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Katonah Homes

Cooler Asking Prices Chill Hot Markets | Katonah Real Estate

Asking home prices are losing steam as mortgage rates rise, inventories expand, and investor demand declines. Nationally, asking prices dropped 0.3 percent in July – the first month-over-month (M-o-M) decline since November 2012. Seasonally adjusted, prices rose 3.3 percent quarter-over-quarter (Q-o-Q), down from a peak of 4.2 percent in April. Year-over-year (Y-o-Y), prices are up 11 percent nationally, according to Trulia’s July market report.

In 64 out of 100 U.S. metros, the quarterly asking home price gain was lower than in the previous quarter. This slowdown was most apparent in the West Coast where prices have rebounded strongly already. Among housing markets where asking prices rose sharply Y-o-Y, price gains dipped the most Q-o-Q in Las Vegas, Oakland, and San Francisco. Other California metros, including Sacramento, Ventura County, San Jose, and Fresno, saw Q-o-Q gains drop by at least two percentage points between April and July. Meanwhile, many metros in the South and Midwest are seeing price gains accelerate, such as Atlanta (3.2 percentage points higher in July versus April) and Detroit (3.7 percentage points).

Hot Housing Markets Where Prices are Slowing Most
#U.S. MetroY-o-Y % change, July 2013Q-o-Q % change, July 2013Q-o-Q % change, April 2013Price slowdown = Difference in Q-o-Q % change, July minus April
1Las Vegas, NV32.9%7.5%12.7%-5.2%
2Oakland, CA31.0%7.2%10.8%-3.6%
3San Francisco, CA17.2%3.0%6.5%-3.5%
4Sacramento, CA33.7%6.8%10.2%-3.3%
5Portland, OR-WA18.1%3.6%6.9%-3.3%
6Ventura County, CA18.6%5.3%8.2%-2.9%
7Grand Rapids, MI18.2%5.1%7.6%-2.6%
8San Jose, CA20.9%4.5%6.9%-2.4%
9Fresno, CA19.9%5.2%7.4%-2.2%
10Salt Lake City, UT17.4%3.3%4.6%-1.3%
11Bakersfield, CA24.2%5.4%6.6%-1.2%
12Orange County, CA23.3%5.9%7.0%-1.1%
13Los Angeles, CA20.9%5.6%6.7%-1.1%
Table shows metros with the biggest decline in Q-o-Q   asking prices between April and July, among metros with large Y-o-Y   increases. The final column equals the difference between the third and   second data columns, but the numbers might not appear to add up due to   rounding.

Asking Home Prices Outpace Rents in All Major Rental Markets

Rents rose 3.9 percent year-over-year nationally, which was a big increase compared with inflation or income growth, but small compared with asking home price gains. Even as asking home prices slow down, July was the first time that prices outpaced rents in the 25 largest rental markets since Trulia started tracking rent trends in March 2011

 

 

read more…

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/08/cooler-asking-prices-chill-hot-markets/

 

 

1924 Plan to Drain the East River to Ease Traffic Congestion | Katonah Real Estate

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Ten years before Norman Sper proposed filling in the Hudson River to make New York larger, a different dude wanted to do something similar on the other side of Manhattan. An article in a 1924 issue of Popular Science details a plan to drain the East River and create a 5-mile stretch of new land for more roads, subway lines, and civic buildings. The crazy idea came from Dr. John A. Harriss, identified as a “special deputy police commissioner in charge of traffic,” and the goal was to ease traffic congestion, which was supposedly so bad it was causing the city to lose $1.5 million every day.

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Two new concrete dams would have been created, one near the Manhattan Bridge and the other near Hell Gate where the Harlem and East Rivers meet:

The river then would be drained, and the 500 feet between the Manhattan and the Brooklyn docks bridged with levels supported by steel uprights. Thus would be provided a vast traffic center on stilts, joining four boroughs. The plan contemplates removal of noisy elevated structures.

From the river bed would be built subway lines, vehicular subway, taxi stands, conduit, city equipment departments, parking spaces, and private and municipal garages. On the top level would be five 100-foot boulevards for autos and pedestrians. Ramps would be provided for cross-traffic. And midway along the great thoroughfare would be erected an imposing city hall and community center.

The new city hall would house the police and health departments, as well as a music and art center. A new theater district would be built, and public schools and playgrounds would surround the civic center.

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Since the plan would removed a busy shipping waterway, the proposal also called for digging a new canal through Brooklyn and Queens, connecting the Long Island Sound with the Jamaica Bay and Atlantic Ocean. It would probably have suffered the same polluted fate as the Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek, giving Brooklyn a trifecta of Superfund waterways. Such a shame that never happened.

 

 

1924 Plan to Drain the East River to Ease Traffic Congestion – Curbed’s Could Have Been – Curbed NY.

Home-price growth near seven-year high | Katonah Real Estate

Annual home-price growth in June was close to the fastest pace in seven years, as inventories of existing and new homes remained low, according to data released Tuesday.

Home prices, including distressed sales, rose 1.9% in June, and were up 11.88% from a year earlier, according to CoreLogic (NYSE:CLGX) , an Irvine, Calif.-based analysis firm. In May, prices were up 11.93% from the prior year, the fastest annual growth since February 2006.Excluding short sales and other distressed properties, prices rose 1.8% in June, and were up 10.97% from the year-earlier period, reaching the fastest annual pace since February 2006.

“The U.S. housing market experienced robust price appreciation during the first half of 2013 and our forecast calls for double-digit growth through July,” said Anand Nallathambi, CoreLogic’s chief executive. “Despite their rebound of late, home prices remain reasonable in a historical context, with most states near peak affordability levels.”

 

 

Home-price growth near seven-year high – Economic Report – MarketWatch.

Westchester Health Department Shares Tips To Prevent West Nile | Katonah Real Estate

The West Nile virus was found this week in Rye Brook and the county wants to help protect you from the mosquito-borne disease.

Now that the rain has stopped, the county Health Deparment says there is a lot you can do to prevent mosquitoes from breeding and biting in your neighborhood:

• Check around your property for tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar water-holding containers that should be discarded or turned over to prevent collecting water.
• Check and remove standing water from children’s toys and play houses left outside.
• Dispose of old tires.
• Drill holes in the bottoms of all recycling containers that are left outdoors.
• Turn over plastic wading pools, buckets and wheelbarrows when not in use.
• Change the water in birdbaths at least twice weekly.
• Sweep driveways after it rains to clear puddles.
• Keep storm drains and gutters clear of leaves and debris.
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, outdoor spas and hot tubs and drain water that collects on their covers.
The department also recommends you:
• Avoid the outdoors in the late afternoon and early evening when mosquitoes are active and feeding and use insect repellents when outdoors during these times, and be sure to follow the instructions on the label. Adults can apply insect repellents with up to 30 percent DEET on infants older than 2 months by applying the product to their own hands and then rubbing their hands on their children. Products containing DEET are not recommended for use on children younger than 2 months old.
• Wear protective clothing such as long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and socks when outdoors in areas and at times where and when mosquitoes are active and feeding.

If you notice large areas of standing water on public property that could serve as potential mosquito breeding grounds, please report it to the department at (914) 813-5000 or by emailing www.westchestergov.com/health.

 

Westchester Health Department Shares Tips To Prevent West Nile | The Armonk Daily Voice.

U.K. House Prices Hit Five-Year High Amid Bubble Fears | Katonah Real Estate

 

U.K. house prices rose to a five-year high in July as a controversial government support program fuels fears that another house price bubble may be in the making.

The Help to Buy program supports buyers by offering cheaper mortgages but doesn’t guarantee new housing supply. Help to Buy and increased home loans from banks using the separate Funding for Lending program enable home sellers to ask for higher prices for a short supply of residential property.

Bloomberg News

A pedestrian crosses a street between rows of residential properties in the Notting Hill district of London on July 25.

That potential mismatch between demand and supply has prompted many economists to question the wisdom of the government’s support programs, fearing that they may lead to a sharp rise in house prices that can’t be sustained over the long run.

The rise in house prices is in line with other indicators that suggest the U.K.’s long-awaited economic recovery is gaining momentum. A survey of purchasing managers at construction companies released Friday recorded a surge in activity during July.

However, with wage growth remaining below inflation, Britons are still seeing their real incomes falling. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research on Friday said that Britons are being forced to dip into their savings to maintain their living standards.

A reliance on rising house prices and spending that outstrips income growth would reprise the weaknesses that contributed to the economy’s sharp contraction in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

Since then, the government and Bank of England have said they want to see a more balanced economy, with growth also driven by exports and increased business investment. But that rebalancing has yet to begin.

“House prices are already overvalued, and with many first-time buyers already locked out of the market, it is unlikely they are happy at the prospect of having to take on even more debt to realize their homeownership aspirations,” said Matthew Pointon, an economist at Capital Economics.

 

U.K. House Prices Hit Five-Year High Amid Bubble Fears – WSJ.com.

Mapping New York City Neighborhoods’ Median Rents for July | Katonah Real Estate

 

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New York City can never have too many charts and maps illustrating median rents in different neighborhoods. The folks at listings website Zumper have followed up on their May pricing map with two for July, shown above, illustrating median rents for one- and two-bedrooms in Manhattan, a few neighborhoods of Brooklyn, and Astoria. Once again, Tribeca retained its “most expensive” crown with a median price of $4,200/month for a 1BR and $7,695/month for a 2BR.

The next most expensive neighborhoods were—completely non-shockingly—Soho, with a median rent of $3,550/month for 1BRs, and Greenwich Village, at $3,500/month. The best deals were to be found on the East Side, with the Lower East Side median-ing $2,395/month and the Upper East Side $2,495/month

 

Mapping New York City Neighborhoods’ Median Rents for July – Cool Map Thing – Curbed NY.

US home prices rise 12.2 percent in May | Katonah Real Estate

U.S. home prices jumped 12.2 percent in May compared with a year ago, the biggest annual gain since March 2006. The increase shows the housing recovery is strengthening.

The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index released Tuesday also surged 2.4 percent in May from April. The month-over-month gain nearly matched the 2.6 percent increase in April from March — the highest on record.

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The price increases were widespread. All 20 cities showed gains in May from April and compared with a year ago.

Prices in Dallas and Denver reached the highest level on records dating back to 2000. That marks the first time since the housing bust that any city has reached an all-time high.

Home values are rising as more people are bidding on a scarce supply of houses for sale. Steady price increases, along with stable job gains and historically low mortgage rates, have in turn encouraged more Americans to buy homes.

One concern is that higher mortgage rates could slow home sales. But many economists say rates remain low by historical standards and would need to rise much faster to halt the momentum.

Svenja Gudell, senior economist at Zillow, a home price data provider, said a big reason for the recent price gains is that foreclosed homes make up a smaller proportion of overall sales. Foreclosed homes are usually sold by banks at fire-sale prices.

“Typical home values have appreciated at roughly half this pace for the past several months, which is still very robust,” Gudell said.

 

US home prices rise 12.2 percent in May, most in 6 years and sign of stronger housing recovery – The Washington Post.

Report: Miami Heat’s Shane Battier Buys Coral Gables Home for $3.2 Million | Katonah Real Estate

Winning the NBA Championship is, of course, a valid reason to celebrate. And that’s exactly what most Miami Heat players did earlier this summer, letting loose at Miami club Story with celebrities including rapper Drake and Dwyane Wade’s girlfriend, actress Gabrielle Union.

Shane Battier, however, chose to celebrate his team’s second straight title with a modest trip to Denny’s. Perhaps the 6-foot-8-inch forward was preparing for his big $3.225 million purchase — a luxurious new pad in Coral Gables, FL.

Rumors of the basketball star’s possible departure from the Miami Heat went wild when he listed his Coconut Grove home for $1.895 million on July 3.

However, fear not Heat fans — Battier remains a Florida resident. It appears that he purchased his new Coral Gables mansion the day before he put his previous home up for sale.

According to Gossip Extra, Miami-Dade County records show that Battier recently became the owner of the historical home, located near the Riviera Country Club. Built in 1926, the 5-bedroom 5-bathroom mansion has been renovated and polished to perfection.

Battier has gained some significant square footage with the new home, upgrading from 4,342 square feet to 6,550 square feet.

The colonial-style architecture stands out from the norm of Mediterranean-influenced homes that prevail in the South Florida region. Notable features of the home include a huge walk-in closet, outdoor kitchen, pool and a large deck with views of the surrounding greenery.

 

 

Report: Miami Heat’s Shane Battier Buys Coral Gables Home for $3.2 Million | Zillow Blog.

Rooftop solar takes off across California as costs come down | Katonah Real Estate

California’s groundbreaking efforts to encourage homeowners and businesses to install rooftop solar panels were so successful in 2012 that the program is now effectively winding down, according to a new report.

A record 391 megawatts of solar power were installed statewide in 2012, a growth of 26 percent from 2011, according to a report by the California Solar Initiative released Wednesday.

“The program has made solar affordable for ordinary Californians,” said Susannah Churchill of the San Francisco-based solar advocacy group Vote Solar. “Solar is a classic California success story.”

In January 2007, California launched an unprecedented $3.3 billion effort to install 3,000 megawatts of new solar over

SolarCity installers carefully place a solar panel onto the roof of a residential building in San Francisco. (D. Ross Cameron/Staff Archives) (D. ROSS CAMERON)

the next decade and transform the market for solar energy by reducing the cost of solar-generating equipment.

One megawatt is enough to power 750 to 1,000 homes. But because the sun doesn’t shine all the time, solar industry experts say that one megawatt of solar can power about 200 households.

The California Public Utilities Commission’s California Solar Initiative, known as CSI,provides rebates for residential and commercial customers of the state’s three large, investor-owned utilities: Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric.

The initiative’s road map calls for 1,750 new megawatts of solar power to be installed on residential and commercial roofs in the state by 2016.

Through the end of the first quarter of 2013, California had an estimated 1,692 megawatts of rooftop solar installed at nearly 168,000 sites, meaning the program is zeroing in on its goal. PG&E alone has 77,782 solar customers within its vast Northern California territory.

The aim of the incentives is to help solar achieve what’s known in the renewable energy industry as “grid parity” — the long-awaited point at which solar can compete with cheaper sources of electricity such as natural gas.

Since 2007, the average total installed cost for residential solar systems has decreased 32 percent from $8.77 per watt to $5.98 per watt. Those costs include labor and permitting, as well as the panels themselves.

 

 

 

Rooftop solar takes off across California as costs come down – San Jose Mercury News.

Sold: Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell’s Malibu Home | Katonah Real Estate

It’s hard to picture the blond bombshell giving up her Malibu beach house for good. But after renting it out for $90,000 a month andlisting it for $14.749 million in July 2011, Goldie Hawn has found a buyer.

The Academy Award-winning actress and her longtime partner, Kurt Russell, closed the deal this month for $9.5 million, the Los Angeles Times confirms. The home’s last recorded for-sale price was $9.95 million after a 32.5 percent price cut.

Located off the Pacific Coast Highway, the view from the street is understated, showcasing no more than a 3-car garage. From the beach, however, the home is an inviting summer retreat with a large oceanfront patio and outdoor kitchen surrounded by lush topical landscaping. Inside, Zen-inspired decor fills the space with brightly colored pillows, a yellow couch and ornate wet bar.

Hawn isn’t the only celebrity to boast Bohemian flair. Actor Ryan Phillippe recently sold his “Rising Zen” estate, while model Cheryl Tiegs listed her Bel-Air oasis filled with rich mahogany and brightly-colored pendent lights.

Extensively renovated in 2005, Hawn’s home isn’t just stylish. The main residence also features a designer kitchen, high-tech media room and spa-quality master suite with a private deck overlooking the beach. A detached guesthouse includes a meditation room and gym.

Hawn, who’s known for her roles in “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” “The First Wives Club” and “Cactus Flower,” has been in a relationship with Russell since 1983, the same year he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in “Silkwood.” The couple own several properties together, including a Pacific Palisades home they bought in 2004 for a little over $4 million.

 

Sold: Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell’s Malibu Home | Zillow Blog.