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Bedford Corners Homes for Sale

Down to Earth Farmers Markets | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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Pickle Licious Inspires Winter Cooking with Hearty Recipe;
4 Rotating Vendors Join Saturday’s Delicious Mamaroneck Market;
Ossining Market Hosts Children’s Storytime & Violin by Rachel Alexander
+ MORE

January 15-21, 2015
DowntoEarthMarkets.com
Winter2015Produce
What’s New, In Season, and On Sale This Week
Beet & Goat Cheese Ravioli
Sourced from local farmers
Trotta Foods
Full Line of Both Gluten-Free &
Regular Breads & Baked Goods
Meredith’s Bread
Announcements
Mamaroneck Winter Farmers Market

Please note there is no market scheduled on Saturday, January 24th due to an event at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. We will beOPEN this Saturday, January 17th, so let’s stock up on the delicious foods!

Ossining Winter Farmers Market

Thank you to everyone who visited the new indoor winter farmers market on Opening Day. We had a ball! Here are some of our favorite highlights from the day.
This Saturday, we welcome violin music by Rachel Alexander from 10 am to noon. Also, kids of all ages are invited to gather around for Storytime with Michael Baker and Eimer Mole from 9:30 am to 11:00 am.

Headed to the city? We have markets there, too.

For future events, visit our Down to Earth Markets Event Calendar.

Stay tuned to all market happenings via our Down to Earth Markets Facebook page
and follow us on Instagram and on Twitter @DowntoEarthMkts.

Fresh Sauerkraut, Turkey Sausage, & Potato Dinner Dish by Pickle Licious

Sauerkraut with turkey and potatoes

Fresh Sauerkraut, Turkey Sausage and Potato Dinner Dish

This comforting, one-pot meal takes a shortcut with Pickle Licious’ homemade Sauerkraut. Find them this Saturday at the indoor Ossining Winter Farmers Market. YUM.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil split
  • 6 ounces ( 2 links) sweet Italian turkey sausage links sliced
  • 3/4 cup 1/2-inch diced red potatoes
  • 1 pint (2 cups) of Pickle Licious fresh sauerkraut
  • 1 small bulb fennel, quartered, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons brown or whole-grain mustard

Preparation

  1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, turning often, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a cutting board and slice into 1/2-inch pieces. (The sausage will not be thoroughly cooked, but it will continue cooking later.)
  2. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the pan and heat over medium heat. Add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add sauerkraut (drained without liquid), sliced fennel, onion, garlic powder, fennel seed and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the sauerkraut has wilted slightly, about 3 minutes more.
  3. Add broth, vinegar and mustard. Stir to incorporate the mustard; bring to a simmer. Place the sausage on top of the sauerkraut; cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the sausage is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in chopped fennel fronds and serve.​
Rotating* Vendors This Week
*Vendors who rotate through various markets during the season.
They enjoy getting to know many communities, and here’s where to find them this week:

Mamaroneck – Saturday, January 17th

Calcutta Kitchens
French Press Café (freshly-prepared crepes served warm)
Hudson River Apiaries
OM Champagne Tea (Small batch kombucha made with seasonal ingredients)

Ossining – Saturday, January 17th

OM Champagne Tea
Sisters Wicked Good Soap
Taiim Falafel Shack
Wave Hill Breads

The Employment Situation in December – Strong Finish to 2014 | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that payroll employment expanded by 252 thousand in December and the unemployment rate declined to 5.6 percent from 5.8 percent in November. Job gains in October and November were revised upward by a total of 50 thousand.

The employment gains in December brought the average monthly gain for 2014 to 246 thousand, up from 194 thousand in 2013. At 5.6 percent the unemployment rate is 1.1 percentage points below its December 2013 level and only slightly above what Federal Reserve policymakers consider normal (5.2 percent – 5.5 percent). One caveat is that the decline in the unemployment rate was dominated by labor force defections rather than job gains.

Other labor market measures were mixed for the month but better for the year. The labor force participation rate ticked down to 62.7 percent in December but has hovered between 62.7 percent and 62.9 percent since April. Average hourly earnings were down 5 cents for the month but up 1.7% for the year. The number of long term unemployed and part time workers were flat in December but down over the year.

These numbers represent steady progress in the labor market for the year. This progress will shift the focus at the Federal Reserve from labor market improvement to below target inflation (FOMC). Another implication is whether further declines in the unemployment rate will put upward pressure on earnings and/or improve conditions for long term unemployed and part time workers.

 

read more…

 

http://eyeonhousing.org/2015/01/the-employment-situation-in-december-strong-finish-to-2014/

Oil Price Drop and Houston Real Estate | Bedford Corners Homes

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The ranks of million-dollar homeowners in Houston have swelled in recent years, with the number of sky-high home sales more than doubling since 2010. But the market’s swift surge is now threatened by strains in the energy industry that fueled much of the city’s high-end real estate boom.

Wealthy Houstonians purchased 1,411 homes that each sold for at least $1 million last year, up from 688 five years earlier, according to the Houston Association of Realtors.

And Houston had the highest number of luxury home sales among Texas’ four major cities last year, a report released Monday by the Texas Association of Realtors showed. That represents almost 2 percent of this area’s total housing transactions.

Million-dollar-plus home sales were up 13 percent in 2014 over the previous year, according to the second-annual Texas Luxury Home Sales Report, which looks at high-end home sales in the state’s largest cities based on sales data from the first 10 months of the year.

With astonishing speed, however, the price of oil has fallen to levels not seen in five years, and the most dour economic predictions now show Houston at risk of going into a recession.

 

read more…

 

 

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Plunging-oil-could-chip-away-at-million-dollar-5995534.php

Just How Much Rainwater Can You Collect Off Your Roof? | #BedfordCorners #RealEstate

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When we watch the evening news, the weatherperson will oftentimes say things like “X city received an inch of rain today”, which does not really sound like all that much. We imagine a single inch of rain in a small puddle somewhere it seems rather insignificant. But what if you knew that a single inch of rain could allow you to collect hundreds and hundreds of gallons of water, if not more? Now that one inch of rainfall seems like a lot more!

Let’s take a look at a hypothetical example to see just how much water we can collect from rainfall. If you have 1,000 square feet of roof on your house, and it rains just 1 inch, you can collect 600 gallons of water to be used in your garden, for washing your car, or just for drop irrigation around your property. That’s 600 less gallons you have to pay for and use from your town water supply! So how can you do the math for your own roof? Just multiple the square footage of roof space you have available X 0.6 gallons per square foot per inch of rain, and you can see how much water you can collect from each inch of rain that falls.

So if you have 2,500 square feet of roof available for water catchment, and a single inch of rain falls one day, we see that:

2,500 X 0.6 = 1,500 gallons of water can be harvested for future use…from only one inch of rainfall!

On average, Americans use about 69 gallons of water per person per day for bathing, cooking, cleaning and flushing toilets – and is just for indoor water use and does not account for any watering/car washing going on outside. That amounts to about 2,100 gallons a month for each person – or only slightly more than you might be able to collect off your roof in a single rainstorm. Sure, you might not want to use that water for your showers or drinking water, but it can be done…and many people are putting cisterns in their yard and systems in their house to be able to do so. But if you are not interested in doing that and just wanted to use it outside, using a rain barrel or two under your downspouts can make a big difference in your monthly water usage and bill. Let’s take a look at one more example to see how much of a difference collecting rainwater can make – If you live in Boston, Massachusetts, which gets an average of 42.53 inches of rain per year, and you live in a house with 1,000 square feet of roof space…

1,000 X 0.6 X 42.53 = 25,518 gallons of water collected each year in Boston, MA.

That’s a lot of water that you can save (and money!) by hooking up and using rainwater catchment systems at your house. It’s a big return for a very small investment, and I bet you will hear something different the next time the weatherperson says “X city received an inch of rain today”!

Buying in December | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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In the market for a new home? Here are four reasons to add real estate shopping to your December to-do list.

Bargain prices

Did you know that, historically, home prices are lower in December than in any other month?

As for the overall housing picture, if you’re not yet in the market, you’ll like this news: While home prices are continuing to rise, it’s happening at a much slower pace.

According to a recent report from Zillow, U.S. home values are currently up 6.4 percent year-over-year and have been slowing for nearly two years. Next year home values are expected to grow at 3 percent — roughly half their current pace.  These changing dynamics, and a shift toward healthy stabilization, put more power in the hands of buyers.

Low mortgage rates    

What’s driving affordability? Low mortgage rates. Currently hovering in the 4 percent range, rates are projected to edge up to 5 percent by the end of 2015, according to Zillow Chief Economist, Stan Humphries.

To put this in perspective, did you know that if rates go up by just one percentage point, your purchasing power is reduced by a whopping 11 percent? Find out how much waiting to buy could cost you.

Motivated sellers

If sellers are listing their home for sale this time of year, this likely means they’re serious about shedding the weight of their residences.

Regardless of why that is – perhaps they’ve recently gotten divorced, have to relocate for a new job opportunity, or are under some other personal pressure – this puts you, the buyer, in a much better position to negotiate and ultimately cut a deal, particularly since competition is minimal this time of year.

Tax savings

At the end of the year, everyone is looking for ways to lower their tax bill. And closing on your new home before Dec. 31st is one way to get some breaks.

After all, you can deduct home purchase costs, including mortgage interest, property taxes and points — while you build equity and save yourself a significant amount of money.

 

read more…

 

 

http://www.zillow.com/blog/buy-a-home-during-the-holidays-164715/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ZillowBlog+%28Zillow+Blog%29

The Remotest Huts: Defining Americana, Rest Stop by Rest Stop | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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Flower-Mound-TXv.jpgA rest stop in Flower Mound, Texas. Photos by Ryann Ford via Design Milk

Over the past five years, Austin-based photographer Ryann Ford has documented over 150 of America’s rest stops, a dying breed of roadside shelter that’s been largely superseded by the gas station and the drive-thru. On the Kickstarter page for The Last Stop: Vanishing Relics of the American Roadside, she writes that the disappearance of their “teepees and wagon wheels, and geometric shapes echoing classic mid-century design,” filled her with the need to “capture as many as I could before they were gone forever.”

A few selections from across the Southwest. >>

Below are a few standout images from the book Ford hopes to produce, all shot on a medium-format film camera. You can check out some more over at Design Milk

Troy Aikman selling his home | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current Fox broadcaster Troy Aikman is selling one of his homes in the Dallas area.

After selling his long-time home in the chic Dallas enclave of Highland Park, Aikman purchased two homes last year, one for $4.6 million and another for $4.3 million.

According to new report from the Los Angeles Times, Aikman is looking to sell the more expensive of the two homes and he’s looking to make a profit as well. After paying $4.6 million for the home last year, Aikman is listing the home for 5.3 million.

So what would one get for $5.3 million? From the Los Angeles Times report:

The French Normandy-style residence, built in 2007 by Tatum-Brown Custom Homes, sits back from the street on about a third of an acre. Accessed through a portico, the updated floor plan includes an updated chef’s kitchen, a formal living room, a dining room, an office/study, four bedrooms, four fireplaces and six bathrooms in about 10,700 square feet.

The home also features a game room, a home theater and a wine cellar.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Standard home insurance doesn’t handle these situations | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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If you’re like many homeowners, you bought your home insurance policy, got standard coverage and haven’t given it another thought. Unfortunately, that type of thinking could lead to gaps in your coverage.

A standard homeowners policy offers coverage for a wide variety of perils — theft, vandalism, fire, wind, lightning and ice, among others — but not for everything. Here are six situations where you need to bolster your policy to get help.

Mold

Mold in your home is bad news. It can cause major health problems for you and your family, and can even make your house uninhabitable. Insurance providers handle mold in a variety of ways. Some limit coverage for damage caused by mold, while others don’t cover mold at all.

Every state except Arkansas, New York, North Carolina and Virginia has adopted an ISO mold limitation for homeowners insurance coverage, which allows insurers to exclude coverage unless the condition results from a covered peril. For example, if the water from a burst pipe in your home causes mold, your insurer might cover it.

The solution: If you find out that you aren’t sufficiently covered for mold, you can purchase a separate rider to cover mold in your home.

Pests

From mice and rats to termites and bed bugs, standard home insurance policies do not cover damage from pests. That means if a rat chews through your electrical wiring or termites destroy the wood support for your roof, you’re on your own.

The best way to tackle this issue is through prevention. Keep an eye out for signs of pests around your property. If you see something suspicious, call an exterminator before the problem gets out of control.

The solution: Schedule annual termite inspections. By the time you see damage, it could be too late.

Sewage back-up

Backed-up sewers can wreak havoc on a home, causing thousands of dollars in damage. Most agents will ask you about this coverage when you’re buying a home insurance policy, but many consumers ignore the topic.

The solution: Add this coverage to your policy — it generally only tacks $40-$50 onto your premium, according to the Insurance Information Institute (III).

Floods

That’s right, standard home insurance policies do not provide coverage for flood damage. For flood coverage, homeowners must purchase a flood insurance policy through the National Flood Insurance Program.

While many mortgage lenders require flood coverage as a loan condition, homeowners in moderate- to low-risk flood zones have the option to forgo it altogether.

Before you decide to take a chance, you should know that 25 percent of all NFIP claims come from people outside of mapped high-risk flood areas.

The solution: Purchase a flood insurance policy; they start at as little as $129 a year in low-risk areas.

 

read more…

 

http://www.zillow.com/blog/things-home-insurance-doesnt-cover-164964/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ZillowBlog+%28Zillow+Blog%29

 

Prairie Grain Bin Turned Bucolic Retirement Home | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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Who lives here: Kate Morris, a retired art teacher
Location: Great Falls, Montana
Size: 900 square feet (84 square meters); 1 bedroom, 2 bathrooms
That’s interesting: This house was constructed from a grain bin.

BEFORE: So there the grain bin (shown here) sat for nearly eight years. After Morris retired from her teaching gig, and after a couple of years she spent taking care of her older brother, serendipity came calling. She knew she needed professional help to make her dream a reality, and by chance she was reunited with Nick Pancheau, an architect whom she had taught in grade school, and whose younger brother she had also taught. She explained her grain-bin idea to him over the phone, and “he just got it,” Morris says.

Eclectic Exterior by Nick Pancheau, AIA
Nick Pancheau, AIA
AFTER: Pancheau’s design kept the spirit of the structure intact by creating a floating box on the inside for living that punched out through the sides to take advantage of the bucolic surroundings.

A deck that extends off the living space is a great spot for watching migratory birds around the reservoirs below.

Eclectic Exterior by Nick Pancheau, AIA
Nick Pancheau, AIA
The grain bin is 36 feet in diameter and eight rings high. That’s grain-bin speak for about 20 feet (walls only).

Pancheau swooned when Morris told him she wanted a bridged entryway connecting a hill to the second-floor living space. “It’s a dream statement from a client,” he says. “Very rarely do you have the opportunity to do something like a bridge. It’s practical and beautiful, and a great opportunity to work with the site.”

With high winds in the area, he had to protect the entry. He did this by carving into the bin and creating a recess entryway wrapped in yellow painted siding. “It’s like a warm beacon that you immediately recognize as the entry if you’re a guest coming across the hill,” he says.

For the exterior color, Pancheau looked to the corporate logo of the grain bin manufacturer MFS, whose bright yellow logo remains on the portion above the entryway. He matched the yellow from that trademark to accent the punch-outs.

read more….
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/33856520?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u810&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery0

Share of freshman home buyers at three decade low | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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home buyers and sellers; the series dates back to 1981. Results are representative of owner-occupants and do not include investors or vacation homes.

The long-term average in this survey, dating back to 1981, shows that four out of 10 purchases are from first-time home buyers. In this year’s survey, the share of first-time buyers dropped 5%age points from a year ago to 33%, representing the lowest share since 1987 (30%).

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says there are many obstacles young adults are enduring on their path to homeownership.

“Rising rents and repaying student loan debt makes saving for a down payment more difficult, especially for young adults who’ve experienced limited job prospects and flat wage growth since entering the workforce,” he said. “Adding more bumps in the road, is that those finally in a position to buy have had to overcome low inventory levels in their price range, competition from investors, tight credit conditions and high mortgage insurance premiums.”

Yun said that he sees some problems being alleviated going forward.

“Stronger job growth should eventually support higher wages, but nearly half (47%) of first-time buyers in this year’s survey (43% in 2013) said the mortgage application and approval process was much more or somewhat more difficult than expected. Less stringent credit standards and mortgage insurance premiums commensurate with current buyer risk profiles are needed to boost first-time buyer participation, especially with interest rates likely rising in upcoming years.”

The household composition of buyers responding to the survey was mostly unchanged from a year ago. Sixty-five% of buyers were married couples, 16% single women, 9% single men and 8% unmarried couples.

In 2009, 60% of buyers were married, 21% were single women, 10% single men and 8% unmarried couples. Thirteen% of survey respondents were multi-generational households, including adult children, parents and/or grandparents.

 

read more….

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/31934-nar-dearth-of-first-time-buyers-plagues-housing