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North Salem NY Realtor sees Top 20 Realtor.com search markets | Inman News for the North Salem NY real estate market

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Top 20 Realtor.com search markets

Median price, inventory drops in most markets tracked

Median list prices and for-sale inventories were down in nearly all markets tracked by Realtor.com during May, reversing trends seen in April.

At the national level, the median list price fell 1.56 percent from April to May, to $188,900. That compares with a 6.7 percent increase in median list price in April that nearly reversed 10 consecutive months of declines.

The median list price was down in 126 of 146 markets tracked, falling by more than 5 percent in 23 markets — including 14 in Florida.

The nine other markets where monthly median price declines exceeded 5 percent were Chattanooga, Tenn. (-17.8 percent); South-South Carolina rural statistical area (-6.52 percent); Tucson, Ariz. (-5.77 percent); Chicago, Ill. (-5.71 percent), Jersey City, N.J. (-5.5 percent); Columbia, S.C. (-5.41 percent); Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz. (-5.41 percent); York, Pa. (-5.08 percent); and Fresno, Calif. (-5.06 percent).

Looking back a year, the national median list price was down 2.07 percent, with 111 of 146 markets seeing year-over-year declines.

The markets with the greatest annual declines in median list price were Santa Barbara, Calif. (-26.89 percent); Detroit, Mich. (-18.35 percent); Chattanooga, Tenn. (-16.91 percent); Chicago (-16.64 percent); Atlanta (-16.49 percent), Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla. (-15.63 percent); Sacramento, Calif. (-15.3 percent); and Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz. (-15.16 percent).

Six markets saw median list prices increase by more than 5 percent from a year ago: Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Fla. (27.27 percent); Miami (9.17 percent); Shreveport-Bossier City, La. (8.82 percent); Fort Wayne, Ind. (6.9 percent); Springfield, Ill. (6.75 percent); and Fort Pierce-Port St. Lucie, Fla. (5.2 percent)

For-sale inventories

At the national level, for-sale inventories grew by 3.52 percent from April to May, with nearly 2.35 million homes on the market.

That’s a 14.26 percent drop from a year ago, however, and 135 of 146 markets had fewer homes on the market in May than at the same time a year ago.

For-sale inventories were down from a year ago in 18 of the 20 markets that attracted the most searches, Realtor.com said, with Las Vegas and Philadelphia as exceptions.

Nevertheless, Realtor.com noted that searches are up 16.56 percent at the listing portal from a year ago.

The 11 markets that had more for-sale inventory on the market in May than a year ago were New York (10.23 percent); Las Vegas (8.16 percent); Philadelphia (6.54 percent); Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, Pa. (6.11 percent); Reno, Nev. (5.97 percent); Anchorage, Alaska (5.17 percent); El Paso, Texas (3.83 percent); Cedar Rapids, Iowa (3.28 percent); Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, N.J. (1.31 percent); Oklahoma City (1.31 percent); and Baton Rouge, La. (0.92 percent).

Markets with the greatest year-over-year decline in for-sale listings were Savannah, Ga. (-43.97 percent); Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Fla. (-36.49 percent); Miami (-36.36 percent); Orlando, Fla. (-35.47 percent); Boise City, Idaho (-34.21 percent); Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, Mich. (-33.15 percent); Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay, Fla. (-29.11 percent); Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla. (-27.46 percent); Daytona Beach, Fla. (-26 percent); and Phoenix-Mesa (-26 percent).

Days on market

The median time a for-sale property spent on Realtor.com continued to exceed 120 days in most parts of Florida, as well as in Savannah, Ga. (178 days); South-South Carolina rural statistical area (175 days); Myrtle Beach, S.C. (146 days); Santa Fe, N.M. (141 days); Reading, Pa. (138 days); Wilmington, N.C. (138 days); Mobile, Ala. (122 days); and Salem, Ore. (121 days).

California markets typically had among the lowest days on Realtor.com. Areas where the median age of the inventory was less than 60 days include Denver, Colo. (39 days), Oakland, Calif. (46 days), Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla. (51 days), San Francisco, Calif. (57 days), Bakersfield, Calif. (60 days), and the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. (60 days).

Median list price, inventory for top 20 Realtor.com search markets

MarketMedian list priceChange from year agoNumber of listingsChange from year ago
U.S.$188,900-2.07%2,348,431-14.26%
1. Chicago, Ill.$199,900-16.64%72,376-8.02%
2. Las Vegas, Nev.-Ariz.$119,500-14.58%27,0158.16%
3. Detroit, Mich.$89,000-18.35%29,622-19.25%
4. Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.$139,900-15.16%25,894-26.00%
5. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla.$134,900-15.63%28,359-5.82%
6. Atlanta, Ga.$154,500-16.49%77,259-12.69%
7. Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif.$324,900-13.36%33,438-10.00%
8. Dallas, Texas$189,000-4.55%24,836-2.75%
9. Philadelphia, Pa.-N.J.$239,000-7.18%26,2426.54%
10. West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, Fla.$199,900-4.35%23,930-17.17%
11. Orlando, Fla.$149,900-9.15%13,969-35.47%
12. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.$159,000-5.72%16,892-25.08%
13. Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif.$190,000-4.52%31,673-9.24%
14. Washington, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.Va.$369,9994.52%15,935-9.81%
15. Orange County, Calif.$444,900-6.34%16,518-4.25%
16. San Diego, Calif.$349,900-6.69%15,868-1.85%
17. Denver, Colo.$253,700-4.23%5,565-7.50%
18. Boston-Worcester-Lawrence-Lowell-Brockton, Mass.-N.H.$333,000-3.45%29,854-0.08%
19. Miami, Fla.$238,0009.17%16,504-36.36%
20. San Antonio, Texas$179,0002.87%12,335-8.22%

Source: Realtor.com

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North Salem real estate looks at “10 Recycling and Reuse Tips from Mother Earth News, 1970” | North Salem NY real estate for sale

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Lately I’ve been mining the Mother Earth News archive disks for bits of relevant wisdom—which are abundant there. When the magazine got started, in 1970, I was in first grade and recycling was new and cool. (We loved those field trips to the shiny new recycling center.) In the fifth issue, September/October 1970, T.H. Hagemann offers some great recycling and reuse tips—many still relevant today. He describes these as “little ideas that anyone can start using right now to cut day to day living expenses and–over a year’s period–add a number of dollars (a penny saved is a penny earned) to the family kitty.”

“Best of all,” Hagemann adds, “these ideas are ecologically sound because each one makes better, extra or extended use of an item from our insane ‘throw-away’ system.” (One has to wonder what Mr. Hagemann would have to say about that today.)

card 

Cut it up and use the back side for notes and shopping lists. 

1. Cut up Christmas and other greeting cards and keep the clear, smooth pieces in a holder in the kitchen to be used for shopping lists, notes to the milkman, etc. (OK, so all my “notes” to the milkman now happen online and most of the greeting cards I get are electronic. Hagemann also suggests doing this with junk mail, and I still get plenty of that.)

 pickle jar 

Use it again and again. 

2. Wash and save glass containers from mayonnaise and other products for food storage and keeping fruit juice in the refrigerator. Tall mayonnaise jars will protect sugar, salt, flour and cereals better than their original paper or cardboard containers, and squatty jars are perfect for storing little leftovers in the refrigerator.

coffee can 

Save both the lid and the can for reuse. Photo by David Pursehouse/flickr 

3. Use the plastic tops of coffee cans as coasters under glasses and also to keep furniture feet from digging into your rug.

4. Coffee cans with holes punched in their bottoms—and-perhaps decorated with aluminum foil—make adequate temporary flower pots.

avocado

Nearly everyone had an avocado plant in the kitchen window in the 1970s. 

5. Use the seeds of foods you have eaten—apples, oranges, grapefruit, green pepper and avocado—to grow new plants. (Remember the iconic ‘70s avocado plant? Hagemann had on that was 5 feet high.)

string 

Craft old strings into new materials. Photo by Medea Materials/flickr 

6. Save all reusable wrapping paper and string. Heavy wrapping paper makes an excellent, dust-proof backing for framed pictures. “The distaff side of our family even crocheted herself a summer handbag from the vari-colored twine from the bakery and drug store,” Hagemann reported.

sheets 

Re-stitch bed sheets to give them a second life. Photo by quinn.anya/flickr 

7. Bed sheets, which usually wear out in the middle, can be cut down the center and the two outside edges, which get very little wear, can then be sewn together to make a new center. It takes a little time and work to hem the new outer edges (which were formerly in the middle), but it saves the price of a new sheet. Pillow slips can be made from the good sections of the worn sheet and finally, of course, they go into the rag bag.

towels 

Turn them into hand towels, then into rags. 

8. Bath towels, which also wear most in the middle, can be cut in half to make hand towels. The good pieces are later made into face cloths and dish rags and, finally, they too can be used for cleaning and shoe polishing.

plastic dry clean 

You can put that plastic to all sorts of good use. 

9. Pliofilm covers and plastic bags have many uses. Those from the dry cleaner serve as continued protection for clothes and for storing blankets and sweaters. They also make good dust-covers for the ironing board, small suitcases and other items. We use them also in our linen closet and on book shelves. Spread the bottom end of the bag smoothly on the clean shelf, the bottom edge against the back wall, or sticking up an inch or so if you prefer. While most of the bag hangs down, stack your linens or books on the covered shelf, then bring the rest of the clear covering up in front of the stack, over the top, and tuck it down gently in back. The contents of the shelf are completely visible, yet protected from dust. It is a simple matter to lift off the top of the pliofilm when you want to remove a sheet or a book, and the covering can be kept clean with upward sweeps of a damp cloth or sponge.

10. Smaller pliofilm bags are good for covering fans, kitchen appliances, handbags, shoes or gloves. When we travel, almost every item in the suitcase is kept clean, safe from accidental spills and wrinkle-free in its individual plastic bag.

The Mother archive CDs are my favorite reading material right now. If you’d like to do a little mining for wisdom yourself, check out this offer. Right now, you can order the complete set of Mother Earth News archive CDs and receive two free passes to the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, in September. See you there? 

via motherearthnews.com

Why Is Google Wallet Doomed? | North Salem Real Estate asks what is google wallet?

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Is Google Wallet Doomed?

Google seemed to be mid geekgasm when they announced their Google Wallet program, a system by which users could make payments via smartphone. This wasn’t some payment routing utility, either. You could literally tap your phone to a special sensor and – voila! Payment sent. The problem is that, beyond many being entirely apathetic about the entire idea, numerous analysts have predicted the failure of the device.

I myself have a mixed opinion on the topic, and I always try to suspend judgment. Rather than giving you an ear-load about my opinions, I’m going to go through some of the common “complaints” about Google Wallet and give my feedback.

  • The rollout is too tiny to succeed!
    It’s true that the Nexus S is the only phone, there’s only one card, and there are only 15 chains who are supporting the program. Some call that a minuscule rollout. I would call that a testing phase. Google will definitely need more partners to succeed, but it’s okay to test the waters a bit first.
  • You’ll still need your wallet!
    Yeah, you pretty much will. You’ll still need your driver’s license, library card, and school ID at a minimum, and many will want to keep payment methods as a backup. So, while Google Wallet might work to keep your payment methods at home – and thus less vulnerable – even that use is minimal at best. This could change if schools, states, and other groups started introducing smartphone IDs. The concept isn’t unheard of, and with NFC technology it may even be a good step forward. But we’re not there yet.
  • The technology is weak!
    NFC is new but fairly reliable. Security concerns are legitimate due to the young age of the product, but NFC is as secure or more secure than other mediums – as far as we can tell. The greater concern here is battery life, since no one wants to be deprived of cash just because their Evo ran out of juice (which it does in, like, four hours). Batteries and general phone reliability will have to step forward to make this viable.
  • AT&T, Verizon, ISIS, and PayPal are competing!
    Okay, this one is completely off. Yes, there are competitors. That’s a good thing. It means more merchants, card groups, and retailers are likely to implement the technology. In this instance, the rising tide will raise all ships.

What are your thoughts? Is Google Wallet the way of the future or just another Google experiment doomed for failure?

[via eWeek]

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North Salem NY real estate sees “Troubling economic news” | Inman News for the North Salem NY real estate market

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Troubling economic news mounts

Commentary: Watch for dropping shoes

 

Flickr image courtesy of <a href=

Financial markets stayed in tight ranges all week — not at all calm, just waiting for more falling footwear.

Whistling noises from above: Greece is going to default, and soon, and its creditors are going to pretend that it hasn’t, but the default will trigger obligations under credit-default swaps, the contagion vector to banks, followed by other “Club Med” nations wanting the same non-default default.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s speech on Tuesday snipped the suspenders holding optimists’ pants: The economy has slowed but will do better in six months (uh-huh), no new stimulus coming. Trying to pull pants up while texting “SELL!” can prove scandalous (see: Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y.), even if perps have seen the Bernanke movie before.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) refused to increase production, with impoverished members enjoying high prices (Iran, Venezuela), and Saudis understanding the damage to customers. The no-shortage story that speculators are responsible for $100 per barrel prices no longer holds crude.

via inman.com