and need to skip the rest of the post, I’ll sum it up for you. Blogging is supposed to supplement what we are already doing to grow and manage our business. It should not be done to the exclusion of growing our business. OK, if you have to go, catch […]

J. Philip Faranda | J. Philip Real Estate LLC | 914-762-2500 30 S Cole 2F, Spring Valley, NY Fantastic Ramapo Towers 2 Bedroom Co op 2BR/2BA Co-Op offered at $159,900 Year Built 1965 Sq Footage 900 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 2 full, 0 partial Floors 4+ Parking 1 Lot Size Unspecified HOA/Maint $800 per month DESCRIPTION […]

You Know Real Estate Has Crashed When… You forget how miserable 2006 was and instead think of it as the Good Old Days. You have a price reduction form available to clients as a “fax-on-demand.” The customer service number for a referral company you attempt to register with is now a chat line. A competitor’s website redirects […]

I have a great deal of contact with people outside my home state of New york and they are shocked to hear how high property taxes are. In Ossining, where I grew up, the taxes on the rather average 2000 square foot home I grew up in are over $12,000. I remember the rent for […]

I got a call from a very annoyed agent at once who was attempting to show my listing. There was no key in the lockbox. Naturally, I called my seller client, who was perplexed. “Don’t they know there is a lockbox?” she asked. “Of course they know, but there’s no key in it.” Silence. “It […]