Daily Archives: June 30, 2014

Inside The Stack, New York’s First Batch of Modular Homes | Chappaqua Real Estate

 

[The Stack, the bulk of which was made from 56 modules over the course of just 19 days, has been in the works since 2009. All photos by Will Femia.]
56 images

Over the course of just 10 months, New York City’s first building made entirely of modular units came together. (Sorry, Atlantic Yards’ B2, but you’re literally going be No. 2 in this fight.) Developers Jeffrey Brown and Kim Frank, along with the creative architecture firm Gluck+, took a 50-foot-wide, 150-foot-deep site on Broadway near the Cloisters and loaded 56 modules into it in only 19 days, stacking them—in a manner that handily produced neat time-lapse videos—into two seven-story structures with one unified facade that surround a central courtyard. Within The Stack are 22 apartments that hit the rental market in May, with studios starting at $1,755, one-bedrooms from $2,400, two-bedrooms from $2,850, and three-bedrooms from $3,990. (There are also six affordable apartments getting doled out via lottery.)

Curbed took a tour of this urban milestone in prefab-ulous construction, learning all sorts new terminology, like “mate lines,” a.k.a. the visible notches in the floor where two modules meet. Fun fact: the quarter-mile-long assembly line where the modules were constructed in Pennsylvania custom-equipped each of the 56 rectangular prisms with everything from toilet paper roll holders and mirrors to kitchen cabinets and countertops, all constructed into position hundreds of miles away based on the module’s final destination in its intended apartment

 

 

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http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/06/26/inside_the_stack_new_yorks_first_batch_of_modular_homes.php

Demolishing all or part of the concrete in your yard | Bedford Corners Real Estate

 

Concrete patios are often found in older homes, especially those built in the ’70s. But by now they’ve cracked and crumbled, leaving many homeowners wondering how to replace them, or even hoping to reclaim some of the green space lost by a particularly large patio.

If you count yourself in this group, here you’ll learn how to improve your outdoor space by removing or shrinking your concrete patio, or replacing an old cracked patio with a fresh new one that better suits your style today.

Chinoiserie Chic in New England | Armonk Real Estate

Interior designer Phoebe Lovejoy Russell’s kitchen/dining room was not working for her family at all. One of the first things you see when you walk into her condo, the kitchen had an oddly placed freestanding closet, and a 4-foot-long island divided the space in an awkward way. Striving to keep it open, light and not too kitchen-y, she created a look that’s bright and crisp with fresh chinoiserie style, taking inspiration from two hand-painted silk wallpaper panels.

A Homebuilding CEO Nailed It On What’s Wrong With The Housing Market | North Salem Homes

 

Prices are still on the rise, and activity is above crisis levels. But the pace of activity still seems sub-normal, which is being attributed to a combination of: lack of supply, the difficulty of getting a mortgage, and subdued activity among tradition first-time homebuyers.

The missing “first-time homebuyers” is a big source of discussion, as people theorize that the new generation just isn’t interested in homeownership. Or maybe they are interested in homeownership, but due to student loan debt and lack of jobs, they just can’t make it happen.

So what will get them into the housing market? Simple, strong job growth.

On his company’s quarterly conference call this past week (via Calculated Risk), Jeff Mezger, the CEO of homebuilder KB Home, said that there was some slight signs of renewed first-time homebuyer activity. During the Q&A portion of the conference call, Mezger was pressed on what specifically he was seeing. Here’s the key back and forth, where an analyst from JPMorgan asks for clarification on first-time homebuyer activity. Note the bolded part of Mezger’s answer:

Michael Rehaut – JPMorgan

That’s great. I appreciate that. And I guess second question for Jeff Mezger, as there are two Jeffs I have to distinguish. Jeff, you mentioned that in your opening remarks that there was evidence of a reemergence of the first-time buyer and I was hoping you could expand on that a little bit in terms of that if that’s something you are seeing in your own business itself and particularly given that you continue to perhaps shift to maybe away from the historically traditional first-time buyer more of a financially – more financially a stronger type of first time buyer that’s more financially able and more perhaps the move up community, so I was just wondering if this was something that you kind of saw specifically within your own business or if it was more just kind of general comments as it relates to perhaps mortgage lending standards or other trends that you see out there?

Jeff Mezger – Chief Executive Officer

Mike, it’s part of why I split it into the two different business dynamics we are dealing with today. In the higher income with land constrained areas I don’t know that our first-time buyer mix has changed. It’s a different first-time buyer I know it’s a higher income buyer than we would have seen 10 years ago. What I was trying to point out in the cities pick a Texas City because all four of the larger cities has solid job growth and real population growth going on today. And it’s a because of the job growth we are seeing more first-time buyers. They are not – it’s a well healed first-time buyer, but it’s not the high income first-time buyer like you would see in Orange County or up in the Santa Clara County. So I think it’s because you have job growth going on in those cities and that’s within our own business we are seeing this .

 

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http://finance.yahoo.com/news/homebuilding-ceo-nailed-whats-wrong-151910637.html

4 Costs New Homeowners Have to Plan For | Waccabuc Real Estate

 

We all know that buying a home is a huge financial decision that requires adequate funds and thorough research. But there’s more to owning a home than just buying it. Beyond what you pay to own the home, be sure you take into account the additional costs that come with being a homeowner.

Moving

Moving may seem minor but it’s a cost that often comes very soon after forking over a large sum of money. Once you’ve purchased the home you want to live in, you have to get there. Whether you rent a truck and do the heavy lifting yourself or you have full-service movers take care of the hard work, there will be a cost to move all of your things from your current home into your next home. This is important to remember when you are figuring out how much of a down payment you can afford. You want to make sure you have enough left over to get to that wonderful house once you buy it!

Mortgage Payments

While renters are usually used to paying on a monthly basis, owning a home almost always comes with monthly mortgage payments. This includes the repayment portion of the principal as well as interest. The monthly expense depends on the amount borrowed, interest rate and whether your mortgage is fixed-rate or adjustable-rate. Be sure to do the research and make an agreement with a monthly cost you can afford.

Taxes and Insurance

As a homeowner, you have to pay property taxes and home insurance. The construction materials and location of your home affect the cost of insurance — and insurance can rise over time. You may also need supplemental insurance if you live in an earthquake or flood zone. These expenses are often paid each month, and are often rolled into your monthly mortgage payment

 

 

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http://finance.yahoo.com/news/4-costs-homeowners-plan-113000333.html