Tag Archives: Armonk NY

Armonk NY

3 Tips for Insuring Your First Home | Armonk Real Estate

Leave a reply

Buying your first home can be both an exciting and a scary experience. Many homeowners are appreciative of any bit of information that would help make the process less stressful and as painless as possible. Home insurance is usually a major contributor to the anxieties new homeowners’ experience. They are often confused about how much insurance they need. This post will give easy tips for choosing the best insurance for new home buyers.

Your House Should Be Fully Covered

The coverage on the insurance policy should reflect an amount that can adequately take care of the cost of rebuilding and refurbishing your entire house in the event that you lose it completely. Insurance companies may use a cost estimator to ascertain the cost replacement estimate, but you can have a home builder assess your home and furnish you with an estimate of the rebuilding cost. This should include the unique and/or expensive details of your home (if there are any). You do not want to end up being underinsured. Once you have the estimate for rebuilding, you will need to figure out which coverage to take. The choices are:

  • Guaranteed Replacement Cost Coverage – The insurer bears the cost for the rebuilding your home in spite of that cost. Very few insurers are offering these policies now.
  • Extended Replacement Coverage – This coverage involves the capping of the payout you would receive to approximately 125% of the insured value of your home.
  • Inflation Guarantee (or Guard) – This is a feature that ensures the insured value of your home stays on par with that of the marketplace.

Strive to get a reliable appraisal and extended replacement coverage along with an inflation guarantee. These will place you in a good position.

Liability Insurance

Home owners are sometimes caught off guard by third party claims for an injury someone incurred at their house or damages they caused to their neighbor’s property. These things happen, so protect yourself by ensuring your home insurance includes a liability insurance policy. Liability insurance gives the homeowner protection against any third party claims of damages and personal injury that occur on their property or are caused by them. Someone may fall and hurt themselves while on your property, or in the case of neighbors living in close proximity, your child could be playing and accidentally cause damage to their property. Liability insurance takes the burden of paying for medical bills or damages from your pocket, as the insurance company will take care of it.

Get Additional Coverage for Your Valuables

The standard insurance policy covers you home and possessions against eventualities such as natural disasters, fires, theft and accidents, but only does so indirectly for certain assets. Homeowners are sometimes caught off guard when they suffer from a disaster and realize they will not receive full compensation for certain valuables inside the house. The standard HO-3 policy takes care of the structural aspect of the house along with its contents, but there is limits the compensation for expensive possessions such as artwork and fine jewelry. You can obtain full coverage for them by paying a little extra on your policy each year.

 

 

http://blog.homegain.com/guest-bloggers

Prices Soar at Boom Speed | Armonk NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

March home prices rose at double digit rates-increasing faster than they have in seven years-and the outlook is nearly as good for April.

Home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased 10.5 percent on a year-over-year basis in March 2013 compared to March 2012. This change represents the biggest year-over-year increase since March 2006, at the height of the housing boom, and the 13th consecutive monthly increase in home prices nationally. On a month-over-month basis, including distressed sales, home prices increased by 1.9 percent in March 2013 over to February 2013.*

Excluding distressed sales, home prices increased on a year-over-year basis by 10.7 percent in March 2013 compared to March 2012. On a month-over-month basis, excluding distressed sales, home prices increased 2.4 percent in March 2013 compared to February 2013. Distressed sales include short sales and real estate owned (REO) transactions.

The CoreLogic Pending HPI indicates that April 2013 home prices, including distressed sales, are expected to rise by 9.6 percent on a year-over-year basis from April 2012 and rise by 1.3 percent on a month-over-month basis from March 2013. Excluding distressed sales, April 2013 home prices are poised to rise 12 percent year over year from April 2012 and by 2.7 percent month over month from March 2013. The CoreLogic Pending HPI is a proprietary and exclusive metric that provides the most current indication of trends in home prices. It is based on Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data that measure price changes for the most recent month.

“For the first time since March 2006, both the overall index and the index that excludes distressed sales are above 10 percent year over year,” said Dr. Mark Fleming, chief economist for CoreLogic. “The pace of appreciation has been accelerating throughout 2012 and so far in 2013 leading into the home buying season.”

“Home prices continue to rise at a double-digit rate in March led by strong gains in the western region of the U.S. Looking ahead, the CoreLogic pending index for April indicates that upward price appreciation will continue,” said Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic. “Much of the price increases we are seeing are the result of rising demand among investors and homebuyers for a still-limited supply of homes for sale.”

Highlights as of March 2013:

  • Including distressed sales, the five states with the highest home price appreciation were: Nevada (+22.2 percent), California (+17.2 percent), Arizona (+16.8 percent), Idaho (+14.5 percent) and Oregon (+14.3 percent).

 

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/05

Deer Resistant Plants? Fact or Fiction? by P Allen Smith | Armonk Homes

Leave a reply

Raise your hand if deer like to graze in your garden. How many different tactics have you tried to protect your plants? Have you tried hanging bars of soap from tree limbs, sprayed predator urine or scattered human hair around flower beds?

While these inventive measures may work temporarily, a long term solution requires a holistic approach. First, you have to give up the idea that you are ever going to deer proof your garden. Unless you build a 7-foot tall fence around your place, there’s not much you can do to keep them out. Next, make your garden less appealing to deer. Stop planting their favorites like tulips, roses and hostas and choose plants that deer are less inclined to eat. A few plant characteristics to look out for are fuzzy foliage, an antiseptic aroma and a bad taste.

Are there plants that are 100 percent deer resistant? No. The truth is that deer will eat anything when food is scarce, but if your garden is filled with plants that deer find unpleasant, there is a good chance they will move on to the delicacies in your neighbor’s yard.

 

 

http://www.pallensmith.com/blog

8 Ways to Create the Perfect Facebook Post | Armonk Realtor

Leave a reply

We recently updated our Superlist of Social Media and Content Marketing Case Studies and one of the enhancements that people really like is the Facebook Page section.  This section provides examples of the myriad ways smart  companies are using their Facebook pages successfully to engage customers and grow their businesses.

I recently discovered a terrific Blueprint for the Perfect Facebook Page Infographic from Salesforce that provides great tips for creating the perfect Facebook post.   In sum, the recommendations are:

  1. Keep your post copy short and your tone personal.
  2. Target your audience by location or language.
  3. Use a call-to-action hyperlink to a page on your website.
  4. Achieve more impact by including an attractive, relevant photo with your post.
  5. Reach more fans with a sponsored story within 24 hours of your posting.
  6. Don’t be a passive poster. Engage by asking questions and adding comments.
  7. Post with mobile users in mind: short simple copy , images and video.
  8. Evaluate what’s working and what’s not by reviewing the “Engaged Fans” metric on your Insights Page.If you want to see examples of how companies are using Facebook

Go grab this terrific infographic right now and keep it handy.

Read more: http://www.interactiveinsightsgroup.com/blog1/ways-to-create-the-perfect-facebook-post/#ixzz2SVy0IF25

Recolor Your Walls for a Better Mood | Armonk NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

Feeling uninspired in your creative life? Wish you could sleep better at night? Repainting your walls and redecorating with a new color scheme could be the solution — or at least the first step in getting out of your rut.

While color is not a magical solution to solving all of our problems, it does affect our mood and outlook, sometimes without us even realizing it. The advertising world, for example, takes advantage of our physical and psychological reaction to certain colors; most action movie posters have a blue and orange hue, and fast-food restaurants combine red and yellow to increase diners’ appetites.

Here are a few ways you can use color to create the mood you desire:

Red

Red walls - kitchen

Red is often associated with passion, excitement and love, which means that it can be the perfect shade for your bedroom, kitchen or creative space. Darker hues indicate elegance, while red in its purest form communicates a vibrant energy. Red is an extremely powerful color, so be careful of overdoing it and turning your room into a living furnace. Balance it out with neutral colors, pair with blue and white for nautical tones or add dashes of green decor for a natural complement.

Orange

Orange kids room

Orange can have much of the same effect as red and yellow, but can give your home a much quirkier feel, as it’s not used as often as the other two. Orange is also more inviting and a gentler way of greeting your guests than the bolder red. Go for dark hues if you’re aiming for a cozy, autumn feeling in your living room, or bright shades if you want to re-create the excitement of summer. Optimal rooms for an orange theme include the living room, dining room, kitchen or a child’s room.

Yellow

Yellow office

Yellow is easily the most uplifting color in the spectrum and is associated with cheer, joy and happiness. Paint your kitchen, bedroom or office yellow to inspire creativity and instantly de-gloom even the most windowless of rooms. If you don’t live in mostly sunny areas, use yellow as your secret weapon and invest in some mirrors to perpetuate openness and space.

Green

Green bedroom

In addition to being the natural color of most vegetables and thus associated with health, green also has a calming effect and can inspire balance. Green is also closely related to fecundity and growth, and can greatly maximize the creative aura of your home office or creative space. If you’re not quite committed to painting the walls green just yet, try populating the room with plants instead.

Blue

Blue living room

Keep blue, gray and black out of the kitchen and dining room, as these are the most unappetizing colors. Blue can be a perfect hue for bathrooms and bedrooms, encouraging feelings of serenity and peace. If you have trouble sleeping or feel frenetic at night, paint your walls blue to trick your mind into slowing down.

While many do associate it with sadness, remember that the specific shade of blue can have different meanings, including a host of religious connotations for many different cultures. Overall, a lighter blue can be refreshing and hip, while darker shades in a main living area are stable and strong.

Purple

Lavender bathroom

This is an extremely energetic color in its purest form, which is why many feng shui experts advise against painting walls purple or going overboard with purple decorations. Rather than a strong purple, opt for more muted shades like lavender or pink.

Pink is obviously often related to love, but can also be a gentler and more delicate option for purple enthusiasts. Pair with yellow-green for a dramatic pop, or black for a classy effect with just the right amount of flair.

 

http://www.zillowblog.com/2013-05-03

The Role of Color in Marketing | Armonk NY Realtor

Leave a reply

Use the right colors to increase brand recognition and drive purchasing.

role of color in social med The Role of Color in Marketing [Infographics]It’s more important than ever for brands to project their value. Marketers in general understand the need for consistency in color and design. But it’s also vital to move beyond the standard logo and tagline and take a holistic approach to evoking emotions among potential customers across all of your marketing channels — including social media sites. You can use color to your advantage.

 

Color is a form of non-verbal communication and an important part of our daily lives. The underlying emotions that colors evoke have been cultivated since birth and vary depending on age, geographic location, and gender (e.g. blue for boys, pink for girls). Color affects our moods and feelings, and research suggests that it has a physical effect as well, influencing the hormones that control our emotions. Applying color theory is one of the most powerful methods of creating customer appeal.

Why do you feel like clicking and browsing on some websites and not others? What makes you feel like purchasing from one online merchant vs. another? Could it be because of your emotional responses to their color palettes? Choosing the right color scheme is crucial to how your brand is viewed.

Studies have shown that color:

  • Increases brand recognition by up to 80%
  • Improves readership as much as 40%
  • Increases comprehension by 73%
  • Can be up to 85% of the reason people decide to buy

Some brands become so closely associated with their color schemes that we recognize them even when their company names aren’t visible. Use the two infographics below as guides to creating your online identity.

 

 

http://www.pamorama.net/2013/04/21

We Now Watch 6 Billion Hours of Content A Month on YouTube | Armonk NY Realtor

Leave a reply
We Now Watch 6 Billion Hours of Content A Month on YouTube

YouTube, which is putting on the best face it can during this week’s NewFronts, slipped in an amazing statistic during their announcement of Dreamworks’ acquisition of AwesomenessTV, a network that reaches 14 million subscribers over 55,000 YouTube channels.  Earthlings now watch YouTube to the tune of 6 billion hours a month.  That’s a 50 percent increase year-over-year.  And, they are citing a conclusion from Nielsen that YouTube reaches more people in the 18-34 demographic than any cable network.  That’s some kind of reach.

YouTube: 6 Billion Hours And Counting

As YouTube points out, 6 billion hours in a month is almost an hour for every person who lives on Earth.  Of course, it’s not nearly like that…it is a bunch of people, a little over a billion unique visitors, watching hours of content every month.  The figure was at 4 billion hours, and now it’s at 6 billion…a 50 percent increase.  That’s just mind-blowing.  But it also shows that YouTube has been hard at work finding people everywhere they go, increasing its reach in different countries (70 percent of its traffic comes outside the U.S.) and on almost every device you can think of.

I’m wondering if this time next year, we’ll be talking about 9 billion hours a month.  It was impressive when it was 4 billion.  Just imagine it being more than twice that next year.

Source: We Now Watch 6 Billion Hours of Content A Month on YouTube http://www.reelseo.com/we-watch-6-billion-hours-content-a-month-youtube/#ixzz2SFQPoDWc

Country Legend George Jones’ Estate on the Market for $8 Million | Armonk Homes

Leave a reply

If a good country song tells a story, then George Jones was a master storyteller.

The Country Music Hall of Famer, who passed away April 26 at age 81, spun tales both comical and heart-breaking — from his autobiographical drinking-gone-awry hit “Honky Tonk Song” to the emotionally charged ballad “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” regarded by many to be the greatest country music recording of all time.

Unfortunately, the story of selling Jones’ Franklin, TN estate could be a song in its own right.

First listed for $15 million in March 2011, the 80-acre property at 4025 Nestledown Dr, Franklin, TN 37067 has received a series of price cuts since hitting the market. Jones and his wife even tried dividing the property into five parcels and putting it up for auction, but total bids only reached the $2 million mark, and the couple declined. The price was dropped in late March to its current $8 million — 500 percent more expensive per square foot than a middle-of-the-road Franklin home.

The equestrian estate was built in 1993 and boasts immaculate green pastures, with a 9,704-square-foot main house and several outbuildings. Showcasing its Tennessee character, the 4-bedroom, 7.5-bath mansion also features a grand entryway, long porch and even a personal barber shop.

The for-sale listing for Jones’ longtime residence is held by Bailey & Ivey.

Bank-owned homes are back on the market | Armonk NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

A new article from NaplesNews.com reports that banks are no longer holding onto distressed properties.

Instead, economists quoted in the article are backtracking on previous forecasts suggesting that banks will continue to sit on inventory.  

The report says banks are now quick to increase their foreclosure filings and launch short sales and other property disposition actions when appropriate.

The report attributes the increase in inventory movement to the national mortgage servicing settlement with attorneys general in 2012, which kick-started the process.

via housingwire.com