PRO Exclusive

"It's Always More Than The House!"

Interests

Reading, cooking and baking, cultural events, volunteering in my town and the local museums

Movies

Sound of Music - named my Bichon - "Edelweiss" - small and bright, clean and white - always happy to great me! We call him Eddy! Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Hitchcock films with Jimmy Stewart

Books

Too many, now have enjoyed "Charles Schultz and Peanuts" for The Katonah Museum Book Club and just finished "Girl Gone" by Gillian Flynn - need to read her others - so well crafted.

Joined May 2012

Karen Benvin Ransom

PRO

Real Estate Professional with Houlihan Lawrence Katonah

#1 Local Expert on StreetAdvisor in Westchester County
#1 Local Expert on StreetAdvisor in Mount Kisco
#1 Local Expert on StreetAdvisor in Somers

Local Expert 3,689 points
Reviews 0
Questions 2
Answers 46
Discussions 2

About Me

Karen Benvin Ransom is a Westchester Native and has lived in The Town of Bedford for many years. She had been a business owner of one of the top Westchester County businesses since her college days and has brought all of her Entrepreneurial Skills, Business and Marketing Savvy to Real Estate at Houlihan Lawrence in Katonah for over 10 years.

Awards are numerous, but what she is most proud of is the Community in which she has raised her two children. They enjoyed the Katonah Lewisboro Schools and the many activities that are available in the area. Karen also gives her time to local museums, charities and events.

She also has a tremendous presence on the Internet which garners her clients a spotlight for their homes. She is a great resource for life here in Northern Westchester. Her National Award Winning articles awarded by Leading Real Estate Companies of The World, illustrate how in depth her local expertise is:

www.GuideMeHome2Westchester.com/karen-benvin-ransom

That website of local articles plus her website www.KarenFromKatonah.com is at the top of Google searches in regards to virtually any topic concerning Life and Real Estate in The Town of Bedford & Northern Westchester.

Karen retains her membership in the honorary Food & Wine Society, "Les Dames d'Escoffier". She is also a lifetime honorary member of Roundtable for Women in the Food Industry.

Karen was the recipient of two top awards in the Floyd Wickman Real Estate Course. In a class of 65 she received the "Top Overall Producer Award" plus "The Shining Star Award" for overall excellence.

Karen also wrote a popular Real Estate column in "The Bedford Record Review". Most recently, Karen has become a Certified International Property Specialist an International Organization that studies The Americas, Europe and The Asia Pacific Rim Countries in their cultures and real estate practices to better take care of International Clients. She won the "Leading Real Estate Companies of the World" Propopoly National Award for her local articles.

Karen is a member of the National Association of Realtors, the New York State Association of Realtors and the Westchester County Board of Realtors

My Awards

GOLD AWARD Top Producer Status Houlihan Lawrence
GOLD AWARD Status Westchester County Board of Realtors
Top Real Estate Blogger - Leading Real Estate Companies of The World
Star Award & Top Producer Award - Floyd Wickman Courses
Castle Award for Entrepreneurship - Manhattanville College
Entrepreneur of the Year - Merrill Lynch & Ernst and Young
Blue Chip Enterprise Award - U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Les Dames D'Escoffier New York & Int'l
Woman of The Year - Round Table for Women in Foodservice
Chase - "Women Mean Business"

My Designations

e-PRO, Certified International Property Specialst, CBR, RELO, ABR

My Groups & Associations

HGAR - Hudson Gateway Assoc of Realtors
National Association of Realtors
NYSAR - New York State Association of Realtors
Les Dames d'Escoffier New York & International

My Service Locations

Bedford, Katonah, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, North Salem, Pound Ridge, Somers, South Salem, Waccabuc, Westchester County

Office

156 Katonah Avenue, Katonah, NY 10536 (Google map)

Websites

Local Links

Community: My Award Winning Local Articles
Local Government: Town of Bedford
School Information: Westchester Magazine School Rankings

Reviews

Katonah

5/5 rating details

Neighborly Spirit 5/5
Safe & Sound 4/5
Clean & Green 5/5
Pest Free 4/5
Peace & Quiet 4/5
Eating Out 5/5
Nightlife 4/5
Parks & Recreation 5/5
Shopping Options 4/5
Gym & Fitness 5/5
Internet Access 5/5
Lack of Traffic 5/5
Parking 5/5
Cost of Living 4/5
Resale or Rental Value 5/5
Public Transport 5/5
Medical Facilities 5/5
Childcare 5/5

Just now

Editors Choice

"Keeping Up with Katonah!"

Where do I begin? Let's go to one of the Hamlets of the Town of Bedford - Katonah! If enjoying a stroll through this beautiful town and its unique shops and restaurants begins to pale you can then jump over to The Katonah Museum www.katonahmuseum.org to enjoy an exhibit - there are tours every day at 2:30. There is always something such as the hunt sheet for children which is an Art History scavenger hunt through the exhibit and then get involved in a project at The Learning Center. There are daily tours at 2:30. If you can plan in advance there are always activities and lectures concerning the current exhibit. There are also rocking Second Saturday Parties held at the Museum. New - the great Restaurant "Ladle of Love" will have a food truck at the Museum on Saturdays - a great destination for the afternoon! Enjoy the repast in the outdoor Sculpture Garden. Then there are the concerts at Caramoor www.caramoor.org down the road during their International Music Festival and throughout the year. Come picnic before - bring your own or order one through Great Performances - all on their website! Do not forget the John Jay Homestead www.johnjayhomestead.org which is the third attraction along our Museum Mile! Home of Founding Father John Jay, 1st Supreme Court Justice, 1st Governor of New York State, there are tours, lectures and many events during the year including the great Farmers Market on Sat from 9-1 and the Annual Homestead Fair. Once they even had an American Girl Doll Tea for our daughters and their dolls - what memories! New Childhood Memories are created at Noka Joe's and Little Joe's Books. Many story hours, visitng authors, Flip Flop, Hopscoth events and more - along with a promotional penny ice cream! Evening/Night Life is primarily based on our cultural institutions plus the great restaurants. True, Katonah is small but all of the needed/desired amenities such as gyms, chain stores and Medical Facilities are available within the Town of Bedford or adjoining Mt. Kisco The Town of Bedford is comprised of Bedford Village, Bedford Hills and Katonah.
This lovely village is "once removed" since it was moved from it's original location to make way for the NYC Reservoir system in 1897. A farm was purchased and the Olmstead firm of Central Park fame designed the town with its many green spaces. The 85 buildings - primarily Victorians were then lifted and rolled into place in the New Katonah pulled by horse and mule!
People also love to live within the Village where they can walk to all - including the trains - and all the great stores and restaurants. Did I tell you about my fab new glasses that I got in Katonah........?

Pros