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White Plains, NY Real Estate News

By Debbie Gartner, The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers
(The Flooring Girl)
I have to say that I love BNI (Business Networking International) and we are proud members of 3 local BNI groups in Westchester county (in White Plains and Pleasantville).  At first, I was dreading those weekly 7am meetings, but I have to tell you that even though I'm not a morning person, these people are friendly and funny and they definitely keep my attention.  And, of course the breakfast and coffee don't hurt either (I love when it's French toast week at Jean Jacques). For those not familiar w/ BNI, it's a networking group of non-competing professions that try to find referrals for each other.  Most of the members have used the members services or learn about them from testimonials from those that have.  You really get to know people on both personal and professional basis.  I like...
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By Debbie Gartner, The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers
(The Flooring Girl)
Sanding & refinishing hardwood floors is one of the easiest and cost effective ways to change the look of your (or you client's) home.  Sometimes it's done to repair all the scratches and just make it shiny and pretty.  Other times, it's to give your place a dramatic face lift (e.g. go from dark to light to brighten up the place or go from light to dark to give it a more formal appearance).  Either way, it really makes the place look like new. If you're selling a home, it's usually a "must have."  If you are about to move into a new home, make the color your own (before you move the furniture in).  Most people find the cost is less expensive than they thought...and, it's certainly less than putting new flooring in, even less expensive than carpet. What has baffled me these last few week...
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By Ruthmarie Hicks
(Keller Williams NY Realty - 120 Bloomingdale Road #101, White Plains NY 10605)
One of the famous downtown White Plains restaurants went up in flames today as a fire – which started in the basement spread to engulf the entire restaurant and take out half a block on East Post Road in White Plains NY. The location, just off of Mamaroneck Avenue in the heart of the downtown, complicated matters as smoke engulfed the area with temperatures near triple digits.  The five alarm fire demolished the Bengal Tiger and three other businesses – effectively destroying a half a block of the downtown area.  60 firefighters were from several communities were battling the flames.  The oppressive heat sent 25 fire fighters to the hospital due to smoke inhalation as well as heat exhaustion.  According to City Hall, the cause of the fire is under investigation. Tonight the fire is unde...
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By Debbie Gartner, The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers
(The Flooring Girl)
I'm often asked whether prefinished hardwood or unfinished hardwood is better.  We install both and the truth is it depends on which of below factors is most important to you.  The next question I get is, which is less expensive??? Just to make sure we are on the same page for definitions, prefinished means that it's all finished in the factory and then you just install it.  Unfinished means you have raw hardwood that needs to be nailed into the floor and then sanded & refinished on-site. More scratch resistant/lasts longer.  Usually prefinished hardwood is 7-10x more scratch resistant than unfinished hardwood.  That's because when it's finished on site, you generally get 2-3 coats of poly while when it's factory made, you usually get at least 6-7 coats which are oven baked along w/ alu...
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By Debbie Gartner, The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers
(The Flooring Girl)
Have you ever hired a contractor you couldn't trust? Check out this video  It's quite funny. Please hire someone you trust.  And, check their references.   Personally, I think the best place to try is Angieslist.com.  This site ranks professionals in many categories and based solely on customers reviews.  So, if you do a good job, that's recognized with A ratings; if you do a bd job, you are in the penalty box.  It is extremely objective.  For Angieslist, you need to be a paying member - I believe $35 annually and it is well worth it - the quality of the contractors you get is much higher and you can choose to call whomever you want. Another site to use is Service Magic.com.  This site is also good, but it charges the contractors for each lead so you get more people out there just looki...
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By Debbie Gartner, The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers
(The Flooring Girl)
I can't even begin to tell how important it is to have someone come to your home and help guide you on the best floor for your needs and your home.  (As background we design and install all types of flooring - hardwood, carpet, tile, laminate, vinyl, sand & refinish.  And, best of all, "We bring the store to your door.") While I typically take care of the whole job from start to finish (material + labor), there are plenty of times where customers just need my help for the materials (e.g. if they plan on installing themselves) and other times where they have bought the materials and just need my guys to install it for them. What breaks my heart (and I've seen it happen too many times) is I'll have a customer who went to a store, and bought the wrong materials.  It especially happens with...
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By Ruthmarie Hicks
(Keller Williams NY Realty - 120 Bloomingdale Road #101, White Plains NY 10605)
First time buyers looking for homes for sale in Westchester NY face a variety of choices.  There are a lot of homes on the market right now and many find themselves like kids in a candy store.  But that doesn’t  negate the fact that  houses for sale in Westchester NY are still very expensive and many of the things on that wish list – including the “must haves” often have to to be reconsidered and scaled back. For example, the entry level buyer that wants a pre-war charmer with 2 full baths and and open floor plan with central AC for under $500k  is looking for a product that does not exist in this market.   This brings me  to a blog written yesterday by  Agent Aaron  "Working folks need a place to live too!"  His blog was inspired by a blog decrying cookie-cutter homes "Cut out the Coo...
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By Anthony Stokes-Pereira, Realtor
(Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty)
COMMUNITY EVENT This Week by Anthony Stokes Pereira, Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty Every season, Anthony Stokes Pereira, Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty collects information about community events throughout Westchester and the Hudson Valley for our clients, colleagues, and friends. For Spring 2010, we've assembled this compilation of events, and hope you are able to make the most out of this beautiful season! If you would like to suggest events for inclusion in the summer, fall or winter guides, just email me your event and contact information at anthony.stokespereira@randrealty.com Ongoing thru November, 8-4 PM, White Plains - Visit the International Open Air Market selling fresh baked goods, cheeses, fruits vegetables, pickles, olives, nuts, jewelry, clothing, etc. Locate...
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By J. Philip Faranda, Associate Broker / Office Manager
(Howard Hanna Rand Realty)
I like White Plains. It is the county seat of Westchester, has a great downtown, lots of pretty pre war buildings, and for some reason, even though I am over here in Briarcliff, I sell a lot of houses there. I have 2 deals going as I write this.  It has several sections, such as North White Plains, Downtown (which has those pretty apartments and a cool skyline), Battle Hill, Rosedale and Gedney Farms. It also has a big co-op and condo market which I'll cover another time. All information is from the Westchester Putnam Multiple Listing Service for single family homes in White Plains. Prices are down in 2010 from 2009 just a bit, with the median sales price slipping from $590,000 to $546,000 on 9 closings in each year respectively. However, while prices may be down, there is one really in...
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By Anthony Stokes-Pereira, Realtor
(Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty)
COMMUNITY EVENT This Week by Anthony Stokes Pereira, Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty Every season, Anthony Stokes Pereira, Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty collects information about community events throughout Westchester and the Hudson Valley for our clients, colleagues, and friends. For Spring 2010, we've assembled this compilation of events, and hope you are able to make the most out of this beautiful season! If you would like to suggest events for inclusion in the summer, fall or winter guides, just email me your event and contact information at anthony.stokespereira@randrealty.com June 5, 6, 10-5 PM, White Plains - Come to Tibbets Park to the 48th annual Outdoor Art Festival, featuring arts and crafts from over 80 artists, a children's art workshop, student art exhibit, e...
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By J. Philip Faranda, Associate Broker / Office Manager
(Howard Hanna Rand Realty)
Last night I broke bread at the Tuscan Grille with clients to celebrate signing contracts on their next home after 14 months of work on the project. It has been a journey. I listed their Bryant Gardens co op apartment last Winter, and we soon found a house in White Plains they loved. Unfortunately, the first buyer on their co op couldn't qualify, and we went into the spring watching their prospective house remain active while we worked on a new deal. A week before our new buyer was approved by the co op board, the house was sold to another buyer. They were crushed. They moved in with her parents after closing on Bryant Gardens while we continued our search, and over the winter we found another home that was pretty close to perfect. We put in a strong bid at the most we could borrow (99....
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By Ruthmarie Hicks
(Keller Williams NY Realty - 120 Bloomingdale Road #101, White Plains NY 10605)
Westchester NY real estate has been heavily impacted by the financial storm  of 2008.  In some areas, the storm continues to brew and in other areas – there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.  White Plains NY homes are no exception to the rule.  Last year saw a marked decline in  the prices for  single family White Plains NY homes for sale.  Although there were significant declines in the condo an cooperative markets, these did not match what happened to single family homes.  Sales volume was sluggish in spite of a strong buyer’s market. The first quarter of 2010  the single family home market, is showing signs of strength. While the condo and cooperative markets appear to be showing signs of greater weakness. Cooperatives – White Plains NY: The average sales price of a coop i...
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By Ruthmarie Hicks
(Keller Williams NY Realty - 120 Bloomingdale Road #101, White Plains NY 10605)
April 20th, 2010 by Ruthmarie Hicks Categories: Things to do and see in Westchester, White Plains No Comments » This has been a most unusual spring.   It’s been up to 80 and down to 30 degrees all within the space of a day or two.  We had a “hurricane without a name” that caused untold damage.  But  over the past few days we have had the most brilliant and colorful blossoms against a  background of dark cloud cover.  The light filters through the dark clouds creating an eerie and often surreal effect.  The bright spring greens and pink blossoms against the gray sky is haunting.  I finally had my camera on me.  These photos were taken in White Plains NY on Mamaroneck Ave – on the outskirts of Gedney Farms.  Years ago, White Plains Beautification  planted cherry trees along the median of...
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By Ruthmarie Hicks
(Keller Williams NY Realty - 120 Bloomingdale Road #101, White Plains NY 10605)
Located in the heart of downtown White Plains NY – Trump Tower White Plains (10 City Place)  is right in the center of everything in the heart of the downtown area of White Plains NY.  Located steps from City Center and a block from the Ritz Carlton, you can’t be any closer to the action if you tried.  You can easily leave the car behind and walk to shopping, fine dining, entertainment and the train. Trump Tower itself has all the amenities that one comes to expect from a condominum complex bearing that name.   Amenities include 24-hour Concierge Service, valet parking, indoor pool with sauna and hot tub. There is a roof deck with an out door pool, play area for children barbeque facilities, tennis, and so much more.  There is also a business center, billiard room and lounge.  When you...
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By Ruthmarie Hicks
(Keller Williams NY Realty - 120 Bloomingdale Road #101, White Plains NY 10605)
The Residences of Jefferson Place is a condominium complex with a split personality. The complex spans on square block between Livingston Ave. and Rutherford Ave. in White Plains, NY with units on 300 Mamaroneck Ave. and 31 Greenridge Ave. Jefferson Place is located a scant half -mile from Trump Tower, the Ritz Carlton and the White Plains City Center.  The city side – facing Mamaroneck Ave. is an eight-story urban mid-rise with a sophisticated brick façade. The façade reflects the growing urbanization of the city and is just steps away from all the shopping and dining that downtown White Plains has to offer. The suburban side of the complex on Greenridge Ave. gives a bow to the Highlands community where it resides. The units on Greenridge are three story walkup condos that have an out...
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By Ruthmarie Hicks
(Keller Williams NY Realty - 120 Bloomingdale Road #101, White Plains NY 10605)
Located in the heart of downtown White Plains NY – the Broadlawn is one of the most desirable cooperatives in White Plains.   Located at 20 North Broadway – the Broadlawn is centrally located within a block of the White Plains City Center, and Trump Tower.  You can easily leave the car behind and walk to shopping, fine dining, entertainment and the train.  Previously,  I wrote a web page about the Broadlawn which included many of th amenities of the complex and of the immediate neighborhood.  It also included a sales history about the complex and the walkability of the neighborhood. This post is a simple update on the sales history reflecting changes that have occurred during the first quarter of 2010. To access the original page complete with sales history, statistics and a video - go...
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By Ruthmarie Hicks
(Keller Williams NY Realty - 120 Bloomingdale Road #101, White Plains NY 10605)
  White Plains is a wonderful city.  A great place to live and work.  However, over the past few years, White Plains has had its problems.  That includes a fiscal crisis that has been brewing for years.  Moody’s had warned the powers that be that our bond rating was in jeopardy because we were too dependent on  our sales tax receipts to sustain our expenses. We only needed a small recession to send us over the edge. So what did we get?  We got the worst recession since the Great Depression.  Since so much of the revenue flowing into the city was retail -based, the finances White Plains haven’t slipped over the edge – they’ve been driven off a cliff.   It is against this grim backdrop that we now we have a new mayor.  Since the former mayor was part of the problem, many who had been conc...
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My re-designed Westchester County NY real estate web site is now up and running.This comprehensive, but easy to use site contains detailed information, news, resources and toolsfor Westchester home buyers, sellers, renters and landlords alike. Start here to inform yourself: http://homesbychristinericci.com Please feel free to contact me if you have questions, need assistance or would like to meet with me to discuss your real estate objectives. I am here to help.
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By Kevin O'Shea, White Plains, NY Real Estate
(Coldwell Banker)
Market Statistics Report Listings as of 04/09/10 at 1:36pm Property Type  Single Family    Area  Area 4 School District  White Plains Statuses  Conditional Contract (1/1/2010 to 3/31/2010) , Pending (1/1/2010 to 3/31/2010) , Sold (1/1/2010 to 3/31/2010) Price  1,000 to 99,000,000      Area 4   White Plains      Single Family            2- Bedrooms          3 Bedrooms          4 Bedrooms          5+ Bedrooms          All Bedrooms          Active     #Units 1 8 8 3 20       Average List Price $345,000 $506,925 $627,113 $1,308,000 $667,065       Average Market Time 48 124 186 192 155            All Off Market     #Units 1 22 13 8 44            Pending     #Units 0 1 2 2 5       Average List Price $0 $629,900 $944,000 $874,450 $853,360       Average Market Time 0 198 104 339 217           ...
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