Active Rain

Yesterday morning, as I was at the sign in table for the CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Expert) course, the agent behind me heard my name and said “Why are you here? You could teach this class.” I turned to her and said that was very kind of her to say. But believe me, I was […]

I just finished my first day of CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Expert) class, and am reflecting on one of the more profound insights given by the instructor, Mark Boyland. Mark, who is an excellent presenter, compared the difficult issues we have to sort out with distressed homeowners with the rather matter of fact way a doctor handles another […]

I had a newer agent ask me yesterday if his wearing an earring was a bad idea. He had friends who said he shouldn’t. It reminded me of my pre-real estate life as a sales manager for a publisher in the early 1990’s and the battles I had with some of my more youthful charges […]

You probably remember the Google commercial that told the story of the story of courtship and love through Google searches entitled “Parisian Love.” Thanks to Jackie Connelly-Fornuff, I got hip to the YouTube feature that lets you create your own search story. It is pretty cool, and it can take as little as 5 minutes […]

We’ve got gadgets aplenty around here- desktop computers, laptops, and Ann loves her iPad. I love it too, but there are two of us an one of it. I thought it silly to buy another when there are tablets out there for half the price and less which might be perfectly fine for my purposes, […]

I took Catherine out for a little drive with Daddy, just us two, so I could go to Best Buy and scout out my next piece of technology. I live in Briarcliff, so to get to Hartsdale you take the Taconic Parkway south, and Catherine asked me about that big building on the right, which […]

The other day I got a call from a rude and obnoxious representative from a well known template based provider of real estate websites who sounded like he poured red bull and expresso on his morning cereal. I’ve blogged about annoying telemarketers before, but this is the second time this company has had someone call […]

I have been asked in recent months about the market for building lots in Westchester County. While I am far from a high transaction land guy, I’ll tell you what I do would if I had a double lot, an adjacent building lot to my home, a spot lot nearby, or a small parcel that […]

Karen Crowson wrote a thought-provoking post asking whether it was a good idea or not for buyers and sellers to meet before closing. In spite of many examples of my own transactions where buyers and sellers did hit it off well, my vote would be “no.” There are two main reasons.  1. Potential for conflict. 2. […]

We held my listing at 8 Harwood Ave White Plains open yesterday, and I thought I’d take the opportunity to create a walking tour of the home, a marketing strategy which has been getting good feedback for me lately. I have blogged recently about the better results I have been getting at open houses; this was […]

Imagine you are in real estate. If you are reading these words, not a stretch. Now imagine you’ve busted your buns long enough to start your own firm, like I did after 17 years. You decide you’ll name your firm after something very personal about you- let say your dog. Not a stretch, right? I […]

I posted a photo of a pie I got at Grandma’s earlier this week and got over a dozen comments that gave me a collective sense of cyber salivation. With good reason: Grandma’s makes the best pies around. They have been in business for decades and have quite a following.  I first learned of Grandma’s last year […]

It won’t go to print until this Sunday’s paper, but the article that I blogged about expecting is now live online. Entitled “A For Sale Sign with Brains,” the piece discusses how real estate brokers are embracing technology to sell property. The story behind the article is actually not one of the reporter finding my […]

I got a call today from an agent who claimed to have an interested buyer in one of my short sale listings. I informed him that all offers, per the instructions of my seller, would only be considered if they were in writing and accompanied by a pre approval letter or proof of funds. He […]

Google is a funny thing.  If I am logged in certain websites, that content will show up in my google search results. If I am on a different computer, it shows different results. If I google “Westchester Realtor” on my own computer, I am something like the 4th or 5th organic hit. If I go […]

One of the joys of being a broker-owner is helping my newer agents develop their client base. New agents that get a listing or a buyer in their first few weeks typically have a good outlook for success in my experience, even if that listing doesn’t sell or that buyer never closes. One of my […]

According to the Journal News, the number of foreclosure filings in Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam County is down quite a bit. Westchester is down 50% from October 2010 through January 2011 compared to the same period from 2009 to 2010. The numbers are equally impressive in Rockland (39%) and Putnam (51%).  Does this mean we […]

It is a fact that every male broker/owner has a little Lee Iacocca or Ross Perot in him. He wants to be the despot, the alpha male, and the quarterback who gets no back talk in the huddle. And, by and large, team members comply with that little illusion. My agents hang on my every […]