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Teatown Lake Reservation Updates | Chappaqua Real Estate
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Tag Archives: Chappaqua Luxury Real Estate
Teatown is seeking an EMT to act as Health Director for its science day camp, June 30th-August 22nd. Responsibilities include responding to camper illness or injury, coordinating first aid supplies and medications, and speaking with parents about camper health issues. Candidates must be at least 21 years old, physically active and comfortable navigating through a natural setting on foot or by an off-road vehicle. Please contact Lisa Baugh at 
Strap on your work shoes and grab a shovel! Teatown is offering trail volunteer workshops in April.
The 10 Best Two-Bedroom Apartments $675K Can Buy in NYC | Chappaqua Real Estate
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The median price for a two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan is $1.8 million, according to StreetEasy’s active listings. In popular Brooklyn neighborhoods, the median price of luxury apartments for rent is about a million less, at $899,000, but there’s plenty available for much less. For our latest Price Points round-up we found the 10 best two-bedroom apartments for around $675,000. Most are in Brooklyn, but Manhattan has its fair share (the other three boroughs, as expected, have even cheaper offerings). First up, there’s a “penthouse” apartment in a 12-unit building on Parkville Avenue in Kensington, Brooklyn. It has an open kitchen next to the living room with French doors opening onto a private balcony. The master bedroom has an en suite bath, and the second bedroom comes with a Queen-sized Murphy bed. There’s also a full second bathroom, and a private rooftop terrace. Asking price is $675,000, and common charges are $198.
On the Upper West Side, there’s a two-bedroom in a prewar building on West 93rd Street asking $679,000. The 22-foot-long living room has four windows, and the kitchen looks roomy, with a lot of counter space and cabinets, but the second bedroom is quite small. It has a window, but only measures 7’3″ by 8’7″, so it’s best suited as a nursery or home office, though from the listing photos, it looks like the kids have the big room while the parents have the tiny one. Guess that’s why they’re selling?
Also listed $679,000, there’s a “loft-style” unit in the Kent, a full-service condo building with a terrible name, near the Clinton Hill/Bed-Stuy border. The place measures 1,062 square feet and features a washer/dryer and two full bathrooms. The building shares an outdoor space with grills, a grass lawn, and patio, plus there is a fitness center.
Not far from Hudson Yards in Midtown West, a new-to-market two-bedroom co-op is asking $674,500. It only has one full bathroom, but both bedrooms, as well as the living room, are generously sized. The kitchen has been recently renovated with new stainless steel appliances, and the elevator building has a live-in super, laundry room, storage, and parking.
A garden-level co-op in a Park Slope brownstone on 9th Street is listed for $687,000. The secondary bedroom is located at the front of the house and is currently being used as a sitting room, as it connects to the living room through French doors. The kitchen and bathroom (there’s only one) have been recently renovated, and original features like fireplaces, wood-working, and wide-plank floors have been restored. In addition to the private yard, there’s a small greenhouse for the botanically-inclined.
The highlight of this 2BR condo on Conselyea Street in Williamsburg is the private 500-square-foot roof deck. But the apartment itself, renovated as it is, isn’t too shabby either (although it is pretty small). It’s asking $659,000.
In Yorkville, a renovated 2BR/2BA in a prewar co-op building is asking $650,000. It features such charming details as exposed brick walls, crown molding, and oak strip floors, and it includes two exposures. The building, on East 92nd Street, allows pets and has a laundry room.
At $700,000, this for-sale-by-owner 650-square-foot unit in the East Village is the most expensive listing of the bunch. It’s just been gut renovated and features new hardwood floors, millwork, and crown moldings, as well as all new wiring for electric, cable, and internet. The open kitchen has stainless steel appliances, a tile backsplash, and an oven that vents to the outside. It’s a walk-up, but it looks pretty darn nice.
Right at the very top of the Upper West Side, this prewar 2BR/1BA co-op has exposed brick, large windows, and a spacious living room. One of the bedrooms is rather small, but at least it has a window. The place is asking $669,000.
Back in Brooklyn, there’s a large-ish “architect-renovated” Windsor Terrace co-op listed for $650,000. Some of the new architect-introduced details include “refinished ebony parquet floors, custom imported full height sliding wood doors,” and a bathroom lined with “lovely Italian bisazza tiles.” The bedrooms have built-in closets, and the building has an elevator, live-in super, and laundry room.
· Price Points archives [Curbed]
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/04/16/the_10_best_twobedroom_apartments_675k_can_buy_in_nyc.php
Cubist Confection Oriented Toward Nature | Chappaqua Real Estate
When a Vancouver couple decided to give up their downtown condo for something closer to nature, they never realized just how close nature would get.
The cubist confection they built in West Vancouver embraces ocean and forest with unparalleled gusto, capturing views from every angle and allowing air to flow so fluidly through the building that the house cools itself.
Overlooking English Bay to the south and a steep, wooded creekside bluff to the west, the house makes the most of a limited footprint through a stacked floor plan and dramatic cantilevers.
Houzz at a Glance Who lives here: The owner of an electrical wholesale business, a psychotherapist and their daughters, ages 2 and 6 Location: West Vancouver, British Columbia Size: 4,600 square feet (427 square meters); 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms
The cubist confection they built in West Vancouver embraces ocean and forest with unparalleled gusto, capturing views from every angle and allowing air to flow so fluidly through the building that the house cools itself.
Overlooking English Bay to the south and a steep, wooded creekside bluff to the west, the house makes the most of a limited footprint through a stacked floor plan and dramatic cantilevers.
Houzz at a Glance Who lives here: The owner of an electrical wholesale business, a psychotherapist and their daughters, ages 2 and 6 Location: West Vancouver, British Columbia Size: 4,600 square feet (427 square meters); 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms
Pitfalls of pocket listings for buyers and sellers outweigh potential upsides | Chappaqua Real Estate
The idea of selling a home without ever listing it can be appealing to many. Similarly, ringing the doorbell on the “perfect home” and finding an owner willing to sell can put a broad smile on a buyer’s face.
The risks however, routinely make buying and selling “pocket listings” dangerous to a person’s financial well-being — particularly for sellers.
The term pocket listing typically refers to an agreement between a seller and real estate broker that allows the broker to market the property outside of the multiple listing service.
The property is advertised through the broker’s “network” and a buyer is targeted by what amounts to “word of mouth.”
There are a number of caution points for any seller contemplating a pocket listing:
- The home might sell for less than market value. How is the sale price being established? Is the seller depending on the agent to stipulate price? Don’t rely solely on a prelisting appraisal; there are many buyer and seller variables that cannot be accounted for by an appraiser. If the home isn’t exposed to the maximum number of potential buyers (usually accomplished via the MLS) how can the seller be confident that the best price was received? When a shortage of quality listings exist, multiple offers and bidding wars might be seen – which doesn’t happen without adequate exposure.
- What are the motivations for a seller to consider a pocket listing? If the idea is to save on agent commissions, the expectation is often different than the reality. A 4 percent commission might be 1 or 2 percent less than market and appear like a bargain, but a seller should look at the big picture. Agents soliciting pocket listings typically already have a buyer lined up so the conventional agent split doesn’t apply. So while the total fee might be less than market, it’s more for the agent since they keep it all. It’s also not uncommon for pocket listings to have clauses that address fees due in the event a buyer’s agent is involved. It’s not uncommon for the end result to be a commission that approaches the norm and a selling price below market.
- There is simply no suitable substitute for the exposure obtained by the MLS. A pocket listing – like homes offered for sale by owner – simply cannot compete with a traditionally listed home. The major public real estate sites pull information from the MLS. Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest might get someone interested in a home, but home buyers look where the homes are. It’s worth noting that an estimated 45 percent of home buyers in 2013 found the home they bought on the Internet, not through their agent.
- Sellers make have to make unnecessary repairs or concessions. Potential issues that plague a “normal” sale will be present with pocket listings as well. However, a competitive environment provides options to a seller. Repair issues, appraisal problems or other challenges can better be negotiated or ignored when there are multiple interested buyers.
– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2014/04/09/pitfalls-of-pocket-listings-for-buyers-and-sellers-outweigh-potential-upsides/?utm_source=20140409&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinesam#sthash.MCWOFdHE.dpuf
9 Things Your Buyers Should Ignore While House Hunting | Chappaqua Real Estate
For many buyers, looking for a new home can be a challenge. As agents, we see homes daily and are well-trained on how to see past the superficial problems and see a home for its potential. But when clients are looking for the home in which they plan on building their lives, it can be hard to envision how a home could truly be ‘mine.’ Many people choose to remodel and stage their homes prior to putting it on the market, but then there are the vast majority of people who choose to sell their beloved home “as-is.”
While a turn-key home is ideal for people who want to move right in and make no changes, there are those “time warp” homes that are actually incredible gems that just need a little polishing.
Love these tips? Share this information with current clients and your prospective buyers. Download the handout to include in your marketing materials and to help buyers throughout their home buying journey!
As you walk your clients through their house hunt, here are 9 things about a for-sale home that you should remind clients to ignore in order to keep them from passing on a what could be the perfect home for them.
Sagging Sales: It’s Not Just the Weather | Chappaqua Real Estate
It’s hard to build, buy or sell a home in when ice coats the drive and below freezing winds discourage roof inspections. There’s no doubt this year’s endless winter have curbed construction and sales. However, sagging sales are not just a function of the nasty weather that will melt away with the first warm days.
If that were the case, how do you explain California?
In February, California sales were 18.9 percent below the average of 31,660 sales for all the months of February since 1988, according to DataQuick. An estimated 25,680 new and resale houses and condos sold statewide last month, down 0.6 percent from 25,832 in January and down 10.6 percent from 28,719 sales in February 2013, according to San Diego-based DataQuick.
PropertyRadar reported California single-family home and condominium sales fell 1.4 percent in February 2014 from January and declined 16.1 percent from February 2013. Last month marked the lowest February sales since 2008. “Rapid price increases and rising interest rates in concert with sluggish income and employment growth have slowed demand…” said Madeline Schnapp, Director of Economic Research for PropertyRadar. “Tougher borrowing standards, elevated prices, increasing borrowing costs and historically low inventory continue to exert a drag on market activity.”
According to the California Association of Realtors. February marked the fourth straight month that sales were below the 400,000 level and the seventh straight decline on a year-over-year basis. Sales in February slipped 0.7 percent from a revised 363,930 in January but were down 13.7 percent from a revised 418,520 in February 2013. The statewide sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2014 if sales maintained the February pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors.
http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2014/03/sagging-sales-its-not-just-the-weather/
Grow a Kitchen Garden in 16 Square Feet | Chappaqua Real Estate
With just a patch of soil and sunlight, you can create a mini kitchen garden. It won’t feed your family for the summer, but it can make your meals more interesting, and perhaps get kids interested in growing food or at least help them understand where it comes from. The trick is to choose the right crops. Varieties should be compact enough not to outgrow the space and should be productive over a season — so you are not eagerly waiting for weeks for a harvest that lasts minutes. Looking for Inflatable Hot Tub for your Garden? If in this blog the top pick is not what you are looking for, there’s plenty of other hot tubs to choose from.
If you don’t have space in the ground, you can grow vegetables in a convenient raised bed or planting box. This one is 4 feet by 4 feet, constructed of two 2-by-6s on each side. Fill the planter with a commercial soil mix; if you plant in the ground, improve the soil by adding a layer of several inches of organic matter, and work it in to a depth of 8 to 10 inches.
Make sure the spot gets sun for a good part of the day. Choose smallish varieties. There are many ways to go. Here in front is a row of leaf lettuces. Just behind, there’s a scattering of beets plus a few daffodils. In back there’s a row of chard and a single rosemary shrub. Make sure that the plants you select have compatible demands for water, light and feeding.
Salad Greens
For the planting’s front row, choose low-growing leaf lettuce varieties or curly endive, which has an appealing bitterness. These are greens that you can keep cutting rather than waiting for them to form mature heads. Most leaf lettuces do best in cool weather. As summer moves in, you can replace them with chard, herbs or other more heat-tolerant types.
Make sure the spot gets sun for a good part of the day. Choose smallish varieties. There are many ways to go. Here in front is a row of leaf lettuces. Just behind, there’s a scattering of beets plus a few daffodils. In back there’s a row of chard and a single rosemary shrub. Make sure that the plants you select have compatible demands for water, light and feeding.
Salad Greens
For the planting’s front row, choose low-growing leaf lettuce varieties or curly endive, which has an appealing bitterness. These are greens that you can keep cutting rather than waiting for them to form mature heads. Most leaf lettuces do best in cool weather. As summer moves in, you can replace them with chard, herbs or other more heat-tolerant types.
Kitchen of the Week: Pushing Boundaries in a San Francisco Victorian | Chappaqua Homes
Housing Barometer: Recovery Staggers Forward | Chappaqua Real Estate
What You Should Know Before Dipping Into Home Flipping | Chappaqua NY Homes
The TV shows make it look so easy. You buy an ugly house, fix it up in a week or two and then sell it for a whopping $100,000 profit.
But as anyone who has ever tried it knows, house flipping is a lot harder than it looks.
“The math never lies,” says Brandon Turner, senior editor and community manager for BiggerPockets, a website for real estate investors, and a veteran flipper near Olympia, Wash.
And often, the math doesn’t add up to a sizable payday when you factor in the time, effort, labor and money to execute a flip. But that doesn’t keep people from trying.
Investors flipped 156,862 single-family homes in 2013, according to RealtyTrac, which defined a flipped home as one bought and sold twice within six months. The number of flips was up 16 percent from 2012 and 114 percent from 2011. The average gross profit for a completed flip — or more accurately, the difference between the first sales price and the second sales price – was $58,081.
Only 21 percent of those flips were foreclosure properties, according to RealtyTrac, down from 32 percent in 2011. And it has proved much more popular in some cities than others. Home flipping was up 141 percent in Virginia Beach, Va., 92 percent in Jacksonville, Fla., 88 percent in Baltimore and 79 percent in Atlanta. But it fell 43 percent in Philadelphia, 32 percent in Phoenix, 17 percent in Tampa, Fla., and Houston, and 15 percent in Denver. In 2013, there was a bigger increase in the flipping of properties that sold for $400,000 or more than in lower-priced properties.
“Investors have not lost interest in purchasing and flipping homes. In fact, now that we are seeing home price appreciation, they are more interested than…
http://news.yahoo.com/know-dipping-home-flipping-145712062.html