Daily Archives: February 7, 2014

The Most Common Home Decor Mistake You’re Probably Making | Waccabuc NY Real Estate

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1. IF YOU’RE A QUIET TYPE

A quiet retreat

 

Bracketed by a dining-height banquette and a comfy seat, a 3′ oval pedestal table creates an eating spot for four-or five when the stool is pulled alongside. Across the room, a narrow 4 1/2′ library table flanked by armchairs is a serene reading area that can be used for dining when friends stop by.

If you find yourself not using your dining room that often, try rethinking its function. This scheme is great for casual dinners and lazy weekends over coffee and the paper.

 

A room for the quiet typeA room for the quiet type

 

2. IF YOU’RE A PARTY THROWER

A room fit for endless parties The pair of 42″ round drop-leaf tables allows two small groups to sit facing each other. A mirrored chest and a large buffet store linens and tableware; during meals, they hold food and drink, or can be laid with platters so guests can self-serve. When you’re not entertaining, fold one table in half and move it against the wall, to avoid the feel of an underpopulated restaurant.

Round tables facilitate conversation-and lively dinner parties. (Plus, they make it easy to squeeze in extra guests)

 

Optimized for endless parties

 

3. IF YOU’RE A SERIOUS COOK

Maximize for entertaining spaceMaximize for entertaining space

A wide 3′ x 7′ table means there’s room for two generous wing chairs to anchor each end; a set of six side chairs fits neatly along the length. A pair of demi-lune accent tables topped with mirrors provides depth and a calming symmetry that’s pleasingly offset by a potted topiary tree in the corner.

This formal yet comfortable arrangement practically demands long, leisurely meals that linger well past dessert.

 

http://shine.yahoo.com/at-home/most-common-home-decor-mistake-39-probably-making-141300635.html

 

How to Get French Style at Home | North Salem NY Real Estate

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“French style is all about being creative and incorporating some surprise into a room,” says Erin Swift. For instance, you could bring an armoire-like this Napoleon III bibliothèque from 1860-into the bathroom, where it can serve as a linen closet to hold toiletries and extra towels.

Box Yourself In

“A plain room can really benefit from decorative molding,” says Swift. If crown molding along the ceiling gets pricey, add molding to the walls. “Measure out squares or rectangles on your walls and have a home-improvement store cut thin molding to your specifications,” she says. “Some people choose to paint theirs white, and the wall a darker color, but I like everything the same. It’s easier to execute-and visually interesting without being distracting.”

Related: How to De-Clutter Your Home-for Good

Go a Little Wild

In France, taxidermy is considered an art form, and some of the finest examples come from Deyrolle, a famous Parisian taxidermy shop that’s been in business since 1831. If exotic mounts aren’t exactly your thing, Swift suggests other wildlife inspirations, such as plaster casts, stone sculptures or, in this case, 19th-century Japanese metal cranes.

Find Your Balance

Swift says the way the French collect and arrange objects comes down to one fundamental principle: Balance. As she notes, it’s related to symmetry but isn’t quite the same thing. Start with objects of similar visual “weight.” In this case, that’s a lamp opposite a marble bust, with the remaining objects (books, plants, architectural fragments) arranged in between.

 

 

http://shine.yahoo.com/at-home/french-style-home-175400160.html

This Nazi resort never opened, but it will be a luxury vacation spot | Mt Kisco NY Real Estate

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On the picturesque beaches of the northern German island of Rügen, along the Baltic Sea, sits an empty 20,000-person resort. The buildings stretch nearly three miles down the coast, with all 10,000 rooms facing the beautiful bay just 500 feet from the water’s edge. Yet, no one ever used the rooms, movie theater or planned swimming pools.

Prora, known by locals as The Colossus, was built from 1936-1939 as part of the Nazi program of “Strength Through Joy.” The plan was to house workers in eight identical six-story buildings, feed them catered meals in scheduled seatings, and prepare them through propaganda and social activities to do their part in Hitler’s plan for Germany. It was also one of the largest architectural projects of the time, with 9,000 workers. The design, done in a Bauhaus style, won a Grand Prix award at the 1937 Paris World Exposition.

But the Nazi resort plans never came to fruition. The outbreak of World War II meant the project was never finished as construction workers headed to the weapons factories instead.

But finally, some plans are moving forward to turn some of the buildings into luxury apartments and vacation rentals.

 

http://travel.yahoo.com/blogs/compass/nazi-resort-never-opened-luxury-vacation-spot-224346831.html

2014 Housing Comebacks | Armonk NY Real Estate

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Home prices aren’t the only thing making a comeback. Take a look at some other trends gaining ground in housing:

McMansions

In 2007, the median size of a new home built for sale peaked at 2,295 square feet. It then fell to 2,159 square feet two years later, after the crash. As Americans downsized, many experts incorrectly predicted that smaller homes were here to stay. However, as our economy recovers and our collective equity continues to rise (up $1.9 trillion last year), our love affair with over-sized homes has been reignited. According to the National Association of Home Builders, in 2012, new homes grew again, with a median size of 2,384 square feet. Also in 2012, 41 percent of new homes had four or more bedrooms, up from 34 percent three years earlier.

Luxury buyers

While the lower-end of the market may be stalling as first-time buyers struggle to come up with down payments and meet strict loan qualifications, luxury buyers — with secure jobs, steady income and money to burn — are back, and they’re flocking to real estate. In fact, applications for home loans of $625,000 to $729,000 were up a whopping 57 percent from August 2012 to August 2013; applications for more than $729,000 were up 41 percent.

 

http://homes.yahoo.com/news/2014-housing-comebacks-174555776.html

 

Report: East End real estate market ‘booming’ | Chappaqua NY Homes

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Home sales on the East End have skyrocketed last year compared to 2012 and 2011, according to a report released Monday by Suffolk Research Service Inc.

The research service’s president, George Simpson, described the East End market as “booming.”

 

His numbers show Suffolk County’s five eastern towns have seen a 61 percent increase in sales since 2011, with the median price for single family houses on the East End rising by 4 percent from 2012 to 2013.

Looking at 2013’s fourth quarter numbers, which the service just released, 116 housing units were sold in Riverhead Town, compared with 74 in the fourth quarter of 2012 and 60 during the same period in 2011.

Southold Town saw 159 houses sold in the fourth quarter of 2013, compared with 86 during that same three-month stretch of 2012.

Marie Beninati, owner of Beninati Associates in Southold, said the trend of a dwindling housing stock and rising home prices has been going on for about “six months or so,” from her experience — and has been about a year and a half in the making.

“I haven’t really done the numbers, but if you sell two houses, maybe one comes on the market,” she said, adding that rising prices isn’t ideal, but it is a natural thing to see a pendulum swing toward more of a seller’s market.

According to a Long Island Decade Survey of Residential Sales report for 2013 compiled by The Douglas Elliman Report series, there were 12,801 homes for sale on Long Island in 2013 as opposed to 14,574 in 2012 — a decrease of 12.2 percent.

 

 

http://riverheadnewsreview.timesreview.com/2014/02/51132/report-east-end-real-estate-market-booming/

How’s The Real Estate Market? | Bedford Corners NY Homes

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One of the most (if not the most) asked question of a real estate agent is regarding how the market is doing.  The answer depends largely on the intent behind the question.  If you are simply making conversation, you may get more of an answer than you counted on.

Many people in the real estate industry rely on trends to gauge how the market has been performing.  Since trend data looks at what has happened over time, they may also serve as an indication of where the market may go – but no one knows the outcome for certain, until it has happened.

The picture accompanying this article shows a snapshot of the South County residential sales market during January 2014 in terms of how many homes were sold, how many were in escrow and how many were actively for sale; the total dollar value by community is also shown.  The information included in the snapshot was obtained from our local MLS (Multiple Listing Service) and does not include rental properties, private sales or activities conducted outside the MLS.

We’ve all heard the national and state news address the housing market, but they do little to explain what we’re experiencing in Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Martin.  In evaluating the real estate market, one must take into consideration not only the community, but also the neighborhood of interest.    For example, the Eagle Ridge real estate market differs from CordeValle housing.  Similarly, Holiday Lake Estates real estate is substantially different than Castlewood Park.

South County real estate sells year round; there’s always a market.  It becomes a seller’s market when there are very few homes available for sale, and a buyer’s market when there is a surplus of homes and very few buyers.  Local statistics document we were predominately in a seller’s market during 2013 and suggest we will continue in that direction until more sellers make the decision to sell.

 

http://www.gilroydispatch.com/blogs/real_estate_round-up/how-s-the-real-estate-market/article_f4945f80-642e-5f25-81fb-9d2f406d024e.html

 

Real Estate agents turn to video to shoot for a marketing edge | Pound Ridge Realtor

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Steve Dao spent a recent Friday rushing from the office to the gym, picking up some freshly-rolled sushi and, back home as the city lights came up, impressing his date with the view of Toronto’s skyline from the terrace of his King Street East loft.

All the while, a camera crew was capturing the lifestyle of a successful, thirtysomething loft owner and single dad. Mr. Dao is an actor and on that day he was the star of a video designed to show off the amenities of the loft and the surrounding King and Parliament neighbourhood to prospective buyers. Taking on the role of his date was real estate agent Karyn Filiatrault of Bosley Real Estate Ltd., who also commissioned the video.

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/real-estate/real-estate-agents-turn-to-video-to-shoot-for-a-marketing-edge/article16726182/

 

Young professionals hold the key to London’s property market | Bedford NY Homes

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Young professionals make up a significant proportion of the capital’s workforce and where they’re living is shaping London’s housing market.

According to recent figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), 60% of inner London’s working age population are graduates. This is more than twice the number in the North East (29%) of England and considerably higher than both Wales (33%) and Scotland (41%).

Young professionals make up a significant proportion of the capital’s workforce and where they choose to live is helping shape London’s housing market. While proximity to work and amenities play an important part in determining where they live, house prices and rental costs are considerable drivers too. The pattern is a familiar one. As an area becomes established, so prices rise, forcing would-be incomers into cheaper, neighbouring postcode districts. And so the cycle begins again.

Research not only illustrates the point, but shows just how marked an influence young professionals have had – and continue to have – on defining London’s housing market.

Looking at the age profile across all London boroughs there are six that stand out. These are boroughs where over 50% of residents are aged between 20 and 44 – the London average is 43%. In ascending order they are Hackney, Lambeth, Islington, Hammersmith & Fulham, Wandsworth and Tower Hamlets.

 

http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/07/young-professionals-hold-the-key-to-londons-property-market-4290527/

Things to Watch in China’s Housing Market in the Year of the Horse | Bedford Hills Homes

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Growth in China’s housing market is expected to slow this year even as it becomes more uneven across the country. This comes as the world’s second-largest economy is grappling with overly high housing prices in major cities festering resentment among people who can’t afford a home, as well as huge amounts of worrisome shadow-banking debt linked to questionable property deals and infrastructure.

In 2013, housing prices in major Chinese cities shot up quickly as homebuyers returned to the market after concluding the central government is unlikely to impose further property curbs that had a limited effect in reining in runaway housing prices. Housing sales in China rose 26.6% in 2013, accelerating from the 10.9% growth in 2012, but the consensus view is that pent-up demand for homes has been digested, and growth in housing sales would moderate this year.

Strong demand and a lack of new homes in downtown areas in major cities are pushing prices up, while sluggish demand and oversupply in smaller cities threatening to drive home prices and the local economy down.

 

http://blogs.wsj.com/five-things/2014/02/06/5-things-to-watch-in-chinas-housing-market-in-the-year-of-the-horse/