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Active Rain

I’m Worth Every Penny

I’ve noticed something lately. Even though sellers are getting less for their homes than years past, commissions are not down. I see more bonuses offered. I see strong cooperative commission offered in the MLS. Brokerage as an industry has not been decimated by the market downturn or the advance of technology the way other industries have. In […]
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The 1,096 Day Short Sale

If you have a short sale that is 6 months or more into the process, you’ll appreciate this: We got an approval yesterday on a home I listed in 2007. 2007. It has been an odyssey to say the least: mystery liens, family tragedy, crazy buyers, deals dying, and 3 years of hard work. I listed this […]
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Sell REOs Only to Owner Occupants the First 2 Weeks

I sold my first HUD home in the 90’s sometime. A HUD home, if you don’t already know, is a government-owned foreclosure that is administered by the department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). There is a little bit of red tape involved in a HUD transaction, but they typically go well. One rule HUD […]
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Dear Dr. Shlabotnik

Dear Dr. Shlabotnik, Thanks for your follow up email last night after our 8pm discussion. I appreciate your very specific instructions on how to handle the situation, especially our collaborative in-depth analysis of what the plan would be should the seller zig, and if the seller should zag. I can tell you really put a lot […]

Active Rain I’m Worth Every Penny I’ve noticed something lately. Even though sellers are getting less for their homes than years past, commissions are not down. I see more bonuses offered. I see strong cooperative commission offered in the MLS. Brokerage as an industry has not been decimated by the market downturn or the advance of technology the way other industries have. In […]

Active Rain The 1,096 Day Short Sale If you have a short sale that is 6 months or more into the process, you’ll appreciate this: We got an approval yesterday on a home I listed in 2007. 2007. It has been an odyssey to say the least: mystery liens, family tragedy, crazy buyers, deals dying, and 3 years of hard work. I listed this […]

Active Rain Sell REOs Only to Owner Occupants the First 2 Weeks I sold my first HUD home in the 90’s sometime. A HUD home, if you don’t already know, is a government-owned foreclosure that is administered by the department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). There is a little bit of red tape involved in a HUD transaction, but they typically go well. One rule HUD […]

Active Rain Dear Dr. Shlabotnik Dear Dr. Shlabotnik, Thanks for your follow up email last night after our 8pm discussion. I appreciate your very specific instructions on how to handle the situation, especially our collaborative in-depth analysis of what the plan would be should the seller zig, and if the seller should zag. I can tell you really put a lot […]

Active Rain Good Boy, Max Gregory is our 5-year old. He is on the spectrum for autism, and this is one of his mother’s and my greatest challenges. Last year Gregory learned to climb the rear yard fence, which caused quite a scare the first time it happened. I found him in the park a block away, happily playing on […]

Active Rain Tax Credit Deadline Makes Early Due Diligence Crucial One of the things we all dread in a transaction is an 11th-hour problem that delays or cancels a closing until it is solved. It could be a certificate of occupancy for a deck or addition, an open permit, or an unknown lien. When these things are discovered, it causes mad scrambles to get the […]

Active Rain “The Keys” Seminar a Success This evening was, at long last, “The Keys” home ownership seminar at Tuscan Grille in Briarcliff. About 25 people attended, and it was a lively session on the Westchester County home buying process, mortgage approvals, short sales, closing costs, and many other engaging topics. I spoke first (I was a little nervous) and am told […]

Active Rain Ossining Real Estate Market April 2010 Ossining can mean many things- it can refer to the Village of Ossining, the Town of Ossining, or an Ossining delivery address in the town of New Castle or Yorktown. In the market data I am referring to, it will mean all properties in the Ossining school district, which is pretty much all of the above. All […]

Active Rain Briarcliff Manor Real Estate Market April 2010 Ann and I have lived in Briarcliff Manor since 2007 but the fact of the matter is that I have known Briarcliff as long as I have been alive; it is one of two villages in the town of Ossining. A small portion of Briarcliff lies in the Town of Mount Pleasant. This post will cover the […]

Active Rain Riverdale Riding Club- The Horse Ranch of the Bronx As contrary as “Horses” and “The Bronx” might sound, there is in fact a very notable riding club in Riverdale, right on Broadway. Riverdale Equestrian Centre is right there at the Intersection of Broadway and 254th Street, with an enormous facility at the north side of Van Cortlandt Park. It is an impressive set up. […]

Active Rain Speechless Sundays: Old and New in White Plains, NY

Active Rain Hendrick Hudson School District Real Estate Market The Hendrick Hudson School District is located in northwest Westchester County, spanning from the northern tip of the village of Croton on Hudson to the southern part of the city of Peekskill. It includes the village of Buchanan and the hamlets of Montrose, Verplanck and parts of southern Cortlandt Manor. This is River Town country, […]

Active Rain 3 Days Until You Get “The Keys” There are just three days until the free home buying seminar along with free (and delicious) food this Wednesday, April 14 at 6pm at Tuscan Grille (formerly Torchia’s) at 518 North State Road in Briarcliff Manor, NY. If you have never enjoyed Tuscan Grille’s yummy menu, you are in for a treat. Skip the cooking Wednesday and head over for an informative and […]

Active Rain Sometimes you Lose a House You Thought You Had It happens. My buyers had an accepted offer less than 24 hours old and were preparing to call their home inspector when the listing agent called me. A competing offer raised their bid to a number higher than ours, and the seller was giving us the courtesy of a chance to match or beat before […]

Active Rain Allan Dalton to Speak to Westchester Real Estate Professionals April 29 In light of the fact that I just spouted about the importance of live classes over online courses, here is a great live event that is open to all local professionals: Westchester Real Estate Professionals puts on a monthly event at the Rye Grill that I have gotten great value from, and the coming event on […]

Active Rain Online Licensing Courses are Bad for the Real Estate Industry Not long ago, the licensing requirements for real estate salespeople in New York became more rigorous, with the 40-hour course expanded to 75 hours. It was a good move. I still recall my class in 1996, given by the real estate school at the Greater Rochester Association of REALTORS. My instructors were knowledgeable and engaging, the classes […]

Active Rain Attorneys Killing Short Sales Here in New York we have attorneys heavily involved in real estate transactions. Their function technically is to handle contracts, act as escrowees in the holding of good faith deposits, and examine title. They are another advocate for our clients. By and large, most attorneys play it straight and do not mother hen, interfere, or […]

Active Rain Thoughts on Fair Housing Month April is Fair Housing Month in observance of the 1968 landmark legislation that ended housing discrimination by law. It seems hard to believe that a generation and a half ago that the things we take for granted were the subject of debate. Fair housing and equal access are so ingrained in our collective minds and profession […]

Active Rain Providing the Mortgage Commitment is Required for Good Faith Certain details are simplified for expediency. Recently, we had a short sale fall apart because the buyer’s circumstances supposedly changed and they could no longer qualify. It stunk a little, and the attorney, who had done yeoman work to get the short sale approved, indicated she felt that the deposit should not be returned. We had been […]

Active Rain Croton on Hudson, NY: Arrowcrest Subdivision Arrowcrest is small, exclusive neighborhood in Croton on Hudson that has a beautiful view of the Hudson River and abuts Hudson National Golf Club. The striking thing about the development is the great job they did to blend Arrowcrest homes in with the wooded nature of the area. The builder did not “scorch the Earth” […]