Daily Archives: October 1, 2013

Bedford NY dealing with federal government shutdown | Bedford NY Real Estate

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Westchester residents must now deal with a federal government shutdown and its ramifications for the first time in 17 years Tuesday morning after Congress failed to agree on a spending plan.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a spending bill that denies funding for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, which will start Tuesday. Oct. 1 also marks the first day of the Fiscal Year, which lasts through Sept. 30, 2014. The Democratic-controlled Senate then voted to kill that House legislation last night, creating the impasse that has led to the shutdown.

Since 1977, there have been 18 government shutdowns. None lasted more than three days.

While much is unknown about the latest, including how long it will last and its economic effects, one thing is certain. Millions of Americans, and thousands of Westchester residents, will be missing services.

Here is what will occur as long as long as the shutdown is in effect:

* Approximately 800,000 Federal workers deemed “non-essential” will be placed on furlough, resulting in an approximate loss of $1 billion a week in wages to Federal workers.

* National Parks will be closed first thing this morning. This includes such iconic sites as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in Manhattan and the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. In Westchester, the lone facility impacted will be St. Paul’s Church in Mount Vernon.

* Permits for guns, alcohol and tobacco will not be processed.

* Social Security checks will continue to be issued.

* The Postal Service, which functions as an independent business unit, will remain open.

* Medicare will continue to operate as is.

* Affordable Care enrollment will still begin as scheduled today, Oct. 1, with health-care coverage starting in January, 2014.

* There is funding for food stamps to last another full year thanks to the 2009 Recovery Act.

* Armed forces, fire, police, public safety, medical and air traffic services will continue.

* There is no telling how long passports will be available during the shutdown. It depends on the undisclosed amount of money the State Department has to appropriate  beyond the amount allocated by Congress.

* Most food safety inspections will continue.

* Veterans’ Affairs services will be closed, but Veterans’ hospitals will remain open

 

 

http://bedford.dailyvoice.com/news/westchester-dealing-first-government-shutdown-17-years

Armonk Election Season Heating Up | Armonk NY Homes

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Armonk Politics:

Dear Neighbor,
On November 5, our town faces an important election.  I am running for Supervisor against Howard Arden, and I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce my running mates for Town Board, Barry Reiter and José Berra.  I urge you to support them as their experience and abilities will help me in continuing to protect the taxpayers of our town.
Barry Reiter and José Berra are joining me in bringing the right change to our community.  We strongly oppose the way Diane Roth, Howard Arden, and John Cronin have been running our town, as this “ruling majority” has brought a disrespectful, arrogant, and secretive approach to North Castle.  Instead of basing decisions on facts, too often false personal attacks are used to get their way (the latest example is the inexcusable campaign of a vicious character assassination conducted during the Republican primary).  Too often they are not honest with the residents, treat them with disdain, and focus more on their own personal agendas then with your priorities.
José Berra and Barry Reiter provide a superior alternative for the Town Board than what we’ve seen from Diane Roth and John Cronin.  Both Barry and José offer excellent professional experience coupled with a clear commitment to our community.
Barry Reiter is an expert on budgeting and resource management as a local business owner, which are important skills that will help protect our taxpayers.  In addition, Barry is truly committed to our community.  From serving on the Byram Hills Education Foundation that benefits our children, to chairing NC4 (North Castle Citizen Corps Council), to coaching AYSO soccer, to volunteering in Boy Scout Troop 94, Barry understands the importance of giving back to our town.  Any of the more than 2000 residents that passed through the Herganhan Recreation Center for comfort during Hurricane Sandy understand Barry’s commitment to his neighbors, as he managed that facility 24/7 as Chairman of NC4. Barry is a respected fiscal conservative and is endorsed by both the Democratic and Conservative parties.
José Berra has lived and volunteered in North Castle for nearly 25 years and possesses an exceptionally strong combination of financial, business, analytical, and legal skills.  José is a CPA and attorney who earned his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School.  He is uniquely qualified scrutinize the town’s finances and to help improve deteriorating town roads and services in a fiscally responsible manner.  José knows the importance of giving back to our community and among other things has volunteered every year for almost 20 years for the Friends of the North Castle Public Library at the Armonk Outdoor Art Show.  José has been enthusiastically endorsed by the Democratic and Independence parties and has strong support throughout North Castle.
Barry, José, and I want to bring responsible, respectful leadership back to our community.  We hope you will support us on November 5 and we look forward to talking with you in the weeks to come.

Sincerely,

Mike Schiliro

www.electmikeschiliro.com

I’ll Have the Same: How to Design With Monochromatic Color | Armonk Real Estate

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We’re taught from an early age that overindulgence is a bad thing. But sometimes it can be very, very good.
Repeating a single color throughout an entire room can be not only beautiful, but relatively easy to pull off. No worrying about whether the curtains go with the carpet. When everything’s the same color, it’s usually a match.
Granted, the look can be overwhelming. It works best in contained spaces where you don’t spend a lot of waking hours, such as a bedroom. And while it’s possible to match the color precisely in every detail, it’s better (and easier) to vary the shade a bit — in terms of both hue and intensity, and texture and sheen. That keeps the repetition interesting.

modern bedroom by Amy Lau Design

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One of the appealing things about a monochromatic interior is that colors you’d think would be too overpowering on their own become more demure when used en masse. The sheer quantity dilutes their ability to shock and makes even a strong color, like acid green, feel restful.
When working with bright colors, be mindful of the amount of light the room gets: This space could be blinding if it got a lot of intense, direct sun.
by Chambers + Chambers Architects

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This charming bedroom merges shades of pink, orange and coral. They have more depth and visual interest together than a single shade would have, and also contribute to the room’s casual feel.
contemporary kids by Melanie Coddington

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Although the patterns in this girl’s room don’t match, they all work together because they share a common color. Liberal additions of white prevent the blue from overwhelming the space and add to the tranquil atmosphere.
traditional living room by Kendall Wilkinson Design

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The combo of blue and white is a seaside staple. But in this San Francisco home, the variations in hue and solid planes of color banish some of the sweetness, making the scheme feel fresh and more contemporary.
eclectic bedroom by HERMOGENO DESIGNS

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Pink has such feminine connotations, we’re often afraid to use it outside a bedroom. But inside a bedroom — watch out! Pink fabric upholsters the walls and bed in this boudoir, making the softness not just visual but tactile.

Texas Oilman’s $14.5M Estate Has Three Pools, Tennis Court | North Salem Homes

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Location: Houston, Texas Price: $14,500,000 The Skinny: Gene Van Dyke made his fortune as one of the country’s last of an adventurous breed of oilmen known as wildcatters; for decades, the Houston-based Van Dyke Energy Company drilled exploratory oil and gas wells throughout the United States, Alaska, and Holland’s North Sea, and at one point had 27M acres of exploration and drilling rights in Africa, or “more deepwater rights than Shell, ExxonMobil and BP combined,” according to a 2001 Forbes piece. Van Dyke’s 11,737-square-foot mansion, on the market for $14.5M, is filled with an interesting mix of wallpapers, upholstery, rugs, and other types of patterned decor that often seem to be at odds with one another. But it’s the rest of the property’s 2.8 acres that’s the real eye-catcher, anyway, boasting three separate pools, one of which, apparently, “is thought to be one of the largest private pools in the U.S.” There’s also a full-size tennis court with lights and stands, as well as a party pavilion with a bar, a stage big enough for an orchestra, and an outdoor kitchen. And, for good measure, lion statues guarding every entrance.

Tour the Haunting Interiors of a Silent, Abandoned Mall | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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Vacant, decaying spaces are something of an obsession to photographers, who have cast their lenses on everything from abandoned theaters and churches to empty asylums and Lithuanian discos. Shopping malls join this crowd thanks to the work of Dan Wampler, who photographed the interiors of St. Louis’ Crestwood Court mall after it closed in July after more than 56 years in business. Wampler, who calls himself a digital artist rather than a photographer, used HDR to create “a look ranging from 3D to surreal,” he writes on the project page, accentuating a corridor’s angular architecture or a stairway’s sherbet-hued tilework. While “the management company has maintained the mall quite well,” he explains, his images “may be the last opportunity anyone will have to see the inside for some time.” Meaning, of course, that this mall, unlike an abandoned mall in Providence, won’t be turned into a series of micro homes.

Short Sales Peak, Then Plummet | Cross River Real Estate

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Distress sales as a whole are falling but short sales are declining twice as fast as fewer homeowners are losing their homes over the past year.

For the 12-month period ending in June 2013, distressed sales overall (including both REO and short sales) were down nearly 30 percent from the same period ending in June 2012 — from 650,000 to 463,000. Of these, short sales had declined significantly — by nearly 60 percent — accounting for just over 46,000 sales during that timeframe as compared to 104,000 in 2012 according to residential real estate transaction data from the LPS Home Price Index.

Short sales rose and fell quickly.  In the first quarter of 2012, some 109,521 properties were sold in pre-foreclosure — a proxy for short sales, according to RealtyTrac.  At that time, LPS reported a 25 percent increase from the same quarter the previous year and a three-year high and for the first time, short sale transactions are exceeding foreclosure deals. In January, short sales made up 23.9 percent of home purchases, according to LPS. Meanwhile, foreclosures made up 19.7 percent of sales.  Just one year prior, in the first quarter of 2011, foreclosures made up the bulk at 24.9 percent of transactions while short sales made up 16.3 percent.

LPS’ July Mortgage Monitor report also found that while loan origination volume had slowed slightly from May to June, overall activity remained relatively strong. According to LPS Data & Analytics Senior Vice President Herb Blecher, prepayment activity (historically a good indicator of mortgage refinances) is still largely driving origination volume, as has been the case for some time now.

“Prepayment speeds have been impacted by the sharp increase in mortgage interest rates we’ve seen over the last couple months,” Blecher said. “However, even with that increasing interest rate pressure, July’s monthly prepayment rates are still about where they were this time last year, when rates were at historic lows. In fact, they are roughly at the same levels as the heights of the ‘mini refinance booms’ in 2010 — when interest rates were comparable to where they are today — and in 2009, when rates were even higher. Of course, as interest rates continue to climb, we can expect that both prepayments and associated originations will decline. It’s notable however, that we saw an increase in prepayment activity in July among higher loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages — those with LTVs of 100 percent or more — indicating continued HARP refinance activity.

 

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/09/short-sales-peak-then-plummet/

 

 

 

JPMorgan chief meets Holder in bid for deal to end probes, avoid criminal charges | Waccabuc Real Estate

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The sage of Wall Street journeyed to Washington on Thursday, but Jamie Dimon’s visit was unlike any the JPMorgan Chase chief has made before.

Dimon sought a meeting with Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in an urgent bid to dispose of multiple government investigations into the bank’s conduct leading up to the financial crisis — and avoid criminal charges. The deal that Dimon discussed with Holder would involve paying the government at least $11 billion, the biggest settlement a single company has ever undertaken, according to several people familiar with the negotiations.

It would also potentially pave the way for other giant banks to reckon with Washington for their roles in the near-collapse of the financial system five years ago. While it would be a historic amount, the fine would still represent a sliver of the damage wrought by the bank for selling mortgage securities that it allegedly knew were worthless.

 

 

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-26/business/42412898_1_jpmorgan-chase-holder-justice-department

 

 

 

Enjoy Cider Saturday At New Canaan Nature Center | Pound Ridge Homes

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The New Canaan Nature Center is celebrating cider season with a series of autumn-themed events on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cider press demonstrations will be held 15 and 45 minutes after every hour, and the apple sling shot will be fired at the top of every hour.

There will also be a pumpkin scavenger hunt and seasonal crafts activities for children.

Fresh local cider will be available for purchase by the cup, half gallon and gallon.

Admission is $5 for nature center members and $8 for nonmembers. Children under age 2 are free.

The Nature Center is located at 144 Oenoke Ridge in New Canaan.

For more information, contact the nature center at 203-966-9577 or online at http://www.newcanaannature.org.

 

 

http://newcanaan.dailyvoice.com/neighbors/enjoy-cider-saturday-new-canaan-nature-center

Wells Fargo originations may be off by 30% | South Salem Homes

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Wells Fargo (WF) Chief Financial Officer Tim Sloan says mortgage originations are projected to be off by 30%, while refinance volumes will be off by an estimated 60%.

Seeking Alpha elaborated on Sloan’s statements:

Still, he reminds business remains strong and those percentages are based on very strong comparables.

One bullish stat shows mortgage payments to disposable income is just 18% vs. a fifty-year average of 27%. At the height of the bubble it was 30%. Amid the high interest rates of the early 80s, it was about 50%.

                    Source: Seeking Alpha

NAR’s health insurance marketplace is worth a look | Katonah Realtor

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Starting in January 2014, I will be getting my health insurance through an exchange.

For months, Minnesota’s health insurance exchange posted outrageously high sample rates on its site. I kept trying to look away, but could not. I’ve been carrying this fear in the pit of my stomach, because I know what it is like to spend more on health insurance each month than on housing.

It seems like the news media and politicians have done everything they can to keep me worried about the arrival of “Obamacare.”I have listened to scary news stories for months about how bad Obamacare is going to be for everyone. The state exchange has not helped alleviate those fears, publishing super-high and inaccurate sample numbers on the MNsure.org website.

Friends who work for insurance companies assured me that my current, somewhat affordable health insurance plan — which carries a large deductible and provides little actual health care — would go away at the end of the year, and be replaced with a much more expensive plan next year.

 

read more…

 

http://www.inman.com/2013/09/26/nars-health-insurance-marketplace-is-worth-a-look/#sthash.zh7Bqe0N.dpuf