May 2013
56 posts
Jessica Simpson lists one home, keeps the other |... →
The “Fashion Star” judge just listed her longtime residence for $7.995 million, according to Zillow, who writes:
Custom-built in the early ’90s by award-winning L.A. designer Kerry Joyce, the 5,500-square-foot home is located in a private celebrity enclave with a gated entrance and vine-covered exterior. Simpson has owned the 5-bedroom property since 2005, when she bought it for $5.275 million...
South Bay housing prices up double digits on low... →
Housing prices in the South Bay showed robust growth in April amid sharply lower inventory of homes for sale, a continuing trend in the local economy according to the South Bay Association of Realtors.
In a press release issued May 22, the association said verage and median prices for both single family homes and condominiums/townhomes were up by double digits; condominium/townhome median prices...
Jobless claims inch down | Cross River NY Real... →
Jobless claims in the U.S. reversed back down, falling by 23,000 filings for the week ending May 18 and hitting 340,000 total claims.
This slight increase comes after last week’s revised figure of 363,000, according to the Department of Labor.
The four-week moving average was 339,500, a drop of 500 filings from the previous week.
Analysts with Econoday said there have been a few bright spots...
Shiller, Case & Blitzer: Economic Recovery Can't... →
Don’t rely on housing to support a strong economic recovery, according to three housing market experts. Many believe a housing market rebound will lead the way to an economic recovery despite government spending cuts, tax increases and an ongoing economic malaise in Europe. But Yale University economist Robert Shiller, Wellesley Collage economics professor Karl Case and David Blitzer,...
Existing-home sales remain below underlying... →
After falling in March, existing-home sales increased in April, although they were still not enough to meet underlying demand due to limited inventory and tight credit, reports the National Association of Realtors. All regions recorded year-over-year price gains.
Housing Market Cooling? If You Consider Going From... →
A recent headline on the blog of the Redfin real estate firm warns of “early signs of a cooling off period.”
As if. Without any apparent irony, the recent experience of a Los Angeles real estate agent was presented as one data point in support of that “cooling off “headline. She is now encountering just eight to 15 other bidders when writing offers for buyer clients, compared with 30...
Housing inventory shortage lifts prices | Katonah... →
The home value forecast from Pro Teck Valuation Services reveals the impact low housing inventory has on home prices, which it calls the sold-to-list price ratio.
In the May update, the Honolulu, Tucson, San Francisco and Chicago metro areas are highlighted to determine how the indicator has been useful from a historical perspective as well as in current market conditions to best predict home...
Astorino: Update On Affordable Housing In... →
Make Sure To Vote Tuesday In Bedford | Bedford... →
London development generates nearly $1B in sales... →
Flower Power Doesn’t Pay | Chappaqua NY Real... →
Flower Power Doesn’t Pay | Chappaqua NY Real Estate
The Appraisal Institute recently advised that landscaping can make a significant difference a home’s value.
“If a landscaping change is positive, it can often enhance price and reduce a home’s time on the market,” said Appraisal Institute President Richard L. Borges II, MAI, SRA. “But if the change is negative, it can lower the price and...
Astorino: Update On Affordable Housing In... →
In 2009, my predecessor, Andrew Spano and the Board of Legislators signed a legal settlement obligating the county to spend $51.6 million to develop 750 units of fair and affordable housing in 31 so-called eligible or mostly white communities by the end of 2016.
Here’s an update on the status. Let’s start with the bad news.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is trying to...
How to Pencil Out a Real Estate Deal | Waccabuc... →
When making an investment in real estate, you should look at it the same way you would look at a financial investment in a bond, stock, annuity, CD or any investment. You should analyze how much cash equity is being invested — just like you would if you bought a financial asset – and how much cash flow it produces. This is commonly called cash-on-cash return. A bond might pay a 5.0% interest...
Famous Miami Beach hotel becomes a foreclosure |... →
It’s not just homes — foreclosure activity also is changing the face of neighborhoods with once vibrant businesses.
The Miami Herald says the famed Shore Club on Miami Beach became the subject of a final foreclosure judgment this week.
The site was once a popular celebrity hangout, but today the 309-room hotel is facing an online sale.
The sale will hit on June 25.
Consumer confidence hits highest index since 2007... →
The University of Michigan‘s consumer confidence survey results are out.
The headline index rose to 83.7 from last month’s 76.4 reading. That’s the highest index reading since July 2007.
15 Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed |... →
Realtor finds Google Glass ‘awesome’ | Bedford... →
Given Google’s tight clutch on prototypes of its futuristic eyewear, known as Google Glass, Greg Geilman may be the first real estate agent to test the device.
His finding? The smart glasses, which allow users to perform many smartphone functions, offer a unique “awesome” user experience. And thankfully, he “did not feel like an idiot” sporting them in public.
“People were like, ‘Oh my god, is...
Use One of These 4 Simple Garden Designs to Grow... →
.The stunning flavors of culinary herbs make them star players in a healthy diet, and the best way to make the most of big-flavor herbs is to grow them yourself. This article includes plans for four herb gardens, each designed to fit into a 12-square-foot area, to help you make the best use of space near your kitchen door. See Top 12 Kitchen Herbs for more on the featured herbs: basil, chives,...
Watch Out For Coyotes In Westchester This Spring... →
Watch Out For Coyotes In Westchester This Spring
Polo-Playing Prince Harry Takes Greenwich By Storm... →
Polo-Playing Prince Harry Takes Greenwich By Storm | Chappaqua Real Estate
Hong Kong Home Prices at Record Gap to Sales |... →
The Hong Kong dollar’s peg to the U.S. counterpart has kept borrowing costs in the city at near-record lows, underpinning a 109 percent gain in home prices since the beginning of 2009, even as the government imposed several property curbs to cool demand. The city’s housing market got an additional boost in January 2012 when the U.S. Federal Reserve pledged to keep interest rates low through at...
Obama Weekly Address: Growing The “Healing”... →
WHITE HOUSE: In this week’s address, President Obama said seven years after the real estate bubble burst, our housing market is healing. The administration’s policies have helped responsible homeowners save money on their mortgages and stay in their homes, and the President’s consumer watchdog agency is working to protect consumers from being taken advantage of on their mortgages, but there is...
Twin Cities housing prices rise again | Bedford... →
Twin Cities housing prices rise again | Bedford Hills NY Real Estate
Podcasting is a great content play | Pound Ridge... →
Podcasting is a great content play | Pound Ridge Realtor
Is Paying Down Your Mortgage a Bad Idea? |... →
Is Paying Down Your Mortgage a Bad Idea? | Chappaqua Real Estate
Surging market fuels growth of ‘pocket listings’... →
How hot is hot when it comes to housing markets across the country right now? Crazy hot: Some houses sell within days, sometimes within hours, of listing.
Then there are the growing numbers that sell even before they formally hit the market — sold through a controversial technique known as “pocket listings.”
Essentially it’s a private, “off-market” listing, often of short duration.
Instead of...
House Prices Rise in 89% of U.S. Cities as... →
Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Another... →
Why is the man who bet against U.S. housing so... →
Why is the man who bet against U.S. housing so worried about Canada?
John Tavares: Coliseum Crowd Gave NY Islanders... →
Farmer's Markets this Weekend | Chappaqua Real...
Fresh Food from Local Sources 5/9-5/15/2013 DowntoEarthMarkets.com What’s New and in Season This Week Asparagus Gajeski Produce Migliorelli Farm Baby Bok Choy Migliorelli Farm Baby Radishes Migliorelli Farm Basil Gajeski Produce Carrots John D. Madura Farms Collards Gajeski Produce
Green Garlic John D. Madura Farms Greenhouse Tomatoes Jersey Fresh **Mother’s Day Gifts!** ...
Bedford NY Area Strong Markets | Weak Markets |... →
Bedford NY Area Strong Markets | Weak Markets | RobReportBlog
Strong Markets
South Salem up 26% Armonk up 85% Chappaqua up 15% Bedford Corners up 25% Bedford Hills up 11% North Salem up 55%
Weak Markets
Pound Ridge down 11% Bedford Village down 4% Katonah down 4.5%
Looking at sales over the last six months compared to the same period last year.
What $700K Can Buy You Around The Cape & Islands |... →
What $700K Can Buy You Around The Cape & Islands | Chappaqua Homes
Forget Lowballing: Bidding Wars Return in Hot... →
Property taxes are only part of the picture |... →
Taxes, taxes, taxes
Realistic pricing pays off in sales in a slowing... →
Real estate broker Nina Miller advertised the home in the paper, but the offers arrived so quickly she didn’t have the chance to even put up a “for sale” sign outside the Hampstead cottage.
Despite the recent slowdown in Montreal’s real estate market, Miller’s phone buzzed with inquiries last month as soon as she’d listed the renovated, four-bedroom house for sale mid-week. She showed it that...
Housing Crash Fades as Defaults Decline to 2007... →
First-time delinquent home loans fell to 0.84 percent of the 50.2 million mortgages in March, the first month below 1 percent since 2007, before a wave of defaults led to the financial crisis, according to a report today by Lender Processing Services Inc. The rate of first-time defaults, defined as loans that went from performing to at least 60 days delinquent, peaked at 2.89 percent in January...
Cash Sales: 30 Percent of Residential Sales |... →
Cash Sales: 30 Percent of Residential Sales | Pound Ridge Real Estate
A Step-by-Step Guide to Building an Excel Graph... →
A Step-by-Step Guide to Building an Excel Graph [Quick Tip] | Chappaqua NY Realtor
Real Estate Q&A: 1031 Tax-Deferred Exchanges and... →
Real Estate Q&A: 1031 Tax-Deferred Exchanges and Renters Insurance Coverage
More move-up buyers are ‘going to Miami’ | Pound... →
More move-up buyers are ‘going to Miami’ | Pound Ridge Real Estate
Revisiting the history of the 30-year mortgage |... →
Revisiting the history of the 30-year mortgage | Bedford Hills Real Estate
Mortgage rates drop for 5th week, flirt with... →
Do Not Fall Off The Roof – Roofing Tips | Bedford... →
