For those of you not living in New York or who don't follow NBA basketball, the toast of Gotham is Jeremy Lin, an unheralded, undrafted, and un-scholarshipped (is that a word?) point guard who just led the Knicks to their 4th straight win over the Lakers. He scored 38 points to pace the Knickerbo
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02/10/2012
Every so often I get a call from a home seller asking me a variation of this question: What will the commission be if I find my own buyer? It could be a seller client or someone considering listing their home with my company. Typically, the discussion that follows reveals that the questioner eith
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02/06/2012
I have often said that nearby Pleasantville is aptly named. It borders Briarcliff Manor to the east and is idyllic: a picturesque, charming little village on the Harlem line of Metro North with shops, eateries, and culture. The latest feather in the village's cap is that GQ magazine voted it the
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02/02/2012
For the third time in the past 4 weeks, I have been contacted by a buyer who chose to call me directly instead of having their agent call me because their offer was not accepted. In each case, I have told the agent-and the buyer when they called- that I'd be happy to know what comparable sale the
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01/31/2012
New York State has something known as settlement conferences for homeowners facing foreclosure. It is a good law. Distressed borrowers can go to the courthouse and meet with lawyers of their lender face to face in front of a judge or court appointed referee. The referee is there to make sure that
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01/30/2012
Inman news is reporting a Youtube announcement from ARG (Abbott Realty Group) that they are not permitting their listings to be viewed on 3rd party syndicators such as Zillow, Trulia and even Realtor.com. The link is already behind Inman's paywall so I have embedded the video below. This comes i
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01/27/2012
I have written before on what a buyer's market is and what a buyer's market isn't. Westchester County and our surroundings are a sought after destination; even if a home has been on the market for a year, once the price is right it will sell. I wish I could impress this upon a few buyers who have
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01/27/2012
This is one of those topics I have been meaning to write about for a dog's age (sorry) and I finally have the time and inspiration to do just that. It is my view that an inordinate percentage of real estate agents are dog lovers. Canine devotees. Poochophiles. And they aren't just dog owners, th
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01/25/2012
I'm seldom political-I'm a capitalist, not a ideologue- and while I like President Obama, I have to say that I am incredibly disappointed by the State of the Union speech this evening for one good reason: he barely touched on housing or what he'd do to fix the industry. It is among our biggest pr
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01/24/2012