Category Archives: Lewisboro

2013 elections: Who is running in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam | Cross River Real Estate

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With petitions submitted for independent lines for local office last week, the lists of candidates in Rockland, Putnam and Westchester are nearly complete. The Sept. 10 primary will put the final stamp on who is running in November.

Below are the candidate lists for each county (only primary candidates in Putnam):

Westchester – all candidates (unofficial):

http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/Westchesterscandidatesin2013/Dashboard1?:embed=y&:display_count=no

Rockland primary and general election candidates:

https://rocklandgov.com/files/8813/7692/0033/2013_Primary_candidate_list.pdf

Putnam primary candidates:

http://www.putnamcountyny.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/2013-WEBPAGE-LIST-CANDIDATES-FOR-PRIMARY.pdf

Mortgages will remain hard to get until common sense returns | Katonah Real Estate

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Long-term rates stayed about the same this week, mortgages just above 4.5 percent for most products. There are many things to write about this week, but the most important news for most Americans is the first retreat from Dodd-Frank toward common sense.

Economic data stayed in pattern — reasonable growth without acceleration. Overall orders for durable goods fell 7 percent in July, but excluding volatile orders for airplanes and such gained 0.6 percent. Pending home sales fell 1.3 percent in July, but from an improved level.

Second-quarter GDP was revised up from 1.7 percent to 2.5 percent annualized, but net of accounting gyrations still two-ish — way under the Fed’s forecast, as is inflation, barely 1 percent annualized. Consumer spending and incomes in July rose 0.1 percent versus forecast gains of 0.2 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively.

The threat of action against Syria is still suppressing rates, but that won’t last long. A brief hail of Tomahawks won’t change anything, serious regional upset unlikely.

 

read more…

 

http://www.inman.com/2013/08/30/mortgages-will-remain-hard-to-get-until-common-sense-returns/#sthash.FoyRu0C5.dpuf

North Salem, developer reach tentative settlement in fair housing case | North Salem Homes

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Kearney Realty and Development and the town of North Salem have reached what they termed a conceptual agreement to allow the developer to pursue its application for an affordable senior housing development off Route 22 and settle state and federal legal cases against the town.

Kearney, based in Carmel, had moved to intervene in the fair housing case between Westchester County and the federal government, arguing that the town was not living up to its obligations and should also be brought into the case. North Salem had approved a zoning amendment to the land proposed for development that officials said clarified existing language requiring an assisted living center alongside affordable housing. But the developer argued it added a new and impermissible burden to the construction of the housing required under the settlement.

Kearney had also filed a case in state court challenging the zoning change as a violation of previous legal settlements of  cases challenging North Salem zoning for blocking affordable housing.

In a letter to the judge asking for a postponement of the dates for the parties to serve papers, Kearney’s lawyer, Robert Spolzino of Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, said the two sides have made substantial progress in reaching a resolution.

Kearney said he couldn’t talk about the specifics of the agreement.

But “we’re hopeful that it will get done,” he said.

 

http://northernwestchester.lohudblogs.com/2013/09/04/north-salem-developer-reach-tentative-settlement-in-fair-housing-case/

10 Stylish Options for Shower Enclosures | North Salem Real Estate

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A shower is one of the first things you notice when you step into a bathroom, so make sure your enclosure not only matches your style but also accentuates your bathroom.
We’ve all seen or lived in a home with the ever-so-famous enclosure framed in polished brass, but there are tons of other options with which to surround your shower. Whether you go for framed or frameless, or with no enclosure at all, choose your style wisely.

traditional bathroom by Specialty Tile Products

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1. Frameless glass shower enclosure. This is a very popular option right now because of its flexibility; a frameless glass enclosure lends itself to any style, whether it’s a clean, sleek design that appeals to modern tastes or a simple and understated one with an elegant and classic look.
The glass itself is fairly easy to clean and maintain; it’s even more so if you get glass with a finish baked on that repels soap scum and water spots. Overall, frameless glass is a great way to showcase your shower.
modern bathroom by Robert Nebolon Architects

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2. Aluminum and glass shower enclosure. Need a little something more to spruce up your shower? Don’t be afraid to be unique and try a shower surround that has flair. Created with glass panels set into an aluminum frame, this shower enclosure mimics the look of the tile in the back of the shower. The dark metal mixed with the clear glass gives the enclosure an eclectic feel.
traditional bathroom by J Allen Smith Design/Build

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3. Glass block shower enclosure. Eliminate the need for a door with a glass block enclosure. Glass block surrounds are versatile, and there are textured patterns on the blocks themselves. They have strong lines and give your bathroom a clean, cool look.
The options are virtually limitless with glass blocks. You can find different block styles, thicknesses and even colors.

Despite rising home values, millions still underwater | Cross River Real Estate

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According to CNBC, three million homeowners rose above water on their mortgages this year, creating more positive equity and stability in the markets. The publication has more:

“Widespread rising home values during the past year have helped chip away at negative equity nationwide, helping many homeowners who were only modestly underwater to come up for air. For those homeowners who are deeply underwater, though, there is still a long row to hoe,” said Zillow Chief Economist Stan Humphries.

                    Source: CNBC

CoreLogic: Prices to Rise 12.3 Percent in August | Katonah Real Estate

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The housing recovery will keep rolling right along   through August as price increases continue to score in the double digit range   and rise for the 18th straight month, according to CoreLogic’s   pending sales index.

 

Home prices   nationwide, including distressed sales, increased 12.4 percent on a year-over-year   basis in July 2013 compared to July 2012. Prices are rising   even faster than they did in the first half of the year, when they averaged   10 percent from January through June.     On a month-over-month basis, including distressed sales, home prices   increased by 1.8 percent in July 2013 compared to June 2013,

Excluding distressed   sales, home prices increased on a year-over-year basis by 11.4 percent in   July 2013 compared to July 2012. On a month-over-month basis, excluding   distressed sales, home prices increased 1.7 percent in July 2013 compared to   June 2013. Distressed sales include short sales and real estate owned (REO)   transactions.

The CoreLogic Pending   HPI indicates that August 2013 home prices, including distressed sales, are   expected to rise by 12.3 percent on a year-over-year basis from August 2012   and rise by 0.4 percent on a month-over-month basis from July 2013. Excluding   distressed sales, August 2013 home prices are poised to rise 12.2 percent   year over year from August 2012 and by 1.2 percent month over month from July   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.

“Home prices   continued to surge in July,” said Dr. Mark Fleming, chief economist for   CoreLogic. “Looking ahead to the second half of the year, price growth   is expected to slow as seasonal demand wanes and higher mortgage rates have a   marginal impact on home purchase demand.”

“Home prices   continue to climb across the nation in July with markets hit hardest during   the downturn leading the way,” said Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO   of CoreLogic. “Nationally, home prices are now within 18 percent of   their peak levels reached in April of 2006.”

Highlights   as of July 2013:

  • Including        distressed sales, the five states with the highest home price        appreciation were: Nevada (+27 percent), California (+23.2 percent),        Arizona (+17 percent), Wyoming (+16.4 percent) and Oregon (+15 percent).
  • Including        distressed sales, this month only one state posted home price        depreciation: Delaware (-1.3 percent).
  • Excluding        distressed sales, the five states with the highest home price        appreciation were: Nevada (+24.2 percent), California (+20.2 percent),        Arizona (+14.9 percent), Utah (+13.5 percent) and Florida (+13.5        percent).
  • Excluding        distressed sales, no states posted home price depreciation in July.
  • Including        distressed transactions, the peak-to-current change in the national HPI        (from April 2006 to July 2013) was -17.6 percent. Excluding distressed        transactions, the peak-to-current change in the HPI for the same period        was -12.9 percent.
  • The        five states with the largest peak-to-current declines, including        distressed transactions, were Nevada (-43 percent), Florida (-37.4        percent), Arizona (-32.5 percent), Rhode Island (-29.7 percent) and        Michigan (-27.7 percent).
  • Of        the top 100 Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) measured by population,        99 were showing year-over-year increases in July, equaling the measure        in June 2013.

*June data was   revised. Revisions with public records data are standard, and to ensure   accuracy, CoreLogic incorporates the newly released public data to provide   updated results.

July HPI for the   Country’s Largest CBSAs by Population (Ranked by Single-Family Including   Distressed):

CBSA

July 2013     12-Month HPI

Change by     CBSA

Single-Family     Including Distressed

Single-Family     Excluding Distressed

Los     Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA

22.6%

20.1%

Riverside-San     Bernardino-Ontario, CA

22.5%

21.1%

Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale,     AZ

18.1%

15.7%

Atlanta-Sandy     Springs-Marietta, GA

15.6%

13.7%

Houston-Sugar     Land-Baytown, TX

11.1%

11.9%

Dallas-Plano-Irving,     TX

10.0%

10.7%

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria,     DC-VA-MD-WV

9.1%

9.0%

Chicago-Joliet-Naperville,     IL

8.6%

10.7%

New     York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ

7.8%

8.2%

Philadelphia,     PA

4.3%

4.8%

Source:   CoreLogic.

 

 

 

read more….

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/09/corelogic-prices-to-rise-123-percent-in-august/

 

HARP refinancings dip in second quarter | South Salem Real Estate

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Higher mortgage rates caused refinance volumes to edge down in the second quarter as fewer homeowners filed refi applications.

When compared to the two prior periods, 2Q refinance volumes fell slightly, according to the latest housing agency refinance data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

In the second quarter, 279,933 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages refinanced through the government’s Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), representing 22% of total refinance volume.

The slight drop in refi volumes occurred as mortgage rates rose sharply to 4.07% in June, up from 3.57% in March.

The total number of HARP refinances from the inception of the program to now totals 2.65 million.

Market analysts expect the trend to continue, as mortgage rates are likely to trend higher once the Federal Reserve begins scaling back its monetary stimulus.

“I think once rates begin their return to normalcy as the Fed starts to taper, refinance demand is likely to further decline,” explained Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) markets and international banking analyst Sarah Hu.

She added, “The tapering of refinance activity may have already occurred as evidenced in this week’s refinance index (< 2000), the lowest since Jan 2011.”

On a similar note, Compass Point Research & Trade analyst Kevin Barker noted that HARP refinance volumes will remain under pressure given the higher rates.

“If borrowers have less of incentive to refinance at higher levels, it’s going to effect volumes and how aggressively originators will target HARP borrowers,” Barker stated.

He continued, “I would point out that the drop in refi activity compared to HARP volumes will be relatively less because they’ll be more resilient to rates.”

Of the loans that refinanced through HARP in the second quarter, 19% had a loan-to-value ratio greater than 125%.

While taking a look at year-to-date figures through June, 18% of HARP refinances for underwater borrowers were for shorter-term 15- and 20-year mortgages, building equity faster than traditional 30-year mortgages.

In Nevada and Florida, markets that analysts have been keeping an eye on since the recovery began, HARP refinances represented 59% and 50% of total refinances, respectively. This is more than double the 21% of total refinances throughout the country over the same time period.

Underwater borrowers accounted for a large portion of HARP refinances in a number states, representing more than 61% of HARP volume in Nevada, Arizona and Florida.

From the program’s inception through June, 2.34 million loans refinanced through HARP were for primary residences, 78,756 were for second homes and 307,272 were tied to investment properties.

 

 

read more…

 

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/26598-harp-refinancings-dip-in-second-quarter

 

Building and measuring the social world | Katonah Real Estate

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Tamara Mendelsohn leads marketing for Eventbrite with a focus on customer acquisition, retention and branding.

As an expert on e-commerce technology, multichannel retail, and trends in how consumers integrate technology into shopping, Mendelsohn has authored research reports and worked with both retailers and technology vendors to help them shape their strategies.

Hear what Mendelsohn has to say about “Building and measuring the social world.”

 

read more….

 

 

http://www.inman.com/2013/09/03/building-and-measuring-the-social-world-video/#sthash.3tfGrRk1.dpuf

120 Marketing Tactics for Blogging Success | Katonah Realtor

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Blogging success can seem like a distant dream when you start out. You aren’t  quite sure what to blog about. The choice of technology can be overwhelming.  Then learning to use the features and functions of your blogging software is a  maze of confusion and confronting choices.120 Marketing Tactics for Blogging Success

What plugins do I choose? How do I optimise for search engines? What are  widgets and how do I use them?

Then you start and draft  your first post.

Then more doubt sets  in.

How do I write those awesome headlines that will draw attention? What marketing  tactics should I focus on to achieve the best results?

Then the killer doubt.

Why would anyone want to hear what “I” have to say?

So you push past the fears and you hit the publish button. You tweet and  share it with your 500 best friends on Facebook. You have started.

Six months into your blogging journey more nagging fears arise. Yes, I have a  few readers. People are starting to leave comments and I am attracting some  attention.

But world domination is felt to be more a fantasy than reality.

Persistence is key

This is maybe what you don’t want to hear. You need to persist. Success is  almost never overnight but a journey of a thousand steps.

It is a matter of keeping the faith in yourself.  Friends and family can  be your worst enemies. Passion, purpose and belief need to come from within.

Press on.

My secret sauce recipe

So what’s worked for me?

What has sustained me and kept me ahead of the blogging curve can be  summed up with three words, reading, writing and doing. Mundane but  necessary.

  1. Read as much as you can offline and online. Blogs, news and books. Watch TED  talks.
  2. Writing drives discovery and research so it accelerates the learning  process. The art of expression facilitates in structuring and making sense of  the incoming information.
  3. Doing is where the rubber  hits the road. My blog is my social media, marketing and digital laboratory.  Helping other brands both corporate and personal keeps also keeps me real and  connected.

A trait to be treasured

But there is one small  human trait that is sometimes overlooked.

Curiosity.

Will that headline work? How do I grow my Twitter followers? How do I make  this blog rock?

Stay curious.

Marketing tactics for blogging success

So what are some tactics that you need to start applying to achieve blogging  success?

Here are some of the key nuts, bolts and tools to put in your blogging  marketing toolbox. This is maybe the longest infographic in the world but it has  some awesome tips to make your blog rock.

 

 

 

Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/08/23/120-marketing-tactics-for-blogging-success/#H7sCZx7wLRubsyd6.99

10 Must Have WordPress Plugins of 2013 Every Blogger Should Know About | Katonah Realtor

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How many of you think that having a lot of WordPress plugins slows down your site? That’s only true if you use poorly coded WordPress plugins.

With over 26,000+ WordPress plugins in the repository, it’s hard for bloggers to pick the right WordPress plugin.10 Must Have WordPress Plugins of 2013 Every Blogger Should Know About Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/?p=29720#58xgLayr0OZDBLu5.99

I own and mange the largest free WordPress resource site WPBeginner, so I get to test and review tons of free and paid plugins on a regular basis. The site runs over 40 plugins, and it is very fast.

Myth Debunked…”Plugin quantity doesn’t matter”

In this article, I will share the 10 must have WordPress plugins of 2013 that every blogger should know about.

#1. Floating Social Bar

Most social media plugins for WordPress are slow and bloated. Floating social bar is the fastest social media plugin for WordPress that adds a horizontal floating share bar to your content.

10 Must have WordPress Plugins

Floating Social Bar is easy to use with its drag-drop interface, and its eye-catching floating display allows you to maximize your social shares.

#2. WordPress SEO by Yoast

Yoast’s WordPress SEO is the most comprehensive SEO plugin for WordPress.

Not only does it allows you to optimize your articles for SEO, it also comes with comprehensive features such as XML sitemaps, Twitter cards, Google Authorship and Facebook meta data.


Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/08/30/10-must-have-wordpress-plugins-of-2013-every-blogger-should-know-about/#hv8rCXJxyBuXUlqw.99 

 

 

10 Must Have WordPress Plugins of 2013 Every Blogger Should Know About – Jeffbullas’s Blog.