Michael's Blog

Michael A Brown | KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY GROUP | 718.541.6149 78 Glenwood Ave, Yonkers, NY BUY MY HOME! 5BR/2BA Multi-Family, 2 units   offered at $349,900 Year Built 1900 Sq Footage 1,900 Bedrooms 5 Bathrooms 2 full, 0 partial Floors 3 Parking Unspecified Lot Size Unspecified HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION Legal 2 Family, Walk to Metor North, 3 Bedroom Duplex and a 2 bedroom apartment. Huge Yard and lots more..   see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES Hardwood floor Living room Dining room Refrigerator Stove/Oven   OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES 3 Bedroom Apartment is Vacant   ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Seller contact info: Michael A Brown KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY GROUP 718.541.6149 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: May 27, 2008, 11:53am PDT

MICHAEL ALEXANDER BROWN - REALTOR® WESTCHESTER COUNTY & THE BRONX

Michael Alexander Brown | KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY GROUP | 718.541.6149 24 Linden Street, Yonkers, NY Large 3 Family Home 8BR/4BA Multi-Family, 3 units   offered at $499,900 Year Built 1960 Sq Footage 2,577 Bedrooms 8 Bathrooms 4 full, 0 partial Floors 3 Parking None Lot Size .04 acres HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Investment Opportunity! Legal 3 Family House with Walk-Out Basement. All 3 Units Recently Updated. New Roof. New Boiler- only 2 yrs old. New Windows Throughout, New Hot Water Tank- Fully Insulated. New Floors. Updated Kitchens & Bathrooms in all 3 units. Owner's apartment has yard access. Great Income Potential-Let your Tenants Pay For The Mortgage!   see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES Hardwood floor Tile floor Living room Bonus/Rec room Dining room Refrigerator Stove/Oven Basement Yard OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES Walk out Basement   ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Seller contact info: Michael Alexander Brown KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY GROUP 718.541.6149 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Jun 14, 2008, 5:20pm PDT

MICHAEL ALEXANDER BROWN - REALTOR® WESTCHESTER COUNTY AND THE BRONX

Michael Alexander Brown | KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY GROUP | 718.541.6149 128 North Columbus Ave, Mount Vernon, NY Enormous 2Family Tudor 9+BR/5BA Multi-Family, 2 units   offered at $749,790 Year Built 1948 Sq Footage 4,800 Bedrooms 10 Bathrooms 5 full, 0 partial Floors 3 Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size .11 acres HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION This is a Must See! Has Great Income Potential! Enormous 2 Family, Solid Stucco, 4 Bdrm + 1 Bth in BOTH Units! Living rooms w/wood burning Fireplaces, Lrg Formal Dining Room (14x18), Real Solid Wood Doors throughout. 3rd Flr has 2 Bedrooms + 2 Updated Full Baths. Finished Basement w/Full Bath & Separate Entrance. Private Fenced Patio Yard, 2 Car Garage, New Gas Boiler & Baseboard Radiators, New Windows & Doors + New 2 Yr Roof.   see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES Fireplace Walk-in closet Hardwood floor Tile floor Family room Living room Bonus/Rec room Dining room Refrigerator Stove/Oven Microwave Attic Basement     COMMUNITY FEATURES Garage parking       OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES Private Owners Entrance   ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Seller contact info: Michael Alexander Brown KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY GROUP 718.541.6149 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Jun 14, 2008, 5:36pm PDT

MICHAEL ALEXANDER BROWN - REALTOR® WESTCHESTER COUNTY & THE BRONX

Michael Alexander Brown | KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY GROUP | 718.541.6149 1213 Ward Ave, Bronx, NY Large Brick 2 Family Home 8BR/2BA Multi-Family, 2 units   offered at $479,000 Year Built 1930 Sq Footage 2,544 Bedrooms 8 Bathrooms 2 full, 0 partial Floors 2 Parking 1 Car garage Lot Size .08 acres HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION Enormous semi deatched brick 2 family home. (2) 4 bedroom apartments. Walk to train and shopping. 1 Car garage.   see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES Hardwood floor Tile floor Living room Dining room Refrigerator Stove/Oven Basement     OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES Walk out Basement   ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Seller contact info: Michael Alexander Brown KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY GROUP 718.541.6149 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Jun 15, 2008, 8:55am PDT

MICHAEL ALEXANDER BROWN - REALTOR® WESTCHESTER COUNTY & THE BRONX

I made the switch!! It is the best change I have ever made. The culture is phenomanal. As I write this blog I am actually showing our office how to blog. I love Active Rain and the community

As usual comments and suggestions are always welcomed...

MICHAEL ALEXANDER BROWN - REALTOR WESTCHESTER COUNTY AND THE BRONX 

On Thursday May 29th, Westchester County REALTORS® were invited by Mayor Clinton I. Young Jr., to tour a couple public schools in Mount Vernon. The 3 schools we were able to tour were:

Edward Williams Elementary

 A.B. Davis

Ms. Sharon Bradley, Principal, Nellie A. Thornton High School

Very Impressive!! The elementary school was awesome, the classrooms are bright and colorful, the classrooms are also seperated into multiple spaces to incorporate the various subjects being taught in the same class. Yo can also tell that the teachers took a great deal of pride in the appearance of their classes. 

What really impressed me was the new high school, Nellie A. Thornton High School. I thought I walked into the MSNBC studio, every classroom was equiped with these smart boards. Kind I like the ones they use on those electoral vote counting shows on CNN or MSNBC. It is like a touch screen computer, the size of a chalk board. Pretty freakin awesome! Also for some reason I imagined high school to be a bit louder especially in between classes but not at Thorton. From the looks of it Mt Vernon is equiped to provide the children of Mount Vernon a quality education.

As usual comments and suggestions are always welcomed...

MICHAEL ALEXANDER BROWN - REALTOR® WESTCHESTER COUNTY, BROOKLYN & THE BRONX

Are they going to build the damn thing or what?!

The discussion never seems to end. On Sunday there was an article in the Journal News featuring the debate over the future of downtown Yonkers. The discussion was the second of 2 public hearings on the project's(The $1.6 billion Struever Fidelco Cappelli redevelopment plan of Downtown Yonkers) draft environmental impact statement. There were over 70 Yonkers residents who attended the hearing to voice their concerns.

There were 2 residents featured in the article. Donna moved to Yonkers when she was 2 years old and hasn't moved since, Michelle moved to Yonkers from Brooklyn in 1990 and has no plans of moving. Surprisingly their stances on the project are different and both have valid concerns.

 I must side with Donna on this one. Although I do not live in Yonkers, I am a Real Estate Expert there and spend a lot of time and money there. I can't wait for the new project to begin, it will make Downtown Yonkers a major destination in Westchester County. I am not a huge fan of minor leaguse baseball but if not that then what, its still a great idea. Nor am I a huge fan of turning everything high end and luxury but look at Harlem. What would be great if there is a higher percentage of affordable housing being incorporated in the development plans? But again I think it's a great idea.

 Although I agree with Michelle that Yonkers has way too much to offer for developers to ignore this great city but we I think we must strike while the iron is hot. New Rochelle, White Plains and even Port Chester have gotten a major face lift. Why not Yonkers? It's the largest city in Westchester, 4th largest in the state, closest to the city; I could go on and on... Why not Yonkers? And why not now?

 Shelley Weintraub, vice president for the Greyston Foundation, which serves the city's poor with a combination of profit-making and charitable operations, said the downtown's current revival, which began in the late 1990s, has been painfully slow. Not acceptable!

As usuall comments and suggestions are always welcomed...

MICHAEL A. BROWN, REALTOR® - ASSOCIATE BROKER, WESTCHESTER COUNTY & THE BRONX

We are almost there...

Yonkers residents will get an additional 2 1/2 weeks to comment on the Struever Fidelco Cappelli $1.6 billion redevelopment plan of Downtown Yonkers. This plan entails the development of over 500 acres of the city. The goal is to reposition Yonkers as a regional destination, employment center and vibrant urban environment. AMAZING!

Mayor Phil Amicone doesn't seem to be too happy with the delay by the City Council. The mayor had called for the City Council to move on the project "as quickly as possible".  I agree... City Council President Chuck Fresnic hopes the delay will give American Sugar Rifining the time it needs to complete its study. American Sugar Refining operates the Domino sugar plant on the Hudson River in Southwest Yonkers. The problem is that this plant is stones throw away from the proposed two 25 story SFC developed towers. The plant processes 4 million pounds of sugar which the new residents won't be too happy about! This could put their business in jeopardy.

Good luck Yonkers!! 

As usual comments and suggestions are always welcomed...

MICHAEL A. BROWN - REALTOR® WESTCHESTER COUNTY, BROOKLYN & THE BRONX

   No its not Saint Patrick's Day!

Beginning this weekend Yonkers kicked off its first annual Green Week celebration. This event will last until next Sunday April 27th. Some of the highlights will include a blessing of the Hudson River on Tuesday Morning and a tour of the Hudson River aboard New York Water Taxi on Thursday evening at 6pm.

The program is organized by the City Council's Green Policy Task Force. Marcia Bystryn, president of the Manhattan-based non-profit PlanNYC2030 for New York City, has great confidence in Yonkers abilities to become environmentally friendly and says "Yonkers with its major redevelopment effort, has a particularly good opportunity to create a sustainable downtown - one that reduces energy demand in government and private buildings and also preserves open space."

This Sunday in The New York Times Westchester section there was an article titled The House That Green Built features a home in Dobbs Ferry being built green. 

As as always comments and suggestions are always welcomed...

MICHAEL A. BRONW - REALTOR® WESTCHESTER COUNTY AND THE BRONX

Damn that mortgage crisis... Damn those greedy mortgage brokers!! Damn those awful underwriting practices!! Should we label it a natural disaster? Is George W. Bush going to show up in neighborhoods across America showing support?

The latest in mortgage crisis and foreclosureepidemic is the increase in tenants being evicted from their homes due to their landlords defaulting on their mortgages. An article this Sunday in NY Times titled "Even Renters Aren't Safe" embodies this increase.

While renting may have been a safe option instead of buying in the past couple of years, many landlords are also vulnerable to foreclosures, putting tenants out on the streets. Chief economist at Moody's Economy.com, Mark Zandi, said "This is a growing problem nationwide, landlords of all stripes could potentially get caught up in this very severe downturn. I suspect that its going to be more of a problem for lower-to middle-income markets." This could mean neighborhoods like South Yonkers, West Mount Vernon and the Melrose section of The Bronx which consist of many small multi family homes.

Renters and tenants alike be aware and active with the maintenance and management of your building. If you need assistance with finding a new home or getting out of a possible foreclose, please don't hesitate to call...

As always comments and suggestions are always welcomed...

MICHAEL A. BROWN - REALTOR® & ASSOICATE BROKER WESTCHESTER COUNTY AND THE BRONX