Daily Archives: October 3, 2013

Investors pull out of rental market | Katonah Homes

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According to CNBC, some big investors are pulling out of the single-family rental market after witnessing a stall in home price gains and a large drop in the number of distressed properties. CNBC has more:

“I think the investor market is largely past us,” Doug Lebda, chief executive of Lending Tree told CNBC. “People were buying investment properties three, four, five years ago. What I hear is that’s slowing now.”

Recent reports that Oaktree Capital Group is selling about 500 of its homes added fuel to other reports that Och-Ziff Capital management is selling its homes as well. Both declined to comment on the reports. Carrington Mortgage Services stopped buying distressed homes late last year, claiming the market was “a bit too frothy.”

                    Source: CNBC

Local Bedford Hills Farmers Markets | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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ShopperMasthead_Update

Fresh Food from Local Sources – October 3rd-9th, 2013 Down to Earth Markets
RadishBunches_2011
What’s New and in Season This Week
Apples Alex’s Tomato Farm                                     Migliorelli Farm                                     Rexcroft Farm Taliaferro Farm Arugula John D. Madura Farms
Broccoli Mead Orchards
Brussel Sprouts Karl Family Farm Cauliflower Mead Orchards Colored Cauliflower John D. Madura Farms Cookies Meredith’s Bread
Cupcakes Meredith’s Bread
Dandelion Greens John D. Madura Farms
Decorative Gourds Migliorelli Farm
Frozen Kofta, Rajma, Saag,                                     & Samosa **$2 OFF when you buy four products from frozen/chutney selections!** Bombay Emerald Chutney Company
Gluten-Free Black & White Cookies Meredith’s Bread
Gluten-Free Rustic                                     Farmhouse Sliced Bread Meredith’s Bread
Goat Cheese Amazing Real Live Food Co.
Green Beans Rockland Farm Alliance
Herbs Rexcroft Farm
Hubbard Squash Mead Orchards
Lettuce Migliorelli Farm
Pears Migliorelli Farm  Pumpkins Mead Orchards Pumpkin Pie Meredith’s Bread
Pumpkin Spice Cake Bread Alone Quick Breads Meredith’s Bread
Romaine Lettuce Rexcroft Farm
Spicy Microgreens Rockland Farm Alliance
Summer Spinach

Westchester Magazine Weekend Update | Bedford NY Homes

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October 4
If you’re in the mood for some smooth pop-vocal styling, get to Tarrytown Music Hall to see pop-song writer, singer, and opera composer Rufus Wainwright as he plays from his seventh studio… More
You probably never thought you’d get to (safely) sleep with wolves, did you? Well, now the chance is here. Bring a tent and camp out under the stars with the 22 wolves that call the Wolf Conservation Center… More
October 5
Bring your bookworms to the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival to meet 65 authors of books like Ella Enchanted andThe Magic School Bus Series. Along with author readings and … More
Well, it’s time once again to scare the bejeezus out of ourselves, Westchester. For the fourth year, Philipsburg Manor becomes Horseman’s Hollow, a haunted attraction based on the scariest… More
 

Pick and pickle fresh carrots, dosey doe your partner, hop on a hayride, and show off your farmer skills at the Farm Olympics-all while supporting Stone Barns’… More 

It’s pumpkin season, and that means it’s time for the annual Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor. More than 5,000 individually hand-carved jack o’lanterns will light up your…More
Head to the 2nd Annual Hudson Hop and Harvest at the Riverfront Green Park, which will be the only place you can enjoy craft beer, farm-to-table-made food, and indie music-all in the same place…More
After the Hudson Hop and Harvest, continue the fun with Brew Blues at Paramount Hudson Valley. You can sip even more brews while listening to some great blues music provided by the…More

Mortgage Rates decline again | Pound Ridge Homes

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Freddie Mac today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing average fixed mortgage rates falling for the third consecutive week amid declining consumer confidence and the onset of the federal government shutdown. The average 30-year fixed rate mortgage is at its lowest level since the week ending June 20, 2013.

News Facts

  • 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.22 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending October 3, 2013, down from last week when it averaged 4.32 percent. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.36 percent.
  • 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.29 percent with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.37 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 2.69 percent.
  • 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 2.63 percent this week with an average 0.4 point, unchanged from last week. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 2.57 percent.

Average commitment rates should be reported along with average fees and points to reflect the total upfront cost of obtaining the mortgage. Visit the following links for the Regional and National Mortgage Rate Details and Definitions. Borrowers may still pay closing costs which are not included in the survey.

Quotes Attributed to Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist, Freddie Mac.

“With the onset of the federal government shutdown and declining consumer confidence, fixed mortgage rates fell for the third consecutive week. Consumer sentiment fell for the second month in a row in September to its lowest reading since April, according to the University of Michigan. Moreover, a recent Bloomberg survey of professional forecasters suggests that a partial federal shutdown lasting one week would shave 0.1 percentage points off of GDP growth in the fourth quarter and even more if the shutdown lasts longer.”

Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation’s residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Today Freddie Mac is making home possible for one in four home borrowers and is one of the largest sources of financing for multifamily housing. For more information please visit www.FreddieMac.com and Twitter: @FreddieMac.

Homeowners motivated by rising prices | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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Analysts toss around the word bubble like it’s free money. But what does the term actually mean? While there is no clear answer, the classic 2004 housing bubble paper composed by Karl Case and Robert Schiller describes their version of a bubble:

Per CNBC:

We believe that in its widespread use the term refers to a situation in which excessive public expectations of future price increases cause prices to be temporarily elevated. First-time homebuyers may also worry during a housing bubble that if they do not buy now, they will not be able to afford a home later.

Following this definition, the article suggests we are not far from a bubble.

People buying homes are citing future price increases as one of the “key factors” motivating them to buy. The most recent survey by the real-estate company Redfin found that almost one third of buyers are motivated by rising prices.

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/print/26800-homeowners-motivated-by-rising-prices

Princess keeps French chateau afloat with opera, fashion shows | Chappaqua Real Estate

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Minnie de Beauvau-Craon, known in her tiny French village as “Princess Minnie,” has ruled over the Château de Haroué in the Lorraine region of northeast France since her father died in 1982.

In order to keep the 82-room chateau going, the 59-year-old princess hosts open-air operas attended by thousands on the grounds as well as fashion shows featuring works by Givenchy, Venet and Balenciaga, among others and also featuring the best fashion products like these pure nails pro reviews. Next year she plans to hold art exhibitions, and maybe, one day, an informal pub.

Source: New York Times

 

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/wire/princess-keeps-french-chateau-afloat-with-opera-fashion-shows/#sthash.4ckyQ5qB.dpuf

Generate leads by the thousands with Facebook photo contests | Armonk Real Estate

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Editor’s note: This post explores a marketing tactic submitted by Dream Town Realty, the most recent winner of #madREskillz, a weekly Inman News Twitter competition.

One day this summer, a University of Chicago student biking to school was struck by how a sculpture featuring figures holding their heads in exasperation seemed to mirror the mood of many of his college peers, who at the time were mired in finals week, according to Yuval Degani, president of Dream Town Realty.

Captured by the parallel, he whipped out his smartphone and shot a photo of the angsty figures, Degani said.

That proved to be a smart move on the student’s part: The photo ultimately bagged him $2,500, after garnering the most votes in a Facebook photo contest hosted by Dream Town Realty.

Cash prizes were just one aspect of the robust marketing campaign that Dream Town held over the summer. The competition’s success demonstrates that hosting photo contests can help catapult a broker’s Facebook following and boost online engagement.

Calling for submissions of photos of the Windy City, “Chicago in Focus” helped Dream Town collect more than 4,000 likes on its Facebook page in just one month, more than tripling the amount the page had gathered over the four previous years of its existence.

 

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/09/26/generate-leads-by-the-thousands-with-facebook-photo-contests/#sthash.IZt7POmF.dpuf

Dutch Colonial on Lake Minnetonka Listed for $5.75M | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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Location: Shorewood, Minn. Price: $5,750,000 The Skinny: This 8,650-square-foot Dutch Colonial, which comes with a 1,450-square-foot carriage house, was originally constructed in 1906 for Edmund Longyear, the founder of mineral drilling company Boart Longyear who owned  90 acres of land on Lake Minnetonka. Later, the estate became the summer home of George Nelson Dayton, son of George Draper Dayton—founder of Dayton’s Dry Goods Store, which later became the Target corporation—and grandfather of current Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton. The Daytons developed the land into a working farm called Boulder Bridge Farm. In 1976, a real estate developer who had grown up across the street from the farm bought the property and began converting it into 44 homesites. He kept the impressive Longyear House and the surrounding four acres, for himself and his family, though, restoring parts and enhancing others—they expanded the kitchen, added a pool and hot tub, enclosed a porch to create the formal dining room, and installed a movie theatre. Now, with the kids all grown up and moved out, they’ve put the four-acre estate on the market for $5.75M.

Most Americans Think Home Prices Will Rise Next Year | North Salem Real Estate

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Most Americans think home prices will go up over the next 12 months, especially upper-middle-income households according to a new Bankrate.com report.

Among households earning between $50,000 and $75,000 per year, some 65% expect prices to rise and just 6% expect prices to fall. Twenty-seven percent say they will stay the same and just nine percent forecast a decline.

In July, Bankrate established that 23% of Americans believe real estate is the best way to invest money not needed for more than 10 years. That was the second-most common response, slightly behind cash.

“It seems like Americans’ love affair with real estate has returned,” said Greg McBride, CFA, Bankrate.com’s senior financial analyst. “But there are still some clear headwinds, including rising mortgage rates, stubbornly high unemployment and the relatively low U.S. household savings rate.”

McBride said he didn’t see concern over rising rates reflected in the survey, which was taken during the first week of September.  Rather, he said the data indicated a higher degree of confidence in real estate as an investment than the stock market, which “puts a lot of eggs in the homeownership basket,” he said,

Bankrate found that Americans’ financial security turned negative in September for the first time since February. The Financial Security Index slipped from August’s 100.5 reading to 99.5 in September. Readings below 100 indicate deteriorating financial security compared with one year previous.

The readings on debt, net worth and overall financial situation dropped from August to September. Americans’ comfort level with their debt took the biggest hit; those feeling less comfortable than one year ago (21%) now outnumber those feeling more comfortable (17%).

Savings remains a drag on financial security, with those feeling less comfortable with their savings now compared to one year ago outnumbering those feeling more comfortable by a margin of greater than two-to-one. Whether looking at age group, income bracket or educational attainment, no group feels more comfortable with their savings now versus last year.

 

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/09/6635/

 

Fall Is Calling: What to Do in Your October Garden | Waccabuc Real Estate

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like having options  — from which flavor of tea to drink after lunch to which route I’ll take to walk home. Gardening this month is no different. Whether you’re after garden chores or perhaps some seasonal puttering, it’s all about picking your own path.
You can prep soil for spring planting, divide grasses and transplant perennials, even tuck in more cool-season edibles. Alternatively, you can just enjoy fall’s splendor and put off some of the season’s more tedious tasks. Let fallen leaves provide hearty mulch for your lawns and hold off, for now, on cutting back spent summer and fall plants. Instead, take some time to sit back and watch the leaves change. It’s your garden, so enjoy it. Here’s what you can do in your garden this October.
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traditional landscape by Le jardinet

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Northwest. “Refresh your container gardens with a selection of winter-hardy evergreen shrubs, perennials and seasonal color spots,” says landscape designer Karen Chapman.
For a festive fall arrangement, she says that “small conifers, bright spurge (Euphorbia spp) and evergreen sedums are easy candidates for containers — especially when dressed up with a few cheerful pansies.”
It’s also time to plant spring-blooming bulbs — even in containers. “Dwarf daffodils, hyacinths and crocuses are just a few of the possibilities,” Chapman says.
Shown: ‘Princess Irene’ tulips are stunning with ‘Peach Flambe’ coral bells (Heuchera).
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traditional landscape Pomegranate Tree

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California. Garden editor Bill Marken suggests potting trees and shrubs for a permanent and festive seasonal touch.
“Pomegranates symbolize fall in Mediterannean climates,” Marken writes. “Like early Christmas ornaments, the fat, round red fruits hang heavy on spindly branches along with small leaves turning an autumn yellow. For a container, look for a dwarf variety such as ‘Nana’, displaying fall foliage and tiny red fruits if you’re lucky.”
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mediterranean landscape by Donna Lynn - Landscape Designer

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Southwest. Water management is still important this month. “Continue to monitor and reset the timers on any controllers you may have, especially in the low and middle zones. As temperatures decrease, reduce the water needed,” writes New Mexico landscape designer David Cristiani.
“If you are planning a landscape for a barren area or for an area outside plant roots, create water harvesting opportunities to benefit plantings and some visual interest by installing subtle basins, swales and berms away from structures, where lush plantings are desired,” he says.
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