Category Archives: Chappaqua

Prices Soar at Boom Speed | Armonk NY Real Estate

March home prices rose at double digit rates-increasing faster than they have in seven years-and the outlook is nearly as good for April.

Home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased 10.5 percent on a year-over-year basis in March 2013 compared to March 2012. This change represents the biggest year-over-year increase since March 2006, at the height of the housing boom, and the 13th consecutive monthly increase in home prices nationally. On a month-over-month basis, including distressed sales, home prices increased by 1.9 percent in March 2013 over to February 2013.*

Excluding distressed sales, home prices increased on a year-over-year basis by 10.7 percent in March 2013 compared to March 2012. On a month-over-month basis, excluding distressed sales, home prices increased 2.4 percent in March 2013 compared to February 2013. Distressed sales include short sales and real estate owned (REO) transactions.

The CoreLogic Pending HPI indicates that April 2013 home prices, including distressed sales, are expected to rise by 9.6 percent on a year-over-year basis from April 2012 and rise by 1.3 percent on a month-over-month basis from March 2013. Excluding distressed sales, April 2013 home prices are poised to rise 12 percent year over year from April 2012 and by 2.7 percent month over month from March 2013. The CoreLogic Pending HPI is a proprietary and exclusive metric that provides the most current indication of trends in home prices. It is based on Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data that measure price changes for the most recent month.

“For the first time since March 2006, both the overall index and the index that excludes distressed sales are above 10 percent year over year,” said Dr. Mark Fleming, chief economist for CoreLogic. “The pace of appreciation has been accelerating throughout 2012 and so far in 2013 leading into the home buying season.”

“Home prices continue to rise at a double-digit rate in March led by strong gains in the western region of the U.S. Looking ahead, the CoreLogic pending index for April indicates that upward price appreciation will continue,” said Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic. “Much of the price increases we are seeing are the result of rising demand among investors and homebuyers for a still-limited supply of homes for sale.”

Highlights as of March 2013:

Including distressed sales, the five states with the highest home price appreciation were: Nevada (+22.2 percent), California (+17.2 percent), Arizona (+16.8 percent), Idaho (+14.5 percent) and Oregon (+14.3 percent).

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/05

Drought Tolerant Perennials | Chappaqua Real Estate

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Proven Winners Luscious Berry Blend Lantana

In my neck of the woods precipitation comes one of two ways; either all at once or not at all. Spring sees ample showers, but as soon as the calendar turns to June the rain dries up. Unless there is an unusual weather pattern in play I can count on Arkansas’ summers to be hot and dry.

Rather than rely 100 percent on irrigation to carry the garden through, I choose drought tolerant plants that I know will survive extended periods without rain. By selecting the right plants for my dry climate I use less water and I don’t have to work as hard to keep the garden looking good during the dog days of summer.

To make things even easier I use a lot of drought tolerant perennials. Perennials will come back year after year without replanting and most are pretty low maintenance. Throw in drought tolerance and you’ve got something you can pretty much plant and forget.

Unlike annuals, many perennials bloom for a specific amount of time. Gardeners can create season-long interest by selecting spring, summer and fall flowering perennials and showy foliage plants.

Here’s a short list of drought tolerant perennials categorized by season.

Spring Flowering Drought Tolerant Perennials

Alyssum (Alyssum montanum)

Alyssum will form a dense mat of attractive foliage and spring blooms. Try River of Gold™ for its bright yellow flowers.

Zones 4 – 8; full sun; 6 to 8 inches tall with a 10-inch spread.

Proven Winners River of Gold Alyssum

Dead Nettle (Lamium maculatum)

Lamium is a low growing groundcover for either sun or shade. The variety Pink Chablis® has charming pale pink flower and frosty green and white variegated leaves.

Zones 4 – 8; full sun or shade; 8 – 12 inches tall with a 24-inch spread.

Proven Winners Pink Chablis Lamium

False Indigo (Baptisia hybrid)

Baptisia is a North American native plant that produces sweetpea-like blooms. Try one of the hybrids in theDecadence™ series for compact plant form and saturated color. Available cultivars include ‘Cherries Jubilee’ (maroon and yellow), ‘Blueberry Sundae’ (vibrant blue), ‘Dutch Chocolate’ (dark plum), and ‘Lemon Meringue’ (yellow).

Zones 4 – 9; full sun to partial shade; 30 – 26 inches tall.

Proven Winners Decadence Baptisia

Summer Flowering Drought Tolerant Perennials

Evening Primrose (Oenothera)

Oenothera has a loose, wildflower appearance that makes it right at home in cottage-style gardens. The cultivar Lemon Drop® produces fragrant, yellow blooms all summer. It is both drought tolerant and adaptable to poor soils. Because Lemon Drop® does not set seeds like some of its freewheeling cousins, it will stay put rather than pop up around the garden.

Zones 5 – 11, full sun; 8 – 12 inches tall.

Proven Winners Lemon Drop Oenothera

Perennial Sunflower (Heliopsis)

The bright yellow, daisy-like flowers of this North American native plant brighten the garden. The improved cultivar ‘Tuscan Sun’ boasts an extended blooming season and stays a manageable size.

Zones 3 – 9; full sun to partial shade; 12 – 20 inches tall.

Proven Winners Tuscan Sun Heliopsis

Butterfly Flower (Gaura lindheimeri)

This is one of my favorite “see through” plants. I like to position Gaura in the middle of a flower border so that the loose stems create a veil through which the background plants are seen. This creates a little mystery and added dimension. Stratosphere™ Pink Picotee and Stratosphere™ White will bloom May through September.

Zones 6 – 11; full sun; 12 – 24 inches tall.

Proven Winners Stratosphere Gaura

Fall Flowering Drought Tolerant Perennials

Sedum sp.

Sedums are a classic choice for low water gardens. There are both spreading and upright forms. The upright cultivar ‘Maestro’ puts on a spectacular autumn show with abundant bright purple bloom stalks and pink flowers.

Zones 3 – 9; full sun; 24 – 30 inches tall.

Proven Winners Maestro Sedum

Aster sp.

What would the fall garden be without asters? I’m particularly fond of the blue and purple varieties because the colors complement the red, orange and yellow of the season. ‘Sapphire Mist’ produces an abundance of large, lilac blooms on compact plants from late summer through fall.

Zones 4 – 8; full sun; 12 – 16 inches tall.

Proven Winners Sapphire Mist Aster

Bluebeard (Caryopteris sp.)

Caryopteris blooms are a splash of cool blue at the end of summer. Sunshine Blue® Caryopteris incana is one I grow. I love the color combination of the neon yellow foliage and periwinkle flowers.

Zones 5 – 11; full sun; 36 – 48 inches tall.

Proven Winners Sunshine Blue Caryopteris

Drought Tolerant Perennials Prized for their Foliage

Ornamental Grasses

Pair ornamental grasses with bold blooms or fleshy leaves to create an interesting texture combination. ‘Cheyenne Sky’ Red Switch Grass (Panicum) is part of my Proven Winners® Platinum Collection. It’s a chameleon that changes from blue-green to wine red over the course of the summer.

Zones 4 – 9; full sun; 30 – 36 inches tall.

Proven Winners Cheyenne Sky Switch Grass

Heuchera sp.

You’ll be amazed at the variety of color and pattern available with such an easy care plant. I’m a huge fan of the varieties in the Proven Winners® Dolce® Series, which range in color from chartreuse to almost black.

Zones 4 – 9; full sun to partial shade; 8 – 16 inches tall.

Wood Spurge (Euphorbia amygdaliodes)

This plant blooms in spring, but the foliage is its greatest asset. The cultivar ‘Helena’s Blush’ has variegated green and white leaves that develop bright pink highlights as the temperatures cool in autumn.

Zones 6 – 9; full sun; 16 – 20 inches tall and 20 inches wide.

Proven Winners Helena's Blush Euphorbia

Good to Know

Even drought tolerant plants need water just after planting, water your newly planted drought tolerant perennials weekly the first growing season.

http://www.pallensmith.com/articles

A Step-by-Step Guide to Building an Excel Graph [Quick Tip] | Chappaqua NY Realtor

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Building graphs is part of most people’s jobs — they’re the best way to present information in a clear, easily digestible manner that can then serve to influence the decision-making process within an organization. But there are some people out there that get a little bit intimidated by the prospect of poking around in Excel. I, however, adore the thing (I work in Marketing Ops, so it’s pretty much a requirement).

So I thought I’d share some step-by-step instructions for anyone out there that cringes at the thought of sorting a spreadsheet full of data into a chart that actually, you know,means something. Here are the simple steps you need to build a graph in Excel.

Step 1: Get your data into Excel.

First, you need to input your data into Excel. This is the easy part! You may have exported the data from elsewhere, like a piece of marketing software or a survey tool. Or, you might be inputting it manually.

In the example below, in Column A, I have a list of the responses to the question “Did inbound marketing demonstrate ROI?”, and in Columns B,C, and D, I have the responses to the question “Does your company have a formal sales-marketing agreement?”. For example, Column C, Row 2 illustrates that 49% of people who have an SLA also say that inbound marketing demonstrated ROI.

excelgraphblogpostpicture1

Step 2: Choose a type of graph to create.

You have plenty of choices for charts and graphs to create. This data will look best in a bar graph, so let’s pursue making that one. To make a bar graph, highlight the data and include the titles of the X and Y axis. Go to the ‘Insert’ tab, click ‘Charts,’ click ‘Column,’ and choose the graph you wish (in this example I will be picking the first 2-D Column choice — just because I prefer it over the 3-D look).

finalgraphmay4blogstep2

Step 3: Switch axes, if necessary.

If you want to switch what appears on the X and Y axis, right click on the bar graph, click ‘Select Data,’ and click ‘Switch Row/Column.’

finalgraphmay4blogstep3

Step 4: Adjust your labels and legends, if desired.

To change the layout of the labeling and legend, click on the bar graph, then click the ‘Layout’ tab. Here you can choose what layout you prefer for the chart title, axis titles, and legend.

In my example, I clicked on ‘Chart Title,’ and selected ‘Above Chart.’ To format the X axis title, I clicked on ‘Axis Titles’, clicked ‘Primary Horizontal Axis Title’, and clicked ‘Title Below Axis.’ To format the Y axis title, I clicked on ‘Axis Titles,’ clicked ‘Primary Vertical Axis Title,’ and chose ‘Rotated Title.’ To change the placement of the legend, click ‘Legend’ on the ‘Layout’ tab and choose your preferred location.

finalgraphmay4blogstep4

Step 5: Change the Y axis measurement options, if desired.

To change the type of measurement shown on the Y axis, right click on the Y axis percentages, and click ‘Format Axis.’ Here you can decide if you want to display units located on the Axis Options tab, or if you want to change whether the Y axis shows percentages to 2 decimal places or to 0 decimal places.

finalblogmay4step5p1

finalblogmay4step5p2

The resulting graph would be changed to look like this:

finalblogmay4step5p3

Step 6: Reorder data, if desired.

To sort the data so that the software choices appear in descending popularity order, click on the column that is most important to you (in this case I picked column B), click on the ‘Data’ tab, and click ‘Filter.’ Then go back to Column B and click the down arrow and click ‘Sort Largest to Smallest.’

finalblogmay4step7p1

If you click on the downward arrows located at B1 and C1, you can choose to sort based on smallest to largest or largest to smallest, depending on your preference. Here, I sorted largest to smallest on B1.

finalblogmay4step7p2-1

Pretty easy, right? What other Excel functions have you always wanted help with?

http://blog.hubspot.com/how-to-build-excel-graph

Retired Laker Mitch Richmond Lists Ultimate Guys’ Crib With Sports Bar, BBall Court | Chappaqua Homes

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Source: Wikipedia Commons

You might expect to find a sports bar, built-in barbecue, basketball court and waterslide at a fraternity house or the Vegas Strip — not in your own backyard. But in a superstar athlete’s home, boys and their toys are taken to another level.

Former NBA Rookie of the Year Mitch Richmond has lived in this decked-out Calabasas crib with wife Juli and their three kids since 2004. The retired shooting guard is now selling the place for $9.495 million.

Located at 25374 Prado De La Felicidad, Calabasas, CA 91302, the sprawling Mediterranean mansion has 6 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms over 10,475 square feet. In addition to several backyard amenities, the home has a luxurious master suite, gourmet kitchen and a state-of-the-art gym with a steam room and sauna.

A sports bar with framed jerseys on the wall is a reminder of “The Rock’s” legacy as a six-time NBA All-Star and five-time All-NBA Team member. Although Richmond fell short in the 2013 vote for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, his career was nonetheless impressive, playing for the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers.

Richmond is currently back working with the Warriors as a scout. He’s also been a minority investor helping to persuade the NBA ownership relocation committee to keep the Kings in Sacramento.

Richmond bought the Calabasas property for $1.7 million in July 2004. A buyer can expect to pay around $33,301 a month, assuming 20 percent down on a 30-year fixed mortgage.

http://www.zillowblog.com/2013-05-03

Terminal City: ‘Grand’ old rail station once ruled NYC real estate market | Chappaqua Real Estate

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Who hasn’t heard someone walk into a crowded room and ask, “What is this, Grand Central Station?” The reference is incorrect, as Sam Roberts notes in his book, “Grand Central,’’ a history of the “palace” that is marking its 100th anniversary.

The correct term is Grand Central Terminal: Rail traffic originates and ends there; it is not just a stop on the way. The present terminal is the second rail facility built more or less on that spot. The first, known as Grand Central Depot, opened in 1871.

That facility was inadequate from the get-go, and it was substantially altered by 1900. It was expanded from three stories to six, the tracks were modified to improve the movement of trains, and it became Grand Central Station. But, as Roberts explains, a tragic event in January 1902 inspired the development of what is now Grand Central Terminal and altered the history of what is now mid-town Manhattan.

A local train from White Plains, with a substitute engineer, slammed into a commuter train at 56th Street, killing 15 passengers. It appeared that the engineer had been speeding to make up lost time, but it was never determined why he did not stop his train in time to avoid the crash.

Railroad officials, who were not prosecuted in connection with the deaths, reacted immediately with a decision to raze the outdated station, electrify the rails and build the colossal and elegant structure that now stands at East 42nd Street and Park Avenue. The demolition alone was one of the biggest undertakings of its kind in New York City history:

“On 17 acres purchased by the railroad, 120 houses, three churches, two hospitals and an orphan asylum would have to be obliterated, as would stables, warehouses, and other ancillary structures.”

Together with the excavation of dirt and rock to a depth of 90 feet, building the new structure took 10 years and cost the equivalent of about $2 billion in 2013 terms. The result was a palace that, as one of the many photographs in this elegant book shows clearly, looked like a forlorn giant on an otherwise empty landscape

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article

20 Things Savvy Facebookers Should Know (By Now) | Chappaqua Realtor

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I’m sure you’ve heard of Facebook. It doesn’t matter if you are on it or not, active or not, or hate it or not; if you are on the Internet, you know what Facebook is. Safe to say that after nearly a decade, Facebook is still going strong and affecting the lives of millions every day. And if you have been on it for years, you would have known about some of the things Facebook users do that just makes no sense.

(Image Source: Fotolia)

But I guess this is just the new wave coming (or is it here already?). It’s quite common to see Facebookers post photos of their meals, self-portraits of them sleeping (don’t ask me why) or secret tips about how to stay healthy without exercising (hm…). If you find this silly, remember back to the time when we were sending chain mails because we don’t want to die in 7 days.

Here are 20 other things Facebookers should know by now (but still has to be said).

Recommended Reading: Facebook Etiquette: 10 Do’s and Don’ts

1. Facebook is free

… and it is going to stay that way. To be fair, you don’t have to pay with money to stay on Facebook. You may however need to pay with other things, like your data, or being subjected to ads, products and messages from advertisers.

2. Sick Babies and Charities

Do sick babies need your ‘Likes’ and ‘Shares’ to get Facebook to donate money to them? Nope. What they need is treatment for their illness, and for people to respect their privacy and not take advantage of their photos. Your clicks do help make money, for the pages that are sharing these messages.

‘Likes’ increase the fan base, ‘Shares’ give them exposure. Everything makes sense now, doesn’t it?

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog

Hottest Digs of April 2013 – Zillow | Chappaqua Realtor

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Rain clouds couldn’t dampen design fans’ spirits this April with these top-10 photos from Zillow Digsinspiring remodel dreams across the country. Check out what images you and your friends Dug the most this month:

No. 10

Outdated no longer! A stale bathing unit gets a major overhaul with glass and marble, creating a modern look.

No. 9

This kitchen mixes metal, wood and marble, adding interest to the space. This island’s dark wood stain is a bold, yet tasteful contrast with white cabinetry on the adjacent wall.

No. 8

A staging counter allows home chefs to gather the exact items needed per recipe without making multiple trips.

No. 7

Padded benches along the hearth offer extra seating options, while exposed brick and wood beams draw guests to the table.

No. 6

Not yet outdone, these modern basins defend their title as the No. 6 Hottest Digs for the second month in a row.

No. 5

Users may have been divided when it came to their favorite feature of this closet, but one thing they could all agree on — there’s no such thing as too many shoes!

http://www.zillowblog.com

Mortgage Rates are near record lows. How do they affect buyers qualified to buy a home? | Mt Kisco NY Real Estate

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In a previous post, we examined the impact of mortgage rates and house prices on the number of renters qualified to buy to show that lower mortgage rates, rising incomes and changes in house prices have affected the number of renters who could qualify to purchase a median-priced home over time.
In this post, we look at the impact of mortgage rates ceteris paribus, a latin term used in economics that means “holding everything else constant.” In this case, we’re going to use the same income distribution, home price, and down payment requirement, but we’re going to change the mortgage rates to see what happens to the number of renter households who qualify to purchase the median priced home.
The table below shows the results of our thought experiment. While 20 million renter households qualify based on income to purchase the median-priced home in 2012 at prevailing mortgage rates, that figure would decline if interest rates were to rise.
If rates were to return to 5 percent, only 17.6 million renter households would have income sufficient to qualify to purchase the median-priced existing home. A rate increase to 7 percent causes increased monthly payments of $280 per month, and an additional $13,400 is needed to qualify to purchase this home. That type of rate increase would knock nearly 6 million currently qualified renter-households out of the market

What is the likelihood of increasing mortgage rates? In our current forecast, NAR Research expects mortgage rates to begin to creep up but still remain below 5 percent through the 2014 forecast horizon. Mortgage rates bottomed in November/December 2012 at 3.4 percent for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages. Over the most recent 15 years, rates have ranged from 3.4 to 8.5 percent and averaged 6 percent as seen in the chart below.

One note about the above calculations. They assume that potential buyers meet credit qualifications and have sufficient cash on hand to close a transaction. Lending standards, credit quality, and access to funds will affect the number of households who will ultimately be able to buy a home.

http://economistsoutlook.blogs.realtor.org/2013/04/29

Sure, you can have a pay rise – just get a company logo tattoo | Chappaqua Realtor

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Sure, you can have a pay rise – just get a company logo tattoo – Americas – World – The Independent.

Some employees of a real estate company in New York are really pushing the meaning of ‘company loyalty’, by voluntarily being inked with the company’s logo.

It’s not entirely without an incentive though. According to CBS, the quick-thinking CEO of Rapid Realty, Anthony Lolli, offered a pay rise of 15 per cent to employees who get tattoos of the Rapid Realty logo.

Lolli told CBS that he got the idea from an employee who voluntarily got the logo tattooed on his body, and apparently the novel move has proved popular with staff. Around forty willing members of staff have gotten inked with the green and black logo or said they would take their boss up on the offer.

The tattoo costs $300 (around £192), and can be placed anywhere on the body. Lolli himself has yet to get inked, but says he plans to eventually.

Staff member Robert Trezza told CBS: “I think it’s a good opportunity to show commitment to a company that makes going to work fun every day,” while another added: “My wife was a little concerned, but I said, you know what, it was the best commitment I could think of.”

Property Wars star says Phoenix’s housing market is booming | Mt Kisco NY Real Estate

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Some good news for the Phoenix housing market. A new report from Standard and Poor’s shows home prices here the valley have skyrocketed in the past year.
They’re up 23 percent — and that’s the biggest gain in the country.
Investors are a big part of that, accounting for 28-percent of the sales in March. And this new data comes on the same day that another report shows that foreclosure rates in Phoenix are among the lowest in the country.
With home values skyrocketing, are these signs of another housing bubble? We spoke to one of the stars of Property Wars. The hit reality show is focused on the Phoenix real estate market.
Doug Hopkins doesn’t just star on the cable show Property Wars — he owns Red Brick Realty in the east valley and he’s been in real estate since 1994.
He likes the way the market looks right now. He says factors like weather, the ages of homes, and the supply of foreclosed houses has attracted investors and improved our housing market.
In his second season on the Discovery Channel’s Property Wars, you can find Doug Hopkins taking huge risks and making big money.
And this valley native, with 20 years of experience in the valley, says the market is great.
“The housing market is hot hot hot. Basically everything we put on the market is selling, especially if it’s priced right, its selling in less than 3 days.”
It sounds like we’re heading for another housing bubble — but Hopkins believes the situation is much different than it was last decade

via myfoxphoenix.com