Home is where the business is

Ask Jeff Silverstein, who co-owns a Roslyn home-decorating store with his partner, Frank Foronjy, to name the benefits of having a business in his residence and he will mention the usual advantages. Things like being able to walk downstairs and go to work immediately. Or having round-the-clock access to the office to make last-minute preparations for a client coming the next day.

But, he warns, it's also easy to slip away and take a nap or watch television.

And that's a disadvantage how?

"You have to stay motivated," says Silverstein. "If you work at home, you've got to make sure you're actually working. Otherwise, you're not going to be able to afford to stay in the house."

Having a live-work situation is a dream of many people, especially those facing things like a two-hour commute to an impersonal corporate cubical. But is this just a pipe dream masking a disappointing reality? Isn't having the place where you live also be the place where you work a bit too cozy?

Apparently not.

"This was something we had hoped and planned to do all of our lives," says Rita Winkler, who owns, along with her husband, Curtis, a bed-and-breakfast in Northport. "We love it, love it, love it."

This kind of habitat isn't for everyone, of course, and there are zoning requirements to be considered. That usually isn't a problem with a live-work listing since most are already in a commercially approved area, real estate agents say. Otherwise, special permits must be obtained for things such as traffic issues and noise, says Mitchell Pally, chief executive of the Long Island Builders Institute, a trade group.

"You want to be a good neighbor," he says.

In the three years she and her husband have run the B & B in their historic 150-year-old Northport home, they have met guests from Japan, Australia and all over the world, Winkler says. Constantly having strangers in your house does take getting used to, she says, though the section with the guest rooms has its own entrance.

Oh, yes, there is one other consideration for anyone thinking about the B & B biz.

"If you're not a morning person, it's not for you," she says, "because you have to get up and make breakfast."

Roslyn $859,000

LOCATION 20 Main St.

LISTING HISTORY On the market six months with three price changes, starting at $979,000

TAXES $16,688

THE BIZ Currently a home decorating firm with an office and a showroom that includes two of the property's four fireplaces.

THE HOME A historic Colonial built in 1836 with four bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths in Roslyn village. It has a gourmet kitchen, formal dining room, family room, two fireplaces, an exterior deck on the rear and a partially finished basement.

LISTING AGENT Howard Newman at 718-767-0388 or cell at 516-641-0076

Northport $1.235 million

LOCATION 214 Fox Lane

LISTING HISTORY On the market for two months, with one price change, from $1.299 million

TAXES $19,175

THE BIZ Known as the Hillcrest Manor Inn, the home was turned into a bed-and-breakfast after being renovated three years ago. It has three guest rooms, two of which are suites. These quarters have a separate entrance.

THE HOME The Italianate Victorian has five bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths and was built in 1860. The home, which sits on 1 1/2 acres overlooking Northport Harbor, has an eat-in kitchen, a formal dining room, a den and family room, a formal double parlor, a home office, wood floors and a full basement. There are seven fireplaces and two verandas.

LISTING AGENT Shelley Pierce with Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate at 631-543-9400 or cell at 917-363-9872 and Patrice Alexander with Under The Roof Services Corp. at 800-969- 5813 or cell at 631-662-8399.

Amityville, $429,000

LOCATION 75 Union Ave.

LISTING HISTORY On the market since March with one price change, from $449,000

TAXES $14,569

THE BIZ This has been the home and business of a chiropractor for 20 years. The owner says a buyer would have the option of buying the equipment.

THE HOME A ranch with four bedrooms and 21 / 2 baths in a wooded setting zoned for professional use. The home, which is within walking distance of the village, has a great room with a cathedral ceiling, a fireplace, hardwood floors and a dining room. About two-thirds of the L-shaped home is residential and the other third is office space. That has a separate entrance with treatment rooms.

LISTING AGENT Joanne Mills, 631-836-5289, and April Elsner, 516-242-3765, with Exit Realty Premier in Massapequa Park

Peconic $1.5 million

LOCATION 33705 County Rd. 48

LISTING HISTORY On the market 21 months with three price changes, starting at $3 million

TAXES $12,375

THE BIZ The Catapano Dairy Farm has been one of the nation's top-rated producers of goat cheese -- primarily chevre and blue -- for several years. It has won first place awards from the American Cheese Society. This is part of an "agritainment" complex with a dairy operation that includes a large herd of goats and an 8,000-square-foot barn with solar panels. They also produce feta and ricotta, yogurt and fudge as well as a variety of aged cheeses and a line of goat's milk skin care products such as creams and soaps. Visiting the farm is a family experience where children are allowed to pet the goats and miniature horses. The farm comes fully equipped. The equipment, goats and cheese recipes are included.

THE HOME A traditional home with four bedrooms and 21 / 2 baths on 5 acres of farmland. It has a large country kitchen, a formal dining room, a living room, a den with a stone fireplace, a home office, a full basement, a three-car garage and extensive gardens. The home can be used as an educational center for cooking and cheese making.

LISTING AGENT Elizabeth Gilpin with Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty at 631-749-1155 or cell 631-278-3202