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Westchester Number 1 in Property Taxes. Hurray?

In general, I love being number one. In 2007, I was the top ranked agent in the Westchester Putnam MLS for single family home closings. I was very proud. I also won a high school wrestling tournament my senior year of high school. Very gratifying. Westchester County is also number one in the USA in something, but […]
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Chase Joins GMAC in Foreclosure Moratorium

Realizing that they cannot ruin lives without, um, following the law, Chase has joined GMAC in suspending foreclosures while they sort out what has become regarded by Inman News as the “robo signing controversy.” Governing agencies have criticized the large lenders for sloppy procedures in pursuing foreclosures, requiring them to audit their files and make […]
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The “Real Estate as an Investment” Canard

The “Real Estate as an Investment” Canard
Active Rain, Commentary

You Aren’t in the Real Estate Business

Paul Crego, my original broker and mentor, called costly mistakes “tuition in life.” Maybe he knew that spin was far more empowering than my own on my goofs. He had another turn of the phrase when not such good things happened, and that was “now you are in the real estate business,” as if those occurrence were […]

Active Rain Westchester Number 1 in Property Taxes. Hurray? In general, I love being number one. In 2007, I was the top ranked agent in the Westchester Putnam MLS for single family home closings. I was very proud. I also won a high school wrestling tournament my senior year of high school. Very gratifying. Westchester County is also number one in the USA in something, but […]

Active Rain Chase Joins GMAC in Foreclosure Moratorium Realizing that they cannot ruin lives without, um, following the law, Chase has joined GMAC in suspending foreclosures while they sort out what has become regarded by Inman News as the “robo signing controversy.” Governing agencies have criticized the large lenders for sloppy procedures in pursuing foreclosures, requiring them to audit their files and make […]

Active Rain The “Real Estate as an Investment” Canard The “Real Estate as an Investment” Canard

Active Rain You Aren’t in the Real Estate Business Paul Crego, my original broker and mentor, called costly mistakes “tuition in life.” Maybe he knew that spin was far more empowering than my own on my goofs. He had another turn of the phrase when not such good things happened, and that was “now you are in the real estate business,” as if those occurrence were […]

Active Rain Wordless Wednesday: September 29, 2001

Active Rain 9 Two items of significance today: I have a closing at 1pm. This is very pleasing to my wife, who attaches importance to having funds in the company operating account. Regarding the wife: Nine years ago today, Ann showed up. For our wedding. This was something that at the time was not an absolute certainty, as she had […]

Active Rain The Agent Toolbox, Then and Now I was first licensed in Rochester, New York in 1996. I remember receiving a paper memo from my mentor about what tools I’d need to start my career. Just the fact that it was a paper memo speaks volumes. Among the things needed: Beeper Voicemail account 3-ring binder Plastic sleeves for the listing presentation Day planner Copy […]

Active Rain Maybe we Should Speak More Often? Earlier this morning, Margaret Rome called me and we had a very nice conversation about the business. I emailed her after she commented on a post and she picked up the phone to reach out and speak in person. We had never met prior, so it was unexpected and completely out of the blue. Margaret just wanted […]

Active Rain “I Don’t Want to Waste My Time (so I’ll Waste Yours)” Having represented buyers and sellers for 14 years I can appreciate the job that licensees have to do for their clients on both sides of the transaction. I may expound on the role of the listing agent in another post, but for now I want to address a trend I am seeing more and more […]

Active Rain A Prediction I have a listing that has been on the market for almost 3 years. Counting the price with a prior broker, it has been reduced in price almost $170,000. I have had 66 showings on it, and as a 4-bedroom, it is tens of thousands of dollars cheaper than 3-bedroom units that have sold in […]

Active Rain Crime and Punishment Since there appears to be a movement toward venting tonight, I’ll jump in the pool too. Here are a few offences that have gone unpunished recently, and I hereby appoint myself as Czar of Real Estate Justice. The Crime: Agents who keep their cell phone a state secret, even if they have an offer on one […]

Active Rain Ossining Ranked 2nd-Best Place to Live by Westchester Magazine I have to say that I normally cringe when Westchester Magazine ranks anything related to our local communities. My own home town of Ossining is often left in the shadow of the more affluent communities, and believe me, Westchester has some affluent towns. Yet the October issue of Westchester magazine has ranked Ossining 2nd out of 40 […]

Active Rain Death of an ex-Client I just found out that a former client passed away. This was not just anyone; he was a father, a grandfather, and the house he listed with me was the home his grandfather bought in the 1940’s. I loved that house, and I liked Joel a great deal as well. It was a rare home […]

Active Rain Agent Safety Month and “Packing Heat” I know of two fellow brokers whom I like and respect who have said that they carry and are willing to use a handgun to ensure their safety on showings if some creep means them harm. I think this is a mistake. First things first: as a New Yorker, it is rather foreign to me […]

Active Rain When Should Sellers Make Agreed-upon Repairs? In their efforts to accommodate buyers and make deals work, more Westchester home sellers are agreeing to either credit money to buyers for repairs or make the repairs outright. In general, I’d rather issue a credit; buyers can do the work as they see fit and sellers have one less headache. Often, however, the repairs are things […]

Active Rain If I Can Get XX Dollars For My Home, Why Do I Need a Broker? Early on the the beginning of the company, I listed a gorgeous old home that dated back to colonial times just outside the border of a village. It was a striking place, and even though it abutted commercial properties, its location outside the border of the village gave it residential zoning. A non-residential use required […]

Active Rain Title problems may interfere with foreclosure actions. Not long ago, we read about a judge throwing out a foreclosure case, resulting in a mortgage being de-facto-cancelled, due to the plaintiff not being able to produce documented ownership of the mortgage. What is being done on the secondary market is not overseen and may well be rife with shenanigans. Pay attention to this […]

Active Rain Want to Sell? Stop Trying So Hard Carol Culkin, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in person recently, wrote a very thoughtful post on listing agent-accompanied showings that prompted me to finish and revise a draft I had. We work the same market, and my thoughts are for Westchester County, New York and the Hudson Valley. Your results may vary. […]

Active Rain Wall Street Journal is Bullish on Buying a Home I have meant to post this earlier. On September 16 the Wall Street Journal posted 10 reasons to Buy a Home, and the article is sound advice. What is good about it is the even keeled nature of the piece- real estate isn’t a 1-way ticket to dreamsville, but it is a savvy move for […]

Active Rain You Need Your Neighborhood Agent Like a Hole in the Head Let me preface my remarks by making it clear that, all things being equal, I’d choose an agent from my own town over an agent half the county away…if all things were equal. Things are seldom equal in this market. Here are a few facts: Westchester County Home Buyers window shopped on Main Street in […]