via sfgate.com
Manhattan Beach Real Estate Prices And Demand Rise in 2012 | Pound Ridge Real Estate
Leave a reply
Category Archives: Pound Ridge
Pound Ridge NY Real Estate | Revealed: The manliest cities in America
Oklahoma is officially the manliest city in America, according to COMBOS.
The snack food company’s fourth annual list of the manliest cities in the US, produced in partnership with BestPlaces research firm Bert Sperling, saw Oklahoma City climb from third place in 2011 to become the country’s manliest town, above Columbia, Memphis and last year’s former winner Nashville.
Cities gain points for bowling, fishing woodworking and DIY, explains the report, while high concentrations of “manly businesses”, such as BBQ restaurants and steak houses, also add to a town’s testosterone. Other blokey bonus points come from residents owning foreign cars and minivans, as well as each city’s proximity to NASCAR events and major league sports teams.
The number of “manly magazine subscriptions” in a city is also a deciding factor.
The butchest contender was Tampa in Florida, which rose a surly 16 places from 39th to 23rd in the country. Chicago, meanwhile, saw the biggest drop in the manliness rankings, falling by 13 spots to rank 37th in the US.
The full rankings are as follows:
Oklahoma City, OK (▲ 2 spots)
Columbia, SC (▲3 spots)
Memphis, TN (▲ 1 spot)
Nashville, TN (▼ 3 spots)
Birmingham, AL (▲ 2 spots)
Houston, TX (▲ 3 spots)
St. Louis, MO (▲ 3 spots)
Toledo, OH (▲ 4 spots)
Cleveland, OH (▼ 3 spots)
Charlotte, NC (▼ 8 spots)
Louisville, KY (▲ 2 spots)
Cincinnati, OH (▲ 2 spots)
Indianapolis, IN (▼ 2 spots)
New Orleans, LA (▲ 3 spots)
Dallas, TX (▲ 6 spots)
Pittsburgh, PA (No change)
Atlanta, GA (▲ 6 spots)
Dayton, OH (▲ 8 spots)
Milwaukee, WI (▼ 11 spots)
Kansas City, MO (▼ 5 spots)
Jacksonville, FL (▲ 12 spots)
Richmond, VA (No change)
Tampa, FL (▲ 16 spots)
Providence, RI (▲ 3 spots)
Phoenix, AZ (▲ 7 spots)
Salt Lake City, UT (▼ 7 spots)
Columbus, OH (▼9 spots)
Orlando, FL (▲ 2 spots)
Philadelphia, PA (▼ 9 spots)
Grand Rapids, MI (▼ 1 spot)
Detroit, MI (▼ 6 spots)
Portland, OR (▲ 5 spots)
Buffalo, NY (▲ 1 spot)
Denver, CO (▼ 3 spots)
Baltimore, MD (▼ 7 spots)
Miami, FL (▲ 8 spots)
Chicago, IL (▼ 13 spots)
Las Vegas, NV (No change)
New York, NY (▼ 4 spots)
Minneapolis, MN (▼ 4 spots)
Seattle, WA (No change)
Harrisburg, PA (▼ 2 spots)
Washington, DC (▼ 1 spot)
Sacramento, CA (▼ 1 spot)
Rochester, NY (▲ 1 spot)
Los Angeles, CA (▲ 4 spots)
Boston, MA (▼ 2 spots)
Oakland, CA (▼ 1 spot)
San Francisco, CA (▼ 1 spot)
San Diego, CA (▼ 1 spot)
How to Pick the Right Chicken Coop | Pound Ridge NY Homes
Picture this: you’ve decided to add chickens to your backyard or homestead. You’re up to speed on basic healthcare and anatomy, and you think you know what chickens need to be happy. Now comes the big job – deciding how you’re going to house them.
Once you start down the road of choosing a style of coop for your new flock, you quickly discover there are as many plans and opinions about plans as there are chickens in the world. OK, I exaggerate, but honestly, it feels like it at first.
There’s the traditional coop and run, chicken tractors, pastured poultry pens, and paddock systems. And each one of those has countless different styles and systems to choose from. It’s exhausting work to figure out what’s going to work for your ‘girls’ (and maybe boys too), especially if you’ve never raised chickens before.
So how do you figure out the best plan for your new flock? It’s actually quite simple when you use a system. So I thought I’d share with you the process I went through to help me evaluate the best housing choice for our flock of 15.
Questions to Ask
Not every chicken coop plan is going to be suitable for your specific situation, so you’ll need to ask yourself a few questions before you even start looking at plans (trust me – this will save you a ton of time later):
- How many birds will I have eventually? You might start out with only 5 hens, but what if you want to expand your flock in a year or two, or add a rooster? You don’t want to have to start over or be renovating a coop with a flock living in it. At the very minimum, the ‘average’ full grown chicken needs 7.5 square feet (each) between outdoor and indoor space its if it’s penned all the time, and 3 square feet each if free ranging regularly. Larger breeds need a minimum of 10 square feet penned and 4 square feet if normally free ranging, and bantams 5 square feet penned and 2 square feet free range. They need less space in their secure sleeping area than their ‘day space’, but this would be an average. Keep in mind this is the minimum. Overcrowding of birds can cause not only social problems (pecking and fighting, and the resultant injuries you’ll then have to deal with), but creates a situation ripe for disease transmission as well. Make sure your birds have enough space!
- What breed will be living in your coop/run? Different species do well in different conditions, so birds that require more space for optimum health are not going to do well in more confined spaces. Be sure to look into the requirements for the birds you’ll be adding to your flock. Most books and many of the top websites on the topic will have all this information for you. Try backyardchickens.com for all sorts of info about breeds and coops.
- What’s the topography of your property? Our 6+ acres are hilly and mostly forested – not so good for portable rolling pens. If you’ve got a flat property, it definitely increases your options.
- Do you have room near the house to create your chicken housing? Well, not right beside your house, but if you live in an area with predators (and many of us do), you’ll want to be within earshot of the chickens so you’ll be awake and aware should something with teeth go marauding in the dead of night. Some people claim you can leave chickens for days if they have the right housing, but that’s just not something I’d advise if you’re surrounded by big, opportunistic predators (yes, even if you’ve got a livestock dog).
- What sorts of predators live in your area? This will dictate how secure your housing will have to be. We have weasels, raccoons, fishers, coyotes, bears and cougars to be concerned about, not to mention flying predators like red tailed hawks and ravens. Lots of coop plans have external doors for accessing the nest boxes – in our case, we decided against that style, as it would have made it easier pickin’s for the resident black bears (they’re weirdly dexterous with their mouths and paws). You’ll also see a lot of plans with open flooring so the poop falls through into some sort of collection space – apparently this reduces cleaning requirements, but it would not be at all safe in our neck of the woods, as any guage of wire mesh that would be big enough to let feces fall through would also allow the resident weasels an open door to our hens and rooster. I don’t think so… Plus the idea of the birds having to walk on wire just seems wrong to me.
- What’s your budget? You can spend $2000 on a fancy coop with all the bells and whistles, or you can convert an existing building for $100 or less. We built a sturdy, predator-proof coop for around $200, plus another $100 for water founts, feeders and a rubber trough. But we had our own lumber and shingles and used many re-purposed building materials (concrete board, trailer trusses, roosts, windows). The only thing we had to buy was some of the hardware cloth and chicken wire, and all the hinges and locks, as well as the linoleum for the floor. Be sure to make note of all the costs so there are no surprises part way through the project.
- Do you have access to reused materials? This will save you a lot of money, but will potentially add a lot of time to your project. Plus you’ll want to make sure the re-used materials are clean and that they’ll keep your birds safe from predators. Free materials aren’t a very good deal if you lose your birds, but they can make your coop unique and will pull some materials out of the waste stream that might otherwise have gone to landfill (or languished in someone’s shed for decades).
- Do you want a pre-designed plan, to customize a plan according to your own needs, or buy a pre-built coop? This will obviously depend on your budget, how much time you have available, and how good your constructions skills are. The fastest option is to buy a pre-built unit, but that may not suit your specific situation, nor your budget. If you choose to build your own, be sure to assess (realistically) how much time it will take and if you have that available to build an adquate shelter for your birds. If not, consider getting some help. Especially if your birds are on their way… 😉
Answering these questions honestly will provide a solid base for you to evaluate all those funky, stylin’ coop plans you’ve bookmarked.
Evaluate the Plans
Now, grab a cup of your favorite beverage and go through all those websites and chicken-raising books using these worksheets I put together to help you evaluate your favorite plans:
- Download: Chicken Housing Analysis Worksheet (Excel file)
- Download: Chicken Housing Analysis Worksheet (PDF)
The worksheet will help you evaluate all the various options – a ‘winner’ should become clear pretty quickly. It may be that you have to tweak as you go. It may be that you have to substitute some materials for others that you have available. But if you’ve done the work, you’ll end up with a housing system that will work for your property, your lifestyle, and your birds. And that means you’ll enjoy your chicken-raising adventure so much more than if you build a coop that’s not right for your specific situation and you spend the next year cursing it.
And remember, you can always come over to the Facebook page and ask questions of all our chicken-raising experts there! Here are some of our readers’ chicken coops, for inspiration… (click here for the slideshow)
Do you have any advice to share on finding the right chicken coop plan? Let us know in the comments below. Your advice may just help someone keep their girls safe and sound – and happy!
Lookout Tower Living | Pound Ridge Real Estate
Feeling a slight sense of apprehension, I took my first look at what was to be home for my husband and me over the course of the three months to come: a 12′ X 12′ glass-enclosed room perched on top a 40-foot tower on northern Idaho’s Gisborne Mountain. Mike and I were about to begin a season as fire lookouts for the U.S. Forest Service, and I was still a bit leery of the rustic life we would lead in our crow’s-nest.
The lookout tower was at the end of a chunky, rutted road some 30 miles from a store, ten miles from our nearest neighbor, and two miles from any source of water. We had no electricity, and only a small government radio for communication. The furnishings in our mountaintop aerie included a bed, a table and two chairs, a tiny stove, a midget refrigerator … and the tool of our “trade”: the four-foot-tall fire-finder we used to search for plumes of smoke.
Besides spotting possible blazes, our other responsibility was to report daily weather data to the regional Forest Service station. So, as you can imagine, we looked forward to having a lot of spare time to enjoy our magnificent 360° view of mountains, lakes, and sky.
Water Conservation
Soon after settling into the lofty home, we realized that water would be our most precious resource. Because the nearest spring was a round-trip hike of four miles, we had to devise ways to conserve the supply (a Forest Service truck made periodic — if irregular — visits to fill up our two 10-gallon tanks).
The biggest water wasters in most urban homes, of course, are the various components of the indoor plumbing system. Since we had an outhouse — and no piped-in water — we didn’t even have to concern ourselves with that kind of extravagance. Mike and I found, however, that we were able to save still more of the valuable liquid by practicing our own unorthodox (but efficient! ) conservation methods.
Our baths were usually shared, short (nobody lingers when bathing on a windy catwalk in 40°F weather!) … and limited to one every two or three days. We washed our clothes — once a week — in the rainwater collected in a two-gallon bucket. Furthermore, Mike and I found that — if we steamed our vegetables — the same water could be reused for several meals. We also made it a habit to eat together, out of the same pot or pan, so that we’d have fewer dishes to do. Then all our eating and cooking utensils for the day were washed after dinner … and one evening’s rinse water was saved to serve as the next day’s wash water.
MY COMMUNITY—>
Mortgage rates resume search for bottom | Pound Ridge NY Realtor
via inman.com
Martin Lawrence Renting Out His Beverly Hills Mansion – $200,000/Month | Pound Ridge Realtor
via zillow.com
Social Media Marketing Strategy: Starts with Who | Pound Ridge NY Realtor
Family Net Worth Fell Almost 40% Between 2007-2010 | Pound Ridge NY Realtor
via blogs.wsj.com
Pound Ridge NY Real Estate | How I Closed 17 Deals Because of Facebook — Part 2
Yesterday I told you that my husband/real estate partner, Brendan Powell, and I generated 17 closed transactions strictly because of Facebook. I clued you in on the strategy we used to facilitate genuine engagement. Today, we’ll talk business.
4. We used all four Facebook products. Yes, Facebook has four products and we have a strategy for each:
- Facebook Pages: To be honest, the Pages product isn’t nearly as effective for Realtors as it is for businesses that have ongoing active relationships with their clients. In real estate, people spend: months online thinking about buying or selling; a few weeks picking a Realtor; a few months actively in the market; then they stop thinking about Realtors until they want to sell in five-plus years. As people move through the cycle, their interaction with real estate-related online content naturally varies. When someone stops interacting with your page (for example, after they buy), Facebook will stop sharing your content on that person’s news feed. Forever. In fact, I’d bet that most of your Page posts are seen by fewer than 20 percent of your fans. Ouch, I know, that hurt to hear. We tailored our Pages strategy to mirror the stages of a client, and we actually manage three pages:
- MyPad targets first-time buyers — people who will likely be in the market in the next 18 months. On MyPad, we share basic buyer information, market updates, neighborhood scoop and unique listings. (www.facebook.com/mypadtoronto)
- HouseProud targets people who already own a house: It’s a way of keeping top of mind with our past clients (possible sources of referrals and repeat business) and a way of connecting with future sellers. We share content about home maintenance, refinancing, selling, etc. (www.facebook.com/houseproud)
- The BREL Real Estate Team –– This is our brand page, which is mainly about us and general information about the real estate market. It’s primarily made up of past condo clients and friends, and its primary purpose it to remind people that we work in real estate. (www.facebook.com/thebrelrealestateteam)
We invested in Facebook ads. In 2011 we spent $2,800 on Facebook pay-per-click ads and sponsored stories in an effort to target people we didn’t know. We advertised our Facebook business pages and linked to custom pages on our website. Our ads resulted in three deals to three total strangers. And with commissions averaging $10,000 per house/condo in Toronto, we considered $2,800 to be a good investment. We started a Facebook group for other area Realtors: Toronto Real Estate 2.0 is a place for Realtors in our area to share ideas around technology and social media. It’s also an excellent place for us to build our personal brand with our colleagues and get their referral business. (www.facebook.com/torontorealestate2.0) We use our personal profiles to reach “friends” and “friends of friends” for referrals, BUT we don’t actually post very often about business. People are “friends” with us on Facebook because they want to connect with us socially as friends — after all, we’re charming, funny and easy to share a beer with. The good news for our business is that the people who are most likely to refer us to their friends want to refer people who are charming, funny and easy to share a beer with. 5. We measured. Facebook Analytics is our friend. It tells us what content our fans like and when to post. I’d never have known how callous our fans were had I not seen the high click rates on our Worst MLS Photos posts — and to think I thought our fans wanted thought-provoking content! You’ll never know where to spend your time and money if you don’t measure your results.
6. We remembered the fundamentals of our business: knowledge, experience and expertise. Those 11 clients we found through Facebook? They referred six other clients to us in 2011 (and another three in 2012, but who’s counting?) It doesn’t matter how many fans you have on Facebook or many clicks your ads get: If you don’t deliver the experience your client expects, you won’t get repeat and referral business. And I predict that no matter how important social media becomes to the real estate industry, repeat and referrals will ALWAYS be the cornerstone of our industry.
Final tally for 2011: 3 solds to strangers met through Facebook ads; 3 solds to fans on our business page; 5 deals attributed to personal profiles (3 ‘friends of friends’ who we first connected with on Facebook and 2 from our extended sphere); and 6 deals from referrals from those 11 clients. Is Facebook a waste of time for our real estate business? I sure don’t think so.
via next.inman.com
Pound Ridge NY Estate | Instead of Vinyl Siding Use Fiber Cement
If you’re building a new home, garage, addition, workshop or barn — or if it’s time to replace the ancient, weather-beaten siding on your house — consider fiber-cement siding.
What is fiber-cement siding, and what are your options? Like conventional siding, fiber-cement siding is applied to the exterior of buildings to protect them from the elements. This product comes in a wide range of colors and styles that resemble conventional siding materials, notably stucco, cedar shingles and wood clapboards. It’s made primarily from cement, sand and wood fiber (often a recycled wood-fiber waste product), a combination that results in an extremely durable material.
Fiber-cement siding typically costs a bit more than vinyl siding, but less than stucco (see “What Will it Cost?” below). It also outlasts its competitors — often by decades — because it resists many common hazards, including fire, wind, insects and rain. Fiber-cement siding is recommended in all climates, but is ideal for hot, humid regions. No matter how wet it gets, it won’t rot. And because of the cement and sand content, it’s termite-resistant.
Because of its durability, fiber-cement siding reduces maintenance costs, and it’s less likely than conventional siding to end up in landfills. Unfortunately, there are currently no recycling programs in place for fiber-cement siding. However, it is an inert material that, if ultimately sent to a landfill, should not endanger the environment.
Although many builders and homeowners are just discovering the benefits of fiber-cement siding, this material has been around for quite some time — nearly 100 years — so you won’t be experimenting with a new product.
Fiber-cement planks made with a wood-grained or a smooth finish are popular. These come in widths of 4 to 12 inches, so you can match existing siding if you’re building an addition or garage. Fiber-cement siding also comes in wall panels with vertical grooves and soffit panels for the underside of overhangs.
Fiber-cement siding can be primed and painted at the factory or on the building site. (Some manufacturers prime all of their products.) I recommend factory-primed and painted siding, which often carries a warranty of up to 25 years. For those who want to do the priming and painting themselves, manufacturers typically recommend an alkaline-resistant primer and a 100-percent-acrylic top coat.
If you want to change the color at a later date, no problem. Water-based acrylic paints adhere well. And fiber-cement siding does not expand and contract as much as wood siding, so paint stays in place better. It rarely peels or blisters, reducing maintenance time and cost.
Fiber-cement siding is widely available and can be purchased at home improvement centers and lumberyards. Perhaps the best-known manufacturer is James Hardie, which offers three products: HardiePlank, HardieShingle and HardiePanel. Other manufacturers include CertainTeed, Cemplank and Maxitile. CertainTeed produces products in 16 color choices.
Installation
Before installing new fiber-cement siding, you’ll probably need to remove all the old siding — a time-consuming, demanding job. You’ll also need to rent H&J Long Island Junk Removal excellentjunkguys.com to haul the waste away . You may be able to recycle old siding or burn it in a woodstove if it’s not painted or treated with chemical preservatives or lead paint.
Applying new siding is relatively simple as long as you have basic construction skills, time and patience. You’ll also need a few tools: a circular saw or chop saw, cordless drill or hammer, sawhorses, ladder, dust mask, eye protection, level, straight edge, chalk line and a bevel gauge for marking siding for gable ends.
If you don’t have the necessary skills, hire a professional. A good contractor will do the job right and in a fraction of the time it would take a do-it-yourselfer. For those who want to take on this project, start by reading the manufacturer’s instructions and follow them closely. Manufacturers such as James Hardie offer detailed information on their websites. If the siding is installed incorrectly, you may end up creating costly problems and voiding the warranty.
Like conventional wood siding, fiber-cement siding can be applied to both wood and steel studs, but it’s normally attached to exterior wall sheathing (oriented strand board or plywood) on top of an appropriate weather-resistant barrier, such as Tyvek (see “Weather-resistant Barrier Materials,” below). Some fiber-cement products can be applied over rigid foam insulation. You’ll need to install vertical wood furring strips to which the siding will be attached before installing the siding over concrete or concrete block walls. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations for spacing of the furring strips.
Fiber-cement is attached using corrosion-resistant galvanized or stainless steel nails or screws that penetrate studs or exterior sheathing. Many fiber-cement siding planks can be blind-nailed onto exterior sheathing so that no nails show (an advantage over traditional wood clapboards). To do this, each plank is nailed about 1 inch down from the top edge. The next plank is placed so that it overlaps the nails, hiding them from view. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully, as there are some restrictions on blind-nailing wider planks to prevent wind uplift. (Wind can lift wider planks if they’re only attached at the top.)
Fiber-cement siding also can be face-nailed, which leaves exposed nail heads. But staples cannot be used because of the hardness of the material. Do not under-drive nails or screws.
Whatever system you choose, check the manufacturer’s recommendations for placement of fasteners (nails or screws) in relation to the ends and top edge of the plank. Consult wind tables provided by manufacturers for recommendations on fastener spacing, stud spacing and other factors for your area.
What to Watch Out For
Use a circular saw with a special blade that minimizes dust when cutting fiber-cement siding, such as Hitachi’s Hardiblade or Dewalt’s PCD Fiber-Cement Blade. You also may be able to cut these products with snapper shears or a guillotine-type cutter.
Cut these materials outdoors, in an area away from other people and pets. Anyone in the area should wear a dust mask whenever planks or other fiber-cement materials are being cut or sawn.
When applying new fiber-cement siding, consider installing additional insulation in the wall cavity or over the exterior sheathing. If you add rigid insulation over the exterior sheathing, you’ll have to build out the window and door trim as well.
Check local building codes to determine whether you need a permit to install new siding — and to be sure the job, as planned, meets the requirements. Local building codes may exempt fiber-cement siding from the usual requirement of a water-resistant layer between exterior sheathing and the siding, but it’s a good idea to install building paper. See “Weather-resistant Barrier Materials,” below, for some environmentally friendly options.
Weather-resistant Barrier Materials
A good house wrap underneath siding is an important component in green building because it “breathes,” allowing moisture vapor to escape to the outside. This prevents mold, which can cause health problems and damage to your home. In addition to Tyvek, check out Home Slicker by Benjamin Obdyke, Delta Reflex from Cosella Dorken Products, and Construction Film by Gempack (800-328-4556).
What Will it Cost?
Fiber-cement is more expensive than vinyl, but similar in price to wood — if you’re considering only the cost of materials. Fiber-cement products tend to be more costly to install because they require removal of the existing siding and more preparation. (Vinyl siding can often be placed over existing siding.) Cost is determined by several factors, such as whether the siding is pre-finished or painted on-site, the style of paint, type of siding and the size of your house.
Cost estimate per square foot to remove existing clapboard siding and install fiber-cement siding:
Cost for materials only: $2.50
Contractor’s total per square foot, including materials, labor and markup: $9.00
Includes house wrap, insulation board, and painting and priming the new siding. Costs are national averages and do not include sales tax.
Cost of alternate materials per square foot installed (does not include removal of existing clapboard siding):
Brick veneer: $18.00
Cedar clapboards: $8.00
White cedar shingles: $6.25
Vinyl: $6.50
What Will You Save?
Fiber-cement siding typically comes with an impressive (and transferable) warranty of up to 50 years. Less-frequent painting (every 15 to 25 years, versus every three to five years for conventional wood plank siding) means fiber-cement siding could save you a considerable amount over its lifetime.
In terms of return on investment, Remodeling magazine’s 2007 annual “Cost Versus Value” report rated new fiber-cement siding as one of the highest-value projects, with an average return of 88 cents on each dollar invested if homes were sold.
Go Green!
When working on any home improvement project (check out SWSRoofing.com for the must-do list), plan what you are going to do, and make a complete list of materials and supplies you’ll need. This will save extra trips to the hardware store or home improvement center to buy or return materials, saving you time and reducing gas use and wear-and-tear on your vehicle.