Barbara Bartell Westchester County NY Rentals, Condos, Coops, Homes

A play about real estate past and present!

Here is the synposis given by a good discount broadway site you should put in your favorites called BroadwayBox.com.

WINNER OF THE 2011 PULITZER PRIZE AND LONDON'S OLIVIER AWARD FOR BEST PLAY, Clybourne Parkis the wickedly funny and fiercely provocative new play about race, real estate and the volatile values of each.
Clybourne Park explodes in two outrageous acts set 50 years apart. Act One takes place in 1959, as nervous community leaders anxiously try to stop the sale of a home to a black family. Act Two is set in the same house in the present day, as the now predominantly African-American neighborhood battles to hold its ground in the face of gentrification.
Honored, acclaimed and completely uproarious, this hot new property is already the most talked-about play of the season.

You can visit their site directly at Clybourne Park to see more about the Actors, play and direct ticket information. Only on Broadway 16 weeks at the Walter Kerr Theater at 219 West 48th Street.

If you have been driving up and down 1-87 for the last several years and wondering what they were building in Yonkers, New York a little south of the big Stew Leonards, Home Depot and Costco signs, it is finally in the final stages of completion.

As Westchester Ridge Hill’s website states so appropriately, this is truly an urban village with a Cinema de Lux (great stadium seating), stores, dining, and a new Luxury Condo complex you can see when driving along 1-87. Tickler the site. It includes special events like Same Day Rewards for same day gift cards month of March, and the St. Patricks Day menu offered byThe Yard House3/16-3/17.

Stores already open include Whole Foods (my favorite, and a hint..offers 90 minutes of free parking if you buy $10 worth of groceries, easy to do!), Orvis, L.L Bean, Dicks Sporting Goods, among others. For those of you living on this side of the County, an 80,000 square foot Lord and Taylor will be opening in April among others! The Ridge Hill store directory gives you a complete list and their opening dates!

Not only do they have stores, but there is a huge WestMed Medical Complex right at the entrance at 1 Ridge Hill Road (if using GPS).

If you are moving up from the city, or just looking for a condo that is like living at a Hotel with all of its amenities and walking distance to everything above, The Monarch Luxury Condo Complex is right across the street. This complex has a concierge, will be having both indoor and outdoor pools, Media room, 2 floor gym when it is complete. The condos have floor to ceiling windows, and some have terraces facing Yonkers side of building. There is a shuttle to the Bronxville train during rush hours only at this point, but they may expand. Prices right now range for a 711 sq foot condo for $397,000 all the way up to a 1734 sq foot Penthouse for $1,277,000 and everything in between. They are offering great incentives to buy in the next few months. Call or email me and I’d be happy to send you their current listings!
Or, sign up for your own MLS Listingbook account and you can search on your own!
http://bbartell.listingbook.com
Just put in Yonkers, Condo’s, New, $350,000 to $900,000 in the search parameters!

Tarrytown Music Hall not only has a variety of entertainment for us “Saturday night” entertainment buffs, but also has numerous daytime events for children of all ages.
Some of the events coming up are:

Snow White Workshop on 3/11
Theater Workshop USA School Shows: Nate the Great on Thursday 3/15
Also showing Martha Speaks on 3/29 among others
The Paper Bag Player Daytime School is showing Laugh, Laugh, Laugh from Tuesday 3/21 through 3/23
High School Musical Jr. Workshop has shows from 3/25 - 4/1.

Visit Tarrytown Music Hall and go to their Events page for show times and other great kids events!

Then follow it up with visit to Main Street Sweets - Local Ice Cream Parlor!

Most people may not think of Valhalla when moving up from the city or to Westchester County in general! But, Valhalla, a hamlet part of Mt. Pleasant,which is right past North White Plains has a lot to offer. Most of the Hamlet is a hilly division between the Bronx River Parkway and the Kensico Reservoir. It has a small town feeling with just a short two blocks of restaurants and local Deli. But, easily accessible to nearby shopping centers!
According to Great Schools and the NYSED Report Cards (click on Valhalla and scroll down to test results), schools rank high on all levels.

Valhalla Parking (scroll down to parking permits), is much more reasonable than most Westchester Stations. And, if you want to catch a quick bite to eat or drink when coming home at night, you can stop by Valhalla Crossing Pub at the station, or walk across the street to Mughal Palace, popular Indian Restaurant, or Esposito’s Restaurant and Pizzeria.

West of the Bronx River Parkway are more homes and just 3 miles up the road is one of Westchester’s main hospitals: Westchester Medical Center, which also has the only childrens specialty hospital in the region.

On to more fun things!

You may think you were visiting the pyramids but.........

One focal point of Valhalla is the Kenisco Dam Plaza and Kensico Reservoir!

As the articles indicate, the Plaza is a park that is a destination point for arts and crafts fairs, music and movies in the summer (in addition to fireworks!), and those who want to online skate, or have a picnic and the vast lawn. It is at the end of the bike trail that starts farther down in Westchester County!

The Kenisco Reservoir is stocked with fish for those fisherman out there. You can get a row boat (no motors allowed), but it needs to be cleaned and permanently assigned a place along the banks by the DEP. Necessary fishing and boat permits are needed. There is a section of Valhalla that has homes that face the water!

Cranberry Lake Preserve is a walkable nature preserve. There is a Trail Guide
which really is beautiful through spring, summer and fall.

So, if you thinking that you may like that small town feeling just 2 miles north of all the hustle and bustle of downtown White Plains (read my blog on downtown White Plains) sign up for my free Listingbook Account and see what is active right now!

I was going to write a blog on this, but one of my associates at J. Philip Real Estate wrote the Blog below that reflected exactly what I was thinking. So Tom is letting me be lazy this morning by re-posting!

Monday, February 27, 2012

Don’t believe what you see and hear on TV. This is not the buyer’s market you think it is!!!

I’ve been working with quite a few buyers who are becoming more and more frustrated while searching for a new home. They have this misconception about our current market, and I believe the media is a major reason why. Most people have this notion that banks aren’t lending, people aren’t buying and buyers who can get a loan can bully sellers around and get whatever they want. Well, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Not here in Westchester.

Here’s the truth about our current market conditions. We’ve hit rock bottom as far as pricing is concerned, which has created some competition among buyers. I placed four offers last week on four separate houses, all different buyers. Three of the four turned out to be multiple offer situations. When buyers send me listings to schedule appointments, it’s been a common occurrence that approximately half of them already have an accepted offer. For some reason, many buyers expect to be able to get 10% off, or more, on any house on the market. They are shocked and confused when they are told that there are multiple offers or that it’s going to take close to asking price to get the house. By no means am I saying that it’s a seller’s market, it clearly is not. However, the days of bullying sellers around are dwindling.

The truth is, most sellers have accepted the fact that their house isn’t going to sell for what the neighbors did a few years ago. You can’t expect to slash prices any further, they’ve already dropped drastically. As for the banks, I’ve seen no problem with my buyers being able to secure financing. If you have good credit and a good job, you’ll get a loan. I don’t understand where all of this news is coming from that people can’t get loans. If you’re working with a reputable loan officer you shouldn’t have a problem.

With this little swing in the market, I’m seeing a trend that makes our job very difficult. I’m finding that it’s difficult to get buyers to present an offer that is fair. I’m talking about my own buyers that I’m representing. We’ve hit a point were sellers will now hold out a little longer because they see the increase in positive activity. The nice houses in good school districts are not staying on the market very long. It’s tough as a buyer’s agent to tell your client that they should increase their offer when they don’t want to come up any higher.

Last point to all buyers out there. Remember, it's about putting a fair deal together that is a win-win for both sides. The goal is to get a fair deal on a house that you will call your home for the next couple decades.

Posted by Tom Ricapito - J. Philip Real Estate