Category Archives: Lewisboro

4 Ways Marketers Can Use Facebook Hashtags | South Salem Real Estate

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Have you started using Facebook hashtags for your business?

Are you wondering how to best use a Facebook hashtag?

In this article, I’ll reveal four important benefits of using hashtags on Facebook.

I’ll also explore important considerations when putting together your hashtag strategy.

Why Facebook Hashtags?

As you’ve undoubtedly seen, hashtags are now clickable and useable on Facebook.

Using a hashtag # (or pound symbol) in front of a word or phrase turns the word into a clickable link.

When you click on the link, you’ll see a feed of public posts (or posts that are visible to you due to a friend relationship on Facebook) that include that hashtag.

Here’s how you can use Facebook hashtags:

#1: Expand Your Reach

As hashtags gain momentum on Facebook (they’ve been in use on other platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+), they’ll help you expand your reach to people who are looking at posts in your topic.

Hashtags have been a great way to help people interested in niche topics find each other and find the conversation.

walking dead hashtag

The #WalkingDead hashtag connects people interested in this show.

By including a hashtag in your post, you can possibly get in front of people who may not have seen your post otherwise.  But you’ll have to monitor this in yourFacebook Insights.  Make sure you watch your Reach and Engagement Numbersto see if your hashtags are making a difference in your posts.

reach column

Click the Reach column in your Facebook insights to see which posts are getting the highest reach.

#2: Amplify Your Brand

Branding your Facebook Page with your own special hashtag can help an idea or new product catch on.  By branding all your posts about a new product, you can break this information out into a separate stream of information and give people an easy way to share information about that product or idea.

Think carefully about what types of things others would also be interested in sharing.  If the posts are too promotional and not valuable, you may have a hard time getting people to share them with their friends.

 

 

4 Ways Marketers Can Use Facebook Hashtags | Social Media Examiner.

How to Fix a Running Toilet | Katonah Real Estate

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Nowadays, we don’t give much thought to our toilets, but there was a time when answering nature’s call involved such things as porcelain pots and crude outhouses. The modern flushing toilet actually didn’t become ubiquitous until the early 1900s. Since then, the technology has changed very little, and for the average do-it-yourselfer, it’s not challenging to fix a running toilet.

Replace the flapper

Source: shutterstock.com

Source: shutterstock.com

A defective flapper is usually behind a running toilet problem. When you flush, the flapper is the rubber stopper within the tank that lifts to release water into the bowl. Over time, the flapper deteriorates, allowing water to trickle past its once-tight seal. Push down on the flapper to test its integrity; if the toilet immediately stops running, then you’ve identified the issue. The next step is to replace the flapper.

Start by turning the water off to the toilet (the shutoff valve should be directly beneath the tank). Flush the toilet to drain all remaining water from the tank and bowl. Now you can remove the flapper. As you do so, note the way in which it attaches to the bottom of the tank. There are several kinds of flappers, so when you visit the hardware store to buy a replacement, be sure you select one that is identical.

Follow the installation instructions that come with your replacement flapper. Most important is adding or removing links to establish an appropriate length for the chain connecting the flapper to the flush arm. Leave the chain too long and you’ll get “jiggling handle syndrome.” (You know, when you have to fidget with the handle a bit before the tank begins to refill.) If you make the chain too short, the flapper won’t be able to rise fully away from the drain hole, leading to abbreviated flushes.

Check the fill tube

Let’s say that when diagnosing the trouble with your toilet, pressing down on the flapper did not stop the water from running. In that case, the cause might be the fill tube. That’s the small plastic tube going from the fill valve — the main assembly in the tank — to the overflow pipe, which drains excess water when the tank fills too high. If you see that the fill tube is under water, cut it back so that the tube clears the water level.

 

How to Fix a Running Toilet | Zillow Blog.

US home prices rise 12.2 percent in May | Katonah Real Estate

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U.S. home prices jumped 12.2 percent in May compared with a year ago, the biggest annual gain since March 2006. The increase shows the housing recovery is strengthening.

The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index released Tuesday also surged 2.4 percent in May from April. The month-over-month gain nearly matched the 2.6 percent increase in April from March — the highest on record.

More business news

Business births starting to bounce back

Business births starting to bounce back

J.D. Harrison 7:30 AM ET

New business formation rates turned back around after four consecutive years of decline, new data shows.

Fed’s Raskin is chosen for deputy Treasury secretary

Fed’s Raskin is chosen for deputy Treasury secretary

Ylan Q. Mui JUL 31

The White House to nominate Fed Governor Sarah Raskin to fill the No. 2 post at Treasury.

Court goes against Fed rule on debit card fees

Court goes against Fed rule on debit card fees

Katerina Sokou JUL 31

A judge overturned a Federal Reserve rule capping debit card fees that banks collect from merchants.

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The price increases were widespread. All 20 cities showed gains in May from April and compared with a year ago.

Prices in Dallas and Denver reached the highest level on records dating back to 2000. That marks the first time since the housing bust that any city has reached an all-time high.

Home values are rising as more people are bidding on a scarce supply of houses for sale. Steady price increases, along with stable job gains and historically low mortgage rates, have in turn encouraged more Americans to buy homes.

One concern is that higher mortgage rates could slow home sales. But many economists say rates remain low by historical standards and would need to rise much faster to halt the momentum.

Svenja Gudell, senior economist at Zillow, a home price data provider, said a big reason for the recent price gains is that foreclosed homes make up a smaller proportion of overall sales. Foreclosed homes are usually sold by banks at fire-sale prices.

“Typical home values have appreciated at roughly half this pace for the past several months, which is still very robust,” Gudell said.

 

US home prices rise 12.2 percent in May, most in 6 years and sign of stronger housing recovery – The Washington Post.

Katonah Museum of Art Donates Quilts | Katonah Real Estate

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Quilts made by hundreds of community members and visitors to the Katonah Museum of Art recently were donated to My Sister’s Place and to babies born at the Bedford Women’s Correctional Facility.

The Katonah museum is dedicated to developing meaningful relationships with the community, both individuals and other organizations and businesses. To that end, the museum created the quilt lab as part of its “Beyond the Bed” quilt exhibition that was on display earlier this year. Museum visitors made hundreds of log cabin quilt squares, which 33 volunteer quilters then sewed together to create 10 colorful quilts.

The project gave visitors to the Katonah Museum of Art a better understanding of just how much time, vision and skill goes into creating a quilt. It also gave visitors the opportunity to play a hands-on role in the process of community quilt-making, as well as knowing their creative efforts would help people in need.

 

 

Katonah Museum of Art Donates Quilts | The Bedford Daily Voice.

R.I. real estate market continues recovery; prices up 10 percent, sales up 15 percent | Katonah Real Estate

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The real-estate market continued to recover in Rhode Island throughout the second quarter of this year, and the median house price reached $209,900, up 10 percent compared with April, May and June 2012.

The number of houses sold increased by 15 percent in the second quarter, according to statistics released Tuesday by the Rhode Island Association of Realtors.

In the first six months of 2013, 3,968 houses were sold in Rhode Island. Of those sales, 881, or about 22 percent, were distressed, meaning they were foreclosures or short sales.

During the same period in 2012, nearly 30 percent of the house sales — 1,083 of 3,636 — were distressed, according to association statistics.

“The supply of homes for sale has dropped, eliminating the excess of homes for sale, particularly those sold through foreclosure and short sale,” association president Victoria Doran said. “Sellers need to understand, however, that the decrease in distressed sales is what is elevating the median price. Homes sold through conventional means still need to be reasonably priced.”

Rhode Island’s median house price peaked at a high of $282,500 in 2006, but fell to $199,900 in 2009 and dropped to $190,000 in 2012. But the association said that Rhode Island’s real-estate market “has been gaining strength since January.”

The condominium market also had a strong second quarter, with a 19-percent jump in the median sales price, to $202,750, and a 28-percent increase in sales volume; 18 percent of the 474 condo sales were distressed.

The multifamily market, the segment most affected by foreclosures and short sales, also continued to rally in the second quarter. The median price increased by 5 percent, to $126,000, and the sales volume increased by 2 percent. The association said that the “bulk of the multifamily market … changed hands in prior years as investors snapped up distressed sales.” In the second quarter, 38 percent of the 347 multifamily sales were distressed.

 

 

R.I. real estate market continues recovery; prices up 10 percent, sales up 15 percent | Breaking News | providencejournal.com | The Providence Journal – The Providence Journal.

Report: Miami Heat’s Shane Battier Buys Coral Gables Home for $3.2 Million | Katonah Real Estate

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Winning the NBA Championship is, of course, a valid reason to celebrate. And that’s exactly what most Miami Heat players did earlier this summer, letting loose at Miami club Story with celebrities including rapper Drake and Dwyane Wade’s girlfriend, actress Gabrielle Union.

Shane Battier, however, chose to celebrate his team’s second straight title with a modest trip to Denny’s. Perhaps the 6-foot-8-inch forward was preparing for his big $3.225 million purchase — a luxurious new pad in Coral Gables, FL.

Rumors of the basketball star’s possible departure from the Miami Heat went wild when he listed his Coconut Grove home for $1.895 million on July 3.

However, fear not Heat fans — Battier remains a Florida resident. It appears that he purchased his new Coral Gables mansion the day before he put his previous home up for sale.

According to Gossip Extra, Miami-Dade County records show that Battier recently became the owner of the historical home, located near the Riviera Country Club. Built in 1926, the 5-bedroom 5-bathroom mansion has been renovated and polished to perfection.

Battier has gained some significant square footage with the new home, upgrading from 4,342 square feet to 6,550 square feet.

The colonial-style architecture stands out from the norm of Mediterranean-influenced homes that prevail in the South Florida region. Notable features of the home include a huge walk-in closet, outdoor kitchen, pool and a large deck with views of the surrounding greenery.

 

 

Report: Miami Heat’s Shane Battier Buys Coral Gables Home for $3.2 Million | Zillow Blog.

Rooftop solar takes off across California as costs come down | Katonah Real Estate

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California’s groundbreaking efforts to encourage homeowners and businesses to install rooftop solar panels were so successful in 2012 that the program is now effectively winding down, according to a new report.

A record 391 megawatts of solar power were installed statewide in 2012, a growth of 26 percent from 2011, according to a report by the California Solar Initiative released Wednesday.

“The program has made solar affordable for ordinary Californians,” said Susannah Churchill of the San Francisco-based solar advocacy group Vote Solar. “Solar is a classic California success story.”

In January 2007, California launched an unprecedented $3.3 billion effort to install 3,000 megawatts of new solar over

SolarCity installers carefully place a solar panel onto the roof of a residential building in San Francisco. (D. Ross Cameron/Staff Archives) (D. ROSS CAMERON)

the next decade and transform the market for solar energy by reducing the cost of solar-generating equipment.

One megawatt is enough to power 750 to 1,000 homes. But because the sun doesn’t shine all the time, solar industry experts say that one megawatt of solar can power about 200 households.

The California Public Utilities Commission’s California Solar Initiative, known as CSI,provides rebates for residential and commercial customers of the state’s three large, investor-owned utilities: Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric.

The initiative’s road map calls for 1,750 new megawatts of solar power to be installed on residential and commercial roofs in the state by 2016.

Through the end of the first quarter of 2013, California had an estimated 1,692 megawatts of rooftop solar installed at nearly 168,000 sites, meaning the program is zeroing in on its goal. PG&E alone has 77,782 solar customers within its vast Northern California territory.

The aim of the incentives is to help solar achieve what’s known in the renewable energy industry as “grid parity” — the long-awaited point at which solar can compete with cheaper sources of electricity such as natural gas.

Since 2007, the average total installed cost for residential solar systems has decreased 32 percent from $8.77 per watt to $5.98 per watt. Those costs include labor and permitting, as well as the panels themselves.

 

 

 

Rooftop solar takes off across California as costs come down – San Jose Mercury News.

Hot Real Estate Market Causes Unexpected Glitch For Buyers, Sellers | South Salem Real Estate

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The real estate market in the Boston area has been crazy lately and that’s adding up to trouble for both buyers and sellers.

Demand is way up and inventory is way down. That means buyers are all chomping at the bit to bid on the few houses that are on the market. “I’ve had clients this spring who have offered on properties without even seeing them,” explained realtor Kerrianne Ciccone.

In the most popular neighborhoods, sellers are routinely getting multiple offers above the asking price. While that may sound like great news for Ciccone’s clients like Neil Maniar, it can create some problems. “You never quite know what you are going to get into when you sell your house,” Maniar said.

One of the biggest unknowns in the current market is the appraisal. If a bidding war pushes the price above asking, the appraisal may come in too low.

 

 

Hot Real Estate Market Causes Unexpected Glitch For Buyers, Sellers « CBS Boston.

Sold: Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell’s Malibu Home | Katonah Real Estate

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It’s hard to picture the blond bombshell giving up her Malibu beach house for good. But after renting it out for $90,000 a month andlisting it for $14.749 million in July 2011, Goldie Hawn has found a buyer.

The Academy Award-winning actress and her longtime partner, Kurt Russell, closed the deal this month for $9.5 million, the Los Angeles Times confirms. The home’s last recorded for-sale price was $9.95 million after a 32.5 percent price cut.

Located off the Pacific Coast Highway, the view from the street is understated, showcasing no more than a 3-car garage. From the beach, however, the home is an inviting summer retreat with a large oceanfront patio and outdoor kitchen surrounded by lush topical landscaping. Inside, Zen-inspired decor fills the space with brightly colored pillows, a yellow couch and ornate wet bar.

Hawn isn’t the only celebrity to boast Bohemian flair. Actor Ryan Phillippe recently sold his “Rising Zen” estate, while model Cheryl Tiegs listed her Bel-Air oasis filled with rich mahogany and brightly-colored pendent lights.

Extensively renovated in 2005, Hawn’s home isn’t just stylish. The main residence also features a designer kitchen, high-tech media room and spa-quality master suite with a private deck overlooking the beach. A detached guesthouse includes a meditation room and gym.

Hawn, who’s known for her roles in “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” “The First Wives Club” and “Cactus Flower,” has been in a relationship with Russell since 1983, the same year he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in “Silkwood.” The couple own several properties together, including a Pacific Palisades home they bought in 2004 for a little over $4 million.

 

Sold: Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell’s Malibu Home | Zillow Blog.

June Concludes Best Spring Home Shopping Season in Almost a Decade | Cross River Real Estate

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As the weather warmed up this spring, so did the national housing market, shaking off a relatively sluggish start to the year to register the highest annual rate of home value appreciation in any second quarter since 2004.

The U.S. Zillow Home Value Index rose to $161,100 as of the end of the second quarter, up 5.8 percent year-over-year and 2.4 percent from the first quarter, the largest annual gain since August 2006 and largest gain in any quarter since the fourth quarter of 2005. National home values rose just 0.25 percent during the first quarter.

Additionally, not only did the pace of home value appreciation quicken in the second quarter, but the recovery also fully took hold nationwide. Markets in some areas of the Northeast, Midwest and Southeastern U.S. that had previously been slow to turn the corner began to appreciate, which helped boost the overall national market. All of the top 30 largest metro areas covered by Zillow experienced annual appreciation as of the end of the second quarter, and all have hit their bottom. Metros with the largest annual gains in the second quarter included Sacramento (29.5 percent), Las Vegas (29.4 percent) and San Francisco (25.5 percent).

Home values are expected to rise another 5 percent over the next 12 months, according to the Zillow Home Value Forecast. Of the 30 largest metro areas, 29 are expected to show home value appreciation in the next year. Metros expected to see the highest appreciation rates through June 2014 include Sacramento (18.9 percent), Riverside, CA (16.6 percent) and Phoenix (11 percent).

Only the New York metro is expected to show home value depreciation over the next 12 months (-0.8 percent). One possible explanation for expected depreciation (however slight) in the New York metro area is because New York is a judicial foreclosure state, with all foreclosures requiring judicial review before completion, which can lengthen the foreclosure process. Because foreclosures take longer to work through the system, they continue to drag home value appreciation rates down, according to Zillow economists. This could also help explain why large metro areas in other judicial foreclosure states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois, are expected to show only modest appreciation over the next year.

As home values continue to rise along with mortgage interest rates, and different kinds of buyers and sellers enter and exit the market, the landscape is expected to change.

“The U.S. housing market as a whole is currently not experiencing a bubble, but in many places it sure must feel like one, with some markets experiencing annual home value appreciation approaching 30 percent. Homeowners are feeling a sense of whiplash after years of depreciation, but this kind of market behavior won’t last,” said Zillow Senior Economist Svenja Gudell. “Investors are starting to pull out of some markets and regular buyers are coming back, and more inventory is slowly but surely coming on line, both of which will contribute to slowdowns in appreciation. Additionally, in some overheated markets, rapid home value increases coupled with rising mortgage rates will lead to housing prices and financing costs outpacing local income growth, which will also contribute to a moderation of the market. Combined, all of these factors will help the market in the second half of 2013 and beyond normalize and become much more steady than it has been in these past six months.”

 

 

June Concludes Best Spring Home Shopping Season in Almost a Decade | Zillow Blog.