Tag Archives: Bedford Corners NY

Bedford Corners NY

Michael Palladino-Designed Mansion on 218 Acres Asks $15.9M | Bedford Corners Real Estate

Leave a reply

20 images

Location: Santa Ynez, Calif. Price: $15,900,000 The Skinny: Designed by architect Michael Palladino, a design partner in Richard Meier & Partners Architects, this sprawling modernist mansion occupies a prime hilltop site amid 218 private acres of Santa Barbara wine country. Completed in 2005, the five-bed, five-bath spread is now listed for $15.9M, along with the aforementioned acreage, a separate guest suite, a two-bedroom cottage, a ranch manager’s house, an eight-stall horse barn, and extensive equestrian facilities. Though the current owner’s identity is disguised by a blind trust, the house is said to have been commissioned by Nancy Englander and Harold Williams, both former executives at the J. Paul Getty Trust and he the former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. That the pair picked Meier’s office for their residence shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, considering Williams headed up the team that selected Richard Meier as the architect of the Getty Center.

 

 

read more…

 

http://curbed.com/archives/2013/08/22/michael-palladinodesigned-mansion-on-218-acres-asks-159m.php

 

 

 

How to Use Tumblr for Your Business | Bedford Corners Realtor

Leave a reply

Are you wondering if Tumblr could help your business?

Are you unfamiliar with Tumblr and wondering how to get started?

Do you want to let a new set of customers share your brand or product on this social platform?

If so, keep reading as I reveal how to use Tumblr for your business.

Why Tumblr?

Tumblr is a blogging and social platform that houses more than 132 million blogs and is among the top 15 websites in the United States.

It’s website explains, “Tumblr lets you effortlessly share anything. Post text, photos, quotes, links, music, and videos from your browser, phone, desktop, email or wherever you happen to be. You can customize everything, from colors to your theme’s HTML.”

According to Quantcast, Tumblr received over 5.5 billion page views in May 2013 alone. With user numbers and popularity on the rise, it’s a perfect marketing tool for businesses that are trying to extend their reach and raise brand awareness.

Tumblr is quickly growing in popularity.

In this article I’ll show you how to get started using Tumblr in your online marketing strategy.

#1: Sign Up

Signing up is easy and can be done in minutes. Enter your email, choose a password and select a username. Try to get an exact match for your brand name or primary website URL. Alternatively, if you’re already established on Twitter, see if your Twitter username is available.

Provide Tumblr with accurate, complete and updated registration information.

Consider using the same avatar image on your Tumblr page that you use on your Facebook Page, Twitter account and other social media channels.

#2: Dress to Impress

First impressions matter. To build a solid brand presence on Tumblr, ensure you make a good impression and select a catchy design for your page.

There’s an abundance of free and paid themes on Tumblr. Choose from one-, two- and three-column or grid-style layouts and find a design that matches your image. Browse the available themes, select one that fits your business and install it in seconds.

Tumblr has a large library of free and premium themes to choose from.

Many themes allow for a considerable amount of customization to give you a unique look that’s perfect for punctuating your brand image. Compared to Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest, Tumblr is much more customizable and doesn’t require any serious programming abilities.

 

 

read more…

 

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/tumblr-for-business/

FHA eases rules for some credit-impaired applicants | Bedford Corners Real Estate

Leave a reply

In a move designed to more fairly treat borrowers whose credit reports contain collections actions and disputed debt accounts, the Federal Housing Administration has eased previous rules that would have led to large numbers of application rejections.

The agency also released guidance to lenders instructing them on how to handle “extenuating circumstances” claimed by borrowers who experienced serious economic setbacks triggered by the recession, but who are now employed, paying their bills and seeking FHA financing.

On Friday, FHA issued two mortgagee letters spelling out its new approach to widespread credit issues affecting applicants for its low down payment loans. The guidance on collections and disputed accounts (ML 2013-24) replaces controversial rules the agency first issued in early 2012.

That guidance, which required payoffs of collections or disputed accounts totaling an aggregate $1,000 or more before applicants could go to closing on an FHA loan, triggered intense criticism from lenders and community groups.

FHA subsequently withdrew the rule in June 2012,  promising a future policy that would constitute a “balanced yet flexible approach to promote access to affordable credit while protecting the insurance fund.”

Critics of the rescinded rules pointed out that many consumers have disputed accounts on their credit reports that were not caused by the consumers themselves, or where they had legitimate reasons for not paying the account in full.

read more….

http://www.inman.com/2013/08/19/fha-eases-rules-for-some-credit-impaired-applicants/#sthash.ESpeOodQ.dpuf

Single-family home construction slips in July | Bedford Corners Real Estate

Leave a reply

U.S. housing starts  rose 5.9 percent month over month in July to a seasonally adjusted rate of 896,000, and were up 20.9 percent from a year ago, according to a monthly report from the U.S. Census Bureau released today.

The increase was powered by a sharp rise in multifamily construction. Construction of single-family homes actually dropped by 2.2 percent.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/wire/single-family-home-construction-slips-in-july/#sthash.XoeKv5es.dpuf

Trulia: Home prices 5% undervalued | Bedford Corners Homes

Leave a reply

According to Trulia, another bubble is far away, with home prices still undervalued:

We estimate that national home prices are 5% undervalued in the third quarter of 2013. During last decade’s housing bubble, prices were as high as 39% overvalued in 2006 Q1, then after the crash fell to 15% undervalued in 2011 Q4. One quarter ago prices looked 7% undervalued; one year ago prices looked 14% undervalued, Trulia reported.

                    Source: Trulia
read more….

Realtor.com Reports Price Increases are Moderating | Bedford Corners Real Estate

Leave a reply

The inventory drought that has driven price increases this spring is ending as new listings restore supplies.  Larger inventories, especially in the hotter markets that experienced rapid price increases in the spring, are providing buyers more choices and moderating price increases.

Realtor.com’s year over year inventory declined 5.24 percent for the second month in a row.  However inventories were up 1.41 percent over June.  National median list prices increased 5.27 percent year-over-year while median age of inventory fell 16.67 percent.

The very hot California markets that were a concern two months ago have cooled.  In fact, inventories have recovered so much in Sacramento and Stockton-Lodi that their supplies of listings for sale on Realtor.com are larger than they were a year ago.  The recovery’s new phase is characterized by smaller price swings, larger inventories that reflect higher home values, a moderate decline in the median age of inventory and a general return to stability.  The balance of the year will see markets consolidate the price gains they achieved during the buying season.

Dramatic national year-over-year inventory declines have evaporated. Nationally inventories in July are only 5.24 percent below the level of a year ago compared to being down 16.47 percent year-over-year in January.

Inventory declines decreased in local markets.  In July 2013, the number of markets with decreases in year-over-year inventory declined from 125 markets in June to 118 markets in July.  This suggests that this fall inventories in some markets may return to levels of a year ago and may continue to slow price increases in some markets.

Markets are still moving fast. All but five markets are continuing to experience year-over-year declines in age of inventory and on a month-over-month basis. On a national level, housing inventory is approximately 17 percent below last year, but the national age of inventory increased 6.25 percent month-over-month.

 

 

read more…

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/08/realtorcom-reports-price-increases-are-moderating/

 

Mortgage rates hold steady | Bedford Corners Real Estate

Leave a reply

Mortgage rates remained largely unchanged from last week after bouncing around from July to August on market uncertainty as to whether the Federal Reserve will taper its bond-buying program.

Mortgage rates for the week ending Aug. 14, changed very little from the previous week, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey.

The 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage came in at 4.40%, unchanged from last week, and up from 3.62% last year.

In addition, the 15-year, FRM averaged 3.44%, up from 3.43% last week and also up from 2.88% a year earlier.

The 5-year, Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage came in at 3.23%, a slight jump from 3.19% last week and a substantial increase from 2.76% last year.

The one-year Treasury-indexed ARM reached 2.67%, up from 2.62% a week earlier and not far from the 2.69% rate reported a year earlier.

“Fixed mortgage rates have been bouncing around over the past few weeks on market speculation that the Fed will taper some of its monetary stimulus,” said Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist Frank Nothaft. “In fact, 65 percent of economists surveyed by Bloomberg expect the Fed to reduce the amount of bond purchases at its September 17th and 18th monetary policy committee meetings.”

He added, “Currently, mortgage rates on 30-year fixed mortgages are 1.1 percentage points above their all-time low set on November 21, 2012, which translates into $125 more per month in mortgage payments on a $200,000 loan.”

Bankrate also noted that fixed mortgage rates were little changed.

In its weekly national survey, Bankrate reported that the 30-year, FRM rose to 4.57%, while the 15-year, FRM declined to 3.61%. In addition, the 5/1 ARM increased to 3.61%.

 

 

Mortgage rates hold steady | 2013-08-15 | HousingWire.

Canada’s housing market still running hot | Bedford Corners Real Estate

Leave a reply

The surprising resilience of the country’s housing market is renewing concerns that it could be overshooting.

 

Housing starts, sales and prices are once again defying expectations, one year after Finance Minister Jim Flaherty shocked the market with tighter mortgage insurance rules. The sector is showing such strength this summer that some economists are wondering whether Mr. Flaherty will go further in a bid to stem rising house prices and consumer debt levels.

 

A for sale sign is seen on the lawn of a Toronto home. The Canadian Real Estate Association says home sales were down in June from year-earlier levels, but higher compared with the previous month.

 

“There may be some dusting off of potential measures to cool housing,” Bank of Montreal economist Douglas Porter wrote in a research note. He thinks the market could be on the verge of running away again.

 

Both Mr. Flaherty and economists will have a better sense of where things stand on Thursday, when the Canadian Real Estate Association releases July’s sales figures. Mr. Porter thinks the data will show that the number of existing homes changing hands is 10 per cent higher than this time last year, which would mean that they are “within striking distance of the record highs hit in 2007.”

 

July data from some local real estate boards appear to back that assumption. Vancouver, for instance, saw a whopping 40.4-per-cent year-over-year increase in sales of existing homes over the Multiple Listing Service, while Toronto posted a still-impressive 16-per-cent gain. Calgary’s sales were up 17 per cent from last year. (Not all markets are showing gains. Ottawa and Montreal each saw sales fall by about 2 per cent year over year).

 

Toronto-Dominion Bank economist Diana Petramala says sales have now recovered from the changes that Mr. Flaherty made to the mortgage insurance rules. “In Vancouver, sales have recovered to their highest level since 2010,” she notes.

 

In addition to the changes that Ottawa made to the rules for consumers, such as cutting the maximum length of an insured mortgage to 25 years and doing away with mortgage insurance for homes worth more than $1-million, Mr. Flaherty has been taking steps to curtail the degree to which Canada Housing and Mortgage Corp., and therefore taxpayers, backstop the banks’ activities. He has been worried that ultralow mortgage rates are adding too much fuel to the housing fire.

 

 

Canada’s housing market still running hot – The Globe and Mail.

How to Use LinkedIn Sponsored Updates | Bedford Corners Realtor

Leave a reply

Are you wondering how to use LinkedIn Sponsored Updates?

Does your business have a LinkedIn company page?

Do you want to grow your following outside of your company page?

In this article I’ll show you 6 steps for creating and measuring the impact of your first LinkedIn Sponsored Update.

Why Sponsored Updates?

If you’re one of the 3 million companies that have a LinkedIn company page, you’ll know that you can post updates directly from your company rather than as an individual. And you can like and comment as your company as well.

And now, just like Promoted Posts and Sponsored Stories on other social sites, LinkedIn has launched its own Sponsored Updates function, which runs on the same principle.

If you’re a B2B marketer, Sponsored Updates allow you to promote your message to others outside your company page following. At the same time, you can target who sees that message, so your marketing efforts can be focused on the right people.

Here’s how to use Sponsored Updates:

#1: Create Your Post

Post your update to your company page as normal. You’ll need to wait a few minutes and then refresh your page until you see the Sponsor Update button.

 

 

read a lot more…

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/linkedin-sponsored-updates/

 

Optimize your real estate brand with Instagram video | Bedford Corners Real Estate

Leave a reply

As a real estate agent, what could you do with 15 seconds? With the latest update, Instagram 4.1 is opening some creative doors for its users by allowing video uploads directly from your library. Here are some great examples:

Coldwell Banker I love this from Coldwell Banker. A combination of a live video introduction and still shots from a home featured in Payson, Ariz., make this 15 seconds enjoyable and definitely recognizable as the CB brand.

Anne Jones I admire what Anne is able to capture with Instagram and now that video keeps getting better, I can’t wait to see more from the Tacoma area!

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/next/optimize-your-real-estate-brand-with-instagram-video/#sthash.wiMd5fxN.dpuf