Tag Archives: Bedford Corners Luxury Homes

Bedford Corners Luxury Homes

Building a Fire Pit | Bedford Corners Homes

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You could just build a fire somewhere, then put it out when you’re done. Or you could buy one of those metal basins at a place like Williams-Sonoma. But by actually digging into the dirt and constructing a pit whose sole purpose is to contain a campfire — by permanently incorporating it into the tiny speck on the earth that belongs to you — you are making a commitment. A commitment to your family, a commitment to your friends, and a commitment to having fun.

1. Decide whether or not to check if local laws permit the building of a fire pit in your yard.

2. Pick a location. Not under a tree. Some corner of the yard where you envision friends sitting around reminiscing about old times with love and friendship, plus old jealousies bubbling just beneath the surface.

3. Measure the hole. The diameter should be four feet or five feet. Make an X, with the axis at the center of what will be your fire pit. Use string to mark a circle on the grass around your X. Measure all of these with a tape measure or your feet, which are probably about a foot long if you have big feet.

4. Dig the hole. It should be about ten inches deep, with the sides gently angled out, like a bowl with a flat bottom.

 

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http://living.msn.com/home-decor/diy-decorating/how-to-build-a-fire-pit-1

 

Cushman Wakefield bullish on housing market | Bedford Corners Homes

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Cushman & Wakefield may be the first to plant the flag to declare that the housing market has recovered, but they are walking back any more confidence than that about where the market will go in 2014.

The firm’s National Housing Market Overview covers 2013 and looks into 2014, and it doesn’t feel as good about 2014 as it did last year.

Affordability issues, mortgage rates and other headwinds face the housing market over the coming eight months. This is exacerbated by a weak job market, affordability challenges, and the declining pool of first-time homebuyers.

“On the positive side, home prices have been increasing, foreclosures clearing, negative equity positions declining and permit activity increasing,” the report says. “Homebuilder and consumer confidence, which was moving positive, turned slightly to the negative by the end of the year. Even so, most economic and housing metrics suggest the 2014 housing market will continue toward the positive, although unlike the first half of 2013 in which pent-up demand dramatically increased home pricing and sales activity.”

It states that there are a number of positive indicators.

“Home prices and permit activity have been increasing while foreclosures and negative equity positions declining. Population increases continue in the traditional growth markets and interest rates remain favorable for qualified buyers,” the report says.

It also highlights the challenge to the housing market coming from the weakness in the employment situation.

 

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http://www.housingwire.com/articles/29740-cushman-wakefield-bullish-on-housing-market

3 reasons borrowers fare well with ARMs | Bedford Corners Homes

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Rapidly rising interest rates have been driving a growing number of home buyers to adjustable rate mortgages, which have grown from a 3.4% share of all conforming home loans in December 2013 to a recent high of 9.9% in March 2014.

The unpredictability of ARMs has given them a bad name for some people, but ARMs are making a comeback.

ARMs have grown from a 3.4% share of all conforming home loans at the end of 2013 to just shy of 10% in March 2014.

While some have said this is a warning sign of a return to risky pre-recession lending, Cameron Findlay, chief economist at Discover Home Loans says that’s not the case at all.  Today’s ARMs are very different, Findlay says, for three reasons.

1) Safer And Smarter

There is a critical distinction to make between the hybrid ARMs offered in today’s marketplace and the interest-only products that were widely associated with the financial crisis.  Hybrid ARMs, which have fixed interest rates for an initial period of time and includes period and lifetime caps, can offer a significant benefit over 30-year fix rate mortgages.

2) Smart, Informed Borrowers

ARMs can be a viable and responsible alternative to fixed rate loans in the current market – but they are not for everyone.  ARMs will provide the most benefit to borrowers who make smart, informed choices based on their home-buying plans. Recently most ARM borrowers have chosen a 5/1 Hybrid with a 2/2/5 structure, meaning the rate is fixed for the first five years, both the initial and subsequent adjustments are capped at 2%, and the loan has a lifetime cap of 5% in adjustments.   For a borrower who only plans to live in a home for seven years, this type of loan can provide savings over the first five years when compared to a 30-year fixed rate loan in the current rate environment.

3) Sensible Alternative to Rising Rates

While there continue to be widespread misconceptions that ARMs are simply an alternative for those who cannot afford traditional loans, the market dynamics that are driving more borrowers towards ARMs tell a different story – and one that makes a great deal of sense for many consumers.  Over the 18 months, and particularly since the Fed announced its decision to “taper” its economic stimulus program, the rate for a 30-year fixed-rate home loan has risen by more than a full percentage point from 3.31 to 4.40%. In that time, the spread between Hybrid ARMs and fixed-rate loans has ballooned, as increases in adjustable loan rates have moved at a much slower pace.  Today, a 5/1Hybrid ARM is 0.96% less than a 30-year fixed rate loan.

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/29555-reasons-borrowers-fare-well-with-arms

Area’s home prices up 9 percent | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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Greater Boston housing prices rose solidly in January, continuing the trend of steadily increasing home values, according to a closely watched index that measures the nation’s housing markets.

The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices reported Tuesday that Boston-area home prices rose 9 percent in January from a year earlier. Nationally, home prices rose 13 percent during the same period.

“Expectations and recent data point to continued home price gains for 2014,” David M. Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices, said in a statement. “Although most analysts do not expect the same rapid increases we saw last year, the consensus is for moderating gains.”

Greater Boston prices rose about 10 percent in 2013, according to the Case-Shiller indices. Data reported by other groups have also shown steady increases.

A shortage of homes on the market, coupled with strong demand, has contributed to rising  prices in Massachusetts, industry officials and analysts say.

On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Association of Realtors reported that even though home prices declined last month, the median price of a single-family home rose to $294,950, up 7.3 percent from February 2013. The median condo price rose 9.1 percent to $283,000.

 

 

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/03/25/home-prices-rise-inventory-shrinks/XhWaLlpma2mlPn9j1qUZXO/story.html

Case-Shiller sees housing market cooling ever so slightly | Bedford Corners NY Homes

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There was another sign Tuesday morning that the housing market is cooling  off. Just a bit.

One of the nation’s most closely watched home price indexes inched downward  for the third straight month in January, though prices climbed slightly after  seasonal variations were taken into account.

The Case-Shiller Index saw prices tick down 0.1% across the 20 major cities  it tracks, though they gained 0.8% when seasonally adjusted. Prices are up 13.2%  compared with this time last year, but the quick pace of gains has clearly  slowed.

“The housing recovery may have taken a breather due to the cold weather,”  said David Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones, which  publishes the index.

In Los Angeles, where weather has been less of an  issue than in the snowy Midwest and Northeast, prices slipped 0.3%, though they  were up on a seasonally adjusted basis and were 18.9% ahead of last year. In San  Diego, prices jumped 0.6%, their best January since 2004.From December to January, prices fell in 12 of the 20 cities Case-Shiller  tracks. Still, Blitzer, like other real estate economists, remains optimistic  that 2014 will be a solid if unspectacular year for the housing market.

“Expectations and recent data point to continued home price gains for 2014,”  he said. “Although most analysts do not expect the same rapid increases we saw  last year, the consensus is for moderating gains.”

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-housing-market-cooling-20140325,0,2693996.story#ixzz2wzBsmeOZ

What we will—and won’t—learn about home prices this week | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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Housing market data have been mixed over the past few months, as harsh winter weather has appeared to put a damper of homebuying. Investors will get some more data on housing in the days ahead, when new home sales, pending home sales and home price data are released. But even if these numbers come in soft, some experts say the U.S. housing market is just getting heated up.

“We’re still in the very preliminary stages of a housing market upturn,” said Carl Riccadonna, senior U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank. “Housing is extremely seasonal, and there’s a high season and a low season. This low season is particularly low due to the weather, and housing numbers have been vulnerable.”

“In next week’s data, new home sales will be pretty lousy, just because buyer traffic has been depressed. But I’m personally waiting to see the March and April data to see what happens in the spring buying season,” Riccadonna told CNBC.com on Friday.

New homes sales for the month of February are set to be released by the Commerce Department on Tuesday morning. The consensus expectation is for sales to come in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 449,000 units, below the 5½ year high of 468,000 that was recorded for the month of January.

In other housing data that will emerge this week, the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index for January will be released Tuesday as well. This is designed to give investors an indication of the trend in real estate prices. And on Friday, pending home sales data from the National Association of Realtors, which tracks sales that have not yet closed, will give an indication of the demand for houses.

 

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101510605

Tips for Buyers in a Sellers’ Market | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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There is nothing more frustrating than wanting to buy a home but being unable to through no fault of your own. In many markets across the country, there simply are more buyers than sellers and homes are moving quickly — sometimes for more than the asking price due to high demand and low inventory.

Home buying is not as easy as seeing a new listing online, going to view it in person and making an offer. In a seller’s market the gloves come off and would-be buyers need to act fast, think outside the box and be prepared to work at the home-buying process.

Don’t use conventional search methods

With limited inventory and many buyers looking for the same thing, next-generation buyers need to think outside the box. You must assume that every home out there, even those that lack “For Sale” signs, are for sale in this day and age. Work with your agent to look at pocket listings, Make Me Move listings, and expired or withdrawn listings from years past. Look at pre-market homes or “For Sale By Owner” homes that may not be listed by conventional methods like the MLS. If you like a home in your neighborhood, don’t be afraid to reach out to the owner with a personalized letter. It’s worked before.

Get pre-approved for a mortgage

The buyers who get the house in a competitive market are the buyers who are organized, well prepared and ready to move when the right home comes along. What does this mean? Know about any issues with your credit report and make sure your financial house is in order. Start by getting a pre-approval letter from a reputable lender, that you can show to agents and sellers. A pre-approval letter is typically good for 90 days and shows sellers that you are a motivated, credit-worthy buyer who is able to act fast. Faced with multiple offers, the seller won’t just consider the highest offer but, rather, the person who can close quickly and is a sure thing financially.

 

http://homes.yahoo.com/news/tips-buyers-sellers-market-165650088.html

Spring Housing Market Shaping Up as Tale of Two Coasts | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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As the spring home shopping season heats up, buyers and sellers nationwide can expect very different experiences when it comes to negotiating power. Zillow took a look at recent data to determine markets where sellers have the power and those where buyers are in control. Our analysis shows many home sellers are thriving in the Bay Area, San Antonio and Los Angeles metro areas, where price cuts are sparse and homes often sell at or near their asking price.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Cleveland, Philadelphia and Tampa metros are buyers’ markets, with homes taking longer to sell, less competition in the marketplace and more room for bargaining on prices.

In this analysis, a sellers’ market is not necessarily one where home values are rising, but rather one in which homes are on the market for a shorter time, price cuts occur less frequently and homes are sold at prices very close to (or greater than) their last listing price. In buyers’ markets, homes for sale stay on the market longer, price cuts occur more frequently and homes are sold for less relative to their listing price.

“The real estate data in markets on both coasts are telling markedly different stories. Relatively strong job markets in the West are helping spur robust demand, which is being met with limited supply, causing rapid home value appreciation and giving sellers an edge. In the East, housing markets are appreciating a bit more slowly, and homes are staying on the market longer, which helps give buyers the upper hand,” said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries.

He added, “In general, buyers in sellers’ markets this spring can expect tight inventory, increased competition and a greater sense of urgency. Sellers in buyers’ markets may need to be prepared to lower their asking price, or to wait longer for the perfect buyer to come along. As we put the housing recession further in the rear-view mirror, the broad-based dynamics that applied during those days, when all markets were reacting similarly to nationwide economic conditions, are fading. Real estate has always been local, and as the spring market gains momentum, this old adage will only become more pronounced.”

 

http://homes.yahoo.com/news/spring-housing-market-shaping-tale-two-coasts-041831660.html

 

15 Small-space Decorating Tips | Bedford Corners Homes

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At the height of Seattle’s real estate market in 2003, when Leah and Chad Steen bought their first home, the property was far from picture perfect. “There was no landscaping; the previous owners even left us a note about the sad-looking Charlie Brown tree in the front yard,” says Leah, who owns Revival Home & Garden (revivalhomeandgarden.com), a shop in Capitol Hill. “But the house had tons of character, and there weren’t holes in the ceiling, like other places we’d seen.”

Inexpensive mingles with high-end Inexpensive mingles with high-end Mix high and low Inexpensive furniture mingles with high-end touches in the living room: Ikea curtains hang on plumbing pipe behind a $1,200 chandelier from Leah’s shop; custom pillows sit atop a bargain (at $579) settee from Urban Outfitters; a hand-painted chinoi­serie coffee table rests on an old Pakistani rug ($85 on eBay). How to decorate in a global style

High class with a couple of coats of paintHigh class with a couple of coats of paint Update secondhand furnishings

A $10 framed mirror from Goodwill reads “high class” with a couple of coats of high-gloss red paint. Decorating with second-hand finds

Just $2!Just $2! Find treasures at thrift stores

This large oil painting was just $2 from Second Use (seconduse.com).

 

 

http://shine.yahoo.com/at-home/15-small-space-decorating-tips-041200413.html