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Why We Need Mortgage Brokers More Than Ever

Miriam Bernstein wrote a post on mortgage brokers that cited a recent New York Times article on the problems facing mortgage brokers. I’d summarize the post as pointing out that now isn’t the best time to be a mortgage broker as well as pointing out that brokers are not fiduciaries. Miriam’s presentation was flawed in that […]
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Killing the Messenger

We live in a great big country. I grew up in Ossining, NY about a half hour north of New York City. My parents were both born in Harlem and grew up in Yonkers. So you can imagine the culture shock I had in 1993 when I lived in New Orleans. Strangers actually talked to […]
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Short Sale bargain! Poughkeepsie Stone Ranch 2 BR, 2 Car Garage $219,900

Short sale bargain! Very special home — stone exterior, slate roofed structure with enclosed rear slate patio & detached 2-car garage. Great bones — hardwood floors, 2 fireplaces, tiled entry foyer, huge eat in kitchen, 2 large bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, & if you need a good garage, this will make your MOUTH WATER. […]
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Just Listed! Convenient Peekskill Townhome with Parking & Pool! $265,000

Solid 2 bedroom, 1.1 bath townhome style condominium with terrific amenities! Enjoy the stone fireplace, sliders to deck, new 1st-level floors, complex pool & tennis courts. Kitchen has a breakfast bar. 2 parking spaces right in front of the door. Walking distance to Peekskill train station, shopping is close by and highway is in close […]

Active Rain Why We Need Mortgage Brokers More Than Ever Miriam Bernstein wrote a post on mortgage brokers that cited a recent New York Times article on the problems facing mortgage brokers. I’d summarize the post as pointing out that now isn’t the best time to be a mortgage broker as well as pointing out that brokers are not fiduciaries. Miriam’s presentation was flawed in that […]

Active Rain Killing the Messenger We live in a great big country. I grew up in Ossining, NY about a half hour north of New York City. My parents were both born in Harlem and grew up in Yonkers. So you can imagine the culture shock I had in 1993 when I lived in New Orleans. Strangers actually talked to […]

Active Rain Short Sale bargain! Poughkeepsie Stone Ranch 2 BR, 2 Car Garage $219,900 Short sale bargain! Very special home — stone exterior, slate roofed structure with enclosed rear slate patio & detached 2-car garage. Great bones — hardwood floors, 2 fireplaces, tiled entry foyer, huge eat in kitchen, 2 large bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, & if you need a good garage, this will make your MOUTH WATER. […]

Active Rain Just Listed! Convenient Peekskill Townhome with Parking & Pool! $265,000 Solid 2 bedroom, 1.1 bath townhome style condominium with terrific amenities! Enjoy the stone fireplace, sliders to deck, new 1st-level floors, complex pool & tennis courts. Kitchen has a breakfast bar. 2 parking spaces right in front of the door. Walking distance to Peekskill train station, shopping is close by and highway is in close […]

Active Rain Peekskill Real Estate Market, 1st Quarter Overlooking the Hudson River, Peekskill is the only city of all the municipalities in northern Westchester County. When I was growing up it was where you went to do to the Department of Motor Vehicles office and little else. Today it has a far more vibrant downtown with art galleries, cafes and shopping of all […]

Active Rain A Thought About Real Estate in Chappaqua One of the things I have heard in certain precincts is that while the overall market might be bad, some places are insulated from the bad economy and will continue to have a thriving market. One of the places mentioned is nearby Chappaqua, NY. Chappaqua is known for being the adopted home of the Clintons, […]

Active Rain Wordless Wednesday- Bannerman’s Castle _______________________________________________________________ You can search the MLS like an agent at http://jphilip.listingbook.com. J. Philip Faranda ranks among New York’s premier short sale REALTORS specializing in short sales in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam & Dutchess Counties. www.NYShortSaleTeam.com. Read Phil’s short sale blog at http://NewYorkShortSaleBlog.wordpress.com. J. Philip Serves Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, Croton on Hudson, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow, White Plains, Yonkers, Peekskill, Cortlandt, […]

Active Rain Open House Theft Typically, we celebrate our “firsts” in this business- our first listing, our first cash buyer, or our first high priced transaction. My “first” this past Sunday was not a happy one. Thieves attended and stole some irreplaceable jewelry. My clients are crushed. I am mortified as well. It happened on my watch. It was brazen, bold, […]

Active Rain Off Topic: Villanova to the Final Four! Watch CBS Videos Online I am a proud member of the Villanova class of 1989. Few places can turn a New York-born, Giant and Yankee rooting, Eagle and 76er hating guy like me into a dedicated cheesesteak muncher like that rolling campus on the Main Line. I was on pins and needles yesterday watching that game. […]

Active Rain White Plains, NY Real Estate Market Information White Plains is the county seat of Westchester and is, in many ways, the hub of commerce for the area as well. It is home to the county government offices, numerous malls, the local Westchester Board of REALTORS, and some fantastic food and libation along Mamaroneck Avenue. You don’t go to White Plains to hide- you go […]

Active Rain New Listing! 3 BR Mt Vernon Colonial for $299,900! Well cared for colonial on a quiet street and close to everything – shopping, the Hutchinson Parkway and more. Boasts a den, formal dining room, half bath, kitchen and spacious living room on the first floor. Has both a carport and 2 car garage, plus patio in the rear yard, perfect for barbequeing or social […]

Active Rain Village of Ossining Real Estate Market Information I am from Ossining. I grew up here and no place is closer to my heart. The village lies on the banks of the Hudson River and is an amalgam of densely populated somewhat urban sections as well as more bucolic subdivisions as you go inland. Ossining is a hilly place, with streams, brooks and a […]

Active Rain Yorktown NY Real Estate Market, 1st Quarter 2009 Yorktown is a town in northern Westchester County that is very suburban in character. The housing is dominated by post baby boom ranches, splits and raised ranches in quiet subdivisions as well as larger colonials in the newer developments. It is served primarily by the Yorktown and Lakeland school districts, and it has abundant shopping […]

Active Rain Why the Media May Not Report Good News Catalog this as one of those phone calls you don’t get every day. “Call this woman,” my wife roared on my cell phone. “She wants to put you on TV!” Skeptical at first, but not wanting to ignore possibility, I called the lady. It was legit. She was a producer for one of the […]

Active Rain Croton on Hudson Real Estate Market, 1st Quarter 2009 Croton on Hudson is a small village just north of Ossining located in the neighboring town of Cortlandt. I spent a great deal of my youth there. As a scout I camped at Croton Point Park many times, and my high school youth group was based at Holy Name of Mary on Grand Street. It […]

Active Rain Clarkstown, NY 1st Quarter Real Estate Sales & Market Statistics Clarktown is a sought-after town in Rockland that comprises New City, Congers and some other small hamlets. I have 2 listings in Congers, which could be considered unusual for a Westchester-based agent. However, my clients understand that I am where the most likely buyer is going to come from. Rockland has always been an attractive alternative for Westchester residents […]

Active Rain Stately Congers Colonial on Cul de Sac 4 BR 4 Bath $599,900 _______________________________________________________________ You can search the MLS like an agent at http://jphilip.listingbook.com. J. Philip Faranda ranks among New York’s premier short sale REALTORS specializing in short sales in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam & Dutchess Counties. www.NYShortSaleTeam.com. Read Phil’s short sale blog at http://NewYorkShortSaleBlog.wordpress.com. J. Philip Serves Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, Croton on Hudson, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow, White Plains, […]

Active Rain A Thought on Home Inspectors: or, It’s the Photos, Stupid This is inspired by Jack Feldmann’s excellent piece on a home inspection he made recently. The posting has photos of some pretty amazing termite mud tubes in a crawlspace. Pretty compelling stuff. I think most home inspectors are fine but there are still some outfits that issue pretty bad reports- chicken scratch, really. A few years […]

Active Rain DMV Clerks Make Lousy Salespeople I have voiced my displeasure at the antics and poor professionalism of certain REO agents in the past. Some REO brokers in my area are fantastic. Some flat out suck. And I don’t for a second think that REO agents have it easy. Evictions, trash outs, overseeing vacant property and the demands of asset managers […]

Active Rain Looking for a GOOD Buyer Agent in Queens I have a position open for a buyer agent to work with a growing number of buyers in Queens. If you have a license in good standing, high professional standards and a knack for working with buyers this might be perfect for you. You HAVE to be good at following up, staying with people and getting their questions answered. Unfortunately […]