Hat tip to Craig Rutman:

Money Magazine has ranked America’s top 100 small cities to live and White Plains came in ranked #53 . I am closing on a home in White Plains tomorrow as a matter of fact, with another closing later this month, and I do believe that Money has it right with this pick. White Plains in the county seat, has a fantastic mix of residential, shopping, and an exciting downtown, and a strong housing market even in these times. You can get a single family home, a high rise condo, or an affordable co op in a classy building here, and the taxes are low for Westchester. 

I have blogged about White Plains previously and will continue to be active in that market. I knew all along what Money magazine is reporting- White Plains is a great place to live. 

On this, my forty-third birthday, I thought I’d pay a small tribute to my roots and share Ossining, New York with you. I was born in nearby Sleepy Hollow (known then as North Tarrytown) in 1967 and lived in Ossining until I graduated high school. I then left for college in Pennsylvania and had a 15-year odyssey of homes before moving back to stay in 2000 after I met my wife. In that time, I lived in Philadelphia, College Park, Maryland, New Orleans, Boston, Northern New Jersey, and Rochester. And here I am, typing at my kitchen table 1 mile from the home where I was raised and half a mile from Ossining High. Here is a little bit about my home town. 

This is Saint Ann’s Church. I was baptized here, confirmed here, eulogized my father here, married here, and had three of my children baptized here as well. I graduated 8th grade from St. Ann’s school up the hill in 1981.

This is 32 Linden Avenue. I was here almost every day from the age of 6 months until the 3rd grade. My mother worked as an RN, and my babysitter lived here. She’s like a mother to me, and her 5 children are like siblings. I knew every nook and cranny of that old house. It went on the market earlier this year and I walked through for the first time in 33 years. It was a powerful experience. This house is the reason I love old homes, especially homes with porches. Back when that porch was enclosed by screens I read about 1000 Sgt Rock comic books sitting in it as the world went by, with the breeze blowing my cares away. 

This is the infamous Sing Sing Prison, the genesis of the phrase “up the river” from old gangster movies, as it is up the Hudson about 30 miles from Manhattan. It is still in operation, and the Hudson line of Metro-North runs right through it before stopping at the Ossining station. Surrounded by walls, of course- That looks really cool on Google Earth. 

This is Southside Market, on the corner of Spring Street and Lafayette, about a block away from Sing Sing. It used to be a little deli called Pindt’s. My friend’s Dad bought it in the early 80’s, renamed it Southside, and made it a thriving enterprise. I started out as a stockboy there in high school (rotate the stock. New stuff goes behind, older stuff up front) and worked counter in college. I remember the rush of the 11:30pm shift of prison guards coming in after getting off duty. They all seemed to want Italian Combos. 3 meats and 2 cheeses. Those guys were grouchy after a long shift with inmates. And hungry. Ralph, my friend’s Dad, was one of the best men I ever knew. We spent hours on end together in there, working and talking about life. I eulogized Ralph too.

This is downtown Ossining on Main Street (creative name huh). When I was a kid the area was derelict and blighted because all the commerce from that once bustling downtown migrated to the Arcadian shopping center. It has taken decades for the downtown to come back, but it is back and getting better.

This is my old home where I grew up. The original house (mostly on the left) was a 3 bedroom baby boom era ranch. My father made 3 additions to it.

I have posted previously about my old neighborhood, as well as the now semi famous (Thanks to Mad Men on AMC) Ossining reservoir.  

I love this place, and I chose to raise my family here. I love how my daughter has the local accent more each day. I love that we call hero sandwiches “wedges.” I love the Yin-Yang quality of Sing Sing prison on the River and Maryknoll Mission up on the Hill. I love that when I sell a home here I get a new neighbor. I love seeing the Hudson from the top of almost any hill here. It is a beautiful river town with a rich history, and I know it like the back of my hand. I’ll post more photos and history as time goes on, but I thought I’d walk down memory lane a bit here. 

I was contacted yesterday by a colleague asking if I could help him find an agent in another state. His brother in law is looking for new a one- he’s not happy with his current representation. That’s an easy one, right? I’ll just log onto Active Rain and refer one of the slew of agents in that state that I have come to know and like this past year. They’ll treat him like family and get the job done. That’s what I want. One problem: None of the agents I know and like are in this county. 

Problem number 2, and it is a big one: None of the prominent agents in this area have profiles or blogs that give me much confidence. One has an OK profile, but her blog is mostly Postlets. Will she give personal service? It’s good that she’s pushing her listings, but… Another is NUMBER ONE in the county, NUMBER 6 in the Solar System and top 20 in the Galaxy. Pass. I fear she’ll never remember the guy’s name after he’s farmed out to an underling. Then there were some down the line who still had “Write something about yourself here” in some unfinished profile sections. Tres wonderful.  I decided to disregard point total, pick my top 3, and call them this week. 

It got me thinking about what my own profile says about me. If the roles were reversed and someone were looking for a good agent in Westchester, would my profile give another AR member confidence that I am the right choice? I’m not worried about my blog- 5 minutes and you know I’m a lunatic. I can’t un-ring that bell. But what if they don’t click on my blog and stop with my profile? What does it say? 

Referrals are a tricky thing. Some of them are family and good friends. They want their referral to be taken care of. They also want to get paid.  I have referred people out of state and heard later that the client got one phone call or decided they didn’t like the agent after a week or a month. Nothing is a guarantee in this industry.

So here’s the QUESTION, and it may have me totally revamp my own profile. What does your profile say about you? We are here about promoting our businesses, and we are sort of marketing both to the public and the agent community, no easy trick, but are we overdoing some things, like self promotion, and losing that personal touch? Are we out of balance in another way? One thing is for certain: My profile is getting a long overdue overhaul. I want it to say one thing clearly: Your business is in good hands with me. Because it really is. 

Yorktown is a larger town in north Westchester County between Cortlandt and Somers. It is is very suburban in character- think post-war/baby boom subdivisions with ranches, splits and raised ranches and with larger colonials in the newer developments. It is served primarily by the Yorktown and Lakeland school districts, and it has abundant shopping and parks. Yorktown has always been a popular place to land for southern Westchester and Bronx residents who wanted to move north to the “burbs” seeking a quieter lifestyle. Downtown Yorktown Heights is located at the intersections of routes 202 and 118 and is home to the Triangle shopping Center, the iconic Friendly’s, The Pennysaver of northern Westchester, and plenty of other commerce.

This data is for the Yorktown school district only and is taken from the Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service. It compares the sales of single family homes from June of 2010 to June of 2009.

Simply put, Yorktown had a positively enormous June this year, more than doubling last year’s transaction total and increasing the median price by almost $20,000. To give you some perspective, at the height of the bubble in June 2005 there were 21 closings. With 22 homes under contract production has far from cooled off. 

To check out the 141 available properties Yorktown has to offer, register yourself for a free Listingbook account. 

Previous posts on Croton on Hudson. 

Located in northwest Westchester County, the Hendrick Hudson School district is in the town of Cortlandt and encompasses parts of Croton, Cortlandt Manor, Peekskill, and all of Montrose, Verplanck and Buchanan. All information is from the Westchester Putnam Multiple Listing Service. 

Last month I said the following in the Hen Hud market report: Barring another crisis, and I think we’ve wrung them all out, we are in the beginning of a very slow recovery. This June report seems to support that observation. 

Transaction totals have risen from 5 in June of 2009 to 12 this June; Median price is up from $354,415 to $366,00; and 15 homes are under contract for sale at a median asking price of $569,900, which is a huge jump upward. This is all positive movement.  

93 homes are actively for sale, giving the area ample consumer choice.

Previous posts on the Hendrick Hudson School District real estate market. 

I will be hosting an open house this afternoon from 1-3 pm at 1001 Brentwood Drive in Tarrytown. It is a rare, 4 bedroom end unit townhome in the Watch Hill complex with a finished basement, deck, 2 car garage and fireplace. It is loaded- master suite, over 2400 square feet, and a cul de sac location. Moreover, at $499,990, it is priced $65,000 less than the last 4 bedroom which sold in the complex a few months ago. Someone will be getting a very good value when they make this their home. 

1001 Brentwood Dr, Tarrytown Open Sunday July 11, 1-3pm

This is the market activity for Peekskill in June of 2010. All information is sourced from the Westchester-Putnam MLS. I have blogged about Peekskill extensively before. 

Unlike the May of 2009 and 2010 comparison, prices and transaction totals are up, from a median price in June of 2009 of $237,500 to a more robust $304,750 in June 2010. There were 8 transaction in June this year, up from only 6 last June, and 9 homes are currently under contract. 64 homes are actively for sale.

64 active listings is about 8-10 months worth of inventory, not an outrageous amount but certainly plenty to choose from. Prices, while up, are at their lowest here since 2003. If you like the river towns and fancy pre war architecture, you’ll like Peekskill. Now is a god time to buy real estate in Peekskill. Get yourself a free Listingbook account and check out homes for sale in Peekskill. 

You would think that all the stuff published by financial advice websites would have some consumers more educated about the role of real estate agents, especially in the case of a short sale. They don’t. I have to educate many who reach out to me and set them straight on certain ideas in their head that they get from who knows where- most likely these asinine “what your agent hopes you never know” online columns that sow discord rather than educate. 

A few brief examples:

• The Open Listing. The guy is essentially a FSBO but wants me to do the short sale once he gets a buyer. Do it Yourself is fine if you are building a picnic table, but not saving your financial rear. When it is explained that he saves nothing the way he theoretically would if he had, say, equity, I still get blank stares. 
• The Un-Bundler. The Un-Bundler wants me to do their short sale, but wants to keep cousin Ethel as the listing agent. I have to explain to this person that the only compensation paid by lenders in a short sale is a brokerage fee, and I cannot take an upfront fee from him. He has a choice: List with me or have cousin Ethel dock her license with me. But I’m not doing all the dirty work for another agent. 
• The Competitor. The competitor wants half my commission if they find the buyer. I have to explain to them that I don’t compete with clients, but more importantly, paying them a rebate in a short sale is bank fraud. They probably got this advice off some website somewhere that isn’t talking about short sales specifically but addresses negotiating commissions.