Make Sure Your Information is Current! - 01/31/08 05:43 AM
When reading and learning about real estate on the internet please make sure that the information is current.  I have several contractors, landscappers, attorney's,  mortgage brokers that I work with and I have alarm installers, exterminators and lots of other people that I have met over the years that I am willing to referr to my buyers and sellers.  I do ask that if I refer someone that they let me know if they had a good experience using the referral as I would not want to refer anyone that is a problem or that doesn't do "the right thing".
Yesterday I found … (9 comments)

Westchester County Year End Market Report 2007 - 01/29/08 04:58 PM
 
 
The Westchester County, New York 4th quarter and year end market report and statistics came out today and some of the highlights are:
Single family and condo sales volume was up 2%Co-op sales declined by 7 unitsMulti family sales declined by 38%9022 units or 1.6% less than 2006Median sales price for a single family in Westchester is now $685,000Sales in excess of $1 million accounted for 25.4% and in 2006 24.7%2007 year end inventory was 4,711 18% below 2006  To read the entire report:
  2007 Westchester County Year End Market 2007
… (0 comments)

60 Minutes Segment on the SubPrime "Mess" - 01/28/08 04:45 AM
 
"Stockton is a city of 280,000 people in the Central Valley; 80 miles east of San Francisco and 80 miles north of San Jose. In many ways, this is ground zero for the current financial crisis and a microcosm of everything that went wrong. A few years ago, it was one of the hottest real estate markets in the country; today it is the foreclosure capital of America. Real estate agent Kevin Moran represents 102 properties and says all of them are in foreclosure. Moran gave Kroft a tour of the wreckage in one subdivision called "Weston Ranch," with block after … (3 comments)

Commuting in the Tri State Area Surrounding New York City - 01/26/08 04:57 AM

Over the past month a reporter for the New York Times has been commuting all over the tri state of New York to get a glimpse into what commuting in this area is like.  18 trips in the last month and he will do a few more over the next week.
He has found that some people find their commute to be the bain of their existence, some are ok with it so they can get a house they can afford in a school district and community they want to live in and some commuters use the time to relax and unwind … (0 comments)

Out and About Showing Properties - 01/25/08 05:12 AM
We have a buyers market in Westchester County.  It is a stronger buyer's market in some communities than in others but a buyer's market none the less.  We are seeing price reductions, some large price reductions coming through.  More and more throughout Westchester County I see agents travelling with buyers all over.  With the internet, buyer brokerage, navigation systems, agents can get into their cars and travel. Over the past few days I have been showing houses to first time buyers, three couples, all with different issues and concerns.  I love this part of the job.  I have been doing this … (3 comments)

Westchester County Is Named one of Seven of the most Intelligent Communities - 01/22/08 05:52 PM
 
 Taking the global spotlight for its economic efforts, Westchester County has been named one of the Top Seven Intelligent Communities of the Year by The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), a non-profit international think tank that focuses on job creation and economic development in the broadband economy.The Top Seven announcement which was made on Monday in Honolulu, Hawaii, is the second stage of ICF's annual Intelligent Community awards cycle, which garners hundreds of nominations each year from around the world.  Gaining a place among the Top Seven is a major achievement as well as a step toward even greater recognition for Westchester's … (0 comments)

Exposing Rotten Neighbors? - 01/22/08 07:22 AM
I a sitting watching the Today Show and they are doing a segment titled "Cybersnitching".  A nice young man bought an apartment in New York City and discovered a bit too late that his neighers are rotten.  So he started a website www.rottenneighbor.com which is apparently getting loads of hits.
Barbara Corcoran felt that this site could be enormously helpful to buyers but could effect the value of your property if you post something negative about a neighbor.
The site is being monitored by this nice young man Mike.
The old way of checking out a neighborhood still works.  Take a walk and talk … (8 comments)

Hire The Agent, Not the Company - 01/22/08 06:37 AM
So, if a real estate company sells lots of homes and has a market share does that make the company a better company? Or is it that the company has the most amount of agents. Companies are always recruiting and invest quite a bit in training. Studies show that 80% of agents decide not to continue after the first year. Companies get bought out, managers change, people retire, new agents come in and start to learn and experienced agents decide it is time to try another company. This is the cycle in all companies. There is a lot of agent movement … (9 comments)

Agents Being Sued For Valuation in Declining Market - 01/22/08 05:53 AM
This article appeared in the New York Times this morning.  In the past when market declines have occurred real estate agents/brokers had been working for the sellers in real estate transactions.  This is the first decline where quite a few agents represented the buyer.  So, a couple out in California who bought during the past sellers market feel that their agent misrepresented the value of the house they bought, didn't show them all similar properties in the development they bought in and they feel that they overpaid and that it is the agent's fault. This is quite interesting.  Is it the … (20 comments)

Schools in Westchester County, A Comprehensive Review - 01/21/08 05:56 AM
One of the school websites I have had on my site and blogs has been the one form Standard and Poor's.  You could look up school district statistics, data on test scores, student-teacher ratios etc.  The public requested more information, not just statistics. So, Standard and Poor's partnered with our local newspaper, The Journal News, which has for the past five days run a series that is all encompassing about the school districts in Westchester County, New York.  Lot's of videos and interviews around the county with teachers and administrators.  There is a discussion of what you get for your tax dollars, district to … (0 comments)

Home Energy Audits - 01/19/08 03:29 PM
The increase in home heating costs across the country has given rise to  a new industry and profession, the Home Energy Audit performed by a Professional Energy Auditor.  At this point anyone can call themselves an auditor but there are two non-profit organizations that are working with the EPA and US Department of Energy to develop a certification standard with ethics and training.
In the past utility companies would provide free energy audits and some may still do so.  Those are mostly eyeballing the house and an actual audit from a professional auditor is more sophisticated.  The cost is in the range … (5 comments)

Two New Sites to Check Out - 01/17/08 06:07 AM
I just found out about two new sites.  I am probably the last to know about these sites as I read posts on AR which I read every day and see so many treads that I miss, oh well.  While searching around this morning for stuff to post to my Senior blog, Westchester County Moving Seniors (A Boomer Moving Boomers) I came across the following two sites.
One is www.EONS.com which says it is "Life on the Flipside of 50...."  It's a social networking site for the over 50 crowd and has some really good stuff on it.  Groups (movies, books, music), … (2 comments)

Congratulations to Active Rain! - 01/17/08 05:04 AM

Each year the Swanepoel TRENDS Report is published listing the top ten trendsetters. 
"Companies that have been listed in recent years include Google, Redfin and First American. Three companies are featured for the second time on the list, namely Zillow, Trulia and RealEstate.com, while the Housing Boom and collapse of the Secondary market introduced new companies namely Bank of America and the Federal Reserve. The growth of Social Networking was acknowledged with the inclusion of ActiveRain but overall the year seemed to be dominated by a few large real estate companies such as Realogy, RE/MAX and EXIT"
The list follows and to … (11 comments)

Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers in New York State 2007 - 01/16/08 05:44 AM

Over the past two years the home buying and selling environment has shifted substantially.  Last August questionnaires wer sent to 150,000 consumers who purchased homes between the period of July, 06 and June 07.  9,996 responses were received.  The New York State Associationm of REALTORS then studied and came up with the New York State Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers for 2007.
Read the entire report here, NYSAR 2007 Profile
… (3 comments)

Being Foreclosed? Selling a Piece at a Time! - 01/15/08 05:08 AM
An Ontario, Calif., woman, who tried to save her home from foreclosure by selling its period flooring, baseboards, and other fixtures on eBay, was evicted and the house was secured by local police.A Superior Court judge intervened after the city complained that the home was being desecrated. The city had an interest because it gave the 71-year-old Mediterranean Revival home owner a break on property taxes because the property is considered historic.Owner Kim Shewalter stopped paying her mortgage after payments adjusted to $6,500 a month. "Until the bank takes it away, that's my home," she says.Shewalter says she was only removing … (10 comments)

6 Wildwood Drive, A9, Hartsdale, New York 10530 - 01/15/08 03:56 AM
Spacious Jr 4 with living room, dining room (or 2nd bedroom wall is up), eat in kitchen, large bedroom and updated bathroom.  There are large picture windows with treed views of woods.  This is property is located within walking distance to the Hartsdale train station with a 30 minute commute to Manhattan.  Centrally located in mid-Westchester County.  Close to shopping and transporation.  Maintenance is $660.00 with 50% deduction.  No Pets.
Asking $184,500
For further information please visit http://www.miriambernstein.com/6Wildwood
… (0 comments)

See the House Twice! - 01/10/08 06:46 AM

The mind can play games.  Buyers go through a house and notice this and that.  Get a general feeling for the layout, property, number of bedrooms, baths.  Finished basement and a lot of other details.  They go home and then the memory starts to change things.  A large den becomes smaller, an eat in kitchen becomes not really eat in.   A lack of closets turns into "there are no closets".
It is a good idea if you have any interest in a property to see it a second time and maybe even a third time.  If you are a first time buyer … (9 comments)

Market Stats for White Plains, New York - 01/10/08 06:30 AM
The real estate market is different throughout Westchester County.  While in certain areas in Mamaroneck the Absorption rate is 16 weeks it is an entirely different matter in the White Plains area.  These are for single family houses and the absorption rate is in weeks.  A little snippet: 
 All of White Plains:
 Year    #Sold        Average        Median      DOM 2004      69        602,271     545,000    120 2005      73        714,023     599,000    108 2006      49        678,671     640,000    128 2007      38        746,426     662,500    126 Absorption Rate 35.22Since White Plains is so diverse I also did $1,000,000- $2,000,000
Year     #Sold     Average       Median           DOM
 2004      20        1,280,878     1,235,500       154 2005      36        1,341,042     1,316,500       139 2006      28        1,220,491     1,175,000       146 2007      25        1,332,300     … (0 comments)

Only In New York - this is true... - 01/09/08 11:32 AM
While I am sure this could happen anywhere it didn't it happened in Manhattan.  They would have gotten away with it except for the fact that their friend looked dead.
 Two knuckleheads both unemployed decided to cash their firends social security check.  One problem was that their friend had died.  So, they dressed him, put him into a chair with wheels and decided to roll him in the chair to the bank to cash the check.  Yes, they rolled him through the streets of New York, dead, dressed and in the chair hoping he would look alive and they could get the … (1 comments)

The Real Estate Market - 01/09/08 05:51 AM
It is impossible to read the newspapers or watch the news show without hearing dire reports of the housing market.  Talk about over saturation of a subject.  To me it is like listening to the weather reports sometimes they get it right, mostly they don't and listening to it is not helpful so I don't.  I am going to stop listening to all the predictions and pollsters.  If you watched what happened in New Hampshire primary last night you saw every news reporter talking about the demise of Hillary Clinton's campaign and all of these reports were backed by poll after poll … (3 comments)

This House is a Mess!! What to Do? - 01/06/08 05:43 AM
 
Should you take a listing if the house is a mess?  This past year I had a listing from a family who were relocating overseas.  The husband had already moved and was coming to the United States every few weeks.  They had two children in the schools and wanted to wait until the school year ended before they sold their house and moved.  Their house was a mess but the kind of mess where they were not very neat.  The floors and windows, kitchen were all in excellent condition but there was a lot of stuff all over the place.  They … (11 comments)

Negotiating for a Home - - 01/05/08 05:28 PM
As I think back over the years of selling residential real estate I think about the different markets that I have sold in.  Buyer's markets, seller's markets, neutral markets.  In all of these markets one thing remains constant and that is the right of buyers to try to get their best price and for sellers to try to sell for the most they can. This can lead to some interesting negotiations.
One of the issues as I look back is that buyers and especially first time buyers do not know how to negotiate. They may buy and sell properties only one or … (6 comments)

RIS Media and Internet Crusade... - 01/05/08 02:17 PM
 
Well if we were lacking social networking sites to join, fear not, because Internet Crusade and RIS Media have just announced a merge that "fuses the resources of two Real Estate industry powerhouses to develop (here it comes) a social network for the Real Estate Professional and Consumer that is rich with content and tools.
Saul Klein, Internet Crusade, RIS Media, Point 2 and the world seems to be getting a bit smaller.
Read the complete article here.
… (2 comments)

Ardsley New York Market Report 2007 - 01/04/08 10:29 AM
Some statistics about the market in Ardsley, New York.  The beginning of a New Year is always a good time to gather "starting" statistics for the coming year to work from.
The median sold price for a single family house in the Ardsley School District in January, 2007 was $706,000 and the median sold price for a single family house in December, 2007 was $622,000. Hmmm.
The average sold price in the Ardsley School District in January, 2007 was $776,750 and in December it was $622,000. Hmmm.
The following is from the Westchester-Putnam MLS.  The DOM is average days for the solds/month.
For more information … (2 comments)

REMAX 2000 Closes Following Up - 01/01/08 05:59 AM
A week or so ago, Patti Mallon, from Tuscon, AR wrote a post about the Broker of her office announcing by email that her REMAX office would close, two days before Christmas, that franchise has several offices and 20 employees.  A lot of speculation has followed.  My interest in this is that I am a RE/MAX agent in New York.  Rumors even began to spread that RE/MAX International was in trouble which is not true.
There is an article in the local papers about the planned outcome.  The attorney for this company is quoted and explains what they plan to do.  The rumor … (6 comments)

New York State Agency Disclosure -2008 - 01/01/08 05:40 AM

The following is probably unique to New York State.  We have an agency disclosure form that two years ago was rewritten because it was not very consumer friendly, meaning that it was really hard for buyers and sellers to try to understand what it meant and what it meant to them.  So, in January 2007 New York State released a new Agency Disclosure Form with rewritten parts that was supposed to make it more readable.  Alas, that was not the case. So, in January 2008 New York State released another version of the form which is effective today.  There are some changes.  … (4 comments)

 
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Miriam Bernstein REALTOR® New Orleans Real Estate

New Orleans, LA

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RE/MAX N.O. Properties

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