May 19, 2012

That New Kitchen Won’t Beat Declining Land Values

Bull market is not here

CNNMoney has published a piece entitled It Doesn’t Pay to Remodel Your Home. Overall, I couldn’t agree more, and I have banged this drum for a while. Am I against home remodeling? Of course not. I am against the expectation that you’ll cash out handsomely in the current economy. One of the toughest jobs I have had the past [...]

Why Won’t the Agent Showing my House Talk More?

As Yogi Berra says, you can see an awful lot by watching. And as a broker who oversees 20+ agents, 50+ listings and who still works in the field with select buyers, I do see both sides of an issue that sellers often bring up in the discussion of listing and selling their house. Many [...]

Is the Real Estate Profession Sexist?

I remember as a child in the 1970′s hearing my mother lament that she knew that she was making less than her male counterparts. It was a problem, and pay equality continues to be an issue to this day. Things are improving, but I don’t think we’re there yet. But is real estate an occupation [...]

Memorial Day 2011 and Giving Back to a Veteran in Need

It seems that the older I get, the more meaningful each Memorial Day becomes. When I was 23, it was a day off, and the marker for wearing summer clothes. When I was 33, it made me a little nostalgic for my father, who passed away when I was 25. Now that I’m 43, Memorial [...]

The Ultimate Answer to the Zillow Zestimate

zestimate disclaimer

Perhaps no phenomenon in real estate is as much of a lightning rod for strong opinions as the Zillow Zestimate. Most agents I speak with hate it; I have had instances where looking it up has helped a deal, and I have had clients walk from a deal because of it. The Zillow Zestimate has been the reason for [...]

Why I Took the CDPE Course

CDPE Logo

Thursday morning, as I was at the sign-in table for the CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Expert) course, the agent behind me heard my name and said “Why are you here? You could teach this class.” I turned to her and said that was very kind of her to say. But believe me, I was there [...]

Verbal Offers: Bad Advocacy

Unlike most of the US, in Westchester and the surrounding areas of New York real estate contracts are prepared by attorneys only after a process of offers, inspections and due diligence. Other than mortgage, contracts are non contingent. There is not even a deposit of any kind until contracts are signed. It is not at [...]

Don’t “Discount” the Value of a Good Real Estate Attorney

Good lawyers are worth the money

New York is an attorney state, and in our area they also prepare contracts. Having a good attorney is crucial, for many reasons, not the least of which is obvious: the other guys have one, and you don’t bring a knife to a gunfight. Lawyers examine title, advocate, and draw up addenda, pre possession and [...]

REBar Camp New York is January 11

I never attended a REBarCamp until this past October in Rye at the NYSAR event. I didn’t know what they were all about, but I had a baptism of fire when I was actually conscripted to moderate a session! If you have never been to a REBarCamp and you are wondering, don’t fret. All you need to [...]

Uncommon Economic Indicator: Prostitution in the Suburbs

I suppose I could find a real estate angle for just about anything, and I will now as well: in today’s paper, a “spa” located down the street from my office was raided and the police arrested two in a prostitution sting. Earlier this month, the same thing happened in Mohegan Lake, NY a hamlet of Yorktown. [...]