Archive for the 'White Plains' Category
It was a great day in the Hudson Valley – after all the rain we’ve had recently, it was wonderful to be outside on a warm and SUNNY day. White Plains has always been know for its shopping and more recently fine dining. High-end housing in high rise luxury buildings is also something that White Plains is famous for. But it has lagged behind in the arts. Yes, we have our own theater, the Westchester Philharmonic under the baton of Itzhak Perlman calls White Plains its “home.” But only now is White Plains getting itself on the map – so to speak – as go-to place for the arts. But on this weekend the artisans were out in force. Downtown White Plains was certainly the go-to place for the arts this weekend.
The White Plains Outdoor Arts Festival was an amazing venue for a beautiful late spring day. Any excuse to get outside was fine by me! But this was really worth an afternoon for anyone interested in amazing diversity of artisan work displayed. Truth be told I was only able to spend about an hour because Sunday is a work day for me, but I could easily have spent two to three hours had time permitted. Here are a few of the highlights:
I was really struck by a couple of booths:
The first was A J Nostalgia…by Jeff and Jill Hand, with their 3-D nostalgic lithographs a bygone era. The emphasis was New York, but there were lithographs from Boston and other parts of the country as well. I bought my father a lithograph of the Yankees for father’s day while I was there. I saw Brooklyn, Queens, Coney Island, Long beach among others. Amazing detail and very colorful. There was no email address – only a phone number which I hesitate to put on-line. The photos I got were terrible….
Then there was Robert Rodriguez Jr. with his photographs on canvas. Mostly of the Hudson Valley, these photographs portray the lush color and beauty of our region with vivid rich tones. They reminded me of the fact that New York is not all glass and steel and also of why I’m glad to be able to say “I’m from New York.” This was not one of my better pictures – so for more information here is the link to Mr. Rodriguez’s web site.
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These days when New Yorkers think of White Plains NY, they think of high-rise luxury living at the Ritz Carlton or Trump Tower. However, White Plains has a softer more residential side concentrated at the southern end of the city. The dichotomy between the residential and urban ends of the city is actually quite politically charged. Locals often describe these conflicts as “north end” vs. “south end.”
Gedney Farms is one of the premier high-end single-family neighborhoods at the southern tip of the city. The lots are large – generally over over a third of an acre. The homes are elegant and graceful with many striking pre-war Tudors and Colonials gracing the winding streets. Dominating the scene are golf course views enjoyed by many residents – courtesy of the Ridgeway Golf Club. The neighborhood of Gedney Farms was rocked by the news that the golf course views that are such a dominating feature of the neighborhood might be a mere memory in a few years.
History of the Ridgeway Golf Course and Current Status:
The Golf course itself has been around since 1914 and was initially part of the famous Gedney Farms Hotel which burned down in 1924. The golf course was taken over by Ridgeway about 60 years ago. This recession has known no economic barrier and some Country Clubs have been hit hard. Ridgeway has been no exception. At an open meeting of Gedney residents on May 6, Henry Shyer, the president of the Ridgeway golf club laid the shaky finances of the golf club on the line. They need 65 new members at $15,000 a year to make up their budget shortfall.While seeking new membership, the 114 acre golf course has also been put on the market for $20 million. A provision of the sale is that the golf course remain a golf course for the next five years.
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White Plains real estate defied gravity for three years. For a while – quite a while – it looked as if the housing recession would pass White Plains by with nary a flicker in the prices. The stock market crash on Wall Street shook the system up and prices have started to come down. Even before the crash, single family homes had started to decline in price. But Coop and condo sales remained stubbornly high. The only major sign of trouble was decreased sales volume, but as long as inventories remained low – with few people selling – higher prices were still tolerated.
Cooperatives:
The average price of cooperatives fell 10.9% over the previous year with an average price of $220,000. The fall in prices reflects a general weakness in sales volume combined with increased inventory. There are currently 134 units on the market sales volume at the end of the end of the first quarter of 20 units or about 7 units a month creating an overhanging inventory of 19 months.
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** This condo has been sold** Feel free to contact me for other listings at Jefferson Place!
Email: ([email protected])
Mobile Phone: 914-374-5529
Note the newly reduced in price! Initially $474,900 now $469,000. This unit is the most competitively priced 2 BR unit at Jefferson Place. The sellers are serious and are inviting serious offers.
Jefferson Place:
300 Mamaroneck Ave & 31 Greenridge Ave. White Plains, NY 10605:
The Residences at Jefferson place is a large condo complex in downtown White Plains in the coveted 10605 zip code. 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. The side facing Mamaroneck Ave. is an eight-story urban mid-rise with a sophisticated brick façade. Jefferson Place is just steps away from all the shopping and dining that downtown White Plains has to offer. The other side of the complex on Greenridge Ave. gives a bow to the suburban neighborhood of the Highlands that it borders.
Just across the street on the Mamaroneck Ave. side there is plenty of fine dining, take out and retail – all within easy walking distance of the complex. The heart of the downtown with all it has to offer is just a stroll down the street. Walk to almost everything: Shopping entertainment, fine dining and so much more. Walk score is 89 out of 100.
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Homeowners in New York are up in arms over property taxes. For those who don’t know the region, New Yorkers enjoy just about the highest property tax rate in the country. Westchester has some of the highest taxes in the state – so you get the picture…..In some areas of Westchester, the taxes actually exceed assessed values.
Recently, Cut Property Taxes NOW rally signs have appeared around the city of White Plains. They are dotting the lawns of beleagured homeowners fed up with what seems like the unending tax hikes that show no signs of abatement. Right now the center of their wrath is on County taxes. However, many are pointing fingers at local taxes and school taxes.
It was just a few years ago that White Plains enjoyed significantly lower property taxes then the rest of the county thanks mostly to our large commercial and retail base. But even though that base has increased, the number successful certioari actions has also increased exponentially. The net result has been a shrinking tax base in the commercial/retail sector pushing the lions share of the burden on homeowners. Most notably: owners of single family homes. Although there was grumbling during the housing boom – residents were mollified by increasing home values. Now that that bubble has burst, the tax bubble has become the elephant in the room.
Homeowners and city officials in White Plains need look no further than Sleepy Hollow to see what happens to home prices when the homeowners are saddled with an ever more onerous tax burden. This burgeoning problem needs to be nipped in the bud or home values could well suffer.
I chose Sleepy Hollow for a comparison because it is an analogous community in many ways to White Plains. Although city officials prefer to liken White Plains to Scarsdale and Larchmont where high taxes are better tolerated, our community profile is in truth more like that of Sleepy Hollow – with respect to its diversity and schools. The commute to Manhattan is similar the two neighborhoods I chose to focus in are are quite comparable in terms of home size, amenities and lifestyle.
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** This condo has been sold** Feel free to contact me for other listings at Jefferson Place!
Email: ([email protected])
Mobile Phone: 914-374-5529
The Residences at Jefferson place is a large condo complex in downtown White Plains 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. The 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 other side of the complex on Greenridge Ave. gives a bow to the suburban neighborhood of the Highlands that it borders. The units on Greenridge are three story walk-up condos that have an outer façade resembling three story townhouses. The low-rise portion surrounds tree-lined streets, single family homes and other low-rise condo complexes.
Just across the street on the Mamaroneck Ave. sid e there is plenty of fine dining, take out and retail – all within easy walking distance of the complex. Iannelli’s , a local Italian favorite is directly across from the Mamaroneck Ave. side. Going to either the Westchester Mall, Fortunoff, Whole Foods or the Cheesecake factory it is easy to leave the car behind and take a short walk.
Built in 2005, this complex offers state-of-the-art luxury. As such, it is no bargain. But it offers convenience, luxury and perks at a lower price than can be had at the Ritz Carlton or Trump. Among other things, Jefferson Place offers on-site parking (you can buy an extra space), laundry in each unit, central air conditioning, a 24-hour concierge, a workout room with state-of-the-art equipment, a media room and a business center. The units are beautifully appointed with granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances, luxurious master suites and more than ample closet space. The living room areas sport hard-wood floors with carpeting for the bedrooms.
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White Plains is in buyers market mode with varying levels of weakness and strength in terms of high inventories and low sales volumes. Prices in some sectors are showing more strength than the inventories and volumes would suggest. However, these sectors have already undergone a substantive pricing adjustment and though inventories are still high, they are lower than the White Plains housing inventories from the 3rd quarter.
Cooperatives:
Coops showed a mild price increase over the same quarter from the previous year. However, the average price of $208,000 was down from the previous quarter. This makes some sense as the housing correction started to hit home in the fourth quarter of 2007. Further, the pent up need to buy is quite intense in our area. The correction from the previous quarter combined with lower interest rates probably pulled some fence sitters to get out into the market. There is roughly 4 months of inventory currently on the market which is also an improvement over the 5.5 month inventory of coops at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Happy Holidays to one and all!
Often when people think of Westchester, they think of the glitz and the glamour of New York City. And why not? NYC is a mere 20 miles away and about 30 minutes by train. Certainly downtown White Plains and New Rochelle and building up that “city image.” But Westchester has a “softer side” with many small villages dotting the landscape. Here are some photos of Christmas lights that I have taken over the past few days. Nothing to glitzy or crazy – just a nice seasonal display…courtesy of White Plains, Scarsdale, Larchmont, and Tarrytown.
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Over the last year the generally sturdy markets of Westchester County have shown signs of softening in terms of price as well as volume. That trend continued in the the third quarter of 2008.
Cooperatives:
Sales prices of White Plains cooperatives were down roughly 5.7% over the previous year. Until recently, price points on cooperatives have been remarkably resistant to the housing correction that has been in progress in other parts of the nation. That appears to be changing and is bolstered by the significant decrease in sales volume over the previous year. The second chart shows that coop sales have decreased a whopping 32.5% over the previous year. Finally, the third chart reveals a 5.5 month inventory of active listings – placing coops in “buyer’s market” territory for the first time in many years. The price range for cooperatives was from $95,000 for a studio to $450,000 at the high end. The average price was $217,000.
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Fall is my favorite time of year. The air is crisp and clear, the humidity that dominates New York summers has abated, the leaves have put on their colorful coats of red, orange and gold and create a colorful show that “peepers” come from all over to witness.
One of my favorite haunts when the seasons change is a trip to Carlson’s. Carlson’s Floral & Gift is a family owned Greenhouse with Charlie Carlson and his daughter, Nancy Shellhas running the show. Nancy In addition to their wonderful selection of plantings for landscaping and the home, Nancy offers a marvelous selection of one-of-a-kind floral arrangements that are completely unique.
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