Yorktown heights or Katonah? (Bedford, Farmingville: short sale, apartments, rent)

[SLP247]

Originally Posted by Asil65

Thanks SLP. I noticed that you are a realtor. I had heard that NY realtors are not legally allowed to recommend towns to clients with regards to schools. Is this true?

Yes it is true for the most part. You can not ask me " What is the best school or what is the best town" Answering that is considered Steering and highly illegal. Each buyer has their own ideals and that alone determines where they should be looking. If you tell me I need a town with "X" or a school with "X" I can search for that specifically and find it for you. The key here is finding it for you.

Originally Posted by Asil65

Also can you tell me why a buyer would choose to use a buyers agent vs. your typical realtor?

It would be easier to tell you why NOT to deal with the Sellers Agent. By default, each agent represents the Seller until such time as a buyer requests that the agent represents them instead. There is only One Way that this decision is made and it must be made at the FIRST substantial conversation or meeting. This would include a conversation or meeting on line and one where financial information, time frame and personal info is discussed. Here is a link to the form. Please note that this is NOT a contract, but simply a way for the Buyer and Seller to make an informed decision prior to discussing information that could jeopardize their position (strength) in a deal. http://www.dos.state.ny.us/lcns/pdfs/1736.pdf

Next: When you are speaking to an agent that is not representing you, you are providing them with information that they must take back to the seller which in turn gives the seller more strength in the negations. For instance: You might tell me that you have to find a place by a specific date or that you are looking up to a specific price range. I would then have to disclose this information to the Seller. " The buyer can afford up to X amount and needs to be in by this date." Don't be fooled by agents telling you that if you work directly with them, they can get you a better deal. The seller signs a contract specifically stating how much commission they are going to pay regardless if it is split or not. The Brokerage then offers a specific amount to the co operating agents. A co operating agent is not always a Buyers Agent! We only become Buyer Agents when you, the buyer, sign that form indicating such.

Originally Posted by Asil65

I had also heard that in NY there is more lawyer involvement with buying a house. Can you elaborate?

Yes, Up until recently, agents did not get involved in the contract phase of the deal. We helped you assess your needs, find a home that fits those needs, negotiate a price that is fair to both parties (does not have to be the lowest price, don't assume that is the goal or objective) arrange for Inspections, Appraisals, check tax records, C/O's and run CMA's on the house you wish to buy. Then we handed it off to the attorneys. Today we are allowed to fill out a boilerplate contract with a fill in the blank format. Then those contracts are handed off to an attorney to review. Yet even today, many of us still turn over the contract part to an attorney.

Your time with the attorney will usually be: 1 phone call, 1 visit to review and sign contracts and finally the closing. So all in all 2 visits and a few phone calls. I do not consider that very involved. The attorneys do quite a bit of work on the back end that you will not see though.[/quote]

I hope that answers your questions. Feel free to ask if you have more.

[Johninwestbury]

I happen to think Yorktown Heights is pretty nice actually. It does seem to cover a huge area. The downtown may not be the prettiest but they got a good variety of stuff. Lots of nice walking too, like at Sparkle Lake. I like the layout of the streets, esp up along Curry street.
Its not far from shopping at Jefferson Valley Mall or Cortlandt either.
I've been through the more "upscale" Chappaqua and Pleasantville, but the day laborers loitering around in some parts of those towns are a big turnoff. They dont seem to be around for the most part in Yorktown.
If I was moving criteria number one would be no day laborers. I guess because where I live now they are unavoidable.
Never been to Katonah..not yet so I cant say what I think about that town.
Also there's a "North County Trail" that runs near Yorktown, having walked the portion between the Croton Lake and Yorktown Heights it is very enjoyable.

[Asil65]

Never heard about day laborers in any of these areas. Have there been many problems? Interesting. Thanks John.

[Asil65]

Thanks slp247. Your answers were very helpful. I have lived in several states and dealt with realtors and what they handle is very different state to state.
I have been looking at many different realtor websites and came across one of those contracts you were talking about. Yikes! Never put your name on anything.
So what do I need to do if I do want to get input regarding schools from my realtor? Even a buyers agent is not allowed to help a family with this? That seems like it should be one of there jobs. Who do you hire a relocation specialist in NY? What about a Buyers broker? Are these people allowed to help?
You can find out a ton of information on the interent with boards and various websites but if you only have a short time to visit an area and look at neighborhoods and houses this kind of help is necessary.

[SLP247]

Hi Asil65;

The confusion seems to come in as to what we can or can not say. Any agent can assist you in obtaining the information, we just can not decipher it for you. I often times, set up tours with my Buyers to visit various schools where there children will or are considering attending. These meetings are usually with the children (if old enough), the parents and usually a guidance counselor.

So you are not really left on your own to find the information. We just can not say THIS school is the best or THIS town is the best.

A Buyers Agent and Buyers Broker are the same thing so to speak. Typically a Buyer Brokerage will ONLY work with Buyers and will not take any listings. I personally do not see an advantage to this. If one of my buyers were interested in one of my listings, then BOTH the Buyer and the Seller get to determine if I can "Facilitate" a transaction. What this means is that I owe Fiduciary Duty to both parties simultaneously however, I can not show Undivided Loyalty to either party. If the Buyer and Seller decide that they do not want this, then I simply refer the Buyer to another agent (of their choice) Any agent can be a Buyers Agent. All it takes is that form to be filled out. Some agents, like myself, are Accredited Buyer Representatives. This is a designation we earn.

Sounds complicated, but it really just about being informed.

As a Buyers Agent I often times give my Out of Area Buyers a tour or the town, school, places of religion, local attractions or points of interest and major roads and train stations. This will typically take a full day, but I feel it is very important to the buying decision.

Don't mistake Buyer Agents and Buyer Agency Agreements (BAA). Often times we will use BAA when representing a Buyer. Remember that an agreement or contract is a legal document and is written (or should be) to identify what is expected of each party and to protect both parties. These contracts can be as short as 1 day or as long as a year or more. However, I do not expect a Buyer that does not know me to commit to using me exclusively at first. I provide each of my buyers the contract so they can read it on their time. Show it to their attorney if needed and at some point in the future make a decision as to if they want to "hire me" or not.

Think of it as hiring an employee or contractor except you do not pay anything. The commission is paid either from an offering on the MLS or included in the negotiations of a FSBO if (and only if) the Buyer has elected the agent to search for FSBO's. Otherwise the buyer is free and open to looking for FSBO's on their own.

[Asil65]

OK, so it looks like you do have some ability to guide your clients by listening to the criteria that they are looking for. So if you had a client and you felt they were making a terrible decision about where they were choosing to live you could guide them in a different direction? I also wondered how hard it has been lately with the sinking economy for your clients to get mortgages approved?

[SLP247]

It is not hard to get them approved IF they have good credit (650 score or better) a good down payment (20% is typical, but with a 750 score = 5% down plus closing costs) and a steady job for two years or better.

I can't guide you, I can give you the facts. Sometimes people have to listen more closely to what is NOT being said. I HAVE talked people out of buying the "wrong" house, but that was not due to schools, towns etc. just too big of or needed too much work for their skills, etc.

Usually if you provide me with all the requirements: I will then be able to tell you what regions you want to look in. For instance: You may say: I want 2800 sq. ft. with an acre of land and my son/daughter is great at Lacrosse and I am looking for a great team for them to get on. First I will go through what you will find for your money and where. Then I will find out which schools are top rated for Lax and finally I will ask how well your child's school was rated for the same program and here is why: (this actually happened too) A STAR player on one team can easily be the bench warmer (aka Future Coaches!) on another. This is an example of getting all the facts and making an informed decision. I will usually suggest the previous coach speak to the potential new coach and see what the chances are they will make it.

I use that example because I come across that issue most, but it can be applied to the debate team, cheerleading team, math team or even Special Needs children.

This is a great reason why it is important to find a Buyers Agent that you are comfortable with. We need to know A LOT of Very Personal Information to best assist you in your home purchase.

[Asil65]

That is good to hear about mortgages. People are still able to get them with good credit and a decent down payment. I thought of a commuting question. How do the southern commutes on the Taconic and Saw Mill to Tarrytown compare? I am sure they both are pretty busy and I did hear that The Saw Mill has some flooding issues. I was just curious how commuters find the roads.

[SLP247]

Yes, there are flooding issues on the Saw Mill RIVER Parkway and the Sprain BROOK Parkway. (see the connection there?) From Yorktown to Tarrytown? You would not be traveling that much on the TSP. You would be getting off around Rt 133 and Shooting over or you can go down a bit further. Either way, there are many options (back or secondary roads) that once you know them, you will not be sitting in traffic.

On another note: Day Labor. I only know of a problem with Mamaroneck when they tried to oust them and were met with great opposition from the ACLU. Lawsuits were filed and the laborers eventually won out. Day Labors usually gather around various Train Stations throughout the area looking for work. Most areas have Work Centers for them. For those that are opposed to their presence, they should know that there is an EXCELLENT chance that these hard workers most likely built part of the house, landscaped it, put in the Belgium block border on your driveway, paved the the driveway and are operating the residential snow plows, lawn mowers and blowing the leaves.

Yes, many of them are illegal. Yes, there are isolated problems with them (as there are with any large group of people) and YES, most of them are HARD working individuals trying to support their families. The biggest locations are Mamaroneck, Mt. Kisco (one of the few locations you can find Chevy Chase in line at Starbucks standing behind a day laborer getting coffee) Brewster. Other locations are Ossining, Peekskill, Mahopac (the only location without a train station),Pawling and Poughkeepsie.

Like it or not, Agree with it or not; They are the backbone of the construction industry nation wide today.

[Asil65]

SLP 247 thanks for the info about the parkways. It seems like going up and down 9 might be a good way to go too.
The day laborers do not really concern me. I agree with you that most of them are hard workers trying to raise money for their families.
I saw a posting about home values and someone said that on some of the new 850,000 homes in Somers you could offer around 775,000 and possibly get the home for that price. What is your take on that statement?