Daily Archives: February 11, 2014

5 tips to help sell a home on Instagram | Bedford Corners NY Homes

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There is a fair number of social media platforms out there, from Facebook to Twitter to Vine.

And perhaps one of the more overlooked resources — especially sad given its popularity among millenials — is the photo sharing website Instagram.

Instagram boasts more than 150 million users and is a simple way to capture and share photos on your phone.

As a millennial and part of the generation of future homeowners, Instagram is where I gravitate most.

Unlike other platforms, Instagram only hosts photos, and as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

However, the real estate industry still has yet to fully capture this audience.

Currently, if you search the hashtag Realtor, you only get 98,681 posts. And although others contain more results, this is still miniscule compared to words like vegan, which has almost 3 million pictures. If you want to see and learn from a group that has thrived on Instagram, look no further than the food community.

But with each platform comes its own rules of etiquette. So, here are five tips from an avid user on what not to do on Instgram and how to make your pictures captivate people, complete with stunning examples of the strategy being done right.

1. Make sure you are not in the photo.

The bathroom is notorious for this since it is hard not to capture yourself in the mirror, but it is still possible. While selfie was officially added to the dictionary, you are picturing the house, not you

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/blogs/1-rewired/post/28917-tips-to-help-sell-a-home-on-instagram

NAR: Rising home prices infringe affordability | Chappaqua NY Real Estate

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The vast majority of metropolitan areas continued to experience strong year-over-year price growth in the fourth quarter, the latest quarterly report by the National Association of Realtors revealed.

However, a companion metro area annual affordability report pictures less favorable conditions, especially in the West.

The median existing single-family home price rose in 73% of measured markets, with 119 out of 164 metropolitan statistical areas recording gains based on closings in the fourth quarter compared with the fourth quarter of 2012.

In addition, forty-two areas, 26%, had double-digit increases, two were unchanged and 43 recorded lower median prices.

There are two ways of looking at the price gains, Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said.

“The vast majority of homeowners have seen significant gains in equity over the past two years, which is helping the economy through increased consumer spending,” Yun said.

“At the same time, home prices have been rising faster than incomes, while mortgage interest rates are above the record lows of a year ago. This is beginning to hamper housing affordability,” he added.

On Monday, HousingWire reported on Yun’s remarks at the alabama Commercial Real Estate Conference after he noted that it feels like America is still in a recession.

“Looking at the economy, last year was overall a sub-par performance with 2% GDP. That is below the historical norm of 3% and it’s been several years of under 3% growth,” he added.

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/28920-nar-rising-home-prices-infringe-affordability

5 Ways To Add Cheer To Your Home Decor | Armonk NY Real Estate

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Winter is here, but spring is coming. Throughout the country, the ground is covered with snow and the sky is overcast. There is no reason that inside your home needs to be as gloomy as the outside. Below are a few ideas for adding some cheer to the inside of your home while we wait for spring.

1. Fresh Flowers

Bright, sunny colors plus a sweet fragrance can brighten any room. If you don’t want to use cut flowers then purchase a flowering potted plant. Plus, if you use a potted plant it could be relocated into the garden in the spring for it to continue growing and add years of enjoyment.

2. Decorate your table

Find a table runner with bright colors then add some candle holders along with it. I have glassybabys all throughout my home and they definitely add some cheer to these dreary days. Earlier last year I started swapping out my table runner each season and holiday; I love how it makes my kitchen a little bit more festive. It is a small change that can make the entire room look decorated. To create one for yourself, visit this post for a step by step tutorial.

3. Festive Kitchen Decor

In addition to decorating your table, swap out your kitchen towels for some bright and fresh ones. In addition to adding something happy to your kitchen this also gives your regular towels a bit of a rest so they last longer. Or get a few kitchen pieces such as plates and mugs that add a smile to your face when you use them.

4. Bunting

There is something youthful and happy about bunting, especially when the fabric is full of bright stripes and polka dots. Make a set for yourself or find a great vendor off Etsy then hang it on a blank wall. In addition to putting this in a main living space, it would be a great focal point to a playroom or child’s bedroom.

5. Pillows

A quick change to any couch or chair is by adding or swapping out a pillow. Use an unconventional design or your favorite color to make you smile whenever you see it. What would you pick? Yellow? Teal? Chevron? Polka Dots? Check out Pinterest for lots of….

 

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/5-ways-add-cheer-home-150654840.html

6 Simple Home Decor Rules to Follow | North Salem NY Real Estate

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Domino magazine rounds up the tip six home decor rules to live by with furniture designer and decorator Laura Yaggy. Rich paint, antique prints and tabletop treasures give her rental apartment a storied feel. Best of all, she can take all of it with her.

 

1. Create History Through Paint

Because wallpaper would be a pain to remove, she created an alternative graphic wall treatment: a striking collection of silhouettes that advance the historical fantasy. To perk up the sedate tones, Yaggy incorporated pieces from her company Lorely in luxe skins (the end tables), unusual objets (the candlesticks) and other hits of red.

Create history through paintCreate history through paint

“You have to paint in a rental -it makes such a huge difference,” Yaggy says. Choosing an ethereal blue for the walls provides instant 18th-century atmosphere. Her sofa, chairs and coffee table are in shades of beige, white and brown-neutrals that could work in a future room that’s painted an entirely new color.

2. Entertain According to the Space

Entertain according to spaceEntertain according to spaceYaggy loves to have people over-for cocktails only-and since she doesn’t have a proper dining room, friends gather round the coffee table. She serves cocktails in cut-glass champagne coupes that were her grandmother’s, plus simple snacks that don’t keep the hostess in the kitchen. For intimate groups, she pulls over the armchairs by the windows (she bought them for their angular shape, had their mahogany frames glazed white, then replaced the ghastly yellow upholstery with an English print). If it’s a big party, the living-room furniture gets pushed to the wall.

 

 

 

 

3. Distract Flaws with Theatrical Color

Choose a theatrical colorChoose a theatrical color

Confederate Red walls draw the eye from the cheap laminate cabinets that came with Yaggy’s kitchen, while a Jonathan Adler shower curtain (as window shade!) and a Chinese carpet lend Far East flair. Visitors, she hopes, will focus on the white built-in shelf, stocked with liquor and vintage glasses.

 

 

http://shine.yahoo.com/at-home/6-simple-home-decor-rules-160800770.html

Top 5 trends from the 2014 Builders’ Show | Mt Kisco NY Homes

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Some 75,000 builders, designers, remodelers, and more descended on Las Vegas last week for the 2014 International Builders’ Show. For the first time ever, the show shared the stage with the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show. Add in a steadily improving housing market, and there was plenty of pep on the floor of the convention center. There was also a lot of ground to cover, including 1,220 exhibitors spread across 650,000 square feet. Our editors and market analysts managed to identify the key themes and hottest products. If you’re considering a move, a remodel, or a brand new home, be sure to take note.

Speedy appliances. Pressed for time during meal prep? We saw a bevy of appliances that could short cut the process, including the pricey Viking Professional TurboChef Double Oven, which uses the same high-speed cooking technology used in places like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts. Viking claims the commercial unit can cook food 15 times faster than conventional ovens. It should be out in late 2014 for over $10,000.

If that’s not in the budget, consider a new steam oven, which Bosch CEO Michael Traub called a “key ingredient of the changing American kitchen.” Besides faster cooking, the roughly $3,000 Bosch Benchmark Steam Convection is being promoted as a healthy compliment to your conventional oven, one that will preserve nutrients, flavors and colors in food and retains moisture. See how other new steam ovens did in Consumer Reports’ tests, as well as additional tips for creating a time-saving kitchen.

When it comes time for clean up, Electrolux has a new QuickWash dishwasher with a 30-minute quick cycle that claims to get dishes just as clean as a normal cycle. And for your laundry room, Electrolux also featured a matching washer and dryer that it says can clean two outfits in less than 30 minutes.

 

 

http://homes.yahoo.com/news/top-5-trends-2014-builders-show-193000338.html

Ask Stacy: What’s the Best Way to Pay Off My Mortgage Early? | Cross River NY Homes

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This week I’m answering three questions with a common thread. They’re from readers interested in ditching their mortgage ASAP.

Question No. 1:

Could you go over some different ways to pay off your mortgage early? I am retired and have a fixed income, and would like to retire the debt on this house. I make an extra payment a year, and tried to do a 15-year fixed, but the costs to get the APR down to a reasonable rate drove the mortgage back up to my original loan amount. I felt that I was starting all over again. Thanks. — Richard

Question No. 2:

I have a mortgage loan at 2.75 percent with a variable interest rate (that adjusts) every year, with 11 years remaining. I am making an extra payment of $100 every month. Can you help me lower my interest or years left? Thanks. –Fernando

 

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ask-stacy-best-way-pay-160035947.html

First Person: Why Generation X Needs to Be Mortgage Free | South Salem NY Homes

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According to some headlines, Generation X has the most financial stress compared to any other generation. Many of us bought homes during the housing bubble. We are sending our children to college at a time when private college tuition costs as much as a house (not a house payment). In order to feel less stressed financially, I have made paying off my mortgage my No. 1 goal. So many experts scoff at the idea of putting extra money toward a mortgage when interest rates are so low. I have a mortgage rate of 2.75 percent. Because my interest rate is so low, I don’t usually have enough mortgage interest to make it worth my while to itemize my deductions. Therefore, I don’t deduct my mortgage interest. According to a recent article by The Street, people who are 35 to 44 have the most financial worries. A Pew study shows Generation X lost an average of $33,000 per person after the Great Recession. Although I’m dealing with stagnant wages, layoffs in my family and high college costs, I know owning my home outright will provide economic security for the rest of our lives.

Owning instead of renting

If I could come out ahead even though I bought a home during the top of the housing bubble, I am confident my Gen-X peers will come out ahead by buying a home at this time. Even though real estate prices are not at the bottom, it’s still more affordable to buy now than it was during the housing bubble. We pay just $900 a month to own our home, but renting a similar home would cost $1,300. When we retire, we will just have to pay property taxes as well as optional home owner’s insurance.

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/first-person-why-generation-x-needs-mortgage-free-184800194–finance.html

Yolanda Foster Selling “Dream Home” Due to Battle With Lyme Disease | Waccabuc NY Homes

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Yolanda Foster explains to Us Weekly why she’s decided to sell her Malibu mansion. “This is our dream home, but due to my battle with Lyme disease for the past two years I just don’t have the strength to run this almost 5-acre property anymore and should really focus on my recovery with as little stress as possible,” she tells Us. “My daughter Gigi moved to New York last July and my Bella will move this July, so it will be just the two of us with my 14-year-old son, Anwar.”

ORIGINAL STORY:

Yolanda Foster is saying goodbye to her lemon trees. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star and her husband, Grammy-winning musician David Foster, have listed their Malibu, Calif. mansion for $27.5 million, real estate site Trulia reports.

On Bravo’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Yolanda, 50, and David, 64, have frequently been filmed hosting extravagant dinner parties in their stunning 11,622 square feet custom-built home. The estate has a jaw-dropping ocean view and a gorgeous infinity pool.

 

The property also features orchards of citrus and avocado trees. On her reality show, Yolanda has been seen picking lemons from her trees for her Master Cleanse diet. The Dutch model also showed off her glass refrigerator in her gourmet kitchen.

 

http://celebrity.yahoo.com/news/yolanda-foster-husband-david-foster-list-malibu-mansion-005000267-us-weekly.html

Mortgage Rates Slide Again, Putting Pressure on Buyers | Katonah NY Homes

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Mortgage rates are falling fast again, and would-be buyers have to start thinking: Can I afford to wait six months to buy a home with interest rates this low?

And low they are, as evidenced by a slew of mortgage rate data out early this week.

First up is the BankingMyWay Weekly Mortgage Rate tracker, which shows 30-year fixed mortgage rates sliding from 4.40% last week to 4.21% this week.

One-, three- and five-year adjustable-rate mortgages are also in full retreat this week, with the benchmark three-year ARM rate falling from 3.46% to 2.85%.

The BMW rate tracker also shows 15-year fixed-rate mortgages falling, from 3.58% to 3.43%.

Freddie Mac is out with new mortgage rates as well, and they pretty much mirror the BMW figures. Freddie Mac has current 30-year fixed mortgage rates at 4.23% and 15-year fixed loan rates at 3.33%.

While rates are well above where they were last year at this time (at 3.53% for the 30-year rate), mortgage interest costs have dropped significantly in recent weeks.

“Mortgage rates fell further this week following the release of weaker housing data,” says Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist, at Freddie Mac.

He notes the U.S. pending home sales index declined by 8.7% in December, to its lowest level since October 2011. “Fixed residential investment negatively contributed to GDP in the fourth quarter for the first time since the third quarter of 2010,” he says. “Also, the Institute for Supply Management reported a significant slowing in growth in the manufacturing industry in December than the market consensus forecast.”

 

http://www.thestreet.com/story/12326974/1/mortgage-rates-slide-again-putting-pressure-on-buyers.html?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO