Category Archives: Bedford Corners NY

Miami mansion once owned by drug lord Escobar garners nearly $10 million | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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A Miami businessman on Thursday purchased a waterfront mansion once owned by Colombian cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar and said he plans to raze the coral pink house that federal officials seized in the late 1980s.

Christian Berdouare, the owner of a chain of casual Miami restaurants, paid $9.65 million for the 7,300-square-foot (680- square-meter) home in an affluent Miami Beach neighborhood, saying the location was its main attraction, not its history.

“If anything it’s a negative,” he said, referring to the property’s link to Escobar. “I don’t particularly like drug dealers and I don’t want to have their energy close to me.”

U.S. marshals seized the property in 1987 along with nearly $20 million of the Medellín Cartel’s Florida real estate assets.

Also included in the seizure was a 45-unit apartment complex, a three-bedroom condominium near a high-end Miami mall, a horse ranch in central Florida and a 240-unit rental complex near Fort Lauderdale then worth $9.6 million.

Miami attorney Roger Schindler bought the mansion from the U.S. government in 1990 for $915,000.

Escobar, along with members of the Ochoa family who sat atop the cartel, were among the world’s most wanted drug traffickers in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Escobar was gunned down in 1993 in Colombia with the help of U.S. counter-narcotics agents.

It is unclear if Escobar ever visited the Miami Beach home.

“According to neighbors and real estate agents he was definitely there,” said Mirce Curkoski with ONE Sotheby’s Realty who represented Berdouare in the sale.

 

 

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http://news.yahoo.com/miami-mansion-once-owned-drug-lord-escobar-garners-224528290–sector.html

What younger first-time homebuyers want | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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Is the next generation a bunch of rootless renters, or will they too follow the patterns of previous generations?

Fannie Mae’s Economic & Strategic Research Group sought to better understand what housing choices younger renters prefer – and what financial constraints they see – in order to shed light on the challenge of fulfilling housing aspirations in a financially sustainable way.

The team noted that potential first-time homebuyers face credit standards that have risen since the housing crisis. Overall, the total number of renter households has been increasing since the housing crisis, as the number of owner households has decreased. Still, analysis of data from Fannie Mae’s National Housing Survey shows that most younger renters prefer owning both for lifestyle and financial reasons.

 

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http://www.housingwire.com/articles/29922-what-younger-first-time-homebuyers-want

House price confidence ‘inflating bubble’ | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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Britons have taken a one-way bet on house prices that could be creating bubbles in some parts of the country, research suggests.

Rapid growth in house prices is expected to continue over the next two years, according to a survey by Genworth Financial, the mortgage insurance group. It said that 72pc of respondents expected prices to keep rising until the end of 2016.

People living in London and the South of England were much more likely to believe that prices in their area would increase. The survey showed 80pc of residents in the capital thought prices would rise, compared with just 62pc of people in the North.

Rapidly increasing house prices have also made it harder for first-time buyers to get on the housing ladder.

More than four-fifths of the 1,000 people surveyed said saving for a deposit remained the key obstacle to owning a home. Genworth said 79pc of adults needed help from their parents to obtain a mortgage. “With most households anticipating that house prices are going to continue to rise, while wage levels will not, the difficulties they face in saving for a deposit are not going to go away,” said Simon Crone, the vice president of Genworth.

 

 

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/houseprices/10808014/House-price-confidence-inflating-bubble.html

 

Shirley MacLaine’s $18M New Age Refuge Offers ‘Inner Peace’ | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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After 20 years nestled among the mountains in Abiquiú, N.M., Shirley MacLaine is selling her 7,450-acre Plaza Blanca Ranch retreat. Despite the fact that the psychics she consulted (as one does) told her to aim for $30M, the Terms of Endearment star listed the place for “a more complete” $18M for spiritual reasons, which is rather fitting considering the massive ranch is set in what MacLaine calls “the New Age capital of the country.” The property centers around a 9,000-square-foot, nine-bedrooms main house with an indoor spa and a massive, sunny greenhouse—all equipped with solar panels. Underneath the home, there’s an additional apartment modeled after underground Native American rooms used for spiritual ceremonies. There estate also offers a caretaker’s cottage, a horse barn, a “yurt,” a swimming pool, a wind generator, and, of course, tons of secluded desert land that, according to MacLaine, provides “inner peace” and “a refuge from a very confused and conflicted world.” Take a healing look, below:

 

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http://curbed.com/archives/2014/04/29/shirley-maclaines-18m-new-age-refuge-promises-inner-peace.php

Old things have a history and beauty all their own | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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All of the best things are not necessarily shiny and new — think of the gorgeous patina on an antique chest, the gleam of old silver and the complex flavor of a really special aged bottle of wine. So why does it seem like we’ve been trending toward disposable furniture and away from well-made old stuff? It may be easy to fill a home quickly with goods from a chain store, but we may be missing out on some pretty spectacular benefits by going all-new. Here are five reasons to consider adding vintage pieces, antiques and good old hand-me-downs to your home, and to appreciate the old stuff you already have.

rustic living room by Laura Garner
Laura Garner
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1. Old things are unique and make your home more personal. Yes, those glossy catalogs are gorgeous, and designed and styled to entice us and your neighbors and friends, too — meaning that many of our homes end up looking strikingly similar simply because we have ordered furniture and accessories from the same places. But when you hunt down something in an antiques store or at a flea market, chances are you won’t see the same thing in your friend’s home. Working old stuff into your rooms also forces you to get more creative, coming up with interesting ways of putting things together you never would have considered if you were shopping solely at one or two stores.
contemporary entry by Duffy Design Group
Duffy Design Group
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Style tip: Rethink heirlooms. This table from a Paris flea market is so interesting — and it may very well be that your children or grandchildren will covet it more than a traditional box of fancy china. And regardless of whether you have kids, wouldn’t it be nice to own things that are bound to keep or increase their value?
traditional bedroom by Sarah Greenman
Sarah Greenman
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2. They preserve a slice of history. Whether what you have is a valuable antique or a fun vintage find, old stuff is bound to be wrapped up in a story. It could be the personal story of how you found the piece (wandering the aisles of a seaside flea market), a family tale about the person who gave it to you (your great-aunt who used to haul the brass bed outdoors on hot summer nights), or a larger historical story about the era when it was made (a creamer used on an old steamship during the golden age of travel).
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http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/26469738?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u494&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery1

The conventional wisdom on why home sales have stalled is wrong | Bedford Corners Homes

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New data has pushed housing to the forefront of the recovery discussion. Can the economy recover without housing? What has gone wrong with it? If housing is de-emphasized as never since the Depression, what does it mean for inequality, the new darling of the Left, and the free-market pleasure of the Right?

Other news, quickly: Orders for durable goods sparkled in March, the 2 percent gain doubling the forecast. U.S. manufacturing is hot. Goody. Maybe 18 percent of GDP. Would you like your college grad to work for GM making stuff, or for Google, which makes nothing? Vladimir the Stupid is in a one-man Mexican standoff.

Merkel spoke for the first time in weeks, accusing Vladimir of “imposing his will with the barrel of a gun and force of a mob.” Much as Germany would like to be an overlarge and changeless Switzerland, I think Vladimir has underestimated European resistance. The threat of imminent conflict creates a steady bid for U.S. Treasurys.

As does deflation in Europe, and an ever-closer endgame in Japan, and above all U.S. housing numbers too painful for many to discuss — and those who have tried have gotten it wrong. March sales of new homes, defined as a purchase contract written on a dwelling any time after the building permit, cratered 14.5 percent.

The financial media, led by the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News, say the problem is home prices rising too fast and higher mortgage rates. Housing is too important to the nation for old grudges to distort reporting this way. Stock market types hate housing and its competition for client investment, and delight in finding fault.

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2014/04/25/the-conventional-wisdom-on-why-home-sales-have-stalled-is-wrong/?utm_source=20140425&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinespm#sthash.ox5gfglL.dpuf

Building a Fire Pit | Bedford Corners Homes

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You could just build a fire somewhere, then put it out when you’re done. Or you could buy one of those metal basins at a place like Williams-Sonoma. But by actually digging into the dirt and constructing a pit whose sole purpose is to contain a campfire — by permanently incorporating it into the tiny speck on the earth that belongs to you — you are making a commitment. A commitment to your family, a commitment to your friends, and a commitment to having fun.

1. Decide whether or not to check if local laws permit the building of a fire pit in your yard.

2. Pick a location. Not under a tree. Some corner of the yard where you envision friends sitting around reminiscing about old times with love and friendship, plus old jealousies bubbling just beneath the surface.

3. Measure the hole. The diameter should be four feet or five feet. Make an X, with the axis at the center of what will be your fire pit. Use string to mark a circle on the grass around your X. Measure all of these with a tape measure or your feet, which are probably about a foot long if you have big feet.

4. Dig the hole. It should be about ten inches deep, with the sides gently angled out, like a bowl with a flat bottom.

 

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http://living.msn.com/home-decor/diy-decorating/how-to-build-a-fire-pit-1

 

Cushman Wakefield bullish on housing market | Bedford Corners Homes

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Cushman & Wakefield may be the first to plant the flag to declare that the housing market has recovered, but they are walking back any more confidence than that about where the market will go in 2014.

The firm’s National Housing Market Overview covers 2013 and looks into 2014, and it doesn’t feel as good about 2014 as it did last year.

Affordability issues, mortgage rates and other headwinds face the housing market over the coming eight months. This is exacerbated by a weak job market, affordability challenges, and the declining pool of first-time homebuyers.

“On the positive side, home prices have been increasing, foreclosures clearing, negative equity positions declining and permit activity increasing,” the report says. “Homebuilder and consumer confidence, which was moving positive, turned slightly to the negative by the end of the year. Even so, most economic and housing metrics suggest the 2014 housing market will continue toward the positive, although unlike the first half of 2013 in which pent-up demand dramatically increased home pricing and sales activity.”

It states that there are a number of positive indicators.

“Home prices and permit activity have been increasing while foreclosures and negative equity positions declining. Population increases continue in the traditional growth markets and interest rates remain favorable for qualified buyers,” the report says.

It also highlights the challenge to the housing market coming from the weakness in the employment situation.

 

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http://www.housingwire.com/articles/29740-cushman-wakefield-bullish-on-housing-market