New York Suburbs

J. Philip Real Estate is a boutique-style, independent brokerage serving all of Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess and Rockand Counties. It is owned and operated by J. Philip Faranda, who has averaged nearly a closing a week for the past 3 years. This production makes him one of the top 10 agents by transaction out of over 7000 total in the Westchester-Putnam MLS! The firm has offices in Briarcliff Manor, Scarsdale and Manhattan. 12 excellent agents also work at the firm. He is also Vice President for the Westchester-Putnam MLS for 2010. 

View all of Phil's listings on Realtor.com by clicking here.

View Phil's listed inventory of available homes on my web page here.

Our main office is in Briarcliff Manor, NY - right between Sleepy Hollow, Pleasantville, Chappaqua and Ossining, with Croton, Peekskill, Mount Kisco, White Plains, Yorktown, Tarrytown and many other Hudson River villages in shouting distance. I serve my neighboring towns but also the "bedroom counties" of Rockland, Putnam and even Dutchess in surprisingly high volume, mainly because the largest source of buyers in those place come from Westchester.

The New York Journal News, The Real Deal, ABC News and CNBC are just some of the news outlets that have used Phil as a source for commentary or content. On May 27, 2009, ABC World News lead with a story on the real estate market that featured Phil prominently. 

Among our areas of expertise is helping clients avoid foreclosure by brokering a short sale. What makes us different from all the other firms that claim to specialize in short sales? Log onto www.NYShortSaleTeam.com to find out.

Do you have someone in or moving to the New York metropolitan area? We pay a 25% referral fee for any client you refer. We service Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Dutchess and Fairfield (CT) counties. All referrals are personally attended to by the broker-owner. Go to www.JPhilipRealEstate.net for details.

      

 

 

Some Frequently Asked Questions, answered in the First Person:

Q: What does the "J." stand for?

A: Joseph. My father was named Joseph Faranda and wanted to name me Joseph, but my mother did not want a "Junior." They compromised by making Joseph my first name but calling me by my middle name, which was different from my father's middle name.

Q: So what do people call you? "J?" "Jay?" "Philip?"

A:You can call me Phil. I won't be insulted if you call me J., but I'm not very accustomed to it. Some people call me J. and I don't correct them because it confuses matters.

Q: Why did you get into real estate?

A: Like many people, real estate is my second career. I never had any intention of going into it in college. I started in publishing sales for an educational concern in New Jersey, and I advanced to management rather quickly. However, they relocated me six times in seven years and I was dissatisfied with that and the compensation. My college roommate convinced me to move to Rochester and work with him in real estate.

Q: Where do you see the real estate market going in the next 2-3 years?

A: The last big correction (or crash, depending on your preferred nomenclature) was 1987. The lost value was not recouped until the mid 90's. Anyone who sees the market turning the corner in the next year doesn't understand that we have years worth of inventory on the books now and a great deal of it is foreclosed property, which suppresses prices further. And there will be many more foreclosures in the next 18 months, which means a recovery is not close at hand.

We could stabilize the market  very quickly if sellers were able to simply lower their prices enough to bring the buyers back, but most cannot because they owe too much. This is why short sales are so necessary to a sustainable recovery.

Q: Who is to blame for the current real estate crash?

A: Everyone shares some culpability- government, bankers, Wall Street, lenders, speculators, and borrowers/homeowners themselves. We can argue about percentage of blame until we are old. I believe that everyone lost sight of the fundamentals because they were too self interested. Responsible self regulation by the lending industry as well as prudent governmental oversight should keep history from repeating itself.

Q: You left out real estate agents. Don't they share in the blame?

A: Real estate licensees and mortgage loan officers were the foot soldiers in the economic Waterloo we are experiencing. They are certainly paying the price for it- an attorney I know tells me that he is frequently helping real estate agents file for bankruptcy. As I said before, we are all responsible.

Q: Why are you blogging?

 

A: I love real estate and I love to write. My degree is in English, so I have a copy of the Elements of Style right next to my real estate books. I also feel that my commentary is credible  due to the fact that I am in the field daily and not an armchair quarterback. I am one of the few real estate brokers I know with substantial mortgage experience and I am an active investor. The perspective from my marketplace is also rather unique- I straddle a very cosmopolitan New York market, suburbs, and a rather rural Hudson Valley. All that is a wide lens.

 

 

 

 

"Phil is everything you'd want in an agent ...we wish we had him here where we moved!" - Chuck and Otto, Ellenville, NY

"J Phillip's sophisticated use of technology and the Internet delivers better results than other real estate brokerages.  We listed our house with J Phillip during the slow winter months at the bottom of the market.  In less than a month we had two offers, and had closed the deal in less than three months.  The final sale price was actually above the initial listing price recommended by the other brokers! " -Matt and Jodi, Armonk, NY

"For the record: Phil listed my house on August 1st and it was sold and closed 36 days later. The prior agency wasn't able to sell it for over a year. " -Angelo, Pleasantville, NY

"Phil, you went above and beyond. We are grateful." -Tom and Janine, Mahopac, NY

"I am very pleased with the job you did. What other previous companies couldn't do, you did all by yourself in the middle of winter. Stay in touch." Margaret, Wappinger Falls, NY 

"God bless you and thanks for getting the job done." -Anabel, Peekskill, NY

"Thank you for selling my mother's home. It was a very difficult situation but you hung in there and got us out of a jam. We will use you again." Carlos, Yonkers, NY

"We are very happy and please with the job Phil did in selling our house for above full price." -Rudolph, New City, NY

" Fantastic job. You are by far the best agent we've ever dealt with and we will recommend you. We are very pleased." -Jeff and Helene, Poughkeepsie, NY

"Thank you for all your help!" -Richard, New City, NY

"I've never seen an agent hustle the way Phil does." -Vasal, New Windsor, NY

"I am amazed at what you do to get the job done. Thanks for all you did to sell my home." -Barbara, New Windsor, NY

"We are extremely grateful for the fine job you did in getting our house sold. We highly recommend you!" -Daniel and Louise, Newburgh, NY

"We are finally closed and finished! Thanks for all you've done!" -Farisha, Cortlandt Manor, NY

"Phil, that makes it two times you've helped me out. Thanks for getting me out of the spot I was in and getting my house sold. I appreciate your efforts and will recommend you in the future." -Walter, White Plains, NY

"We can't believe how fast you sold our house-and for full price! best of luck to you in the future." -Cally and Justin, Hawthorne, NY

"Phil, you did it. Thanks for getting the job done. We are relieved and grateful." -Jim and Danielle, Mt Kisco, NY 

"Phil you did and outstanding job." -Joe and Madelyn, Rye, NY

"Thanks and great job. We got more than we paid for. " -William and Pat, Bronxville, NY

 "Just a great job. Thank you for getting the job done when previous agents couldn't." -Jim and Theresa, Poughkeepsie, NY

"Thank you so much. I would use you again!" -Kathy, Wappingers Falls, NY

"You're the man. Thanks for getting our house sold so quickly, for over the asking price." -Sterling and Rosalind, Poughkeepsie, NY