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Lewisboro NY Homes

Lawn Care Tips for Busy People | Katonah NY Homes

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A beautiful home is not only achieved through stylish interior design, but also through smart lawn care. Your lawn is the first thing that people notice about your home. Keeping a clean and healthy-looking lawn demands a lot of time and maintenance that may seem like a full-time job. In the fall you will want to have a 4 stroke leaf blower, to make it easier to get rid of all those leafs. To achieve a lush green lawn, you need to commit to mowing it on a weekly basis to prevent the grass from turning yellow and dry. Lawn mowing also keeps your grass from growing too high and thwarts pests (e.g. weeds and animals such snakes and other vermin) from invading your yard.

Professionals barely have enough time to maintain even just a healthy lawn. Although we can’t add time to our busy schedules, we certainly can make smart changes to common lawn maintenance practices through these tips:

  • Know when to feed your lawn and stick to the seasonal feeding schedule. Do not feed your lawn daily so the grass will stop growing faster according to King Green Lawn Care.
  • Don’t overuse your lawn mover. Allow a healthy growth of herbs in your lawn and use an effective lawn weed killer.
  • When mowing the lawn, try to cut them a little longer and allow herbs such as thyme to grow. This makes the lawn look greener, especially during dry spells.
  • Remove hard-to-mow areas or those areas that can’t be accessed by the mower. If you want to easily maintain your lawn, especially these tricky areas, consider using gravel to give your lawn more dimensions.
  • Get a high-powered mower that can do heavier tasks for you. Look for a machine that does most of the work in a single press of a button.
  • Leave some of the cuttings, but not all of them. These will provide enough nutrients in the soil and will help the grass to grow stronger and greener.

If you are a beginner, a gardener or an individual who does not have much time taking care of your lawn, at least prioritize these three maintenance tasks:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/lawn-care-tips-busy-people-204228333.html

US home prices dipped in Nov. on colder weather | Katonah NY Real Estate

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U.S. home prices fell slightly in November as colder weather slowed buying, ending nine straight months of price gains.

The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index slipped 0.1 percent from October to November, partly reversing the previous monthly increase of 0.2 percent. But the index is not adjusted for seasonal variations, so the monthly decline partly reflects slower buying in the late fall as temperatures drop.

“November was a good month for home prices,” said David Blitzer, chairman of the S&P Dow Jones index committee. “Prices typically weaken as we move closer to the winter.”

Despite the overall decline, home values have continued to rise in many Sun Belt cities. Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix have registered 20 straight months of rising prices.

But home prices surged for much of 2013, driven by big gains earlier in the year. Prices have risen 13.7 percent over the past 12 months.

Dallas enjoyed its strongest annual gain since 2000. And Chicago home prices climbed at their strongest annual clip since December 1988. Among the cities in the index, only Detroit prices remain below their 2000 level.

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-home-prices-dipped-nov-colder-weather-140018478–finance.html

 

Katonah-Lewisboro Parents Propose New School Redistricting Option | Katonah NY Real Estate

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Edward Burt’s third-grade son may have to change schools in the fall if the Katonah-Lewisboro school board decides to close an elementary school when it votes on the matter Thursday, Jan. 23.

He isn’t alone. The Increase Miller Elementary School parent was one of dozens to attend a forum on the matter Wednesday night, moderated by Goldens Bridge resident and former Assemblyman Robert Castelli.

Mirjana Jovanovic, a mother of two at Increase Miller, asked the two Katonah-Lewisboro school board members present to consider an alternative option to moving 94 students to Katonah Elementary. Since the school runs below capacity, she proposed letting those students stay at Increase Miller and send new and incoming students to Katonah.

The idea caught steam with the board members and parents. Other parents suggested to let just those in fourth and fifth grades finish out their time at Increase Miller.

The school board formed a School Closure Task Force in June to investigate the possibility of closing one or two elementary schools in response to enrollment that has dropped by 700-plus students since 2006. The task force decided closing Lewisboro Elementary would disrupt the fewest students possible and created a redistricting plan that spread the 300-plus students across the remaining three schools.

However, Lewisboro Elementary parents asked the board to alter its redistricting plan to send their kids to only two schools. By sending them in larger groups parents argued this would prevent some students from being torn apart from their friends.

Tobin said the board agreed and the administration develop a second scenario, in which some Increase Miller kids would be redistricted to Katonah Elementary to even out the distribution among the three remaining schools. This, Burt said, would send students, including his son, to Katonah alone, without any of their friends.

“You listened to them, well you should listen to us,” Burt said. “You agreed with them, now here’s the other side of it.”

The other side of it left Burt and scores of parents filling the small room in the Lewisboro Recreation and Parks Building debating which redistricting scenario they prefer, each choosing the one that would impact their child least. Most parents supported Jovanovic’s idea because it would keep their kids together.

The first scenario would give Increase Miller 470 students, Katonah 490 and Meadow Pond 426. The second scenario would give Increase Miller 467, Katonah 472 and Meadow Pond 447.

The second scenario also comes with a lower savings total at $1.74 million, down from $1.89 million.

Tobin said she will bring the parents’ third scenario to the board at its regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, where they are scheduled to discuss which scenario is best. If four of the seven agree the phasing in, or grandfather clause should be looked into, the administration will do so, she said.

A public hearing on the school closing is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 16 and the final vote is Thursday, Jan. 23.

Parents may email all seven school board members, the superintendent and assistant superintendents ahead of the meeting Thursday, which will be held at the John Jay High School library on 60 Cross River Road, Cross River.

http://bedford.dailyvoice.com/schools/katonah-lewisboro-parents-propose-new-school-redistricting-option

Late Summer Sales Keep September Prices Hot | Lewisboro NY Real Estate

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Home price gains in September rose over record August levels, evidence of residual summer buying activity, according to the first market report of the month to be released.

All regions saw small up-ticks in yearly price gains as Clear Capital’s Home Data Index (HDI) Market Report said September prices rose to 10.9% year-over-year.  In August, national yearly home price growth reached 10.2%, the last time Clear Capital reported double digit yearly price growth since the middle of 2006, the height of the bubble.

Clear Capital’s August prices remained 32.5% off their previous highs and only in line with 2002 prices.  Additionally, the low tier price segment of the housing market saw quarterly gains of 2.0%, the lowest since April 2012, indicating the sector that kick started the recovery is already on a path of moderation. From its peak rate of growth in April 2013, rates of growth for the low tier segment, or home sale values in the bottom 25th percentile, have fallen from 4.1% to 2.0%.

“While national and regional rates showed more of the same in September, an interesting dichotomy is unfolding beneath the surface,” said Dr. Alex Villacorta, vice president of research and analytics at Clear Capital. “Strong performances in San Francisco and Detroit remind us that in a dynamic market, the only constant is change. For about a year and a half now, we’ve been focused on First-In, First-Out recoveries characterized by hard hit markets attracting investor interest, like Miami, Phoenix and Las Vegas. Now as the recovery matures, we see homebuyers re-engaging in markets that haven’t fit the typical investor profile.

“As demand calibrates to local economic environments, markets will start to find their natural equilibriums with moderating gains ahead. This should invite new markets, such as San Francisco and Detroit to share the spotlight as their recoveries continue to evolve,” he said.

Highest   Performing Major Metro Markets

Qtr/Qtr Rank

Metropolitan   Statistical Area

Qtr/Qtr % +/-

Yr/Yr

REO Saturation

1

San Francisco, CA –   Oakland, CA – Fremont, CA

4.4%

28.3%

6.3%

2

Detroit, MI – Warren,   MI – Livonia, MI

4.3%

23.3%

31.7%

3

Sacramento, CA –   Arden, CA – Roseville, CA

3.9%

27.7%

11.0%

4

Las Vegas, NV –   Paradise, NV

3.9%

32.2%

19.8%

5

San Jose, CA –   Sunnyvale, CA – Santa Clara, CA

3.9%

25.7%

2.8%

6

Atlanta, GA – Sandy   Springs, GA – Marietta, GA

3.6%

26.1%

21.2%

7

Birmingham, AL –   Hoover, AL

3.5%

10.4%

20.6%

8

Los Angeles, CA – Long   Beach, CA – Santa Ana, CA

3.4%

22.2%

9.2%

9

Chicago, IL –   Naperville, IL – Joliet, IL

3.4%

21.5%

20.2%

10

Riverside, CA – San   Bernardino, CA – Ontario, CA

3.2%

21.8%

15.9%

11

Miami, FL – Ft.   Lauderdale, FL – Miami Beach, FL

3.2%

20.4%

21.9%

12

Bakersfield, CA

3.0%

20.8%

16.7%

13

Columbus, OH

2.9%

6.7%

23.6%

14

San Diego, CA –   Carlsbad, CA – San Marcos, CA

2.8%

19.6%

7.9%

15

Oxnard, CA – Thousand   Oaks, CA – Ventura, CA

2.7%

18.2%

7.1%

Top

Lowest   Performing Major Metro Markets

Qtr/Qtr Rank

Metropolitan   Statistical Area

Qtr/Qtr % +/-

Yr/Yr

REO Saturation

1

Charlotte, NC-   Gastonia, NC – Concord, NC

-0.1%

-0.4%

17.1%

2

Louisville, KY

0.2%

1.0%

18.5%

3

Raleigh, NC – Cary, NC

0.2%

1.1%

11.3%

4

Hartford, CT – West   Hartford, CT – East Hartford, CT

0.3%

4.0%

4.0%

5

Rochester, NY

0.4%

3.7%

2.2%

6

St. Louis, MO

0.4%

-0.2%

23.3%

7

Dayton, OH

0.4%

4.8%

22.2%

8

New Orleans, LA –   Metairie, LA – Kenner, LA

0.4%

3.4%

12.3%

9

Virginia Beach, VA –   Norfolk, VA – Newport News, VA

0.7%

5.0%

9.8%

10

Dallas, TX – Fort   Worth, TX – Arlington, TX

1.0%

6.8%

12.4%

11

Baltimore, MD –   Towson, MD

1.0%

5.5%

7.2%

12

Pittsburgh, PA

1.0%

5.2%

4.5%

13

Richmond, VA

1.2%

8.8%

11.1%

14

Philadelphia, PA –   Camden, NJ – Wilmington, DE

1.3%

5.2%

4.6%

15

Providence, RI – New   Bedford, MA – Fall River, MA

1.3%

11.7%

6.0%

The Clear Capital Home Data Index Market Report is built on information from recorder/assessor offices, enhanced by adding the company’s proprietary streaming market data. It reflects nationwide coverage of sales by aggregating this data at ten different geographic levels, including hundreds of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and sub-ZIP code boundaries. It includes equally-weighted distressed bank owned sales (REOs) from around the country.

 

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/10/late-summer-sales-keep-september-hot/

 

Short Sale Coding Correction on Credit Will Take Effect November 2013. | Katonah Real Estate

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SHORT SALE CODING CORRECTION ON CREDIT WILL TAKE EFFECT NOVEMBER 2013.

   

For some time now, many short sellers were treated the same as homeowners that foreclosed when applying for a mortgage.  Due to a credit coding issue that lumped short sellers into the same category as a foreclosure, the waiting period for loan approval was extended substantially.  This forced millions to put their dream of participating in homeownership again off to the distant future.  With interest rates climbing, and the real estate market improving, the increased future cost for purchasing would seem more of an obstacle down the road.

But new policy changes could bring more options starting in November.  After Sen. Bill Nelson focused on bringing this coding error to the FTC and the Consumer Financial Protection Board, things started to change.

“This is the nature of the evolution of this business,” says Fannie Mae spokeswoman Keosha Burns. The agency will input the new software into its computer system on Nov. 16. After that, if a short sale is marked as a foreclosure, the new code will allow the loan servicers to bypass it, correct it and move forward with the loan. Short sellers should speak with their bankers about the new options for homeownership, what the qualifications will be, and whether the state of their credit needs improvement.

PLEASE CALL TRACY BECKER:

North Shore Advisory, Inc. offers credit repair, restoration, credit log in site, and education services. We’ve been providing credit education and credit improvement for almost 25 years. For bankers and realtors we can review your clients credit reports and scores to see if we can improve them.

 

We can help you with your business credit needs as well as any personal credit scores.

 

Contact Us:

How to Grow Your Business Network With Social Media | Katonah NY Realtor

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Is your business or company struggling to find new customers?

Do you know how to build your business network on social media?

Before you can sell, you have to create a trusted relationship with your future customer.

In this article, you’ll discover four ways to use social media to find and establish relationships with new prospects and leads for your business.

#1: Join a Conversation on Twitter

Tweet chats are great for person-to-person networking on Twitter and they can act as one of the single best lead generation tools in social media.

You can consult a number of lists to quickly locate chats that are relevant to you. These lists include hashtags and other key information like date, time and the name of the host or owner of the chat.

A tweet chat example.

The best thing about tweet chats is that while almost everyone starts out a stranger, over time the participants begin to know one another and develop relationships that extend beyond the regularly scheduled chat.

During the chat, you’ll find people who ask questions you can answer. Your replies will be limited to 140 characters, so they’ll need to be as concise as possible. Use the opportunity to let participants know you’re open to accepting a follow and a direct message from them and carrying the conversation further by phone or on another platform.

#2: Participate in LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn groups hold a lot of opportunity for networking with people who fit your prospect profile.

There’s an easy way to find the groups you are interested in. Hover on Interests in the header navigation and click on Groups. From here, click on More>> in the Groups You May Like box.

From here, use keywords specific to your industry to search for and find groups relevant to your business. You can filter your search results by Relationship, Categories and Languages.

Use the search function to identify the right groups for you to join.

Next, check out each of those groups and join one or two that are made up of people who could be interested in what you offer.

This isn’t a place to sell. Be nice, be helpful and focus on providing service to the other members. Answer questions, give advice and share your knowledge.

Pay attention to who likes your posts and comments. Similar to Facebook, you can click on the Like button to see a list of people who have liked your comment.

Follow the people who like your comments.

Visit the profiles of those folks and see if any of them fit your prospect profile. Follow them on LinkedIn to get to know them better and when the opportunity arises, ask them to connect with you.

Use tags to sort your new contacts into one of two groups—prospects and strategic partners who can refer prospects. The tags will make it easier for you to keep track of the relationships as they evolve.

If there’s not an existing group that fits your needs, create one to network with your current prospects and attract new ones.

#3: Share Insights From an Event

When you attend trade shows or conferences, share the highlights and notes with people who can’t attend and you’ll attract people interested in the same niche.

On Twitter, share your notes in real time with your followers. Use the official event hashtag in your tweets so they are included in the larger conversation, and they’ll be visible to people who don’t follow you. Make sure you pay attention to new follows during this time, as they could well be new prospects for you.

You can accomplish the same goal with your company’s website. A tool such as Storify will help you consolidate your notes into a blog post with a rundown of all of the most important points made during the conference.

This event recap blog post was created using Storify.

Pay attention to the folks who follow along, comment or retweet your information. This is a simple way to surface invisible prospects that you might otherwise miss. Connect with each person on the platform or network that makes the most sense, and when the time is right, reach out and offer your help.

 

 

 

 

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/build-your-business-network/

 

 

 

Scoop leads off the street with storefront touch screens | South Salem Real Estate

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Editor’s note: This post explores a marketing tactic submitted by Halstead Property, the most recent winner of #madREskillz, a weekly Inman News Twitter competition. Every Thursday, Inman News invites real estate professionals and companies to tweet offbeat marketing tricks using the tag #madREskillz. After reviewing the submissions (and retweeting many in the process), we select two finalists and put them to a vote on Facebook. Then we feature the winner in a story.

Interactive ads have proliferated on the Internet for a simple reason: You grab more eyeballs online if your ads move around and actively engage people.

Acting on the fact that the same is true in the real world, Halstead Property, winner of the latest #madREskillz competition, is using interactive storefront displays provided by tech company imageSurge to poach leads right off the street.

“Storefronts get hundreds of thousands walking by them on a regular basis,” said Matthew Leone, director of Web marketing and social media at Halstead. “It’s just taking advantage of that.”

With motion graphics and calls to action, the street-side displays invite pedestrians to search online listings at any hour and connect with agents.

They also offer videos and virtual tours with “through-window” audio. And they track analytics, including the number of people who use the display and which properties they view the most. That way, brokers can gauge return on investment and tweak the content featured in the displays.

 

 

read more…

 

 

http://www.inman.com/2013/09/19/halstead-property-scoops-leads-off-the-street-with-storefront-touch-screens/#sthash.7elKhwjk.dpuf