Having a property professionally prepared for sale (a.k.a. "Staging") guarantees nothing. Staging a property is the proverbial third leg of the stool, support for both a seller who is ready and willling to do what it takes, and an agent who has diligently priced and will appropriately market a property. This house was a contemporary colonial in a lovely area, it had a lot going for it. But the Master Bath was firmly wedged in the 1980s, and was bringing the perceived value of the property down. We did a lot of work on it, here is the room I am the proudest of. An over-the top pink fest, complete with mauve double tub, commode and sinks, shiny brass fixtures and trim, the goal was to neutralize as much of the pink as possible, for the least amount of money. And ohyes, quickly. We picked ... 05/23/2012

Westchester NY  can be a bit like New York City in that you never really know what you are going to see.  I was on a very unassuming street in an almost industrial area.  Hardly the place one would expect to meet a vintage Packard.  But there it was – taking in the bright rays of the sun.    I admit that I was afraid to approach this noble vehicle with my lowly camera.  But the richly colored vintage car was very gracious and accommodating.  Obviously accustomed to the attention that it attracted, the car posed for its photo-shoot without complaint. Polite, confident and elegant and definitely unique.  This car was not just an eye-turner – it had real class.   There are a couple of local  vintage car shows coming up in the area.  One in Mamaroneck, the other in Connecticut. Depending on... 05/21/2012

Warm and inviting 780 sq. ft. one bedroom coop featuring 6 GREAT closets, eat-in kitchen, dining area, large, sunny living room with shutters. Nice layout, new stove and freshly painted! Don't forget the unassigned parking too. The complex boasts a playground, basketball court, gym, laundry, bike & storage room as well as a fountain & fish pond! Cable & FIOS ready. Maintenance with the STAR deduction is just $590.54 a month. Easy access to the trains, fine dining, entertainment in the village & close to the harbor and New York City. Welcome home. 706 Palmer Court, #2C is being offered at $128,000. Mamaroneck is GREAT! 05/19/2012

  Cheers! Mamaroneck's 6th Annual Wine Tasting Tour, Sunday, May 6th 1-5 p.m. Being organized by the Mamaroneck Chamber of Commerce, this upcoming Sunday, May 6th, Mamaroneck will have its 6th Annual " A Taste of Mamaroneck" Wine Tasting Tour from 1-5 p.m. Tickets are just $50 per person, and the tour will commence at 1 p.m. when trolley (yes, a trolley!) will leave Harbor Island Park in Mamaroneck, and make a delectable and delicious tour of the following restaurants : Lum Yen, Zitoune, Gusano Loco, Spicy Shallot 2, Turkish Meze, Vinefera, Piri-Q, Roasted Peppers, Café Mozart, Boiano Bakery, Chocolations, Westchester Sandbox Theatre, Sound Shore Liquor Pantry, Haiku, Hash O Nash & Enzo’s. Bring your appetites, have some fun and enjoy!Visit their website or contact the Chamber office a... 05/01/2012

Selecting carpet for your home in Mamaroneck NY has never been easier...now, you can Shop at Home for your carpeting in Westchester NY. Have you ever gone to a carpet store and just felt lost and overwhelmed?  Sometimes, there are so many options that you don't even know where to start.  Sometimes, you may go into a store and find so many choices that you leave more confused than you felt when you entered?  How do you know what's the best type of carpet for your home in Mamaroneck NY?  What's the right one for your budget?  And, what's the right color? We make shopping for carpeting fun and easy. Everything starts with the area you are looking to carpet.  Is it for a bedroom or a lviing room or a family room or basement or the step?  Different rooms require different types of carpeting.... 03/25/2012

  Most Holy Trinity Church in Mamaroneck is having its annual spring spectacular next week.  This is a great event with something for everyone for the entire family. The Time: March 31 from 4-6:30 PM April 1 from 8-2 PMThe Place:  Most Holy Trinity Church – 320 E. Boston Post Rd.  Mamaroneck NY. The Event Includes:  Chocolates by Chocolations Flowers and Palm Crosses by Mangones Farm Market Activities for children Handcrafted knits Home made baked goods Raffles, fun and fellowship! Sponsors include: Chocolations E. Nopi Learning Center JW Tumbles © 2012 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestchesterview.com – all rights reserved.   Westchester Events – Most Holy Trinity Spring Spectacular 03/22/2012

Are you looking to sand and refinish hardwood floors in Mamaroneck NY?   It's amazing what a difference refinishing your hardwood flooring can make.  Your floors will look brand new and you even have the option to change the color.  You can go light, dark, mid tones, or red tones. It can really give your home (or room) a whole new look.   If you have hardwood underneath your carpets, we can restore the beauty of the hardwood underneath. It's amazing what a big difference this can make in your home.  And, believe it or not, it is usually less expensive to refinish your floors than to recarpet.  Refinishing your wood floors will also improve your home's value and it will be easier to clean and maintain.   At Floor Coverings International, we are a shop at home service.  We will bring the ... 02/05/2012

Here's the 15th installment of some of my older flooring posts (these are from October - November 2011). At the end of this post I've added links to previous ones , in case you missed them or want to bookmark them. 1.  If you're going to sell your home in a few years, now is a great time to upgrade your flooring.  Afterall, why should the new buyer get all the benefits? 2.  Carpet runners for steps - video - Yes, this is me in the video 3.  When installing hardwood flooring, don't underestimate the importance of the subfloor.  The flooring is only as good as the subfloor underneath. 4.  Water based vs. oild based polyurethane:  Which is better for refinishing floors?  Some info many homeowners don't know about. 5.  Why some of my competition is pushing water based polyurethane.  I never... 12/21/2011

The Council of the Arts and the newly rebuilt Mamaroneck Library have teamed up to host a holiday Arts & Crafts fair tomorrow – Dec. 10th.  The Council of the Arts has been making a concerted effort  to promote local artists. Their new logo…LOLA (Love Our Local Artists) pretty much says it all.  There has been a major outreach to local artists and the response has been amazing – with local artists all vying for a table at this fair.   This is a great way to experience what local artists have to offer and to get to know your community.  There are 38 vendors of which over 20 are local.  Items for sale will range from the very affordable ($3) to high-end paintings for over $1000.  There is literally something for everyone – including the family pet. I’m sure the gift ideas alone will be tr... 12/09/2011

I was showing a home in Mamaroneck. 10543 this evening, and low  and behold (hey, it is a Sunday) -  what a beautiful sunset! The sky was aflame with red and orange hues..... it was simply lovely. It was really nice after a busy day, to be able to take a moment and to enjoy the vista of the local area... take a deep breath, and as Joe Kenny would say "Life is good!" Westchester is great! 11/13/2011

  Mamaroneck NY has been growing in leaps and bounds when it comes to boutiques, fine dining and specialty shops.  Among some of the newcomers to the area is Chocolations – located on East Boston Post Rd in Mamaroneck.  In fact they just had their first birthday this week! Congratulations Chocolations and Maria Valente for having a successful first year!    I had heard the “buzz” about Chocolations  for months -  filled with specialty chocolates – it is Westchester’s own  chocolate factory.    I admit to being more than a tad worried about venturing into such an establishment.  We all have our weaknesses.  For some its alcohol – for me its chocolate.  So it seemed inconceivable that I would manage to leave without gaining at least 10 lbs! Well – it was well worth the trip.  The chocolat... 09/28/2011

PAINTING? Why Color Is NOT Your Biggest Decision (VOC's: What They Are, And Why You Should Care)   This IS a long post. It came from my not finding this info in any other one place.  For you and your family's health and well-being, please take the time to read it once, and of course please share with anyone else you know who's about to paint.   If you're thinking about doing some painting around the house, you have a bigger decision to make other than color. Not what you'd expect to hear from a Decorator and Stager, but it's true. Good news, it's an easy decision. "VOC" entered most of our consciousness about 6 or 7 years ago, primarily as in paints that were marketed as low-to-no VOC. You may even know VOC = Volatile Organic Compounds, or that low to no VOCs have fewer fumes. At an AIA... 09/03/2011

Can you save your carpet after a flood in your basement?  Mamaroneck NY 10543. After the most recent storm, Irene did a number on a lot of the homes in Mamaroneck NY as well as many other areas in Westchester including Larchmont, Rye, Scarsdale, Rye Brook, Dobbs, Ferry, Chappaqua & Mt Kisco.  Needless to say, we've gotten a bunch of phone inquiries on what to do. If there is major flooding and you need to get the water out, you should be calling a restoration company such as Servpro (914-699-5181).  But, if the damage is minor (e.g. just a little bit of leaking water on the carpet), you may be able to save the carpet and avoid needing to replace it. On Sunday, I got a call from a customer in Scarsdale.  We've done 2 jobs for him (and are about to do a 3rd).  His damage was only minor, s... 08/31/2011

Are you looking for flooring for your Westchester home in Mamaroneck NY 10543? We know there are many choices..and sometimes the process can feel overwhelming. Whether you're looking for hardwood floors, tile, carpet, laminate flooring, or if you just want to refinish your hardwood floors, Floor Coverings International can help make the process fun and simple. We are a shop at home service. Our tagline is "We bring the store your door." This is important because first, you can see the colors in your lighting and color coordinate with paint color, cabinets and furniture. Second, it allows us to provide a true estimate for you. And, third, of course it is more convenient this way. We provide guidance - Which is the best type of flooring for your environment and your budget? We'll help exp... 08/29/2011

Did your basement flood from the most recent storm in Westchester NY?  Many low lying areas of Westchester, got hit hard, including Mamaroneck, Rye, Scarsdale, Bronxville, Larchmont, New Rochelle, Dobbs Ferry, Mt Kisco, Peekskill .  We've had a lot of customers calling due to drenched carpets.  And, if you don't remove them soon enough, they really start to smell...and if they sit too long they could develop that forbidden word...mold.  Yuck! Sometimes, the water damage is covered by insurance, especially if it was due to an electrical failure.  Usually, the insurance will compensate you for replacement value of what you had.  We've had many customers who were so disgusted by the smell and ordeal associated with flooded carpets, that sometimes, they just never want to go back.  Instaed... 08/29/2011

BLOCK PARTY!!!   Thursday, August 18 2011, 7:00pm - 11:00pm   Join the fun! Come share a lovely evening in the heart of beautiful Mamaroneck Village. Enjoy the breeze off the LI Sound as you stroll the open streets (closed to vehicle traffic), visit our local eateries and shops, and enjoy the music and entertainment. The event is sponsored by MAMARONECK SHARES, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting local charities. There will be games, face painting and fun for children of all ages, all to benefit At home on the Sound (assisting our senior community), Keep aBreast (a local chapter of Susan G. Komen For the Cure), Mamaroneck EMS (our volunteer ambulance corp) and the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. FREE ADMISSION! Location : 200 through 400 Mamaroneck Avenue, Mamaroneck NYC... 08/09/2011

Are you looking for tile flooring and installation for your home in Mamaroneck NY? Whether it’s a kitchen floor, bathroom floors and walls, an entry way or mudroom, or even a Kitchen tile backsplash,we can help you at Floor Coverings International. We understand that it can be challenging to find the right type of tile for your floors, walls and backsplashes. What’s the right type of tile – ceramic, porcelain, tumbled natural stone, marble or granite? What’s the best style and color? What types are easiest to clean. Many customers seemed to get overwhelmed when they visit a tile store. Well here’s where we can help. Floor Coverings International makes it simple by “bringing the store to your door.” That way, you can see the samples in your own lighting and color coordinate with your ca... 05/20/2011

It was a long, cold winter and very few buyers were out during the first quarter of 2011.  If we weren’t having our weekly Noreaster – we were digging out of one.  So Larchmont homes for sale tended to stay on the market longer than they did last year.  The Larchmont NY housing market is a tale of two markets.  Strangely some of the statistics are counter intuitive and I will explain why  the raw numbers don’t tell the entire story.  However, it is apparent that the single family home market in Larchmont NY continues to recover while the cooperative market is still languishing. Although the Larchmont PO does have condominiums – the sales volume was too low for me to draw conclusions from.  Feel free to contact me for further information on condominiums. Larchmont NY Single Family Homes... 05/19/2011

Having featured the Hudson River and surrounds, I decided to pull a photo from the Long Island Sound side of the Westchester NY.  Larchmont NY sits on the Long Island Sound and boasts wonderful views of the  water.  My father was a long-time resident of Larchmont NY and both he and I enjoyed walking in Manor Park.  I took this picture on a midsummer afternoon in 2009.  It was warm but not stifling and the good thing about being on the Long Island Sound is that there is always a nice breeze.   Manor Park is actually a private park that residents of Larchmont Manor have generously kept open for the residents and guests.  It is opened from dawn until dusk and many come to enjoy this wonderfully maintained space.  Like the River Walk – it is a focal point that has taken hold with the resid... 05/11/2011

Here is a Westchester event that should be on almost everyone’s calendar.  Most Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Mamaroneck is hosting a Spring Spectacular fund raiser which should be fun for young and old alike. When? Sat April 16th – 4-7 PM & Sun April 17th 9-2PM Where? Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church – 320 E. Boston Post Rd., Mamaroneck NY Activities for children will include face painting and a personal visit from the Easter Bunny.   For the adults there will be handcrafted knits and homemade baked goods. Including…. Chocolates by Chocolations. 607 E. Boston Post Rd. – Mamaroneck Flowers and Palm Crosses from Mangones Farmers Market – 1427 E. Boston Post Rd. Mamaroneck Specialty Cakes from ABC Cakes NY. Mamaroneck Raffle Prizes: Cafe Mozart – 308 Mamaroneck Ave. – Mamaroneck ... 04/12/2011