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North Castle Funeral Service for Becky Kittredge | Armonk Homes
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Daily Archives: September 3, 2013
Bedford NY Weekly Real Estate Report | RobReportBlog | Bedford Homes
| Bedford NY Weekly Real Estate Report | 9/3/2013 | |
| Homes for sale | 85 | |
| Median Ask Price | $1,650,000.00 | |
| Low Price | $419,000.00 | |
| High Price | $14,500,000.00 | |
| Average Size | 4849 | |
| Average Price/foot | $410.00 | |
| Average DOM | 145 | |
| Average Ask Price | $2,036,182.00 |
The Week In Video: Mobile Video, Bigfoot And Steam Powered YouTube | South Salem Realtor
Welcome back to the ‘Week in Online Video’ where we catch up with the news and gossip from the world of YouTube, Cable, Google and all things video related. This week we take a look at how e-commerce annotations and the Content ID system are helping those who want to monetise their video content as well as some of the new tweaks YouTube have introduced.
YouTube Gives Go Ahead For E-Commerce Annotations
A huge percentage of those producing consistent, quality, relevant content on YouTube will have looked into the ways they can monetise their channel. There are many avenues to explore, all with various degrees of success depending on your approach and audience. We have a new kid on the block in the form of Subblime which aims to provide extra revenue for those that use their services. Subblime is one of the companies that YouTube have just endorsed that allow content creators to link out to third parties via their annotations. The company currently has around 40 creators signed up and confirms the CTR ranges from 20% to 50%. One to watch.
Read More at: PandoDaily
Great Moments in Mobile Video
Accessing video content via our smartphones seems as second nature as switching on the TV these days. But with the lightening fast pace of technology it’s easy to forget that the concept is only 10 years old and it’s only in the last couple of years that mobile video consumption has reached stratospheric heights. The team at Spark Qualcomm bring us the facts and figures.
See the full infographic here.
AdRev Opens Up Content ID Platform To Independent Musicians And Publishers
We’ve already touched on monetisation opportunities and the YouTube Content ID system has been an excellent way for artists to track down and often profit well from copyright infringements. AdRev, one of the biggest third party providers of tracking to the huge publishing companies such as Universal and Warner have opened up their features to smaller labels and musicians via their new ContentID.com site. Artists can upload their content to AdRev’s database for free and keep 80% of the revenue from unofficial, third party videos.
Read More at: NMR
Rhett And Link Producer Jason Inman Wants $10,000 To Go Find Bigfoot
The producer behind YouTube darlings Rhett and Link has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a web series tracking and finding (because it totally exists) Bigfoot. For a modest $10,000, Jason Inman and his team of Squatch Watchers – with the help of the glorious Chuck Testa – aim to do what programmes like ‘Finding Bigfoot’ have failed to, albeit restricted to filming in the California area only. Of course, Sasquatch aficionados will know that Cali was the location for the most famous sighting of all time so anything is possible. Here’s the trailer for the campaign:
Read more…
The Week In Video: Mobile Video, Bigfoot And Steam Powered YouTube http://www.reelseo.com/the-week-in-video-mobile-bigfoot/#ixzz2dq3MPEbT
120 Marketing Tactics for Blogging Success | Katonah Realtor
Blogging success can seem like a distant dream when you start out. You aren’t quite sure what to blog about. The choice of technology can be overwhelming. Then learning to use the features and functions of your blogging software is a maze of confusion and confronting choices.
What plugins do I choose? How do I optimise for search engines? What are widgets and how do I use them?
Then you start and draft your first post.
Then more doubt sets in.
How do I write those awesome headlines that will draw attention? What marketing tactics should I focus on to achieve the best results?
Then the killer doubt.
Why would anyone want to hear what “I” have to say?
So you push past the fears and you hit the publish button. You tweet and share it with your 500 best friends on Facebook. You have started.
Six months into your blogging journey more nagging fears arise. Yes, I have a few readers. People are starting to leave comments and I am attracting some attention.
But world domination is felt to be more a fantasy than reality.
Persistence is key
This is maybe what you don’t want to hear. You need to persist. Success is almost never overnight but a journey of a thousand steps.
It is a matter of keeping the faith in yourself. Friends and family can be your worst enemies. Passion, purpose and belief need to come from within.
Press on.
My secret sauce recipe
So what’s worked for me?
What has sustained me and kept me ahead of the blogging curve can be summed up with three words, reading, writing and doing. Mundane but necessary.
- Read as much as you can offline and online. Blogs, news and books. Watch TED talks.
- Writing drives discovery and research so it accelerates the learning process. The art of expression facilitates in structuring and making sense of the incoming information.
- Doing is where the rubber hits the road. My blog is my social media, marketing and digital laboratory. Helping other brands both corporate and personal keeps also keeps me real and connected.
A trait to be treasured
But there is one small human trait that is sometimes overlooked.
Curiosity.
Will that headline work? How do I grow my Twitter followers? How do I make this blog rock?
Stay curious.
Marketing tactics for blogging success
So what are some tactics that you need to start applying to achieve blogging success?
Here are some of the key nuts, bolts and tools to put in your blogging marketing toolbox. This is maybe the longest infographic in the world but it has some awesome tips to make your blog rock.
Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/08/23/120-marketing-tactics-for-blogging-success/#H7sCZx7wLRubsyd6.99
Billionaire Neighbors Keep Spying on Calvin’s Glass House | Bedford Hills Real Estate
[According to Page Six, Calvin Klein is feverishly trying to finish his long-aborning glass house on Meadow Lane in Southampton in time for a Labor Day housewarming. Apparently, even his billionaire neighbors (David Koch? Leon Black? Henry Kravis?) keep coming up the driveway to sneak a look inside. Well, who can blame them? The man is a style icon and one of the greatest designers of all time—isn’t everyone dying to see inside? (Besides maybe his ex Nick Gruber, who recently “came out as straight.”) Calvin, don’t forget, our address for the evite is hamptons@curbed.com. · Calvin Klein Takes Movie Break [NYPost]
5 Common Mistakes to Avoid on Google+ | Bedford Realtor
Google+ maybe a newer social network, but it’s a powerful one.
In fact it is now the second largest social media network behind Facebook after only launching just over two years ago.
So why are so many Google+ users confused about how to use it? The fact is, if you’re like most people on Google+, you’re still a little confused about the site.
So what should you do?
To answer that question, here’s a list of some of the most common mistakes users make on the network. Examine these errors and avoid them, and you set yourself up to be ahead of the pack.
1. Not Optimizing Your Profile
Completing your profile is Google+ 101.
When you add your name, bio, photo and other information, you let other users know who you are and how to identify you. This not only encourages connection, but it also reinforces your brand. To make the most of your profile, optimize it with keywords relevant to your industry. Likewise, include relevant links throughout your About page, from the “introduction” to the “website” section.
Look at my profile as an example:
- Completed tagline
- Keyword-rich introduction
- Contact information
- Photo
Also optimize your profile by listing all the of the sites where your writing or content appears.
2. Never Posting
You gain the most exposure on Google+ when you post regularly.
Fresh content keeps you current in the feeds of contacts and makes you seem relevant, as is shown in the feed below. Likewise, regular posting benefits search engine optimization, improving your results when users search for content related to what you share.
Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/08/26/5-common-mistakes-to-avoid-on-google/#kImM2Q5AWspxokA7.99
Before Bryant Park, There Was NYC’s Doomed First Skyscraper | Pound Ridge Real Estate
19 images
This little-known piece of old New York was the city’s very first skyscraper. Exactly 160 years ago this summer, the so-called Crystal Palace opened to awed crowds. Its footprint took up nearly one square block on Sixth Avenue between 42nd and 41st Streets, with a cross-shaped floorplan and a central dome that soared so gracefully it seemed it were destined for a Parisian train station rather than a temporary exhibition space. An octagonal tower built at the side of the main hall, called the Latting Observatory, was somewhere between 300 and 315 feet tall, depending on who you asked, unseating the previous record-holder, Trinity Church, whose spire reached a mere 290. It was inaugurated on July 14, 1853, with President Franklin Pierce presiding and an abundance of fireworks and general pizzazz. Inspired by a structure in London, New York would not be outdid. According to the Times, “for a time, no visitor to New York or from neighboring cities or suburban districts considered his life complete without a visit.” In a manner of speaking, it symbolized the irrepressible antebellum feeling of American exceptionalism. “It was a thing to be seen once in a lifetime,” wrote Horace Greeley, “As we grow in wealth and strength, we may build a much greater Crystal Palace.”
The whole thing was the work of an ambitious engineer, Christan Detmold, with knowledge of the vagaries of iron and glass and how to weld them together to make something majestic.
read more…
Whole-House Remodel $250,000 to $500,000: Desert Embrace | Bedford Corners Homes
Priorities
• Improve the connection between interior rooms • Provide a better visual connection from the house to the lush landscape
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmp258F%2Etmp_tcm17-1999556.jpg
Opening up walls created a better interior flow.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmp2000%2Etmp_tcm17-1999554.jpg
The original layout did not allow for good traffic flow.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmp1C36%2Etmp_tcm17-1999551.jpg
The fireplace in the existing living room.
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The new living room is open to the kitchen and dining rooms.
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The original kitchen was cut off from the living areas.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpB2D%2Etmp_tcm17-1999542.jpg
The custom cabinets are made from Douglas fir.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmp530%2Etmp_tcm17-1999539.jpg
The original interior walls were sheetrock made to resemble adobe.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmp137%2Etmp_tcm17-1999535.jpg
The kitchen countertops are Caesarstone and concrete.
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The original side porch was enclosed to create a theater room.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpF753%2Etmp_tcm17-1999530.jpg
Architect Rob Paulus incorporated the original fireplace in to the theater room wall. The large projection screen takes up one wall.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpF378%2Etmp_tcm17-1999529.jpg
The original bathroom.
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The bathroom has the same clean, contemporary lines as the main living area.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpE416%2Etmp_tcm17-1999519.jpg
The original wood porch.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpDF22%2Etmp_tcm17-1999518.jpg
The roof canopy is not attached to the existing building. Architect Paulus says this design makes it look like it’s levitating and makes it clear that is separate from the original structure.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpDA10%2Etmp_tcm17-1999517.jpg
The canopy structure is made of steel and rough-hewn Douglas fir. It ties in to the new masonry and landscaping.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpD676%2Etmp_tcm17-1999516.jpg
A before view of the house from poolside.
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The canopy connects the home with the pool and backyard.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpCB87%2Etmp_tcm17-1999514.jpg
The architect’s original sketch of the canopy included a round opening, but it was more cost-effective to follow the lines of the structure and make it rectangular.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpC4CF%2Etmp_tcm17-1999513.jpg
A during photo of the project shows the construction of the steel canopy frame.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpC134%2Etmp_tcm17-1999512.jpg
The steel and Douglas fir pieces fit together seamlessly.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpBD6A%2Etmp_tcm17-1999511.jpg
The original master bedroom (right) didn’t have a great connection to the outdoors.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpB9C2%2Etmp_tcm17-1999510.jpg
A small, side porch off the master bedroom provides a more private outdoor setting for the owner.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpB3B4%2Etmp_tcm17-1999509.jpg
The steel pieces of the canopy and the steel shade boxes for the theater room were lifted into place with a crane.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpAED1%2Etmp_tcm17-1999508.jpg
Two steel boxes frame the windows and provide shade to the theater room.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpAB07%2Etmp_tcm17-1999507.jpg
Architect Rob Paulus designed these steel frames to be more delicate to contrast with the strong structure of the canopy. Vines are now growing on the canopy, which connects the structure to the outdoor landscaping.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpA569%2Etmp_tcm17-1999506.jpg
The home is set in the foothills of Tucson.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmpA1AF%2Etmp_tcm17-1999505.jpg
The original floorplan.
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/Images/tmp9CEB%2Etmp_tcm17-1999504.jpg
The new floorplan shows the home’s connection to the outdoors. The small structure on the other side of the pool is a guest house.
Solutions
Not only was this house poorly laid out, but architect Rob Paulus describes the Spanish style as “Santa fake.” “A lot of what we did was more subtractive—taking things away and bringing it back to a simple box. From there, we opened up as much as we could,” Paulus says, by removing walls to create a better flow. Some of the sheet rock was made to resemble adobe walls, so he simplified those for a cleaner, more modern look.
The owner purchased the house because of its mature landscape and setting. He wanted the interior spaces to have a better connection to the backyard. Paulus increased the glazing on the rear wall to capture views.
The owner, a film enthusiast, also wanted a media room with a large 14-foot projection screen. The living room didn’t have enough wall space to accommodate a screen that large, so Paulus enclosed an outdoor porch and incorporated the existing outdoor fireplace.
The second phase of the project involved improving the outdoor spaces. A 20-foot by 40-foot contemporary steel and Douglas fir porch trellis shades an outdoor living space with an outdoor kitchen. It has direct access from the home theater, great room, and master bedroom.
The interior kitchen cabinets are made of Douglas fir, but a more polished and smooth version that fulfills the owner’s request for a natural element. It also provides a contrast to the rough-hewn fir used for the trellis ceiling.
read more…
Foreclosures Distort Home-Price Measure | Chappaqua NY Homes
The housing bust obviously depressed the real estate market, but a new study shows that a big jump in distressed sales during the worst of the downturn may have exaggerated swings in at least one key measure of house prices.
Federal Housing Finance Agency
economists William Doerner and Andrew Leventis examined markets in Miami and Tampa, Fla., to gauge the impact of bank-owned property and short sales on the FHFA’s house price index.
The findings, released in a new paper: distressed sales dragged the index down as housing bottomed out and now are boosting numbers a bit.
“The presence of distressed sales in the standard HPI had a depressing effect on measured price changes. In more recent periods, when distressed sales comprised a shrinking percentage of real estate transactions, the Working Paper reveals the opposite effect. As the ‘weight’ of distressed sales on the standard index decreased in recent periods, the depressing effect lessened over time. This meant that the price appreciation observed in the standard FHFA index was somewhat above what the distress-free measures reported.”
The FHFA’s index is one of several measures that the industry and economists use to gauge the health of the real estate market. The latest data, released July 23, showed that house prices appreciated a seasonally adjusted 0.7% in May from the prior month — the 16th consecutive increase. The report reinforced views that the housing market is rebounding.
The study by Messrs. Doerner and Leventis doesn’t change that. But it does point to some distortion in the index through boom-and-bust cycles.
In the late 1990s, for example, distressed sales in the Miami and Tampa markets tended to price about 10%-15% less than normal sales. As the housing boom accelerated, the discount shrank to 5% and 10%. But from 2007 to 2010, that figure jumped to near 30%.
“In recent quarters, with the onset of the recovery and rising home prices, such discounts have become slightly more modest. In the first quarter of 2013, for instance, the average discount was about 25%,” the authors write.
The paper cautions that the results for Miami and Tampa might not be duplicated in areas that experienced a less dramatic crash or saw fewer distressed sales.
Real estate brokers, fall into line: It’s time to let the MLS lead | Armonk Real Estate
The power balance in the real estate world is shifting faster than ever. Travel titans, search engines, investment oracles and government entities all want to change the way we do business. Most just want to control a larger piece of the pie.
Real estate brokerages are often too focused on their day-to-day business of attracting and retaining agents to give an appropriate share of their attention to the greater direction of real estate. The reasons are fairly simple. Brokerages are deemed successful by their ranking vs. local competitors as opposed to the greater health of all brokers in their region. The ability of a broker or agent to increase sales production and income often comes at the expense of competing agents and brokers, especially in a down market. This is not necessarily a negative, but the reality of competitive business and our natural motivations in these roles.
Then, there is the MLS. The multiple listing service could be called the referee for our regional activities. Some practitioners love the MLS for its standardization of practices. Some hate it for its plethora of rules impeding their business. Some brokers appreciate the MLS’s creation of a level playing field vs. other companies. Many brokers feel disdain for any organization that seeks to override its regulatory authority.
The nature of these differing opinions exemplifies the strength and value of the MLS to our industry. Whether it’s a parent, teacher, CEO or government regulator, any authoritative entity should wield enough clout to create useful standards. If it lacks the strength to create regulations that benefit its constituents as a whole, it is useless. At the same time, if its decisions lack the support necessary to regulate member policies, it is impotent.
An uncommon position of power
MLS organizations are in a uniquely powerful position in our industry today. The MLS is supported in some way by Realtor organizations, diverse brokerages, volunteer agents, and MLS staff. Their overwhelming strength is the nearly ubiquitous control of our most precious asset in the new media age: the real estate listing
– See more at: http://www.inman.com/next/real-estate-brokers-fall-into-line-its-time-to-let-the-mls-lead/#sthash.8EjSwnsr.dpuf