Monthly Archives: September 2014

Going Off-Grid with Solar | #Waccabuc #RealEstate

Leave a reply

Going Off-Grid With Solar

Going Off-Grid With Solar

Volume 1 – SOLAR OFF-GRID BASICS

Introduction

Over the next few months I will discuss with you the topic of off-grid solar systems.  The impetus of developing these articles centers around the growing trend of individuals who desire to become less dependent on their utility grid.

There are a number of system types that can be considered when making this move toward energy independence. Some of the questions that you want to start thinking about are:

Do I want my home to be completely off-grid or do I want the ability to have grid power should the need arise?

I have already installed a grid-tied PV system on my home, can I use my existing system and still have the ability to go off-grid?

I’m not sure I’m ready to invest in a battery based system; however, I would like to plan on adding that to my future or existing PV system.  What options are there for me?

    Now that you have started to think about these questions and which of these applies mostly to your situation we can begin to understand how these relate to the different types of off-grid PV systems.

System Types

    There are a few basic types of off-grid systems to consider when evaluating the prospect of taking your home off-grid.  The types of systems are; PV-Direct, Off-grid and Hybrid.  Each of these types have different attributes that define what they are able to do.  Each serves a specific purpose and is chosen by the needs that you require.

PV-Direct System

    The PV-Direct system is this simplest of all off-grid systems.  It contains the least amount of equipment and is therefore less costly than other off-grid systems types.  Essentially the only components that are required are PV modules, disconnects/fuses/breakers, and the load.  

    The PV-Direct systems are a good consideration if you have devices which are DC powered and are remote.  These could be well-pumps, dc-fan motors or any other DC powered device.  The limitations to these systems are that they can only be powered when the solar resource is available.  This makes them unsuitable for an off-grid home, but can still be considered if your off-grid home is remote and you have a well-pump or perhaps a greenhouse which requires ventilation.

Off-Grid System

    The next type of systems is the Off-grid system.  This is the most commonly thought of because it describes a home which is completely isolated from the utility grid by choice or 

Off-Grid System

    The next type of systems is the Off-grid system.  This is the most commonly thought of because it describes a home which is completely isolated from the utility grid by choice or necessity.  These systems contain more components than the PV-Direct system and by extension more energy usability because one of the primary components is energy storage (batteries).

    Before I go further, I want to mention here that there are two types of systems that can be considered in an off-grid system.  Those may be either DC coupled or AC coupled.  I will cover both of these system types in more detail in a later article to help further explain the advantages of each and when they should be employed.

    Off-grid systems are most common for homes that are in remote locations or in areas that are too far from a utility service where the cost of running utility service would be cost prohibitive.  These circumstances are where off-grid PV systems are a great option to consider when traditionally you would need to rely on some type of fossil fuel or natural gas commodity to run a generator, which can be expensive and not environmentally friendly.

    The main components of an off-grid system are the PV modules, charge controller, battery bank, battery management, DC/AC inverter and electrical safety equipment.  You can also consider adding or keeping the aforementioned generator if the loads you wish to power require that extra boost, your batteries need an extra charge or you are really conservative and would like to have it just in-case.

read more…

http://www.civicsolar.com/resource/going-grid-solar?utm

Katonah-Lewisboro Schools Superintendent Search Gets Under Way | Katonah Real Estate

Leave a reply

Representatives from the firm hired to find a new Katonah-Lewisboro schools superintendent gave an overview of the search, which will involve a mix of confidentiality for candidates and public events.

The representatives, John Chambers and Deborah Raizes, are from Hazard, Young, Attea Associates. Chambers, whose resume includes having served as superintendent for the Bronxville and Byram Hills school districts, also brought up his 10 years of serving as a John Jay High school principal. Raizes’ resume includes having served as as a Scarsdale school board member, including time as president.

Raizes and Chambers, who gave a presentation at the school board’s Sept. 15 meeting, outlined the superintendent-search process.

Public participation will include a series of focus groups, which will be held on Sept. 29, Sept. 30, Oct. 3 and Oct. 7. The first focus group is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the high school library, while the second is set for 10 a.m. at the high school auditorium. Additionally, an online survey has been posted and will run until Oct. 3.

 

read more…

 

http://bedford.dailyvoice.com/schools/katonah-lewisboro-schools-superintendent-search-gets-under-way

 

Behold, The Astounding Interiors of the Beekman Condo-Hotel | Cross River Real Estate

Leave a reply

[The atrium, which is to be the centerpiece of the hotel. This will be The Living Room, located within the atrium, a lounge by Tom Colicchio. Colicchio will also be offering in-residence dining service for the residents at the condo tower.]
18 images

At long last. The conversion of the beautiful Temple Court building on Beekman Street into a hotel, with a condo tower that will rise behind it, has been in the works for years. Onlookers have been teased and titillated by a video of the beautiful, decrepit space ripe with potential, plus exterior views and one tantalizing interior peek. But today—today a tipster sends along the first extensive look into the interiors of the hotel and condos. Plus one floorplan. And some view shots. And yes, it is impressive.

While you peruse the renders, recall that 68 condominiums will be housed in a 51-story glassy tower adjacent to the 1883-built atrium-filled beauty, which will contain 287 hotel rooms. The condos will start at $1.2 million for the 20 one-bedrooms, $2.95 million for 38 two-bedrooms, and $3.7 million for eight three-bedrooms. Apartments will range from 700 to 3,550 square feet, while the two full-floor penthouses will also have private outdoor space. Penthouse pricing has not yet been announced, so of course, those asks will be higher.

 

read more…

 

 

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/09/23/behold_the_astounding_interiors_of_the_beekman_condohotel.php

Real Estate Foundations Look a Little Wobbly | Katonah Real Estate

Leave a reply

Is it too late to catch the real-estate rebound?

Just a few years after suffering its worst downturn since the Great Depression, housing has seen a remarkable recovery. Skimpy interest rates, pent-up demand and lower prices have sparked gains of about 20% in the median price of new and existing homes over the past two years.

The Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT Index—which covers a number of investment vehicles—has climbed about 150% since the beginning of 2009, roughly matching the Standard & Poor’s 500, including dividends.

But the market’s foundation is starting to wobble. In June, home prices fell 0.2% compared with May’s levels, according to the seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index tracking the 20 largest cities. It marked the second consecutive monthly decline. The dip the month before marked the first time in about three years that prices fell on a monthly basis.

True, prices for June rose 8.1% compared with last year, and data tracking the sentiment of home builders has improved. But every city in the U.S. has seen home prices rise at a slower annual rate lately. Mortgage applications to buy a home recently fell to their lowest levels since February, refinance applications were the weakest since 2008, and housing starts dropped in August.

“The pace of slowing…has been somewhat more abrupt than we had expected entering the year,” says Michael Gapen, a senior economist at Barclays, who says there’s “downside risk” to his bank’s expectation that home prices will rise as much as 8% this year.

What’s going on? In part, the soaring prices of the past couple years have started scaring off first-time buyers. Those higher prices have also encouraged homeowners to put homes up for sale, adding new inventory. Meanwhile, investors, who played a key role in stabilizing the market by buying bargain properties, have become more cautious.

The slowdown is good news for home buyers, of course. And recent weakness in real-estate investments, including home builders, has created opportunities for bargain hunters, some analysts say. But if the Federal Reserve begins raising interest rates next year, as expected, the cost of financing will increase—making things tougher for buyers and investors alike.

Below is a look at the new real-estate game and the best ways to play it.

REITS: Beware Rising Rates

One of the attractions of REITs is that they pay at least 90% of taxable income to shareholders as dividends, about 4% on average lately. But analysts say many real-estate investment trusts are trading at expensive levels. And rising rates could undercut REITs by making their dividends look less compelling compared with bonds.

Expensive valuations don’t mean avoiding REITs, analysts say—just shifting to larger, high-quality REITs with lower borrowing, such as Sam Zell‘s Equity Residential and AvalonBay Communities Inc., each of which pays dividends of more than 3%. Because of their size and balance sheets, these are seen as safer bets if rates rise

 

 

 

read more….

 

 

http://online.wsj.com/articles/how-to-play-the-real-estate-market-before-it-s-too-late-1411333001?ru=yahoo?mod=yahoo_itp

 

Student loan debt curbs housing market by $83 billion, study says | #BedfordHills #RealEstate

Leave a reply

There’s been lots of debate lately in housing circles about the impact of student debt on home ownership.

Now there’s a new study out that attempts to put a number on that impact: 414,000.

That’s how many home sales will not happen this year because of high levels of student loan debt, according to a report from John Burns Consulting, an Irvine-based firm that advises home builders. That’s equal to about 8% of all home sales, and enough to dent the housing industry by $83 billion a year.

The report estimates that the number of households under age 40 that owe $250 or more each month in student loans has nearly tripled since 2005, to 5.9 million. And it projects that every $250 in monthly student loan payments decreases home borrowing and purchasing power by $44,000. Figure a typical sale price of $200,000, throw all that together, and you get $83 billion in lost sales.

“We actually think it’s pretty conservative,” said Rick Palacios, director of research at John Burns Consulting. “We’re only looking at people age 20 to 40. We know there’s a big chunk of households over age 40 who have student debt, too.”

The report is the latest in a growing pile of research that links rising student debt levels – overall student loan debt has nearly tripled since 2005 to $1.1 trillion – with sluggish home sales, especially among young adults.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has found that young people with student debt are now less likely to hold a mortgage (and own a house) than people who never attended college, a reversal from long-held trends that link higher education with higher earnings and home ownership. Trade groups such as the National Assn. of Realtors have pointed to student debt as a key factor in the lower-than-normal rates of first-time home buyers. And it has become a growing concern for builders, which is why Palacios decided to try to put a number on it.

 

 

read more….

 

 

http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-student-loan-debt-housing-market-20140922-story.html

New Rochelle Dining | Armonk Real Estate

Leave a reply

Susan Nagib / SUSA Designs

New Rochelle hasn’t developed a foodie cred as say the likes of a Port Chester or Tarrytown, yet when you look at the restaurant lineup for its upcoming Dine Downtown you can’t help but be impressed (and get a little hungry).

Of the 10 participating restaurants, two have had positive reviews in Westchester Magazine (A Place 2 Go and Alvin & Friends) and four have won Best Of awards (Coromandel, Gnarly Vine, Modern Restaurant, NoMa Social). Sorell Wine Bar Bistro was recently featured prominently in the magazine’s August issue feature Under the Radar Restaurants, and Posto 22 and Patrias have all both been written up in various articles. I can’t say we’ve done any editorial on the final participant, Da Giovanni, but their enticing homepage displaying (among other goodies) a hunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano, mammoth jars of olives, and a tray of stuffed green peppers tells me it’s time for a scouting lunch.

Sorell Wine Bar Bistro

NoMa Social

For the Dine Downtown event, each of these restaurants is offering a three-course dinner menu for $26 Monday through Thursday September 22 to 25 as well as September 29 to October 2.

The dining deals are sandwiched between the 2014 New Rochelle/Pelham ArtsFest (September 27 to 28), which includes a classic car show, a community painting party, the 3rd Annual Lincoln Avenue Arts & Culture Festival, LEGO Day at the Huguenot Children’s Library, a behind-the-scenes tour of illustrator Charles Fazzino’s studio, and more.

 

 

read more….

 

 

http://www.westchestermagazine.com/Blogs/Eat-Drink-Post/September-2014/Dine-Downtown-New-Rochelle/

Investors’ pullback trims August home sales | Bedford Hills Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Existing-home sales slipped 1.8% in August, breaking a four-month string of gains as some investor buyers left the market, the National Association of Realtors said Monday.

Sales dropped to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.05 million in August, the National Association of Realtors said Monday. That’s down from 5.14 million in July — which was revised slightly lower than previously estimated — and a 5.33 million rate in August 2013.

Economists had expected a 5.18 million pace, according to the median forecast in Action Economics’ survey.

It has been 10 months since the annualized sales rate was higher on a year over year basis.

“There was a marked decline in all-cash sales from investors” last month, said Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the Realtors association. “On the positive side, first-time buyers have a better chance of purchasing a home now that bidding wars are receding and supply constraints have significantly eased in many parts of the country.”

Investors have provided much of the demand in the housing market for the past few years as they snapped up foreclosed properties at distressed prices and turned them into rentals. But their interest has cooled as the supply of foreclosures has receded and prices of other properties have risen.

All-cash sales were 23% of transactions in August, dropping for the second consecutive month to its lowest share since December 2009, the NAR said. Individual investors bought 12% of homes in August, down from 16% in July and 17% in August 2013. Sixty-four percent of investors paid cash in August.

 

 

read more….

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/09/22/august-existing-home-sales/16016439/

 

Trump considering another Atlantic City gamble | Bedford Corners Real Estate

Leave a reply

The Trump Plaza and the Trump Taj Mahal may be closed, but the Donald isn’t through gambling. Donald Trump says he’s going to take a serious look at returning to struggling Atlantic CIty.

“I left seven years ago,” Trump the New York Post at the Central Park Horse Show Thursday. “I had great years in Atlantic City, I did well in Atlantic City. I’m gonna take a look at it. Not the same place, unfortunately.”
And as usual Trump has been on a Twitter tear:

I left Atlantic City years ago, good timing. Now I may buy back in, at much lower price, to save Plaza & Taj. They were run badly by funds! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2014

It is so sad to see what has happened to Atlantic City. So many bad decisions by the pols over the years — airport, convention center, etc.,

Does anybody notice that Atlantic City lost its magic after I left years ago?

It is so sad to see what has happened to Atlantic City. So many bad decisions by the pols over the years – airport, convention center, etc. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2014

Does anybody notice that Atlantic City lost its magic after I left years ago. I had the big boxing, introduced UFC (ask Dana),the best shows — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2014

The Trump Plaza closed Tuesday and Trump Entertainment Resorts, which owns the Trump Taj Mahal casino filed for bankruptcy this month. Trump didn’t own either of the casions.

– See more at: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/09/20/trump-considering-another-atlantic-city-gamble/#sthash.Cz92fA7j.dpuf

 

 

read more…

 

http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/09/20/trump-considering-another-atlantic-city-gamble/

This chart proves mortgage credit availability isn’t improving | Chappaqua Real Estate

Leave a reply

For all the talk of expanding the credit box and opening up credit to previously underserved borrowers, there have been no significant fluctuations or improvements to mortgage credit availability since 2009, according to a new report from Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAC).

In this week’s Securitization Weekly Overview, BofAML’s Chris Flanagan, Gregory Fitter and Mao Ding said that there has been little improvement there has been to mortgage credit availability in the last five years.

And the analysts write that the lack of available mortgage credit is holding down the economic recovery.

“We think tight mortgage credit and weak demand for mortgage credit are key driving forces behind the slow growth recovery story and the positive technical story for securitized products,” the analysts said.

“In turn, we think this mortgage production weakness will keep long-term interest rates biased lower and help drive the yield curve flattening process that started at the beginning of 2014 and should persist until the end of 2016.”

 

read more….

 

This chart proves mortgage credit availability isn’t improving