When I was younger and forced by the lack of money to be a do-it-yourselfer around the house and in the garden, I dreamed of the day when I could employ others to do all that sweat labor to maintain and upgrade everything that needed to be done. That day came a long time ago, and I considered myself lucky that I had more time available to pursue other dreams like a satisfying second career, and even a third career. At an age when many people are retired, I have the opportunity to work long, happy hours every day. But just last weekend, surprisingly, I found myself with a free Saturday for the first time in several years where I was caught up on all my assignments and just itching for something to do around the house. More than just itching. Starving. As it happens, my wife and I were in... 02/23/2015

With my recent move, I learned that hanging on to keys and identifying which key is for which lock is important because it was necessary for me to call my local Locksmith-on-Wheels in Yorktown Heights, owned by Eugene and Carl Camia, to open two locked file cabinets with long lost keys. And there was also an unexpected mystery that unfolded before me. Buried deep in the eaves of my attic was a footlocker that I had placed there over 43 years ago when I moved into the house and totally forgot about. It was an item my parents had purchased for me when I was 13 years old and being shipped off to military school. It was to hold all my clothes and other possessions for that experience. Afterwards, as an adult, I used it for moving from one place to another and storage. As I lugged it from it... 02/15/2015

The bathroom. When you think about it, while it may not be the room you spend the most time in, it’s probably the room you visit most times during the course of the day and, if you’re in my age group, you probably visit it a little more frequently than when you were younger. I’ve been thinking a lot about the bathroom lately, forced by an unexpected experience I had the first day I was in my new digs at the gorgeous Trump Park Residences in the Shrub Oak hamlet of Yorktown. This joint is outrageous outfitted with the finest materials and fixtures you might imagine: granite, marble and brushed steel everywhere you look. So when it was time for me to visit the bathroom for the more serious function for which one visits the bathroom, and I started that slow descend, I realized that I wasn’... 02/05/2015

In my many years as both a homeowner and homestyles journalist, I have observed that home repair and improvement projects tend to fall into three categories: the ones you need to do, the ones you want to do, and the ones you do solely to increase the value of your home. The urgent projects you find in the first category, such as leaky pipes, cold furnaces or an invasion of termites, are the ones most likely to grab the dollars in the average home owner’s repairs budget. Postponing these repairs can not only make a home uncomfortable, but can also lead to a small problem getting worse and costing even more to repair. Projects meant to boost a home’s value take on their own urgency when we first begin to anticipate moving. The scruffy front door that we learned to ignore or the outdated b... 01/27/2015

As I recall the walls of my childhood home, a simple row home in Philadelphia owned by a first generation Italian family with limited means to decorate, I see only the large obligatory parlor mirror over the sofa and one brightly colored watercolor of gladioli dated 1940 by my Aunt Helen, a self-taught artist, that to this day I display in an honored place. In college, when first exposed to the world of art, I vowed one day to become a collector to the extent that I could afford. And, when as a newcomer to New York City, visiting the home of a cultured gentleman, I was impressed to find that all the walls of his home were covered from floor to ceiling with paintings, prints and other objets d’art, much like an art gallery. Those two experiences created in me a lifelong obsession to have... 01/19/2015

 Are their options for your buyer if you are selling your VACANT LAND? There are a few financing options for someone looking to buy your VACANT LAND. First there is always the cash option in today's economy that is very likely to be the only one available, and most builders will pay cash. Second is the OWNER FINANCING OPTION. This is sometimes a good option and can get you more money in your pocket but you may also have to repossess the property, which can be messy to say the least. Third option is a LAND to CONSTRUCTION  LOAN. This is the slowest way to finance. But will require 20=40% down. and requires APPROVALS TO BUILD before you can close. Bank takes all the risk. Are their options for your buyer if you are selling your VACANT LAND? There are a few financing options for someone lo... 01/17/2015

  When you look at property w/wetlands, do you know if it is buildable?   Have you ever looked at land with wetland on it and wanted to know if it was buildable?   If the land is in Westchester or Putnam Counties in New York, the changes of it being buildable are very slim. Any STRUCTURE, DRIVEWAY, WELL or SEPTIC SYSTEM must maintain a minimum set back from the wet land of 100 feet and sometimes (DEC protected wet land) requires a 200 foot setback. If you don't have enough space beyond the setbacks, the chanced are very slim it is buildable.   This along with steep slope laws in most towns can make even a 1-5 acre parcel un-buildable.   When you look at property w/wetlands, do you know if it is buildable?   Have you ever looked at land with wetland on it and wanted to know if it was bui... 01/17/2015

More than 25 years ago, my friend John Carr was the first person I knew who built his own home, and he was the first who taught me that installing hardwood floors cost pretty much the same as installing subflooring and wall-to-wall carpeting. And naturally, I thought, who would ever want carpeting when they could have hardwood flooring at the same price? And it seems that for the past three decades, everyone else has had the same preference, with the addition of an area rug here and there, or so I thought until I visited my seller client at his place of business which happens to be Redi-Cut Carpets, the largest floor surfacing store in Westchester, located in Port Chester, offering wall-to-wall carpeting, hardwood flooring and area rugs. “Yes, actually, wall-to-wall carpeting is very mu... 01/13/2015

  Are You Ready For The Spring Market????   The spring is when you should have the most listings you can. Buyers will flock to those agents who have the most listings. If you plan on selling 20 Listing sides then you should probably have as many as if not more than 30 listings when the spring market begins.If you do not then you will not attract as many buyers as a listing agent will. Thus it may be hard to meet your goals.Even if you advertise for buyers it can be difficult to generate enough leads to meet your needs. At this time of the year you need to get your mailings out in a timely fashion and follow-up is very important. If you do you will be ready for the spring market.   Are You Ready For The Spring Market????     01/10/2015

AFFORDABLE for under $350,000 Some of these homes need work others do not. These homes are all through out Westchester County and Putnam County. There are 2-5 bedroom home within an hour to New York City.And others a little further away for those that like to commute. You can call 845-590-5488 for faster service. These homes are all through out Westchester County and Putnam County. AFFORDABLE for under $350,000 Some of these homes need work others do not. 01/07/2015

Update on Homes in Yorktown Heights for sale for $450,000.00 or less! There are 61 Homes under $450,000 in Yorktown Heights.These home range from $235,000.00 for a one br to a 7 br for $424,500.00. The lowest price one is $200,000.00 and the most expensive one is $450,000.00. 16 are over $400,000.00 and 45 are under $400,000.00. There are 61 Homes in Yorktown Heights for sale for $450,000.00 or less! If you are looking for a home in this price range we can help you find the home of your dreams. Update on Homes in Yorktown Heights for sale for $450,000.00 or less! 01/07/2015

Ever since our first year of marriage, there’s always been something special to my wife and me about adding fresh cut flowers to our home decorating scheme and, to this day, mostly every week when I stop off at the A&P to pick up my copy of The Examiner, I look for the special bargains in the flower section. If I hadn’t become a reporter, then a PR guy and realtor, I know I would have been perfectly happy as a florist because I love coming home, choosing one of the many vases we keep under the sink and making a new and large floral arrangement, challenging myself to have each one look very different from any I’ve made before. Then I place it in the center of our kitchen island that has an overhead light that beams down directly on it where it will be sure to catch my wife’s attention wh... 01/05/2015

Each New Year’s I gaze into my crystal ball (I really have one, but let’s be real here) to predict what will happen in terms of market conditions and trends for the year ahead and I do it quite jauntily for two reasons. For one thing, I cheat and look at the crib sheets of what various experts of the housing industry have to say; then, at the end of the year, if I’m found to be way off in my predictions, I can blame them. Also, I figure, you’ll probably forget what I say a full year from now. Even I can’t remember what I said this time last year. Actually, many times I take a different position from what the experts say anyway, mainly because they speak globally and I speak locally, especially in terms of buying and selling forecasts. The New York metropolitan region is a different anim... 01/04/2015

Christmas has always been an important holiday to my wife Margaret and me. Never did we think, that after so many years of being ensconced in the same house where year after year we decorated our tree in the same living room in the same corner with the same decorations, that we would be moving the week before Christmas. We wanted to uphold the tradition of having a tree but hadn’t even half unpacked. However, inveterate holiday revelers that we are, we committed to having a traditional Christmas Eve family celebration with a decorated tree as always no matter what. Last week, as the movers were unloading boxes from their truck, I spotted that battered six-foot-long oblong box that I’ve re-taped for years and retrieved it before it was transported to storage. So here we are with all our ... 12/27/2014

Welcome to the 300th article written by The Home Guru for The Examiner over a six-year period. Actually the Guru gestated more than a dozen years ago, first for the former North County News, as a way to promote the start-up business of a fledgling real estate agent. You may find it of interest to reminisce with me about what has transpired for all of us as homeowners during that time and for me as a realtor sharing my observations of the housing industry with you. It was the tragedy of 9/11 that prompted me to take on a second job as a realtor as an adjunct to my public relations business. As a specialist in restaurant promotion, my business had taken a hit as had fine restaurants at that time. Also, not knowing how safe travel would be after the terrorist attacks, my wife and I made a ... 11/10/2014

Around this time of year, I start to see large paper bags filled with leaves parked by the roadside and I say to myself, what a waste! I just can’t understand why anyone would part with this rich resource in the life cycle of plant life. I love fallen leaves of red, brown and gold. I love their look, their smell, and the sound, if you listen carefully, as they fall gently from their branches to the ground. If they are just left there as is, true, they can cause damage to your lawn by blocking light from reaching the grass and inhibiting the evaporation of water, particularly if you have a lot of oak trees whose leaves decompose slowly. They also encourage the growth of mold and/or fungus which isn’t very friendly to grass. If you have walnut trees, that’s another problem in that they ha... 11/02/2014

Worried Ahout paying tax when you sell your home in a short sale? There is a little know loophole that may alow you to avoid paying the tax if you sell your home in a short sale. It is the insolvency exclusion, you’ll have to prove to the satisfaction of the IRS that your liabilities exceeded the value of your assets at the time your debt was cancelled. Cancelled debt is not included in income to the extent you were insolvent. Consult your tax expect to see if you qualify for it!!! Worried Ahout paying tax when you sell your home in a short sale? 10/18/2014

Are you MARKETING YOURSELF???? Self Marketing the way to go E-mails, we all like to use them. They are fast and convenient, but they require constant monituring. Put your e-mail address on everything you do and give people and check your mailbox 4-5 times a day. You should market yourself as the expert in your area. This requires constant direct mail contact with the information take keeps your potential clients up to date on what is going on in their neighborhood. All your marketing should have a point you want to get across. Kept this in mind when sellecting something to mail or E-mail. Are you MARKETING YOURSELF???? Self Marketing the way to go 10/18/2014

Is your property with WETLANDS on it BUILDABLE? Have you ever thought of selling your land with wetlands on it and wanted to know if it was buildable? If the land is in Westchester or Putnam Counties in New York, the changes of it being buildable are very slim. Any STRUCTURE, DRIVEWAY, WELL or SEPTIC SYSTEM must maintain a minimum set back from the wet land of 100 feet and sometimes (DEC protected wet land) requires a 200 foot set back. Sometimes you can get a "Wetland Waiver Permit"  But that can add 6 months to a year to your approval process, but sometimes it is well worth the wait and extra cost. This along with steep slope laws in most towns can make even a 1-5 acre parcel un-buildable. If you want to know if it is buildable you can have me look at it and I will give you a free eva... 10/16/2014

When I received a call from a 92-year-old gentleman telling me that he had read every one of my articles since I started writing as The Home Guru, I was quite flattered. And, when he told me that he wouldn’t consider having anyone else sell the house that he had lived in since he was married, I was delighted. But when he told me it was a Sears-Roebuck house, built from a kit, I was thrilled. I couldn’t wait to see it. My enthusiasm dampened a bit when he added, “But I warn you, to reach my home you must climb exactly 50 steps up from the street.” Okay, I’m game, I thought. If this 92-year-old can cut it, certainly I can, too. When I arrived at the home in the “quarry” neighborhood in North White Plains with my real estate partner Michael Pierce, we ventured the climb to the flat plateau... 10/15/2014