Tag Archives: Armonk Luxury Homes

Armonk Luxury Homes

Renovation Do No. 1: Upgrade your kitchen | Armonk Real Estate

All of our experts agree that a kitchen renovation should be at the top of your list, since it’s the heart of a home and the room where families spend most of their time. But where to start? A couple of givens include upgrading to stainless steel appliances and installing countertops made from engineered stone or granite, because these fairly easy changes will improve the aesthetic appeal of the space. Details can also make a difference, like putting shiny knobs on cabinets and purchasing a sparkling new faucet for the sink.

Modern innovations and technology have been so good to everyday life. Having the ability to cook on an electric stove and use electricity for many other things in life is something that many people take for granted. However, when your electricity isn’t working right or you need electric oven repair, you might be a little more than overwhelmed with all of the things that you have to consider in order to make the most of your repair services. Take the time to Check This Out all of your options. If the winter was bitterly cold and the heat cost were unspeakably high, then you certainly need to think about insulation for your home. If it is formulated as simply as possible, then insulation serves ultimately to prevent or slow down heat exchange between two areas. Ideally, the heat stays in the house and the cold outside or vice versa for the summer months when you want to keep to cold air inside and heat outside. Many building materials can be a source of insulation, but only a few do this effectively. Even a simple stone wall holds heat to a certain extent in the walls. However, if considerable savings are to be made in terms of heating costs, there is no way around special insulation materials. But it does not always have to be “packed” within the whole house to save money. It is often enough to simply insulate the top floor, which will considerably reduce fuel consumption. Click here for more information https://www.insulation4us.com/blogs/what-insulation-should-i-use-when-insulating-my-home-in-brooklyn-ny/

Another wise kitchen upgrade? Knocking down a full or half wall, so you can connect the kitchen to the den or living room. “It makes the kitchen feel more spacious,” says Phyllis Rockower, the owner of the Real Estate Investors Club of Los Angeles. “If you’re cooking, you can still hear what people are saying during a party, or keep an eye on your kids while they’re playing.” http://money.msn.com/home-loans/good-and-bad-renovations-for-your-homes-value

Snow Is Back In The Forecast For Tuesday In Armonk | Armonk NY Homes

Westchester County is likely to see its second accumulating snow fall in the span of four days on Tuesday.

After a mostly sunny day Monday with highs near 30, there is an 80 percent chance of snow on Tuesday, mainly before 4 p.m., with 2 to 4 inches accumulation possible, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service. The snow is expected to start prior to dawn on Tuesday, which could make driving conditions during the morning commute treacherous.

It will clear out on Wednesday, with sunny skies and a high around 35.

Thursday should be mostly sunny with a high around 34.

Temperatures will then warm up for the weekend.

There is a chance of rain Friday with a high of around 48. There’s a chance of rain on Saturday with a high around 43.

 

 

http://armonk.dailyvoice.com/news/snow-back-forecast-tuesday-westchester

2013 a year of ‘pleasant surprises’ for housing market | Armonk Homes

Toronto’s housing market continues to defy skeptics, Calgary’s is upward and onward, Vancouver has “sprung back to life” and Montreal remains a relative bargain, says a BMO Capital Markets assessment of “a year of pleasant surprises” on Canada’s real estate front.

In fact, the market has “pulled up sharply” from last year’s downturn and “is cruising at an above-normal altitude,” says BMO senior economist Sal Guatieri in a cross-country checkup on four key housing markets.

  • Toronto is “hardly landing,” says Guatieri, with sales up 9 per cent over historic norms in the three months up to October. But benchmark prices, up 4 per cent over a year ago, remain “lofty” at more than six times median family income.

But with close to 60,000 new condos under construction and developers offering more incentives, such as free furniture and waived maintenance fees, in the face of a dramatic sales slowdown, price gains should slow in 2014, says Guatieri.

While there is mounting concern that far too many new units will be coming on the market, the report says the shortage of new detached homes, and their high prices, will force more buyers into condos and they should absorb the new supply.

  • Calgary is the place to be: It is the strongest major market in Canada, with house sales 20 per cent above historic norms and benchmark prices up 8 per cent, virtually making up for the 16 per cent decline in prices from 2007 to 2009.

Prices remain at a more reasonable four times median family income and demand remains extraordinarily high because of the number of immigrants and young people heading west looking for work.

  • Vancouver has pulled out of last year’s steep decline — sales were down 33 per cent, year over year, at the peak, and prices were depressed by 6 per cent — but “affordability is Vancouver’s Achilles’ heel,” says the report.

“We continue to expect detached house prices to decline moderately in the medium term,” says Guatieri.

Condos remain the most affordable option, eating up 29 per cent of median family income, now that prices have fallen to essentially where they stood six years ago, says the report.

  • Montrealmay be the weakest of the four major markets, but that’s good news for house hunters. Sales remain 9 per cent below historic norms and prices are up just 2 per year over year.

That makes the median price of a two-storey detached home in Montreal just $382,000, compared to $565,000 in Toronto and just over $1 million in Vancouver.

 

 

http://www.thestar.com/business/2013/12/05/2013_a_year_of_pleasant_surprises_for_housing_market.html

 

Freddie Mac reports Mortgage rates increase | Armonk Homes

Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing average fixed mortgage increasing strongly following better than expected reports on private job growth and new home sales.

News Facts

  • 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.46 percent with an average 0.5 point for the week ending December 5, 2013, up from last week when it averaged 4.29 percent. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.34 percent.
  • 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.47 percent with an average 0.4 point, up from last week when it averaged 3.30 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 2.67 percent.
  • 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 2.59 percent this week with an average 0.4 point, down from last week when it averaged 2.60 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 2.55 percent.

Average commitment rates should be reported along with average fees and points to reflect the total upfront cost of obtaining the mortgage. Visit the following links for the Regional and National Mortgage Rate Details and Definitions. Borrowers may still pay closing costs which are not included in the survey.

 

 

Case Study: Advanced Content Marketing | Armonk Realtor

Case Study- Advanced Content Marketing

Content is a two syllable word that has become an online marketing strategy.  Its impact has far reaching effects that belies its verbal simplicity. It  influences search engine results, drives online engagement and can create brand  awareness at velocity when it goes viral.

With Google’s recent updates, the role of content has increased in priority.  The search giant is now rewarding sites with higher rankings that offer unique  content that delivers a quality user experience.

This means that progressive brands need to become publishers and not just  advertisers. Advanced content marketing is a human and creative art form with  soul enabled by technology and process driven. It is multi-media content at  scale that leverages a brand’s reach that is efficient and amplified.

Is corporate media getting better than mainstream media?

In a recent article on the Hubspot blog, Dan Lyon poses an intriguing question.

Is corporate media getting  better  than mainstream  media?”

He then cites examples of Microsoft, General Electric and Google who are  using both technology and their great content archives to “out publish” existing  traditional media companies.

I think that in some cases he may be right.

Today’s companies do have the technology and platforms to go it alone. They  often have the marketing CRM’s, databases, access to vast libraries of content  and the technology to make a traditional newspaper brand look bland.

Marketing and publishing has been democratized

Technology changes have put the power in the users hands. Companies don’t  need to understand how to use a printing press.

  • Want to publish. Launch a blog
  • Need to design and create an online magazine. Hire a designer, assign an  editor and writer and create your brand magazine using Photoshop.
  • Have the impulse to shoot a video. Buy a $1,000 video camera, create a video  and upload it to YouTube
  • Feel the motivation to market. Amplify your content to your Facebook and  Twitter fans and followers

Should some advertising dollars be moved to publishing?

Companies such as Red Bull are moving their spending from advertising to  publishing. They are also about creating “conversations around the  brand” not “about” the brand. This means creating content that has  heart and soul of the brand embedded but not mentioned.

No-one wants to talk about the drink but the lifestyle that revolves around  the brand image.

Advanced content marketing case study:  Lorna Jane

Lorna Jane is an “activewear” label for women that has been around for over  20 years. The brand is about fitness and fashion for women. They have embraced  the the strategy of advanced content marketing.

Their aim “to inspire women to live their best life through active  living”. Their mantra and mission is based upon a three pillared philosophy  of:

  • Move
  • Nourish
  • Believe

Lorna Jane is not simply a clothing label, it is a way of life”. They are about fitness and a healthy lifestyle.

Lorna Jane’s marketing is not about talking about its product but being a  publisher. The heart and soul is about creating conversations around the  brand.

Jessie Dean, the Digital Marketing Manager at Lorna Jane has a team that  includes:

  • Social media specialist
  • Social media coordinator
  • Editor of “Move Nourish Believe”

They have also created a separate and secondary brand that is about the  lifestyle and mission that is core to the Lorna Jane message.

 

 

 

Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/11/27/case-study-advanced-content-marketing/#CgUbpkk6o1KJEJiZ.99

As a general rule, leave the leaves | Armonk Real Estate

If you had driven past my house in recent days, you might have thought you were watching a movie in reverse. There I was, opening trash bags, dumping out leaves and spreading them over the ground.

These were bags left curbside for me by neighbors near and far.

It does seem crazy, doesn’t it, gathering up all these bags and dumping out all those leaves? But dried, dead leaves contain stored energy, the sun’s energy. Put them on or in the soil, as I have been doing, and they release their energy to support the growth and activity of fungi, earthworms and other soil organisms. Mostly, these are friendly creatures, and nurturing them allows them to thwart unfriendly organisms, such as those causing some plant diseases.

Besides disease prevention, when leaves are gobbled up by soil organisms, the nutrients in them are being released. Think of all those minerals taken in by a tree’s wide, spreading and deep roots. Just falling to the ground all around you, leaves are, pound for pound, about as rich in minerals as is manure.

NOT FOR EVERYWHERE

Of course, spreading leaves over the ground or just leaving them there in the first place is not an option for every site.

I have spread leaves over a hayfield in which I’ve planted chestnut trees. In coming years, these trees will shade out the grass; I’m just helping the ground become the leaf-blanketed forest floor that it will eventually turn into.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/general-rule-leave-leaves-144622286.html