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Armonk Fighting over Funeral | Armonk NY Homes
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Tag Archives: Armonk Luxury Homes
Real estate brokers, fall into line: It’s time to let the MLS lead | Armonk Real Estate
The power balance in the real estate world is shifting faster than ever. Travel titans, search engines, investment oracles and government entities all want to change the way we do business. Most just want to control a larger piece of the pie.
Real estate brokerages are often too focused on their day-to-day business of attracting and retaining agents to give an appropriate share of their attention to the greater direction of real estate. The reasons are fairly simple. Brokerages are deemed successful by their ranking vs. local competitors as opposed to the greater health of all brokers in their region. The ability of a broker or agent to increase sales production and income often comes at the expense of competing agents and brokers, especially in a down market. This is not necessarily a negative, but the reality of competitive business and our natural motivations in these roles.
Then, there is the MLS. The multiple listing service could be called the referee for our regional activities. Some practitioners love the MLS for its standardization of practices. Some hate it for its plethora of rules impeding their business. Some brokers appreciate the MLS’s creation of a level playing field vs. other companies. Many brokers feel disdain for any organization that seeks to override its regulatory authority.
The nature of these differing opinions exemplifies the strength and value of the MLS to our industry. Whether it’s a parent, teacher, CEO or government regulator, any authoritative entity should wield enough clout to create useful standards. If it lacks the strength to create regulations that benefit its constituents as a whole, it is useless. At the same time, if its decisions lack the support necessary to regulate member policies, it is impotent.
An uncommon position of power
MLS organizations are in a uniquely powerful position in our industry today. The MLS is supported in some way by Realtor organizations, diverse brokerages, volunteer agents, and MLS staff. Their overwhelming strength is the nearly ubiquitous control of our most precious asset in the new media age: the real estate listing
– See more at: http://www.inman.com/next/real-estate-brokers-fall-into-line-its-time-to-let-the-mls-lead/#sthash.8EjSwnsr.dpuf
Armonk’s Mariani Gardens Granted Zoning Text Amendment For Café Plans | Armonk Real Estate
Mariani Gardens in Armonk was recently granted a zoning text amendment from the North Castle Town Board to enlarge its café, according to a report by The Examiner News.
The text amendment would allow the Armonk nursery, located on Bedford Road, to enlarge its café from 1,000-square-feet to up to 3,500-square feet, and it would also be able to increase its seating capacity from 16 to 72, the report said. Certain home furnishing and luxury items, like soaps, lotions and jewelry, could also be sold at the business.
The final step in granting the zoning revision is approval from the North Castle Planning Board.
The text amendment was granted after two years of debate and revised proposals, according to the report.
Don’t Be Shy. Questions To Ask Your Contractor | Armonk Real Estate
When it comes to hiring a contractor, most folks think they do the right amount of due diligence. They search for reviews, they check with the Better Business Bureau, and they likely ask the prospective pro whether or not they’re licensed and insured. Doing your research is a good thing. It helps you avoid the mistake of hiring the wrong pro. However, many homeowners still feel intimidated when dealing with their contractor. So much so, that nearly 84 percent of homeowners we surveyed spent time researching their project before talking to their contractor in hopes of sounding like they knew what they were talking about!
Getting taken advantage of is a legitimate fear when hiring a pro to tackle a major home improvement project. One of the ways to prevent that from happening is by knowing how much others in your area are paying for similar projects. Our Cost Guide helps you get the pricing info you’re looking for so you can go into the budgeting process with the right information.
However, you’ll need more than pricing info to get the peace of mind you’re looking for. Thankfully, all it takes is the confidence to ask any and all questions you might have. Here are five must ask questions every homeowner should ask, as well as five questions you might not have thought to ask.
What you want to hear is that they’ve been in business long enough to establish a credible track record of successful work experience.
2. Are you licensed, insured, and/or bonded?
At the very least you want to know that they’re licensed (and it’s current) and carry worker’s comp and liability insurance to cover any accidents. Being bonded is not a universal requirement, so not all contractors are. Think of bonding as an insurance policy for the homeowner that protects you if the job heads south.
3. Do you guarantee your work in writing?
While a verbal guarantee is nice, it offers no guarantees that the contractor will actually stand behind their work. You want a written guarantee that states exactly what is and isn’t covered.
read more…
http://welcome.homeadvisor.com/questions_to_ask_your_contractor?m=homesense&entry_point_id=26786319
Downtown Armonk’s Water District seeks more water | Armonk Real Estate
Downtown Armonk’s Water District seeks more water and more water storage, according to North Castle’s Director of Water and Sewer Operations, Sal Misti. Director Misti spoke with allaboutarmonk.com about North Castle’s Water District #4.
The Water District #4 includes customers in Whippoorwill Hills, Whippoorwill Ridge, Wampus Close, and downtown Armonk’s commercial accounts, a total of about 370 accounts. There are an additional 117 homes in Whippoorwill that are in Water District #5, which are supplied by Water District #4.
Water District #4 uses four existing wells. The two wells located in Armonk’s Community Park are in good shape. But because of the close proximity of these two wells, they can only be run efficiently one at a time. During peak usage periods, other sources of water are needed. Monthly water usage over the past three years, at peak times such as in July 2010, was recorded as 600,000 gallons per day. During the summer, irrigation systems put a strain on the water supply.
The two other District #4 wells are located on School Street. These original wells were built in 1991 by the US Environmental Protection Agency. One is in bedrock and the other is a gravel-packed well. They are located next to each other, but draw from two different aquifers. The gravel-packed well is developed with a screen in the bottom of a column with a pump inside packed with fine sand. The gravel filters the incoming water which develops into the water supply. The wells have a limited yield because they require treatment due to the presence of iron and magnesium in the water. The treatment limits the wells’ production to about 100 gallons of water per minute from both wells.
The underground water quality in the District’s property has been tested for possible future wells to increase the water supply to downtown Armonk. But building new wells for public water sources requires a significant amount of regulations and conditions for approval from Westchester County’s Health Department. Misti explained, “It is quite a task to get a municipal well approved, it takes years.”
There are two wells in the Whippoorwill Ridge area on Old Route 22 that were taken out of service about 12 years ago because of high iron content. These two will require some treatment, but could add about 45 gallons per minute. The hydrologists recommend bringing the Whippoorwill Ridge wells back online to add much needed water to the system. Months of work is required to fix them; a request for proposal is required for the necessary work to surge and clean the wells, change the filters, and check the pumps.
IBM built its own wells at Business Park field in 1960s. The IBM infrastructure was approved and then turned over to Water District #4 to become part of the distribution system. IBM donated the park property to the town’s water district and extended the water main infrastructure to Maple and Bedford Road. The main line was continued to Whippoorwill Ridge on Old Route 22, across Route 22 and up to IBM’s facility. Public water became available for the Old Route 22 area.
read more…
Industry push to raise visibility of home energy efficiency improvements | Armonk Real Estate
Everybody in real estate knows the rap against “green” and energy efficiency improvements to existing homes: Owners can invest a lot of money and save on utility bills, but then when they go to sell they often find it’s tough to get paybacks through higher prices on their homes.
Complicating the situation is the fact that many multiple listing services do not have “green fields” in their listing formats to highlight energy efficiency improvements, so buyers who are potentially interested in high-performance homes can’t shop for them effectively. Then come the appraisers and lenders. In an era of appraisal management companies, assignments often are made based on low fees, and appraisers with no training in valuing green improvements either ignore them or give them only minimal upward adjustments. And when they try to give significant adjustments, underwriters often challenge them or simply ask for a revised, lower number.
Builders routinely market new homes carrying Energy Star, HERS, LEED and National Green Building Standard certifications, and buyers across the country recognize these as credible performance indicators. But purchasers of existing homes have no standardized guidance.
This is despite the fact that National Association of Realtors’ annual surveys of homebuyers and sellers have consistently found that buyers care about energy efficiency.
The 2012 survey, for instance, reported that 87 percent of buyers surveyed said a home’s heating and cooling costs were “important” or “very important” to them, whatever the age of the house. Energy efficient lighting and appliances also are seen as major pluses, with roughly 70 percent of purchasers ranking them important or very important
See more…
http://www.inman.com/2013/08/13/industry-push-to-raise-visibility-of-home-energy-efficiency-improvements/#sthash.d9jEKXNb.dpuf
North Castle Names New Police Chief | Armonk Real Estate
According to Supervisor Howard Arden, Harisch has done practically every job on the force as he has risen steadily through the ranks of the North Castle Police, “Geoffrey Harisch is taking the reins as our new Police Chief and we all look forward to working with him.”
Harisch is filling the position vacated by Chief Robert D’Angelo who retired in January 2013. D’Angelo worked his way up the ranks as well and was named Police Chief in 1991. Lt. William Fisher was appointed as Provisional Chief following D’Angelo’s retirement.
In March 2013, three department lieutenants were eligible to take the Police Chief examination. After the Police Chief test results were received, Lt. Harisch was the only officer eligible to become Police Chief.
Harisch said, “I’m looking forward to serving the town and have covered every aspect and done every task. A lot of people know me in this town and I intend to do my best.”
Harisch started as a patrolman for the North Castle Police Department in April of 1987. About four years later, he was promoted to the rank of Detective, at which he served for three years. During his tenure as a detective, Harisch was named youth officer beginning in 1991. He was then promoted to Sergeant, while retaining the youth officer title with those duties for five years.
During the time he was Sergeant, Harisch revamped the Department’s property management system of evidence and other items that were taken into the department. He also revamped the police candidate hiring investigation with the assistance of Sergeant Dennis Murray. Harisch ran the tours around the clock as all patrol sergeants do.
Harisch was involved with the first North Castle Police Department vehicle enforcement unit to safely move trucks within a five mile radius of North Castle. The truck enforcement officer has to be well versed in transportation law and tax law, said Harisch. “We still currently have a vehicle enforcement unit, but it hasn’t been active,” according to Harisch. He commented that he would like to get the vehicle enforcement unit up and running again. This would involve working with a certified person from the New York State Department of Transportation and using weighing scales from the State Police, County Police, or Yorktown Police.
read more….
http://www.allaboutarmonk.com/northcastle/
Report: Office of the Supervisor- North Castle NY | Armonk Real Estate
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Real estate investment trust yields robust rewards despite risk | Armonk Real Estate
Sinking money into real estate investment trusts is considered to be one of Wall Street’s most complex investments.
Owning shares of REITs gives investors an opportunity to get investment exposure to real estate, including apartments, shopping centers and office buildings. But they’ve gained a reputation of being risky and confusing — especially after the industry was pummeled during the last real estate crash.
Real estate investment trust yields robust rewards despite risk – Los Angeles Times.
9 Creative Ways to Use Social Media to Launch a Product | ArmonkRealtor
Are you looking for creative ideas to help launch your next product (or company)?
Want some actionable tips to employ social media in your next launch?
If so, keep reading as I explore nine ways we used social media to help launch a new project.
You’re sure to find unusual tactics that will help you with your next launch.
Why Social Media for a Launch?
Social media has changed everything when it comes to marketing.
Now, instead of spending a ton of money hoping to get in front of the “press,” you are the media. Social media allows you to connect with people and encourage engagement with very little money and only a nominal effort.
Like Social Media Examiner, you may have a blog or podcast—or perhaps a video series. This means you are a media outlet and can leverage that following every time you launch.
Even if you don’t produce content, chances are pretty good you’ve developed relationships across social channels. All of these outposts provide a great opportunity to take the launch process to an entirely new level.
Let me show you how. Below are nine ways we employed social media to help launch a new initiative called My Kids’ Adventures.
Tip #1: Create a Teaser Campaign on Facebook
When your idea is nothing more than a thought, start brainstorming ways you can employ social media to hint that something exciting is coming.
My teaser campaign was code-named “Project Torch” and I referred to it every now and again on Facebook. As you can see below, a lot of folks were intrigued and wondered what I had up my sleeve.
I posted the result of a brainstorming session on Facebook, with the words blurred on the clipboard
Starting months before launch, I regularly posted random images of torches, Indiana Jones and updates about my progress on “Project Torch.”
People were private messaging me, calling me and emailing me (family, friends and business peers) wondering what in the world this secret project was.
Tips when doing a teaser campaign:
- Experiment using Facebook posts with and without images.
- Share progress images (I showed fuzzed-out logos we were working on).
- Reference your “code name” in all of your updates to create natural curiosity.
- Be very careful not to reveal too much too early (even to your closest friends and employees!).
Tip #2: Create a Video That’s Personal
Social media provides an amazing opportunity to connect with people. Why not create a video that reveals the need you hope to address while simply hinting at the solution?
The video below was put together in less than two weeks. Part was filmed with my iPhone while I was on vacation and the other part was done with the help of a guy at my church on a Saturday afternoon.
This video played an instrumental role in setting the tone for our new project.
How I unveiled the video…
The above video was first formally revealed at Social Media Marketing World, following my keynote presentation.
I pulled a Steve Jobs and said, “But wait, there’s one more thing…” I showed the video and spoke for about 5 minutes and that was it.
Read more….
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/social-media-product-launch/