When you think about your dream home, are you seeing the house or the neighborhood it's in?It's easy to get caught up in bedroom and bathroom counts when you're shopping for a new home, but the biggest choice you're going to make in the process is, of course, the ‘where’ question. So how do you find the home that's going to be the perfect fit for your whole lifestyle?Here are three of my favorite tips to see if an area or a particular area is right for you: Check out the basic stats. What is the median sale price of homes in a given neighborhood? How do the local and nearby schools perform? What amenities are nearby? How popular is the neighborhood in today's market?  See what the neighbors are doing. Get a sense of local activities, and see if it looks like a place with frequent block... 02/26/2019

Heavy Rain today could flood Scarsdale businesses & homes in 10583, so check for a wet basement or attic! One favorite show years ago was "Hill Street Blues."  Am I dating myself here, or what? So, if you saw the reruns or are as old as us, you may remember the Captain saying, "Be careful out there!" at daily police briefings.    That's the word today in Westchester and 10583 -- BE CAREFUL -- with Parkways that are closed or closing and low lying areas.  Slow it down so you don't hydroplane and please note flash flood warnings tonight, all over the NY Tri-state.  At home, or before we close this Friday night, check for flooding in your basement, attic or finished lower level.   That's my message tonight after heavy rain since dawn at 5a and through 5a tommorow. That's up to 3 inches in ... 05/05/2017

Hoarding Defined & 6 Tips to Help You & Yours, or Clients in Scarsdale, NY 10583.  Writing this blog was bittersweet because of the hoarders in my family's past and maybe our present -- if you listen to my family.    So, it was important to research the psychology of Hoarding, in order to share some tips and finding that may help you and yours, or your clients. Also, known as “collectors,” many men and women who hoard are sensitive to being named with the “H” word, although there seems to be an epidemic among Baby Boomer and Depression era babies.  These were the hoarders in my family before it was cool or HAD a name.   My maternal grandparents both saved a LOT of stuff.  Our family filled two 12 ton, 30 foot dumpsters when we cleaned out my grandma’s attic and basement before she passe... 01/16/2017

Here's your annual reminder to FALL BACK this Saturday night by one hour on all clocks and watches...our Cell Phones should get the message from our carriers.         **Check Fire Alarms & CO detectors, plus Radon, too, at this time of year.     Fall Back an hour on your timepieces this Saturday Night so when you awake Sunday morning - less you give up an hour of snooze time.   Then on Sunday, take a few minutes to change the batteries in all smoke & carbon monoxide detectors.   More than 3,400 Americans die each year in fires and approximately 17,500 are injured. An overwhelming number of fires occur in the home and even offices at your buinesses are at risk. There are time-tested ways to prevent and survive a fire. Go to the fire link at FEMA.org, too, for more tips.       Who is at ... 11/02/2016

Hi there ~ Hillary, the weather junkie here, sending "be safe wishes" for Hurricane Matthew if he comes north to Scarsdale, NY 10583: Look for some Storm Safety & Preparation tips,  your way for Hurricane Season 2016! October just arrived and our 2016 hurricane season is really picking up. Remember that Sandy arrived on October 29, 2012 and stalled our U.S. Halloween for the 2nd year.  In 2011, it was a "Frankenstorm" snow emergency that closed down the NY Metro on October 28th.  I was moving into our Fleetwood, NY home that Saturday...a mess! Nasa pic of Superstorm Sandy moving up the U.S. coast, north to New York 10583 in 2012 For incoming Hurricanes, even if they are not a "direct hit," It is important to refresh yourself on the steps needed in order to prepare yourself for a storm. ... 10/05/2016

Wild winds and storms since Sunday knock down trees and power lines, causing flooding when sump pumps stopped in Scarsdale, NY 10583 Our HUGE maple tree was blowing around like a helicopter in Westchester County storms this week! You know all about sump pumps, if you have a basement in a Scarsdale, NY home or business, in southern Westchester.  If a power outage from a rain or snow storm has ever shut down your sump pump and flooded your basement, you may have been a little worried this weekend and during monsoon rains yesterday.  I was at meetings in the city and it seemed like a wet March day, not June, especially along the Hudson!  Our days of heavy rain and big wind gusts could have caused a power outage, or a brown out in your Scarsdale neighborhood.  So, be sure to check your base... 06/09/2016

My husband, Forrest, often asks how they keep their jobs on radio and TV, when meterologists are often wrong about weather forecasts in Eastchester, NY 10709 & beyond! First, our house is for sale and there was a rainy, dreary forecast for this whole weekend, plus a record breaking cool down.  REALLY?  It's sunny and beautiful in Fleetwood, NY today, just south of Bronxville and north of NYC. http://www.houlihanlawrence.com/property/48719864/39-fletcher-avenue-mount-vernon-ny-10552Our lovely, renovated colonial home has been listed for 3 weeks with our supersonic realtor, Lucille, but no offers yet.  We think it's partly due to an actual raining weekend -- last one -- and this forecasted Saturday.  The doom and gloom here was filled with T-storms and colder temps.  Our traffic has been ... 05/14/2016

  I always like to write my own blogs with my own viewpoint and perspective. But, alas, I was not able to be present at a wonderfully successful event last Saturday at the Scarsdale Public Library featuring Seth Greenberg and his delectable treats.  It was a tremendously successful event, and when he travels to Larchmont, I am hoping to catch the event there! He is a superb chef ! A Sweet Treat: Seth Greenberg Shares Baking Secrets Fine baking involves more than simply following a recipe.  In a presentation entitled “Just Desserts: Satisfying Your Sweet Tooth,”  renowned master baker Seth Greenberg demonstrated this point, offering some of the tricks, as well as the treats, of his trade to an eager crowd at the Scarsdale Public Library on Saturday, April 30.  The program was the second ... 05/10/2016

EARTH DAY is a time to celebrate all the work on tree planting, Youth 4 Climate initiatives and the Paris Summit promises...and keep going in Scarsdale, NY 10583 & Beyond The movement continues, I remember the first Earth Day festival on the Capital Mall in Washington, D.C.Earth Day is celebrating its 46th year, with a movement that continues "to inspire, challenge ideas, ignite passion and motivate people to action!"In 1970, the year of the first Earth Day, this movement opened our eyes and gave its voice to an emerging consciousness about environmental issues and threats to our planet. Now, 46 years later, the world is involved and many of us drive hybrids, turn off the water more and try to help our planet, even in our small backyards in Westchester, NYAnd so it begins. Today. Right ... 04/22/2016

Homes should be in TOP SHOW CONDITION & ready for primetime, to sell  more quickly in Scarsdale, NY 10583 in the northern suburbs.   This is just a fact:   A clean and fresh smelling home sells faster.  Unfortunately, not all homes are maintained in the same way.  Nearly all realtors are faced with a listing that is more difficult to show, or smell quite frankly.  In restoration, we get called in for odors dating back four or more decades…like the 1960s.  They can be old cigarette smells that are buried in the walls, ceilings and duct system for homes with central air.   Also, we get pet odor and cleanup calls for everything from multiple cats and floor or carpet stains and smells, to squirrels and other critters removed from an attic or crawl space.  Always an adventure. Veteran realto... 04/07/2016

MOBILE ADS ARE MASSIVE AND CAN BRING CLIENTS TO YOU, ANYWHERE THAT  YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS TO THRIVE! My friend Theresa put out this announcement about the power of mobile marketing, as a service that she supports for her clients at http://wnfpevents.webs.com Mobile advertising is exploding. To put it into perspective, there are 7.2 billion people on the planet, yet there are more connections:  7.5 billion mobile connections. There are more connections than people and a huge proportion of these potential customers now have the capacity to find you online.At no point in human history have businesses had access to such a vast audience. This article is going to show you how you can capture them and master mobile advertising. Use In-Ad EngagementEvery additional click in mobile advertising wil... 03/14/2016

          It's that time of year again ~ Daylight Savings Time                            in Scarsdale, NY 10583  Spring forward on your clocks and devices this Saturday night before bedtime, or Sunday over coffee.  Also, it's a good time to check that fire alarms are working!  So, this is my favorite time of year in many ways, with a March birthday, warm weather on the way and flowers and trees thinking about blooming.  On the other hand, we lose this hour and "Spring Forward," every March.  I really miss this hour...until fall.  Spring forward or Fall Back? The term “spring forward – fall back” is meant to trigger your memory to set your clocks forward one hour in the spring at the start of DST, and one hour back in the fall when DST ends.                This fab pic of "Six Public Cl... 03/11/2016

I am trying to adopt a dog at the NYACC and cannot reach a human by phone, as they begin the daily 1pm kill shots for un-adopted dog or cat. What can I do, but fill out the badly written application with no FAX number or instructions on it for contacting a human.  We just want to go and meet "Snow" a siberian husky mix and see if they will let us adopt him.  It's 20 miles from our house, downtown in Manhattan and I FINALLY reached a volunteer...see more on this saga below...here's my boy, Snow:  SNOW - ID#A1064621I am an unaltered male, white Siberian Husky mix.The shelter staff think I am about 1 year old.I weigh 42 pounds.I was found in NY 10019.I have been at the shelter since Feb 06, 2016. This information is less than 1 hour old. BackSnow has a sister there too, and she is not a ha... 02/09/2016

Two storms are on the way this week, after our Superbowl weekend and as the work week starts -- just like last week.    Watch for ice daming, as the days are warm and our nights are frigid cold.    So, details:  Here we go again, in our new early week snow pattern on the heels of Snowstorm "Lexi" that was NOT a dusting, but shovels full of snow early last week.  Be aware of flooding threats as we get quick mini snow storms that melt quickly or change to rain. Two storms are coming our way to the East Coast in a "Nor'easter pattern on Sunday Night into Monday morning, with a second wave through Tuesday.   This next "two-fer" system came up the eastern Gulf of Mexico Saturday and it is strengthening quickly off the Southeast coast along the Carolinas today. The track of this offshore low ... 02/07/2016

Arctic temps in the next week can cause Frozen Pipes in your home or business, in Scarsdale, NY 10583! Weather Channel's great graphic of arctic air pushing into our town, into next week...bundle up Scarsdale!  This animation shows the arctic air (purple shadings) moving from near the North Pole late Monday, Jan. 4 south through Canada and into the Lower 48 by Sunday, Jan. 10.  With low, arctic temps this month -- that I'm already calling the year's first "Bi-polar weather," some of us may see this messy and often expensive issue of frozen pipes.  But, for us, it's our job and your plumber's to help you.   For any property owners, this type of water damage can be a cold nightmare and I have tips below to prevent this from happening in your Scarsdale home or business!  If it could just b... 01/04/2016

 Preventing frozen pipes and fires by winterizing Scarsdale homes and businesses, NY 10583  The snow is not flying yet in Scarsdale 10583,so now is the best time to think about securing your home and business for the cold, winter months ahead.  The holidays are upon us and Happy Chanukah to all, as well as a joyous holiday season and New Year.  But, don't let a fun season be dampened by a frozen pipe break or an unattended candle fire in a home, or at your business party.   We are having an unusually warm December, but forecasters say we may have cold temps again by January.  No polar vortex type deep freezes this winter, due to El Nino conditions, but pipes that are warm, then cold, then warm again are at the most risk all winter.         This is the next edition of Hillary's Helpful H... 12/07/2015

What’s a PUFFBACK & what to do if you have one in Bronxville, NY 10708.Most of us have never heard of a puff back, unless you or someone you know has had this disaster occur in your home or business. A puffback occurs when an oil burner backfires and sends oily soot throughout your home or business.   Soot goes everywhere, out of vents and / or radiators and covers everything with a black film...ICK!   This anomaly can happen if a boiler is older, not well-maintained, or just malfunctions for technical reasons.  It's Fall now, even with summer temperatures.  However, cooler nights mean that we'll all turn on our boilers in Westchester County soon.  That's when last year's soot build up and and a boiler that has been used less frequently for hot water can "puff back!"  Contact your oil c... 09/16/2015

SalesThere were 26 unit sales in June. This is up 18.2% from 22 in June of 2014. This is the highest unit sales have been since 44 in August, 2014. Sales/list price ratio in June moved up to 99.3% from 98.6% in May.  PricesMedian price in June was $1,245,000. This is down 16.5% from $1,491,500 in June of 2014. 3-month median price of $1,305,000 in June was down marginally from $1,342,500 in May and down modestly from $1,446,500 in June of 2014. Price per square foot in June was $495. This is up from $452 in May and up from $453 in June of 2014.  InventoryInventory of 147 in June was down 1.3% from 149 in May but up 21.5% from 121 in June of 2014. New listings of 37 in June were down considerably from 62 in May but up marginally from 36 in June of 2014. Months of supply of 7.7 in June wa... 07/29/2015

Sales There were 12 unit sales in April. This is down 20.0% from 15 in April of 2014. Sales/list price ratio in April moved up to 100.0% from 97.0% in March.  Prices Median price in April was $1,806,601. This is up 72.1% from $1,050,000 in April of 2014. 3-month median price of $1,725,000 in April was very slightly up from $1,685,000 in March and up slightly from $1,481,000 in April of 2014. Price per square foot in April was $471. This is up from $438 in March and up from $438 in April of 2014.  Inventory Inventory of 132 in April was up 15.8% from 114 in March and up 20.0% from 110 in April of 2014. New listings of 43 in April were down modestly from 50 in March and down a little from 51 in April of 2014. Months of supply of 6.9 in April was up slightly from 5.9 in March and up moder... 05/30/2015

Stay off of the Bronx River Pkwy today, due to flooding from Yonkers to White Plains Exit 21 10583 NY Highway officials closed the parkway after flooding rains this morning. The Bronx River may be closed up to 8 hours, from the Sprain Parkway exit in Yonkers to Main Street off ramp in downtown White Plains. If you like the ease of the Bronx River to southern Westchester townd like Scarsdale, try higher ground on Route 22 or Central  Park Ave. Please drive slowly and safely on slick roads, toHappy Spring.          04/20/2015