The Inside Press

From its very beginnings in the farmlands of Bronxville, the Lawrence principle of high quality planning and development has been the cornerstone of the company’s success.

William Van Duzer Lawrence was a pioneer. His vision for Bronxville was fulfilled and he built one of the first, fully planned communities in the United States . He created a country living development for those active in the arts in New York City so that those creative and artistic families would feel welcomed and among friends.

The selection of home sites, the pattern of street network, water and sewer lines, schools and hospital–were all perfectly executed to become a future model of suburban America.

In the years that followed that first dream and reality, four generations of the Lawrence Family have been creating and developing choice properties–each bearing the principle of high quality planning.

Continuing the trend toward country living for New Yorkers who like to be surrounded by their own ample acres, Lawrence Farms was undertaken in 1928. Offering both acreage and completed homes, Lawrence Farms spreads through Chappaqua, Mount Kisco and New Castle.

The present executive offices of the Readers’ Digest were part of Lawrence Farms, as was the Mount Kisco Country Club.

Over the years, other Lawrence developments of distinction have been added to the honor roll–North Manursing Island at Rye, Winding Road Farms at Ardsley, Flintlock Ridge in Katonah and Bedford Village Farms.

Today, Lawrence Investing Company, Inc., Lawrence Management, Inc., and Lawrence Real Estate are involved in properties from Nantucket to Dallas, as well as residential, apartment and commercial buildings in Westchester.

By Colette Connolly

“Buyers and sellers need to be diligent when  selecting an agent to represent them, you need an agent who is knowledgeable of the community, has excellent negotiation skills and can adequately service clients through the often prolonged process of buying or selling a home,” states Ted Holmes of Douglas Elliman in Chappaqua.

Holmes, who is a Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker at Douglas Elliman, adds this too:  “Finding a home is easy. Getting the home–that’s where experience and knowledge comes into play.”

Holmes, who has a combined 20 years of experience in both the real estate and mortgage industries, is certainly no stranger to the business. His father, Bill Holmes, founder of Holmes & Kennedy, was instrumental in his early training in the complexities of both the residential and commercial markets and the highest level of service Holmes & Kennedy was famous for.

Holmes & Kennedy was acquired by Douglas Elliman in 2011. Douglas Elliman is the largest broker in New York with over 4,000 agents, serving Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, The North Shore, The Hamptons, Florida and Westchester/Putnam.

But even with that, Holmes said there is still much to learn.”Being in the real estate business is different today from years ago,” he explains, referring to the increased marketing and technology skills that agents must have to survive in a competitive marketplace.

Holmes, a Chappaqua native, began his career as a mortgage loan officer, eventually co-owning The Asset Center, Inc., a mortgage brokerage firm in Armonk. Due to that industry’s “transactional” nature, Holmes felt he was more suited to real estate, a job that would give him the opportunity to work with clients hands-on.

His career began at Holmes & Kennedy in 2000 as a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson, with Holmes working his way up to the position of manager and director of operations for the Douglas Elliman Westchester market, a position he acquired in 2011.

What sets Holmes apart from other agents is his deep connection to the local community. “When a buyer comes to work with me, I have the knowledge and experience of being here my whole life,” he says.

But more importantly, it’s his desire to help clients find not only a home but a lifestyle and a community they can feel comfortable in. Holmes gets a lot of satisfaction from working with clients who know very little about Westchester and then matching them up with the most suitable properties.

“It’s not about telling them what’s right for them,” says Holmes, “It’s about giving them the information so that they can eventually make a connection with a community and home that is the right fit for them.”

During what can sometimes be a long and drawn-out process, Holmes says he is there every step of the way for his clients, from answering questions on tax-related matters, permits, the moving process, even septic tanks, which is especially valuable for people who are new to suburban living.

What also distinguishes Holmes is the “after-sale program” he implements after every successful transaction. It’s his way of staying in contact with clients long after a sale or purchase has taken place, he adds. Whether they need assistance moving out of the area, a trusted plumber or other service provider, Holmes says it’s important to provide a referral network that homeowners can trust.

“I provide a superior skill set to meet the real estate needs of my clients. The greatest satisfaction for me is helping buyers and sellers alike with one the 
biggest  transitions in their lives.”

To contact Holmes, call 914-548-6179, email him at ted.holmes@elliman.com or view his profile at the Douglas Elliman website, www.elliman.com/tedholmes.

So, have you been keeping your New Year’s resolution to exercise more?  Unless your resolution was a bit more specific than that, chances of succeeding may be fairly uphill,  notes Scott Reilly, owner of Prescriptions for Fitness at 225 King Street.

“Saying I want to lose 60 pounds is way too vague,” he explains. “A goal of I want to lose six pounds in the first month, or I want to be able to run one mile or drop one dress size by February break is more achievable.”

Goals can be broken down to weekly or monthly, Reilly adds. “If you don’t reach a certain goal, write down why you didn’t reach it, put it behind you, and reach the following week’s goal. Don’t dwell on it, don’t beat yourself up, and move on. Always remember: fitness should be fun and achievable. It shouldn’t become a chore or something you hate. Then you will never achieve your goals.”

Equally important is to be careful not to overdo it. If you’re not in shape at the outset, jumping into a boot camp, for example, can be downright dangerous. “Within a week of doing these classes, most people get injured, hurt their back, or neck and end up taking a long period off from exercising,” warns Reilly, adding that for exercise to be most effective, it needs to be tailored to meet an individual’s general health and fitness profile. Indeed, Reilly has long touted Prescriptions for providing “expertise and targeted training.”

“We personalize workouts to meet the high standards of professional, educated individuals in the area,” he continued.  “ We also work with kids and teams, so naturally the goals and training for a 17 year old hockey player is going to be very different from a 50 year old man with cardiovascular issues!”

The hour-long sessions combine cardio with circuit training which has been deemed the most efficient way to burn fat optimally. “For maximum results, we encourage clients to get as many ‘reps’ in with each portion of the circuit, with a limited rest, before repeating or moving on to the next part of the circuit. We alternate reps with cardio activities.”

Moving Past Plateaus

A key challenge in successful workouts is plowing past “plateaus.” That’s when you are, say, five to ten pounds short of achieving a goal but can’t seem to get any more mileage out of a workout.  “If you give your body new and different challenges,” Scott says, “it will propel you out of your comfort zone so that you can get ever more strong and fit.”

Scott has been training clients in physical fitness since high school when he was captain of the varsity wrestling team at John Jay High School.  He went on to eventually manage a string of Gold’s Gyms before opening up Prescriptions for Fitness in Chappaqua, at its first location, 16 years ago.  He is married to Lyn Reilly, who sells real estate in Newtown, CT.  Their two daughters, Jillian, 9 and Devyn, 5, are both avid dancers.

Many Prescriptions clients have trained there for a decade or longer and avidly attest to positive results.   Chappaqua regular Paul Jenkel said he joined Prescriptions after watching his wife Barbara’s health profile literally transform from her workouts there.  She had come to Prescriptions following a cancer scare and an osteoporosis diagnosis.

Training two or three times a week with intense cardio and weight bearing exercises reversed her diagnosis.  Another client, Chuck Rockefeller, has improved his golf game and overall fitness “tremendously” via a multidisciplinary golf clinic Scott set up at the Sleepy Hollow Country Club.  “We are one of the only facilities in Westchester with Titleist Golf Performance Institute certified trainers who will evaluate and design an exercise program tailored specifically to your individual golf game,” explains Scott.

Scott is never surprised by the transformations he witnesses but always proud to be of service. Fitness goals, he says, are  “a journey…you want to move forward, not backwards.  There’s no easy way to lose weight and keep it off permanently without a commitment to regular exercise and training too, particularly as you hit middle age and those upper baby boom years.  When you get in better shape, you feel and think and sleep better and you naturally make better food choices too.” With the holidays behind  all of us, training this winter might just be the perfect time to give optimal health a try.  For more info, visit 
www.prescriptionsforfitness.net

–Grace Bennett