Growing up in Ossining, even though I went to Catholic schools after 1st grade, I always got the connection between the local history and the high school mascot, the Ossining Indian. We were told of the Sint Sinck heritage, stone on stone, and how the high school teams were emblematic of that history. That changed in 2002, when social and political pressure convinced the district to retire the Indian mascot. OHS grad Dana Goldstein, quite an accomplished scholar herself, has written a complex commentary on the change and aftermath.

Of course, the community is now a decade into mascot limbo, and with all due respect for the folks with the Ossining Indians Forever bumper stickers, I see less of an issue with the loss of the Indian as the lack of a suitable replacement.  They have tried and trashed the fictitious “Riverhawk,” then simply “O,” and now I see tacit references in the press to the “Pride,” as if those ex -jocks among us don’t already know that the term is as common as “athletic supporter.” The only official announcement of Pride is on a student blog I found from a senior, Trevor Gill, who graduated last year.

I wouldn’t have a horse in this race if I did not still reside in the district. My alma mater, John F Kennedy Catholic in Somers, is represented by the Gaels, another ethnic character, only of the Irish variety. I won’t go past mentioning that Notre Dame’s mascot, the fighting Irish, is literally a drunk leprechaun. And I couldn’t root for the Washington Redskins. But the reason for retiring the Indian was not mere political correctness. Tomahawk chops, caricatured logos and costumed buffoons would be reason enough for me if the mist of genocide and suffering did not linger. And as much as I’d like to cross my heart and promise to go back to the Indian if we could do it respectfully and without chicanery and stereotypes, I don’t think we can unring the mascot bell.

What I would like to see is a mascot that the entire community can get behind that isn’t a vowel or part-time adjective. The reason the Indian still remains in our consciousness is because they haven’t devoted the effort to a suitable replacement that matched the campaign to retire the Indian. The world has changed. No one is changing their mascot from Wildcat or Bear to Indian. It is the other way around.  I think it is time for Ossining to adapt, because you cannot rewind. The best thing to do is for the district to put an earnest effort in finding a new identity that resonates with both sides of the argument once and for all.  

A brief rant on agent Feedback, which, as I have said before, is often an excercise in futility. If an agent is kind enough to email back feedback on on of my listings, “call me” is not an option. Our Feedback system is online and my clients get cc’d on all submissions. I don’t need my client getting jacked up thinking an offer is imminent when the agent only wanted to tell me that they couldn’t get the AC to turn on or the top bolt lock to click. 

We’ve recently had a number of agents leave the feedback such as “Please call me- I need to speak with you.” My sellers, quite understandably, break their necks to reach me and make sure I get the “important” message. I did, of course. When I do speak with the agent, the important issue is often simply a benign question or observation. Nothing to get excited about. Offers? Look, if an agent is about to make a sale they aren’t subtle about it, they’ll move mountains to get it in front of me-nobody is coy about making a sale. 

Check this one out:

I called the person. Nothing urgent, just a simple question they could have emailed instead of a cryptic message. Thanks, that really helps…NOT. I have no written feedback to convey to my client, and my time was just wasted. Worse, my client suffered angst over a meaningless conversation. If it were an isolated case that would be one thing. But it isn’t.  

Back in the 1970’s there were some books published by Robert Ringer and Michael Korda entitled Winning Through Intimidation and Power, respectively. They were typical Me Decade-era self help jobs which centered on putting yourself first, posturing, and office/boardroom manipulation to get ahead. One of Korda’s principles was that he who has to make the call loses- in other words, it is the subordinate who has to dial. The superior sends a memo or a message “call me.” It is like a message to go to the principal’s office or call your boss. 

I don’t think this is what is going on, but it is still silly. Why add the extra step? I certainly have no objection to dialing a colleague, but the use of feedback, which is by nature a non-urgent medium, to convey a message when a simple call would do, is misguided. You can call me, text me or email me. There is no need to use feedback to request a call.  It’s like sending me a letter when you are already standing next to me. And it isn’t feedback! 

I have read with some interest on the recent blogging debate on how much we should cross polinate business with our personal lives. On one side you have people who feel it inappropriate to be very forthcoming about family and personal matters in a professional relationship, and then there are folks who see being open as an asset in building rapport and trust. 

Is there a hard and fast rule? No. There are two rules:

I recall, as a consumer looking for a rental in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1995 being put off by a rental agent who was an impersonal robot. But I also hate waiters who try and get me to like them when all I want is for them to shoo and bring back my order. Which brings me to a few lessons I learned back when I was a bartender in 2000-2001.

We were trained to never discuss religion or politics. Beyond that and mixing drinks fast and well, the job was to listen. I believe that it is the same thing in real estate. The old adage goes that we have two ears and one mouth. Identify the clients needs, listen, and get them what they seek. They don’t care about you unless they know you care. When bartending, I witnessed, firsthand, waiters who worked hard to get their customers to like them in an effort to maximize their tip. It didn’t work. What worked was hustling to get their food to them as fast as possible. We can chat over dessert or coffee. Agents should never make it about themselves. 

However, people DO want to know who they are doing business with. Building rapport is pretty crucial. And real estate is a relationship business. But how one shares oneself, and when it is time to discuss anything of a personal nature are important judgments to make. My rule of thumb is that I mention my background or kids as it relates to filling a need or answering a question for the client. If a prospective client in Somers or Katonah is worried that I as a Briarcliff Manor -based agent don’t know their area well, I’ll let them know I went to JFK High School in Somers. If a dog or child is disruptive, I’ll reassure them that I have a 80 pound German Shepherd and 4 kids of my own. When the time is right, that helps. It makes me a real guy. 

And I have had many a client tell me that I was hired because they knew I was working for my dinner, not spending money. 

By the time I was married September 29, 2001 I was tending bar only part time. I had a fairly large crowd of regulars, and they knew me pretty well at that point. I got quite a few good wishes from my customers, and to this day if I run into one they’ll ask me about my family. But we only got to that point because I already knew about them. 

I advise my agents to go with their gut about what they share with clients, but to always put the clients as the focal point of the discourse. The proof that the plan works shows in the progress of the company and our growth. People vary, and the only way to know what to say is to listen first and foremost. And no matter where you stand in this debate, I think we can agree that listening is always the best foundation to serving a client well. 

How can a kid that cute make that much…

Given my work schedule, sometimes we kill two birds with one stone: we pile all 4 kids into the car with a sign and a lockbox, and drive out to a new listing so Dad can put up the sign and install the lockbox. Then we go to Carvel or McDonald’s to thank the kids for behaving. It is work time, but it is also family time. 

Two things made today different:

• Catherine gets car sick sometimes.
• I had to drive on a long windy road. 

The joke among many in my area is that many forms of networking are called “notworking.” I could attend a networking event almost every day, nurse a cocktail, wear a nametag, and converse with fellow agents about life, the universe, and everything, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it generates business or helps me sell one of my listings. On the other side of the spectrum, there are networking groups that people would die to get into- a good BNI group, for example, could yield enormous referral opportunities because of the exclusivity of professions. 

I don’t belong to a BNI group. However, I am fortunate to belong to small, select professional networking group as the exclusive real estate broker known as PNW, or Professional Networkers of Westchester. This morning at 7:45, while most of the world was still home yawning, I was at a meeting of this group of accomplished Westchester-based professionals, discussing how we can get our respective businesses to the next level. It is brain food, a think tank, and an extraordinary source of business that my own clientele should feel good about. 

PNW has one of just about everything- a banker, architect, painter, CPA, chiropractor, property insurance broker, and over 20 other professionals, and we exchange referrals and ideas every other week and meet one on one often in between. It keeps me engaged, and, perhaps more importantly, gets me in front of tremendous sources for referrals so I can get buyers for my listings and listings for my buyers. So, every other Friday (and for a few hours a month in between) I am in front of a my fellow members by 8am, working to get the next breakthrough.

There are no weak links- just about every member is accomplished, full time, and at the top of their profession. And while it isn’t easy to get out early and meet before the start of business, it is worth the effort.   

Success is not a 9-5 thing. 

What can you get in Ossining for $741,000? 

If you acted fast, you could have gotten a gorgeous 2002-built colonial in Waterview Estates. Here’s what it had under the hood: a level half acre lot backing up to wilderness (General Electric-owned reservoir), exquisite landscaping, a lawn sprinkler system, a wrap around porch and a 2-car garage to start, and we havn’t even walked inside. 

Inside: 3600 square feet of living space, 4500 if you included the walkout finished basement. 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, with a master suite to die for; a granite and stainless steel gourmet kitchen with an island; a family room with a classic wood burning fireplace and sliding doors to the rear deck; lots of architectural detail and contractor-owner upgrades; plenty of massive walk in closets; cathedral ceilings with skylights; gleaming hardwood floors on the main level, including the formal living rom and den; high end carpeting in all bedrooms upstairs and in the finished basement rec room – get the picture? 

Now for a little bragging:

We listed this home on May 13, 2011, got an accepted offer in June, went under contract in July, and closed on September 9. 91 days total start to finish, less than half that before an accepted offer. It is the highest price for a home in this subdivision since 2009. Selling a home this fast for 99% of asking doesn’t happen by accident in this market. You have to know what you are doing, and you have to execute. 

If you’d like a home like this, get yourself a free Listingbook account and find another home right here or a nearby community with our easy home finding application that lets you search the MLS like an agent.  

Earlier this year, I wrote a piece on how the 2011 market was starting out far slower than the same period in 2010. I qualified the statement with the prediction that 2011 might surpass 2010 later in the year, as early 2010 results were skewed by the stimulus. 

Here’s how we are doing thus far: 

From January 1 2011 through August 31 2011, 2655 single family home has sold at a median price of $635,000. 

From January 1, 2010 through August 31 2010, 2832 single family homes have sold at a median price of $648,000. 

We are down 177 sales from the same period last year at a $13,000 lower median price. At the end of June, we were down 248 sales.

I believe we are catching up. Will 2011 surpass 2010 at this pace? It will be a close call. We have 4 months to make up roughly 45 sales per month. 

According to the Empire Access Multiple Listing Service, which is the source of all my data, 732 homes are currently under contract with a buyer as I write this, at a median list price of $535,000. Prices are certainly down from last year. If we can get a high precentage of the pending pipeline to close, I like our chances to best 2010 volume. The wild card is short sales, which are anything but short in timeframe. 

Stay tuned! 

Want to jump in? Get yourself a free Listingbook account and search for a Westchester home like an agent. 

Labor Day is past us and school has begun. So I’ll rub it in a little and show you a cool photo essay of Rye Playland, Westchester County’s revered amusement park and home of a million happy memories. 

As the sign says, Playland has been open since 1928. It is the only county-run amusement park in the USA, and it is in Rye, New York right on the Long Island Sound. Due to its age and layout, there is a distinctive old-time carnival theme to the place, with a central promenade lined by food and games, with rides and attractions fanning out throughout the park. In the center at the end of the promenade is a stage for performances, and on the other end is a beach and ice casino, where the New York Rangers have their practice facility. 

Playland Lake is a manmade lake where you can take boat rides or rent a paddle boat. You can’t swim in it, but the beach at the end of the park is there if you you want to get wet. 

The Dragon Coaster is a landmark, and one of the few wooden roller coasters in existence. It was conceived as a rival to the Coney Island Roller Coaster, the Cyclone. 

The Gondola Wheel is not for people with Vertigo. You are over the tree tops and at the apex you can see Long Island. I would eat *after* this, not before, but that’s just me. 

Another New York institution, Nathan’s Hotdogs. I love the “WC” on the building facade, which of course stands for Westchester County. Of course, local favorite Carvel Ice Cream is also close by. 

Plyaland has a tremendous amount of arcades, kiddie rides, water rides, and places to sit and relax. Of course, traditional rides like bumper cars are all there also. It is very clean, and the layout is easy to follow. We went there in August and paid about $25 each for all day passes. It was well worth it and the kids had a blast. 

Playland is a very special place, and it is one of the things that makes Westchester County one of the very best places in the world to live. I love that I am fortunate enough to work and raise my family here. 

You should be here too! Get a free Listingbook account and find a home driving distance from Playland and you’ll know what I mean. 

A few months ago, fellow blogger Susan Mangigian referred me to a high powered business woman who was looking to get into real estate. So, on a rainy April afternoon at Coffee Labs in Tarrytown, I had a nice discussion with Barbara Bartell about career in brokerage. It has been a circuitous route, but this afternoon Barbara officially joined our firm and we couldn’t be happier to have her. 

Barbara has run her own company in the Human Resource industry since the 90’s. I have great respect for that, as I run my own firm as well. She understands relationships. She understands what it takes to develop and listen to the client. She gets follow up and professionalism. Those things are all crucial to this business, and you can’t teach them-you have it or you don’t. Beyond that she has a voracious intellectual curiosity to absorb the best practices of this business and build her practice up. 

A resident of Hartsdale and familiar with White Plains, Scarsdale, Mamaroneck and the surrounding areas, Barbara will ber serving central and southern Westchester county. We’ll work closely together, but make no bones about it, she is no novice, having bought or sold a home NINE times. If that doesn’t give you empathy with the client, what will? We look forward to helping Barbara develop another empire with lots of happy clients. 

To contact Barbara, send an email to barbara@jphilip.com or call (914) 523-5087