Daily Archives: May 21, 2013

London development generates nearly $1B in sales before groundbreaking | North Salem Real Estate

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Overseas buyers who account for half of new-home purchases in London are helping drive nearly $1 billion in sales in Circus West at Battersea Powerstation, a new neighborhood of 866 homes that will break ground in July, Bloomberg reports.

The project is part of London’s largest redevelopment area, which is centered around a decommissioned coal-fired power plant on the south bank of the River Thames. By 2030, as many as 16,000 new homes are expected to be constructed around Battersea Powerstation.

The old power plant, which was featured on the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 album, “Animals,” is said to said to be the largest brick building in Europe. A new U.S. embassy is also planned for the Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea Opportunity Area, which will be served by an extension of London’s underground transit system. Source: bloomberg.com.

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/wire/london-development-generates-nearly-1b-in-sales-before-groundbreaking/#sthash.11pcSR3Y.dpuf

 

London development generates nearly $1B in sales before groundbreaking | Inman News.

Update your marketing, or get left behind | Mt Kisco Realtor

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You update your clothing and your technology, but have you updated your marketing? If you’re still using the same old outdated tactics from five, 10 or even 20 years ago, it’s time to freshen up those old approaches with a new look for 2013.

With all the buzz about video, mobile and social media, it’s easy to get caught up in the never-ending chase for the latest shiny new object. On the other hand, it’s also just as easy to become complacent and to keep on doing what you have always done.

The challenge is that if you constantly chase what’s new, you don’t develop consistent systems. On the other hand, if you don’t adapt regularly, you’ll be left behind by the agents who do.

So how can a busy agent like you determine what needs a remake? Here are some useful tips.

1. Real estate is, and always will be, a face-to-face business

Does calling on owners of expired listings, for-sale-by-owners (FSBOs) and door knocking still work? Absolutely! These tried and true techniques that put you in direct contact with owners are as effective today as they were 50 years ago.

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/05/20/update-your-marketing-or-get-left-behind/#sthash.Nw89CfqV.dpuf

 

Update your marketing, or get left behind | Inman News.

Metro-North Trains Should Be Up And Running By Wednesday Morning | Armonk NY Real Estate

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Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven Line is scheduled to be back to normal by Wednesday morning, officials said Monday.

“We are confident that the reconstruction work, inspection and testing will be completed in time for a normal rush hour on Wednesday,” Metro-North President Howard Permut said in a statement Monday evening. “We are grateful for the tireless work of all departments and employees engaged in this huge task.”

Metro-North and the Connecticut Department of Transportation have to rebuild 2,000 feet of track after Friday’s derailment and collision on the Fairfield-Bridgeport border. The agencies also need to restring overhead catenary wires to restore electricity to the rail line and retest the track and the signals before trains can begin running.

Train ridership was way down Monday, with about 750 people riding shuttle trains and buses from towns north of the accident Monday, or about 20 percent of the usual number, Metro-North said. Overall, however, ridership on the New Haven Line was down 20 percent Monday. About 2,700 people total had used the Metro-North bus service by 3 p.m. Monday, it said.

Connecticut’s main highways did not see unusually high traffic Monday, Gov. Dannel Malloy said Monday. The Merritt Parkway’s car load was actually slightly below a typical Monday, while Interstate 95 was slightly slower, he said.

“Suffice it to say, the plan worked,” Transportation Commissioner James Redeker said Monday. “People listened, and we had support systems in place.”

For Tuesday, Metro-North will continue the system it set up for Monday’s commute, with trains running from New Haven to Bridgeport, buses taking commuters from Bridgeport and Fairfield to Westport, and trains running again from Westport to Grand Central. The full schedule and plan is available here.

The state will maintain its same procedures Tuesday morning that it did Monday. State Police and tow crews will be on call during rush hours to clear accidents quickly. The state Emergency Operations System will also be open to help manage the rush-hour commute.

On Sunday evening, Malloy had asked Connecticut residents to telecommute to work if possible, and carpool or vanpool if driving instead of taking the train. He asked commuters to take those same steps again Tuesday.

“This is tremendously good news,” Malloy said of Metro-North’s announcement. “However, this also means that we’re going to have one more day of great difficulty, and that’s tomorrow.”

 

Metro-North Trains Should Be Up And Running By Wednesday Morning | The Bedford Daily Voice.

Make Sure To Vote Tuesday In Bedford | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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Bedford Central School District residents can vote on the district’s $125,057,000 budget for the 2013-2014 and to levy the necessary taxes included, all day Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the elementary school serving their attendance area.

The vote will also include a choice of three unopposed Board of Education members: Jennifer Gerken and Suzanne Grant are running for re-election, and newcomer Michael Solomon is the only one running for the third available seat.

 

Make Sure To Vote Tuesday In Bedford | The Bedford Daily Voice.

Housing will reaccelerate economic growth: Fannie Mae | South Salem Real Estate

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The year’s solid economic start faded late in the first quarter, but the recent setback is a temporary one, analysts claim.

The slow in activity is partly due to ongoing fiscal drags, including the budget sequester. However, a modest reacceleration is expected in the second half of this year, as the housing market continues to gain traction, according toFannie Mae’s economic outlook.

Housing is expected to act as a tailwind for the economy throughout the year and into 2014, even though there may be a few hiccups in overall economic activity.

“Our May forecast predicts that the second half of 2013 will be a little stronger than the first half, despite the slowdown during the past couple of months,” Doug Duncan, chief economist for Fannie Mae.

He added, “Employment numbers are getting better, albeit it at a relatively slow pace, and the April employment picture should help boost consumer sentiment toward the economy overall. However, we continue to keep an eye on potential headwinds to our forecast, including the long-term effects of sequestration, spending constraints, the sovereign debt crisis, and the impending debt ceiling.”

Residential investment contributed to economic growth for the eighth consecutive quarter, adding 0.3 percentage points during the first quarter of 2013.

Additionally, the annualized pace of total housing starts in March surpassed the one million market for the first time since the housing crisis, driven solely by a surge in multifamily housing.

Multifamily homebuilding has benefited from a shift in tenure choice over the past several years toward renting, according to Fannie Mae.

For instance, the homeownership rate continued to decline in the first quarter, dropping to 65% — the lowest rate since the third quarter of 1995, the report noted.

By contrast, new single-family home sales rose in March, jumping 51%, which is the biggest gain since the second quarter of 2003.

Despite the robust gain in new home sales in the first quarter, homebuilders’ confidence from the Nation Association of Home Builders’ survey continued to cool in April, declining for the third consecutive month.

 

 

Housing will reaccelerate economic growth: Fannie Mae | HousingWire.

Lenders prep for increase in millennial housing demand | Katonah Real Estate

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The pent-up demand for the millennial generation to buy houses is starting to surface, according to a report from Rob Chrisman.

Millennials, which range from 18 to 34, have put off buying houses due to the recession, high unemployment and student loan debt.

In the report, Chrisman explained that a lot of lenders are prepping for the upcoming demand.

Hamilton Group Funding, a Florida based mortgage banker, is continuing its aggressive expansion plans in multiple states, seeking to acquire mortgage firms or branches with $50 to $250 million in annual residential production, Chrisman said.

In addition, Chrisman noted that First Guaranty Mortgage Corporation is growing its retail division, adding loan officers and operational staff in New Jersey.  

Millennials are 90 million strong according to Chrisman, and as the demand increases, the industry will have to prepare itself to meet the surge. 

 

 

Lenders prep for increase in millennial housing demand | HousingWire.

Why your prospects need a property manager | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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Michelle Horneff-Cohen, president of Property Management Systems, provides information on how you can help protect your clients’ investments and ensure them many happy years as a property owner. She writes:

“Becoming a property owner and leasing a unit opens the door for many legal concerns. A property manager eats, breathes, and lives local ordinance. If they don’t, they aren’t a real PM.”

To read the rest of Cohen’s article, click here.

 

Why your prospects need a property manager | HousingWire.

Home Depot reported strong first quarter earnings, citing the recovering housing market | Bedford Real Estate

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Home improvement retailing giant Home Depot reported strong first quarter earnings this morning, citing the recovering housing market as a key driver.

Earnings per share were $0.83 versus analysts’ consensus prediction of $0.77. Revenues came in at $19.1 billion, topping estimates for $18.69 billion.

U.S. same-store sales rose 4.8% during the quarter.

“In the first quarter, we saw less favorable weather compared to last year, but we continue to see benefit from a recovering housing market that drove a stronger-than-expected start to the year for our business,” said Home Depot Chairman and CEO Frank Blake in the press release.

Shares are up 3.6% in pre-market trading.

Below is the full text from the release:

ATLANTA, May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — The Home Depot®, the world’s largest home improvement retailer, today reported sales of $19.1 billion for the first quarter of fiscal 2013, a 7.4 percent increase from the first quarter of fiscal 2012. Due to the 14th week in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, first quarter sales benefited from a seasonal timing change that added approximately $574 million to sales. On a like for like basis, comparable store sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2013 were positive 4.3 percent, and comp sales for U.S. stores were positive 4.8 percent.

(Logo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20030502/HOMEDEPOTLOGO )

Net earnings for the first quarter were $1.2 billion, or $0.83 per diluted share, compared with net earnings of $1.0 billion, or $0.68 per diluted share, in the same period of fiscal 2012. For the first quarter of fiscal 2013, diluted earnings per share increased 22.1 percent from the same period in the prior year.

“In the first quarter, we saw less favorable weather compared to last year, but we continue to see benefit from a recovering housing market that drove a stronger-than-expected start to the year for our business,” said Frank Blake, chairman & CEO. “I would like to thank our associates for their hard work and commitment to our customers.”

Updated Fiscal 2013 Guidance

Based on its year-to-date performance and outlook for the balance of the year, the Company raised its fiscal 2013 sales guidance and now expects sales to be up approximately 2.8 percent with comparable store sales up approximately 4.0 percent for the year. The Company raised its fiscal 2013 diluted earnings-per-share guidance and now expects diluted earnings per share to be up approximately 17 percent to $3.52 for the year. The Company’s fiscal 2013 sales and earnings-per-share guidance is based on a 52-week year compared to fiscal 2012, a 53-week year.

The Company’s earnings-per-share guidance includes the benefit of its year-to-date share repurchases and intent to repurchase $4.4 billion in additional shares over the remainder of the year, which will bring the total dollar amount of shares repurchased to $6.5 billion for the year.

The Home Depot will conduct a conference call today at 9 a.m. ET to discuss information included in this news release and related matters. The conference call will be available in its entirety through a webcast and replay at earnings.homedepot.com.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/home-depot-q1-2013-earnings-2013-5#ixzz2TvsZlvWk

 

 

Home Depot Q1 2013 Earnings – Business Insider.

7 Facebook Marketing Case Studies | Pound Ridge Realtor

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Learn some inventive ways to integrate Facebook into your social media marketing strategy.

7 Facebook Marketing Case Studies 7 Facebook Marketing Case StudiesEvery day, businesses are inspired to bring creative marketing ideas to life on Facebook in ways that have a real impact on their bottom line. Many have discovered how to leverage their Facebook communities to strengthen brand loyalty and communicate directly with customers. As your company invests in the social network for marketing, advertising, and branding, it’s useful to have a few examples of what others have done with the platform. These case studies look at the goals, approaches, and results for several Facebook campaigns.

 HubSpot Facebook Marketing Case Study 7 Facebook Marketing Case Studies

HubSpot

The all-in-one marketing software platform wanted to promote its brand in a 3-month campaign as a thought leader in the B2B field on Facebook to:

  • Lead fans to its Page and ultimately engage them with other content
  • Drive customer engagement and generate more leads

Results:

  • 71% sales increase from Facebook
  • 15% increase in ROI from Facebook
  • 39% increase in traffic coming from Facebook

Read the case study

 Corcoran Group Facebook marketing case study 7 Facebook Marketing Case Studies

Corcoran Group Real Estate

The New York real estate brokerage wanted to use the global reach of Facebook to increase engagement with potential homebuyers, local New Yorkers, and the real estate industry at large, as well as strengthen its online brand presence to:

  • Create a community where people could start a conversation and discuss the question, “What does it feel like to live in New York?”
  • Connect with a larger pool of people interested in buying homes before they decide to reach out to a real estate agent
  • Drive awareness of Corcoran’s social hub and provide information about the brokerage’s activities

Results:

  • 2x visitors now come from Facebook compared with its other advertising platforms
  • No. 2 in organic search results for Corcoran’s Facebook Page, second only to the brokerage’s own website
  • 6x higher reach for posts on days when ads are running
  • 10x more Page views of its Facebook Page when ads are running

Read the case study

 Canvas People Facebook marketing case study 7 Facebook Marketing Case Studies

Canvas People

The canvas print maker wanted to drive brand recognition and establish a presence on Facebook to:

  • Increase fan engagement to build a dedicated Facebook community
  • Drive Facebook fans to purchase directly fromCanvasPeople.com

Results:

  • 3,959 individual transactions as a result of the Facebook campaign
  • 180,000 people liked the Canvas People Facebook Page
  • 1.5x return on investment on Facebook advertising
  • 10x page engagement increase based on the “People Talking About This” metric

Read the case study

 Luxury Link Facebook marketing case study 7 Facebook Marketing Case Studies

Luxury Link

The high-end hotel website wanted to drive engagement and increase brand visibility for the well-traveled luxury customer to:

  • Offer a way for people to share luxury travel experiences and new featured destinations
  • Continue to grow revenue by offering relevant deals to its community

Results:

  • 100% increase in sales for travel packages coming from Facebook
  • 30% increase in site visits month over month from Facebook
  • 90% of the Facebook community who purchased travel packages were new Luxury Link customers

Read the case study

 

7 Facebook Marketing Case Studies | Pamorama | Social Media Marketing Blog.