Daily Archives: December 9, 2013

Home buyer demand drops in November | South Salem NY Homes

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Home buyer demand witnessed a steep decline in November, with the number of Redfin customers requesting tours and signing offers dropping 1.2% and 10.6%, respectively, following seasonal trends.

However, the drop was not as drastic as the same month in 2012, which saw tours and offers falling 11% and 13.6%, respectively.

Few buyers tend to shop for homes as the holidays start to loom closer. However, “with October’s budget and debt-ceiling mess in the rear-view mirror and the prospect for higher mortgage rates in 2014, many buyers felt like November was a window of opportunity,” Redfin agent Paul Reid said.

Additionally, Thanksgiving fell on the fourth week of November instead of the third week, giving buyers extra time to shop for houses and offset reduced demand during the holiday week.

Looking ahead, Redfin said, “In December, house hunting generally takes a back seat to retail shopping and holiday preparations for most buyers. We expect demand to drop off dramatically as Christmas nears.”

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/28223

 

Dreaming in Color: 8 Ravishing Red Bedrooms | Waccabuc Real Estate

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I’m not a morning person, so I’ll take any help I can get for waking up early and feeling motivated to start my day. Bold red is an attention-getting hue, so it’s a great color for those who need assistance getting revved up and energized. Keep in mind, though, that red has been shown to raise blood pressure slightly as well as increase stress and anxiety levels, so it’s not a good color for those who need their bedroom to be a mellow sanctuary. Of course, deeper and darker reds that veer toward burgundy are less “hot” and therefore more soothing, so look for those if you prefer a more calming effect in your bedroom.

For those of you ready to go red, check out these eight bold red bedrooms from around Houzz, along with a few tips for working with the hue in your own bedroom.

I love a strong accent wall color, especially when it’s picked up elsewhere in the room via textiles, furnishings and decorative accessories. This deep red is gorgeous set against the rich wood details, and the white wall helps lighten it all up.
If a solid red wall is too intense for you, try breaking it up with plenty of white. This is a fantastic and affordable way to get a one-of-a-kind look in your bedroom, with just masking tape and paint.
Or use red as an attention-getting background hue for fun, decorative wall decals that are easy to install and also easy to change out down the road. This is another cost-effective way to get a supercustom look in your bedroom.

How can I make a worn wood floor look new again? | Cross River Homes

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Sunlight, dents and foot traffic can all take their toll on a wood floor,  causing it to appear worn and resulting in reduced stain color. But with a few  key supplies, you can revive worn wood flooring without heavy-duty sanding. (See  below for an instructional video on how to refinish a worn wood  floor.)

How to Refinish Wood Floors

Start refurbishing your floor by finding a wood stain that matches the color  of your existing floor. If you can’t find an exact match, choose a color that’s  slightly darker. Experiment with the stain by rubbing it into a 1- or  2-square-foot area to see how it looks. The best wood stain I’ve found for this  job, Minwax PolyShades, is actually a stain and sealer combination.

Stained floors need some kind of protective coating over the stain. The  easiest coating to apply is oil-based urethane with a satin sheen, but — just as  you did with the stain — you’ll have to experiment with the product before  coating the entire floor. You don’t want to find out later that your urethane is  incompatible with your stain, which would cause it to peel and pucker. Apply two  coats of urethane over the 1- or 2-square-foot section of floor you stained, and  then live with it for a week.

If both the wood stain and the coating are compatible with the wood, you can  tackle the whole floor. Start by giving the wood a light sanding with 120- or  180-grit sandpaper in a 1/4-sheet finishing sander to roughen any remaining  urethane slightly, then vacuum every last bit of dust and dirt off of the floor  before rubbing in stain. Wearing rubber gloves, rub the stain everywhere, giving  special attention to dented, scratched and worn areas. Let the stain dry for a  day, and then apply two coats of the protective urethane (apply the second coat  after the first coat dries). If all goes well, you’ll end up with a distressed  but elegant floor that looks even better than a freshly sanded floor.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-homes/how-to-refinish-wood-floors-zm0z13onzsor.aspx#ixzz2mzNBRbym

Fifty-two Percent of Largest Markets Have Recovered Half of Lost Equity | Bedford Hills NY Homes

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A majority of the nation’s largest markets, 52 percent, have now recovered more than half of the equity they lost during the Great Recession, according to the latest Rebound Report from Homes.com.

For the fourth consecutive month, all of the 200 midsize local markets measured continued to show gains year over year for the single-family index in October.  While the number of top 100 markets achieving a full recovery remained flat from the previous month, there was noticeable improvement in the number of these markets pertaining to overall recovery.  Three markets moved out of the 0-25% rebound range, and three markets moved up in the 75-100% rebound range.

Month-over-month increases in index values were seen in 251 of the top 300 markets, down from 253 the previous month.  The slight downtrend is likely due to both seasonal trends and the state of recovery for these markets.  Of the 49 markets that saw declines last month, 18 have fully recovered their decline in home prices from the housing bubble and show signs of continuing stabilization.

Seasonal downtrends, along with market stabilization, continued to trend at the end of the third quarter increased month to month – slightly down by three from last month’s report.  However, the month-to-month declines displayed by 39 markets are relatively nominal, with the largest decrease being -0.93 index points in Lynchburg, Va.

“As we end the third quarter, both large and small markets that previously achieved full price recovery from the housing depression consolidated their gains reached during the home buying season.  One in four surpassed their pre-recession peak values,” said Brock MacLean, executive vice president of Homes.com.  “These price gains are restoring millions of homeowners to positive equity and are reviving local real estate markets across the country.”

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/11/