Late last month, the New York Department of State issued an interesting opinion that effectively ended the practice of brokerages giving corporate titles such as “Executive Vice President” and “Managing Director” to their licensees. It was a practice mainly done in Manhattan (and we did name a VP once in full disclosure), and became so prevalent that it almost […]

 Three times in the past two weeks, we have had listings go in bidding wars. Three times in the past two weeks, we have had buyer agents tell me that their buyer client did not believe me that they had competing bids. In each case,  those buyers all lost the house. In my own company, […]

Inman News, the nominal online trade publication for the real estate industry, ran a contest last week for innovative marketing ideas on Twitter under the hashtag #MadRESkillz. It sounded like a bit of fun, and at the encouragement of Inman reporter Teke Wiggin, I offered a few of my own suggestions; I wrote about using […]

Among the pitfalls of running a business with your spouse is the perception that the less gabby prominent or public half of the team is any less important or vital to the success of the organization. I am sure that this is the case in some businesses where the missus or hubby help on weekends […]

It has been weeks since I last updated this blog, and it isn’t writers block, indifference, or slow news days. I am busy. I don’t mean active, or experiencing the typical cyclical upswing of the spring season. I am busy. Really busy. I started the firm in late 2005, and it took me 9 months […]

We had our monthly company meeting today and discussed, among other things, how best to best help buyers in the purchase of their home. In the group discourse on what is important to a real estate consumer in 2013, the matter of consumer research was looked at critically. There are some basic truths: Brokers are […]

This past Wednesday I had the privilege of being one of the industry panelists at a unique real estate conference at the Papermill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey called Hear it Direct. The format had group discussions with six home buyers, six home sellers, and six Generation Y buyers & sellers to discuss their experience and insights in the […]

The National Association of REALTORS is the largest trade association in the country. Most member Realtors join their association because it means MLS access, and don’t quite get the benefits of membership. This isn’t to say that everything local, state and the National associations do is right; I have been a vocal critic  of NAR […]

Home inspections are so important that, unlike most markets, local attorneys will not draw up contracts until they are settled. They are never a contingency of the contract in Westchester. Today we  had a home inspection on a property our clients had a recent offer accepted on, and it did not go well at all. […]

Weekends are busy in real estate, so you can imagine the feeling when my head sank into the couch pillow at 6:20pm when I remembered that I had to drive to New Rochelle meet with a client I promised to see. My client is a retiree, and straight shooter as well, and our conversations are […]

I was fortunate enough to be quoted in Business week in an article entitled Why Redfin, Zillow, and Trulia Haven’t Killed Off Real Estate Brokers.  I spoke with the reporter for what seemed like a good healthy duration on where technology is taking our industry, the significance of its impact on the consumer experience and how licensees ply their trade, […]

As the data below indicate, all is well in Villanova, Pa. I don’t hold a real estate license there, but a chunk of my heart remains. Go Wildcats. —————– Box Score for Villanova win over Georgetown   GEORGETOWN   VILLANOVA   Points 57 67 FG Made-Attempted 23-50 (.460) 16-34 (.471) 3P Made-Attempted 7-18 (.389) 5-10 […]

Forget the fact that I’m busy. Forget the fact that we are seeing multiple offers far more frequently. Never mind that we have more buyers looking, more sales pending, and more offers being made. Ignore the 5 new construction listings the company now carries, which is an all-time high. Those are all anecdotal examples of […]

It is with great joy that we announce the addition of Jennifer Maher to the J. Philip Real Estate family. Jenn is among the most respected and admired names in the Westchester and Putnam real estate community. She is a current Vice president of the Hudson Gateway Association of REALTORS,  Chairperson of the Putnam Chamber […]

  AGBeat has an interesting article on how technology has eliminated many “middle men” from their respective industries, but that real estate brokerage has not been among the victims. It is a well done piece, and I agree that technology will never replace agents for many reasons. However, I do take issue with one thing: […]

More homes sold because prices same down. That would be one clear message in looking at the December sales figures for single family homes on the Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service in Westchester County. Transaction totals were their highest in six years with no special stimulus and buyer appear to be returning to the market in stronger […]

With 2013 mere hours away I am pleased to close the books on another successful year that saw the company weather the challenges of the changing market and continue on the path of encouraging growth. We eclipsed some goals set in last year’s end of year report, fell short in others, and are set up […]

In the aftermath of the Journal News’ recent publication of the identity of every handgun license in two counties, their claim that it would be good for starting a dialog on gun ownership is proving to be very wrong. There is discussion, not about guns, but about privacy and what constitutes responsible use of public […]

As a guy who is required by statute to respect the confidentiality of those who hire me, I can only shake my head at the violence done to online privacy by the current wave of popular Internet platforms. I don’t recall much of a hubub about privacy in the days that widespread use of the […]

The chatter on the Interwebs lately is that a law that has been sacrosanct for generations, the right of a homeowner to deduct their mortgage interest on their income taxes, is now in jeopardy due to the fiscal cliff we collectively face in the wake of the Recession.  What a shame. It is a shame […]