10/30/08

Land Ho!

Lewisboro has a population density of 452 persons per square mile. It now has a few new residents on the 9.11 miles of land (that’s 75 acres) at 27 Oscaleta Road, a private home christened Oscaleta Lodge, which, after being on the market for a mere 31 days, closed October 6 for $8.1 million. The buyers are not from the county and will use the Lodge as a weekend home. Yes, $8.1 mil for a weekend home(!). The seller was nonagenarian Mrs Abrams, who has lived in the house since the 1930s.

Homes costing $5 million or more usually take many months to sell. But this seven-bedroom Colonial is an exception. “It’s a unique...

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10/23/08

They Did What? Buyers Behaving Badly

Selling homes in this market is difficult enough for realtors. Throw in potential buyers acting rudely and asking inappropriate questions, and the job becomes, well, let’s just say Treasury Secretary Paulson may have it easier. Need proof? Read on.

“After showing three women around a nice condo in Briarcliff Manor, we were accused of stealing $1,500 of the owner’s son’s money. The owner, a woman, had a fit, yelling loudly that she was going to call the police--and she did. After having our bags checked, the three women and myself were found innocent. It turns out the money was in the son’s pants pocket in the dryer. What a senior in high school was doing with $1,500 is another story.”
David Fink
Houlihan Lawrence

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10/16/08

Strangers in Your Home: Strange Tales from the Open House

The concept of an open house scares many people. Everyone and their Aunt Bea traipsing through your house, opening your closets, petting your dog, and commenting on your décor choices. Talking to a few realtors, it seems some people have funny ideas of what’s appropriate behavior at an open house. Very funny, in fact.

“During one of my public open houses in Briarcliff, a middle-aged couple stopped in. I greeted them at the door, thanked them for coming, and asked them what drew them to the open house. Was it the ad in the Times, the ad on our website? The husband responded, ‘No, we saw the sign on the road and my wife had to use the bathroom so we stopped in.’ This was certainly a new take on the ‘open house’ concept.”

Posted at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1

10/09/08

The $85-Million Woman

In 1986, Susan Glasgall was driving an Oldsmobile 442—a muscle car—when she landed her first real estate job. Her manager at the time Audrey Rapaport suggested she “lose the teenager car,” Glasgall, a realtor at the Rye office for Houlihan Lawrence for the past 21 years. recalls. “She warned clients wouldn’t take me seriously.”
 
Clients certainly take Glasgall seriously now. . . to the tune of a little more than $85 million.
 
The Rye Brook mother of two won the Houlihan Lawrence Realtor of Year award for 2007, competing against 34 Houlihan...

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10/02/08

Ways to Save on Home Energy Bills Part 2

Last week we covered harnessing the sun’s power to lower energy bills. Considering the recent performance (or lack thereof) of the stock market, it looks like we could all use a few additional tips on lowering bills. In this blog, we focus on keeping the warm air in and Old Man Winter out.
 

Pink and Fuzzy

That cotton candy-looking material spread around your attic is not there to make the space look like the Carnival grounds. It’s insulation, of course, providing a continuous thermal barrier minimizing heat flow through the walls, ceiling, and floor. But do you have enough? Measure the depth of existing insulation using a ruler. If there is less than R-22 (7 inches of fiber glass or rock wool or 6 inches of cellulose), you could probably benefit...

Posted at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments: 3