J. Philip's Westchester Real Estate Blog: September 2009

If you are a fan of the AMC series Mad Men, you probably know by now that Don and Betty Draper live in Ossining, NY. I am from Ossining. I remember first hearing Betty mention Ossining and thinking how neat that was, but now each episode this season is almost surreal. The producers clearly have done more than perfunctory research for historical accuracy.

For instance, last season, in a card game with the neighbors, it is mentioned that "they are going to build apartments up on Cedar Lane." Well, they did build apartments up on Cedar Lane. Why they would insert such an obscure, albeit true, reference in a casual throwaway line is beyond me, but it has me mesmerized. Not many "Mad Men" fans are real estate brokers from Ossining, so why did they go to such lengths?   

The week before last, when Betty went to the hospital to give birth to her son, a nurse explained to her that her OB was unavailable, but that "Dr. Mendelowitz" would be delivering the baby. Dr Mendelowitz delivered me. His son (also Dr Mendelowitz) delivered my son Gregory. I have since learned that the producers did in fact contact the highly regarded local doctor to research how a 1963 birth would have been and mentioned his name in the episode as a shout out. Great stuff. 

This past weekend's chapter had Betty meeting with an adviser to the governor about the "Pleasantville Road Reservoir" and the plans to erect a 3 million gallon water tower to replace it. They did. I blogged about the reservoir here. I grew up on Osage Drive West, a few hundred yards from the reservoir, which was a derelict pond most of my life. I rode my 5-speed around it as a kid when it wasn't overgrown. Older guys engaged in, shall we say, more risky conduct. The reservoir has since been rededicated as a park, and the water towers were re-painted to cover the decades of graffiti.  

The history of the reservoir is sketchy, but it was the village water supply for many years. I knew the construction of the water towers were post war, but I thought it was earlier than 1963. Regardless, the way Mad Men so accurately portrays how it was in Ossining at that time is remarkable. The local paper has caught on, and it could reach Soprano's/North Jersey proportions if this keeps up. 

A few other references: 

Swenson's Bakery was probably on Main Street in downtown Ossining, near the old Woolworth's. Woolworth's is probably portrayed as "Wentworth's" for copyright reasons, although it would seem a stretch that that old (long since closed) variety store would sell a chaise lounge like the one Betty bought. Perhaps someone older than I can shed some light on that. 

One prediction on Ossining history will be that they mention, at some point, the construction of Arcadian Shopping Center on Route 9, which adversely affected (killed, really) downtown commerce. 

One quibble: The Draper's phone number is WIlson-4, 8032, or 944-8032. Not accurate. The WILSON exchange at that time was 941, not 944. 944 didn't arrive until the 1990's. Prior to that, Ossining exchanges were either 941 or 762. Regardless, I'll be tuning in next Sunday and blog about any more Mad Men/Ossining connections. They hit close to home. 

• We Are Westchester County, NY Real Estate. Reach Phil at (914) 723-8900.
• J. Philip Faranda, Broker-owner, J. Philip Real Estate, LLC. 2010 Vice President, Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service. 
• I am one of New York's premier short sale REALTORS. 
• J. Philip Serves Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, Croton, the River Towns, Westchester County, and the bedroom counties of New York City.
• Free MLS Search! Register for a Free Listingbook account and search the MLS like an agent. 
• I am hiring agents. 

All content/images, unless noted, are the property of J. Philip Faranda & may not be used without permission

I am a big proponent of taking a child to work to see how their mom or dad works. Sometimes, the child will even emulate their parents and become more task oriented afterward. Here, Mark clearly demonstrates how impressed he is with his Daddy. 

• We Are Westchester County, NY Real Estate. Reach Phil at (914) 723-8900.
• J. Philip Faranda, Broker-owner, J. Philip Real Estate, LLC. 2010 Vice President, Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service. 
• I am one of New York's premier short sale REALTORS. 
• J. Philip Serves Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, Croton, the River Towns, Westchester County, and the bedroom counties of New York City.
• Free MLS Search! Register for a Free Listingbook account and search the MLS like an agent. 
• I am hiring agents. 

All content/images, unless noted, are the property of J. Philip Faranda & may not be used without permission

After walking through yet another foreclosed home with some high-end renovations that were about 75% finished, I can't stress this enough:

Renovations to your new home do you no good if they cause you to not be able to afford to stay. 

I don't give financial or legal advice but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that your children's college fund, reserve savings, and retirement planning ought to come before upgrading a 15 year old bath and kitchen. Moreover, if you are borrowing to make those renovations, on a 30-year mortgage you'll end up paying double for the work over the life of your loan. 

Once you close on a home, plan on saving your money prior to going nuts on renovations. We are descended from eons of people who bathed in rivers. You can deal with a 1975 bathroom that gets visited by adult house guests 4 times per year. If you overspend and lose the house, you'll have primed the pump for someone else.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness should never be leveraged!

• We Are Westchester County, NY Real Estate. Reach Phil at (914) 723-8900.
• J. Philip Faranda, Broker-owner, J. Philip Real Estate, LLC. 2010 Vice President, Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service. 
• I am one of New York's premier short sale REALTORS. 
• J. Philip Serves Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, Croton, the River Towns, Westchester County, and the bedroom counties of New York City.
• Free MLS Search! Register for a Free Listingbook account and search the MLS like an agent. 
• I am hiring agents. 

All content/images, unless noted, are the property of J. Philip Faranda & may not be used without permission

** Rant Advisory**

Since my 4 year old has elected to forego sleep and erect a Thomas the Tank Engine memorial on the dining room table, the 2-year old has followed him in the project and my 70 pound German Shepherd feels the need to jam his schnozz in my armpit, slumber has not been an option since 4:30 am. I have therefore stationed myself at my kitchen table to observe Those Two reinvent the planet, canine at my feet, and I have fired the laptop up. Thank God for wireless Internet. 

To my right, peeking out from behind the kitchen hutch, is a 59-watt Nutone radio/intercom system in the wall that probably hasn't worked since Watergate. Not long after we moved in, we were able to get 104.3 FM, the Home of Rock, in a grainy but understandable signal, nodded at each other, and turned it off. The kitchen counter tops are the same Formica with the stars and metal edges that were installed in 1962.  Just about everything in the kitchen outside of the appliances  is original. Some call that ancient. More charitable souls call it a period piece. I just call it a kitchen. No kidding. My wife's lasagna will taste like heaven if it were prepared on plywood wrapped in tin foil. Any flat surface will do. It doesn't bother me that my kitchen dates back to the Kennedy administration. We eat well. 

So I have a confession to make. Sometimes, when I hear a buyer tell me that they think a kitchen or bathroom needs updating I hold my tongue and think about Aruba. It isn't that I'm not impressed with a fabulous granite counter top, stainless steel appliances, a Viking Stove and Sub Zero refrigerator; they are very nice. The same goes for column sinks, jacuzzi tubs and ceramic tile in the bathroom. Good stuff. I just never got the memo that those things were necessities. 

Maybe I'm just too outcome oriented. In Boy Scouts, they taught us the rudimentary ways of living, cooking, and yes, pooping, outdoors. Among the principles ingrained (aside from the fact that you don't mix the endeavors) were what it took to make the food appear and the poop go away. The last time I checked, when I flush my toilet, the desired outcome occurred. And I've already told you about Ann's cooking. Plus, we're indoors, which is very nice indeed, especially when it gets cold. 

Perhaps we just have different priorities. My parents grew up in the Great Depression. Ann's parents survived the brutal Japanese occupation of Korea and then a horrible war. A new bath or kitchen isn't a must. When I walk through a foreclosed property and I see a cook's kitchen and a bathroom that belongs at the Bellaggio, it just kills me. "They must have run out of money" someone says. Can you imagine? Losing your house because you leveraged the hell out of it, not to pay for college or treat some horrible disease, but to cut celery and do Number Two in luxury? Are you kidding me? Have we lost our collective minds? Try this: Make yourself a tuna fish sandwich. This time, add some horseradish and Worcestershire. Unless you hate tuna, that is good, and it is yummy if it was prepared on granite, Formica or a butcher block. Don't take my word for it, try it. 

I have walked through some amazing homes in this business, and seen some magnificent kitchens and baths. I am a little envious of those extra faucets that give unlimited hot water for coffee and tea. I want one of those. However, before we start gutting this old kitchen and updating the baths, I have college tuition for four children to think about. Once we have that squared away, we'll make this a place that will give Martha Stewart the chills. But first things first. 

In the meantime, when I represent the buyer, you can bet I'll tell the listing agent our price is more than fair considering the updates needed. I'm good at that. It is smart, honest bargaining. My buyers may in fact feel that a new kitchen is a necessity. I just hope, that once my clients take ownership, that they'll make the right decisions, especially if they have children. 

Next week: Are walk in closets a communist plot to weaken America? 

• We Are Westchester County, NY Real Estate. Reach Phil at (914) 723-8900.
• J. Philip Faranda, Broker-owner, J. Philip Real Estate, LLC. 2010 Vice President, Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service. 
• I am one of New York's premier short sale REALTORS. 
• J. Philip Serves Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, Croton, the River Towns, Westchester County, and the bedroom counties of New York City.
• Free MLS Search! Register for a Free Listingbook account and search the MLS like an agent. 
• I am hiring agents. 

All content/images, unless noted, are the property of J. Philip Faranda & may not be used without permission