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 […]

I was complimented on the use of this aphorism recently but cannot take credit. Whoever did actually say it first was wise: Some people have 30 years of experience, others have one year of experience repeated 30 times. In general, if you are passive aggressive, refuse to submit an offer in writing, claim to have a cash […]

In a recent posting, I made a reference to the “bedroom counties” of New York City, meaning the suburban counties surrounding the Big Apple. The term was based on “bedroom community,” which is defined in the dictionary as a suburb. You can get more specific, as some suburban locales are more destinations in themselves, but […]

Dear Bank: I am in receipt of your extortion short sale approval contingent upon the reduction of my commission. I decline your offer. I do not play chicken with my business, and no, something is not better than nothing. I did great work to produce a buyer for this property in spite of rather shabby […]

I just got an email from The National Association of REO & Short Sale Professionals offering to make me a certified short sale expert. Frankly, I have no badge or initials after my name, but a filing cabinet filled with closed short sales and about 12 in the pipeline so I kinda thought I was […]

I just got an email from The National Association of REO & Short Sale Professionals offering to make me a certified short sale expert. Frankly, I have no badge or initials after my name, but a filing cabinet filled with closed short sales and about 12 in the pipeline so I kinda thought I was […]

I just got an email from The National Association of REO & Short Sale Professionals offering to make me a certified short sale expert. Frankly, I have no badge or initials after my name, but a filing cabinet filled with closed short sales and about 12 in the pipeline so I kinda thought I was […]

I just got an email from The National Association of REO & Short Sale Professionals offering to make me a certified short sale expert. Frankly, I have no badge or initials after my name, but a filing cabinet filled with closed short sales and about 12 in the pipeline so I kinda thought I was […]

I just got an email from The National Association of REO & Short Sale Professionals offering to make me a certified short sale expert. Frankly, I have no badge or initials after my name, but a filing cabinet filled with closed short sales and about 12 in the pipeline so I kinda thought I was […]

I just got an email from The National Association of REO & Short Sale Professionals offering to make me a certified short sale expert. Frankly, I have no badge or initials after my name, but a filing cabinet filled with closed short sales and about 12 in the pipeline so I kinda thought I was […]

If you are an agent in or around the bedroom counties of New York City (suburbs, Hudson Valley, Long Island, Fairfield County, CT) I am hiring both full and part-time agents. I offer ongoing mentorship, help with prospecting, training, and, oh yes, LEADS. Email me for details. I belong to the following MLS systems: Westchester-Putnam […]

I was inspired by Bill Gassett’s recent posting on why listings expire unsold to share what I tell people when it comes to pricing their homes. Simply put, time costs money and money costs time. The faster you need to sell, the less you’ll get. The more money you want, the longer you’ll have to […]

I have a listing priced at 219,000, and we received an offer of $185,000. Not uncommon in this market. The pre-approval included was also for $185,000. Now, I know that the buyer probably qualifies for more, but they don’t want to tip their hand. Some of you may not agree with me, but this strategy […]

I recall that during the campaign my wife and I would hear Barack Obama speak and then look at each other and say “Sounds great. How will we pay for it?” Now, with an $825 billion dollar stimulus package on the table in the wake of a $700 billion bank bailout I am concerned. The […]

I should first disclose that I am not, nor have I been in the past, an REO Broker. I have purchased them myself and I have represented buyers in the transactions many times over the years. It is as different an area of real estate from typical transactions as Podiatry is from Opthamology in medicine.These […]

This listing expired unsold a few days ago. This is the actual photo on the MLS posted by the listing agent. There were no marketing remarks, agent to agent remarks, showing instructions, or driving directions posted. I spoke with the seller a few hours ago and was informed it was a short sale. This was […]

J. Philip Faranda | J. Philip Real Estate LLC | 914-762-2500 51 Van Wyck, Croton On Hudson, NY Custom Built Luxury with Hudson Views 4BR/3.5BA Single Family House offered at $699,900 Year Built 1996 Sq Footage 3,636 Bedrooms 4 Bathrooms 3 full, 1 partial Floors 2 Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size .20 acres HOA/Maint […]