Westchester Real Estate Talk

Beautiful colonial built in 1939 available.  Living Room with Fireplace and beautiful moldings, dining room, large family room, eat in kitchen, library, powder room.

This house has 3 family bedrooms, 3.5 baths on a half acre of flat useable property.  Backing to a golf course the view from the family room are vast. 

Basement is finished and contains an office/au/pair and full bath.

Two Car Garage.

Asking $1,549,000

Call Miriam Bernstein 877-866-0626 for further information/showing.

 Organic foods and farmers markets are very popular.  During the months of May through October trhoughout Westchester County there are weekend farmers markets.  In Hartsdale, which is located right in the middle of Westchester County is the Westchester Farm with locally grown vegetables.  Now we have the virtual Farmers Market.  Local foods from the Hudson Valley delivered to your home or office.

They have gift certificates, special edition biscotti, grass fed beef strip steaks, many more organic and healthy local foods. check out the website, My Personal Farmer.

Photo courtesy of GeekPhilosopher.com

Westchester County is getting a 5 STAR hotel.  On December 20, 2007 is the Grand Opening of the brand new Ritz Carlton which will be opening in downtown White Plains, New York.  Over the past few years the City of White Plains which is centrally located in Westchester County has undergone a fabulous revitalization and the opening of the Ritz Carlton is the natural outcome of that revitalziation.  White Plains is located 30 minutes by train or driving from New York.

The Ritz Carlton will have 122 luxury rooms including 38 suites, a Grand Ballroom, meeting rooms and a 10,000 square foot spa.  It is the tallest structure between New York City and Albany.  BLT Steakhouse (stands for the owners name).  Centrally located in downtown White Plains it is just moments away from the The Westchester Mall with upscale shopping, Bloomingdales, Nordstroms and Neiman Marcus. The new City Center is practically across the street if you prefer Target and want to go to the Movies or eat at Legal Seafoods.

For further information, please visit their website Ritz Carlton, or call 914-946-550.

The Hudson River National Heritage Area is a federally funded program created by Congress in 1996 to promote tourism with the historical, cultural and natural attractions that line the Hudson River. A new tourism brochure is now available that features 31 historic landscapes and gardens in the Hudson Valley. To name a few:

• Kykuit in Pocantico Hills
• Boscobel and Manitoga in Garrison
• Sunnyside in Tarrytown
• Roosevelt Home in Hype Park

To view all 90 sites, put together an itinerary, find hotels, restaurants and learn about this historical and cultural wonderland please visit:

Hudson River Valley

To order the new brochure please call 518-473-3835

On Sunday, December 9th the Westchester Arts Council will hold it's 7th Annual Free Arts Day.  This day offers free admissions to museums, arts centers and historical sites all around Westchester County.  This day is coordinated by Ronald McDonald House Charities, Bank of America, Con Edison (our local electrical company) and Walmart.

Throughout Westchester County there will be free operas, movies, and free addmission to the historical estates up and down the Hudson River.  There will be free addmission to Sunnyside, Van Cortlandt Manor and Philipsburg Manor further information at Hudson Valley.   The Jacob Burns Film Center will have a free showing at 12n of "The Court Jester", a family film.  The Katonah Museum of Art will have free admission as will the Lyndhurst Historic Preservation.  The Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill will have a free showing of the original "The Wizard of Oz".

For further information about the Westchester Arts Council and the complete list of events for the day, please visit Westchester Arts. 

 Founded in 1950 the Westchester Ballet is one of the oldest community ballet companies in the United States.  On December 14, 15 and 16 they will perform their 12th Annual Performance of the Nutcracker Ballet.  This ballet is performed by 90 professionally trained students from communities throughout Westchester and surrounding counties.  There will also be 2 professional guest soloists.

The performances will be held at the Westchester County Center on

                             Friday, December 14th at 10am

                             Saturday, December 15th at 12:30 and 4:30

                             Sunday, December 16th at 2pm

For further information please call 914-864-7275.  Tickets can be purchased from Ticketmaster.com or by calling 845-454-3388. For further information about the Westchester Ballet please visit their site.

The Westchester Ballet 

Centrally located in mid-Westchester County is the County Center.  This is a beautiful art deco building that opened in May of 1930.  Over the years there have performances by James Brown, Judy Garland, Liza Minelli, and the Royal Hanneford Circus.  In 1988 there was a major renovation of the original building with continuing updates since.  The County Center is now the setting for concerts, trade shows, dog shows, sporting events, meetings, seminars, conventions.  Parking is readily available with a large lot to the back.

The County Center is located off I-287 the Cross Westchester Parkway  and there is an exit directly from the Bronx River Parkway.  Tickets for events are available through Ticketmaster.com or by calling 845-454-3388.

There will be an Indoor Farmers Market from December 07- March 08,  a Baseball Card Show 11/23-11/25, a Stamp and Coin Show 11/23/-11/24.  For a full list of upcoming events please visit Events.

Westchester County Center website

I recently made an appointment to show one of my clients a property that seemed to meet their criteria.  So I reviewed and studied the listing and under showing instructions it said "Listing Agent Must Accompany"  Oh, no!  My poor buyer.  My poor buyer who likes to go with her husband and concentrate on the house, take their time and basically be left alone, my poor buyer. So I call the listing agent to set up the appointment.  It isn't that she just needs to accompany she tells me that the owner wants her to show the house.

I say "but my buyer has an agent that she is working with because she likes her and wants her agent to show her the house".  Well, the listing agent says but my seller wants me to show the house.  So I say well my buyer would rather you didn't.  The listing agent says but there are all kinds of things in the house that the seller wants buyers looking at her house to know.  So, I said why don't you tell me what the things are and I will see if my buyer is interested in those items.  No response.  I say that well there is a line here between the marketing of the house and what the seller/seller's agent wants but that my buyer is smart and I am an experenced agent and between we will figure the house out.

Two days later the listing agent calls back.  She says there is a new roof, new gutters and leaders and a surround sound system in the basement.  I say to her ok, if you insist on showing my buyer the house and she doesn't like the house - do you think she will care that there is a new roof?   Do yu think the fact that there is a new roof will convince her to like the house and buy the house?  Or is it just annoying to a buyer when a listing agent shows a house, points out all types of stuff and the buyer knows they are not interested.

Finally the listing agent agreed to let me show my buyer the house without her.  She opened the door and managed to leave.  My buyer went through the house twice and liked a lot about the house but the second floor bedrooms were separated and one was down three steps which would not work for her.  But I said the house has a new roof!