Active Rain

We got word last week that a past client’s loan modification was approved. As happy and relieved as they were, my beleaguered clients had to swallow a rough pill: on the terms of the approved loan modification, their mortgage payment would be several hundred dollars higher than their original payment.  It had been a long […]

I have blogged about security and home sellers before; I debated how to approach this subject today, because I don’t want to give any wing nuts any ideas. But bad people will do bad things anyway, and good people will be good anyway. And I don’t think any creeps read me. So here it is. I […]

I got this idea from Terry Hunnefeld from the old Goldrush program in the mid 1990’s. Terry was a Grand Rapids based broker who has since merged with By Referral Only. This was my first foray into Direct Response Marketing, and it does indeed make the phone ring, and that is the first step.  A […]

When I started in real estate in 1996, one of the things my mentor gave me was a dog eared book with a bald guy on the cover wearing a brown suit and pinky ring.  The book was entitled “List More, Sell More,” and the author, Jerry Bresser, is a legend among real estate trainers. […]

This is for single family home activity in the Briarcliff Manor school district for August of 2010. All information is derived from the Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service. I decided to mix things up a little this month and see if I could compare this past August with the previous Augusts going back to the peak of […]

This is more for brokers and owners of independent firms like myself, but if others find it helpful, use it.  Maybe I’m a total goober for not having fancy software to run my company, but that’s another post. Our setup is probably unorthodox; Ann is typically at home, Ronnie, my admin, is at the office […]

In all the panic about the drop in sales nationally this past July, few news outlets made much mention of the fact that Westchester’s real estate market went up. Now that August is past, how did we do as a follow up?  Good question. In short, the answer is “steady.” In July 2010, there were […]

Out of area phone calls could be anyone- a bank negotiator, out of town prospect, or a client on a business trip, so I answer.  Me: J. Philip Real Estate, this is Phil. Dude: Hey Phil! This is Matt with Kerfuzzle Promotions in beautiful Colorado, how are YOU DOING TODAY?!?! There was silence as he waited […]

I saw something today I never witnessed before. It happened when I was covering a home inspection for one of my agents (Yes- I know. What a great guy I am).  A home inspector brought the buyer onto the roof to show him something. I was so surprised to see this that I snapped a […]

OK, maybe Nietzsche is a little bit heavy for breakfast, but the theme of many blog posts I have read lately from my colleagues around the country is that this industry, which was never a walk in the park, is a real test of endurance, strength, and fortitude on both a physical and mental level. When I was […]

Just because you can multi task doesn’t mean you should multi task!! The things we real estate brokers see out in the field. I don’t think an explanation is needed, the video tells it all. Suffice to say that I was showing clients a home in Westchester County, NY and we came upon this particular […]

Both state and county are getting the word out that downpayment assistance and grant money is being made available to Westchester and surrounding county home buyers. Some highlights of state programs include the following: Veterans assistance Remodeling purchase money mortgages Down payment assistance loans Construction incentives SONYMA low interest and low down payment programs These programs do have […]

Imagine a buyer looking online for a home. They examine the inventory, veto the ones they dislike, dutifully check off their favorites, and compile a list of homes they’d like to see. It has taken over an hour, but final choices are made and one of my listings made the cut. They like the photos, […]

While Westchester County has remained a sought after destination for home buyers and 450 single family homes closed in July, there were still an enormous number of homes that quietly came off the market this August, unsold. While it would be easy to dismiss the results on the poor market, even a casual examination of […]

I don’t have any issues with For Sale By Owners. It is a free market. I equally have no issue with FSBOs who pay a fee to enter their home on the MLS and then try and act as their own listing agent. What I do have a problem with is people who distrust agents […]

“I can’t let you go inside my house with my kids home alone.”  Those were the words of a newer listing client when I asked to swing by the house to do something that would take under a minute. The kids were teenagers, a 13-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl.  Some background: When the home […]

Every so often, I have a nice comment or email from someone who read my blog. Sometimes they stick around and visit often, other times we are like two ships that passed in the rain. Sometimes, it is the other way around. When I first started on Active Rain, I would often “bookmark” a post […]

Perhaps because we speak with so many people in the course of a day, the odds of something memorable happening are far higher for brokers and agents than someone stuck in a cubicle all week. For example, a few months ago in Manhattan I walked out of a deli and saw a guy being arrested.  […]

Three real estate brokers were chatting after an association meeting about how slow business was. The subject of walk in business came up, and the first two expressed how long it had been since they last had a deal result from someone “walking in” off the street into their office.  The third broker however, said he just […]