To the guy who thinks it is clever to inquire on one of my listings as if he were an interested buyer, only to pitch me that he is an Internet search firm and can improve my search engine rankings: I will never, ever do business with you. I really get pinched by the false alarm you cause when a
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09/23/2011
I have written before on real estate investor mistakes, and one of them is worth expanding on. It is little discussed, but if an investor buys a property for rehab and resale, there is more than a simple margin to be focused on. The investor should also be guided by a realistic timetable. All to
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09/22/2011
I'll never say never, but this evening I had to explain to a seller client why I was unwilling to take a listing for only 90 days. I fully understand the reason why sellers want to hold their agent's feet to the fire and ensure that they aren't stuck in a long term contract with a brokerage that
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09/21/2011
Growing up in Ossining, even though I went to Catholic schools after 1st grade, I always got the connection between the local history and the high school mascot, the Ossining Indian. We were told of the Sint Sinck heritage, stone on stone, and how the high school teams were emblematic of that his
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09/20/2011
A brief rant on agent Feedback, which, as I have said before, is often an excercise in futility. If an agent is kind enough to email back feedback on on of my listings, "call me" is not an option. Our Feedback system is online and my clients get cc'd on all submissions. I don't need my client get
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09/19/2011
I have read with some interest on the recent blogging debate on how much we should cross polinate business with our personal lives. On one side you have people who feel it inappropriate to be very forthcoming about family and personal matters in a professional relationship, and then there are fol
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09/18/2011
How can a kid that cute make that much... Given my work schedule, sometimes we kill two birds with one stone: we pile all 4 kids into the car with a sign and a lockbox, and drive out to a new listing so Dad can put up the sign and install the lockbox. Then we go to Carvel or McDonald's to thank t
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09/17/2011
The joke among many in my area is that many forms of networking are called "notworking." I could attend a networking event almost every day, nurse a cocktail, wear a nametag, and converse with fellow agents about life, the universe, and everything, but that doesn't necessarily mean it generates b
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09/16/2011
What can you get in Ossining for $741,000? If you acted fast, you could have gotten a gorgeous 2002-built colonial in Waterview Estates. Here's what it had under the hood: a level half acre lot backing up to wilderness (General Electric-owned reservoir), exquisite landscaping, a lawn sprinkler s
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09/15/2011
