Anne Curran
Darien, Wilton, New Canaan and Ridgefield have all been named to Rent.com‘s Top 25 Cities for Renters Raising Families.
The towns “boast some of the nation’s best school systems, beautiful parks and affluent communities,” according to a press release. Darien ranked the highest of Connecticut towns at No. 6. Wilton was ranked 12th, New Canaan was 18th and Ridgefield was named 24th.
Rent.com has assembled the Top 25 Cities for Renters Raising Families with the help of New York-based Onboard Informatics 2014, a data and technology company.
“This list is based on cities and towns with a high concentration of family households (greater than 70 percent), population greater than 10,000 and a median household income of $50K or more,” according to the release.
Rental data and median rental rates based on Rent.com data. Cities with fewer than 1,000 rental dwellings were eliminated.
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Buyers, don’t get your hopes too high about a less competitive housing market this spring.
Despite rising prices and bidding wars, homeowners remain reluctant to put up for-sale signs, creating a shortage of available properties that is frustrating buyers and real estate agents across Eastern Massachusetts. Many are crossing their fingers that a flood of new listings will materialize to ease the pressure on the market and prices as the crucial spring selling season gets underway.
But don’t count on it.
“The recent stunning lack of inventory of homes for sale is still stunning — and it’s even getting worse,” said Mary Gillach, a real estate agent at Brookline’s Gillach Group, affiliated with William Raveis Real Estate. “It’s not just in Brookline and Newton and other areas we cover. I’m hearing it from others all over.”
Tight inventories have been the story of the region’s housing market for more than a year, tamping down sales, driving up prices, and showing few signs of easing. Listings of single-family homes statewide have declined for 24 consecutive months — including a 19 percent plunge in February — while median sale prices have increased for 28 straight months, according to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors and Warren Group, a Boston real estate tracking firm.
Sales, meanwhile, have declined in each of the past three months — not for want of buyers, but of sellers, according to industry analysts.
The tight supplies have been felt most acutely in Boston neighborhoods and close-in communities, where median prices, or midpoint prices, have climbed significantly above the prerecession peak in 2005. Gillach said she recently represented a client who bid $1.4 million in cash — $300,000 over the asking price — for a four-bedroom home in Newton and waived the home inspection.
“And we still lost,” she said. “There were 15 other offers — 15 offers.”
Industry officials say a number of factors could be contributing to the supply shortage. First, construction of new homes has lagged in recent years even as the population has grown. In addition, home values have yet to regain their prerecession peak in many communities, leaving homeowners wary of selling at a loss.
Tom Grimshaw, a realtor at Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty in Boston, cited another factor exacerbating inventory woes: homeowners worried they won’t be able to find a new home at an affordable price if they sell.
One of his clients wants to sell her South End condo and move, he said, “but she’s afraid there’s no place else for her to go in the area. She’s really balking at selling. This is a very intense market right now.”
Three Texas markets lead the list of markets facing a housing shortage that will boost home prices even higher than expected in the spring buying season, according to Local Market Monitor’s quarterly top investment targets.
“The economy has been growing quickly in these markets, there are lots of renters, and there aren’t many foreclosed properties to provide competition,” noted Ingo Winzer, president and founder of Local Market Monitor. Fort Worth, Houston and Austin top LMM’s first quarter list.
“The upward pressure on home prices—economic growth and a history of slow home construction—eased somewhat due to the horrible winter weather,” said David Hicks, co-president of HomeVestors, which sponsors the research. “But we think there are a number of markets nationwide that will run up against a housing shortage that will boost home prices even higher than most of us initially expected as the spring thaw gets underway.”
Hicks noted that new quarterly data compiled by Local Market Monitor identifies the markets where conditions are right for home prices to rise, making them prime targets for investors in single family homes as rental properties.
“In all the major markets in Texas, we are experiencing an actual shortage of properties for sale.’ Hicks noted. “Our franchises tell us they are quickly selling every house they can buy.” HomeVestors’ franchises are all independently owned and operated, which means they understand from a local viewpoint what is happening in over 110 markets nationwide.
http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2014/03/texas-tops-lmm-list-of-investment-targets/
Economic Development
Armonk Square – A few more stores have opened, namely Bowls (soups and salads), JP Morgan Chase and the children’s store Jagger and Jade. The final location, Peachwave (frozen yogurt) will open sometime in April.
The site of the North White Plains Diner is currently under construction and will re-open under new ownership. (pictured above right)
Bristal Assisted Living – Is open for business and plans on a Grand Opening event later this year.
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You already know that content is important. Smart marketers are using quality content to build brand awareness and drive traffic to their sites. Many content creators dream of their content going viral.
Here are 9 tips for creating content that gets shared.
Before you begin writing, take a moment to identify your target audience. It is difficult to get people to share your content if they don’t care about it, so figure out who you target audience is and cater your content to them. All you need to do is ask some basic questions.
Who: Are you targeting stay-at-home moms, college students, retired couples, teenage girls, marketing professionals, engineers, musicians, or scientists?
What: What does your target audience need? Create something that will help them.
When: When is your target audience online? Publish with those times in mind.
Where: Where do they live, work, and play? Someone who lives in Paris doesn’t need a list of Calgary’s best restaurants.
Why: Why is your audience online? Are they looking for specific information, socialization, entertainment, or validation?
How: How does your target audience experience the internet? Are they using a computer, or do they do most of their browsing on a smart phone? Make sure your content is compatible.
First impressions are essential. It doesn’t matter how good your content is if no one bothers to read it. There are many different ways to write an engaging headline, but here are a few tips to get you started.
Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/03/31/9-tips-for-creating-content-that-gets-shared/#hoMxpQ6XRogU8lyM.99
Putting shovel to soil and watching flowers and vegetables grow is one of the best parts about warm weather. Not only is gardening fun, it improves your well-being, too, since it gets you out and about in the fresh air and sunshine. But it can also become a costly and time-consuming hobby if you don’t know what you’re doing, for this reason we recommend that you uses the services from tree trimming Boise to keep your garden in a good shape. Whether you’ve been gardening for years or are just starting out, there’s always room for improvement. Read on to discover common gardening mistakes, and tips from the pros on how to correct them. Photo by: Diane Morey Sitton
Mistake #1: Not Using Enough Mulch While mulch (or any other type of material-from compost to newspaper-that’s used to cover the surface of your soil) is key to a healthy garden, many people just don’t use enough of it. “Compost is meant to suppress weeds and hold in moisture so your plants are able to grow properly,” says Amy Stewart, author of Wicked Bugs. But it does a lot more than that. Mulch also reduces the impact of heavy rain and helps maintain an even soil temperature, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service. A good rule of thumb: Use three to six inches of compost on top of the soil around the base of your plants, recommends Stewart.
Mistake #2: Overwatering This common mistake is not only harmful to your plants, but it’s wasteful as well. “We use drinking water to water our plants when we need to be more efficient and conscientious about what kind of water we use, how much and how often,” says Jamie Durie, landscape designer, horticulturist and host of HGTV’s The Outdoor Room. If your watering system is on a timer, make sure to turn it off on rainy days. It’s also best to water your plants at dawn or dusk, especially on hot summer days, when water evaporates quickly. Drip irrigation, which conserves both water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots, is also an extremely effective-and inexpensive-option. While TLC.com recommends giving most plants and your lawn an inch of water per week, the key is keeping the soil moist without overdrying or oversaturation, as both can be damaging. If you’re looking for beautiful, yet easy to install and maintain landscaping addition, artificial grass is a great idea. At World Class Surfaces, we provide installation & supply of artificial grass/synthetic turf to any home or commercial properties in Perth. Using only the highest-quality Artificial Grass designed we supply to suit every kind of home, school, sport surface & recreational facility.
Mistake #3: Not Doing Enough Research Before Purchasing Your garden will never look as lush as you’d it like to if you’re planting the wrong flowers and shrubs, so always find out what types of plants grow best in your climate. First, check out your neighbors’ properties to see what’s in bloom and what’s not-if it grows in their yard, it will probably grow in yours. Then, make a sun map of your planting area, Stewart recommends. “Observe the sun and shade levels at 9 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. so you are aware of the light,” she says. And finally, if you want to be extra diligent, test your soil. “It basically involves filling up vials with soil and adding liquid agents to determine the pH levels,” says Jon Feldman, landscape designer and owner of G. biloba Gardens, Inc. in Nyack, New York. “Test kits are available from better garden centers and local Cooperative Extension Agencies.”
https://shine.yahoo.com/at-home/9-biggest-gardening-mistakes-avoid-192600695.html
Environmental Leaders Learning Alliance (ELLA) Meeting
Teatown is seeking an EMT to act as Health Director for its science day camp, June 30th-August 22nd. Responsibilities include responding to camper illness or injury, coordinating first aid supplies and medications, and speaking with parents about camper health issues. Candidates must be at least 21 years old, physically active and comfortable navigating through a natural setting on foot or by an off-road vehicle. Please contact Lisa Baugh at 
Strap on your work shoes and grab a shovel! Teatown is offering trail volunteer workshops in April.
Ages 7-11, 8-week session
