| South Salem NY Real Estate Report | RobReportBlog | ||
| 2013 | 6 months ending 11/22 | 2012 | |
| 45 | Sales | 36 | up 25% |
| $550,000.00 | median sold price | $567,500.00 | down 3% |
| $190,000.00 | low sold price | $245,000.00 | |
| $1,450,000.00 | high sold price | $1,210,000.00 | |
| 2617 | average size | 2702 | |
| $254.00 | ave. price per foot | $226.00 | |
| 179 | ave days on market | 208 | |
| $639,013.00 | average sold price | $602,737.00 | |
| 96.19% | ave sold to ask | 93.64% | |
| Bedford Hills NY Weekly Real Estate Report | 11/22/2013 | |
| Homes for sale | 32 | |
| Median Ask Price | $847,000.00 | |
| Low Price | $289,000.00 | |
| High Price | $10,995,000.00 | |
| Average Size | 4028 | |
| Average Price/foot | $419.00 | |
| Average DOM | 151 | |
| Average Ask Price | $1,733,887.00 | |
While showing homes to a young couple with two small children I discovered a house can look too perfect. Since I just met the buyers as they had arrived in town, I didn’t have much time to schedule appointments and make my showing schedule. Some of the sellers had only a couple hours’ notice to prepare for the showings. Even with the short notice, these sellers have extremely neat homes. There was not one child’s toy left out, or book, dish, wrinkled pillow or toothbrush out of place.
The buyers kept commenting about how neat these homes were and even questioned if these occupied homes had real people living there. The houses looked too perfect. I know for a fact that one of the homes was professionally staged because the listing agent always requires her sellers to stage their homes. Some of the other houses may or may not have been professionally staged.
Staging — when done right — can help a home sell. I have seen some wonderful staging jobs. But a couple of these homes lacked that warm, lived-in feeling. This turned off the young couple with the two small children. I saw them squirm and cross their arms. They made generic statements about how this is nice and that looks pretty, but not buying-sign comments.
We saw some vacant homes and some new construction, too. Seeing these homes empty did not seem to bother the buyers, as they could see the real potential the homes offered — a clean palette, so to speak.
I showed another home that was occupied where the sellers left it neat but with a lived-in feeling. You could feel it the moment you stepped in the door. The buyers responded very favorably and started seeing themselves living there. They wanted to linger and ask questions. Yes, there were some personal family photos around, toys in the corner, things on the kitchen counter. The beds were made and the house was clean, but it felt lived in by a happy family.
– See more at: http://www.inman.com/next/when-marketing-to-families-a-staged-listing-should-evoke-lived-in-feeling/#sthash.IdbSlOrt.dpuf
After 18 straight months of declines, U.S. foreclosure inventory is now at its lowest point since the end of 2008, according to a monthly report from Lender Processing Services.
Foreclosure inventory fell nearly 30 percent year over year in October, to 1.28 million loans, or 2.54 percent of currently active mortgages.
Delinquencies (loans that are 30 or more days past due but not in foreclosure) fell 2.8 percent from September, to 3.15 million loans, or 6.28 percent of mortgages. The delinquency rate fell 10.7 percent on an annual basis.
All in all, 4.4 million properties were either delinquent or in foreclosure in October. Mississippi had the highest percentage of noncurrent loans among states last month, eclipsing Florida for the first time since 2008.“Except for the period after Katrina, Mississippi has held the dubious distinction of having the highest noncurrent inventory for virtually all of the history LPS tracks. So, unfortunately for Mississippians, this is more indication that things are getting back to ‘normal,’ ” LPS said. Source: LPS
– See more at: http://www.inman.com/wire/foreclosure-inventory-down-to-lowest-level-since-2008/#sthash.bpSlaKht.dpuf
It isn’t even December yet, and I’m already tired of the holidays and of reading about what I need to do to be successful in 2014.
Usually the articles are about the three, five, eight, 10 or 14 things that I need to do. Before throwing caution to the wind and taking all of that wonderful advice, I like to consider who is writing it and why. There are plenty of armchair real estate quarterbacks who just know what we need to do to be successful.
They give advice and never have to implement any of the ideas. Right now I can’t see any reason why 2014 will be very different from 2013. I think the tight inventory of homes for sale will loosen up a bit, and interest rates will rise slightly, as will home prices. Real estate is local, so that last sentence may not apply to your market. Here are 10 things I think everyone should take into consideration as they plan for 2014:
1. The Internet is not going to replace most real estate agents, and it isn’t going to go away.
– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/11/22/tune-out-generic-advice-on-how-to-succeed-in-2014-and-listen-to-your-clients-neighbors-and-smart-friends/#sthash.cjZ4CeAZ.dpuf
Several former and current security guards raised concerns about the state of security at Buchanan’s Indian Point Nuclear Facility in a recent Fox 5 report.
Guards falling asleep on the clock, failed drills and faulty computer systems are just some of the problems the five current and former security guards spoke about with Fox 5.
http://chappaqua.dailyvoice.com/news/guards-raise-indian-point-security-concern-fox-5-report
Jeffrey P. Haydon, Chief Executive Officer of Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, has announced classical highlights of the 2014 Caramoor Summer Music Festival.
The festival, which is held annually at the Center’s beautiful 90-acre garden estate in Katonah, New York, will run from June 21 to Aug. 6.
“Caramoor is the premiere destination to experience music in the summer, featuring today’s leading artists such as Angela Meade, Joshua Bell, and Pablo Heras-Casado,” Haydon said. “We are particularly excited about our new artist residency featuring Alisa Weilerstein, an alumni of Caramoor’s Evnin Rising Stars mentoring program and 2013 MacArthur Genius Grant winner.”
Tickets go on sale Jan. 27, Donor pre-sales start Jan. 20.
The schedule includes:
June 21: Opening Night The opening night of the festival features celebrated violinist, Joshua Bell and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, led by conductor, Cristian Mǎcelaru, in a program of Ligeti’s Concert Romanesc, Sibelius’s Violin Concerto and Bizet’s Symphony in C.
July 6: Orchestra of St. Luke’s and Jeffrey Kahane, pianist/conductor The Orchestra of St. Luke’s continues its long and storied relationship with Caramoor. Joining with the orchestra for the July 6 performance is famed pianist and conductor, Jeffrey Kahane.
July 11: The Dover Quartet continues its residency at Caramoor The Dover Quartet, Caramoor’s 2013-14 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence,will delight audiences “with a level of nuance unexpected of musicians so young” (The Wall Street Journal).
Opera/Bel Canto at Caramoor Saturday, July 12 and Friday, July 18: Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia Acclaimed soprano Angela Meade, will return to Caramoor to make her highly-anticipated debut as Lucrezia. The cast also includes mezzo soprano Tamara Mumford, tenor Charles Castronovo and bass Christophoros Stamboglis.
Saturday, July 19: Verdi’s Rigoletto Verdi’s Rigoletto will feature baritone Stephen Powell and tenor John Osborn in the roles of Rigoletto and the Duke. Georgia Jarman will perform the role of Gilda.
July 31, August 1 and August 3: Alisa Weilerstein featured in a residency to close the festival Alisa Weilerstein, named “one of the most exciting American cellists of the new generation” by The New York Times, will participate in an artist residency that will include a master class and three performances, Thursday July 31 to August 3.
http://mtkisco.dailyvoice.com/events/caramoor-northern-westchester-announces-lineup-2014
Bamboo, sustainably harvested wood, and linoleum made from recycled content are all eco-friendly hardwood flooring options. Also available at most major home improvement stores, cork flooring is competitively priced with other kinds of sustainable flooring, and cork is a beautiful, eco-friendly material.
Cork products are made from the bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber). Much of the world’s cork comes from forests in Portugal, where the trees’ drought resistance allows them to flourish. Harvesters cut and strip the bark during early summer, a process that removes only the dead outer bark layers while leaving the living cambium intact. The cork trees continue to grow unharmed for about nine years before the bark gets harvested again.
Most of the Portuguese cork oak forests are owned by individual families who — when they’re not harvesting the oak trees’ bark — grow medicinal herbs, produce honey, gather pine nuts, graze cattle, and raise prized Black Spanish pigs on cork oak acorns in the forests.
Sustainable cork flooring is made by mixing an adhesive with “waste” cork granules from bottle-stopper production. It’s available in a range of finishes, from wood tones to tile look-alikes, and its natural propensity to repel water and provide acoustic insulation are bonus qualities. Keep your eyes peeled for other sustainable cork products as well, including wall insulation that’s growing in popularity in Europe because of its natural fire resistance and sound-proofing ability. If you’d like to learn about and support sustainable cork harvesting, go to Amorim Cork, and choose wine with stoppers made of real cork. Cheer
Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-homes/sustainable-cork-flooring-zm0z13djzsor.aspx#ixzz2lO15Bu7D
The median age of Realtors now is the same as the median age of members of the current US House of Representatives, according to the latest member profile from the National Association of Realtors.
Since 2007 the median age of Realtors has increased steadily, reaching 57 this year, the oldest on record. The 111th Congress, which took office in 2009, is the oldest in the nation’s history, with an average age of 57 in the House and 63 in the Senate.
Forty-one percent of Realtors are more than 60 years old, while only 2 percent are under 30 years old. The incremental increase in age may be attributed to professionals staying in real estate longer and putting off retirement, NAR said.
http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/11/realtors-now-as-old-as-congressmen/
When doing a kitchen makeover, customers want something both stylish and functional for the room that’s the heart of the home.
Adding a backsplash is a simple way to change the look of a kitchen without taking on the hassle and expense of a complete renovation. Whether the backsplash is behind the sink or stove (or both), there are designs that fit every type of kitchen.
Here are five on-trend backsplash suggestions retailers can share with kitchen-minded customers:
Pencil and checkerboard tile patterns are a couple of the many different types that can be used to liven up the kitchen. Customers also might enjoy the classic zigzag of a subway chevron pattern to add more colors to the space. The smooth surface also makes cleaning up splatter from cooking a breeze!
Adding a backsplash is a simple way to change the look of a kitchen without taking on the hassle and expense of a complete renovation.
A light marble backsplash looks great with bright colors like a mint green or an orange (seen here). A marble slab or tiles also are appealing when paired with a matching countertop. Marble is certainly a kitchen enhancer that doesn’t ever go out of style, as Mission Stone & Tile shows with this Calacatta pattern.
– See more at: http://industryedge.nationalhardwareshow.com/2013/10/5-backsplashes-to-add-pizzazz-to-your-customers-kitchen#sthash.KhvJVTRf.dpuf