Tag Archives: Bedford NY Real Estate for sale

Jumbo mortgages fill in lending gap | Bedford NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Mortgage credit availability remains on the upward trajectory that it has been on since November 2013, a trade industry group said.

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, the mortgage credit availability index increased .44% from 113.5 in February to 114 in March.

The index was benchmarked to 100 in March 2012, and if the MCAI was tracked in 2007, it would have been at a level of roughly 800.

“Consistent with past months, many lenders and investors are providing borrowers seeking higher loan amounts with a broader range of financing options by introducing new jumbo loan programs,” said Mike Fratantoni, MBA’s chief economist.

This trend in jumbo mortgages follows the recent mortgage application reports from the trade group, which show a growth in purchase volume for applications with higher loan amounts and contraction in home purchase application volume for lower-balance loans.

According to the most recent survey, the average contract interest rate for 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages with jumbo loan balances increased to 4.46% from 4.45%.

“Over the month, some lenders made a complete exit from wholesale lending operations, while other lenders moved to enter that space or expanded operations,” Fratantoni said.

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/29603-jumbo-mortgages-fill-in-lending-gap

Modular floating home can be built on land or water | Bedford NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Buying a new home typically requires some research of the local area in order to understand where buyers will be living for the good few years to come, as well as whether the property is the right size for them. However, Czech architects have now created PORT X, a houseboat that can be customized with extra modules and anchored on both the river or land.

Designed by architects at Atelier SAD, the building is made up of interlocking sections of wood and laminate that can be customized with doors, windows, separating walls and balcony sections. Since PORT X is a modular structure, the individual pieces can be transported to any location and the building can be set up on site, meaning homeowners are free to live almost anywhere. The building is also a floating structure, meaning it can be anchored in a port and trailed by boat to another location. It can be used both as a home or an office, and a showcase version of PORT X was most recently seen on the Rašín river bank where people could get a feel for the structure and also view an exhibition of photographs by Ondřej Kavan.

portx2

The concept is similar to Belgium’s Sleeping Around — a shipping container hotel that can be transported to various locations around the world — but PORT X is now available for homeowners to buy. Are there other ways that modular structures can provide greater flexibility for living without sacrificing comfort?

 

 

https://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/modular-floating-home-built-land-water-155932101.html

 

Westchester’s Only Great Blue Heron Rookery In Bedford, Nature Group Say | Bedford Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

A colony of great blue heron has made Bedford its home for the season in a remote, yet visible wooded area that Naturalist Tait Johansson says is the only place in all of Westchester that you will find the large birds.Photo AlbumGreat Blue Herons Nest, Breed, Incubate In Bedford

There are about 20 blue herons nests at a rookery – or colony of breeding animals – on Route 121 just past the intersection with Route 137.

Some of the birds could still be seen this week building nests high up in the barren trees, flanked by a swampy surface with dead trees. The tall bird with an S-shaped neck and long legs usually settles near water or in a marsh and preys on fish, frogs, mice and even other birds.

“This rookery started two years ago,” said Johansson, who works at the Bedford Audobon Society in Katonah. “It’s something interesting. A lot of people have called here asking about it.”

The Katonah resident and lifelong bird admirer said not all of them have migrated back north to the Bedford rookery. He said the birds you see now are adults, who will breed and then incubate their eggs in the nest for about a month – he added that they’re not as interesting to observe while incubating since they mostly stay in the nest.

 

http://bedford.dailyvoice.com/lifestyle/westchesters-only-great-blue-heron-rookery-bedford-nature-group-say

Social Media Marketing Secrets of Smart Savvy Bloggers | Bedford Realtor

Leave a reply

 

The success of a blog can be judged on different aspects, but engagement will  be a dominant factor in achieving the desired outcome. Using social media  marketing to promote your blog can be highly effective, and your ‘followers’ or ‘likes’ should be considered as important metrics.

However, ensuring that you truly engage with these people, across all  platforms, is equally important and often overlooked.

Seth Godin is widely viewed as an arbiter on marketing issues, he has  repeatedly referenced Kevin Kelly’s ‘1000 True Fans’ article. Kelly’s principal message is that  a ‘true’ fan is of greater value than a lesser fan, and that engagement helps  nurture ‘true’ fans. He states that:

‘The genius of the True Fan model is that the  fans are able to move an artist away from the edges of the long tail to a degree  larger than their numbers indicate.’

His article focuses on upcoming artists aiming to sustain a living, but the  methods can be applied to the development of any blog. If you’re dealing with  larger numbers, or are representing a corporation, then you should still pay  heed to these core values with the same sincerity.

1. Unique & varied social media content

Using Facebook or twitter to post links to your own articles will help drive  traffic towards your site, no doubt. However, if this is your only social media  activity then you have to question how original and engaging the page is.  Readers may initially ‘like’ or ‘follow’ you, but if your page is essentially a  glorified RSS feed then you may drive these same people away at a later date.  Also remember that engagement leads to more followers/likes.

A good example of a successful commercial Facebook page is Oreo; unique video, images, and campaigns  solely for their Facebook page present the user with a fresh experience. The  user’s engagement and sharing of the content, will in turn increase the traffic  to both your Facebook page and your blog. If you are representing a brand, don’t  be afraid to show intelligence – ‘dumbing down’ to your audience can be  portrayed as a ‘dumbing down’ of your brand. This is where Oreo excels; it  doesn’t offer generic competitions, instead choosing to post relevant and  humorous content.

If you run a personal blog you may not have the resources for a campaign on  this scale, but at least adopt the principles and ensure you have some unique  content.

Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/04/02/the-social-media-marketing-secrets-of-smart-savvy-bloggers/#YJuH5J5gkgCsdYrK.99

Mortgage rates increase as the 10-year bond sells off | Bedford NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

 

Mortgage rates are the lifeblood of the housing market, which is why Bernanke and the Fed began conducting quantitative easing (or QE) in the first place. Lower rates allow homeowners to refinance, which increases their disposable income and helps stimulate economic growth. Lower rates enable first-time homebuyers to move out of an apartment and into a house, which means higher consumption (and good things for home improvement retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s). Consumption accounts for some 70% of the U.S. economy, and consumption has been depressed since the housing bubble burst. The Federal Reserve would prefer to keep rates as low as possible for as long as possible.

 

Mortgage rates rise as the ten-year bond sells off

The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose 11 basis points as the ten-year yield rose 9 basis points, and TBAs rallied. With the refinance boom over, originators are overstaffed and cutting prices to drive business. We’ve seen a number of small originators go out of business, as they found themselves unable to compete in a purchase-driven mortgage market. The purchase market is fundamentally different from the refinance market in that it’s driven by relationships and not price. Last week, we heard from the biggest banks in the mortgage business, and every one reported drops in origination activity of 30% to 40%. Margins are getting squeezed as bankers compete for business.

The confirmation of Mel Watt as FHFA Chairman might give originators a break, as he’s expected to endorse further government homeowner assistance, which could mean an extension of HARP (Home Affordable Refinance Program) eligibility dates. This could trigger a new refinance boom.

Recently, the FHFA issued new loan level pricing adjustments for conforming loans. Loans with FICO scores above 680 and loan-to-value ratios above 80% will see higher rates. Not only that, but the FHFA also increased the guarantee fee for conforming loans by 10 basis points. Mel Watt put these increases on hold.

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/mortgage-rates-increase-10-bond-170020962.html

Should I Use a Mortgage Broker or a Bank? | Bedford Real Estate

Leave a reply

This week’s reader question is about who to approach when you’re looking for mortgage money. Here it is:

I am going through the mortgage process the second time. The first mortgage was for a very low amount, so I didn’t really learn much about the process. My question is what is the difference between using a mortgage broker and a bank to secure financing? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both? – John

Before we get to John’s answer, check out a video I did a couple of years ago about mortgage shopping.

Now let’s get to John’s answer, starting with what the term “broker” means and what they do.

What brokers do

Whether you’re talking real estate broker, stockbroker, insurance broker, mortgage broker or pawnbroker, they all have one thing in common: They’re middlemen who get paid to facilitate a transaction.

Logic would suggest that leaving out the middleman and dealing directly would allow for a less expensive transaction. But if brokers didn’t routinely save more than enough to offset their expense, they wouldn’t exist.

Stockbrokers have relationships with several exchanges, so they can get you the best price when you buy or sell stocks. Insurance brokers have relationships with multiple insurance companies, so they can get you the best price when you buy insurance.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ask-stacy-mortgage-broker-bank-150040816.html

Bedford Schools Make More Cuts To Keep Budget Under Tax Cap | Bedford Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Bedford residents would see a 2.99 percent drop in their property tax bill under the 2014-2015 Bedford Central School District preliminary budget, while residents from Pound Ridge, New Castle and North Castle will see an increase.

The tax rate would drop in Bedford to $134.29 per $1,000 of assessed value. It would increase in:

  • Mount Kisco by 5.75 percent to $73.45 per $1,000 of assessed value
  • Pound Ridge by 4.31 percent to $83.89 per $1,000 of assessed value
  • New Castle by 8.86 percent to $73.03 per $1,000 of assessed value
  • North Castle by 7.84 percent to $650.47 per $1,000 of assessed value

While no major programs were cut in the $123.5 million budget, School Superintendent Jere Hochman said this will be the last year he will be able to say that.

“In spite of negotiations with all unions which resulted in a significantly reduced trajectory of salary and benefit increases (reduced to 3 percent), the board’s use of reserves ($3 million), and previous year’s cuts and efficiencies, this budget includes over $2 million in cuts and some changes in service expectations,” he said.

 

http://mtkisco.dailyvoice.com/news/bedford-schools-make-more-cuts-keep-budget-under-tax-cap

 

 

 

Restaurateur Michael White takes over at Bedford Post Inn | Bedford Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Amid reports of a split between Richard Gere and Carey Lowell, the restaurants at the Bedford Post Inn are changing hands. Chef Michael White, owner of Altamarea Restaurant Group, has signed a long term lease for the Bedford restaurant, previously operated by the famous couple.

Altamarea will operate all of the food and beverage operations at the Bedford Post Inn, including the Barn, the private events space, the outside grill terrace and the flagship restaurant, the Farmhouse, which will be renamed “Campagna.” The chef de cuisine will be  Devin Boyzaka, who was sous chef at The Inn at Little Washington. Richard Gere and Russell Hernandez will continue to own the inn, which has eight suites.

According to the Altamarea Grou, Campagna will serve its well-known upscale Italian cuisine, that features plenty of seasonal dishes to reflect the restaurant’s location in the Lower Hudson Valley and its abundant local produce. Other restaurants in the Altamarea group include Marea, Osteria Morni, Ai Fiori, all in Manhattan, and restaurants in New Jersey and London.

In 2007, Richard Gere and Carey Lowell brought the 1700’s era farmhouse property back to life as a gourmet destination in a country setting. Recent reports of the couple’s split are not officially confirmed.

http://food.lohudblogs.com/2014/03/04/richard-gere-turns-restaurants-bedford-post-inn/

Bedford Could Get Snow Showers Thursday, Major Storm Sunday | Bedford NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Winter’s firm grip on Westchester County will be as strong as ever through next week.

Thursday will be marked by a frigid wind chills with gusts as high as 30 to 32 miles per hour and a high temperature between 28 and 30 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. There is a chance of afternoon snow showers.

Frigid cold will then set in with overnight lows near zero and wind chills between 10 and 12 degrees below zero.

After a sunny and cold day Friday with a high between 18-20, there is a chance of snow showers Saturday and the potential exists for a major winter storm from Sunday evening into Monday evening.

While it is too early to predict the storm’s impact, Accuweather.com has projected a possible accumulation of up to 6 inches.

The long-range forecast shows temperatures struggling to top the freezing mark through the end of next week.

 

 

http://bedford.dailyvoice.com/news/westchester-could-get-snow-showers-thursday-major-storm-sunday

Monthly Home Prices Are On the Rise | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul

Leave a reply

 

Are higher monthly mortgage payments a good or bad trend for the economy?

It’s probably bad, but either way, rising home payments are increasingly a fact of life for new homeowners, as house payments for U.S. homebuyers rose by 21% in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The hike in monthly payments is forged from two separate real estate trends — rising median prices and higher interest rates, reports RealtyTrac, the Irvine, Calif., housing data provider.

The firm says that, in the last quarter of 2013, median home prices rose by 10% and interest rates rose by 33%, on average, in 325 counties.

The monthly payment hike covers the full gamut of homeownership expenses for an average three-bedroom home — data reached by combining mortgage, insurance, taxes and maintenance and by subtracting the estimated income tax benefit, RealtyTrac reports.

So that 21% figure is surprisingly high, especially as higher home prices significantly outpace household incomes, which are virtually stagnant.

“A potent combination of rapidly rising home prices and the often-overlooked but significant uptick in interest rates in the second half of 2013 caused the monthly cost of owning a home using traditional financing to jump substantially in many markets over the last year,” says Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac.

“The monthly cost of owning a home is still less than renting in the majority of markets, but the cost of financed homeownership is becoming dangerously disconnected with still-stagnant median incomes, driven not by shoddy underwriting practices this time around but by investors and other cash buyers who are not tethered to the typical affordability constraints,” he adds.

 

 

http://www.mainstreet.com/article/real-estate/buying/monthly-home-prices-are-rise?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO