Monthly Archives: March 2014

Peek Inside 1945’s ‘Celestial’ Chrysler Building Observatory | Katonah NY Real Estate

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Monochromes.jpgPhoto courtesy of The Chrysler Building: Creating a New York Icon, Day by Day by David Stravitz; Princeton Architectural Press

Today we take a break from our regularly-scheduled Library of Congress programming to have a look at a tipster’s request: the observatory on the 71st floor of New York City’s Chrysler Building. The observatory—which featured, according to the book The Chrysler Building: One Kansas Mechanic and His Jazz-Age Tower of Babel, “a celestial motif, with sun rays painted on the walls, and Saturn-shaped lighting globes hanging from the ceiling”—opened to the public in 1945, 15 years after construction halted on the tower. The book also says that the steeply-pitched gabled ceiling succeeded in creating a feel of “disorienting splendor,” a technique used by architect William Van Alen to “dramatize a state of mind.”

 

 

http://curbed.com/archives/2014/02/28/peek-inside-1945s-celestial-chrysler-building-observatory.php

Chappaqua School Budget Meetings Begin Monday | Chappaqua NY Homes

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The Chappaqua School District recently released an update on the 2014-15 budget process.

A PTA-sponsored Community Forum on the proposed school budget is set for 9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 3, in Bell Middle School’s auditorium.

At each forum, Schools Superintendent Lyn McKay and Assistant Superintendent for Business John Chow will present a brief overview of the proposed budget, representatives said. The forums are intended to “provide an alternative venue for community members to ask questions, voice concerns and provide input before the board adopts its budget” on April 23.

The Board of Education will hold work sessions and meetings through the budget process.

The following is a listing of budget and school election dates, according to the district:

  • Wednesday, March 5, Board Work Session – Curriculum/Technology 7:30 p.m. – Horace Greeley High School (HGHS), Academic Commons
  • Wednesday, March 12, Board Meeting/Work Session – Special Education/Athletics 7:30 p.m. – HGHS, Academic Commons

http://chappaqua.dailyvoice.com/schools/chappaqua-school-budget-meetings-begin-monday

Housing construction permits soared 71% | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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The number of residential unit construction permits issued by the city last year exceeded the previous year’s total by a whopping 71%. As good as that sounds, a New York Building Congress report released Monday noted the jump still puts permits at half the number set during the boom years that between 2005 and 2008.

The city Department of Buildings issued permits for 18,095 residential units in 1,383 buildings in 2013, a huge step up from the 10,599 units in 1,011 buildings seen the year before. And while high-profile luxury developments in Manhattan are making the headlines, the report noted that the increase came in all five boroughs—for the first time since 2008.

“This is encouraging,” Building Congress President Richard Anderson said. “Things continue to look very positive for the overall construction market in the city.”

Red-hot Brooklyn boasted the greatest number of permits, swamping Manhattan’s total by over 1,000 units. Meanwhile, in percentage terms Queens saw the biggest gain. Bolstered by two developments in the mammoth Hunter’s Point South project in Long Island City, permits soared 107% in the borough last year.

Citywide, 2013’s figure is still shy of the 20,000 units the congress estimates developers need to build annually simply to keep up with the growth of the number of households, to replace outdated buildings and to provide housing options for New Yorkers across the income spectrum. However, on average that needed level of construction was met over the last decade, the report noted, courtesy largely of the boom years between 2005 and 2008, when DOB issued an average of 30,000 permits annually.

And while last year’s hefty surge in residential permits bodes well for construction companies, for New York apartment dwellers, the news may not be quite as promising, as the increasing amount of foreign capital flowing into Manhattan’s skyline means that many of the newly built units will likely be snapped up by overseas buyers and renters, rather than lower income families dealing with record-low inventory

 

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20140303/REAL_ESTATE/140309989/housing-construction-permits-soared-71#

Tax overhaul plan has something for everyone to hate | Pound Ridge NY Homes

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One of the two principal figures in charge of rewriting the nation’s income tax laws is Republican Dave Camp of Michigan, chairman of the all-powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Last week he released an extremely comprehensive tax code overhaul plan that has been three years in the making. The plan is designed to simplify the tax law and lower overall tax rates while remaining revenue-neutral. To call the plan bold is an understatement. Among many other things it: reduces the number of tax brackets from the current seven to just three, with tax rates of 10 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent. increases the standard deduction so that 95 percent of taxpayers would not have to itemize. taxes long-term capital gains and dividends as ordinary income — that is, at the 10 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent rates — but exempting 40 percent of such income from any tax. repeals the dreaded alternative minimum tax (AMT). reduces the top corporate income tax rate to 25 percent from 35 percent, to be phased in over four years

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2014/03/03/tax-overhaul-plan-has-something-for-everyone-to-hate/?utm_source=20140303&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinesam#sthash.0FUZHMXD.dpuf

Doggy marketing in real estate: Do’s and don’ts for agents | Bedford Corners NY Homes

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Do you volunteer at animal shelters or rescue organizations? Do you take your dog for regular walks or out for a run when you exercise? Is your dog pictured on any of your marketing materials? If so, make sure that you know the do’s and don’ts of “doggy marketing.”A couple of years ago I received an eight-page glossy color brochure from an Austin, Texas, real estate agent. It had multiple pictures of her enjoying the local lifestyle, sitting in her perfect living room, dining out with her husband, and, of course, one of her walking her dog. This particular piece was the most egregious example of “me-me-me” real estate marketing that I had ever seen. It’s hard to believe that she actually thought this narcissistic marketing piece would cause someone to hire her. Doggy no-no No. 1 If you have a picture of yourself and/or your dog on the home page of your website, get rid of it now. When today’s Web visitors see that your website appears to be about you rather than them, they immediately surf elsewhere. The appropriate place to include your photo is on the “about” page of your site, not the home page. Doggy no-no No. 2 This is a corollary of no-no No. 1. Take you and/or your dog’s picture off your marketing materials as well. Again, today’s consumer is focused on “What’s in it for me?” Moreover, using a picture of your pet to market real estate is visually confusing to the consumer: Are you selling dog-sitting services, grooming, vet services, or real estate?

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2014/03/03/doggy-marketing-in-real-estate-dos-and-donts-for-agents/?utm_source=20140303&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinesam#sthash.FCxKwF6q.dpuf

3-D models vs. Craigslist ads | Armonk NY Homes

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1. To help prospects “envision life” at a beachfront lot he’s representing, Larry Revier, an agent at Florida brokerage Re/Max Preferred, commissioned an architect to produce a 3-D model of a home that could be built on it, and wove the model into a video tour.

2. While Trulia, Zillow and other sites may have stolen a bit of its thunder, old-timer Craiglist can still prove to be a fruitful marketing tool, said Amy Gerrish, managing Realtor at The Phoenix Metro Group.

Gerrish recently sold a home to a buyer who learned about it through a Craigslist ad she posted. “They called my buyers’ agent directly to schedule a showing,” she said.

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2014/03/03/3-d-models-vs-craigslist-ads/?utm_source=20140303&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinesam#sthash.PEpDXBPf.dpuf