Category Archives: Chappaqua

10 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Winter | Chappaqua NY Homes

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By the time fall rolls around, most of us are ready to say ‘goodbye’ to the  summer heat, and hello to a few months of cool weather. However, autumn is more  than just a time to enjoy the changing color of the leaves and the dropping of  the mercury in the thermometer; it’s a time to prepare your home for the coming  ravages of winter. After all, if you don’t take care of potential problems now,  before they actually happen, you could find yourself stuck with some major  repair work right in the middle of the Holiday Season. Here’s a quick list of  things you need to do to prepare your home for the coldest months of the  year.

1. Prune back your hedges, shrubs, and branches.

When it comes to being covered in snow, the plants with less surface area are  less likely to get damaged. Trimming back your outdoor plants will help keep  them safe, and will give them a nice fresh start to grow from once spring  arrives.

2. Check around your doors and windows.

With the cold fast approaching, now’s the time to locate any areas of your  home through which heat could escape. Make sure that the caulking around you  windows is solid and free from cracks, and check around your doors to make sure  that they shut securely without leaving gaps.

3. Give the heater a test run.

Replace your furnace filter, open your vents, and kick the heater into high  gear, because you’ll want to make sure that your heater works before you get  trapped inside during a blizzard. If you notice any problems, call a repairman  and get it sorted out quickly.

4. Clean and cover the AC outdoor condensing unit.

This is good idea especially if your area drops into low temperatures or has  heavy snowfall. Use a high pressure hose to clean any debris out of the condensing unit, and then cover  it up for the winter. If left open, the harsh winter weather could damage your  system, leaving you without a cooling system once things begin to heat up  again.

5. Clean out your gutters.

If you have any trees near your house, then chances are that once all the  leaves have fallen, you’ll have rain gutters that are absolutely full of debris. Clean these  out before the weather starts to get any worse, otherwise you could have to deal  with water buildup and ice damage.

6. Check the roof.

If you have any missing or damaged shingles, you should hurry to get them  replaced before winter arrives. Also check to see if you have any significant  air leaks coming up through the roof, and have them repaired if you do.

 

 

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-homes/prepare-home-winter-zbcz1310.aspx#ixzz2kXN8svX7

NAR leaves list of MLS ‘basic services’ untouched | Chappaqua Real Estate

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The National Association of Realtors (NAR) did not change its classification guidelines for MLS “basic services” at its annual conference, ensuring that, for at least the near future, multiple listing services (MLSs) may confidently charge all their members to operate public-facing websites — a practice that has riled some large brokers.

Asked of his reaction to the committee meeting, Craig Cheatham, CEO of The Realty Alliance, said that public-facing sites should be switched from “basic” to “optional” in NAR’s MLS service classification guidelines “immediately and without hesitation.”

“Giving the committee and the board of directors the benefit of the doubt, they simply must not understand the stakes of what they have done and the direction they continue to head,” Cheatham said. “Our conscience is clear. We have sounded the alarm loud and clear. We were optimistic for progress, but actions speak volumes.”

In an announcement that has kindled anxiety among MLSs, Cheatham recently announced that The Realty Alliance is planning to roll out an unspecified “big initiative” to address some brokers’ concerns with MLSs.

Some brokers have clamored for NAR to remove public-facing websites from a list of examples of services that it considers reasonable for MLSs to choose to offer as “basic services” — MLS services that all members are required to pay for in their dues — ever since NAR added them to the list in May.

The inclusion of public-facing sites in a list part of MLS Policy Statement 7.57, “Categorization of MLS Services, Information and Product,” allows MLSs to force their members to pay for a service that can compete with their own websites, those brokers say.

 

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/11/11/nar-leaves-list-of-mls-basic-services-untouched/#sthash.utywKTka.dpuf

Realtors forecast flat sales, rising prices | Chappaqua Real Estate

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Home sales will hold steady next year, but prices will continue to rise due to a low supply of homes for sale, the National Association of Realtors predicts.

Flattening home sales will mark a sharp reversal from the past two years in which existing home sales increased from the year before.

But the lack of income growth, higher home prices and rising interest rates will weigh on sales, says Lawrence Yun, the trade group’s chief economist, speaking at the NAR annual conference here Friday.

Median home prices, currently about $200,000 for the U.S., will rise 6% next year after an 11% gain this year, Yun says.

The existing home inventory is now near a 13-year low.

“The inventory shortage will not go away,” Yun says, noting that new home construction is still far from historic levels.

While rising home prices will entice more people to sell homes, many of those people will also buy homes, Yun says. New home construction is what’s needed to expand inventories.

Markets with stronger job growth will do better next year that those without. Some of the best-performing housing markets next year will likely include Salt Lake City, Houston, Denver, Seattle, Tampa and Atlanta, Yun says.

Coastal California markets are likely to continue to experience inventory shortages given good job growth in many of those markets and little new home building.

Home sales could get a boost next year if lenders loosen home loan-lending standards. That would expand the pool of potential home buyers.

Lenders may do that given a dropoff in refinance demand. Refinance volume will fall next year to a 15-year low, Yun says. That’s largely because interest rates have been below 6% for five years and there are not many people with mortgages left to refinance.

By the end of 2014, NAR forecasts the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate will hit 5.4%. Rates will rise as the Federal Reserve pulls back on the stimulus measures it has used since 2008 to keep rates low and stimulate the economy.

 

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/11/10/realtors-home-sales-outlook/3476517/

Tips real estate agents can use to qualify for ‘Obamacare’ credits | Chappaqua Real Estate

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Last week, a 57-year-old Florida Realtor named Dianne Barrette got a good deal of publicity — not because of her real estate activities, but because of health insurance.

It turned out that she was one of hundreds of thousands of Americans who have been informed by their health insurers that their plans will not be renewed for 2014 because they don’t comply with the new “Obamacare” requirements.

Her insurer, FloridaBlue, offered her a new plan, but told her the premium would be $591 a month, far more than the approximately $50 a month she had been paying.

Barrette, who makes $30,000 a year, could not pay for such a plan. She soon became the poster child for the anti-”Obamacare” crowd, making appearances on Fox News and other media. However, when reporters dug a little deeper into Barrette’s story, the truth turned out to be a quite different than initially reported: Rather than being an “’Obamacare’ victim,” she was an “Obamacare” beneficiary.

Because of her relatively modest income, she qualifies for substantial tax credits if she purchases new health insurance through her state’s online exchange. Reporters found that, with the credits, she could obtain far better health insurance than she had before for $100-$150 per month out of pocket, with the credits paying for the rest. She was delighted and quickly became a nonperson to Fox News.

Don’t let the naysayers fool you. For most self-employed Realtors like Dianne Barrette, and other self-employed people, “Obamacare” is the best thing that’s happened in decades. Historically, obtaining affordable health insurance coverage has been one of the greatest challenges the self-employed face, especially those with pre-existing medical conditions

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/11/11/tips-real-estate-agents-can-use-to-qualify-for-obamacare-credits/#sthash.mTTuxx8T.dpuf

Let’s hope the new predicaments afflicting both parties will now force them to do useful things | Chappaqua NY Real Estate

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Let’s hope the new predicaments afflicting both parties will now force them to do useful things | Inman News.

Chappaqua NY Weekly Real Estate Report | #RobReportBlog

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Chappaqua   NY Weekly Real Estate Report11/8/2013
Homes for sale92
Median Ask Price$1,156,000.00
Low Price$380,000.00
High Price$24,750,000.00
Average Size4101
Average Price/foot$369.00
Average DOM162
Average Ask Price$1,672,839.00

 

Malibu Ranked Most Expensive Real Estate Market In U.S. | Chappaqua Real Estate

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It’s long been the home of Hollywood celebrities, white sandy beaches and some of the most picturesque views in all of Southern California – and now a new report says it’s the most expensive place to live in the United States.

According to an annual report, an average four-bedroom, two-bathroom home in the affluent beach community of Malibu lists for $2.15 million, compared to the average $63,729 price of a similar-sized home in Cleveland, Ohio.

The star-studded, 12,832-resident Malibu is just one of several California cities to rank among the most expensive markets in the U.S., along with Newport Beach, Saratoga, Los Gatos, and San Francisco, according to the 2013 Coldwell Banker U.S. Home Listing Report.

 

 

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/11/06/malibu-ranked-most-expensive-real-estate-market-in-u-s/

 

 

 

 

Greenstein Tops Paderewski In New Castle Supervisor Race | Chappaqua Real Estate

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With 81 percent of the precincts reporting, Team New Castle supervisor candidate Rob Greenstein and his 2,014 votes (55 percent) will be enough to defeat his Democratic opponent, Town Administrator Penny Paderewski, who had 1,672 votes (45 percent).

Greenstein is excited to begin a new chapter in New Castle.

“The voters have spoken,” he said. “They sent a clear message that they’re not in favor of a 120,000-square-foot retail development at Chappaqua Crossing and they’re not in favor of the Hunts Place affordable housing project.”

He added that he is relieved the campaign, which was contentious at time, is over.

“Contested elections can get heated. Change is never easy. It’s time to put the election behind us.  We have a special community with incredible residents. It’s time to work together, and move forward,” he said.

Greenstein, a Democrat who ran on bipartisan ticket, was endorsed by the Republican and Independent parties. He formed the Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce in 2012 and lives in Chappaqua with his wife and three children.

Paderewski has been New Castle Town Administrator since 2011 and has worked for the town since 1986. She has lived in the town since 1984 and her three children attended Chappaqua schools.

 

 

 

http://chappaqua.dailyvoice.com/politics/greenstein-tops-paderewski-new-castle-supervisor-race

How to Run a Facebook Timeline Promotion: 6 Tips for Success | Chappaqua Realtor

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Are you thinking of running a Facebook contest or promotion without using an app?

Would you like to run a contest or sweepstakes on your Facebook page timeline?

On August 27, Facebook made a major change to its promotion guidelines.

Although you can run a promotion directly on your Facebook page timeline without using a third-party app, there are several factors to address before you decide to run your contest.

In this article you’ll discover six things to consider before setting up a contest on your Facebook timeline.

#1: Know How You Can and Can’t Collect Entries

Facebook’s new promotion rules and the accompanying guidelines are pretty straightforward.

You can collect entries by having users post on your page, message your page, comment on or like a page post and use likes as a voting mechanism.

In other words, you can ask users to enter by posting a photo on your page or in the comments on your post, and then select a winner based on which entry has the most likes.

You can ask users to enter with a message to your page, a post on your page or with a comment or like on your post, then randomly pick a winner.

You can also ask users to answer a question and pick the first correct response as your winner.

But you can’t ask users to tag themselves in a photo they’re not pictured in, ask users to share a post or ask users to post something on their own timelines or their friends’ timelines.

The promotion below is viewed as unauthorized by Facebook because it lacks any reference to official rules and it requires users to not only like the post but also share it.

not following guidelines

This promotion doesn’t follow Facebook’s guidelines.

#2: Follow ALL the Rules

Facebook has loosened its rules, but there are still rules to follow!

As stated in Facebook’s Pages Terms:

If you use Facebook to communicate or administer a promotion (e.g., a contest or sweepstakes), you are responsible for the lawful operation of that promotion, including:

  • The official rules
  • Offer terms and eligibility requirements (e.g., age and residency restrictions)
  • Compliance with applicable rules and regulations governing the promotion and all prizes offered (e.g., registration and obtaining necessary regulatory approvals)

Comply With Local Regulations

In plain English, you must comply with all local regulations. For example, in France, you must register contest rules with a notary public. In Italy, you must use a server based in Italy to collect entries. In Brazil, sweepstakes are allowed in very limited cases. Your local laws still apply and not respecting them can cause you a lot of trouble.

The promotion below would be illegal in most states or countries because there’s no way for the page to verify that the participants are 21 or older.

 

 

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/facebook-page-timeline-promotion-tips/