The Inwood Journal

Vonage: Switch for Savings, Stay for Service

2009-03-27T09:43:00.000-04:00

Let me tell you a quick, true story about my phone company. I had previously dealt with them via email and their website. But now I had a problem that needed a live person. Frankly, after years of un-service from the likes of Verizon and AT&T, I dreaded the call.

I dialed the number for service -- expecting to be shunted to a call-center in Bangladesh -- and was greeted by a recording that asked me to wait a minute then put me on hold. Bad start, right? Wrong! Great start! Less than 10 seconds later, another recording said "I see you're having trouble porting your old phone number. Let me transfer you to someone who can help."

Without further ado -- and without endless requests to identify myself, give my mother's maiden name, social security number, and the number I was calling from -- Rick in New Jersey said "Hello," accessed my records, and discussed the problem, incidentally not of their making. Rick explained the problem and took responsibility for it, telling me what he'd do and what steps to take if his solution didn't work.

Rick's efforts solved the problem. I never called back to thank him, so Rick, if you're out there, a big thanks for your help.

Oh, and the name of the phone company that uses intelligent systems and intelligent service representatives? VONAGE!

I switched to Vonage three or four months ago, porting two numbers and acquiring a third for fax service. The "installation" couldn't have been simpler, with custom Vonage adapters integrating easily with my existing computer network straight out of the box.

I love the "extra" features included in the service -- stuff like caller ID and call forwarding I call "extras" because I used to pay extra to have them. With Vonage, they're included, more extensive, and easily managed online through their website.

And the sound quality, which I can adjust from normal to higher to highest, according to how much bandwidth I can spare, beats my old POTS (plain old telephone service) hands down at all settings!

Oh yeah, and did I mention all the money I'm saving? At Vonage you'll switch for the savings and stay for the service!

Quality Inn, Boca Raton, FL: Dirty, Buggy, Smokey, Bad Wi-Fi, TV

2009-02-01T21:16:00.001-05:00

Dirty. It's possible that our room at the Quality Inn in Boca Raton, FL was dirty because the housekeeper misunderstood our instructions. We asked that the room be prepared without air fresheners or perfumed cleaners. Instead, it probably wasn't cleaned at all, since the bathroom floor was sticky with urine and the sink handle and spout were caked with shaving cream. Rather than deal with more "misunderstandings," we cleaned it ourselves.

Buggy. We also exterminated the tiny ants (or termites) that infested the sink the next day and the chest of drawers across the room, the day after. That seemed safer than counting on dirty housekeepers to bid the bugs be gone.

Cramped. Ours was supposedly a "deluxe" room with a king bed and a queen, instead of two queens. Compared to rooms at about the same rate in Best Western and Hampton Inn hotels, it felt a little cramped, but that was OK. The microwave worked, as did the refrigerator, although it hadn't been defrosted in ages.

Smokey. What wasn't OK was the pervasive odor of tobacco smoke. It was ostensibly a non-smoking room, but it obviously had been used by a smoker. The stale odor of smoke attacked us every time we entered to the room. The staff smoked, too, which is probably why they also allowed guests to smoke in the corridors and close to the building.

Iffy Wi-Fi. The inn had two unsecured wi-fi networks, both with weak signals in our location, but they worked -- most of the time. Sometimes they just shut down. Sometimes they logged us off and couldn't be reacquired without rebooting our laptop. Sometimes they worked all day. Their wi-fi was administered by an off site provider whom we were supposed to contact about problems. Sure...

No TV, No Gym. And the TV didn't work. But we were too busy cleaning, exterminating and tinkering with the wi-fi to watch TV anyway. There was no exercise room.

Positives. The plumbing worked, the staff was OK, the beds were clean and firm, and the a/c and heating unit was fine. The inn looks trim from the outside, and the rooms had been recently painted. We didn't try the pool, which looked clean, or the continental breakfast. The price was moderate, but the larger, newer, upscale Boca Raton Plaza Hotel & Suites next door cost no more.

Best Western University Inn, Boca Raton, Fl -- Don't Go There

2009-01-24T09:16:00.000-05:00

Boca Raton, FL. January 24, 2009. Normally, we stay at Best Western or Hilton's Hampton Inn hotels. The level of amenities suits us, as does the price. And we like the points and discounts in their travel clubs. We always book well in advance since we need to arrange our work schedules early, too.

Just before we travel, we always call to confirm our reservation and make sure our no-smoking room will have the features we need (microwave, refrigerator, hi-speed Internet) and be prepared without perfumed sprays and chemicals. An allergic outbreak can ruin a vacation.

Our early booking, pre-travel confirmation procedure has ensured many flawless vacations from Maine to California and lots of points in between. But it failed miserably at the Best Western University Inn in Boca Raton, Florida. Maybe because the property is undergoing a renovation which will be completed in early February; maybe because Mark, the Manager had a fight with his wife.

When we called a week before traveling to review the features and preparation, the desk clerk confirmed our reservation at $135/night, but said it was not possible to prepare the room non-allergenically.

We asked to speak with the Manager. Mark came on the line and softened "not possible" to something like we can try, but won't guarantee success. He said "We use Best Western supplied cleaning materials. They may not work for you." And besides, "We're undergoing renovation and the dust might bother you." We said we'd cope with the dust (they're finishing some exterior work) if he'd make sure the room was prepared without perfumed chemicals.

We had a grudging "deal," although we really wondered why we had to coach a manager to treat us like guests.

Then we got to price. We'd booked at $135/night and noticed that Best Western on their own website was offering and had the same rooms available at $112/night. We didn't ask him to match the new low price, just to "do better."

Mark, the Manager, went ballistic. No, no and no was his response. "Cancel," he said, "and take your chances booking on the web." We suggested that was inconvenient and pointless. He agreed and told us to book instead "across the street at the Quality Inn." He said he was refusing to serve us.

Maybe the renovation dust had gotten under Mark's skin. Maybe the pressure from the home office to hold the line on prices made him surly. Maybe Mark's just a rotten manager.

Whatever Mark's problem, we think you should think twice about patronizing the Best Western University Inn in Boca Raton, Florida. Even at reduced-again website prices of $81 for weekday nights and $90 for Saturday and Sunday. There's no price low enough to compensate for abuse from Mark and his surly staff.

Steaksmith at El Gancho Restaurant in Santa Fe

2009-01-02T07:35:00.004-05:00

How good is Steaksmith? It's so good that on a recent two-week visit to Santa Fe, my wife and I squeezed in 10 terrific dinners at the Steaksmith at El Gancho Restaurant in Santa Fe, NM.

Why?

Because I like a variety of dishes, from steaks, to seafood, to pasta, to veggies, and I like them fresh, elegantly prepared, and cooked just as long as necessary, but not longer. Rare needs to be pink-red; vegetables crisp; pasta al dente. Steaksmith never missed! Oh, and the drinks were hearty, and the table wines actually satisfying.

But the harder one to please in my family is my wife. Although she's even more of a foodhound than me, life cast her a dirty turn when she developed interstitial cystitis, generally described as a bladder condition, which severely limits her choice of food. No spices, no citrus, no tomatoes, no alcohol, no sauces, etc. Finding a restaurant with fresh, individually prepared, tasty servings for a limited palate is a major challenge!

At Steaksmith, manager Tupper Schoen, and on his day off, partner Tom Vimont, made it seem, well, like a piece of cake. He and the courteous and attentive wait staff, most of whom have been with Steaksmith for years, made sure my wife's food was separately prepared in the kitchen and served up just as she likes/needs it, and attractively, too. As her official taster, I can vouch for the fact that Steaksmith can make the plainest foods look and taste delicious!

Steaksmith is 10 or 15 minutes out of town, where they were initially located and flourished as an elegant, downtown steak and seafood restaurant. The move, about 20 years ago, to El Gancho, proved a wise business decision. The atmosphere is still inviting and cozy, the food still superb, but the prices, compared to restaurants in the heart of Santa Fe, are downright inexpensive.

The only thing wrong with Steaksmith is that we couldn't take it home with us.

Check out the menu and amenities on their website: http://www.santafesteaksmith.com/

And be sure to make a reservation. The locals love this place.

Cutting the Library Budget Makes the Community Bleed

2008-12-29T11:47:00.003-05:00

If you haven't been to your library recently, you probably don't know it's not just about books.

Sure, libraries still have books, magazines, and periodicals as in the "old days," but they also have large collections of music on CD, books on CD (maybe still some on tape), and movies on DVD. Most also serve downloads of audio books and eBooks from their websites. And all it takes is a library card to borrow any of these items!

Libraries have more than kept up with the changing times. Librarians today still direct folks to printed material for research, but more often to Internet resources. And they don't just use computers, they also teach folks to use them for searching, email, word processing, etc.

And did I mention that most libraries, besides providing free wireless access for those who bring their laptops, also provide dozens of well-maintained, modern, Internet-connected computers for people to use free?

Now that was just about resources. Then there's programs. Libraries have always sponsored speeches, poetry readings, book groups, concerts, movie screenings and other events. But they also run employment workshops, provide homework help, have fun activities for children, teach English as a second language classes, etc.

But don't take my word for it. Visit the website of your local library to see what's there. Here's the website of mine, the White Plains Library: http://www.wppl.lib.ny.us/

Oh, and if you're planning to visit the library in person, maybe you'd better call ahead. With budget cuts taking effect nationwide, you may not find them open or providing the service you want when you need it.

Strong libraries build strong communities. Cutting the library budget drains the community's lifeblood. In difficult times, we can do without water in the fountain, but not without library services.

Silks by Dick Francis

2008-12-10T20:43:00.002-05:00

Silks is the latest in a long series of books by Dick Francis that revolve around the world of -- mostly British -- horse racing. It is the third after the death of his wife, and the second written with his son, Felix Francis, whom Dick rescued from teaching physics.

The title is a double-entendre, referring to the silks worn by jockeys and the silks worn by barristers. Silks' hero is a barrister whose particular pleasure in life, especially after his wife's death, is amateur racing. Geoffrey Mason owns and successfully rides his own steeplechase horse.

The prose is pedantic and prosaic at times, especially when describing the mechanics of racing and the world of British law, but after a slow start, the plot races ever faster, involving beatings, murder, a vicious villain, a slow-burning love interest, and a barrister hero.

This is not the scampering, easy-going jocular Dick Francis of yore, but it's a good airplane read. With Ed McBain gone and Robert Parker doddering, Francis' fodder is better than none.

Power Home Painting and Washing

2006-05-15T14:35:00.000-04:00

Rodney Dangerfield -- who sold aluminum siding before making it in comedy -- knows what it's like to do home painting and power washing. To paraphrase Rodney, "You don't get no respect." That's because home and business owners see the clean, attractive result not the workmanship that produced it.

Micheal Lessa and cousin Nick Lessa, who own and operate Power Home Painting and Washing in Mamaroneck, NY, say before and after pictures, testimonials, and referrals all help, but it's their free consultations that dispel the "no respect" image. Their pitch? It takes more than quality products, professional skills, and state-of-the-art equipment to achieve dramatic, long-lasting results. It takes the hands-on, on-site management at which the Lessas excel. And it's their skilled management that brings every job in on-time, on-budget, and at reasonable prices.

Licensed and insured and with more than fifteen years experience, Micheal and Nick offer their Westchester, Rockland and Putnam County neighbors not just interior and exterior painting and power washing, but also deck staining and repair, driveway sealing and patching, skylight and gutter cleaning, landscape clearing, and property management as well. Micheal says "No job is too big or too small. We do it all."

That's Power Home Painting and Washing: They do it all -- and get respect, too.

Back in Brandywine, DE

2006-05-01T10:21:00.001-04:00

Everyone's idea of heaven is a little different. Mine includes bright sunny days in the 60s with blue skies, fresh green leaves, and a profusion of color from trees in blossom and flowers wakening. We found a piece of heaven in the Brandywine Valley last week, where Spring had just arrived at Longwood Gardens, near Philadelphia (photo left). We returned home to White Plains to find another piece of heaven in the park (photo right) which is part of our cooperative development. It doesn't get much better than this!

Poor WiFi Service
Our Brandywine trip had only two downsides. The first seems to be endemic to Best Western Hotels equipped with WiFi. We stayed, as usual, at the Best Western Brandywine Valley Inn , booking the same suite we'd enjoyed before. Like the WiFi in the Best Western in Escondido, CA in February, the WiFi here was Willful and Finicky. But the worst of it is that, here too, the hotel doesn't take ownership. If the microwave were on the fritz, they'd send up a replacement. If the toilet malfunctioned, they'd send up a plumber. But when the WiFi connection is non-existent to lousy, they tell you to call the outside provider. In Escondido, it was Speedlinks whose service desk was next to useless. In Brandywine, it was GuestLinX whose internet access varies in speed, in quality, and in availability. To make matters worse, the telephone line dataports (for dial-up access) are no longer working. This traveler thinks: don't advertise high-speed internet access unless you have it; and if you offer it, train your personnel to deal with the problems.

Chadds Ford Inn
Once upon a time, the Chadds Ford Inn restaurant on Route 1 near Longwood Gardens was our favorite restaurant, bar none. In July 2005, we found it greatly changed for the worse and counseled avoidance in droves. This trip, we found it being renovated by the landlord, who, if the prominent "For Lease" sign can be believed, is looking for a tenant. Hopefully, there's an enterprising and talented restaurateur willing to recapture the Chadds Ford's 200-year tradition of great service and fine dining.

Feby's Fishery
We know two local restaurateurs who could do it. Our first candidate is the DiFebo family, who own and operate Feby's Fishery at 3701 Lancaster Pike in Wilmington, DE. We found Feby's on our last trip and enjoyed them again this time. Feby's, in business since 1974, is a family operation, including an attached fresh seafood market. We think prices are a little higher (around $60 for two with cocktails) and the selection a little thinner since last July, but we're not surprised. Great seafood, service and modest prices translate into a full house at every sitting. Reservations recommended for weekend evenings.

Pescatores Restaurant
Our other candidate for the Inn is Enzo, with 35 years experience, the owner of the relatively new Pescatores Restaurant (1810 Wilmington Pike, Glen Mills, PA) and the nearby, longer established Enzo's Italian Eatery (1400 Wilmington Pike, West Chester, PA), both near Route 1. We haven't sampled the fare at Enzo's, although we see good ratings online. We enjoyed Pescatores twice, both times getting excellent seafood, prepared Italian style of course, plenty of it (plan to take some home), and reasonable prices ($45-60 for two with cocktails). This is an up and comer with a staff trained to entice you back. Ask about Happy Hour half-price drinks and appetizers. Speaking of which, I had a broccoli rabe entree masquerading as a half-price appetizer -- perfetto!

Franklin at the Constitution
This Brandywine vacation was initially motivated by a desire to take in the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Exhibit, which was at the National Constitution Center until a few days ago. Now on its way to Paris via St. Louis, Houston, Denver, Atlanta, the exhibit was a blast. There was a lot wrong with it -- too hot, timed tickets, noisy class-trip crowds, noisy exhibits, too little floor space. But who cares? The interactive exhibits aimed at younger Franklin fans were clever, educational, and, judging by the kids we saw, great fun. The attraction for older sophisticates was the artifacts, including Ben's copy of the Constitution with his hand-written marginalia, a first edition copy of Poor Richard's Almanack, his armonica, etc., and the intelligent, comprehensive portrayal of the many aspects of Franklin's genius. If this exhibit comes your way -- in fact, if you have to go out of your way -- see it. You won't be sorry.

Wyeth Triple-Header
Motived by Franklin, this trip became an Andrew Wyeth extravaganza. We never miss an opportunity to visit the Brandywine River Museum, which has fabulous permanent collections of about 40 Andrew Wyeth paintings, 40 more of Andrew's father and mentor, N.C. Wyeth, and another gallery of paintings by Wyeth family members including Jamie Wyeth, Carolyn Wyeth, Henriette Wyeth, and by Peter Hurd and John McCoy, who studied under N.C. Wyeth. The Museum also sponsors tours of N.C. Wyeth's house and studio, and of the Kuerner farm, which Andrew often paints. This trip we enjoyed an additional exhibit Andrew Wyeth: Master Drawings from the Artist's Collection, which features amazing pencil and charcoal drawings and sketches, most of which were studies for full-scale paintings.

The Brandywine River Museum look at how Wyeth works and thinks was bolstered by another exhibit, Andrew Wyeth: Memory and Magic, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA). The PMA exhibit includes about 100 tempera paintings, watercolors, and drawings, many from the artist's collection, which illustrate his creative process. Wyeth thinks like a poet and edits like a writer. The descriptive wall-captions were fairly direct and informative, but we found the free audio tour haughty, presumptious and superflous. Interesting side note: the PMA's "Wyeth Store" includes large, ready-to-hang, plaque-mounted posters of some of Wyeth's famous paintings for only $42. We picked up a print of one our favorites, Wind from the Sea, painted in 1947.

The third leg of our Wyeth triple was the exhibit Something Waits Beneath It: Early Work by Andrew Wyeth, 1939- 1969 at the Delaware Art Museum. The exhibit comprises about 30 early water-color and tempera paintings from both Maine (Wyeth's longtime summer residence) and Brandywine, and about a dozen letters to family friends illustrated with water-color and ink sketches. A rare look at the way a great artist thinks made even more fun by the newly-renovated building whose entrance is a massive Dale Chihuly installation he calls Persian Window. The Chihuly alone is worth the visit. All three Wyeth exhibits continue through July 16, 2006. Enjoy!

The Day Lincoln Was Shot

2006-03-02T19:53:00.000-05:00

I read The Day Lincoln was Shot when it was first published in 1955. It was one of my first "adult" books, and I remember it as a good read, although a lot of it was probably over my head at the time. I've just read it again in a Recorded Books edition, read by one of my favorite narrators, Nelson Runger.

The Day Lincoln was Shot is deservedly called a classic. It's good history built up painstakingly from original source material. Good dramatization a la McCullough, Goodwin, and Morris. And good, lively prose liberally sprinkled with sparkling poetic imagery. In short, it's still a good read a half-century later.

This is not a book about Lincoln or Booth or the other actors in the drama, nor even about America at the crossroads of its adolescence and The Emancipation Proclamation. Rather, it's about all of that as it would have been seen by a sensitive observer, a dispassionate journalist, who knew the people and the times.

If the book has a fault, it's that it spends a lot of time on Lincoln's dreams and premonitions of assassination. As a psychologist and student of history, I know that it was proper, even fashionable, in 19th century America to give credence to the "unconscious" products of the mind. Still it's hard to reconcile Bishop's fastidious separation of facts from speculation with his reporting of Lincoln's dreams as a matters of fact.

That quibble aside, I can only wish Jim Bishop had gone on to treat of Grant, Stanton, Booth and the other characters and events with he knew so well.

General George Washington: A Military Life

2006-02-19T14:08:00.000-05:00

Edward G. Lengel's title -- General George Washington: A Military Life -- belies his thesis. He sees Washington as a great leader who led a military life, but wasn't a particularly convincing military leader.

The Luck of the Brave.
A lot of factors contributed to Washington's eventual victory over the British. Certainly there was luck, as when a pea soup fog covered an inglorious retreat from Brooklyn Heights. And then there was luck compounded with pigheaded bravery. Washington repeatedly led battles by example, dodging bullets with a charmed impunity.

The Luck of the Howes.
Early on there was the luck of having in the Howe brothers opponents who fought in style. The Howes not only followed the 17th century rules of engagement, allowing the crude Continentals to better them by dint of cunning and persistence, but enjoyed long winters off in New York, dallying with the ladies while Washington reconstituted his spent forces, recruiting and training fresh armies.

French Luck.
Later, particularly at the decisive battle of Yorktown, there was the luck of the French -- thanks to years of importuning by Franklin -- who ignored Washington's ill-conceived plan to attack New York City, and engineered and powered the siege and victory at Yorktown.

A Few Good Men.
And besides luck, there was the power of a few good men. Loyal and capable leaders like Green and Knox somehow made up for a host of listless laggards. And more amazingly, the empowering determination of a small number of patriots fighting for the liberty of their families and country overcame the world's most professional army under conditions of hapless privation.

The Great Leader.
Of course, there was Washington the administrator, Washington the politician, and Washington the leader of men. Without Washington's tireless concern for his troops, tireless and skillful politicking of Congress and the local Governors for men, munitions, and money, and his tireless, micromanagement of administrative details, the war could never have been won. He was a great leader, just not much of a military tactician.

Father not King.
Most amazing of all was not that Washington somehow won the war, but that he kept his eye on the prize -- liberty. He could easily have been not the Father of His Country, but its first Dictator. He had the power during the Revolutionary War, but never abused it. He had the power as a first President without precedents, but relinquished it. Our freedom is a lasting tribute to his greatness!

The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr

2006-02-10T09:09:00.000-05:00

Books by accomplished journalists, and second books by best-selling authors are sometimes edited more lightly than others. The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece by Jonathan Harr is such a book. Harr's second book -- his first was the 1997 chart-topper, A Civil Action -- is a good book that could have been great.

Misplaced Caravaggio.
The Lost Painting is the true story of the discovery of Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ, a powerful work executed for the patrician Mattei family of Rome in 1602. Later misattributed to Gerrit van Honthorst, a Dutch follower of Caravaggio, it was sold in 1802 to Scotsman William Hamilton Nisbet, in whose home it hung until 1921, when it went to auction and "disappeared".

Found and Restored.
The Lost Painting is principally the story of Sergio Benedetti, an Italian art restorer working at the National Gallery of Ireland, who recognized the painting in the Dublin home of some Jesuit priests; of Francesca Cappelletti, an art student who uncovered new information about its provenance in the Mattei family archives; and of Dennis Mahon, the eminent British art historian who guided both. It includes masterful "flashbacks" that bring Caravaggio, the bad-boy genius of the seicento, colorfully to life. And it explores without technicality the process of restoring an old masterpiece.

Hard Story to Write.
Jonathan Harr tells this fascinating tale in clear, uncomplicated prose (I listened to the unabridged audio edition narrated by Campbell Scott). But the book is slow to get underway -- Harr's hard start should have been expunged at Random House -- and bogs down frequently in picayune personal details that don't develop the characters or the story. More troublesome is Harr's inability to clearly distinguish hard facts from suppositional fiction. Harr needs to go to school to McCullough, Morris, or Goodwin to see how to write history that reads like a novel. Russell Shorto's The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan, the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America proves a journalist can do it.

Focus, Focus, Focus.
Harr spent a lot of time writing The Lost Painting, learning art history and Italian in the process. But he spent too much time with the "characters" he likes, particularly Francesca, and not enough with those he doesn't, like the more important Sergio. The Lost Painting is a good book that could have been great had Harr kept his distance from the characters and got closer to his editor.

Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times

2006-02-05T15:05:00.000-05:00

H. W. Brands' new book, Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times, gives Jackson a full and sympathetic treatment that firmly places him in the pantheon of great Americans, but not on the same footing as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson.

A Rousing Read
Brands, whose story-telling skills have increased with each outing -- his last was the well-received The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin -- paints Jackson's rough and tumble biography in lively, sometimes inspiring prose that makes this long book an easy read. (I listened to it in the unabridged audio version narrated by John H. Mayer.) He's quick to credit Jackson for his two best traits -- an unwavering belief in participatory democracy, and an unshakeable devotion to the American union. But he doesn't flinch when calling out Jackson for small-minded and unprincipled behavior.

Pugnacious War Hero
Jackson, who almost single-handedly annexed Florida to the United States, and whose military acumen and tenacity won the battle of New Orleans against overwhelming British skill and manpower, was a popular war hero in his time. But he was pugnacious, engaging in street brawls, duels, and canings until too old to be a bully. And he often acted for the country based on his own beliefs -- despite explicit orders to the contrary.

Dictorial Democrat
Sometimes haled as the first true democrat, Jackson expressed complete confidence in the will of the people, but, like other powerful leaders, came to believe his opinions best expressed that people's will. A strong unionist at a time when many Southerners were leaning toward secession, he was a mystical, not rational unionist. He ignored the logical advice and counsel of others about preserving the union when it didn't mesh with his thinking or came from people he didn't like.

Roots of Devotion, Democracry
Brands' biography makes it pretty clear that Jackson's single-minded devotion to the union and his willingness to act without orders derived from his mother, whose bravery in facing down the British and rescuing her captured sons from two enemy prisons would be remarkable even today. But at book's end, Jackson's belief in democracy is still a mystery. He was literate, but not a scholar or thinker. He was a lawyer, but barely. He commanded by fiat, not consensus. The antecedents shout dictator; the facts say democracy. Go figure!

San Diego: Take Two

2006-02-04T20:00:00.000-05:00

Judith and I are not swallows, but like those that haunt Capistrano, we tend to go back to the same places over and over again. We've been back to the Brandywine, PA region at least six times in the six years we've been married. We've been to San Diego twice, the last time just a few days ago. We'd visit more often, if only California weren't six air-hours away from our White Plains home.

We stayed in Escondido, 30 quick minutes from downtown San Diego, except during rush hour. (Why do they call slow travel times rush hours?) (more...)

Choosing a Real Estate Appraiser

2005-12-27T13:32:00.000-05:00

At some point, each of us will need a real estate appraiser. These are the independent fee appraisers that banks, insurance companies, courts, and the IRS rely on to estimate the market value of land, houses, farms, industrial, commercial, and retail property. It's real estate appraisers we turn to for reliable and trustworthy opinions of value when real property is bought or sold, when estates are probated, divorces settled, bankruptcies adjudicated, partnerships dissolved, and when equity loans or mortgages are made. In short, much of our economy depends on the values determined by real estate appraisers.

State Licensing.
Real estate appraisers are so important, in fact, that every state in the union licenses them, although they license no other appraisal discipline. In truth, the licensing requirement stems, in part, from the great Savings & Loan debacle of the 1980s, caused in part by unscrupulous real estate appraisers. Whatever the reason, the requirement helps assure the public of real estate appraisers who meet minimum standards for education, experience, and ethics.

Professional Accreditation.
Naturally, in selecting a real estate appraiser, you want someone more than minimally qualified. That's where professional organizations come into play. Unlike fraternal organizations or service societies, professional organizations offer accreditation and certification. The American Society of Appraisers, for example, doesn't distinguish a member as an AM, Accredited Member, until after a minimum of two years full-time experience. An ASA, Accredited Senior Member, has a minimum of five years experience. All ASA accredited members must meet training and ethics requirements more extensive and rigorous than those imposed by the State licensing boards. To find an accredited appraiser, visit the websites of the ASA NY Chapter, the ASA NJ Chapter, or the ASA LI Chapter, all award-winning websites produced in our Webshop. We also produce the website for the Northern California ASA Chapter.

New York's Best.
In the greater New York metropolitan region, where we live and work, we've found and can highly recommend several real estate appraisers whose work is of exceptionally high quality, whose careers include public service and service in professional organizations, and all of whom we'd characterize as "white hat" appraisers -- professionals who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We've been happy to produce websites for these real estate appraisers, while turning down work from others with lesser credentials.

Ronald M. Gold: Commercial Real Estate Appraiser, NY: A past president of ASA's New York City Chapter, Ron appraises commercial and residential real estate in the New York metro area. Ron, who is first Vice President of the Greater Harlem Real Estate Board, teaches at the Learning Annex, and at the Real Estate Board of New York.
Arleen Goscinski, ASA: Residential Real Estate Appraiser, LI.: Another ASA past president (LI Chapter) is Arleen Goscinski of Northport, a former real estate broker, now appraising residential real estate on Long Island. Arleen, one of our earliest website clients, is also active in the Columbia Society for real estate appraisers, where she is the Secretary of the Society.
Griffith Appraisals: Commercial and Industrial Appraiser, NJ, NY, PA.: Rounding out past president's club, Tim Griffith is a past president of the NJ ASA Chapter, and serves now as New York Area Regional Governor. Concentrating on commercial and industrial real estate appraisals, he appraises properties in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Tim is a certified instructor for USPAP, the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, the code of ethics written by the Appraisal Foundation and authorized by Congress.
NY Real Estate Appraisals: Commercial, Residential Appraiser for Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, NY: Jim O'Keefe focuses on commercial, industrial, office and retail real estate appraisals in Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam Counties in downstate New York. A real estate broker and past president of the New York State Society of Real Estate Appraisers, Jim offers over 40 years of real estate experience. He's taught at Fordham's Institute of Real Estate, and served on the Boards of Assessment Review in both Yonkers and Somers.

Newport Do's and Don'ts: The Mansions

2005-09-24T09:08:00.000-04:00

The Newport, RI mansions define conspicuous consumption. If gawking at generally tasteless faux grandeur is your thing, you'll not want for things to do.

On our recent trip, we took in three mansions, the mandatory Breakers, Marble House, and Vernon Court. Cornelius Vanderbilt II's Breakers, designed by the premiere architect of the period, Richard Morris Hunt, is the grandest of the mansions -- called "summer cottages" by their owners. It is characterized by stiff, uncomfortable, almost inhuman splendor. The tour guide was neither interested nor knowledgeable.

Also designed by Hunt for William K. Vanderbilt (Cornelius II's younger brother), Marble House, too, is resplendent in imported finery -- Hunt imported complete rooms from Europe -- and includes 500K cubic feet of marble worth $7 million in 1890. The rooms here seem more comfortable than at the Breakers, and reflected the personalities of the owners. The self-paced audio tour, with available "detours" for special interests, was excellent. If you decide to take in just one mansion, this is the one to do if you don't select Vernon Court (see below). But choose for yourself. Visit the Newport Mansions website of the Preservation Society, which maintains the Breakers, Marble House, and eight other mansions.

Privately maintained and omitted from the usual run of Newport tours is Vernon Court, designed by John Merven Carrere and Thomas Hastings, the architects who created the New York Public Library. Built in 1898 for Mrs. Richard van Nest Gambrill, it's considered one of America's greatest mansions. Not as ornate as the Breakers or Marble House, it's still exquisitely over-the-top, but more tasteful. But Vernon Court is the bonus. The attraction is the museum established by Vernon Court's owners, Judy and Laurence Cutler, to house their collection of art from the "golden age" of American illustration. The National Museum of American Illustration, housed on the lower floors of Vernon Court (the Cutlers live upstairs when they're not in New York), includes a wealth of art by such pre-eminent illustrators as Norman Rockwell, Maxwell Parrish, N.C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle, J.M. Flagg, and J.C. Leyendecker, whose 1930 advertising illustration, Interwoven Socks, for the Saturday Evening Post appears at right. Blessed with unusual wisdom and a handsome budget, the Cutlers are consummate collectors and curators. The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles reviewed their New Treasure in Newport, Rhode Island in its September 2003 issue. Advance reservations "granted at the discretion of the Admissions Office" are required. Plan ahead.

Bruce Museum: Masterworks of Photography

2005-08-26T19:36:00.000-04:00

While it's true that we're only "45 minutes from Broadway" -- upper Broadway anyway -- getting into Manhattan to visit a museum is still, well a drag. And then there's the hassle and expense of parking.

15 Minutes to The Bruce. So it's more than a little refreshing to know there's a first-rate museum only 15 minutes away. I'm talking about The Bruce Museum at 1 Museum Drive in Greenwich, CT, just off I95.

Masterful Hochberg-Mattis Exhibit. Currently at the Bruce are several interesting exhibits, including the really excellent Picture Perfect: Masterworks of Photography from the Hochberg-Mattis Collection which runs from June 11, 2005 through September 11, 2005. We've been twice and loved it both times. Michael Mattis and his wife Judith Hochberg are the consummate collectors with an eye for great photography, and a curatorial sense for what's important.

Comprehensive Representation. In the exhibit are rare tintypes, 19th century photos by such greats as Julia Margaret Cameron, Félix Nadar, Carleton Watkins, and Thomas Eakins. And representative photos from virtually every top-drawer 20th century photographer, including Stieglitz, Weston, Adams, Kertesz, Man Ray, Dorothea Lange whose Migratory Cotton Picker, Eloy, Arizona, 1940 is at right, Eisenstadt, Robert Frank, Arbus, Penn, and Mapplethorpe. Remarkable indeed!

Well Done & Inexpensive. The curating is informative, not cutesy, giving history and pointing out relationships among artists, and their antecedents. You'll need to budget at least an hour, and $7.00 for adult admission. Plenty of free parking. Closed Mondays. Free individual admission on Tuesdays. And a nice bonus: join The Bruce's email list (at the counter) and get a pass good for a future free admission.

Seaman-Drake Arch Struggles On

2005-08-10T13:30:00.000-04:00

Do you recognize the Seaman-Drake Arch depicted in the circa 1907 photo at right? It's located in the Inwood section of Manhattan -- from which the Inwood Journal derives its name -- on Broadway between 214th St and 218th St, just north of the 215th step-street. It used to guard the entrance to a long driveway which curled up to the Seaman, later Drake, estate perched atop the hill bounded by present-day 215th St on the South, 218th St on the North, between Park Terrace East and Park Terrace West. Outfitted with iron gates -- parts of the hardware still exist -- it has windows upstairs which suggest that the gatekeeper had quarters in the arch.

Old Arch: New Photo. Ironically for me, the Seaman-Drake estate was raised to make room for the apartment buildings that morphed into the Park Terrace Gardens cooperative -- the coop in which we had our office until moving to White Plains several years ago. That's why Janet sent the 1907 photo, wondering if I recalled seeing the arch. Although I remembered seeing it as part of or behind an automotive shop, I resolved to freshen the memory on my next trip to Inwood. I took the photo above a few weeks ago from pretty much the same vantage point used by the 1907 photographer. Of course, his photo took several minutes; mine was done in a few digital milliseconds.

Not a Cathedral: Not Restored. According to a history of the arch in Washington Heights & Inwood Online, it was constructed of local marble from a vein that stretches up to Tuckahoe, New York, and which was also used for Saint Patrick's Cathedral downtown. Although defaced by graffiti and beginning to deteriorate, the arch, which was erected around 1855, is still in better than fair condition. You can see it peeking out from behind a transmission shop in the head-on view above. As the Seaman-Drake Arch entry in Erin O'Brien's fshk blog tells, the big issue surrounding the arch today is its preservation. Acid rain and pollution have taken their toll on the marble of both the 1855 arch and the 1858 cathedral, but St. Pat's exterior was restored during the tenure of Cardinal Spellman (1939-1967).

Tough Luck Arch. The Seaman-Drake arch is a textbook case of tough luck, when it comes to preservation. It's not in a designated historic district, it doesn't have landmark status, and worst of all, it's privately owned. It's escaped the wrecking crew for 150 years -- hey, it's having a big birthday this year -- because after it outlived it's original usefulness around 1912, it was never really in the way. Of course, that might change when the neighborhood changes, although serious gentrification seems unlikely at the moment. Broadway and 10th Ave between 215 and 218th Streets today is home to assorted automotive shops, garages, filling stations, and a pub, as well as parking, offices, and retail stores supporting several large livery car services.

The Seaman-Drake arch, unlike its kindred cathedral, is not architecturally distinguished. Its history, while interesting, is not pivotal. Its owner has no governmental regulation or support making restoration or even maintenance necessary or worthwhile. There are no tourists camped on the sidewalk mornings waiting for it to open. Like so many other historic spots in New York City it begs the question: It's nice, but is it worth keeping? What do you think?

HOW TO WRITE A MEMO:
"How to write a memo" applies to anyone who needs to learn to communicate in writing, not just folks who sell for a living.
It's a fun read. Give it a try.

Ernesto's Ristorante

2005-08-07T10:28:00.000-04:00

In Italy, a trattoria is a family restaurant while the term ristorante is reserved for the more elegant restaurant serving fancier fare. Ernesto's Ristorante, in White Plains more than lives up to its name.

Facilities. Ernesto's, at 130 West Post Rd, White Plains, NY 10601, near the Scarsdale border, is several blocks away from the bustling city center, but benefits by having its own, free off-street parking. Its main dining room is augmented by a bar, pizzeria, and ample party and catering facilities downstairs. The decor is Ernesto's weak point: although fresh and clean, it's what ristorantes in Italy looked like in the 1970s. Today that's a tad kitschy.

Food & Service. What makes Ernesto's a favorite of many in White Plains, Scarsdale, Eastchester, Ardsley, Harrison, Purchase, and beyond, are the things that count -- the food and the service. It's hard to know which is better. The extensive Italian menu is supplemented by a variety of daily specials, often innovative. Everything is cooked fresh and to perfection. Last night's Swordfish Capricioso served with tomatoes and arugula was as good as it gets. Pasta, veal, steak and salmon on other occasions were excellent, too. The waiters are patient, knowledgeable and old-world courteous, as are all the wait staff, which includes servers and busboys, although those terms belittle the charming service rendered with cheerful greetings, expressive flourishes and great theater.

And Carmine. And most Saturday nights starting around 6:30 p.m. there's Carmine. A versatile jazz musician in the John Pizzarelli mold, Carmine sings and plays a mellow guitar with such enthusiasm and panache we wondered if he was high the first time we heard him. Carmine alone is worth the trip. Including tips for him and the staff, dinner for two will put Franklin to bed quite satisfyingly. Call 914-421-1414 for directions and reservations.

Preemptive Graffiti

2005-08-06T15:50:00.000-04:00

It's okay if you don't know it. I coined the term preemptive graffiti seven years ago, and may still be its only user. It refers to decorating (urban) walls, security gates, and building entrances with commissioned graffiti-like art to forestall defacement by free-lance graffiti. Amazingly, this works. Free-lancers apparently respect their brethren's artwork.

Then. Seven years ago the photo at right was one of several I used to illustrate the practice of premptive graffiti on a page posted to this Journal. The image shows the artwork adorning the wall on Dyckman Street, between the Subway entrance (left -- notice the M), and an unseen liquor store (right) located on the corner with Broadway. The ad promotes Chivas Regal, and was paid for by the Inwood Liquor store, probably using co-op advertising funds usually spent on newspaper ads.

Now. The liquor store subsequently "lost its lease," generally a New York euphemism for going out of business, and was supplanted by a trendy men's fashions store. Of course, the Chivas Regal artwork wasn't appropriate any longer, but preemptive graffiti still was. Last year, michelle took the photo at right of the same wall and posted it to her blog, The Underwear Drawer Photo Project. It's not clear who commissioned this bit of preemptive graffiti, but it's no longer commercial in theme, and "artier" than the earlier effort. It depicts Inwood neighborhood denizens in typical activities.

Commissioned Preemptors? Either way -- Chivas Regal then or community theme now -- the graffiti-like artwork succeeds. It pleases the senses while defensively decorating a prime target surface. Preemptive graffiti works. Now if only we could figure out how to make the free-lancers into a corps of commissioned preemptors.

Appraising Machinery & Equipment

2005-08-03T19:29:00.000-04:00

Machinery and equipment appraisers are some of the loneliest folks in town. They don't evaluate real estate, they don't do Antiques Roadshows, and they don't establish the value of entire businesses. What they do is appraisals of heavy equipment. Stuff like construction equipment, the machinery used to make automotive products, chemical processing equipment, waste water treatment facilities, wire and cable machines, printing presses, office equipment, mainframe computers, agricultural equipment -- you get the picture.

Change Makes the Phone Ring The machinery and equipment appraiser's phone usually doesn't ring until change is in the wind. After all, when you buy a barnfull of new tractors, you know what they're worth. You just paid the bill. So you won't be looking for an appraisal until you're ready to auction your old tractors to raise cash for the new ones. Or you're dissolving your partnership -- or your marriage -- and need to establish fair market value for the split. Or maybe your company's gone bankrupt and the judge orders an appraisal to determine liquidation value for the creditors. Or the IRS takes you to court for back taxes and insists on a USPAP appraisal of your assets. Or you're trying to get business insurance and the insurer needs to know the insurance value or replacement cost of the equipment.

Inhouse Experts Upstage Independents. While there are many reasons why a company might need a machinery and equipment appraisal, the need doesn't arise often, and when it does, it is sometimes satisfied by experts employed by banks, insurance companies, auction houses, and accounting firms. So the independent machinery and equipment appraiser can be a mighty lonely dude.

Professional Organizations Help Independents. Of course, there are successful independent machinery and equipment appraisers. Two of them are Bernie Sencer of Sencer Appraisal Associates and Jim Tonkinson of Tonkinson Appraisals. Bernie and Jim, both past Presidents of the American Society of Appraisers' Long Island Chapter, say the key to success is active membership in professional organizations. Bernie is also active in the Appraisers Association of America; Jim in the Association of Machinery & Equipment Appraisers. When I asked each what was so great about professional organizations, Bernie said "Accreditation" and Jim said "Networking."

Accreditation. Bernie explained that anybody -- literally anybody -- can hang out a shingle and claim to be a machinery and equipment appraiser. That's because there are no Federal or State licensing boards for this appraisal discipline, as there are for real estate appraisers. If you're looking for a machinery and equipment appraiser, your only assurance of competence, training, ethical compliance, and professional standards is to look for an appraiser accredited by a professional organization, such as the ASA. To earn the coveted Accredited Senior Appraiser designation, Bernie and Jim had to agree to the ASA's code of ethics, undergo training and pass tests in their specialty, work with a master appraiser, obtain USPAP credentials, and be an ASA member for five years. Oh yes, and get recertified every five years. Big difference from "hanging out a shingle!"

Networking. Of course, Jim agrees with Bernie about accreditation, but he adds that the opportunities for business networking with professionals is important too. Although machinery and equipment appraisers appear to have nothing in common with personal property appraisers, the fact is that clients who order an appraisal of residential contents (personal property appraisal) to settle an estate are often the same professionals who order an appraisal of production machinery owned by the decedent. Clearly, this logic applies to insurance brokers, bankers, the IRS, probate judges, etc. as common clients. Jim says sharing contacts and client information with other professionals in an organization helps keep the phone ringing. He says, "It also helps to learn the basic of making and sharing contacts, so books like Andrea R. Nierenberg's Nonstop Networking: How to Improve Your Life, Luck, and Career can be very useful." Even more helpful are successful business networking groups, such as Biz@Net in Northern New Jersey.

Appraisal Websites. Bernie and Jim remind me to remind you that having a website that works is also necessary if you plan to make a living as a machinery and equipment appraiser. They suggest I toot my own horn. Toot. Visit my Webshop to learn more about successful websites for appraisers. And visit our ValTalk Appraisal Forum to continue the discussion on appraising machinery and equipment.

Matisse at the Katonah Museum of Art

2005-08-01T09:35:00.000-04:00

The Katonah Museum of Art hasn't had a good exhibit in a long time. And Once Removed: Paintings by Sophie Matisse doesn't break the dry spell. Fortunately, it's just dessert for the main course, Henri Matisse: A Celebration of French Poets and Poetry, which is terrific.

Painful Pretext. Sophie Matisse is Henri's great-granddaughter and technically quite proficient. Her skill is apparent in her faultless recreations of famous paintings sans people and animals. Think of Rembrandt's Dutch Masters without the masters, Cezanne's Card Players with no players, or Jamie Wyeth's Portrait of a Pig without the porker -- none of which Sophie has done, yet. Hopefully, she'll find her soul one day and drop the painful pretext. Meanwhile, we suggest you skip dessert.

Two Extroadinary Books. When you think of Matisse, you don't think of line drawings, at least I don't. In fact, Matisse illustrated a dozen books, two for Swiss publisher Albert Skira. The first, done in the early 1930s, was the poems of Stéphane Mallarmé, with the Museum showing 16 of the resulting 29 etchings. Called the Poesies, the line drawings illustrating Mallarmé's symbolist poetry include Plate 25, La Chevelure (The Hair) at right. The second, done in the 1940s, was the love poems of 16th-century French Renaissance poet Pierre de Ronsard -- which Matisse translated into modern French, selected and arranged himself -- with the museum exhibiting 47 of the original 126 lithographs. Both reflect Matisse' mature style and outlook.

Decisively Rounded. Matisse' line drawings are powerfully evocative, concentrating on his main interests -- portraits, the female form, and flowers. With a spare, rounded style reminiscent of Picasso's sketches, and an eye for personality as clear and witty as Hirschfeld's, Matisse creates forms and shapes that harmonize with the poetic themes but generally don't illustrate them directly. The drawings -- some with fewer than a dozen lines -- express an irrepressible joie de vivre bursting with richly sculptured sensuality. Sheer wizardry. No wonder Etta and Clarabelle Cone were so generous in their support of this mischievous master.

Worth a Second Look. We didn't leave enough time to take in the drawings, read the poetic passages, and absorb the relationships. So we'll be back at the Museum before the Matisse exhibit closes on September 18, 2005. Perhaps we'll see you there? And if you don't enjoy the exhibit as much as we did, the great scenery on the Post Rd around Katonah will make the trip worth taking anyway.

Chadds Ford Inn -- Don't Go There

2005-07-30T20:56:00.000-04:00

Good restaurants are hard to find. Four years ago we found one -- The Chadds Ford Inn -- near one of our favorite travel destinations, Brandywine, DE. At the time the food and service were superlative and prices were modest. Who could ask for anything more?

Nothing is forever. Unfortunately, you could. On two recent trips to Brandywine, we sampled the Chadds Ford fare and found it, sadly, wanting. As often happens when a restaurant peaks, ownership changed. So did the kitchen and the wait staff. And the prices. The Chadds Ford Inn now offers a limited, relatively high price menu -- dinner for two without wine eats up most of a Franklin. Quality is just a notch above diner food, and quantity is meager to skimpy. The service is pleasant, but unremarkable.

And then there's Feby's. Our guess is the Chadds Ford Inn continues to thrive on bus tours booked years in advance. Bully for them. For us, it's just another historic inn. Our new love in DE is Feby's, which we'll tell you about after our next trip. For now, it's probably enough to know we ate there on six of seven nights in the area.

SMOKING: If you're a heavy smoker and want to quit, please read my article on How to Quit Smoking. It worked for me and hundreds like me.

Passport to Historic Oyster Bay

2005-07-23T08:20:00.000-04:00

I got my personal passport to historic Oyster Bay, Long Island from Ann (Mrs. Samuel D.) Parkinson, the mother of Peapod founders, Andrew and Thomas Parkinson. I met Ann while teaching Windows computing to her daughter. Ann introduced me to the Board of the Oyster Bay Historical Society, who commissioned me to build a new computer system for the Society and to develop its website.

The Society's Director, Thomas A. Kuehhas, and I got on famously, so much so that Judith and I now count Tom and his wife Robin among our personal friends. Guided by Tom's enthusiasm, energy, and practical scholarship, the Society has blossomed and now has outgrown its historic Earle-Wightman House headquarters, necessitating a full-court press to raise funds for a new building. You are invited to contribute by visiting the Society's homepage and making a donation.

Tom introduced me after a time to Andrew Batten, then Director of Raynham Hall Museum. That was a big deal at the time, because the Boards of the Historical Society and of Raynham Hall had been perpetually deadlocked in a feud to "own" Oyster Bay's history. As if there weren't enough history to go around.

Andrew, now succeeded by the vivacious and talented, Sarah Abruzzi, put me to work building a website for Raynham Hall, homestead of the Samuel Townsends, Revolutionary War characters and descendants of Oyster Bay's founding family. To help publicize it, and the Oyster Bay Historical Society, I also created the very active Genealogy Forum of Long Island, a message board forum on the history and genealogy of Long Island.

Which takes us to present. A few weeks ago, both Tom and Sarah's assistant, Education Coordinator Lisa Cuomo, asked me to put a brochure for the 2005 Passport to Historic Oyster Bay on their websites. This year, as in the past two years, we've identified the Passport in connection with events taking place at the Historical Society and at Raynham Hall. And we linked to the Passport website. But this year -- oops, no website.

The Passport to Historic Oyster Bay series comprises primarily the events of five Oyster Bay organizations, the Oyster Bay Historical Society, Raynham Hall Museum, Sagamore Hill, the summer home of Theodore Roosevelt, Planting Fields Arboretum (the latter two both National Park Service historic sites), and the Friends of the Arts. Together these groups put on exhibits, festivals, fairs, parades, demonstrations, concerts, picnics, neighborhood nights, tours, craft shows, historical re-enactments, the famous Oyster Bay Oyster Festival, and a lot more.

When we realized this great series had no website, we decided to build the Passport to Historic Oyster Bay website as a public service. Check out the Passport series. Great concerts -- including Nanci Griffith, Poncho Sonchez, Arlo Guthrie -- art exhibits, neighborhood nights, walking tours, haunted houses, waterfront activities, and history brought alive by exhibits and re-enacters. You're invited! Bring a friend.

So You Want to be a Real Estate Appraiser

2005-07-20T21:07:00.000-04:00

As webmaster for the American Society of Appraisers' Long Island, New York City, New Jersey, and Northern California Chapters, I see a lot of mail from aspiring real estate appraisers looking for advice about income potential, courses, requirements, and sponsors. What I see there is echoed on my public service Real Estate Forum of New York and in the inquiries fielded by the real estate appraisers whose websites I built and maintain.

Oversubscribed Field. The long and the short of it is that there are a great many folks who think they'd like to be appraisers -- some right out of school, many tiring of real estate sales, some looking for a "retirement" career in a field dominated by sole practitioners. But there aren't many openings. Or to put it more bluntly, despite glowingly optimistic pitches by real estate schools, there is a glut of real estate appraisers nationwide.

Old Appraisers Just Keep on Trucking. The glut has nothing to do with the elusive "real estate bubble." What it's about is technology, technology, technology. The first technology is medical technology. Real estate appraisers, like everyone else, are living longer because of advances in medicine. And, because the work isn't physically taxing, they don't retire until they hear the peals of Time. When you're self-employed and earning a modest to middling income, early retirement is usually not an option.

Computerization. The second factor in the glut is the computer technology that makes it possible for today's real estate appraiser to produce more and better reports in less time than ever before. The pace of property inspections is accelerated by laptops, PDAs, GPS, digital cameras, and electronic measuring devices. Comparables (data on properties similar to the subject property) are widely available online from Assessors Offices, from specialized companies like COMPS, Inc., and by database exchange with other appraisers. And report-writing itself -- with embedded photos, maps, computer-drawn scale floor plans, fast editing, and transmission by email -- benefits from widely available low-cost, high-speed PCs and superb dedicated software, such as that from a la mode. The result: appraising capacity has increased exponentially over the last few years with no increase in the number of appraisers.

AVM: Automated Valuation Model. But more than anything else, the "oversupply" of real estate appraisers is due to the diminishing demand for these professionals. Ask Arleen Goscinski who does residential real estate appraisals on Long Island. A skilled appraiser at the top of her profession -- she's a past President of the Long Island ASA Chapter -- she reports that inquiries from aspirants looking for a sponsor are way up, while those from clients looking for an appraisal are flat to down. Why? Because banks and other financial institutions have learned that the widely available property databases coupled with computer-generated appraisals -- Automated Valuations -- can approximate residential market values closely enough to be relied on in most cases. Why pay an appraiser when you can do it in-house with the click of a mouse? AVMs, then, are the third technological factor.

It's Everywhere. What Arleen experiences in Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island, Kevin Kinney and Ron McInerney at Domus Appraisals find true in the Bronx, Westchester and Rockland -- downstate New York areas. They branched out into property tax consulting -- tax grievances for homeowners -- to boost their mostly residential real estate appraisal business.

Commercial Appraisers Fare a Little Better. Although their colleagues' longevity and the computerization of appraisals impacts commercial real estate appraisers, too, they haven't been assaulted by AVMs -- yet. Commercial properties are much less homogenous than residential -- making it harder to build adequate valuation algorithms -- and the method of evaluation requires income and sales data that are not widely available. So past President of ASA's NYC Chapter, Ronald M. Gold, who appraises commercial properties in Manhattan, and ASA Regional Governor, Timothy Griffith, who concentrates on commercial appraisals in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York states, aren't battling AVMs, but they aren't taking a lot of Caribbean vacations, and they're both happy to take on residential appraisals that they might have farmed out in the past.

Expert Witnesses. Experienced real estate appraisers who are not only state-qualified -- all real estate appraisers must pass muster in the states where they practice -- but also accredited by a professional organization with high standards, such as the American Society of Appraisers, stay in business, in part, because they're in demand for legal proceedings. Appraisers like Arleen Goscinski, Ronald Gold, and Timothy Griffith, are qualified by the courts as expert witnesses, and are called upon to render opinions in matrimonial actions, business dissolutions, and cases involving property and income taxes. But if you're just starting out, expert witness fees won't be part of your income for the first 5-10 years.

Suggestions for the Determined. If you're still determined to make a career in real estate appraising, despite the overwhelming odds, may I make a few suggestions? First, make sure you can make do without any appreciable income for several years as you train and complete your apprenticeship. Second, don't stop once you're qualified as a residential appraiser, but keep going and get your commercial license. Third, join a professional accrediting society, which will keep you abreast of developments, furnish valuable credentials, and offer business networking opportunities. And, if you can, stay away from major metropolitan areas, where the well-groomed property databases in highly automated Assessors Offices make it easy for lenders to rely on AVMs. Oh, and good luck!

Harlem Housing: The Bad and the Good

2005-07-15T14:42:00.000-04:00

The New York Times yesterday ran article by Josh Barbanel entitled Harlem (Housing Woes) on His Mind. The article told the story of a relatively high-profile writer, Keith Boykin, who moved into a second floor apartment in a Harlem brownstone in 2001. The apartment served his needs and at $1000 monthly rent didn't break his budget.

Unfortunately, the brownstone, seen at right in a New York Times photo by Susan Farley, was a living monument to corruption, mismanagement, crime and greed.

His building was caught up in a notorious mortgage scandal in which shady mortgage brokers, engineers and appraisers used phony churches and other not-for-profit groups to buy more than 500 deteriorated brownstones in long-troubled neighborhoods at inflated prices. They got federally guaranteed mortgages to buy and rehabilitate them, and then walked way with the money

It's an amazing story of a building with no one providing essential services, of power blackouts (Con Ed pulled the plug), and of a "helpful" super who was carted off to jail as a persistent child molester. It's complicated by Boykin's failure to pay rent and electricity bills for many years because, as Barbanel explains, "there seemed to be no one to pay..."

What's wrong with this picture? What's wrong is the writer's implication that not only are there many other such buildings in Harlem -- in fact, there are -- but that this is the norm for the neighborhood. In fact, it's decidely not.

What's real and normal are the many hundreds of apartments and scores of buildings rehabilitated, renovated, and managed, both ethically and compassionately, by Harlem-based real estate developers like Lois and Milton Manning of Sugarhill Services and Leroy and Ken Morrison of Lemor Realty. The Mannings and the Morrisons are just two of several member firms of the Greater Harlem Real Estate Board who have successfully renovated occupied Harlem buildings under the Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Program of New York City's Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

Harlem is experiencing a revitalization that is making it, according to New York City Real Estate Appraiser, Ronald M. Gold, "the next hot spot in Manhattan." Tenants like Boykin, whose failure to pay rent and electricity was, according to Barbanel, "a subsidy as valuable to him as a grant, helping him to make ends meet while he researched his new book..." are not the norm, nor are tragic brownstones like the one he calls home. Their story needs to be told, of course, but in the context of the good done by HUD, the City, and particularly, by property developers and managers like the Mannings and Morrisons who, working together, have provided decent, affordable housing to the Harlem community.