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Mary J. Blige Hit With Tax Lien on New Jersey Home | Chappaqua NY Homes
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Daily Archives: February 21, 2013
Hit by a Disaster? You May Get Tax Relief | Armonk Homes
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Houlihan Lawrence invests in ‘broadband bonding’ | Mt Kisco Real Estate
Real estate agents depend heavily on telecom networks to communicate with clients and pursue leads. Any disruptions can bring business to a screeching halt.
So it’s important that brokerages safeguard their Internet connectivity — especially in an era when many services rely on cloud-based technology.
“Broadband bonding” is one network technology that may prove particularly useful in helping brokerages hedge against line disruptions.
The technology digitally bonds DSL and cable lines to link together the telecom lines of company branch offices and headquarters.
Branch offices often depend on their headquarters for access to telephone lines and cloud-based services, like customer management systems. So brokerages often pay for connectivity that is more reliable and efficient than consumer-grade Internet connections.
Broadband bonding does more to safeguard interoffice networks than other services, said Cahit Akin, CEO of broadband bonding provider Mushroom Networks. That’s because it uses multiple Internet connections to sustain a companywide network. Other services typically use just one, Akin said.
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2 Million Homeowners No Longer Underwater on Mortgage: Zillow | North Salem Homes
The rebound in housing took a slight pause this week with weaker-than-expected housing starts and a dip in homebuilder confidence for January.
But Zillow Inc., the largest home-related marketplace on the web and mobile, issued a report Thursday that tells the brighter side of the housing story. Nearly 2 million U.S. homeowners were freed from negative equity last year, which means they are no longer underwater on their mortgages. The cities that saw the most improvement included Phoenix, Los Angeles and Miami.
Related: Housing Market Improves Despite Decline in Housing Starts and Confidence
“2012 was a pretty big year for working down negative equity,” says Zillow chief economist Stan Humphries in the accompanying video, adding that strong home value appreciation was a big contributor to that trend.
Home values rose roughly 6% in 2012 to a median value of $157,400, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. That price appreciation, along with the elevated level of home foreclosures, led to the drop in negative equity in 2012.
Related: Housing Market Still Needs Fannie Mae, Says Chief Economist Doug Duncan
While these figures are encouraging, the total number of homeowners that remain underwater is still very high. Almost 14 million homeowners still owed more on their mortgage than their homes were worth last year; down from 15.7 million at the end of 2011. Collectively, homeowners were underwater by $1 trillion in 2012.
Over the course of 2013, Zillow expects another 1 million American homeowners will no longer be underwater on their mortgage, which would reflect a slowdown in the trend. Zillow expects home value appreciation to slow to about 3% in 2013, half the pace of last year, as the supply of homes on the market increases.
Related: This Is Housing Bubble 2.0: David Stockman
Overall, Humphries says the housing market is “doing quite well” and the “fundamentals of housing look quite good.”
The National Association of Realtor’s will release existing homes sales today at 10 am.
South Salem, North Salem Lead in Lowest Ask Price | RobReportBlog
South Salem, North Salem lead in Lowest Ask Price | RobReportBlog Katonah $359,000.00 Pound Ridge $375,000.00 South Salem $199,500.00 Mt Kisco $280,000.00 Chappaqua $429,000.00 North Salem $110,000.00 Armonk $410,000.00 Bedford $399,000.00
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C21, Re/Max and Coldwell Banker most recognized brands | Bedford Corners Real Estate
Century 21, Re/Max and Coldwell Banker are the most recognized real estate brand names used by brokerages, according to an online survey of U.S. homebuyers and sellers commissioned by Century 21 and conducted by Millward Brown, a global brand research company.
The multiple-choice survey, which polled 1,204 randomly selected U.S. adults who have either bought or sold a home in the past two years or plan to buy or sell a home in the next two years during two separate two-week periods in 2012, showed that 96 percent of respondents had “seen or heard of” Century 21.
Re/Max, Coldwell Banker and Prudential rounded out the top four with 91 percent, 86 percent and 70 percent of respondents, respectively, indicating that they had ever “seen or heard of” the brands.
A similar survey by Millward Brown last year showed Century 21, Re/Max and Coldwell Banker retaining similar leadership positions in brand awareness.
Other brands in the poll, which was conducted Feb. 5-19, 2012, and Aug. 12-26, 2012, were Keller Williams, ERA, Real Living, Realty Executives and Weichert, Realtors.
Brand Percentage who “have ever seen or heard of” the brand Century 21 96% Re/Max 91% Coldwell Banker 86% Prudential 70% Keller Williams 44% ERA 42% Real Living 24% Weichert, Realtors 20% Realty Executives 16% Source: Millward Brown 2012 real estate brand research study
Article continues belowThis year’s survey marked the first time respondents were asked to identify the “most respected” brand in the real estate industry. Century 21, Re/Max and Coldwell Banker also topped this list.
Brand Percentage who selected the brand as “the most respected in the industry” Century 21 22% Re/Max 17% Coldwell Banker 16% Prudential 12% Keller Williams 11% Weichert, Realtors 8% Realty Executives 8% Real Living 7% ERA 5% Source: Millward Brown 2012 real estate brand research study
Respondents were also asked how likely they were to recommend one of the leading brands to someone else. Century 21 revealed only whether more or less than 25 percent of respondents would recommend a brand.
Less than 25 percent said they would recommend Coldwell Banker, ERA, Keller Williams, Prudential, Realty Executives or Weichert. More than 25 percent of respondents said they would recommend Century 21 or Re/Max.
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Real Estate Video Marketing Starts with a Vision, Stirs Emotions | Pound Ridge Real Estate
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REALTORS®’ Commercial Markets Gain Steam in Fourth Quarter 2012 | Mt Kisco Real Estate
Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers: Reasons to Buy | Bedford NY Real Estate
- Although the demographics of home buyers often shift to reflect changes in the market, the motivations to make a home purchase are largely constant from year to year. The primary reason to purchase a home remains the desire to own a home of one’s own.
- Nearly a third of all home buyers cited this as their reason to purchase a home in 2012, and 60 percent of first-time home buyers cited this as their primary reason to buy.
- Repeat buyers are less likely to be motivated by the desire to simply own their own home and more likely to make a purchase as a result of changing circumstances: both the desire for a larger home and the need to relocate for a job or move were reasons cited most often.
- Other popular reasons to buy included the desire to be closer to family and friends, as well as a change in family situation.
- Among age groups of home buyers, there was a clear tendency for younger buyers to be more inclined to buy because of the desire to own a home, while older buyers (those in the 65 and older category) cited the desire to be closer to family and friends and retirement as the primary reasons to buy.
The Great Social Customer Service [Infographic] | Bedford Hills Realtor
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