Westchester View

Real estate sales is a very funny thing.  Often – when judging the quality of the agent or broker – only one metric is used: Sales volume.   And by sales volume most people are specifically referring to how how much money was exchanged in  gross sales.  For example  – If an agent that specializes in homes worth over $1 million  has $7 million in gross sales – they may have done as few as 7 transactions while the poor schumck that specializes in cooperatives has done 25 transactions and only $6 million in gross sales. Does that really mean that the agent with the $7 million in sales is somehow “better”?

Is Sales Volume the best way to measure how “good” an agent is?

Granted this is one way to measure success – by how much you made as a agent and it is kind of perverse reflection on our mindset as a society.  But is this what really matters to the consumer?  SHOULD this be the way the consumer measures an agent?  How about overall customer service?  What about the listing agent that supervises two renovations holds 10 open houses, markets the home to the hilt, thinks outside the box in getting home “out there” to the public.  Then negotiates the best possible terms for their client and closes the transaction with as little drama and turmoil as is possible in this challenging market.  Isn’t that worth some brownie points?  Why do we just look at raw dollars like they are the crown jewel of legitimacy in real estate?

Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes in this challenging market it is difficult for buyers to see just how unique the Westchester NY market is.  Here is an update from the Larchmont PO.  The Larchmont PO is located just outside the Village of Larchmont.  It is part of the unincorporated portion of the town of Mamaroneck.  Most people lump the area together with the village proper – but the area is mostly served by Murray Ave. Elementary School – so the difference is not trivial.   But like the village itself the area is very desirable, extremely walkable and of course you have that easy commute to Manhattan on the New Haven Line.

This is a market that has done well – in spite of all the problems the national housing market has had – so here is the recent history of that market for single family homes…

Read the rest of this entry »

It was just last week that Irene ripped through the tri-state area dumping a foot of water, strong winds and leaving flooding, downed power lines, and chaos in its wake. Although Westchester NY got off pretty easy when we consider what happened elsewhere, there were sections that were heavy hit.  In many ways I assumed that the River Towns and particularly the river front area would have been a prime target for damage.  I heard nothing on the local news about Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow.   There was some discussion of downed trees, but nothing serious.  The eastern portion of the county – Mamaroneck in particular seems to have sustained a much bigger blow.

Nevertheless, it was with some trepidation that I arrived on the scene – camera in hand to take some post-Irene  photos of the area.    After all, the area directly abuts the Hudson River.  A river known for strong currents and heavy waves.  It had just sustained a direct hit from a Category 1 hurricane – nothing to sneeze at in an area that rarely sees hurricanes.   But as I took out my camera and started shooting – it was truly  like it had never even happened.    And no – I didn’t mean to hijack the CertaPro  slogan….that’s just the way it seemed to me.  The next day – Saturday – I had the privilege of  showing both Hudson Harbor and Ichabod’s Landing.   Both complexes right on the river – but no flooding at all!  It was truly like hurricane Irene had visited briefly and slipped away like a ghost in the night….and we should be duly grateful for her soft footprint on the area.

Enjoy the pics….

Read the rest of this entry »

Right now I’m experimenting with a new video/slide show format for my still photos…. I had a recent debacle with Animoto and they canceled my account and turned off my video feed.  After having so many compatibility problems I’m hesitating to commit to a new vendor.  Interestingly, I found Pro-Show Web – when trolling the web for customer service issues with Animoto.  Apparently, I was not alone and several professional photographers suggested them.  I want to create more local videos making them a staple of my blog.  Any feedback – positive or negative will be most welcome!   If anyone has trouble viewing the video – I would love to know about it.  Be sure to let me know what browser you are using.

So this very short video  is a slide show of  downtown White Plains in the late summer and fall.  The downtown is vibrant and active with Trump Tower and the Ritz Carlton dominating the scene as high-rise buildings.   White Plains is often thought of as the mini-me Manhattan and with good reason.  Many Manhattan restaurants and shops have opened their doors in White Plains  was successful transplants.

A few days ago  I wrote about the return of retail to Larchmont NY.  I mentioned the newly opened HomeMade Pizza Co. as one of the new comers to the Palmer Ave. in Larchmont.   I hadn’t actually had the time to sample the pizza – but what I heard was all good!

Well, Hurricane Irene came and went – and during the prep I turned to a couple of friends of mine for help.  The day before the storm hit my friend Ed, helped me prepare the house, doing some of things I lacked the skills and brawn for.  After tussling with a hornets nest – literally – I was in definite need of some aide.

Soooo this week I decided to thank them by bringing a great bottle of wine and a wonderful pizza right to their door.  I went to HomeMade Pizza Co -  and they created a fresh beautiful pizza for me to bring to them. Within 10 minutes I was on my way.  We followed the very simple instructions – baked it in the oven on the parchment paper provided -  and a few minutes later we had some of the freshest pizza I had ever tasted…We had the Miesian – totally awesome!

HomeMade Pizza Co. lives up to its reputation…You can order online or by phone and in a few minutes you can pick up your pie.   When you are ready, you bake at home in your own oven.   They also have a fine assortment of salads.

© 2011 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestchesterview.com – All rights reserved.

A few days ago, I posted links for the major public school calendars.   It was popular  – so I decided to extend the school calendar offering  to local colleges and universities in Westchester NY.  As someone who has been a local adjunct professor – I am aware that our area is uniquely rich in academic opportunities.  These days, with costs rising everywhere,  many Westchester students are opting to stay local for college.  And why not?  Westchester has a great deal to offer.  This list is by no means complete.  But here are  most of the academic calendars from local colleges and universities.

Read the rest of this entry »

Today I found myself on the River Walk with a friend that I hadn’t seen for a long time in Tarrytown.  Sadly, my photos on the River didn’t work out because my camera was on the wrong setting.  However, on my way home I decided to check the progress on the Tarrytown Train Station.

The Train Station is just steps away from the new development  Hudson Harbor – a new luxury condo development that is selling very well.  The renovation at the train station has been part of bigger project to revive the river front.  Various development projects have been springing up along the Hudson including the River Walk which is meant to run along the Hudson River from the northern tip of Westchester County in Peekskill – all the way to the border of the Bronx in Yonkers.   You can see my photos of the Yonkers portion of the River Walk as well as the some pictures I took of the Tarrytown River Walk earlier this year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Well – the Labor Day weekend is coming hard upon us and summer is almost over.  I remember when I was a kid – I never liked to think about school until the last gasp of summer was spent.  But parents have to think ahead and its time to break out the school  calendar and get organized.

For everyone’s convenience  – I have a list of links to to several school district calendars from lower and middle Westchester NY.  Some are links to downloadable PDFs and others are to web pages that you can bookmark for easy access throughout the year.

Hope everyone finds this helpful…

Blind Brook (Rye Brook) School Calendar:

Eastchester School Calendar:

There is a link to a downloadable calendar on the home page side bar.  This district covers a large area including Eastchester, Bronxville, Tuckahoe and Scarsdale P.O.

Read the rest of this entry »

Greetings everyone – like many of you I spent much of the last 24 hours preparing for Hurricane Irene.  Please do not take this storm lightly.

Here are some helpful hints to staying safe:

Before the storm:

Remove debris, garden furniture, and anything likely to fly around.  Either dispose of it or move it indoors so that it doesn’t become a deadly projectile.  I was amazed at how much I had in my back yard that was not secured. Indeed the task continues this morning.

Make sure you have water, batteries and perhaps a radio.  If you have an iPad or smart phone, the radio may not be necessary.  Bring in extra food in case stores are closed for a few days.

If you can – sandbag areas where you want water kept out.  Water damage in this storm is expected to be considerable.

Home Depot has been running out of everything – however they are constantly getting new shipments and they have vowed to stay open for all Westchester customers 24/7 until the storm passes.  You can call the Mt. Pleasant store about availability of needed items at 914-593-7110. The number in New Rochelle is 914- 235-7575.   I was there yesterday and they are doing everything they can.  They will probably be doing the same thing during the aftermath – so these are great resources if you have damage in the aftermath.

If  You Lose Power or Detect an electrical emergency:

Con Edison: 1-800-752-6633 and 914-925-6435

For local updates online:

News 12 Westchester – has updates online in the event that you lose television and cable.

You can access News 12  on your smart phone through this web address – www.news12.com.

For those without a cell phone or with cell phones that are not smart phones – here is the number for News  12 Audio Feed:  646-273-1212.

Local Police Numbers:

DO NOT CALL 911 unless it is a true  emergency  – here are some local police numbers for your convenience.

For those who were advised to Evacuate – DO SO!

This is a serious storm and even if it weakens a great deal – it is better to be safe than sorry.

Stay Dry – Stay Safe –

For those who want this information on their phone….

Use the QR Code below – and it will load this url directly to your phone.

©2011 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestchesterview.com

The Larchmont real estate market has been going great guns for Q2 2011.  Larchmont homes have a special place in the public mind.  Whether it be in the Larchmont Village proper or the Larchmont P.O.,  when families think about putting down roots for a long stay – this is one of the first Westchester NY locations  on their list.  And who can blame them?  An easy commute to Manhattan, walkable neighborhoods steps from shopping and fine dining combined with proximity to the Long Island Sound – what could be better?

Read the rest of this entry »