It is the perfect time in which to plant your bulbs for the spring time!  While I was at the Home Depot  purchasing some items for a client, I noticed the great display of bulbs, and decided to buy and plant some, ( and then got a little carried away). I easily planted over 125 bulbs (and it takes no time at all )… and so promptly went out and bought  265 more!  I never thought that I would be wishing time to pass, but I can’t wait to see them in bloom! Westchester is GREAT! 10/31/2016

  I have had the pleasure of marketing some wonderful homes. One such home is 229 Paine Avenue, New Rochelle.  Priced at $1,125,000 with 6 bedrooms, 3817 square feet, and located in the prestigious area of Paine Heights. New Rochelle.  I like to be creative in my marketing, and decided to serve wine and cheese at one such Broker’s Open House. It is a wonderful way in which to remind the agents that the home is available, and everyone loves free food! There are also many agents who have never seen a home be it they have other appointments,  inspections, and so it is always appropriate to have as many broker open houses as required until the home is sold.  Here I am (top right) with some fellow Julia B. Fee Associates Cate Jarrett, (top left), Kathy Tamagna (bottom left), and Jeanne Kiern... 10/31/2016

  What a crazy, exciting and busy year to-date! Home sales have been fluid, and I have had the privilege of representing homes bringing forth multiple bidding. I would also mention however, it also depends upon price point, condition and location. In trying to make this as simple as possible (!!!) for New Rochelle has 5 Elementary Schools, and since some of the zip codes represent those different Elementary schools,  I have broken down the sales accordingly. Also, with the lesser priced homes selling quickly, I have also broken down the sales in different price points.  It should be noted that the zip code 10804 includes both Davis and Ward Elementary Schools, while the Davis School Elementary School is in both the 10804 an 10583 zip codes. There are also homes in the 10801 zip code tha... 10/31/2016

   It seems that I write a blog post each year on this very subject, but it always bears repeating! New Rochelle is so close to the city, and it is so representative of beautiful Tudor Homes, Colonial homes, Mediterraneans, Mid Century modern homes, ranches that it is always the perfect location for movies, commercials and television series. These past few weeks, we have seen trucks, excitement and many people filing on Broadview and Forest Avenues.  The name of the upcoming television series? “Thanksgiving.” Two guesses as to when it will be aired! Ha!  This particular TV series was filmed in both the Paine Heights area, and the Forest Heights area. I am privileged to have a listing in both of these areas. 229 Paine Avenue is a beautiful Georgian Colonial in the prestigious Paine Heigh... 10/31/2016

  The zip codes can be confusing when it comes to researching different Elementary schools, as the Trinity School is both in the 10801 and the 10805 zip codes. SO, rather than list by zip code, since there are 2 zip codes included, I thought to list this by Elementary School. Firstly, there were 33 sold homes sold in this area.  The least expensive home sold for $299,000 , and the most expensive home in this Elementary School  District sold at $1,550,000.  Why such a disparity?  This particular school district and zip codes cover the waterfront homes too. The average price per square foot was $288.53 and the average sales price to original list price was 96.84%. I had the pleasure of selling a waterfront home the other year at $2,350,000 (2010) , and another at $1,796,000 (2012).  Peopl... 10/31/2016

  As a member of both the Larchmont Chamber of Commerce and the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce I try to support  the local businesses as much I can. There are always conflicts in our daily schedules, but I was truly happy that I was able to pop into the Grand Opening of the Lombardi yesterday evening (albeit a little late!). Mayor Bramson attended the ribbon cutting event, and there was a wonderful open house yesterday. What is the Lombardi? It is a luxury rental building that is in easy walking distance to downtown New Rochelle, its fine restaurants and the trains. The building offers a European decor, and the apartments themselves are spacious, modern with granite counters, and great storage. The one bedroom units are  currently rented, but there are 2 bedroom units still available.... 10/31/2016

 I was privileged to stop by the Awards Ceremony the other week at New Rochelle High School. I am always so impressed by the dedication of our teachers, and the accomplishments of our students. 1)  Macaulay Honors College at Baruch City College – Valedictorian –  Actuarial Science –  2)  Yale –  Salutatorian –  History or Political Science or Philosophy –  3)  Georgetown University – Government –  4) City University of New York –  in the Sophie Davis Biomedical Education  Program 5)  Yale –  Global Affairs – Human Rights Lawyer –  6) Washington University in St. Louis Engineering. Bio-Medical Engineering/ Bio Informatics 7) Harvard  Mechanical Engineering 8) University of Texas at Austin 9)  Georgia Tech Chemical Engineering – 10)  M.I.T. Electrical Engineering & Computer Science 11)  C... 07/01/2016

   “La Feria de los Moles “Una breve Historia” “La feria” was created by Pedro Ramos, a native of Puebla, in October 2008. Peter, inspired by the great recipes from her grandmother Doña Kaelita, is spacious knows the unmistakable flavors of spices, since from his childhood he watched his grandmother preparing the main course of every party in his hometown. The “mole” of Dona Kaelita, was the recipe most requested by all the inhabitants of the region.” Yesterday, on May 15th at New Rochelle’s Library Plaza, the festival came to New Rochelle! I had appointments, and an open house, but I had to visit to have a small glimpse of the festivities! New Rochelle is GREAT! 05/16/2016

   Okay, to better explain, my pooch was found starving, close to death, his fur totally matted  on the streets. It took months to nurse him back to health, and he was still thin when we adopted him (he adopted us) 3 months later from the New Rochelle Humane Society (now called the Humane Society of Westchester). He was always afraid of men,  would bark, and I would take him to the dog park to help socialize him.  After now nearly 4 years,  he can actually play with other dogs and doesn’t see them as being menacing to him. However, some things do not go away. He is very protective of me, and so when the mailman comes, he will, of course, bark and growl..  It wasn’t a surprise to receive the card from the post office, it made me smile.. my mailman is afraid of my 22 lb pooch! Binky in Ga... 05/11/2016

   It is always interesting to learn how much a home sells for within a certain zip code, Elementary School District. I recently represented buyers on a simply grand property in New Rochelle’s Historic District , 44 Cortlandt Avenue. The home was formerly owned by world renowned actors, Philanthropists,  civil rights activists, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. Located on 1.29 of an acre of land, this 5642 square foot home sits upon a hill with wondrous winter views of the Long Island Sound. The new owners (and friends) are private people, as were the family. However, it was so nice to have witnessed the closing and the bonding that ensued. The children of Mr. Davis and Ms. Dee were gracious,  charming and trying to hold back the emotion of saying good bye to their home, and a lifetime of memor... 05/10/2016

Alvin & Friends serves delicious food, and such will be the case for Mother's Day - be it for the special Brunch of dinner. Alvin & Friends - located at 14 Memorial Highway, New Rochelle, 10801. Call - 914 654-6549 The Brunch is $49 and $20 for children under the age of 12 The Special Prix Fixe Dinner is $65New Rochelle is GREAT! 05/06/2016

I popped into Alvin & Friends to purchase a gift Certificate for friends, ( to celebrate a closing on a property they were purchasing), and felt compelled to write a post about this great restaurant! The restaurant features Contemporary cuisine with Southern & Caribbean flavors, and the reviews are always good! I noticed that this Friday they will be featuring "Gentle Ben's Trio" - Dean Torrey on bass, Aaron Seeber (host of the Jam Session at Smalls Jazz Club in NYC), Jazz Trombonist Ben Barnett and at 7:30 in the main dining room ... sounds wonderful! New Rochelle is GREAT! 05/06/2016

   What is an irrigation well? It is a wonderful green feature that some astute and intelligent home owners are utilizing.   It enables the home owner to collect water in a well, and to use that water for watering the lawn, plants, washing a car, and over time, the  initial outlay of cost will pay for itself.  The owners of 229 Paine Avenue decided to install an irrigation well in their backyard, and love it!  It collects and then pumps 55 gallons a minute (if required), and they will never be without water as a result of the installation. Perfect! New Rochelle is GREAT! 04/28/2016

  As a Realtor, it  has been my experience to find most people love central air conditioning. However, what people aren’t aware of, is that an inverter air conditioner offers energy saving features. Isn’t that what we should be seeking in today’s world? Per Wikipedia:  “An air conditioner inverter is used to control the speed of the compressor motor to drive variable refrigerant flow in an air conditioning system to regulate the conditioned-space temperature. By contrast, traditional air conditioners regulate temperature by using a compressor that is periodically either working at maximum capacity or switched off entirely. Inverter-equipped air conditioners have a variable-frequency drive that incorporates an adjustable electrical inverter to control the speed of the motor and thus the ... 04/28/2016

   April 16th was THE day! The New Rochelle Historical Society worked hard to produce the Thomas Paine Museum and Cottage Colonial Fair, and the hard work truly paid off! There were soldiers teaching the youngsters how to march (” Turn right, your other right!…”) ,  how to cook, how the blacksmiths worked so hard over the bellows and hot coals,  how to play  with the hobby horses, how to make candles….  a great learning experience for all who attended. Of course, there were some yummy foods to buy also such as hot dogs and hamburgers! New Rochelle is GREAT! 04/19/2016

   SO it’s time to sell your home! How do you prepare? How can you obtain the highest price possible for your home? When should you sell? Which season? With whom? Isn’t the summer time the best time when everything is in bloom? Your  house is THE best home on the block so shouldn’t  you  list it at the very highest price? These are natural thoughts that sellers have during the home selling process. Calling a Realtor while you are still contemplating the process is perhaps a good idea. What can a Realtor do on your behalf? When I am called in advance, I might suggest some repairs, perhaps suggest a pre-selling inspection so the home owner knows beforehand  the items to address within the home before it enters the market. Are all of your renovations legal? An agent can visit the village, ... 04/09/2016

    As a Certified Residential Specialist (only 3% of agents in the U.S.  hold this coveted designation), I was thrilled to be quoted in a NovemberDecember CRS Magazine article on selling Historic Homes, and then I was mentioned in the Sotheby’s November Press Clips. Oh my goodness!  I live in a wonderful city  with a wonderful Historic Area. Majestic homes were originally built in the turn of the century, and I wrote a blog post about same : http://larchmontandnewrochellenews.com/2012/07/02/historic-district-of-new-rochelle-original-homes-just-3-5000/ . Beautiful, large Victorian Homes, Tudor Homes and stately Colonial homes with their columns representing a bygone era.  So many of the homes have architectural details that you would never find in a modern home today,  and the elegant r... 12/11/2015

New Rochelle is known for having the best schools in the country and finding a home in this very desirable area can be very challenging. Coming soon to the market will be this gorgeously renovated 3000 square foot Colonial style home located in the Glenwood Lake section of New Rochelle. This home features a large living room with fireplace, completely updated modern kitchen, formal grand dining room, sun room, 4 huge bedrooms, 5 bathrooms and 2 car detached garage. New gas heating system and central air condition have been newly installed. Lovely landscaped corner property with yard great for family fun. If you are behind on mortgage payments or facing foreclosure, do not hesitate to call me, I can help.There are options available to help you stay in your home or if you are ready to sel... 12/02/2015

  It is always fun to watch some of the race each year. I decided this year not to stand at the start but rather as the race started, a little further down the trail..  a neighbor was playing the Rocky theme (always inspiring), and the runners cheered as they raced by.  My neighbor mentioned that when he had a marathon years ago,    he had heard it as he was crossing a bridge,and he enjoyed it so much,  and this was payback to his the neighborhood! I was thrilled to see some friends on their trek (Sarah, Nina, Rhiannon and Russell).. Oh the fun they all had! (As did my pooch, Binky..) Congratulations to you all. New Rochelle is GREAT! 10/07/2015

Bring this home to new splendor! Overview Maps Photos Description Market Stats $899,000 Single Family Home Main Features 4 Bedrooms3 BathroomsInterior: 2,900 sqftYear Built: 1925MLS #: 4542193 Location 15 Ranger PlaceNew Rochelle, NY 10804USA Margarita A Kocovic Keller Williams Realty Group(914) 879-9372Margarita@MargaritaHOMES.comhttp://www.MargaritaHOMES.com         Listed by: Keller Williams Realty Group Our recent listings Bring this home to new splendor!Picture Perfect Colonial to fall in love withPerfect 4 bedroom colonial to enjoy peaceful moments and entertaining!Dreams Do Come TrueLuxury Living at the Lake Subscribe to our listing feed Nearby properties for sale 10/02/2015