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Local Chappaqua Area Farmer’s Markets | Chappaqua Homes
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Daily Archives: May 9, 2013
Bedford NY Area Strong Markets | Weak Markets | RobReportBlog
Bedford NY Area Strong Markets | Weak Markets | RobReportBlog
Strong Markets
South Salem up 26%
Armonk up 85%
Chappaqua up 15%
Bedford Corners up 25%
Bedford Hills up 11%
North Salem up 55%
Weak Markets
Pound Ridge down 11%
Bedford Village down 4%
Katonah down 4.5%
Looking at sales over the last six months compared to the same period last year.
What $700K Can Buy You Around The Cape & Islands | Chappaqua Homes
↑ Kicking off in Provincetown with The Boathouse, a 1BR, 1BA condo directly on Cape Cod Bay. Built in 1900, the year-round 487 sq. ft. freestanding cottage has waterviews on three sides, an exclusive use deck and parking for one. The property last changed hands in 2005 for $685,000 and returned to the market in May 2011 asking $735,000. The listing was removed in October 2011 and reappeared last month with a $729,300 price tag.
http://capecod.curbed.com/archives
Remodeling? Avoid These Costly Mistakes | Armonk NY Homes
While many Americans are ready to take on remodeling/renovation projects this spring, doing it the wrong way can be costly. Some errors to avoid:
Not knowing exactly what you want
If you don’t know exactly what you want or specify what you want, you’re going to get what the contractor thinks you want. And it could end up costing you dearly! For home remodeling design ideas, inspiration and a whole lot more (including cost estimates), check out Zillow Digs (free on the iPad or the Web). You can search by style, cost or room. And what’s really cool is that you can search by specific elements within a room, such as quartz or granite countertops, for example. Share your boards with your contractor so that you’re clear on your objectives.
Hiring the first contractor who comes along
Sure, he may seem nice, and he may seem competent, but have you checked him out? What do your friends say about him? Have you contacted his references? Seen his work? Are there any complaints lodged against him? (P.S.: The Better Business Bureau just released its top 10 list of inquiries from consumers, and half relate to home improvement.) What do subcontractors and suppliers have to say about their dealings with him? Is he licensed and insured? As excited as you may be about taking on this new project, you need to do a fair amount of due diligence.
Jumping at the lowest bid
Get at least three bids, and throw out the lowest one so as to avoid the inevitable consequence: cheap materials, shoddy installation, etc. Don’t invite trouble in! Rather, hire someone who not only comes in within target, price-wise, but is someone you feel personally comfortable with.
Not insisting on a written contract
Every detail about your project should be included in a contract, from the start date to the approximate completion date, right down to the brand of fixtures to the number of coats of paint. Be as specific as possible! Also important: setting a time limit for fixing defects so that if a dispute arises, it’s not endless.
Not setting a payment schedule
How you pay a contractor is almost as important as how much. Spell out the payment schedule in the contract, beginning with the amount to be paid upfront (which should be no more than 30 percent). Periodic payments after the work starts should correspond to completed segments of the project. And the best way to ensure that work gets done when and how you want it? Leave a significant sum (at least 10 percent) to be paid only when the job is completed to your satisfaction.
Mt Kisco Real Estate | 30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates Increase for First Time Since March
Mortgage rates for 30-year fixed mortgages increased this week, with the current rate borrowers were quoted on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace at 3.39 percent, up from 3.25 percent at this same time last week. This represents the first rate increase since late March.
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate hovered between 3.26 and 3.30 percent for the majority of the week before jumping up near the current rate on Friday.
“Last week, mortgage rates reversed their month-long decline on a stronger-than-expected jobs report,” said Erin Lantz, director of Zillow Mortgage Marketplace. “This coming week, we expect rates to remain fairly stable with limited news or economic data slated for release.”
Additionally, the 15-year fixed mortgage rate this morning was 2.56 percent, and for 5/1 ARMs, the rate was 2.32 percent.
What are the rates right now? Check Zillow Mortgage Marketplace for up-to-the-minute mortgage ratesfor your state.
Reese Witherspoon Is Girl Next Door With Third Brentwood House | North Salem Real Estate
Source: IMDb
If you live in Brentwood Circle, there’s a good chance Reese Witherspoon is the girl next door. With two existing homes in the neighborhood, the Oscar-winning actress has purchased another for $3 million.
The ranch-style home is described by the listing agent as an “enchanted cottage” that’s “warm and inviting.” With a glass art studio and hillside gardens, the home offers a retreat from downtown L.A.
It isn’t surprising Witherspoon would choose a getaway outside the city center — her Ojai ranch provided the feeling of being in the country while only an hour removed from Los Angeles. And, with a recent trip to jail on a disorderly conduct charge, the actress is likely looking to steer clear of the paparazzi.
It also isn’t surprising Witherspoon bought a few houses down from her existing property; celebs have a track record for hopping around the same neighborhood or owning several properties within the same ZIP code. Actress Kate Hudson is known for buying a $5.8 million home next door to her longtime Pacific Palisades residence, and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison also recently added to his collection of homes on Malibu’s “Billionaires’ Row.”
While celebs typically move up with successive home purchases, however, Witherspoon paid less for this property than her two other Brentwood homes. It’s also the smallest of the three, measuring 3,053 square feet
3 Tips for Insuring Your First Home | Armonk Real Estate
Buying your first home can be both an exciting and a scary experience. Many homeowners are appreciative of any bit of information that would help make the process less stressful and as painless as possible. Home insurance is usually a major contributor to the anxieties new homeowners’ experience. They are often confused about how much insurance they need. This post will give easy tips for choosing the best insurance for new home buyers.
Your House Should Be Fully Covered
The coverage on the insurance policy should reflect an amount that can adequately take care of the cost of rebuilding and refurbishing your entire house in the event that you lose it completely. Insurance companies may use a cost estimator to ascertain the cost replacement estimate, but you can have a home builder assess your home and furnish you with an estimate of the rebuilding cost. This should include the unique and/or expensive details of your home (if there are any). You do not want to end up being underinsured. Once you have the estimate for rebuilding, you will need to figure out which coverage to take. The choices are:
- Guaranteed Replacement Cost Coverage – The insurer bears the cost for the rebuilding your home in spite of that cost. Very few insurers are offering these policies now.
- Extended Replacement Coverage – This coverage involves the capping of the payout you would receive to approximately 125% of the insured value of your home.
- Inflation Guarantee (or Guard) – This is a feature that ensures the insured value of your home stays on par with that of the marketplace.
Strive to get a reliable appraisal and extended replacement coverage along with an inflation guarantee. These will place you in a good position.
Liability Insurance
Home owners are sometimes caught off guard by third party claims for an injury someone incurred at their house or damages they caused to their neighbor’s property. These things happen, so protect yourself by ensuring your home insurance includes a liability insurance policy. Liability insurance gives the homeowner protection against any third party claims of damages and personal injury that occur on their property or are caused by them. Someone may fall and hurt themselves while on your property, or in the case of neighbors living in close proximity, your child could be playing and accidentally cause damage to their property. Liability insurance takes the burden of paying for medical bills or damages from your pocket, as the insurance company will take care of it.
Get Additional Coverage for Your Valuables
The standard insurance policy covers you home and possessions against eventualities such as natural disasters, fires, theft and accidents, but only does so indirectly for certain assets. Homeowners are sometimes caught off guard when they suffer from a disaster and realize they will not receive full compensation for certain valuables inside the house. The standard HO-3 policy takes care of the structural aspect of the house along with its contents, but there is limits the compensation for expensive possessions such as artwork and fine jewelry. You can obtain full coverage for them by paying a little extra on your policy each year.
Purchase loans tick up | Chappaqua NY Real Estate
Applications for purchase loans increased a seasonally adjusted 2 percent for the week ending May 3 from the previous week, and were up 12 percent on an annual basis, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey.
Meanwhile, applications for refinance loans climbed 8 percent from the previous week reaching the highest level since December 2012. The MBA attributed the gain to increases in both the conventional and government refinance indices. Source: MBA
www.inman.com
Mobile Video Viewing on the Rise: Why It Matters [Study] | Bedford Corners Realtor
Business Insider’s subscription research service, BI Intelligence, has conducted a study about mobile video viewing habits that show a tremendous uptick in the amount of video watched on phones and tablets over the last year. The uptick isn’t surprising, but the amount of uptick is. What’s so vastly different between 2011 video viewing habits and 2012’s? The study finds that the rollout of faster 4G networks, younger audiences gravitating to mobile viewing, and the spread of tablets as the main reasons. But there is a lot more data to consider in this study. Let’s take a look.
Mobile Video Continues to Rise in Stature
Here is a chart detailing the viewing habits by device in Q4 of 2012, using data from Ooyala and charted by BI Intelligence:
![Mobile Video Viewing on the Rise: Why It Matters [Study]](http://cdn2.reelstatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/business-insider-ooyala-graph.png "business insider ooyala graph")
Here are some amazing stats (courtesy of BI Intelligence):
- Video on smartphones reached 41 million people by the end of last year. Additionally, as of January 2013, 41 percent of smartphone owners watch video on the device as opposed to 22 percent as recently as April 2012. People in the age group of 12-17 watch video on their mobile phone 24 minutes a week, and the 18-24 set watch 28 minutes, compared to 11 minutes for the average person. Both groups only watch two-thirds of the traditional TV of the average person.
- While tablets make up a fraction of the total video-capable devices out there, people watch a ton of video on them: 3.5 percent of all online video around the world is watched on them, while 4.5 percent of videos are watched on the far more prevalent smartphones.
- Tablet viewers watch longer videos (63 percent of their time was spent on videos 10 minutes or longer), and their viewing patterns are close to broadcast TV, making them easier to target for advertisers and broadcasters who know the ins-and-outs of TV best.
- People who own tablets make video a huge part of it. It’s one of the top 10 activities they use a tablet for, which can’t be said of smartphones (comScore). These tablet owners are more likely to cut the cord, or never bother with traditional TV in the first place (Morgan Stanley). The conversion rates on the ads are much higher than on smartphones. BI Intelligence cites the Deloitte “State of the Media Democracy Survey” when mentioning that, for the age group of 14-23, watching TV shows on a tablet rivals the time spent watching DVDs and Blu-Rays. 25 percent of the group watch TV shows every day or weekly on tablets.
- Finally, tablet owners watch 6.7 hours of video content a week, as opposed to non-tablet owners, who watch 5.5 hours (courtesy of Motorola).
The whole point? With $520 million (13 percent) of the entire ad market devoted to mobile video, finding these tablet owners, who skew younger and voraciously consume video is important.
Source: Mobile Video Viewing on the Rise: Why It Matters [Study]
Hold Your Email Recipients Accountable | Pound Ridge Realtor
Have you ever received an internet lead that only provided an email address? You were diligent in responding quickly to this lead, and sent them a detailed emailed response
providing them with all the details they requested and a nice call to action to engage them. Sometimes after you send that important follow up email, you mentally block that activity out of your mind and push it into the archives of your brain. The problem is your leads can slip through the cracks without a gentle reminder, informing you if that person responded.
Yesware, a free(ish) email tool, just released a new update that will help you with all of your non-responders. Draft an email, hit the reminder button and set a time. It is that simple!
Watch the video below to get a quick 1 minute overview on how it works!