Tag Archives: Cross River Luxury Homes

Waterfront Robert Gurney Design Asks $2.5M In Annapolis | Cross River Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Location: Annapolis, Md. Price: $2,569,100 The Skinny: Think of residential architecture in and around the D.C. area, and you’ll probably picture a Georgetown row house or a sprawling suburban McMansion in Anne Arundel, but as we’ve seen before, the Beltway has at least one practitioner of modern design in the glass-lovin’ form of Robert Gurney. Here we’ve got a twofer from the AIA award-winning architect, with a glassy, angular, three-bedroom main house sharing a lot on Maryland’s Harness Creek with a traditional-ish two bedroom cottage. The main attraction, of course, is the spiky silhouette of the bigger home, with its floor-to-ceiling windows and its mix of wood siding and copper cladding. The light-filled interiors, which currently have kind of a CB2 showroom feel, are promising spaces, and the kitchen is a minimalist exercise in putting everything (including the Sub-Zero) in an island and a few teak wall cabinets. The cottage, which is used by the current owners as a rental property, has an enclosed porch and sits just a few feet from the water. The whole thing comes with an acre of land and is asking $2.569M, more than double what it sold for just over a year ago.

 

 

 

http://curbed.com/archives/2014/04/16/waterfront-robert-gurney-design-asks-25m-in-annapolis.php

7 Things Not to Do When Flipping Houses | Cross River Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Mold, wood rot, warped floors, a dated bathroom — these problems might seem a nightmare to the average home buyer, but to a seasoned flipper, a house full of flaws could mean profits.

With the housing market improving after the 2008 crash, house flippers — and reality TV shows about house flippers — are back. From “Flipping San Diego” to “Flipping Boston,” the nationwide trend of buying a house at less than market value, spending some money to fix it up and reselling it at a higher price is once again a lucrative way to turn a profit.

Seasoned house-flippers Kim Williams and Maria Powell spent time with “Nightline” in and out of various fixer-uppers in a Charlotte, N.C., neighborhood — flips in North Carolina have increased by 14 percent in the past year, with flippers averaging a profit of $50,000 per property.

The duo talked about a few of the do’s and don’ts of flipping they have learned over the years.

1. Don’t Go Over Budget When Buying the Home
Both Williams and Powell say it’s important to stay within your budget and purchase “at the right price” from the start. Additional costs can come later in upgrades to the house or contractor costs. So don’t get attached to a house when you walk in.

“It’s not emotional,” Powell said.

2. Don’t Ignore the Upgrades You Really Should Make
Some properties need only the bare minimum, Powell said, such as putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls or adding carpets. But if the bathroom needs new plumbing or if the kitchen needs new appliances, Powell said flippers would get more on their returns if they spent the money to make those necessary upgrades.

“I think sometimes people don’t see the things they could do to bring the money back,” she said. “If you do the minimum, there are some properties you should do that [for], but if the neighborhood will carry a higher price point, then you want the best use of the property.”

3. Don’t Buy a Home Without Getting It Inspected First
A few cracks in the foundation or a leaky window could be easy fixes or major problems, so both Powell and Williams said getting an inspection before purchasing a home, even if you have already put in an offer, is very important before going to closing.

Oliver Vows Lower Canada Role as Banks Cut Mortgage Rates | Cross River Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Canadian Finance Minister Joe Oliver said today he will continue to reduce potential risks to taxpayers of a downturn in the housing market after banks cut their lending rates to the lowest in about a year.

Oliver told reporters he spoke to Bank of Montreal (BMO) Chief Executive Officer Bill Downe about the lender’s decision to lower mortgage rates in time for the spring home-buying season. Oliver said in a statement earlier today he’ll keep monitoring the market. They were his first comments on housing since replacing Jim Flaherty on March 19.

Policy makers, led by Flaherty, have tightened rules that govern mortgage lending amid concern the balance sheet of the federal agency that backstops mortgages has grown too large. The value of home loans insured by Canada Mortgage & Housing Corp. has almost doubled since the end of 2006.

“The government is gradually reducing its involvement in the mortgage market,” Oliver said he told Downe.

Most recently, the federal government began collecting a“risk fee” of 3.25 percent from Canada Mortgage & Housing on the insurance it writes.

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-27/oliver-monitoring-mortgage-market-after-banks-cut-rates.html?cmpid=yhoo

 

39 Blogging Tips From the Pros | Cross River Realtor

Leave a reply

 

Are you looking for the latest blogging tactics?

Do you want to know what the blogging pros are doing today?

Keeping up with the latest social media changes is not always easy, and your blogging tactics may need to be refreshed.

We asked 39 blogging pros to share the best blogging tips and tactics worth doing today.

Here’s what they have to say.

#1: Turn Google Hangouts On Air Into Mini-Courses in a Blog

martin shervingtonMartin Shervington

Since I launched PlusYourBusiness, I’ve focused on one main tactic: include as rich a multimedia experience on the blog posts as I can, while remaining useful.

One of the best ways I’ve found to do this is to take an interview and structure it into a mini-course.

So, this is what I do regularly:

Run a Google Hangout On Air. For example, an interview with someone in social media or social SEO.

hangouts on air homepage

Run a Google Hangout On Air and then turn it into a mini-course on your blog.

 

I then take that interview and have it transcribed. I edit it into key sections, maybe five or six, adding in branding on the front- and back ends. This helps create a flow in the blog by embedding the YouTube videos into the blog post.

Then I take the original full version of the hangout video and embed that at the end, adding in the transcript for those who like to skim through.

So what’s the main advantage? Well, this way people can structure their own learning experience. They can watch one video at a time instead of risking watching one or two hours of videos.

Google Hangouts On Air can be recorded as live, private events in YouTube as well. So even if you don’t want to have one publicly on Google+, you can still achieve the same result. It really is a great way to make your content work a lot harder on your behalf.

Martin Shervington is the author of The Art and Science of Google+ and a marketing consultant.

#2: Make an Audio Version of Your Blog Posts

greg hickmanGreg Hickman

Recently, my favorite blogging tactic has been to make an audio version of my blog posts to share on my podcast feed. It introduces a whole new set of content to my podcast audience and lets people consume my editorial content in a new, easy and mobile way.

Some bloggers using this tactic are seeing a 2000% increase in exposure. I’m experiencing this on my own site and it’s even created more engagement in the Comment section, surprisingly enough.

 

 

 

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/39-blogging-tips/

Fixed Mortgage Rates Move Down a Tad | Cross River Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing average fixed mortgage rates moving down slightly after last week’s uptick, and remaining within range of average fixed rates for the first quarter of 2014.

News Facts

  • 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.32 percent with an average 0.6 point for the week ending March 20, 2014, down from last week when it averaged 4.37 percent. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.54 percent.
  • 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.32 percent with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.38 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 2.72 percent.
  • 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.02 percent this week with an average 0.4 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.09 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 2.61 percent.
  • 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 2.49 percent this week with an average 0.4 point, up from last week when it averaged 2.48 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 2.63 percent.

Average commitment rates should be reported along with average fees and points to reflect the total upfront cost of obtaining the mortgage. Visit the following links for the Regional and National Mortgage Rate Details and Definitions. Borrowers may still pay closing costs which are not included in the survey.

Quotes Attributed to Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist, Freddie Mac.

“Mortgage rates eased this week as housing starts declined 0.2 percent in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 907,000, below consensus forecast. The rate on the 10-year treasury note rose following the Fed’s announcement Wednesday afternoon and, if this holds, interest rates may begin to trend higher going into next week.”

Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation’s residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Today Freddie Mac is making home possible for one in four home borrowers and is one of the largest sources of financing for multifamily housing. For more information please visit www.FreddieMac.com and Twitter: @FreddieMac.

Would You Rather be Social or Interesting? | Cross River Realtor

Leave a reply

 

The “Interest Graph” is not the “Social Graph”. But what does that mean  and why should you care?

Despite the rapid ascent of Interest-based platforms, such as Pinterest,  Sulia, WeHeartIt and Wanelo, we rarely see dialogue about the Interest Graph  except in a Social context. However, The Interest Graph and Social Graph are two  fundamentally different infrastructures with different underlying assumptions  for marketers.

Sure, they often overlap, but it’s time we come to appreciate their  differences, so that we can be more effective marketers on a social web driven  by people’s passions and interests.

So should you be social or interesting?

The social graph is about who you “know”

Friends, followers and connections represent some degree of familiarity,  ranging from a spouse to someone you met once at that thing you went to. If you  think in High School terms, the Social Graph is all about getting in with the  cool kids, so you can multiply your reach and borrow from their swagger.

The basic assumption of “Social  Marketing” is:

“If someone knows someone else,  they will be interested in similar things”

The interest graph is about “passions”

In high school, the “Interest Graph” is like clubs or sports teams- a group  of people coming together because they love to do the same thing. They may or  may not be friends, may or may not know each other, but they share a common  passion that brings them together. The more passionate they are the more likely  they are to create, share and comment.

The basic assumption of Interest  Marketing is thus:

“If someone is interested in  something, people who are interested in similar things will be interested in  that thing”

Social marketing is about reach

The more people who see your message, the further it will spread. This means  you will need to continue to grow your social networks on Twitter to remain  ahead of the competition. It’s about building an online distribution  network.

Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/03/14/would-you-rather-be-social-or-interesting/#bLk7jqXUxfOvfP54.99

The Hidden Costs of Buying a Home | Cross River Homes

Leave a reply

 

You’re looking for a house and see the perfect listing. It has a big number on it. For simplicity’s sake, say $200,000. If you’re like most prospective homeowners, you think you will soon be talking to a lender and getting a loan for this amount.

But as veteran homebuyers already know, you are going to pay much more than $200,000.

True, almost everything we buy has a hidden cost. You buy a toothbrush for a couple bucks, and since you’ll have to purchase toothpaste, the ownership cost of a toothbrush is more than $2 — especially if you throw in a toothbrush holder. Obviously, the hidden costs of buying a house are far more complex. And if you aren’t prepared for them, you may come away from the experience feeling as if you’ve been kicked in the teeth.

So if you’re thinking of buying your first house, be on the alert for these hidden costs.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/hidden-costs-buying-home-151852332.html

Why the future of real estate is peoplework, not paperwork | Cross River Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Nearly everything in our lives has migrated online over the past decade. We shop online, read books on our tablets and stream movies through Netflix. We book flights ourselves and rent cars from an app on our phone. Handshakes have given way to email and Facebook ‘likes.’

The world has undoubtedly changed, but relics of our old lives remain.

This is especially apparent in real estate with the prevalence of documents, whether deadwood or digital attachments. Real estate professionals must close the gap – to succeed in an industry where human connections and experiences now matter more than ever.

More of the Same Won’t Cut It

Think back to how agents and clients closed deals in the past. The buyer and seller would meet with their agents to negotiate until they either reached a deal, or didn’t. If they reached a deal, they would shake hands and then document it. Over time, however, the document became the meeting place. It was scanned, mailed and inefficiently tossed back and forth to close a deal. Layer on the past 30 years of digital innovations, from the fax machine and scanners to email and Google Hangouts, and our industry is left with a convoluted mesh of yesterday’s technologies that solve yesterday’s problems.

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/blogs/1-rewired/post/29259-why-the-future-of-real-estate-is-peoplework-not-paperwork