Monthly Archives: April 2013

Armonk Zero Waste Day April 20th | Armonk Real Estate

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ZERO WASTE DAY
Saturday, April 20, 2013

9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Rain or Shine
North Castle Town Hall
15 Bedford Road
Armonk, NY   10504

Welcome to Zero Waste Day! In order to ensure a safe and efficient event for our residents and volunteers, we ask that you please follow these simple rules to responsibly dispose of your unwanted items:

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Drive slowly, and wait your turn.  Traffic flows one way only.

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Stay in your car and let our volunteers unload your items.

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Follow all traffic signs and obey our volunteers’ directions.

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To avoid bringing items that are not being collected, please carefully check the list below beforehand. Refer to Recyclopedia for alternative disposal options for items not being collected during Zero Waste Day.

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Our Zero Waste Day participating organizations will be present behind Town Hall in the order listed below.  Please consider this when loading your vehicle, so as to enable quick and efficient unloading.

Our Zero Waste Day collections change with each event. Please note the following:

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Furniture Sharehouse is returning. See below for more information.

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Stuffed animals and children’s books will NOT be collected.

bulletBulk items will NOT BE COLLECTED. Arrange curbside pickup with Suburban Carting if you have bulk items.

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Used Motor, Antifreeze and Cooking Oil Collection – collected by Enviro Waste Oil Recovery and American Alternative Energy

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Used motor oil, used antifreeze, used oil filters and oily debris (rags)

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Used vegetable oil (from a deep fat fryer)

For more information about Enviro Waste Oil Recovery, go to www.envirowasteoil.com

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Scrap Metal Collection – collected by Suburban Carting

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Metal file cabinets, metal bed frames, aluminum siding, outdoor grills, metal fence pieces, hot water tanks and heaters, treadmills, basketball hoops, antennas, metal appliances (washers, dryers, stoves, dishwashers, refrigerators*, freezers*, air conditioners*, toasters, coffee pots, mixers, microwaves, waffle irons, table top grills) and any other unwanted scrap metal items or pieces.

*Freon does not need to be removed prior to drop-off.

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E-waste Collection – collected by Suburban Carting for RCR&R

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Computers **(including laptops), TVs, CRTs, small scale servers, monitors (non-CRT), keyboards and mice, copiers and scanners, fax machines, printers, VCRs, DVRs, DVD players, electronic and video game consoles, portable digital music players, digital converter boxes, cable or satellite receivers, cell phones and PDAs, universal power supply battery back-ups, typewriters, telephones, telecommunications equipment, circuit boards, cables and wires, ink cartridges, electric motors, AV equipment, radios and speakers, cameras, rechargeable power tool batteries, lead acid and automobile batteries.

** To prevent identity fraud, remember to remove any stored personal information before drop-off.  Simply deleting files does not completely erase the information on your computer’s hard drive.

For more information about Regional Computer Recovery and Recycling, go towww.ewaste.com.

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Adult and Children’s Bicycles – collected by Recycle-a-Bicycle

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Adult and children’s used bicycles in good condition, free of rust and major structural damage.

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Bike parts and bike tools.

For more information, please go to www.recycleabicycle.org.

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Paper Shredding  – collected by USA Shred

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Up to 6 total boxes of papers and/or hardcover books per household for shredding and disposal. Box size must not exceed 10”x12”x15”. Staples and paper clips need not be removed but metal clasps and binder clips are not permitted.

For more information about USA Shred, go to www.usashred.info

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Dog and Cat Supplies – collected by Adopt-a-Dog

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Wire dog crates, airline kennels , dog and cat beds and toys.

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Linens in any condition (sheets, towels, comforters, blankets).

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Balls (basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, tennis balls).

For a complete listing of items acceptable for donation, go to www.adoptadog.org.

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Spring and Summer Clothing, Shoes and Linens – collected by Community Center of Northern Westchester

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Clean, gently used spring and summer clothing and shoes for men, women and children.

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Clean, gently used linens (sheets, towels, blankets, comforters).

For more information, please go to www.communitycenternw.org.

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Household Furniture – collected by Furniture Sharehouse

bulletSofas (no sleeper sofas and no sofas over 80” long), armchairs (no stains, excessive fading or rips), metal bed frames (no king-sized), mattresses and box springs (no stains, no kings and in good condition only), tables and chairs, dressers, occasional tables, lamps, mirrors, clean area rugs (vacuumed, no larger than 10’ x 12”), TVs (no larger than 27”, no older than 5 years), artwork
bulletSmall electric appliances in working order (microwaves, toasters, coffee pots)

For a complete list of items that are acceptable and not acceptable, please go towww.furnituresharehouse.org.

Please note these items will NOT BE COLLECTED during this Zero Waste Day.

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Bulk Items. There will not be a container for bulk items.  Arrange cubside pickup with Suburban Carting if you have bulk items.

bulletCFLs (compact fluorescent bulbs)
bulletalkaline batteries
bulletbutton cell batteries
bulletpaint cans
bullettires
bullethazardous household chemicals
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This event is sponsored by the North Castle Recycling Committee and the Town of North Castle.  We are in need of volunteers!  Interested in helping as a committee member?  Want to volunteer for events only?  Please email us at www.northcastlerecycling@gmail.com.

via trulia.com

3 Common Mistakes to Avoid with Your Social Media Marketing by Jeff Bullas | Armonk Realtor

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Social media marketing is often seen as the quick fix for marketing your struggling business.3 Common Mistakes to Avoid with Your Social Media Marketing

Obtain some Facebook likes, even buy some fake Twitter followers, tell customers you are the best company in the world in your blog articles and start blasting away. The cavalry will then show up on white horses and save the day.

The truth.

It takes time, effort and persistence.

The real premise of social media is adding value with content that engages your customers which inspires, educates, informs and maybe even entertains. This means forgetting about “you” and thinking about “them”

This means adding value to your audience by solving their problems with content that includes “How To” articles,white papers and ebooks on your blog and website.

Small businesses see the potential of tapping into Social Media. They come with different expectations that are built on the foundations of traditional marketing which include one way conversations, email blasts with only sales messages and  not willing to listen to negative comments.

Here are three common mistakes you should avoid with your social media marketing.

via jeffbullas.com

Circa: News reinvented for your phone | Mt Kisco Realtor

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You lead a very busy life. A lot of us admit that social media keeps us “in the know” on events and news, but you need to catch up quick. Maybe you just need to squeeze in some time for content research for your blog.

A mobile app called Circa has reinvented how, and where, you view the latest news. If you don’t have time for all the “extras” that come with news, Circa’s got a team of editors and writers to give you the most important pieces of information in a story. It’s all beautifully set up for your phone too. Let’s check it out.

The thing I love about Circa is that it’s very intuitive. Quickly sign up for an account (optional) and you’re on your way!

via next.inman.com

North Salem Realtor | Gmail’s spam filter is killing your drip campaign: Top tips to get personal

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Businesses that sell directly to consumers love to automate their work.  Whether it’s a regular postcard blast, outsourced call center, or an email drip campaign, staying “in contact” with a company’s sphere of connections has always been easier when it is scheduled, standardized, and managed in a way that takes as little custom interaction with individuals as possible.

While the lack of unique, personal interaction could certainly be criticized, it’s indisputable that many companies have been very successful at reaching a large audience at a low cost with email drip campaigns.  The “set it and forget it” mentality is attractive to a busy marketing department, and even if it only creates a marginal return on investment, it allows salespeople to feel that they’re keeping in touch with their client base.  Email drip campaigns allow us to reach a larger audience, at a faster rate, with much lower labor and financial costs than nearly any other marketing.

Enter Gmail And Its Ever-Encroaching Spam Filter
Google’s Gmail products are quickly taking over the email ecosystem.  In less than ten years, Gmail went from an invitation-only beta product to the most popular web-based email in the world.  With over 400 million users. the product is becoming ubiquitous for personal email accounts.  It is also the fastest-growing business-class email platform.

In short, Gmail is the prevailing platform for consumers, and any business marketing to consumers must craft their contact plans around the parameters that Google creates.  When Gmail first started, it had a spam filter like most other email platforms.  It picked up a fair percentage of spam, but it erred on the side of caution, letting plenty of bulk mailers and generic content through to the user’s inbox.

More recently, though, Gmail’s spam filters have become aggressive.  Google’s goal is clearly to keep a user’s inbox as clean as possible.  The company has decided that a few casualties along the way are justified when the overall outcome is less spam in the inbox.  This means that a far higher percentage of newsletters, customer update emails, and other drip campaigns are finding their way directly into Gmail users’ spam folders, never to be seen by the intended recipient

via next.inman.com

How to pull off a real vacation from real estate | Waccabuc Real Estate

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<a href="<a href=Vacation image via Shutterstock.

Vacation. That’s a funny word, isn’t it?

If you’re like me, you hear your friends say they are going on a vacation and suddenly your brain is on a white-snow station.

“A vacation?” you ask. “You mean, a movie at the theater? Or, are you sleeping in on Saturday?”

That’s when your friend looks at you funny. They are going a-w-a-y. Like, to Hawaii. Or Brazil. Or the Arctic.

via inman.com

Cops: Good Samaritans Hear Screams, Detain Man After Abduction Attempt | Katonah NY Homes

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Bedford Police have added grand larceny to the charges a 28-year-old man is facing after he allegedly pushed his way into a woman’s car in Katonah, and stopped her from trying to escape as he began to drive away.

Travis D. Walker—who told officials he is homeless, and was last listed as living in Yorktown—is at the Westchester County Jail on $500,000 bail as of Tuesday afternoon. Authorities say two Good Samaritans, an 18-year-old from South Salem and a 22-year-old from Brewster, are responsible for getting the local woman involved out of harm’s way.

No one was injured in the Monday afternoon incident, but the victim, a 37-year-old Katonah woman, was in an emotional state—”very distraught” and crying—when about a half dozen officers arrived at the scene.

Several calls came in, at about 2:40 p.m., reporting a possible motor vehicle accident. Witnesses said a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta was “up on the sidewalk,” near Kelloggs & Lawrence on The Parkway.

Officers arrived to find the vehicle as described, with one man in the driver’s seat and two more flanking the Jetta. The victim was standing nearby.

Walker is accused of “yanking open” the victim’s car door as the woman attempted to back out of a parking space. He forced the victim to the passenger side and a struggle, complete with screams, ensued as she tried to open the door and flee, police said.

The defendant reportedly stopped her from doing so and started to move the vehicle in reverse. The keys were knocked out of the ignition during the confrontation.

“They heard screaming and they ran to aid the victim,” Lt. Jeffrey Dickan said of the two young men. “They were able to pull her from the car and get into the car and subdue the male, and get the keys from him.”

Their identities are being withheld as the investigation continues, but the pair may be recognized for their efforts at a later date.

“The big story here is the two Good Samaritans,” Dickan said, “because who knows what they stopped from occurring.”

via bedford.patch.com

Southern California washes away foreclosure impact | Cross River NY Real Estate

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The median price paid for a house in Southern California rose 23.4% from a year earlier, representing a 56-month high in March, according to San Diego-based DataQuick.

The median sales price for the six-county Southland region was $345,000, up 8% from $320,000 in February and up 23.4% from $280,000 one-year prior.

The previous median high was $348,000 in July 2008.

“Price measures continue to rise for two simple reasons,” said John Walsh, DataQuick president. “First, demand for homes has risen at a time when the available supply is unusually low. Prices have had nowhere to go but up in many areas. Second, the gains are especially high right now because of the change in market mix: Sales of lower-cost homes have fallen at the same time activity in the higher price ranges has risen.”

According to a report by DataQuick, sales of mid- to high-end homes shot up this spring as the impact of foreclosures continued to fade. 

Despite a sharp drop in sub-$300,000 deals, total sales were the highest they’ve been in six years for the month of March. 

A total of 20,581 new and resale houses and condos sold in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino and Orange counties last month, DataQuick reported. This marked a 29.1% jump from 15,945 sales in February and a 3.1% increase from 19,953 in March 2012

via housingwire.com

More young couples buy a home before getting married | Katonah NY Real Estate

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The local CBS affiliate out of Minneapolis says a home is the new engagement ring. In fact, if you look at the behavior of more young American couples, their first step towards lifelong companionship is purchasing a home together, not a ring.

Citing a Coldwell Banker study, CBS says a quarter of married couples in the 18-to-34 age range bought a home before getting married

via housingwire.com

4 ways to show you care – giving back with social media | Bedford Hills Realtor

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Social media strategy. Social ROI. Influencer marketing. Social capital. Sometimes the head-spinning buzzwords that have come to define our usage of social media can make the simplest things confusing and frustrating. This is not one of those posts!

Whether your “strategy” is personal or professional, social media is the platform that blends our personal relationships and connections. In between the likes, comments, followers and friends, listings, open houses, birthdays etc, real life happens. Sometimes it’s not nice. Sometimes it breaks your heart. Sometimes it elates you. It’s in these moments where empathy, trust and care for one another really shows itself, and yet, sometimes, we feel ill-equipped to reach over the boundaries of “strategy” and just be ourselves. So this is just a few simple ways you can cross the boundaries and show someone you truly care

via next.inman.com