What area(s) do you service?
Westchester County, NY
How did you get into real estate and what do you love about it?
Carol: Selling real estate just seemed like a natural second career after a "lifetime' in the corporate world. Flexible hours, no real "boss' except for me and meeting new people everyday and best of all, every day is different!
Owen: After a 25 year career in the bakery business in which everyday relationships were forged and deepened over coffee, scratch made croissant and a pastry counter filled with sweet gems and stories I wanted to make a change but still retain that retail feel. My other passion during that whole period had been buying and renting out or re-selling houses so it did not take much time for me to apply the skill set I learned building out and running 4 retail shops and and working 16 hours a day & always with a smile to make the transition into real estate. I went from selling gingerbread houses to selling gingerbread houses! Only now I "sleep in" til 5 am!
What made you want to live in your current area?
Carol: The proximity to NYC and our extended family and friends.
Owen: We live on the border of NYC so having trees and a backyard yet still so close to the city made it a compelling place to raise our 5 boys....(thats a whole story in itself!)...and having been from Brooklyn my wife and I were never nearer to the city then we are now (Brooklyn is BIG!)
What makes living in your area so special?
Carol: We are so close to NYC and can easily enjoy all that it has to offer, but then we live in an area surrounded by nature; lakes, LI Sound, hiking trails, the mighty Hudson River, it's endless.
Owen: Backyards, an activist community, birdsong, a lake, eclectic homes, sidewailks, a 100 year old single auditorium picture house (still going strong!) and really fun neighbors
A workday spent running around the neighborhood: what's your first stop and last stop?
Carol: First stop is Pilates, last stop is groceries for dinner.
Owen: Caffe Ammi...a 60 year old roastery with a great cuppa joe! A walk around our very own neighborhood lake which defines the whole place!
Best restaurant/bar? Favorite spot for coffee?
Carol: So hard to choose, but one on my long list of favorites is Dubrovnik which is an amazing Croatian restaurant in New Rochelle. Home is my favorite spot for coffee.
Owen: The Fishermans Net (best dive bar around!). Caffe Ammi!
A day in the life: how are you spending a day off in your neighborhood/area?
Carol: Day off? In good weather, I will take a 3-mile hike on the trail outside my house, then I like to plan and cook a great meal.
Owen: What's a day off?
What's your favorite hidden gem?
Carol: "My" Trail. The Twin lakes Trail that runs for 26 miles from Mount Vernon to Scarsdale.
Owen: Pelville Coffee Shop
What is your favorite piece of your area's culture?
Carol: I have to say, I really love Arthur Ave. in the Bronx, food, food and more food!
Owen: The Picture House & The Pelham Art Center
Tell us a fun fact about you!
Carol: I have been collecting recipes for about 30 years. It's a bit of an obsession and very organized. Needless to say, I cook a lot and consider cookbooks to be literature.
Owen: I’m the guy who introduced rock star Real Estate Agent Kristin McFeely to Compass & Compass to Kristin...so you have ME to blame!
