I recently remembered the activity in our house growing up in preparation for Christmas. My mother had a daily question to keep us all moving forward: “What have YOU done for Christmas today?” Then the moment came when all of the wonderful gifts that she had collected for family both near and far were lovingly displayed before The Great Wrap took place.

I had this flashback last week because I walked into Katonah’s “The Gift Garage.”

A relative newcomer to Katonah Avenue, The Gift Garage, is an exciting shop. Beautifully arranged, the merchandise in The Gift Garage leads the eye from one discovery to another. I KNOW I will return there when I am expecting an impromptu or planned visit, need a hostess gift, wedding gift, housewarming gift, closing gift (a realtor here) or a special outfit for a child. Jennifer Chernus and her staff are very friendly and truly help you in your selection of the perfect gift. Jen delights in her pursuit of the unique and stylish. Her choices are of high quality and she knows her market. Her “departments” cover Home and Decor, Baby and Kidware - gifts and stunning clothing (Newborn to size 10), jewelry, and Spa essentials. There is something for everyone and every occasion. I bought a trio of pestos from Bella Cucina that were in beautiful jars and then gift wrapped in clear cello and adorned with fall colored ribbons.

Make an afternoon of it and include lunch solo or with a friend. Willy Nick’s Restaurant is a few steps away as is the Katonah Restaurant, and Pizza Station. Once again, as a Broker with Houlihan Lawrence I tell my clients “Katonah has it all!”

The Gift Garage: 29 Katonah Avenue, Katonah, NY 10536 - 914-232-2322 - www.jensgiftgarage.com

Posted By: Karen Benvin Ransom

You’ll want to be in Katonah on Saturday November 28th at 11:00 am because that’s when Santa will arrive. He’s been making his rounds in Katonah for over 30 years and the Katonah Chamber of Commerce has confirmed he will visit again this year. Chris Ryder, owner of Katonah Pharmacy, is donating candy canes to stuff in Santa’s bag for all the children. As in previous years, Santa is rumored to look an awful lot like the jolly Jimmy Arena, a member of the Bedford Fire Department. Santa will be in the parking lot of Chase Bank, which is next to Houlihan Lawrence in Katonah, and it’s the perfect opportunity for children to tell Santa what’s on their Christmas list. There will be plenty of photo opportunities so don’t forget the cameras to capture all the smiles.

After visiting Santa, be sure to shop in the Village of Katonah for all your gift and holiday needs. The stores will be decorated and it’s an exciting way to enjoy the festivities of the season.

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

As a licensed Real Estate Sales agent for Houlihan Lawrence in Katonah, I not only help people sell or purchase houses but I also help them find rentals. A year ago last November, I found a rental home for some very nice clients. When I checked back with them a month later to see how they were enjoying the house they told me of their Crispy Critter Thanksgiving Day. This is their story.

They were excited to have a double oven, and when they put the turkey in the top oven and latched the door they thought they were well on their way to a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. The only problem was, when it was time to take the turkey out of the oven, the door would not open. It was LOCKED! They could not figure out why the door was locked and would not open. The display indicated the oven was locked. The end result was the turkey continued to cook and cook. When it was time to eat, the turkey could not be removed from the oven and it was hours later before they were finally able to open the oven door, by then the turkey was a crispy critter!

When I was listening to the account of what happened I realized when they latched the door to the oven it locked into the self-cleaning mode. Once the door was latched, it would not open until the oven finished the cycle and completely cooled. By that time, which was hours later, the turkey was ruined and burnt to a crispy critter!

So here are some words of advise I give to sellers, landlords, buyers and renters: If you move into a house without instruction manuals, you can go online, download and print the manuals so you know how to use and care for appliances. A manual would have provided instruction on the use of the oven and they would have had a juicy turkey to enjoy. Here’s hoping for a better outcome this year! This is a true story; I could not make this up.

I urge everyone to use caution while cooking on Thanksgiving Day. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, “Thanksgiving Day fires in residential structures cause more property damage and claim more lives than residential structure fires on other days.”

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

I love to take prospective buyers that live outside the area on a tour of Katonah, Bedford, North Salem and Pound Ridge so they can get a feel for the different communities. As we drive around various neighborhoods, they are always surprised when we end up on a dirt road. The question is always, “why doesn’t the town pave the dirt road?” Anyone who lives in a metropolitan area finds dirt roads unusual, but then so is the sign with the horse.

Dirt roads provide the perfect opportunity for me to explain that many of the homeowners who live on a dirt road have barns and paddocks for their horses. They like to avoid paved roads when they ride their horse from the barn to access the Bedford Riding Lanes Association trails that are intertwined throughout the area.

The trails were originally cleared about 100 years ago for the Fairfield-Westchester Fox Hunt. In 1920 a group of property owners started a Private Lanes Association and the system continued to grow and now has over 100 miles of equestrian trails. It is now referred to as the BRLA (Bedford Riding Lanes Association). They have several annual pace events for their members and cleaning the trails is a volunteer spring event to keep the trails clear of brush and debris. When driving on a dirt road with horses and their rider on board, please remember to reduce speed to a crawl as you pass so as not to spook them.

The towns continually maintain the roads and re-grade them after rain and/or snow when the roads start to get ruts and holes in addition to plowing, so they are serviceable all year. When you are on the dirt roads just remember, Happy Trails To You! If you have a horse, would like a horse and want to ride to the trials from the barn, give me a call as I can help you and your horse find the perfect home!

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

This clever costume at the Halloween Parade wanted to remind everyone of the Christmas Tree Lighting in Katonah, Sunday December 6th at 6 pm. The 100 ft. living tree is located at the St. Lukes Church on the corner of Bedford Road and Katonah Ave. The tree lighting has been an annual event in the town for years where friends and family gather to sing, listen to music and the hot chocolate helps take the evening chill away. It’s a great way to light up the Holiday Season and when they flip the switch to light the tree, it is spectacular! The very active Katonah Chamber of Commerce sponsors this event and they are currently selling 50/50 raffle tickets in the town to help cover expenses for this and all their other wonderful community events.

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

Having just written a post about dreaded junk mail, I went to the mailbox today and was delighted to find a Love Letter from my son, Tyler! He is attending a study abroad program this semester in Denmark and had a two-week break so was traveling around Europe. His access to the Internet and Skype was limited so he decided to connect with us through snail mail. His post card expressed appreciation, gratitude, and love for his father and me for providing him the opportunity of his experiences. My heart melted as I passed the recycle bin and put his card on the refrigerator! Perhaps more love letters would take the drudgery out of sorting through junk mail.

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

So many stars and famous celebrities have resided in the New Rochelle area over the years. So many movies, TV series and commercials have been produced here that it came as no surprise to learn that Mary Healy and Peter Lind Hayes lived at 103 Mount Tom Road for practically 25 years!

Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy were very much a staple of stage (1940s), screen (1930s) and television (1950s) to the 1980s. Unfortunately, being British, I was not aware of them, and must confess that I sought them on YouTube as well as Googled them, etc. I read their wonderful accomplishments, ranging from appearing on the TV Show “Vegas” in 1979, the Johnny Carson Show in 1977, “The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T” (which you can revisit on YouTube) in 1953, The Peter Lind Show from 1950-1951, Ethel Merman’s Showstoppers in 1955, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1964, and so much more. There are too many shows to highlight. Peter Lind Hayes was born on June 25, 1915 in San Francisco, California and unfortunately died on April 21, 1998 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mary Healy - who was lovely - was born on April 14, 1918, married Peter in 1940. They were a top musical, comedic and night club team, appearing in many television shows and specials together. Peter’s movie career is reported as being ‘sporadic’ but he had served with distinction in World War II in the Army Air Force, and appeared in the 1944 movie “Winged Victory.”

As I read all of their accomplishments, it made me look anew at this lovely Tudor home which overlooks the Pelham golf course. It is a 5789 square foot Tudor home and is being offered at $1,690,000.

Peter and Mary would not be disappointed with how the current owners have renovated this splendid home. Read more about this gracious and unique home in a previous post of mine, Great Property Overlooking the Golf Course.

Posted By: Gay Rosen

Yesterday was a beautiful fall day… the perfect opportunity to walk or bike. Did you know that there is a trailway from the border of Putnam County all the way to the Bronx? It’s paved and open to bikers and pedestrians alike. This impressive system spans 36 miles, following the right of way of the old Putnam Railway. Once part of the New York Central, the line operated from 1881 up until 1958 and some of the old stations may still be found along its path (one is now part of the Briarcliff library). History aside, this venue is the perfect place for children to safely bike ride (street crossings are all marked with stop signs) with their family. On any given day there is everyone from serious bikers to dog walkers, to those of us just looking for a little stroll out of the way of traffic. The trailway is easily accessed from many different points. For more detailed information, go to the Westchester County website.

And if you don’t have a bike, or need a tune-up, stop in at Yorktown Cycles. They rent bicycles on a daily basis.

Posted By: Jacqueline Dzaluk

One of the chores I dread the most is opening and sorting through Junk Mail! I have finally decided it was time to reduce the unwanted mail and was hoping it would be as easy as the “Do Not Call List,” but it’s not. I searched for websites to remove my address from catalogs, credit offers, and everything else. Then I began to wonder if it would really work, or just add to my woes and generate more. I decided I needed to begin with a point of reference. For the past month I have been counting my junk mail. In one month’s time, I received 147 pieces of junk mail! Unbelievable! Do you know how much junk mail you receive? If you do, please tell me I’m curious.

In addition to counting the junk mail, on a recent visit from my cousin Lynette Madsen, President and CEO of BPG Consulting, (a company that specializes in identity theft and risk management in regard to privacy and data security) I was informed I also needed to tear my name and address off before recycling and then shred the torn address pieces. That was enough, all the more reason to stop this junk mail and I’m committed! I’m all for saving a tree, but sorting, tearing and shredding is just too much. Just in case I didn’t believe her about the tearing and shredding, Lynette recommended I read the book If you are me than who am I? The Personal & Business Reality of Identity Theft by John P. Gardner, CITRIMS and James D. McCartney CIPPG Wow, what an eye opener!

The website I used to submit my request to remove my name and address from the list was: https://www.dmachoice.org/dma/member/regist.action and another helpful site was http://stopjunkmail.org/resident.htm. It took me about an hour to complete all the requests. I’ll give it one month, and then start counting again and report back if it works. I’m expecting an explosion of catalogs over the holiday season, so I’ll use January as my junk mail meter. If anyone else has tried stopping junk mail and have had any luck, please leave me a comment of encouragement. Helping to save the planet.

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

The role of a witness is a heavy responsibility, especially the role of a war correspondent. We have had the comfort of Walter Cronkite, the routine of our network news and had our world changed by the birth of CNN and Cable News.

At the time of the Civil War we had our Writers, Poets, and Artists to report from the Front. Some bore double roles.

Walt Whitman, a New York carpenter, print setter and author who had his own newspaper at the age of 19, grabbed the attention of the nation with his book of poems, Leaves of Grass, first published in 1855 with his own money. It also caught the attention of a young lawyer in Illinois named Abraham Lincoln, who used to read it aloud in his law office.

Later in his career as a U.S. Senator, Lincoln spoke of his fear that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” He was elected President in 1860 although several of the Southern States did not have him on the ballot. Within one month the attack on Fort Sumter occurred.

The Nation was plunged into War. A War against each other and often times brothers. Former classmates at West Point were now the Generals that waged battle against one another. Families were divided. Mary Todd Lincoln lost two of her step brothers who had fought on the side of the Confederacy.

Walt Whitman’s brother, George, enlisted and the family learned by letter at one point that George was injured. Walt headed South to the tent hospitals of Washington D.C. to search for his brother. What he discovered were mountains of discarded limbs. He stayed on to comfort the soldiers, to change their bandages, to write letters - often the last - home for them. The toll of the Civil War was steep: 620,000 lives were lost and over 460,000 were severely wounded - most returning missing a limb and maimed for life.

The Exhibit is a very comprehensive study of the period curated by Kevin Sharp of The Dixon Gallery and Gardens of Memphis, Tennessee. It is not a textbook study of the War Between the States, there is nothing dry about it. Using the art of the period we capture and are swept up in the emotion of the time.

The two galleries are divided by the Curator into three sections: The Poetics of a House Divided, The Poetics of Service, and The Poetics of Endings and Beginnings. Here you will find the reportage of the era whether it be with paintings, the poetry of Whitman, or wood cuts that later became engravings for Harper’s Weekly and other papers in order to quench the appetite for news. There is also the landscape paintings of the Hudson River School which mirrored the turbulence, the hope, plus the reverence for nature and Divine Harmony.

Artists included in this exhibit are the well known Winslow Homer, T. Buchanan Read, Thomas Nast, Eastman Johnson, Enoch Wood Perry, Fredrick Edwin Church, Sandford Gifford and John Frederick Kensett. The others you will soon know as well as this is an exhibit that you will not forget.

This new exhibit at The Katonah Museum of Art will run until January 24th, 2010. For additional Museum information, events and lectures based on the current exhibit go their website KatonahMuseum.org.

Walt Whitman:

“….On a tablet scrawl’d and nail’d on the tree by the grave, Bold, cautious, true, and my loving comrade.”

“O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done, The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won, The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring, But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.”

Photos courtesy of the Katonah Museum of Art

Posted By: Karen Benvin Ransom

It seems like yesterday I was planting tomato seedlings and now I’m thinking snow? I stopped by the library today and noticed the sign-up packet for the Fox Lane Ski Club. It’s been 3 years since my sons participated in the program, but I can tell you the Fox Lane Ski Club was always a highlight of their school year.

The Fox Lane Ski Club is a non-profit organization and is completely run by volunteer parents. The Club has been offering skiing adventures for 47 years! While they are identified by name as “Fox Lake Ski Club,” they do not receive any outside funding and there is no affiliation with the Town of Bedford or the Bedford School District.

The club offers an opportunity for students in 6th – 12th grade, to ski with their friends and peers at reduced ticket prices, and bus transportation to ski/snowboard destinations. Some of the local ski areas the trips include are: Jiminy Peak, Hunter Mountain, Catamount Ski Area, Belleayre, Windham and the highlight of the year is Okemo Mountain.

There is an initial registration fee and enrollment is limited so it’s a first-come first-serve basis. Once the season starts (January 9th) students sign up for the Saturday trip on Tuesday before 2 pm and pay for the bus fare and lift ticket. Lessons are also available at a very reduced rate. Buses leave at 5:30 am and return by 8:15 pm. Stop by the Bedford Free Library for the registration packet, or email infor@foxlaneskiclub.com. Have a great ski season, and Think Snow!

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

My neighbor, Karen Sabath, is a woman of many passions. She has been a Champion of our beloved Katonah Library for years. Then a few years ago I learned that she was usually dashing off to “the farm” which I learned was the property of her sister Lisa and her husband Mark. I learned that her sister, Lisa Schwartz, had started goat farming and then cheese making on her property on nearby David’s Hill in Bedford Hills. It is named Rainbeau Ridge Farm.

This blog article will serve as an introduction to Rainbeau Ridge. I have been told I may come to their farm for a more in depth piece and they look forward to taking my picture milking a goat!

Last evening there was a reception to celebrate a book that they co-wrote about their experiences in sustainable farming, Over The Rainbeau. It is available in local stores, on Amazon, and can be ordered from their website. Lisa was featured on Martha Stewart’s program last week with great footage from the farm including scenes of the milking process, cheese making, and their beloved animals. Lisa also made a fresh cheese in Martha’s Studio Kitchen. Martha Stewart, a neighbor, had no doubt found a kindred spirit. Their journey and passions have led to cooking classes, family farm overnights, tomato jam festivals, fall festivals and even shearing events.

Over the Rainbeau also includes many wonderful recipes. The Farm offers cooking classes for children as well as adults. We enjoyed goat cheese in several of its manifestations. There even was a delicious macaroni and cheese dish that I hope to make very soon.

Their products are available locally for retail at The Bedford Gourmet, Stone Barns Cafe in Pleasantville and Mt. Kisco Seafood who also features it on the menus at their Fish Cellar Restaurant in Mt. Kisco. They are on the menus of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, The Iron Horse Grill in Pleasantville, the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park NY (a true coup if you ask me!), 1789 Restaurant in Washington, DC, and Gramercy Tavern in New York City. There are many more locations on their website and the list is growing.

For a change of pace from traditional Summer Camps, their Summer children’s programs are called Roots, Buds & Sprouts!

After last evening I am eying my own property with the possibilities! Plus the rest of my life. These women, their husbands and children all follow their heart and are an inspiration.

You will learn more by going to their website RainbeauRidge.com.

Click here to order the book from Amazon.com.

Posted By: Karen Benvin Ransom

On October 21st, I told you the story ”Help my House is Tweeting.” I have been on a quest to find the source of the Tweets ever since. I concluded the Tweets were not coming from low batteries as I previously suspected, but they are definitely coming from my living room. One day I sat very quietly on the stairs near the living room out of sight and sound of where the Tweets come from and I was able to isolate the Tweets to a level near the floor. Then it dawned on me what it must be!

I had recently moved 7 pots of plants from the deck into the living room behind the couch, in front of a sliding glass door where they winter over until spring. I’m sure something hitched a ride into the house and is living in the plants.

I was curious what it could be so I called the Town of Lewisboro, NY and spoke to someone in the Wetlands department hoping they could tell me what kind of bug or creature it might be. They thought it must be some sort of cricket, or katydid. So, I went to the computer located in the next room, searched for cricket and katydid sounds and started playing them. Wouldn’t you know I actually got Tweets, and RTs! I still haven’t identified my Tweeter, so I found my digital recorder and would like to share my morning’s Tweets with you! If anyone knows who is Tweeting me, please let me know. Until then, when it is all quiet in the house, I enjoy my Tweeter! If you are on Twitter, please follow sonjalovas.

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

People who follow the ebbs and flows of real estate sales will know that the luxury home market has been suffering. Those who have a high-end home to sell know this in their gut. That suffering hits them personally.

Here in Croton-on-Hudson, the picture is especially stark. As of early November, a month into the fourth quarter, Croton has a whopping 21 houses for sale in the million-dollar range*. Yet the total number of million-dollar houses that have sold so far this year is just four, one in February, one in April, two more in October. With just one other recently in contract, chances are slim of another closing in 2009. At that rate, we have a five-year supply of luxury homes for sale – provided no more come on the market.

Recent reports have noted an up-tick in sales activity that might portend a long-awaited turnaround in real estate. But that good news is offset by the fact that, while houses are selling in greater number, prices continue to decline. The freeze at the high end accentuates the overall drop in prices. Most of the sales these days are concentrated at the low end, spurred on by the federal stimulus program that offers substantial tax credits to first-time home buyers in 2009. But without sales of costlier homes to balance the cheaper home sales, both the average and the median home prices get driven down.

Croton has always had its sprinkling of luxury homes – up in Teatown, off Mount Airy, out the Post Rd., overlooking the Hudson. Still, sales of homes for over a million dollars used to be a rarity in Croton, limited to the occasional estate property or exceptionally large or luxurious house. That all began to change in the late 1990s – just yesterday, it seems – as builders started feeding a hungry market with the new big-box colonials for the first time locally. The Arrowcrest subdivision off the Albany Post Rd. was the biggest development of these houses, but prices there initially didn’t approach $1 million. One Indian Summer Drive, the 5,000 sq. ft., 5-bedroom model for the development with Hudson River views and all the bells and whistles, sold in 1999 for only $753,000.

By the turn of the century, however, the market heated up enough to drive prices for high-end houses into seven figures. In 2000 an Arrowcrest house, one of the biggest in the development, sold for the first time for over $1 million. Two other properties, both older estates, also broke the million-dollar barrier that year. In 2001, four houses sold that had listed at over a million, then eight in 2002 and eleven in 2003. By 2006, that same model Arrowcrest house, the one that sold for $753,000 in 1999, was being offered for sale at $1,599,000! From 2002 through 2008, an average of eight houses a year, the majority of them newer construction, sold in the million dollar-plus range.

Then the bottom fell out. Or more precisely, since the subject is luxury homes, the top fell off. By the third quarter of 2008 the real estate bubble had burst nationally and the collapse of credit and the meltdown in the financial markets had hit the fan. The housing market had been softening and then slumping for a year already, but now it went into virtual hibernation. Buyers didn’t want to purchase in a falling market, and sellers didn’t want to take the losses the market seemed to demand. The Wall Street bonuses that traditionally fueled high-end sales after the holidays just never materialized.

Luxury home sales in Croton had an above-average year in 2008, when ten houses were sold at a million dollars or more. But 28 other such houses on the market in 2008 failed to sell; 14 of these were either withdrawn or expired without selling, the other 14 were carried over as still active into 2009. It’s even worse in 2009. Besides the 21 active houses, 10 others have already been taken off the market without selling, and a high number of the 21 remaining actives will likely be withdrawn or carried over into 2010.

What can be done? How can these houses get sold? Well, nothing can be done by sellers (or their agents) to change a bad market. They can’t persuade reluctant buyers to come in and start scooping up what are some pretty amazing bargains. But there are ways to differentiate a house from the competition.

Pricing is one answer. A Croton luxury home that didn’t sell at $1.4 or $1.3 million in 2008 was withdrawn long enough to update the kitchen and make other improvements. It was then returned to the market this year at $925,000, was in contract a few months later, and just closed at $910,000. Ouch! And, Hooray! The sellers were able to approach selling their home as a hard-nosed business proposition. They decided to bite the bullet and get on with their lives.

But pricing isn’t the only answer. Sometimes, after a series of price drops, it isn’t even the right answer. A house can be too big or too sumptuous or too unusual for buyers in its price range. The better solution might be to wait (if possible) for the right buyer, the one who appreciates the house and is willing to pay reasonably for it. Or wait (if possible) for the market to come back.

In the meantime, the suffering is bound to continue for luxury home owners, probably for the next year, maybe more. There is a sense among realtors of a pent-up demand among potential buyers, who have been putting their plans on hold but may be drawn back into the market by the undeniable bargains on offer. But that may be wishful thinking. Indeed, what buyers there are seem to be more intent on getting the deal of their dreams than the house of their dreams. Pretty cold comfort for sellers.

*I’m counting as million-dollar homes any house that was initially marketed at $990,000 and above, regardless of selling price or final asking price.

Posted By: Bruce Dollar

The Grande Folly Twilight Open House was such a huge success, an encore was in demand! The fabulously designed kitchen is the inspiration for the next extravaganza introduction to this fabulous house. Grande Folly, located at 152 Post Office Road in South Salem, presents “EffortlessLee Exotic” Hors D’Oeuvres with celebrity chef Nisa Lee Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 2pm or 6pm, or November 17th at 10am or 7pm. Nisa Lee will be sharing and introducing simple cooking and presentation skills, using exotic ingredients from Thailand, India, China, Morocco, South Pacific and many other regions round the world in the fabulous Grande Folly kitchen in South Salem! This is a one of a kind setting where you can learn effortless ways to make fun, festive, exotic-tasting Hors D’Oeuvres for any upcoming holiday gathering while you enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

Just a few years ago, bidding wars were commonplace in our red-hot real estate market. Not bidding wars in the sense of a back-and-forth auction, where buyers were asked to top the latest offer until someone quit. Westchester’s more genteel approach was to give the competing buyers a deadline – “tomorrow by 5:00 p.m.” – to submit a sealed envelope with their highest and best offer. Highest in price, best in terms (how much in cash vs. mortgage, closing date, etc.).

Buyers hated this device. Basically, they had to bid blind, with no clue as to what the others might offer. I used to tell my buyers to figure out the most they could afford and the most the house was worth to them, then take the lower of the two numbers and offer that. Houses routinely sold for higher than the asking price, sometimes way higher.

Those days are so far gone, the market is so turned around, that recently I found myself contemplating a reverse bidding war: challenging two competing sellers to counter my buyers’ offer with their lowest and best. Here’s how it happened.

I was working with some high-end buyers who were looking in the Hudson River towns – Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Briarcliff Manor, Croton-on-Hudson. They had exhausted the available options in their price range and decided to just wait for new listings to come on the market. One house really tempted them, but price-wise it was too much of a stretch for them. A few months later, a house was listed that met all their criteria. They looked at it and, despite some minor drawbacks, they fell in love and put in an offer. The sellers countered, and while we were considering our next move, the house they had liked earlier dropped its price very close to the one they were now bidding on. What to do?

The buyers said that they liked the two houses equally well, they would be happy with either one. So it came down to price. They decided to buy whichever had a lower price. Hmm. A reverse bidding war. Give the two sellers until noon tomorrow to come up with the lowest price they would consider to sell their house.

I must confess, on some level the prospect of turning the tables on sellers was delicious. Don’t get me wrong. Nobody beats me as a champion of my seller clients. For at least two years I sold my listings at an average of more than 100% of the asking price. But in this case my clients were the buyers, and I couldn’t help feeling, on behalf of past buyers who’d been forced to jump through the highest-and-best hoop, that revenge would be sweet.

In the end, it wasn’t to be. I insisted that my buyers revisit both houses before launching our strategy (they hadn’t seen the first house for months), and when they did they had a clear preference. They signed contracts (!) by the end of the week. But in this buyer’s market it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that other buyers are pitting one seller against another in a reverse bidding war.

Posted By: Bruce Dollar

My husband and I went to dinner with friends at Conte’s Fish Market. It has been our favorite fish restaurant since we moved to the area but not everyone knows it’s a restaurant. It is actually a fish market by day and on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday it turns into a fabulous restaurant at night. The seating is limited so they have two shifts for serving. The first seating starts at 6:30 pm the second is 8:30 pm. They don’t have a bar or serve wine but you can bring your own and they will gladly open it for you (for a fee of course). The menu changes often depending on the catch of the day with a few constant favorites, and Wednesday’s are Lobster Night!

What makes Conte’s so special is they have really fresh fish and know how to cook it. When we lived in Oregon we had a deep sea fishing boat and went deep sea fishing almost every weekend, so we are used to eating great fresh fish. My husband used to live in Alaska where he went fishing and has cooked more fish than most chefs, so we are both very picky about the fish we eat and its preparation. We have never been disappointed at Conte’s and highly recommend them to anyone who wants to eat great fresh fish, reasonably priced in a casual setting.

Conte’s is located at 448 Main St., Mount Kisco, NY.

Posted By: Sonja Lovas