There were 84 homes on the Broker Open House tour Thursday, April 29th. Since it is impossible to see them all I pick and choose a few from each town and then scramble to get to as many as I can. After seeing what’s new, I pick my favorite based on price, condition, and location. My selection this week is 87 Harris Road, Katonah, New York. This wonderful ranch has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with a sunny, open floor plan. There is a spacious deck off the kitchen, which expands the living area in spring and summer by adding flexibility for entertaining. The eat-in kitchen has granite counters, a main floor family room and there are newly finished hardwood floors throughout the first floor. The Master Bedroom has a new bath and there are two additional bedrooms and a new hall bath. The upgraded Anderson windows and doors help to keep you warm in the winter and with central air, cool in the summer. The finished basement has an office, craft room, playroom, and laundry room. There is a lot of value packed into this house, which is why it is my Broker Open House pick of the week. Priced at $549,000 it won’t last long so call me today: www.guidemehome2westchester.com/sonja-lovas  

Posted by: Sonja Lovas

In times of economic uncertainty, it is very easy to fall behind in a mortgage payment. Perhaps it could spiral from not being able to work for a few weeks due to illness, or going through a divorce, serving military service, losing a job or perhaps the death of a wage earner. No matter the reason, there are many people who do not have enough or any savings put aside for that “rainy” day, and when the money is no longer there to pay the bills, then the usual next step is becoming delinquent in the mortgage payment. Being in default just means that you are 30 days or more behind in your mortgage payments.

People do not realize that there are usually 1.3% of people defaulting on mortgages in a healthy market. In 2005, foreclosures had increased every single quarter. By 2006 there were 1.2 million filings across the country and by 2008 (realtytrac.com), more than 9% of mortgages by the second quarter were delinquent (housing wire.com).

It has been stated that foreclosures were fewer the first quarter of this year, but do not be misled by numbers. Foreclosures are happening, now also in the higher priced properties, and each and every one of those people need good sound advice. As a real estate professional, and being a CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Expert), I am not in the business in offering advice to people with regard to their financial obligations. I leave that to your accountant, your tax attorney and business manager. However, I can sit down with you, and should you choose to have a short sale on your property, then that is where I can be invaluable - in helping you to walk through the process. Read more on the short sale process in a previous post of mine.

As a judicial state, foreclosures can take up to one year in New York. In non-judicial states, foreclosures can occur within 30 days of being in default of the mortgage (although I understand they are still taking 4-5 months).

Do you have a security clearance (work for a bank, the military, etc.) or do you have an FHA loan? These are all factors that could affect your choice in seeking a short sale or not being considered for one. Are you aware that if you should have a foreclosure, it will always remain on your credit report? If you should go bankrupt, that will reflect on your credit report for 10 plus years?

If you have any questions with regard to the short sale process, please contact me, and as a Certified Distressed Property Expert, it would be my pleasure to sit down and chat with you. I am patient, caring, and here to work to work on your behalf.

Posted by:  Gay E. Rosen

If you read the comments on the Leatherman’s Loop Facebook page you’ll get the feel and flavor of race day. The 2009 race was unusually warm, and 2010 will be remembered as unusually wet. The heavy spring rains created more mud flats than previous years and the rain at the start of the race deterred some registered contenders from participating, but for those that ran, it was wet and wild! A third river crossing was added this year much to the surprise of all the runners.

Anticipation for the race began in January with the registration. There was a snafu at the time of registration so the field was increased to accommodate those that had difficulty registering. The Leatherman’s Loop is not your typical 10K as noted by the Bedford-Katonah Patch days before the anticipated race.

My overall time wasn’t great, but decent. With extra runners on the trails, the increased mud flats and additional water crossing, minutes kept the race clock ticking longer than I had hoped. My husband decided to participate in the race this year rather than being a spectator and he took our two golden retrievers, which made it even more challenging. No complaints from the dogs in the mud flats or river crossings but they sure were tired at the end of the day. We’ll be back next year; rain or shine but we’ll each take a dog and stay together.

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

Well that is a mouthful but what does it all mean? If you are having trouble making your mortgage payments, and see yourself perhaps defaulting on your loan (being 30 or more days late in a mortgage payment) , and do not know whether you should file for bankruptcy, go into foreclosure, walk away from the house…there is another alternative - a short sale.

While you should always speak to your professional first be it your tax attorney, business manager or accountant or all of the above, if you are still considering a short sale after doing same, then you should speak to someone who has a designation in this area to better assist you. Someone who has the patience, the caring and understanding and one with great follow through.

As a Certified Distressed Property expert, it would be my pleasure to sit down with you and discuss how we could proceed to work together, along with your attorney, in helping to sell your home for a sale price that would hopefully be acceptable to your bank(s).

But first, what is a short sale? A short sale is when a borrower owes more on the home that when combined with all of the closing costs, it amounts to more than the current market value. The bank enters into negotiation with the borrower to accept less than what is owed on the mortgage, and the buyer closes on the property making the sale “short.” Special criteria is required by the borrower such as demonstrated hardship.

During the process, I would be speaking on your behalf to the bank(s) ensuring that they have received all of your documentation, marketing your home actively, demonstrating to the bank that we are endeavoring to obtain the highest price possible for you, and to ensure that we only have qualified buyers who have the patience and stamina to wait the 120 days plus for the process to take place. It is important that the selling and listing agents are in close communication during the process, and you, the seller, would also feel comforted knowing that an agent like myself is following up on all areas. This is a traumatic time for you, and it is my responsibility as a CDPE to make the process as easy as I possibly can.

While there are no guarantees that your bank will accept a short sale, I would like to feel that if everything is in place, all of the paperwork (known as the package) submitted in a timely fashion, and there is great follow through between the agent and the bank then at least you know you tried your best…but in trying your best, you need the best…a CDPE.

Please contact me if you have any questions regarding a short sale and the alternatives.

Posted By: Gay Rosen

This week The Westchester Putnam Association of Realtors released the first quarter statistics for home sales in Westchester and Putnam Counties. And just what does that mean to buyers right now?

The number of annual home sales for the first quarter of 2010 has ticked up 54% over a ten year low for first quarter of 2009. The rise in closings can be attributed to the The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, lower home prices and lower interest rates. This was the second consecutive quarter for increased sales.

I believe some homes are attractively priced right now. There are good deals to be made. So, just get out there and look! You just might find the home of your dreams to be affordable. Smart sellers should realize that we are back to 2003 - 2004 prices if they want to sell. And buyers have an opportunity right now.

Contact me at any time for more statistics and/or information on how your neighborhood did in the first quarter.

Posted By: Renee Stengel

The Bedford Free Library has an annual book sale to raise money for the library. On May 1, 2010 they will be accepting donations so start going through your bookshelves to find books you would like to share with others. Click here for more information.

In good condition, the library will accept hardcovers, paperbacks, books on CD or cassette, music CDs, DVDs, Cookbooks and travel, health, technical, financial, business and computer books that are 2 years old or less. They cannot accept textbooks, encyclopedias, magazines, underlined or highlighted books, condensed books, anything musty or mildewed or videos.

The Annual Sidewalk Book Sale is Friday June 11 and Saturday June 12 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm in front of the library. Should it be raining that day they will move it to the courthouse.

Don’t forget, after you drop off your books at the library, you can continue down Route 22 to Crusher Road for the Annual Chowder Marching Club giant tag sale.

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

Mother’s day memories have a special place in my heart. When I was a child my mother loved to go to the nursery and select a new rhododendron shrub for the yard. Through the years I watched them grow and bloom every May. I’d also help make breakfast and dinner and vow not to fight or argue with my brothers and sister. As I was expecting my first child in 1987, my due date was May 1st. I thought for sure by Mother’s Day, which was on May 10th that year, I’d be holding my little baby and be a new mother. Wrong – he was 12 days late so I had to wait another year.

This year as I look forward to Mother’s Day my husband has been inquiring what I’d like do to celebrate. My sons are away at college so it’s just the two of us. Here are some things I’m considering.

Mother’s Day Brunch

1. The Bedford Post
2. 121 Restaurant
3. LeFontane Restaurant

Storm King Art Center - a famous outdoor sculpture park integrated into a 500 acre park.

Local Nurseries for bedding and garden plants. Here are some of my favorites.

1. Pound Ridge Nurseries
2. Perennial Gardens in Bedford
3. Gossett Nursery

A day in NYC would provide an endless list of places to go.

What do you like to do on Mother’s Day?

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

April 7th, 2010 was a very important day at my alma mater, Manhattanville College. There was a celebration of the Inauguration of Dr. Molly Easo Smith, the 11th President. There was a ceremony in The Chapel with a reception following in The Castle with several of the former Presidents in attendance. The Faculty attended in full Academia Regalia. There were also representative dignitaries from 50 Colleges.

“Dr. Molly Easo Smith, a teacher and scholar of Shakespeare and Renaissance drama, comes to Manhattanville as the College’s eleventh president after a long and distinguished career as a faculty member, scholar, and administrator. Born in Chennai (formerly Madras), India, Dr. Smith graduated from Ethiraj Women’s College and Madras Christian College in the University of Madras, with BA and MA degrees in English, respectively, and from Auburn University with a Ph.D. in English Literature in 1988. She has lived and worked in several states in the United States as well as in Scotland, where she taught Shakespeare and Renaissance Drama at the University of Aberdeen. Dr. Smith has published two books on Shakespeare and his contemporaries as well as several essays on Renaissance drama and literature. Recently, she embarked on a journey of reflection by writing short stories based on her childhood in the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.”

To end this special day, there were many activities in The Berman Student Center named after the former College President, Richard Berman, who served from 1995-2009.

There was the Opening of the Exhibit in The Arthur M. Berger Art Gallery named “Patterned Tactics” - Sculpture and Painting. The artists are both on the faculty of Chester College of New England in Chester, New Hampshire. Christina Pitsch, the sculptor in the exhibit, drew her inspiration from both the biker culture and how it related to the herd mentality of deer. Deer roam my property in Katonah throughout the year but to see them captured in clear vinyl with supports of Plexiglas and cast resin antlers and hoofs which had an almost Steuben Crystal like quality was very intriguing. She cut and sewed the pieces together after making a pattern of fabric. She truly captured their proportions and gentle stances in this most unique medium.

Her colleague, Megan McNaught, had large canvases and worked in both charcoal and paint with her geometric net-like patterns. Her receding perspective gave the accurate hard lines a softness. One work with tall rectangular shapes reminded me of a cityscape at twilight. I could see these wonderful large pieces of painting and sculpture gracing a reception area in an office setting or in a contemporary home. Maybe I should have them at my next Real Estate Open House!

Following the opening there was a multicultural dance exhibit in the open space of The Berman Center which boasts a wall of windows that offer the most spectacular view of the beloved Castle and Chapel. Some of the cultures represented were Celtic Step Dancing, Hawaiian, and Indian. The Manhattanville site, former estate of New York Herald Tribune publisher and Ambassador to England, Whitelaw Reid was once considered as the possible home of The United Nations before it became Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart in 1952. It has always boasted a strong International student body.

I had a lovely chat with the new President, Dr. Smith, who I had thought left prematurely but then shortly returned. The explanation given by a faculty member was that after such a long day she just had to get out of those high heels! A woman after my own heart!

I wish her the best in her term as College President and will always have a place in my heart for Manhattanville College.

Karen Benvin Ransom was the recipient of the Castle Award from Manhattanville College in 1989 for her Entrepreneurial Achievements.

Posted By: Karen Benvin Ransom

I was recently invited to a Victorian Tea Party in Tarrytown. The setting was the Historical Society on Grove street in Tarrytown. The museum displays and saves a large collection of historical maps, photos, and interesting artifacts. Presently, there are some wonderful examples of old fashioned clothing, paintings, and artifacts.

The tea was presented by the Phillips Manor Garden Club. Members organized beautiful table settings. The table I was at had an exquisite embroided table cloth, lace trimmed napkins and Spode dinner plates.

A variety of small sandwiches included cucumber, egg salad, nova and an unusual onion combination. A group of members prepared them that day. The sandwiches looked like they were made by professionals. Tea was poured and served by club members.

There was hardly room for dessert, but one look at the wonderful samples was so enticing you just had to try them all…A great time was had by all.

Posted By: Barbara Eisert

You have been visiting real estate sites searching for properties, communities, perhaps schools, commutes and now that it is spring you may have some favorite houses that you want to see. There is a lot to know when trying to find the right home and that’s where an experienced real estate agent can help you. We can put the pieces of the puzzle together for you and even point some things out that you might not realize, especially if you are a first time buyer. I think it is great that so much information is available on the internet and that you can educate yourself before even venturing out to view properties, but that is only the beginning.

Finding the right real estate agent is not easy. So what are some of the things that you want to look for?

1. Not all real estate agents are Realtors. A Realtor is a member of the National Association of Realtors® and is bound by the Realtor Code of Ethics. Some real estate agents are licensed in New York State but do not belong to the National Association of Realtors® and are therefore not bound by the ethics.
   Yes, I am a Realtor


2. You want an agent that belongs to the local multiple listing service (MLS). Again, not all agents belong to the MLS and don’t have access to comparables and other information that you will need when you move forward on a house. An agent who doesn’t belong to the MLS does not have a lockbox key and can’t gain access to properties easily.
   Yes, I belong to the MLS


3. The more experienced agent has more tools they can offer you in a negotiation. Experience is cumulative; the more the better. As in all professions, you want someone with experience to help you in your journey.
   Yes, I am an experienced agent. I have over 20 years of experience.

So, if you are considering the communities of Katonah, North Salem, Bedford (or whatever) I would be glad to show you some homes and/or answer whatever questions you may have.

I am the recipient of top producer awards from 2005 through 2010, so let’s work together to bring your real estate wishes to reality.

Contact me at any time: rstengel@houlihanlawrence.com or 914.450.6566. Please be confident that your information will not be shared or sold.

Posted By: Renee Stengel

After showing houses last Sunday, I was able to make the second showing of Dan Hurlin’s “Hiroshima Maiden.” As I always say - it is all about balance! It was the second live performance for the current exhibit “The Art of Contemporary Puppet Theater.”

The story is that of the 25 Hiroshima survivors - all women - that were horribly disfigured by the Hiroshima bomb in 1945 and then brought to the US in 1955 for intensive plastic surgery by a minister and then on to meet the pilot of the Enola Gay, Robert Lewis, on the television show “This is Your Life.” Quite another horror if you think about it.

The Bunraku performance was very moving. There were 6 puppeteers all dressed in black that controlled the two puppets of the story. They reverently moved them in time to the music and it was very life-like and fluid. Dan Hurlin who is a New Hampshire native and a graduate and Professor in the Theater Department at Sarah Lawrence College once said he went into puppet theater since he could not afford to pay actors.

So the question was - how often do they perform the piece - especially since it is with us for four months? Truth was that the six had just met that morning to practice and run through the seven minute piece. I guess they were all in the theater department and that is why their performance, timing and movement were so impeccable. Dan Hurlin and other puppet theater artists prefer the use of dancers to handle the puppets because they have the stamina and know how to move with the puppets. I was enthralled with that fact since it went so very perfectly. I was also impressed by how they depicted the passage of time - sheets of a calendar flying off the wall year by year from 1945 - 1955. We all insisted that they show us how that happened from behind the scenes!

There is one more live puppet theater performance left in the series - Hanne Tierney - “How Wang - Fo Was Saved” which will be on Sunday May 23rd at 1:30 & 3:30. No reservations are necessary. In between the two performances there is a free docent led tour of the entire exhibit including video monitors with additional performances. The docent tours are every day the Museum is open at 2:30.

Although this is not a performance for children due to the content, there are activities for children and the famous Hunt Sheets!

For my overview of the entire exhibit go to my article.

For more information go to KatonahMuseum.org

Photo by Richard Termine

Posted By: Karen Benvin Ransom

Renovated two bedroom and two bathroom co-op on Dehaven Drive in Yonkers. This is a large and sunny corner unit at 1,200 square feet. This co-op complex offers a pool, grill area, playground and parking. This is a beautiful tree lined street close to all.

Click here for a virtual tour.

Posted By: Carol Dorado

As a parent, do you ever dream of a having a Mary Poppins or Maria from The Sound of Music to care for your children? Someone that will be full of knowledge, energy and enthusiasm? Well, you may not be able to have them in your home but I have found a pre-school and Kindergarten where another “Maria” is flourishing. Maria Fitzgerald has taken her start up Montessori-based school from Katonah to a new facility in South Salem at 1340 Rt. 35, formerly the property of The Hayloft Motel.

On a recent Thursday after my Broker Open Houses I had noticed that the sign for The Hayloft Motel was gone and a sparkling new sign was in its place. The ThistleWaithe Learning Center had a new location. They had their start in Katonah six years ago and had grown from one student to 115 in the same building on the St. Mary Campus that they had shared with The Monfort Academy.

Once they lost their lease due to the expanding Monfort Academy, the Fountain of Life Eternal Church in Mt. Kisco “generously extended their hand from September 2007-June 2009.” It was time to have their own space. They were overwhelmed by the love, support and loyalty of the families that made this all possible.

I pulled into the parking lot and was impressed by the total renovation. I had never ventured there while it was The Hayloft so I was amazed at the piece of property that boasts a pond and 6.5 acres of open space. Maria was in between a.m. and p.m. classes and she whisked me through the five large sun-drenched colorful classrooms that all have large windows and doors to the outside at the back of the classroom. There are tot sized sinks, bathrooms, and kitchen areas with both play and real food so that children learn daily etiquette and basic chores.

Great condo for sale at the Tappan Manour Condominium Complex in Tarrytown. This is a mint condition one bedroom. The unit has a great layout with a sunny kitchen, renovated bathroom, large one bedroom and California Closets throughout. The complex offers parking and beautifully landscaped grounds. This is also a great location close to lots of shopping and close to the Metro North Train Station and Highways.

Click here for a virtual tour.

Call or email me for more details: 914.282.3284, cdorado@houlihanlawrence.com, CarolDorado.com.

Posted By: Carol Dorado

Well, I would rather describe it as if you would go to a dentist to have your eyes checked! You might find a wonderfully warm and caring person, but other than gargle out letters as read on the eye chart - how could the dentist be of real service?

It is the same with a Realtor who cares enough about his or her profession, and who has taken the time to research, learn and study specific areas of Real Estate to better aid and assist their respective customers and clients.

For instance:

Accredited Buyers Representative - This is the benchmark in representation that an agent can offer a buyer…It is awarded by the Real Estate Agent’s Buyer’s Council (REBAC) and it enables home buyers the same level of expert representation that was once only offered to home sellers. If you are thinking of buying a home wouldn’t you want to be well represented?

Certified Buyer’s Representative - A buyer’s agent will be diligent in researching a home on behalf of his/her buyers by visiting City Hall and checking out the property cards, permits and oil tanks - to make sure that if the home has gas, did it once have an oil tank - and what happened to it? A buyer’s representative will do his/her best to ensure the best possible price for the client. This is like an Accredited Buyer’s Representative, but to have both designations is just another demonstration of an agent’s dedication to his/her profession. As with a CBR, you will receive Confidentiality, Full Disclosure, Loyalty, and one who is trained to best represent a buyer in a transaction in a competent, non-adversarial, legal, ethical manner.

Certified Residential Specialist - There are only approximately 30,000 CRS designees in the United States which computes to approximately 1 in every 25 agents. This is the highest designation in the residential sales field . It recognizes the experience, education and dedication of an agent to better represent someone wishing to sell their home. In order to achieve this award, I became a Certified Construction Specialist and a Certified New Home Specialist; all better to aid and help my clients.

Graduate Realtor Institute - This is a designation awarded to Realtors who have decided to study in depth many levels and areas in real estate. It covers over 90 hours of study, including topics such as business planning, ethics, fair housing, environmental, etc.

Senior Residential Estate Specialist - A Realtor who can better aid those home buyers and home sellers aged 50 plus by successfully completing the education program in such subjects as refinancing, relocation, and to better aid in making those life-changing decisions.

Licensed Associate Broker - This is a real estate broker who holds a Broker’s license but who has chosen to affiliate with a licensing broker and not open his/her brokerage firm. They wish to have the added knowledge of a broker but not to operate an independent office.

I think that in reading the short descriptions of each designation, it is obvious that you would want or should want someone who has taken the time to educate him or herself in these areas to better aid and assist you, the consumer. As an ABR, CBR, CRS, GRI, SRES and Licensed Associate Broker, I am here for all of your real estate needs, and have resided in New Rochelle for over 32 years serving lower Westchester.

Posted By: Gay Rosen

Or should it be entitled “when a kitten adopts you”…???? Well, it all started when my son mentioned that there were stray cats near his friend’s car dealership in the Bronx… So, I would give him food to take to the mom and 6 kittens, two of which he informed me, had serious eye problems, all were skinny, and quite pitiful. I have read how they are looking to make it illegal to feed stray cats in some states which is rather sad, for their once owners probably left them alone to fend for themselves, or their cat had become lost, and so the cycle started through no fault of theirs.

There is a NYC program called the TOBY Project which enables cats and dogs to be spayed and neutered at low cost in those areas that contribute mostly to the shelters, and where unfortunately approximately 60 dogs and cats a day are killed. The TOBY Project originated by Dr. Andrew Kaplan who saved the life of a dog named Toby who was considered incorrectly as being un-adoptable, was about to be put to sleep, and it made Dr. Kaplan realize that so many dogs and cats faced euthanasia on a daily basis in the shelters and the real problem was overpopulation in the community. So, thanks to Dr. Kaplan, mobile spay and neuter vans go in search of these poor stray animals in the hope of controlling the pet population, or kindly Vets who are connected with the program also spay and neuter and then release the cats back to their stray colonies or find them homes whilst they are at the shelters. My son contacted the TOBY program after he and his friend had caught 3 of these little kittens, one was then blind from an eye infection, one blinded in one eye, and the Veterinarian placed a bell on a collar onto the one kitten so the blind kitten could follow, and they were adopted by a kind person. From the original 6 kittens in the litter, they only caught 3, 3 disappearing, and they saw mom one day being carried out from a nearby yard dead. So that left the one little, scared kitten who the Vet asked my son to ‘watch’ for a few days before letting her back out onto the streets. The program clips one of the ears so they can be easily seen as having been spayed or neutered.

My son brought the kitten who we named “Ashley” home last July 4th weekend…She was approximately 2 months old, all black, hissing, smelled awful from being in a metal cage with sopping wet newspapers beneath her, and she ate everything we gave to her - but we were never allowed near her. She would hiss and attack, and it became a struggle getting her in and out of the cage to clean each day, as she would try and run through the windows, walls, anywhere but be with us, and after a week, we moved her into an enclosed sunroom where she could run and hide from us at will and that became her home for the next few months. We had no wish to keep her, having 2 cats already, one being very sick and who died that same July 4th weekend, and our hearts could not consider caring for another cat as much as or as soon as losing one of the family, our loving calico, Chaos.

Ashley would climb the sliding door trim, my husband called her wild and wanted her out, and so I approached the local pet rescue program in Larchmont (914) 834-6955 where they have been saving abandoned cats and dogs since 1982 and finding them homes. I sent in a few photos and a short description about Ashley, and we waited, and waited, and waited. For whatever reason, black cats are seemingly the least popular.

There was an interesting article in this past Sunday’s New York Times (4/11/2010) entitled “looking or Just Looking” and of course it was referring to Public Open Houses. I have always been a strong believer in holding public open houses for my clients, as I sincerely feel that it is a relaxed way in which to view a home albeit under the gentle guidance of the agent for obvious security reasons, and in truth, the premise does work. I am finding that many agents will send their clients to the open house, to hear detailed information from the listing agent which can only help. The customers and clients then feel comfortable placing their bid through their individual agents (and after those agents have diligently researched that particular property). I have sold quite a few homes in this fashion, and the majority were people who already had agents.

I usually offer visitors a memento; a pumpkin if it is Halloween, and chocolates for St. Valentine’s Day….seeds for Mother’s Day or just chocolates; it puts a smile on the visitor’s face, and the whole purpose is for the visitor to feel at ease and to sell the house!

I think we all have funny stories to tell from open houses too… I recently had a very nice gentleman enter the open house, and ask me (it was raining outside) whether I wanted him to take off his clothes. Since I was accompanied by other people, it was not threatening at all, and of course, he simply meant did I want him to take off his shoes - or perhaps he simply visits the doctor’s office too many times… but it was humorous at the time, and we all chuckled.

Some people are simply ‘killing time’ in between a child’s commitment like a Birthday party… My house is their entertainment I guess but it is a nice way to talk about real estate. Some people are getting decorating ideas, have just purchased and want to make sure they haven’t overpaid, and even others are about to place their home on the market and are looking at comparisons.

Sometimes, my listings are so simply gorgeous that I find people will visit for an hour or so, admire the home immensely, and then you discover that they are indeed “just looking!” but just couldn’t leave. One such home is located at 29 Malysana Lane in New Rochelle with year round waterviews. The photos are lovely, and have drawn people from New York City, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Connecticut, upstate New York - all to view this beautiful home. This particular house is 4904 square feet, features 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths , a stunning kitchen with family room, and every time we enter the Master Bedroom and they see the deck with great views of the Long Island Sound, I hear “Wow.”

Another such home is located at 74 Forest Avenue. I had sold this home to a lovely young couple (now friends), and they had lovingly renovated the house over the past few years, installing marble throughout the basement and in the 4 Seasons Room, a $120,000 kitchen which interestingly mirrors 29 Malysana Lane…meaning that where one kitchen offers black granite, the other offers Carrera marble but both have white cabinetry that are designed to please. 74 Forest Avenue also has 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths and is 4476 square feet. Both homes feature offices, 3 fireplaces and are well worth viewing (and buying).

An agent who was quoted in Sunday’s NYT article mentioned that only 20% of open house visitors actually buy that property…but I would further comment that people searching on the internet will see the open house advertisement, and then call their respective agents, and you will usually see a flurry of appointments directly after an open house from people who were too busy to visit at that time, and so who actually knows the correct statistics!

So, look for the open houses, come and visit, say ‘hello” and while I hope you will buy the house I represent that day, it is okay if you are the other 80%. I understand. If you would like more information regarding one of these 2 homes, please contact me!

29 Malysana Lane, New Rochelle, NY 10805 - Glorious Water views, Private Gated Community, Private Beach - Priced at $2,339,000

74 Forest Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10804 - Located in the desirous Forest Heights, New Rochelle - Priced at $1,475,000

Posted By: Gay Rosen

Being a Realtor requires the ability to help clients with all aspects of making a change in location, whether moving cross-country, cross continent or within the same geographic area. Most agents have little knowledge about the physical aspect of moving and only provide a reference to a local moving company their previous clients have used. Houlian Lawrence recognized the frustration many clients face and have added a valuable resource for agents to offer their clients. Our new affiliation with specialized move management partner, RMR New York International provides that valuable solution.

My first opportunity to offer their services came at a critical time during the negotiation of a sale. The price and terms being offered were acceptable, but the unresolved issue creating the roadblock was the possession date. How on earth would they be able to arrange the move while living out of state? It took one phone call to RMR New York International who came to the rescue by providing counseling and management for the entire move. RMR made the difference in my seller being able to agree to the closing date and therefore, we have an accepted offer! Here’s a shout out for RMR New York International! I’ll submit a detailed follow-up post after the move with a full review and evaluation of the process from my client.

Are you looking for a full-service realtor? I’m only a phone call or email away.

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

Kool & The Gang first released their record of Celebrate in 1990… “There’s a party going on right here, a celebration to last throughout the years…”

And that is just what the hamlet of Bedford Hills will be doing on May 14 & 15 at the Bedford Hills Historical Museum. The birthday party for this historic hamlet, first known as, “Bedford Station,” celebrates the name change to Bedford Hills in 1910.

Bedford Hills is a hamlet steeped in history as in the 1800s still centered around a train station. And from dairy farmers to bankers, all of its residents watched the town change by surrounding the station with stores.

The Town of Bedford is home to three hamlets. Bedford, Bedford Hills and Katonah. Each full of history yet very different. The limelight is now cast on Bedford Hills as it celebrates an important milestone.

Please click on the highlighted link to read more about the Centennial Celebration.

Come on it’s a celebration!

Posted By: Renee Stengel

The Masters just played on the lush greens of The Augusta National Golf Course makes many of Westchester’s golfers green with envy. And from the novice to the experienced there is much to offer for golfers in Westchester County.

The above public and private courses all add to the quality of life in Westchester County for those just learning the sport and pros alike. All interested in additional information please click here.

Posted By: Renee Stengel

I recently had the privilege to meet the Board of Directors of the Bedford Hills Historical Museum and The Official Historian of The Town of Bedford, Mr. John Stockbridge. They wanted to meet with me in order to thank me for my articles on the history of our area.

As a gift, Mr. Stockbridge gave me a copy of “Letters Home - Civil War Letters” which the Bedford Hills Historical Museum painstakingly transcribed in 2007 into book form.

Arnell Frost Dickinson, Founder of The Bedford Farmer’s Club which is still in existence today and Bedford Town Supervisor from 1849-1851, owned Cantitoe Farm that is now Martha Stewart’s property in Katonah, Town of Bedford.

Mr. Stockbridge gave me a timeline of the property:

“As to Ms. Stewart’s farm…Arnell Dickinson (father and then son) owned Cantitoe Farm through most of the 19th century, selling to Mr. H.G. Barbey (socialite) in the early 20th. Barbey owned the farm until around 1950 when it was sold to George and Ruth Sharp. The Sharp’s daughter Anne Sharp Nichols and her husband ‘Wally’ were the owners when it was sold to Martha. There are probably some errors in that rough property timeline…but it’s close. Anyway, it was Mrs. Sharp who had her ‘honor system’ egg stand that a lot of the locals fondly remember. The Sharps/Nichols were regular parishioners at St. Matthew’s Church, and there is a small plaque in the back left rear pew where they would regularly sit.”

In 1851 Arnell Frost Dickinson accepted the care of a young boy, aged seven, known as James Mullin from the Westchester County Poor House. I had mentioned the Poor House in a previous article for Patch.com. James Hoyt of 48 The Parkway in the New Katonah served as the Supervisor of the Westchester Poor House and also served as Town of Bedford Supervisor.

Dickinson was directed to train young James “in the Art & Business of Farming.” He also had to agree to provide him with “Boarding, Lodging, and Medical Attendance” plus the necessities for his “Health and Comfort,” with three month’s minimum of schooling until he was proficient in “Reading, Writing & Arithmetic.” James or “Jimmy” as he was called by Mr. Dickinson, was to serve the family until the age of twenty-one when he was to receive “one hundred dollars in money, one good suit of Holy Day Clothes, two suits for everyday wear and a new Bible.”

Jimmy Mullen did not stay long enough to enjoy these gifts, but at the age of just over seventeen, signed up with other young men from the Katonah area to enlist in the Union Army. They were part of the 38th Regiment, G Company of the New York State Volunteers. They were assembled and ordered by The War Department to proceed to Washington, D.C. in June 1861.

The book consists of the letters between the two over the course of his two years in the Army. Over these two years 570 men were killed, wounded or missing. James Mullin survived some minor wounds. There is mention of their sheer exhaustion, often sleeping in the rain without the benefit of tents. It also seems that Jimmy tried to send money home when he could and also sent money and begged for much needed boots and shirts in order to survive the winter. There is concern of politics in Washington interfering with their maneuvers to halt the movements of The Rebels. There then was a break until 1867 when he was employed in the Quartermasters Department in the War Department and there were three letters transcribed from that time. He served there and later in the Post Office of Lynchburg, Virginia only to succumb to tuberculosis at the age of twenty nine.

The letters are very touching. Mr. Dickinson continued to be his mentor until the end in 1867. He commended his improving penmanship, writing and a new sense of reflection in his writings. There is mention of local activity and the bustling businesses of the Hoyt Brothers in Katonah. There is news of Stephen Lyons and John Whitlock - today roads of Katonah are named after these families. He gave timeless advice, to be industrious, to save and to continue to read to acquire “useful knowledge and not light reading.”

A last letter read to him on his deathbed consoled him. “Whenever you feel like revisiting the home of your early youth, there friends will be ready ever to greet you with welcome.” As ever I remain, dear Jimmy, your friend, A.F. Dickinson

This book is still available at The Bedford Hills Historical Museum.

Posted By: Karen Benvin Ransom

Since my previous post on train station parking, in an effort to increase revenues, the Bedford town board has approved an increase of parking fees for residents and merchants. The current rates will jump from $350.00 per year for residents and $210.00 for merchants to park in Lot 1 on Jay St. to $450.00 for residents and $260.00 for merchants. The town will also be adding 12 non-resident spaces in the Railroad Ave. Lot ($1,000 each) and adding meters to some spaces in Lot 4 on Upper Railroad Avenue in Bedford Hills. The new rates will go into effect on June 30.

While it seems like a drastic jump there has not been an increase for six years. In the future the town will consider a more incremental approach.

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

Walking across the Croton Dam with my dog Ella last week, I came upon a man hunched over a serious-looking, tripod-mounted telescope, his own dog pressed against his legs in the chill air. The scope was trained on the distant shore of the Croton Reservoir, a good half-mile away across open water. Glancing over his shoulder as we approached, he said, “You want to see a bald eagle?”

It wasn’t easy at first. With an 80X power telescope held steady by the tripod it’s your head that has to become motionless enough to focus on an object that far away. But a bright white head stood out from the gray-brown mass of bare winter branches, and there it was. “I’m pretty sure that’s the male,” the man said. “The females have the same white head and tail, but they’re larger, a third again as big.”

“I knew there were some eagles over-wintering here,” I said, “but I thought they had all left for Canada by now.”

Bob Breen has been watching eagles on the reservoir for two years – since he retired as police chief of the nearby town of New Castle. A few weeks ago he counted 16 bald eagles on the ice of the frozen reservoir, the most he has ever seen at one time here. Most of them have since headed north on their spring migration, but this pair has been nesting at the reservoir for three or four years. Agents for the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which monitors the birds, has concluded that their nest has eggs in it.

We are seeing the fruits of a state-sponsored program to restore bald eagles to their old habitats in New York. When the program began in 1976, the entire state had just one pair of nesting bald eagles, but they failed to produce any offspring. By 2009, that number had increased to 173 nesting pairs.

In 1997, the first bald eagle was born along the Hudson River in more than 100 years. And by last year, 20 breeding pairs were nested along the Hudson, producing 32 fledgling eagles.

The total DEC count of bald eagles over-wintering in New York statewide for last year was 401 – 241 adults and 160 juveniles. (Bald eagles reach sexual maturity at five years of age, when their head and tail feathers turn white.) The final statewide tally for this year has not yet been released, but preliminary results suggest that the number will be an all-time high, surpassing the previous record of 573 set in 2008.

“Let me see if I can spot the female in the nest,” Bob said. The nest was not hard to find. Eagles mate for life – which can be more than 30 years – and they tend to use the same nest, adding to it year after year. Built high in the branches of a white pine by the water, it can be as much as six feet across, eight feet deep and weigh hundreds of pounds.

“There she is, her head just popped up!” Bob yielded his place at the scope and, sure enough, I could see the magnificent head of the female just above the rim of the huge nest. It made my day.

Croton-on-Hudson is a prime area for viewing bald eagles in winter. Morning commuters often spot them from the train as it crosses the mouth of the Croton River where the river empties into the Hudson. Some of those birds make daily flights a few miles up the Croton River to the dam. Other local vantage points include George’s Island Park in Montrose; the Verplanck waterfront; Riverfront Park and Charles Point/China Pier, both in Peekskill; and the Route 6/202 overlook above Iona State Park, one of the great scenic lookouts of the Lower Hudson Valley at any time of year.

For more information on bald eagles in our area, go to the Web sites of The DEC and The Eagle Institute.

Photo sources: http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkadog/3683073458, http://www.flickr.com/photos/dobak/86751957, http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanvernon/3228433079.

Posted By: Bruce Dollar

Tiffany era stained glass windows await you at this circa 1912, 3220 Sq. Ft. Victorian Historic home, but only thanks to Mr. James Welker. When James purchased this home in 2003, it was in sorry disrepair. James and his partner had to painstakenly, and more importantly, lovingly restore the home room by room. James quipped that they both had to live in the library for nearly a year while the renovations took place. Was it worth it? It was featured on the 2006 Accent on New Rochelle House Tour, and awarded one of the first prestigious Heritage Awards from New Rochelle, this labor intensive, restored 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath home has much to offer. While the architectural detailing remains throughout, as do the Dutch and pocket doors, hardwood floors, and those gorgeous stained windows, you can also enjoy the central air conditioning, the dramatic new kitchen with black granite counters with blue specks, the blue glass backsplash, and the hand-crafted walnut cabinets. Enjoy the griddle on the 6 Burner Viking stove, the 2 sinks, Frigidaire Refrigerator, slate floors, and of course those high ceilings throughout! The formal dining room features a fireplace, the living room also has a fireplace and gas pellet stove, and the entrance foyer enchants with its bench seating and great light. The master bedroom suite offers great charm, and do not forget the third floor guest suite. The welcoming porch with drapery, are all special and unique touches that make this home one of a kind. New roof, electrical upgrade, copper plumbing, 4 year old oil burner. Yes, thanks to James, you can now have it all. Just 35 minutes from NYC.

Please contact me if you would like any more information with regard to this charming home. Priced at just $569,000 the price is as alluring as the home.

Click here for more information. Click here for a virtual tour.

Posted By: Gay Rosen

Enjoyed biking with my husband on the North County Trailway. The North County Trailway is a paved pedestrian and bicycle path located on the land of the former Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad. The North County Trailway spans 22.1 miles in Westchester County, from Eastview in the Town of Mt. Pleasant, to Baldwin Place in Somers, continuing north into Carmel in Putnam County for 7.5 miles as the Putnam Trailway. It is a great way to spend a few hours on a bicycle in Westchester by yourself, or with family and friends!

Contact me for more information on biking in northern Westchester County, or my listing in Michelle Estates in Cross River, New York: www.houlihanlawrence.com/3008337. If you want to live on Lake Waccabuc, Lake Oscaleta or Lake Rippowan, and swim, fish or boat from your private dock give me a call!

Posted By: Susan Mason

The American Flag flies from a tall post in Bedford Hills on Route 172. Most of the occupants of the cars that pass by do not know that it resides on the home of a member of the Kennedy family. After watching years of this home’s transformation on my way to Mt. Kisco, it is now beautiful and green. Today’s article in The Journal News details the home’s trip from black mold to new green living. Read about Robert Kennedy Jr., and this environmentalist’s road to the best in green homes.

Posted By: Renee Stengel

In 2008 the town of Bedford opened a dog park on Beaver Dam Road off Harris Road in Bedford Hills, New York. The dog park is over 1.5 acres and has 3 separate fenced areas for the dogs. There is an area for small dogs weighing less than 30 pounds, and one for large dogs, (over 30 pounds) but little dogs that get along with big dogs are welcome in the big dog area as well. The third area is used for agility training and classes are offered for different levels of experience in the spring and summer. It’s a fun way to develop confidence, negotiate obstacles and dogs and their owners have a lot of fun!

I went to visit the park on a beautiful spring day and there weren’t many dogs playing, but it was also in the middle of the day. I’ve been to the park around 5 pm and it is usually a buzz with a variety of dogs. The fenced enclosed areas have a double gate entry/exit so that you can lead your dog through one gate and then the second without fear of letting someone else’s dog on the inside escaping.

Permits are required to use the park but they are very reasonable $10.00 for the 1st dog, $5.00 for the second, and $3.00 for the third. To obtain a permit all dogs must be properly licensed with New York State. Unfortunately, the park is only for Bedford residents and their dogs. If you do not live in one of Bedford’s three hamlets, you are a non-resident and will need to obtain a day permit, $5.00 per dog, and you must be accompanied at the park with a Bedford resident with a current dog park permit.

Before taking your dog to any dog park, I would suggest you read the Westchester Dog Park Safety Tips and then go out and play!

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

The spring market has arrived and along with the forsythia come the buyers ready to look for their new home.

Every home must sell twice, first the viewing on the internet and then the decision to visit the listings that are camera ready! And this means, “Less is more.” I work with Sheila Black of Home Highlighting LTD. We walk through every room to de-clutter. She always reminds me that staged homes seller faster and for more money. A buyer needs to picture their family living in your space. Just putting on makeup or slimming clothes for a picture is not enough. You need to smile pretty and you need to do the same for your home. We have all viewed pictures on the internet that do nothing to enhance the qualities of a home but rather detract from its beauty. Every home is unique. Before your home says cheese to the camera for pictures that will be posted to the internet it is critically important for your home to be sparkling and neat as a pin. It will be captured for all to see. Highlighting your home’s features will get you more showings and a good real estate ending, a sale!

Posted By: Renee Stengel

Having been spurred on and inspired by the NBC Friday night television show “Who Do you Think You Are?” where celebrities such as Emmitt Smith, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Broderick, Susan Sarandon, Sarah Jessica Parker, Brooke Shields and Spike Lee have been researching their ancestors inviting the public along with them, I signed up on Ancestry.com for a trial membership. I had bought the computer program years ago, but was disappointed to discover that for each level, one required another CD, and so had not looked into researching anything for many years. I have found the show to be so enjoyable, that I was tempted anew.

Well, was I pleasantly surprised. I found to my delight that you are able to research British records (I am British), and found myself searching away for many hours into the night looking for my Royal Ancestry (well, I can always hope - I always thought I was heiress to the Groat Fortune! Ha!). It was rather like completing a jigsaw puzzle. I had various names from various family members, so knew where to look to some degree, but then it took some real detective work to find other relatives. I was surprised to discover that I had family members with such surnames as Bagshaw, Rutland, Thomas and Sullivan, and that my maiden name of Huzzey could have derived from a Welsh name of Huyyey. I had always thought it to be a French name - Hussey….but who knows? Also having family members with names such as Smith (Emmitt - maybe we are related?) and Cooper make it harder to research, especially when I was informed that my grandmother was a gypsy princess and her name seems to start and stop with the Smith surname. I always knew that my great, great grandfather was a famous detective called William Cooper, but it was fun noting in the census records that he had indeed noted his profession as police officer. Children were listed as scholars as opposed to students - perhaps there was the power of implication and thought in those days - one can only hope!

I am still enjoying myself researching away, and cannot wait to discover new found relatives and perhaps speak with them. I also find it pretty amazing that my ancestry covers not only England, but Belgium, Ireland, Germany and Australia so when I write about New Rochelle as being diverse, I guess I can describe myself as being a diverse Realtor! Ha! Be it English, Irish or any nationality though, it is my pleasure to help you find the home of your dreams be it priced at $400,000 or Four Million and please know that you will be well represented if only in the English language.

Posted By: Gay Rosen

Who do you think showed up in my backyard? It’s a black vulture, different than the well-recognized turkey vulture with a red beak, but big and black and a little scary looking. I was sitting at my desk this morning and noticed a big black shadow swoop down and then the dogs went nuts. I went to see what it was and sure enough, a big black vulture stopped by for a rest. It hung out on the deck railing for about 10 minutes before taking off and soaring through the air. I’m not sure what it was looking for, as there are no animal corpses on my property but it certainly was an unusual visitor, I’ve only seen them that close on one other occasion. Vultures migrate south for the winter, and since they are back it’s another sure sign spring has arrived and is here to stay.

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

What does that mean? Well, when you purchase a home in New Rochelle’s Historic District and then realize that the home requires renovation within, then you have the privilege of living in this desirous Historic area and also enjoy the labors of renovation and what that implies. In this case, the home is at 14 The Boulevard, and features 3 bedrooms - but a first floor den with closet could easily be a guest room, new Armstrong windows, new hardwood flooring, skylights in the family room/sun room, new kitchen with granite counters which match the gracious and dramatic black granite fireplace, 2505 square feet of living space, and more. The bathrooms also have been renovated, and there is great closet and storage space. The home has an open layout, is quite modern within, and yet the home setback on its 0.239 acreage looks quite rustic from the front with two pillars gracing the long driveway. A goldfish pond in the front yard has been a source of enjoyment for the family too! The home is listed at $669,000.

 

Click here for a virtual tour. Click here for more details on the home.

If you would like more information about this or any property in the New Rochelle area, please feel free to contact me.

Posted By: Gay Rosen

Political science, in one view, studies the clash of competing legitimate interests, sometimes boiled down to the classic question, “Whose ox gets gored?” Such a dispute among neighbors is unfolding in Croton-on-Hudson, as a beloved cooperative community nursery school tries to reap the benefit of a benefactor’s gift and runs into opposition in the community, including from some parents and alumni of the school.

The confrontation concerns the fate of ten acres of pristine wooded land along North Highland Ave., in the heart of the village. There are purists on both sides, of course: hard-core defenders of nature vs. hard-line defenders of property rights. But complicated circumstances make it not so easy to choose sides.

Fifty years ago, a philanthropist named Samuel Rubin donated the land to the Croton Community Nursery School. CCNS has deep roots in the local culture, having nurtured generations of Croton preschoolers (including my wife). At least two distinguished architects, reportedly including the great Marcel Breuer, as well as Ricardo Scofidio, produced designs for a new school building for the site but, CCNS always being something of a shoestring operation, nothing was ever built.

Fast forward to the beginning of the 21st Century, (a few years ago). Croton was in the midst of a development boom in real estate. Ravenous buyers were fighting over houses for sale and, for the first time in Croton history, paying seven figures for great big ones. Vacant land was scarce, and lots once considered too steep or too wet to be built on were getting a second look.

This was the atmosphere that may have prompted CCNS to reconsider its big, slumbering asset: ten acres of vacant land, from which it was getting no benefit. What kind of sense did that make when the school was living hand to mouth? Its board of directors voted to sell the land and, a year later, asked a local builder to draw up plans to subdivide roughly half the property into building lots.

Then there’s the other side to the story. The property is virtually a gorge with a water course running at the bottom of it. There is a narrow strip along North Highland Ave. (where the school would have been built) that’s relatively level, but then it becomes a series of steep inclines with rock outcroppings and big old-growth trees. It’s not hard to see why it was never considered desirable for development. Building anywhere but along North Highland would require variances to local code restrictions affecting wetlands and steep slopes.

Plans were drawn up dividing half of CCNS’s land into four lots, each to accommodate a new house. The other half, about 5 acres, would be preserved in its natural state and donated to the village. The plans were submitted to the village Planning Board, which would have to approve any exceptions to the building codes. Soon word got out and opposition began to form, their reasons articulated at a well-attended public hearing of the Planning Board.

Environmental damage and its consequences were at the core of the opposition. The property is one of the last remaining substantial untouched green spaces in the Village. Not only would 200-year-old trees be destroyed – at least 100 trees were slated to come down in the development plan – but also clearing the land would create runoff into the gorge that, after heavy rainfall, could cause flooding in the houses downstream. (A single mature oak tree consumes 50 gallons of water a day.) Other objections included concerns that chemicals from lawn treatment would wash into the gorge, that increased car traffic would make the narrow street less safe, and that the unspoiled beauty of the woods would be ruined for hikers and neighbors.

Is a compromise possible? Many opponents of the plan seem ready to accept two or even three houses, if they can be sited without penetrating too close to the wetlands and steep slopes. And few opponents seem bent on preventing CCNS from deriving some benefit from their land. But so far, the school has not modified its position that the Planning Board should approve all four projected building lots.

Stay tuned. In the meantime, information including photos and copies of the subdivision plan can be seen online by going to facebook.com and searching for “Save North Highland Woods.”

Posted By: Bruce Dollar

It was a few summers ago when I decided to find a Comedy Class to take. Usually when my children went away to visit with their Dad for August, I would clean closets, redo a bathroom, even buy and train a puppy! This year I was going to do something for myself. I went to my friend, Mr. Google, and found that the people of Caroline’s Comedy Club offered a Summer Session. So I signed up, bought a Metro card and off I went!

I learned how to navigate the subway shuttle to Times Square and find the studio. The class was taught by Linda Smith, three time Emmy nominated writer for her work for the Rosie O’Donnell Show and is now Director of New Talent at Caroline’s.
I was the oldest person in the class - let that bother me? Never! To paraphrase Kathy Bates in "Fried Green Tomatoes"- I have more "experience"!

The class was very supportive and from all walks of life. It was a major writing endeavor and we had to edit, edit, edit to get to that kernel of truth wherein lies the humor. Plus we had to try to commit it to memory and give it a good delivery. Who knew comedy was so hard? Also that it is serious business and like any skill, be it the Olympics, an ice skating competition or "Dancing With The Stars", the pros make it seem effortless.

The weeks were flying by with the stress of the writing, the performing, the memorizing and then we had our Graduation - a Matinee show at Caroline’s! The emcee of Caroline’s loved it and the whole experience was a ball! Right after my graduation performance a local restaurant wanted me to start a Comedy Night. The time was not right.

Now that my youngest is heading off to college I am itching to give it another shot. I will write from time to time and save it on my computer. Then while doing an article on the Katonah Art Center I discovered they were about to offer their first Comedy Class! It will be taught by Peggy Boyce, performer, producer, publicist and comedy coach for 20 yrs. Her "Ladies of Laughter" was founded in 1999 in order to provide funny women opportunities. The series has been produced at Caesar’s, Resorts International, Madison Square Garden and numerous clubs and casinos. Her 2004 Winner was Jane Condon who went on to become a finalist at Last Comic Standing and the Audience Favorite. Peggy Boyce has opened for Joy Behar, Brett Butler and Ray Romano. Her website is: http://www.funniestfemales.com

They claim that even if you have no intention of ever appearing on stage, learning to turn the observations and foibles of life into comedy will give you a new perspective.
The class will study other well known comediennes’ styles and will coach you to find your own comic voice. I remember a young executive in my class in New York who took the class in order to feel more comfortable speaking in front of a group.

Come have Fun! Laughter IS the best medicine. The Katonah Art Center is across from the A&P in a restored Victorian. It is close enough to the Train Station to be able to walk and there are cabs. It is also close to the Saw Mill River Parkway and 684.

Classes are held on five Thursday Evenings at 7-8:30 pm
Spring Sessions - $215 for 5 classes - April 22-May 20th or May 27th-June 24th
Summer Session - $215 for 5 classes - June 28th - September 3rd

Katonah Art Center, 131 Bedford Road, Katonah NY.

914-232-4843 www.katonahartcenter.com

Posted By: Karen Benvin Ransom

There is a short window of time for first time buyers or repeat home buyers to take advantage of The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009. The tax credit now applies to sales occurring on or after January 1, 2009 and on or before April 30, 2010. Your sales contract must signed and completely executed by April 30, 2010, and home purchase completed by June 30, 2010 to qualify.

The National Association of Home Builders article explains everything you need to know about the law. So, just click on this link and see how you can save!

And should you want to participate and receive the credit there is much to do in a very short time. First you need to identify the community where you want to live, find an agent, view homes in your price range, arrange for a mortgage pre-approval letter and last but not least have your attorney negotiate a fully executed contract of sale. A horse race at best! There is much to do in a short time and after all this you need to close by the end of June.

So, ready set go! And good luck too…..

Posted By: Renee Stengel