I just made my very first cartoon!!!!! I had so much fun – It is entitled ‘The Open House..” I hope you all enjoy it…. We have all experienced similar situations, and yet we all plod on, hoping to fully represent the sellers and sell their house…. If you want to make your own cartoon… just go to xtranormal.com… and go from there! The possibilities are endless, and the fun is priceless!
Larchmont and New Rochelle are GREAT!
January 2011 Real Estate Newsletter by
Gay Rosen, ABR, CBR, CDPE, CRS, GRI, SRES
A few years ago, a client was required to legalize her sun room prior to closing. We knew about it; we disclosed it, but then we had to do it! I had suggested a wonderful architect in the area who has both plumbers and electricians with whom he works on a routine basis…and it would have been a one time fee, a one stop shop. My client had her own electrician, and after speaking with her attorney, he suggested she call another architect who he knew. She decided to go her own route which was fine. My architect knew the people at city hall, but it was her prerogative to use who she wanted. After all, it was her money. I called 2 weeks later and asked how she was doing…she replied that while the architect had quoted a lesser fee, the other costs had not been included, and sure enough, they were mounting up and becoming more than the architect’s fees who I had suggested.
She was going to change architects to utilize the one I recommended. Great. However, she then went on to say that she wanted to use her electrician – she knew him well…and he said that she would have to upgrade her entire electrical system…and it would cost $4300. WOW! Had she stated $2000 I don’t think I would have said anything, but $4300?
My client was a very lovely, 76 year old and I sensed foul play here…I asked that we just allow my architect’s electrician in for a second opinion before she did anything. She agreed. The result was that per New Rochelle code requirements, NO upgrade was required (it would be nice but not necessary to get the C/O – Certificate of Occupancy), and ‘perhaps’ all that was required was a new switch plate. Cost – ZERO.
I had already obtained multiple bids for her home, and so I was thrilled that I had further helped her. Speak to your real estate professional whenever you need some help within your home. They might work with people that they can recommend – and the call is free!
I am here for all of your real estate needs.
New Rochelle is great!
Every town has those special celebrities be they from the work-force, sports, stage or screen, and New Rochelle is no exception. Here are a few of the famous people who have either lived or are living in my great city:
* Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy – They lived in a beautiful home on Mount Tom Road until the mid 1970s – and I had the pleasure of selling their former home earlier last year for $1.6M. Stars of both stage and screen, they lived in New Rochelle for over 40 years, and entertained the public for many more .
* Ruby Dee and the late Ossie Davis – Both were long time philanthropists, actors, and there is currently a theater named after Mr. Davis at our Public Library.
* Jay Leno – Yes the Jay Leno – but only for a few months and then his family moved away!
* Andrea McArdle – Broadway’s original “Annie” – hey – remember New Rochelle is only 45 minutes from Broadway – as the saying goes.. (closer now)
* Willie Mays – Hall of Fame baseball player
* Robert Merrill – operatic baritone – who would sing at each home Yankee game.. his home just recently sold for $1,375,000
* Andrea Mitchell – Journalist – As you walk along the corridors of our New Rochelle High school, you can see a nice photo of Ms. Mitchell proudly displayed. Ms. Mitchell is the NBC Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, and is also the host of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports.” Andrea obtained her B.A. from University of Pa. and is currently married to former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan.
* Gil Schwartz serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for CBS and attended our high school – going onto Brandeis University
* Louis Boccardi – He was the President and CEO of the Associated Press until his retirement in 2003 – while this list is in no real order, I am writing the names as they come to mind. Both Mr. Schwartz and Mr. Boccardi’s names are synonymous (to me) as they very kindly acted as moderators over the course of 7 years at our local “CelebriTeas” which were wonderful, intellectually stimulating events where we had famous authors (such as Charles Grodin, Richard Ben Cramer, Arthur Golden, Jill Ker Conway, Ben Yagoda, Rupert Holmes, Doris Mortman, Walter Isaacson to name a few) to raise money for our wonderful library. As a result of the hard work of the chair people and volunteers, we now have a renovated second floor with computer stations, and as of this year – new carpeting in our entranceway and large foyer which also serves as the perfect showcase for the various art shows.
* Lawrence M. Small – A long list of accomplishments from being the President and CEO of Fannie Mae, the Secretary of the Smithsonian (2000 -2007) and currently serves on the board of Marriott International and Chubb. After attending our local high school, Mr. Small went to Brown University and graduated from there in 1963 with a degree in Spanish literature.
* W.C. Fields – the name says it all!
* Leslie Gleb, former President of the Council of Foreign Relations
* Nick Gregory – is a meteorologist for Fox 5 in New York City. I can recall many years ago (approx. 22 – yikes!) that I, along with another friend, asked that he speak to our students at the local William B. Ward Elementary School. He kindly obliged, and the children greatly enjoyed seeing a celebrity and learning from him and how he reached his goals. Of course, it didn’t hurt when he said a ‘hello’ to them later that day from his TV show!
* Norman Rockwell – many people do not realize that New Rochelle was an artist’s colony per se way back in the 1930s. Norman Rockwell, and many other artists and illustrators lived in this great city. Mr. Rockwell’s former home sold for $1.6M back in 2005, and featured a gallery overlooking one of the large rooms. It was a charming home, full of meandering hallways and charm.
* Writing on art – how can I leave out Frederic Remington – famous painter, sculptor of Native American art
* I also cannot leave out Nell Brinkley -who was a famous illustrator who created the “Brinkley Girl” ( a girl who epitomized the American woman – Mae West claimed to be the first Brinkley girl ), and Ms. Brinkley lived in New Rochelle for over 20 years… I was privileged to have sold her former home in 2008 for just $1.9M!
* J.C. Penney – so many people, so many names – I didn’t want to leave out the founder of this important department store chain.
* Bob Denver – Gilligan’s Island…. New Rochelle is hardly an island, but it is a paradise to many of us – and we can see Long Island from our waterfront!
* William S. Rukeyser, Editor of Fortune Magazine
* Louis Rukeyser – business columnist, TV host and economic commentator
* M. Farooq Kathwari, Chairman of Ethan Allen
* John M. Kluge – German American television industry mogul who at one time was the richest person in America. He recently passed away in 2010.
* Jerome Kohlberg, Jr. – Billionaire co-founder of Private Equity Group KKR
* Michael Kaiser, President J.F. Kenendy Center for the Performing Arts
* Alan Menken, Composer – attended our High School and was a member of Temple Israel of New Rochelle – how can we forget “The Little Mermaid,” “Tangled,” “Sister Act,” “Aladdin,” “Pocahontas”…. and the list goes on and on.. Graduated from New York University
* Chic Young – a cartoonist and better known for his “Blondie” cartoon
* Don Hewitt – Producer and Creator of CBS 60 Minutes. Mr. Hewitt’s photo is also at the high school. He passed away in 2009.
* Dick Morris – whose lineage dates back to the first Huguenots who came to New Rochelle to escape persecution in France. Mr. Morris who was the campaign manager for President Bill Clinton amongst others, is a regular on TV and wrote in 2010 “2010 -Take Back America” which recently received the first Thomas Paine award in November 2010 at our local V.I.P. Club. I was present at the dinner, and he spoke quite eloquently.
* Thomas Paine – I cannot leave Mr. Paine out… while not born in this great city, he was awarded a cottage as a ‘thank you’ for the role he played in the American Revolution, and was the author of “Common Sense” and “Rights of Man.”
* Sports! Did I mention sports? We are proud to be the home town of Ray Rice, Running Back for the Baltimore Ravens, who came up through our Youth Tackle League, High School and went on to Rutgers University.
* Courtney Green – We cannot forget Courtney who also came up through the Youth Tackle League, High chool and Rutgers University, and who is currently playing Safety for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
* Cristina Teuscher – Olympic Gold Medalist in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia in the Women’s Relay Team – Freestyle. Cristina attend our local high school, went onto Columbia and was All American, 4 time NCAA Champion, won 12 Ivy League titles amongst others, and obtained her MBA at INSEAD – a top business school. The city honored her Olympic accomplishment with a parade!
* A.J. Rosen – Two time Olympian in the sport of luge for Great Britain, coming in 16th each time – in Turin (2006, and Whistler 2010). Hey – I am his mom – I had to get him in!
I could write 5 pages of famous people who have lived or are living in this great city… perhaps it is the air, our diet (I wish) but certainly one fact is very true…
NEW ROCHELLE is a GREAT place in which to live!
I am here for all of your 2011 real estate requirements.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2017 Gay Rosen Hi – I happened to glance at the referrals available in the New York area, and I saw that someone wanted to refer a buyer, seeking a single family home in New York City for around $100,000. While I do not cover that area, I would venture a strong guess that would be nigh impossible…. If anyone has buyers who are thinking of buying in my area in the ensuing months, I thought I would write a few words on the prices (right now) in my area.
Larchmont... Close to New York City, just 35 minutes by train to the city, and with Larchmont Manor covering just 1 square mile, a private beach, fine dining and a French American School (which recently purchased property on Ridgeway in White Plains) has always been attractive to many… A single family home with perhaps a one car garage, approximately 1800 -2500 square feet could cost as much as $900,000 – $1.1 depending on the renovations completed/required. New builds have become much sought after these past 6 months, and while there has been a softening in the market place, the new builds seem to sell in short order. My office recently listed 2 such homes and they were within 3 weeks of listing same (approx $1.2 each). Many homes cost in the $1.5 range and higher. Larchmont is a village located within Mamaroneck township… Country clubs abound, and the local banks – which are also in great abundance mentioned there is so much money in the area… it is for good reason! Highly sought after. Waterfront properties can sell from anywhere from $2 Million o $9 Million and even higher. Prices per square foot are currently at 2007 prices of approx. $439.70.
New Rochelle… larger property sizes, possibly higher taxes, but the homes will offer more value. New Rochelle is a city, and as such offers a great variety in its school programs, is one stop closer to New York City, also has its own beach, many beach clubs and some marinas. I have lived in New Rochelle for over 32 years and love it! The Mary Tyler Moore Show was filmed here, many commercials and TV shows are still utilizing our ‘mid century modern’ areas or simply because we are so close to New York. Home of many celebrities. A great place in which to live. A starter home with renovations required could cost around $475,000, and if you are seeking a home in the estate area, then expect to spend around $800,000 plus with renovations required. A renovated home can cost around $1.6 plus. Waterfront properties can sell anywhere between $1.2 or so to the mid $2 Million range. Price per square foot are at the 2003 price range and are approximately $265.68.
New Rochelle and Larchmont are GREAT!
Dear Susan Sarandon: You are an excellent Oscar & award winning actress, but as a Realtor, could I possibly mention that you must have had some terrible experiences to portray a real estate agent in Wall Street 2 as a pushy, self-centered persona? From your wardrobe (loud brassy handbag, and clothing), basically confirmed in many people’s minds what a real estate agent is like – when that is far from the truth! Please feel free to call me (and I can easily refer you to some people in the Active Rain network) if you would like an excellent Realtor in the Westchester (or US) area who are very professional! Yikes!!!! I just viewed the movie this past weekend, and it always amazes me that people choose to portray real estate agents in a certain way. Sylvia Myles was also in the movie, and she also portrayed the aging brassy Realtor…..I know all of your die-hard Susan fans will say that she was being directed… I know that.… but I could not resist the comments.. Hey, someone has to defend us!
My children make fun of me, but I have always wanted to write the movie script
whereby a Realtor chances upon a criminal group, plays the detective (we do that every day of the week) and saves the day. Hey! It could happen! One of my most favorite lines was when Harrison Ford was caught in an elevator touting a gun, and he proclaimed “I am a Realtor!” as if explaining it all… I still smile at that… Realtor!” as if explaining it all..
New Rochelle and Larchmont are GREAT!
I had just sold one home for the seller, and she wanted me to list this house also, but it is out of my area and comfort zone, so I co-listed it with a friend (and top agent) in that area. We work well together, and while I still conducted a few open houses, he advertised in the area, etc. My owner had wanted the property listed higher, but after my last open house, I was able to obtain a price adjustment to $399,000 and that did the trick. SO, here is wishing you all who have listings some happy news too over the Holidays.
Happy Holidays!
Did you know that the local New Rochelle Humane Society (which services 17 neighboring towns) is offering a 50% discount on all adoption fees for those wonderful senior homeless pets or those who have been in the shelter for 4 months or more?
It’s also not too late to post your beloved pet’s name in the Memory Tree which will be on display at the New Rochelle Humane Society from December 1 through January 4! With only a $5 donation, the Humane Society will write the name of your loved one (or a friend’s loved one) on a white or red ribbon and place it on the tree. Or, you can make a donation in a friend’s name and the Humane Society will send a card to the lucky recipient.
The New Rochelle Humane Society receives approximately 50% of its funds through servicing the surrounding towns, and the remainder of its much needed funding is obtained through donations, bequeaths and fund-raising.
Volunteers are always needed. The Humane Society is open 7 days a week, 10-4 and Thursday 2-8 p.m.
Please contact me for all of your New Rochelle real estate needs!
New Rochelle is GREAT!
Rosen Vineyards in New Rochelle 10804 you ask? I love to give at the Holidays, and made wine back in the early ’90s. My thought was to make a nice wine with less sulphites just as they do in Italy, and delved into making a cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, merlot…but it ended up being the worst wine….Oh well, I tried….It was fun stomping on the grapes, and using all of the fun equipment. Over the years, I would make raspberry liqueurs, peach wine, cherry brandy….. all given to my friends with my silly tongue-in-cheek labels.
I sold a home this year at 103 Mount Tom Road in New Rochelle, and the owner and I became friends. I noticed that she would have the most wonderful displays of a cherry liqueur on her counter in wonderful jars that looked both rustic and interesting. So, I asked her for the recipe…which was simple. She hails from Poland, and would buy the 100 proof alcohol from stores in Brooklyn… I opted out on that and bought a qood guality 80 proof vodka. She would then layer a large jar with cherries (some pitted, some not), and sugar… After three weeks or so of fermenting, a juice would take the place of the sugar, and then it was time to add the vodka, seal tightly, and let it ‘age’ in a cool dark place. Since I wanted to hand it out to my friends for this Holiday, I could only allow it 4-5 months of aging… I would have preferred a year….. but I still felt good in handing out my gifts to friends and customers alike! I do not even drink cherry liqueurs but it was just fun to make and then give!
Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday season.
New Rochelle is Great!
I have done my share of traveling to the various colleges over the years, and looking at the various program guides or course catalogs, and have been suitably impressed. I find myself being equally impressed with our local High School in New Rochelle. Some might comment on how large our high school is (approximately 3300 students), but because of its size, the faculty is able to offer such subjects as:
1) English 4 Honors (and of course English 2 Regents)
2) Journalism, College writing, Shakespeare, British literature
3) Mandarin (1 and 11)
4) French 5 and French AP
5) Italian, Spanish, French Honors 3, Italian Honors 5, Latin 4 Honors and Latin AP
6) Classical Greek
7) Architectural classes (4) in Design, design and drawing, computer aided residential drawing, presentation
8) AB and BC Calculus AP and AP (honors), Algebra H and Trigonometry Honors, AP Statistics
9) Biology, Chemistry AP, Physics C-AP
10) Supa Forensics (thus is a college class and is transferable from the U of Syracuse)
11) AP World History, Global History 11 Regents and Global History 11 Honors, American History and Government – Regents
12) AP Macroeconomics
13) AP Art History,
14) Business Law, Sports and Entertainment Marketing, Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Marketing, Marketing internship, Fashion Marketing, Culinary Arts 1 & 2, Cosmetology 1 & 2
15) Commercial Art 1 & 2, Multimedia 1 & 2, Fashion Design & Merchandising 1 & 2, TV & Video Production 1 & 2, Carpentry Construction 1 & 2,
16) 8 Offered courses in singing/band, Performance Dance, Advanced Musicianship AP ( & 3 other programs offered).
17) The Art Major sequence required 5 credits with a prerequisite of Studio in Art, but the program offers 20 programs including Studio Art AP in Drawing Portfolio, Two Dimensional Portfolio and Three Dimensional Portfolio.
18) The PAVE Program (Performing And Visual Arts Education)) …. There are strict requirements for this program but after completion, they receive a special Performing Arts Major seal on their diploma.
19) There are also so many other programs offered including Physical Education, Special Education Programs to meet the special needs for those students whose disabilities interfere with their benefit from education.
There is also a Volunteer Service Credit Program, ESL Programs, and so much more….. New Rochelle High School is an Award winning school district, and every year its students are selected by top colleges and universities around the country and abroad…. The high school boasts a Theater, and a museum ( The Museum of Arts & Culture – New Rochelle has the only Regents chartered museum in a school in the State of New York).
New Rochelle is here for your students – both future and current.
I am here for your real estate needs.
New Rochelle is GREAT!
Gay Rosen is a Top Realtor in the Larchmont and New Rochelle, New York (Westchester) area. She is diligent, caring, driven and thorough (with a sense of humor). Call her!
