Joanne Brown

Meet Sigmund and Sue (swans), they're thrilled with the fall, and excited that all the human tourists will give them back their lake for a few months. Their only issues will be with the ducks, and the brawny birds, who can take the frigid temperatures of a New York Winter. Cheers to you S&S! If Spring came after fall, I could really appreciate the glory of this season, instead, I focus on the thought of Winter, and really should take in the beauty nature gives us. Never in my life have I planted a mum, just too depressing. I attribute my euphoria of sprintime as the result of cold winters, and guess the reason I get so excited is all the wintertime planning and dreaming of greener pastures.

Today was really a beautiful fall day, sunny and in the sixties, you can really enjoy falls' crispness, the gentle breezes and rustle of leaves, we will soon be picking up, and saving for mulch next year. The color in New York is breath taking, Halloween and the Thanksgiving season look better here than anywhere else on earth. I need to stop dwelling on the inevitable doom of Winter.

We are now in get ready mode (in competition with the squirrels) getting our homes prepared for the cold, making sure the windows and doors are draft-less. Fearing the high fuel prices, we fine tune the boilers for optimum performance, and those of us with fire places buy the wood for cozier gatherings.

In Piermont the optimists at the old sidewalk cafe still have the outside dining set up, but the patrons don't feel like roughing it, they walk past the maitre d to sit inside. Most of the barbeques are over, the die hard grillers will shovel thru the snow to get their grub charred before they make a path to the front door, but for most of us we'll wait for next year.

Alot of folks have the pits they put in the yard, for me-too much like camping.

Time to start making soups, stews, the good comfort foods, and taking out the blankets and slippers.

Look at the spectacular fall views on Piermont Avenue, in a couple of weeks the homes will be naked.

The boats are all being pulled in from the Hudson, and play time is over. Nyack boatmen are busy taking in the members toys. A grave yard of boat, the sailboats are mummified, wrapped in gauze and tombed till next Spring.

Another season in our life over, in New York the chapters are clearly defined.

Beautiful tree (Manse), prematurely ripened before the others in Tappan New York.

Rockland Short Sales

All the excitement that the media stirs, can confuse even the simplest of situations. We are however, in strange times for Real Estate. Lenders let the public over extend themselves, and a good amount of the borrowers "took the bait".

Rose colored glasses drew a beautiful picture of family life in the glorious suburbs of Rockland County, along with the rest of New York State and the country.

Now it is time to pay the piper, and unfortunately a good portion of the folks who thought equity in the homes they purchased would increase, are now devastated by the drop in the Real Estate market, and the increase in the Adjustable Rate Mortgages they took back in the early gay 2000's, and some even imbibed in the tempting "Interest Only Loans" are now in Real Estate Reality.

There is a way out, not a promise of riches, however you can escape Foreclosure, and keep your credit in a better standing than if you wait for foreclosure.

Do not believe the promises of the "Loss Mitigation Companies", there is always a new scheme for every vulnerable situation. These companies do NOT have an "in" with the lenders.

Alot of them are investors and are not at all concerned with your credit, they want your house for a song.

The reason lenders prefer to work with REALTORSis: We are licensed with the State of NY. We subscribe to a Code of Ethics. We have Errors and Omission Insurance. We have a Fiduciary Responsibilty to our Clients to Uphold.

Call me for a confidential meeting, so I can explain the process, and to help you get your life back in order.

Joanne Brown

Associate Broker, SRES, ASP

845 596-3975

www.rocklandshortsales.com

Only sixteen Single Family Residence Sales in January (there are plenty in contract, wait for next months sales)

The median sales price was 517,500, and the average price was 504,969.

There were sales in Nyack, Orangeburg, Palisades, Pearl River, Piermont, South Nyack and Tappan. No SF homes sold in Blauvelt,

Grandview, Sparkill or Upper Grandview in January.

In January 2007 there was 17 sales, the numbers are quite different. 480,000 was the median price and 607,618 the average.

Big drop 2008 stay tuned!