Larchmont and New Rochelle News / The Rosen Reports

It is quite interesting to note that the “House of Tudor” which reigned England from 1485 to 1603 has, in a sense, become the “Tudor House” to many of us…of course, we all recall Henry the VIII and his 8 wives, but on an everyday occurrence, we see so many Tudor Homes and as a Realtor, I wanted to find out why the popularity?

As it happens, the Tudor style home became a sign of a man’s wealth. To own a Tudor home,and especially to have a well designed garden accompanying the Tudor home, was the epitome of elegance and wealth back in the good old days of the 15th and 16th Centuries in England.

People would compete with each other with regard to the size, and grandeur displayed. It is interesting to note that the Tudor homes in England are traditionally white with half timbers which means they were built with wooden frames, and wattle and daub (wet clay and sticks) were used to fill in the spaces between. The English Tudors are white with black painted half-timbers, and yet in America, we traditionally see white with brown painted timbers, and with stucco and perhaps some brick work. A Tudor home will traditionally feature dormers, a large fireplace, and some Tudors will have a “stepped” appearance by which the upper floor will overhand the lower level. This originated when, in the 15th century, the people would pour out their chamber pots onto the streets, and rather than throw the contents onto the passersby, it would be thrown into the center of the street hopefully avoiding them. Fortunately, a warning call would usually precipitate the casting of the contents of the pot! Some 500 year old Tudor homes are still remaining in England. However, having grown up on an Island in the English Thames Estuary where we had original 17th Century Dutch cottages with thatched roofs (and tiny, tiny rooms), Tudor-style homes were an everyday occurrence to me.

Perhaps because the Tudor home signified wealth, luxury, etc…it is no surprise that Tudor homes are still very popular to many people. As a Realtor, I am proud to reside in New Rochelle – home to many beautiful Tudor homes.. I have had the privilege to list and sell quite a few Tudor homes in the New Rochelle area in all different price ranges.

NEW ROCHELLE is great! Just 35 minutes from New York City by train, and just 45 minutes from Broadway!

I live in a wonderful neighborhood that has many beautiful older homes…. and we actually call it the estate area of New Rochelle. When my husband and I first purchased our house, I remember how USAA would not insure the house as it WAS too old for them.. not realizing that these are beautiful homes that if taken care of, are splendid…Many of the homes were built in the early 1900’s with simply grand architectural details, stained glass windows, molding, beautiful hardwood floors…… but the one area that does not improve with age is the basement!

I have entered 2 Million dollar houses and you not only need a flashlight (exaggeration but you get the dungeon feeling) when you enter the basement…. piled high with memorabilia that will have to be thrown out before the closing, 2 older refrigerators, asbestos, and maybe some mold…. a friend told he that he has a flow-thru basement… when it rains, the water flows thru!….If only home-owners would think to tidy up their basement in addition to the living areas… it would really improve the sales price of the home especially since so many people today like everything new with seemingly no issues.

An associate asked me to help price a home in New Rochelle… a magnificent Tudor with pool, 7 bedrooms and located on over 0.60 of an acre. I loved the house.. but I mentioned that I would be giving her two prices, one with the basement emptied and painted and one without that being accomplished… Since she had been asking the owner to empty out the house, she felt she could only ask for so much…. but she did mention the other day that the basement held them back…

I have to mention that I am always leery of a newly painted basement as you don’t know if they are covering up water issues, mold issues….but at the same time, to just clean out the basement, having it smell nice goes a long way to help sell it! Plus, you can always take some photos before and after showing that the basement was in good condition – just needed the cleaning and painting.

Another suggestion is to take photos of a house before it is spruced up to sell…. and what it looks like afterwards, and you can use those photos when you go on a listing presentation… ask the home-owner- which home would you rather buy?

Have a good one! Gay

I grew up in England – pre computers, and I can recall boasting at how I had 5 pen pals from across the globe… There was a French boy, a French girl, an American girl who would always write about going to conventions… I would wonder what is a convention?…Another American girl, and then there was a blonde Greek girl – I was amazed at her blonde hair and the fact she wasn’t dark… I have long forgotten their names, but I can vividly remember being ecstatic at receiving letters from them, and the wonderful insightful information they contained about themselves and their respective countries.Of course, it was a dark plot by my teachers to get us to write more, but it was quite effective and exciting!

I liken Active Rain to the new pen pal – and as I open up the site each day, I see many familiar people who have Featured posts, or who have commented on posts, and while I might not be in touch with those bloggers personally, you get to know their personalities, their humor, and some make you smile, some grimmace, and it is just re-affirming to know that we all experience the same issues, and are able to reach out to one another to help in some way, to commiserate and to share.

I can tell when things are quiet as you will see peple blogging about their listings… one after the after…. evenings can be busy – after a day’s work, and as people unwind on the internet! Mornings reflect the longer blog…. more thought having gone into them….Each blogger has his/her own particular way of approaching things, and just as some members have mentioned meeting other members at raincamps…I can well imagine it must be like seeing an old friend. Of course, that is when the photo comes into play if it’s a little older and the blogger not appearing the same….do we recognize each other?

SO, blogging is definitely the new pen pal….but on a much larger scale…. and with much easier access… and directed at over 192,000 ‘pals’ and if one pal isn’t around to say ‘hi’ then we always know that there will be someone who will !

Have a great day and happy blogging!

Your pal,