New Lounge and Wi-Fi Hotspot in Katonah

Step into the front room at 7 Edgemont Avenue in Katonah, and you'll find dark mahogany tables, freshly arranged flowers, and free Wi-Fi.

Sound like a nice place to lounge? Stop in to check your email? Have a quick business meeting in town?

All of these things are possible in the "real estate lounge," the newest addition to Katonah's real estate brokerage services. The lounge is part of a concept that Country Estates & Manors is touting as "the real estate office of the future."

The Greenwich-based real estate brokerage has opened its first Westchester outpost in Katonah, with 30-year Westchester and Putnam real estate veteran Pat Neville at the helm. Neville is the principal broker at the office, and wears a few other hats, too.

"We aren't pushing our services—we want to serve the community. We've gotten away from promoting product and moved toward promoting friends and neighbors who make it a great place to live," she said.

To that end, the office is divided into two areas: the lounge, and the real estate agency. The space will host rotating art exhibits and holiday-themed displays. Residents are invited to use the space as needed or to stop in and say hello.

Country Estates & Manors joins several other real estate firms in Katonah, including Prudential Holmes & Kennedy and Houlihan Lawrence, at a time when home sales are reportedly dismal in the Northeast. But Neville remained optimistic about the company's potential here.

"People still have to buy and sell homes, and we feel positive about this area," she said.

Neville will lead a team of agents including Ellen Ruffalo, Kitty Schwartz, Claudia King, Elaine Ryan, and Helen Keating. The brokerage firm also has an established Facebook presence through their blog, Inside Katonah, to which they welcome local contributors.