Tag Archives: Bedford Luxury Real Estate

Time to Buy Your Bedford NY Home | Bedford NY Real Estate

Now is a good time to buy real estate, according to data from Moody’s Analytics. Home affordability has returned to pre-housing bubble levels or even fallen below the average in many U.S. markets. 

In fact, housing affordability by the end of September had returned to or fallen below the average reached between 1989-2003 in 47 of the 74 housing markets that Moody Analytics tracked.  

In September 2010, the ratio of home prices to annual household income had fallen to 1.6–below the historical average of 1.9 between 1989 and 2003. The ratio peaked in 2005 at 2.3. 

“Based on incomes, this is as affordable as it gets,” says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “If you can get a loan, these are pretty good times to buy.” 

Some of the most undervalued markets include Cleveland, Detroit, Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Phoenix.  

But those cities also are facing high rates of foreclosures and more borrowers defaulting on their mortgages that could decrease values further in those cities before they start to improve, Zandi says.  

In Phoenix, for example, “it’s become cheaper to buy than to rent,” Jon Mirmelli, a real estate investor in Scottsdale, Ariz., who rents out foreclosed homes, told The Wall Street Journal. “But the question is: can you qualify for a loan?”

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Do Video Production Pros Need to Know Web Video Marketing?

video marketing by robert paul

Say what you will about the impact that today’s multimedia-centric culture has on the brains of the wired generation, but we think it’s making them smarter. In fact, we think that the Internet, smartphones and Web 2.0 have made all of us savvier consumers. As with all new challenges, this heightened level of astuteness raises the bar for us marketers—but for those of us willing to jump higher, it also means more opportunities that let us connect with audiences in a meaningful way.

Earlier, we talked about how we’ve already begun ramping up the production value of our Internet commercials in order to meet the expectations of our discerning viewers, but we’re also responding to today’s smart Internet viewer with the other facets of our video for Internet marketing efforts. Here are a few key ways that web audiences have become more sophisticated, and how we deliver the experiences that make the right impact.

More are Researching at Home

Whether true or not, the Internet is seen as unbiased and disinterested in its appraisal of goods, services and products—or at least moreso than a salesperson working on commission. Because of this, and other reasons, most users prefer to do as much independent research as they can from the comfort of their homes before they pick up the phone or visit a showroom. And with so much information available at the tips of their fingers, why shouldn’t they?

At Firm Media, we work with a lot of professionals who have unique expertise in their field. And while web users may be ultimately be shopping for an attorney, therapist, pest control or a plastic surgeon, when they are on the Internet looking for information, they are shopping for authority. Video marketing is a large piece of the puzzle that helps take that sense of authority that has made our clients successful offline and show it to viewers on the Internet. In short, we make our clients resident experts on the hot topics—and that’s got to be good for business.

Searchers Know How to Find What They’re Looking For

Just like using a keyboard or word processor is an acquired skill, so too is using a search engine. After a few decades of learning the language of search engines, today’s web users are more adept at getting relevant results for their queries. In other words, they’re unlikely to spend hours sifting through pages and pages of results for an extremely broad search term—rather, they are more prone to craft a well-targeted search query and choose from the top five listings.

Thanks to powerful analytics tools and years of experience, we’ve come to understand the way users search pretty well. We know word for word which questions search users are asking—and we know how to provide them with relevant answers. We do so by carefully crafting the descriptions, filenames, titles and tags of our videos so they appear on the search engine results pages for the most popular relevant search terms.  Plus, we’re doing the same with your blog, social media accounts, website and other online content. The net effect gives your name, brand or business a much greater presence.

Web Users Recognize and Avoid Spam

Spam is a bit like pornography—it’s hard to define legally, but you’ll know it when you see it. Spam has long been a blight to the Internet community, but with security compromises crippling companies for days, lurking phishers trolling for personal information and malicious hackers preying upon unwary individuals every day, users are more invested in sidestepping spam and shady content than ever before. Unfortunately, many spammers use some of the same marketing tactics as legitimate businesses. This means that occasionally, a piece of valuable content with pure intentions gets passed over because a web user erred on the side of caution (and rightfully so).

At Firm Media, we make it a priority to ensure that our content never has a passing resemblance to spam. Getting your videos ranked and indexed competitively while accompanying them with informative, accurate and conversational titles, descriptions and tags is a challenge—but it’s one that is worth every iota of effort, for the sake of your business, your viewers and the overall quality and integrity of the Internet community.

Bedford NY Tree | Bedford NY Homes – Robert Paul’s blog

Bedford NY Tree | Bedford NY Homes

 

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Why Does Your Client Trust You? | Bedford NY Homes

Would you try a product on the recommendation of someone you don’t like?

Like has a bit of a double-meaning these days. Ever since Facebook implemented the “like” button everyone has kicked into high gear to get you to like them.

 

However, you can agree with a specific thing someone says and like it, while totally disagreeing with their world view. Same thing could happen with a business project vs. the business itself.

Although likability can be borrowed, it is transferred only based on a more permanent philosophical alignment or agreement.

 

You move in when you can live with that individual. You’re eager to show that business association, when it makes you look good on more than one level. Liking, it turns out, is not uni-dimensional.

 

Is it easy to engineer?

 

How to win friends and influence people 

With respects paid to Dale Carnegie and his work, it’s fairly easy to become an influencer. Here are the steps; put some enthusiasm in them, and you’re on your way. Now you can get the word out on your blog, be friendly on Facebook, while displaying the most appreciative character on Twitter.

 

You might even get a few hundred folks to click on your stuff, comment, interact with the agreeable, likable you.

 

Is this a reflection of true influence?

 

Look at the evidence

People are doing all kinds of things online. They check out events, catch up with friends, buy stuff they searched for and compared, and encounter serendipitous situations — like for example, coming across people with similar or complementary interests.

 

They’re online, yet they’re still people. To understand the role of influence, you need to take a deep dive on purpose and motivation.

 

How many followers did Mother Theresa have?

 

Influence is with the influenced 

Motivation is a start. There’s also another mechanism at play here — because we’re social by nature, and cannot possibly know it all, though a few of us do try, we rely on clues from others when making decisions. Say your business is working with an influencial who tells people to buy a certain product, and their friends are telling them to buy another, the friends win.

 

Mark Earls has done a lot of thinking and writing around understanding the propensity of people to be influenced and what those relationships look like. If you have not read his book, Herd: How to Change Mass Behavior by Harnessing our True Nature (Amazon affiliate link), you should pick up a copy today.

 

Does likability impact trust? 

We’re not going to solve the influence question with a post.

 

In thinking about the increased desire of businesses and individuals to want influence — which by the way is not measured merely in the number of followers — I wondered what happens when likability comes into play. Social networks are exposing the private nature of our offline connections and interests.

 

And by doing that, they’re encouraging a more general approach to information in people — the broader the content in applicability, the greater the network of friends. I do wonder if with that, there is a forced sense of likability — people who are genuinely not really interested in what you say or who you are, who for lack of a better word, suck up to you in public so you buy their wares, so to speak.

 

Does liking someone make a difference in purchase decision? When I asked: would you try a product on the recommendation of someone you don’t like? on Twitter, something interesting happened.

 

The first few responses, probably reactions to the question, were in favor of “no” — dislike overpowers authority. Then, after a couple of minutes, the answers changed to more rational responses — if the recommendation was fact-based and sounded credible, one can dislike someone, yet still value their opinions in areas where they agree, if it’s evident the product is working for such a person, wouldn’t let the dislike be a show-stopper.

 

Would you try a product on the recommendation of someone you don’t like?  

10 Year Prices For Bedford NY | Bedford NY Real Estate | RobReportBlog

Bedford NY Residential Real Estate  |   RobReportBlog

Bedford NY Homes

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Dealing With Snow On The Roof | Bedford NY Homes – Robert Paul’s blog

Bedford ny snow on the roof by robert paul 

With snow piling up on my roof I am afraid it might do damage or worse yet cave in. What can I do?
Lisa – Ypsilanti, MI

I have talked to many people with the same concern this week. The fact is, snow along with ice could cause roof damage. The threat of collapse is a very low probability, but possible. As I stated in my February 10th, 2010 article “preventing Ice Dams”, sometimes snow can weigh up to 30 LB per square foot. On a 1500-square-foot house with a roof surface area of 1600 square feet, that’s 48,000 Lbs or more on your roof! Some roofs aren’t built to withstand that amount of weight. The weight of a large amount of snow and ice can also cause damage to your gutters and downspouts.

The damage mostly occurs when the snow melts and refreezes underneath snow where it meets the shingles. Snow melts due to the heat from the attic, then drains to the gutters and refreezes. Now the water and ice accumulates and works back up the roof growing underneath the shingles causing damage – and in many cases melts into the house.

Using a roof rake and getting it replaced or repaired by austin roofing will help you alleviate some of the stress on both you and your roof. A roof rake is a solid piece of metal or plastic about 16 to 20 inches wide on the end of an extension pole which allows you to “rake” or pull snow off the roof. They can be purchased at most of your local hardware stores. Remove as much snow as possible from the top of the roof down toward the gutters. About 10 to 15 feet should be sufficient. Never remove the snow while on top of the roof. For obvious reasons, it is a slippery slope and snow isn’t as soft as you think to land in.

Apply calcium chloride to all ice in gutters and down spouts. Do not use sodium chloride (rock salt), or table salt, it can cause damage to your landscape greenery. I’ve seen homeowners insert calcium chloride into panty hose and lay it inside the gutters, it was successful to remove the ice. To apply, I recommend tossing it up into the gutters, sounds funny but it really is the best way. Roofers In Boca Raton will do it professionally for you at fair pricing.

There is controversy over whether or not to use a ladder when removing the snow. I believe it is much safer not to use a ladder because when the ice and snow melts, it can accumulate on the rungs of the ladder and refreeze in minutes. This is definitely a slippery and hazardous situation. You can easily fall and get seriously hurt.

Lastly, if your home continually has a problem with ice damming, have a professional check your home for proper roof ventilation and insulation. You may consider having heat tape installed in those problem areas along your roof then you’d be able to melt the ice with a flick of a switch. Heat tape is a low temp electrical cord that is normally placed along the perimeter of the roof, in the roof valleys and in the gutters and downspouts to keep the water moving during the frigid winter months. It should be installed by a professional.

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Bedford NY Real Estate

Bedford Luxury Homes

10 David Ogilvy Quotes that Could Revolutionize Your Blogging | Bedford Homes

A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself.
David Ogilvy

Advertising is a business of words, but advertising agencies are infested with men and women who cannot write. They cannot write advertisements, and they cannot write plans. They are helpless as deaf mutes on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.
David Ogilvy

Advertising is only evil when it advertises evil things.
David Ogilvy

Advertising people who ignore research are as dangerous as generals who ignore decodes of enemy signals.
David Ogilvy

Advertising reflects the mores of society, but it does not influence them.
David Ogilvy

Can advertising foist an inferior product on the consumer? Bitter experience has taught me that it cannot. On those rare occasions when I have advertised products which consumer tests have found inferior to other products in the same field, the results have been disastrous.
David Ogilvy

Develop your eccentricities while you are young. That way, when you get old, people won’t think you’re going gaga.
David Ogilvy

Does advertising corrupt editors? Yes it does, but fewer editors than you may suppose… the vast majority of editors are incorruptible.
David Ogilvy

Don’t bunt. Aim out of the ball park. Aim for the company of immortals.
David Ogilvy

Every advertisement should be thought of as a contribution to the complex symbol which is the brand image.
David Ogilvy

First, make yourself a reputation for being a creative genius. Second, surround yourself with partners who are better than you are. Third, leave them to go get on with it.
David Ogilvy

Good copy can’t be written with tongue in cheek, written just for a living. You’ve got to believe in the product.
David Ogilvy

Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it. Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine.
David Ogilvy

I avoid clients for whom advertising is only a marginal factor in their marketing mix. They have an awkward tendency to raid their advertising appropriations whenever they need cash for other purposes.
David Ogilvy

I did not feel ‘evil’ when I wrote advertisements for Puerto Rico. They helped attract industry and tourists to a country which had been living on the edge of starvation for 400 years.
David Ogilvy

I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information.
David Ogilvy

I don’t know the rules of grammar… If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language, the language they use every day, the language in which they think. We try to write in the vernacular.
David Ogilvy

I have a theory that the best ads come from personal experience. Some of the good ones I have done have really come out of the real experience of my life, and somehow this has come over as true and valid and persuasive.
David Ogilvy