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Armonk NY Realtor

Breaking lease over pest control spraying | Armonk NY Homes

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Q: My state requires landlords to disclose to prospective tenants whether the property is serviced by a commercial pest control for rodents. My landlord failed to do that, and when I learned of it, I was very upset. I don’t want to live in a place that gets sprayed every month, but the landlord won’t let me out of the lease. What can I do? –Marly

A: Many states require landlords to make specific disclosures to the tenant about the property before the tenant is asked to sign the lease. The federal government, too, has weighed in by requiring disclosures about known lead-based paint and lead-based-paint hazards. The purpose of these disclosures is “buyer beware.” A tenant who reads them and doesn’t like what he sees can walk away from the lease, without ever having signed it.

So you’d think that if the landlord fails to deliver the disclosure, it would only be fair that the tenant be able to walk away after he’s signed the lease, too. But such is not the case with every disclosure law.

In California, for example, which has a similar provision regarding periodic pest control, the statute does not specify that failure to disclose will entitle the tenant to consider the lease at an end, with the option of moving out without responsibility for future rent. If you are having pest problems in your environment, contact Emergency Pest Control Vaughan operating in Markham to have them solved using the highly skilled exterminators paired with low toxicity pesticides.

But even if “lease over” is not an enumerated remedy in the disclosure statute, you may still have a way to get out. You would argue to a judge that you signed the lease under the misapprehension that there would not be pesticides applied regularly to the property; that had you known this, you would not have become a resident; and that only the landlord and the boca raton pest control company could have given you the information you’d need. Most importantly, you would have to convince the judge that this piece of information is important, not just a minor detail that shouldn’t derail a proposed tenancy.

So, how will all of this theory unfold in practice? If you move out, your landlord will need to find another tenant. In most states, until he does, you’ll be on the hook for the rent. Landlords commonly keep the entire deposit at least, so to recover it, you’ll have to sue in small claims court. That’s where you’ll make your argument, and if the judge agrees, you should get the deposit back.

Q: An elderly lady in one of our rental units passed away after a long illness. We have secured the apartment, but no one has come forward to claim her belongings. What should we do? –Martin and Margo

A: Surprisingly, few states have laws on the books telling landlords what to do in such a situation. Here are a few examples:

  • In Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, landlords may ask tenants for the name of someone whom they authorize to act (landlords may do so in a lease clause, for example). In New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, if the tenant hasn’t provided this information, the landlord has basically no safeguarding obligations.
  • Oregon has a much better approach: Tenants can name someone in their wills to be their personal representative (or a court can appoint someone); that person has the same rights as the tenant, and may take the property.
  • In Virginia and North Carolina, if no one is authorized by the court, the landlord must notify the person who was the tenant’s “emergency contact.”

Landlords in states that have not passed specific laws on what to do must proceed cautiously. You don’t want to give access to people who might loot the estate; but you don’t want to endlessly store personal property either. And you risk liability if you dispose of belongings on your own.

Your best bet is to contact the probate court in your city and explain that no one with authority (no one bearing documents signed by a court, establishing that person as a legal representative of the estate) has come forth. Chances are, you’ll find a helpful clerk who can tell you the practice in your state.

via inman.com

Evernote for Real Estate – A sneak peak at Evernote 5 | Armonk Real Estate

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My self-diagnosed, borderline OCD loves every single thing about Evernote. I use it every day in both my work and personal life. So, earlier this week, when I received this little email from the crew at Evernote, excitement doesn’t even begin to express how I feel. Over a hundred new features? I’m in!

Evernote 5 Coming Soon

What’s new?
The design nerd in me loves the redesigned interface and new left panel. If you’re a paperless agent and use Evernote to organize all of your clients and paperwork, the added shortcuts and advancements in viewing both your own and shared notebooks together should make streamlining even more efficient.

TypeAhead search is new as well. It will give you suggestions as you’re typing and also pull up your most recent and saved searches for easy access. They’ve also integrated Mountain Lion’s notification center.

For those of you who use Evernote Food and Hello, those are being integrated as well in their new Atlas feature allowing you to visually see your notes and remember where you were when you took them!

Just getting started with Evernote? No problem. These are a must!

1. Download the web clipper for your browser.
Whatever browser you use (even IE, I’m not here to judge) download this extension. Any website you’re visiting you’re able to clip with just one click. It automatically saves it to your notebooks in your Evernote account.

2. Evernote is everywhere.
Since you’re able to access your Evernote account anywhere, download the app for your mobile devices too! Although the latest updates will be for Mac, Evernote works on Android, Blackberry and Windows devices as well.

3. Go paperless!
It’s scary, I know. Just take baby steps and work your way through it. Evernote has many uses, so start at your own pace and grow with it. Some basic starter ideas:

  • Personal productivity: Type notes during meetings, keep personal and private checklists, save web clippings, photos, files and more.
  • Transaction Management: Keep client’s records, inspection reports, emails, signed documents during and after the transaction. You have the option to share with your clients and keep them in the loop at all times.
  • Checklists and action plans: From listing coordination and seller action plans, closing checklists, and even marketing plans, staying organized and having your information at a glance is key to systemizing your entire business.
  • Share notebooks with clients and team members: Do you manage a team? Have buyer’s agents? An escrow coordinator? Set up notebooks just to share with them, and have them do the same. Embracing the digital lifestyle works great for teams too!
  • Syncs across all your devices so you have everything available: As a mobile professional the ease of having everything sync together is a must. Upgrade to the pro account and you have access even if you’re offline.
Already using Evernote? How do you use Evernote to help keep you organized? Let us know and we’ll share them on Twitter!


via next.inman.com

A Glimpse Into Mobile Measurement and Apps Today and Tomorrow | Armonk NY Homes

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We recently teamed up with ClickZ to learn how marketers around the world are approaching mobile marketing and measurement, and where it’s headed next. We hope these stats will provide useful context for your planning in the coming year. Here are some of the key takeaways:

Mobile is now an important part of the integrated marketing mix

Mobile is no longer an add-on to a campaign, and for many it’s increasingly becoming a central focus.
  • 87% of marketers are planning to increase emphasis on mobile during 2013, and belief in the power of mobile is rapidly growing stronger.
  • Marketers have a broad mix of mobile tactics planned in the next year:
  • 52% plan to create a mobile- or tablet-optimized website
  • 48% plan to increase engagement in mobile advertising
  • 41% hope to develop a mobile app
  • 39% are planning to market a mobile app
For many, mobile measurement is still new territory
  • More than half (59%) of marketers consider themselves either novice or inexperienced when it comes to measuring mobile. This presents an opportunity for organizations to invest in training and education today to stay ahead of the curve tomorrow.
  • 58% of marketers are currently accountable for mobile metrics, and more than one-third are already sharing internal dashboards to show mobile marketing results.
Mobile measurement unlocks new opportunities
  • 53% of marketers who analyzed their mobile metrics say there is a lot of untapped opportunity and plan to increase their mobile spending.
  • Tools, technologies and talent are in demand: 68% of marketers plan to increase technology investment and ad spend, and 32% plan to focus more in talent.
A deeper look at mobile app measurement

Here’s a look at the mobile app-related metrics that marketers say matter the most to them:
As shown above, marketers are interested in measuring the full app lifecycle, which we’re excited to see as our new Mobile App Analytics covers a majority of the desired metrics marketers are seeking.
The opportunity for marketers

This research shows the opportunity that mobile offers app developers and marketers to reach consumers on the go. Effective measurement across mobile sites, ads and apps will help marketers create winning strategies. Mobile’s role in marketing is becoming a central part of integrated campaigns and will only continue to grow. We know that marketers want simple tools that help them seamlessly integrate mobile into their marketing and measurement, and we’re working hard to create robust tools to help.
via analytics.blogspot.com

Consumer Confidence in Buying a Home Rises to Four Year High | Armonk NY Homes

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The latest research on consumer confidence shows that consumers’ forward-looking view of the economy is at its highest level since the onset of the recession, including interest in buying a new home, which is at its highest level since the recession.

Experian Marketing Services’ Consumer Expectation Index (CEI) figures for the first half of 2012 dhow optimistic start to first half of 2012 carrying over into holiday season.   During the first half of 2012, the average CEI figure was 92.7, which is above the index’s average of the first six months for each year dating back to 2008. The 2012 figure measured eight points above those for the first half of 2008 and one point over those for the first half of 2011.

“Our Consumer Expectation Index shows consumer confidence was at its highest point for the first half of 2012 versus the previous four years. The figures are pointing to increased optimism as we head into the 2012 holiday season,” said Bill Tancer, general manager of global research, Experian Marketing Services.

The CEI figures for the first half of 2012 show confidence among consumers planning to buy a new home within the year at its highest level since the onset of the recession. During the first half of 2012, the average CEI figure was 100.4, which is above the index’s average for the first six months for each year dating back to 2008. The 2012 figure measured 2.5 points above the first half of 2011. On a related topic, the CEI of those intending to refinance over the next 12 months was 4.3 index points above the first half of 2011, or 5 percent higher.

The same trend held true for consumers looking to buy or lease a new automobile, as the first half of 2012 showed the average CEI figure was 98.2, which is above the index’s average of the first six months for each year dating back to 2008. The 2012 figure measured 4 index points above the first half of 2011

The CEI is based on weekly results from the trusted Experian Simmons National Consumer Study, for which 25,000 adults are surveyed annually. The survey results cover nearly 60,000 data elements, including in-depth demographics, consumer behavior and brand preferences, and more than 600 psychographics, attitudes and lifestyle measures.

As we head into the 2012 holiday season, the latest CEI figures indicate the potential for a strong seasonal performance for retailers. The CEI figure for the week of Sept. 3, 2012, (the most recent single week for which data is available) was 7.4 points higher than it was at the same point last year and higher than it has been heading into the holiday season since 2008.

Key consumer groups are even more optimistic. On Sept. 3, the CEI of those adults who made an online purchase in the past year was 2 percent higher than the national average and 8.1 points higher than the CEI recorded for online shoppers at this time during 2011. This holiday season also could be very good for brands and retailers with big-ticket items to sell, since the CEI among adults planning to make a big-ticket purchase hit 117.9 the week of Sept. 3, 2012, compared with 103.5 the same week in 2011 and 100.5 in 2010. In fact, a CEI above 100 indicates that consumers are more confident than they were during the base line period, which was the first half of 2004, years before the recession began.

The Experian Marketing Services Consumer Expectation Index (CEI) is based on weekly results from the Experian Simmons DataStream product and the Simmons National Consumer Study, for which 25,000 adults are surveyed annually. The survey results cover more than 60,000 data variables analyzed across in-depth demographics; consumer behavior; and more than 600 psychographics, lifestyles and attitudes among more than 8,000 brands and products. The benchmark for the index is a value of 100 based on consumer sentiment between Jan. 7 and May 7, 2004. The value of the index increases or decreases over time, corresponding to a more positive or less positive consumer outlook. The Simmons National Consumer Study is a patented, multiframe sample accredited by the Media Rating Council.

via realestateeconomywatch.com

Downpayments Fall to Three Year Low | Armonk NY Realtor

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The median downpayment made by all homebuyers in 2012 was 9 percent, ranging from 4 percent for first-time buyers to 13 percent for repeat buyers.  The median down payment was the lowest since 2009 but still far above the levels during the housing boom, when nearly half of first-time buyers made no downpayment at all.

First-time buyers who financed their purchase used a variety of resources for the downpayment:  76 percent tapped into savings; 24 percent received a gift from a friend or relative, typically from their parents; and 6 percent received a loan from a relative or friend.  Eleven percent tapped into a 401(k) fund, and 6 percent sold stocks or bonds.  Ninety-three percent of entry-level buyers chose a fixed-rate mortgage, reported the National Association of Realtors.

Forty-six percent of first-time buyers financed with a low-downpayment FHA mortgage, and 10 percent used the VA loan program with no downpayment requirements.  Forty-two percent cut spending on luxury items to buy their first home, 35 percent cut spending on entertainment and 27 percent cut spending on clothes.

In 2005, the median first-time home buyer scraped together a down payment of only 2 percent to buy a $150,000 home .  Two years later, in 2007, the median downpayment by first-time buyers was still only 2 percent and 45 percent purchased with no money down – the same as in 2006. That year 43 percent of first-time home buyers purchased their homes with no-money-down loans.

After lenders tightened standards in the wake of the housing crash, the median downpayment soared , reaching 11 percent in 2010-2011. First time buyers put about 5 percent down in 2011. Repeat buyers, pooling equity with savings, typically put down about 15 percent.  Investment and vacation-home buyers have been paying higher down payments than those buying a primary residence. The median down payment for both was 27 percent, according to NAR’s 2011 Profile of Investment and Vacation Buyers.

“First-time buyers historically make small downpayments, but repeat buyers like to put down 20 percent if they can to avoid paying mortgage insurance,” NAR’s Paul Bishop said.  “The general loss in home value since the peak of the housing boom means many repeat buyers in recent years had to make smaller downpayments.  Fortunately, prices have turned up this year and are showing sustained increases, so we’re on the road to a recovery in home equity.”

via realestateeconomywatch.com

New short-sale program offers relief for underwater homeowners | Armonk NY Real Estate

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WASHINGTON — Though there are still some snares and drawbacks for participants, one of the federal government’s most important financial relief efforts for underwater homeowners started operating Nov. 1.

It’s a new short-sale program that targets the walking wounded among borrowers emerging from the housing downturn — owners who owe far more on their mortgages than their current home value but have stuck it out for years, resisted the temptation to strategically default and never fell seriously behind on their monthly payments.

Industry estimates put the number of underwater owners across the country at just under 11 million, or 22% of all homes with a mortgage. Of these, about 4.6 million have loans that are owned or securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Eighty percent of these Fannie-Freddie borrowers, in turn, are current on their mortgage payments and meet the baseline eligibility test for the new short-sale effort.

via latimes.com

MBA CEO calls for Fannie, Freddie policy change | Armonk NY Homes

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Mortgage Bankers Association CEO David Stevens told the Independent Mortgage Bankers Conference that his hope is for more transparent policy making at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Stevens added that those mortgage players outside of the government-sponsored enterprises should also be able to provide their own input.

“Fannie and Freddie need to start making clear, detailed, fully-baked presentations of planned policy changes of significance in advance,” Stevens said. “Our market is fragile, and the stakes are too high to allow these two companies to continue to throw change after change at lenders, with no avenue for input in the formative stages.”

Newly enforced rules and regulations are making it even more difficult for borrowers to qualify for a home loan, the CEO mentioned. Policies are intersecting and decidedly influencing the future opportunities of homeownership and rental.

Stevens did not skip over the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act and what he perceives is misguided regulation. “This patently unfair and ineffective law does little to provide assurances to consumers that their loan officer meets minimum qualification and testing standards,” Stevens said.

Additionally, the SAFE Act forces the cost of licensing onto independent mortgage bankers and does not allow talented loan originators to compete fairly in the labor market. “This is unfair, and we aim to change it.  It won’t be easy, and it will take time, but we are committed to the objective of securing uniform, federal qualifications and testing standards for all loan originators, regardless of whom they work for,” the CEO said.

In an interview with HousingWire after the session, Stevens reemphasized what he addressed at MBA’s annual Chicago conference last month. “These are really important times because we’ve got these plethora of rules coming out; nobody’s coordinating any of this,” Stevens said. “We’re all in favor of rule makings, we need better regulation, but we need clear coordinating.”

Encouraging his audience to become MBA members in 2013, Stevens emphasized that the time to join is now. “If you don’t join this year and you don’t like Washington, I don’t want to hear it,” Stevens said.

2013 MBA Chairman Debra Still encouraged the conference to see clearly, face squarely the changes that are seen in the mortgage industry and to step up and be the change. “As leaders, it’s our job to create direction and focus for our organizations,” Still said.

via housingwire.com

Buyers Are Bringing Color Back | Armonk NY Real Estate

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The red walls in this home were inspired by the homeowner’s art from Cuba.

It’s not uncommon for interior designers and stagers to offer color consultations to homeowners who are struggling with white and unpainted walls. It’s a great way to start a relationship with a potential design client and for the homeowner to “test” out working with an interior designer.

Home buyers recently have been requesting color consultations, too, for a combination of reasons:

Timing is everything

The perfect time to have the walls painted is before any furniture is moved in. Buyers who have contracts on homes but haven’t quite closed yet still want to get started on their decor. In many cases they already have furniture, art and accessories that inspire the wall color for the new home.

Global influence

Buyers are inspired by art, decorative pieces and area rugs selected while traveling and want to highlight their experiences in their home. Art and area rugs are fabulous ways to inspire a room’s wall color and overall palette. Additionally, more global textiles and fabrics are making their way to national home furnishing retailers, and these warm and bold colors are subtly influencing color in the home.

Beyond walls and furniture

Color is more prevalent in design these days, and buyers are starting to have more confidence about using it in their homes. We’re not sure that the avocado fridge is making a comeback, but we are definitely seeing more color being offered in home products — from kitchen sinks to large appliances — as well as continued encouragement about painting the walls from various home design television shows and displays at various hardware stores.

If you’re fortunate to be a buyer or just want your home to feel new, add some color to those walls and “break out of your beige haze!”

via zillow.com

The Viral Video Formula Revealed: 7 Key Elements for Viral Content | Armonk NY Real Estate

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So, at about this time in our study of viral videos, we should know a few things: it’s rarely an accident.  I’m about to break down a formula from the good people at Salesforce, who were kind of enough to make a video about this early this year.  But a mere formula always has one thing missing: it’s easy enough to say you’ve got to make great content, but you have to know what that is and how to make it.  If you have the ability to make it, then this formula should work fine.  It all comes down to how much work you’re willing to do after creating and publishing a great video.  Let’s take a look.

A Formula and Equation for Viral Success

Let’s take a look at their video, provided by Jamie Grenney, VP of Social Media at Salesforce:

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The formula breaks down like this:

Frequency (Who is talking about it?) x Proximity (How many people have they shared it with?) x Potency (How potent is the message?) x Incubation (How long after someone shares the content is it ultimately viewed?)

7 Key Elements of the Viral Video Formula: A Viral Loop Checklist

The formula comes from how actual viruses are spread.  So how do you make content spread like a virus?  They’ve broken it down into a checklist:

1. Answers a question, or evokes an emotional response.

The first part of this step is why “how-to” videos do so well on YouTube.  Giving people information about things they are actively seeking.  Like, for instance, I suddenly thought of pancakes.  How do I make pancakes?  Wait…how do I make perfect pancakes?

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Making pancakes.  1 million views.  Answers a question, makes me hungry.  In fact, that video also evokes an emotional response.

Emotional responses were a huge factor for the Olympic Games this summer.  It’s what distinguished the top brands when looking for viral success:

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2. Addresses a hot topic that people are searching for or talking about.

Remember the pancakes?  Well, actually, that kind of thing is always on people’s minds, or maybe it’s just mine.  Anyway, pancakes aren’t likely to be a “hot topic” unless they’ve hit the news somehow.  And believe me, we don’t ever want to see pancakes make the news, unless scientists find a way to make them even more fluffy and delicious and it’s a slow news day.

But maybe there’s a trending topic floating around.  It’s not hard to find those if you’re roving around Facebook or Twitter or news outlets.  You can totally capitalize on this.  For instance, when the Higgs-Boson particle was discovered, it generated a lot of interest, and curiosity.  What is so darn important about the Higgs-Boson anyway?

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Not done:

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Not nearly done:

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Seriously, Minute Physics took a topic and ran with it for three videos.  That’s genius.  If you’ve got particular knowledge on a currently trending subject, or if you have a way to incorporate a trending topic into one of your videos, you can use that tent-pole event to raise interest in your video.

3. Title, description, & video thumbnail are compelling and drive clicks.

I hate it when people talk about thumbnails, because that’s something YouTube hasn’t completely ironed out yet.  And then I look like a jerk for expressing the need to make good thumbnails, when A.) some people can’t generate custom thumbnails because they’re not allowed and B.) they have to rely on the good ol’ 3 randomly generated thumbnails that YouTube provides.  They’re getting better at this, and most any channel that’s been around for awhile can do them.  But hey, not everything is YouTube.  Many services allow you to do what you like with thumbnails.  And you should have a compelling one.

When you make titles it should be something that is not only compelling, but relevant.  I think some creators kind of tiptoe a line with this, but in the end, you want a title that you yourself would click if you came across it.  So that’s why you see a lot of “BEST PANCAKES EVER!!!!” and “HOW TO MAKE KILLER PANCAKES!!!” and stuff like that.  You’ve entered a sort of huckster field here.  “Step right up, I promise you’ll see something amazing that will change your life.”  You should really talk to our founder Mark Robertson sometime about this.  That guy is always thinking of titles.

In the description, this is where you tell people what’s in the video.  Hopefully, a bit of a teaser that will get people to want to click.  Descriptions are helpful in SEO, as it describes the content of the video and helps a search engine to figure out what it is.  But the small description below the video, before someone clicks, “Show More” should be something compelling, engaging curiosity.

4. Video is short and sweet, ideally 2 minutes or less.

Wait a minute…come on, ReelSEO.  You tell us the top branded videos that get shared are 4 minutes, 11 seconds in length, then someone else turns right around and says, well, except for cars.  So how long does any video need to be, anyway?

This could show how much length is a case-by-case basis.  I think if you’re a brand, you shoot for a story to tell, something interesting and unique with your product that enriches lives, and you show how by telling someone’s story.  Those go viral for different reasons than just someone trying to make a quick video hoping for it to go viral.  So maybe you want to make a video about something not all that substantial, something funny, something light.  Something people want to share with their friends during a busy workday.  That’s where a 2-minutes-or-less video comes in.  You get those people who are looking to take a break and they see that your video is less than 2 minutes, and that’s attractive during a busy day.  Either way, grab a viewer within 15 seconds, as the YouTube Creator Playbook says.

This step is entirely dependent on what kind of video you want to make.  So I think it’s important that when you make any video, good content reigns, and if it drags, you’ll want to edit it down to where everything “pops.”  So I’m not entirely sold on the “2 minutes or less” rule described here.  It kind of depends on the situation, doesn’t it?

5. Get your video off to a strong start propelled by paid, owned, and earned media.

This takes a lot of work.  Well, not so much work that you’ll feel like a construction worker who hauls bricks all day, but you’re going to have to prepare yourself for lots of rejection, even if your content is good.

You want to submit your video to relevant media outlets, those who feel like your content helps them attract readers/viewers.  There are a ton of news aggregation sites like Reddit, Digg, FARK, StumbleUpon, and so forth.  But let’s say your content is about movies.  You now have a ton of sites to send your video, as long as it’s something you think they’ll enjoy and you follow their submission guidelines.  You’re going to be rejected, or just not get a response, most of the time.  But if your content is good, you’ll have a few bites on it.  That’s all you need.  Eventually, if it gets big enough, those sites who rejected you might start posting the video anyway.

And once people start watching the video on other sites, they start sharing it with others.  Facebook and Twitter become huge, especially if you get one of those “big fish” Twitter users who have thousands or tens of thousands of followers.

I pretty much always bring up Freddie Wong’s “I Am AWESOME at Price is Right” video when it comes to this.  He submitted this video to Price is Right fan pages, which accepted the video with open arms, and he got a lot of views from that:

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6. There are 4 reasons people share a video.  Find one reason.

Salesforce outlines these 4 reasons.  People share content:

  1. That source information and spark discussions
  2. That others might find valuable
  3. Because it aligns with their identity and how they want to be perceived
  4. That maintain and grow relationships

This sort of goes back to step 1: it answers a question or elicits an emotional response.  What you want to have in mind when pitching this video to other people is one or more of the reasons above.  One of these reasons might be your “sales pitch” to blogs and friends.

7. Eliminate things that would make people reluctant to share.

Tough source material, depressing things, perhaps too much profanity.  Things that make the video toxic to a wide audience.  Salesforce also mentions that too much branding in a video could be considered a turn-off.  But I think if you’ve successfully navigated the first step, this shouldn’t be too much of an issue.  You’re making content people want to share.  I don’t know what kind of crazy video you have where you’ve successfully navigated most of this formula and then you get stopped in your tracks once you come to this one, but maybe I want to watch that video.

Give Salesforce’s blog post on this video a look. They break these steps down into other details you might find valuable.

via reelseo.com