Rye and Around has moved! Visit me at my new site http://ryeandaround.tumblr.com

Keep in touch with the local happenings in Sound Shore real estate by visiting my new blog site at http://ryeandaround.tumblr.com  New videos are posted weekly filled with great information on all aspects of real estate in the communities of Rye, Harrison, Mamaroneck, Larchmont, Rye Brook and Port Chester.

Real Estate Gets Social

Chris Dessi, CEO of Silverback Social, Author and Fox News contributor and I hosted "Real Estate Gets Social" last month at Serendipity Labs in Rye. It was a great evening of conversation and cocktails. Chris discussed how social media has changed business and specifically how it has changed real estate. I presented the Q1 Houlihan Lawrence Market Report and I shared an inside look at the unbelievable spring market. 

Summertime in Rye

It seemed like just yesterday that the end of school year parties signaled the unofficial beginning of summer along the sound shore.   And before we knew it, the season was in full swing.  

While some kids headed off to sleep-away camps,  others found their summer fun at area day camps and a wide variety of specialty camps ranging from performing arts at the Rye Arts Center to Archeology at the Jay Heritage Center to specialty sports camps and of course the beloved Rye Recreational Center.  

Summers in Rye offer special opportunities no matter what your interests.  There’s definitely something for everyone when the Rye Town park comes alive for summer with its offerings of evening performances ranging from Shakespeare in the park to rhythm and blues show bands to family movie night (this year’s movie was the super-classic E.T.)   For those wanting a more active part, the adult beach volleyball league was a big hit with dozens of games taking place simultaneously each Tuesday evening.  For the more romantic at heart, the outdoor Tango lessons lured many on Thursday evenings.

  

Of course, starting with the 4^th of July, fireworks are on tap at Rye Playland each Wednesday and Friday  The Independence Day show takes on a local, sound shore flair with several clubs sponsoring their own fireworks displays.    Many gather on boats and raft-off in Rye Harbor or out along the sound to watch the spectacle of lights taking place up and down both sides of the long island sound.  For some, the celebration starts in Rye Harbor earlier in the day with a flotilla of families anchored to watch a rock band perform on a floating dock in the middle of the harbor!   Now that’s some fun you can’t have inland.

Enjoy a summertime evening in “town”, and the living is easy, with friends dining outdoors at Aurora or Ruby’s, couples strolling  along the storefronts and families indulging in late evening outings for ice cream at Longfords.   In nearby Portchester, the nights can be livelier with options like the waterfront deck at Bar Taco, or the vibrant Lolita’s and Mario Batali’s Tarry Lodge to name a few spots.

Once August arrives, the summer starts to take on a meandering feel, dotted with some visits to see relatives and friends, and barbeques with friends.  Once the calm of late summer is broken by the advent of back to school advertising and the start of summer practices for fall sports we know it’s time to be catapulted once again into the rituals of fall.

Hosting Friends/Clients at the Rye House Tour 2012

Rye House Tour 2012 ~ What a Glorious Day!

I hosted friends/clients for this very special event. We enjoyed the time together, viewing the beautiful homes, popping Prosecco open on our private bus and lunching on the beach at Manursing Island Club. Thanks to all the Rye families that shared their beautiful homes with us.

The Rye House Tour is presented by the Rye High School Parents' Organization for the benefit of Rye High School.

More photos to come...

Hosting friends/clients at the Rye House Tour 2012

Q2 2012 Real Estate Market Report

"It appears the housing market has bottomed and we are in the early stages of what could become

the next bull market. The market indicators we track are tracing a pattern that has typically marked

the bottom of previous housing cycles. Transaction volume is increasing at double-digit rates across

most market areas, with lower-end price levels still leading the way. Prices have stabilized and we

continue to see strong demand across most market areas and price ranges."

email me for the full report: karenas@houlihanlawrence.com

Spring Parades- Doesn't It ?

That’s more of an observation than an announcement of upcoming events. Spring certainly kicked-off early or did winter even visit?   I didn’t need to be reminded about the ample, pristine snowfalls of 2011, but spring beckoned and teased early with the first emergence of tell-tale crocuses in March.   The warmth eschewed boats out early from storage and into their slips, and told trees to put on their shows of flower.

Around Rye, the spring sporting rituals were bathed in a warm glow, as kids took up their lacrosse sticks and baseball gloves for the new season.   The annual little league opening day parade from town to Disbrow Park was treated to a glorious day.  

Each morning, the parade of children walking to school, was suddenly unburdened by coats, with the boys in particular, pressing the early donning of their beloved shorts, tee shirt and flip-flops.   A parent had no standing to shout, “Hey! You need a coat.  You’ll catch a cold dressed like that!”   It is sure to get cool again, but now that we’ve tasted spring, there’s no going back.

Another parade, of sorts, is the upcoming Rye Derby, on Sunday, April 29th, a race that sends runners around town, in an endeavor that ranges from the serious to the sublime.   It culminates with a celebration at the Rye Y.   Whether you are part of the 5k or the one mile “fun run”, it’s a great community event.

You may not believe this, if you’ve never seen the Midland elementary school parade and fair, but it is one of the most heartwarming events of spring.  No need for nostalgia for idyllic small-town life, this parade timelessly epitomizes it, here and now.  The town comes out to witness fire trucks, flags, and floats filled with excited 5th graders as they celebrate their send-off to middle school.  Kids from Kindergarten through 4th grade, led by their teachers, proudly represent their classes and walk the parade route.  Parents and younger siblings follow closely in strollers, all the way to the Midland School where they partake in carnival style games of every sort.  You can join this fund raiser for the Midland PTO on Saturday April 28th.   When the last face is painted and the last dunkee is dunked, the happy ritual is complete.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the most wonderful parades of them all.  The Rye House Tour (Friday, May 18th) which is a benefit organized by the Rye High School Parent Organization   What better way to see Rye than with a group of friends touring its leafy streets, being inspired by great home design and enjoying a convivial lunch at the scenic Manursing Island Club?  

These, of course, are just a few of the parades of spring.   Get out and enjoy them.  I invite you to share your stories of spring in the sound shore communities.