Tag Archives: Mt Kisco Homes

Dubai property prices show annual rise of 22.4% | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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Property prices in Dubai have risen by more than 22 percent so far this year, according to the REIDIN.com Sales Price Indices.

The index, which aims to measure the average change in house prices in certain districts and communities in Dubai, showed real estate values in Dubai rose 2.44 percent in November compared to the previous month.

On an annual basis, REIDIN said prices have increased 22.4 percent.

Apartment sales prices registered an increase in November of 2.90 percent month-on-month and were up by 24.5 percent on an annual basis, the index showed.

 

 

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/dubai-property-prices-show-annual-rise-of-22-4–532866.html

U.S. Home Values Seen Gaining Most Since ’05, Zillow Says | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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U.S. homes gained $1.9 trillion in total value this year, the biggest jump since 2005, as the real estate market rebounded from the recession, Zillow Inc. (Z) said.

At the end of 2013, the housing stock will be worth about $25.7 trillion, Zillow said today in a statement. U.S. homes as a whole lost $6.3 trillion in value from 2007 through 2011 and have recovered 44 percent of that, according to the Seattle-based property-data firm.

Home prices are rising across the U.S. as investors drain markets of inventory and improving employment brings in more buyers. Almost 90 percent of the 485 metropolitan areas analyzed by Zillow had price gains this year. The total value of the nation’s housing stock jumped about 7.9 percent from 2012, the second straight annual increase, according to the report.

“The housing market continued to build on the positive momentum that began in 2012,” Stan Humphries, Zillow’s chief economist, said in the statement. “Low mortgage rates and an improving economy helped bring buyers into the market.”

Price increases will slow next year to a pace closer to the historic norm of 3 percent to 5 percent, according to Humphries.

The Federal Reserve yesterday said it will scale back asset purchases that have bolstered housing demand by keeping interest rates low. Improvements in the job market spurred the decision to cut spending on Treasuries and mortgage bonds to $75 billion from $85 billion starting in January, the Federal Open Market Committee said at the end of a two-day meeting in Washington.

 

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-19/u-s-home-values-gain-most-since-2005-zillow-says.html?cmpid=yhoo

Mortgage applications plummet heading into the FOMC meeting | Mt Kisco NY Homes

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Mortgage applications filed in the U.S. plummeted 5.5% as both the refinance index and home purchase index declined ahead of Wednesday’s Federal Open Market Committee.

The Mortgage Bankers Association pointed to the meeting as a fear factor for the market since talks of a potential mortgage-backed securities or Treasurys tapering could come out of the Fed today.
If the Fed decides to begin tapering this month, the market will know by this afternoon.

The refi index alone fell 4%, while the purchase index declined 6% ahead of the meeting.
“Mortgage applications fell further last week, with the market index falling to its lowest level in more than a dozen years,” said Mike Fratantoni, MBA’s vice president of research and economics. “Both purchase and refinance applications fell as interest rates increased going into today’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting.”

The refi share of mortgage activity increased to 66% of total applications from 65% the prior week. Meanwhile, the adjustable-rate mortgage share of activity remained unchanged at 8% of total applications.

 

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/28336-mortgage-applications-plummet-heading-into-the-fomc-meeting

 

Why today’s homebuyer needs a real estate agent more than ever | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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Last summer I got an email from a local real estate attorney who wanted to buy a house. He’d just gotten engaged and wanted to save some money by representing himself.

This attorney wanted to do all the work an agent would do to find and buy his first home, and get paid a commission for his work. I explained to him that the commission is payable to the listing agent who agrees to pay a portion of it to the Realtor representing a buyer.

Usually, if there’s no buyer’s agent, the seller’s agent gets the entire commission. Some agents will accept a reduced commission for representing both parties.

The seller saves some money that way. Sometimes the savings get passed along to the buyer. I get several emails each year from homebuyers, usually first-timers, who want to know how they can get a real estate license so they can save money on the purchase of a home.

They find me through my blog, and apparently decide that I am too scary to work with, but not so scary that they can’t ask me a question or two. I always let them know that they do not need a license to buy a home, and that they do not need a real estate agent.

After I explain to them how to get a license — and that they have to work through a broker, who generally gets a percentage of each commission — they start to let go of their dream of being paid to find their own home. The buyers who want to do this are usually planning on buying a home that costs $300,000 or more — higher than average for a first-time homebuyer in this market — and planning on saving at least $9,000 by doing the work themselves.

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/12/12/why-todays-homebuyer-needs-a-real-estate-agent-more-than-ever/?utm_source=20131212&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinespm#sthash.GuPAbDvB.dpuf

Design Details In New Batch of Hyde Midtown Renderings | Mt Kisco Realtor

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now.jpg The folks at exMiami have procured more renderings of the Related Group’s Hyde Midtown condo tower project, which they say show the “Arquitectonica touch” (more renderings at exMiami, this way).  A sales center is currently under construction at the 3 Midtown site.

The more detailed renderings show that the ground floor, if not exactly a head-turner, is at least well-designed. · New Hyde Midtown Renderings Show Arquitectonica Touch [exMiami] · Previous Hyde Midtown coverage [Curbed Miami]

Breathing Room for a California Family | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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San Francisco Bay Area couple raised their children in this home, which worked well enough during that time. But when the kids moved away to start their own families, the couple redid their kitchen as an open concept, creating a more comfortable place for the growing family to spend time together.
The once-confined kitchen needed to be open and inviting for their throngs of friends too, and function like a dream regardless of how many bodies were in it at any given time. And just as important, it needed to have storage to spare. “In all of our 42 years of marriage,” says one of the clients, “I’ve never had room to have all of my accumulated kitchen stuff in my actual kitchen until now.”
Kitchen at a Glance Who lives here: A couple with grown children Location: San Francisco Bay Area Size: 400 square feet

“The project started with the desire to make the kitchen the heart of the house,” says project architect Eugene H. Sakai of Studio S Squared Architecture. “And it is, both functionally and in its location: It’s smack dab in the middle of the house’s floor plan.”
Bar stools: Lamps Plus
Sakai removed walls from the original kitchen to open it up to the dining room. Additional space came from an adjacent bedroom, which was in turn relocated to another part of the house. “Though there was now plenty of space to work with,” says Sakai, “the challenge was to make it easy to pass through in order to get to the living room and backyard.”
Generous walkways offer ample room for large crowds to flow in every direction. These wide clearances are perfect for the couple’s current social and cooking needs but are also designed for accessibility, should someone in the household ever use a wheelchair.
The kitchen centers on the 5- by 7-foot island with special functions on all four sides. “One of the problems with an open floor plan is that there is limited wall space,” says Sakai.
The island solves this by housing a GE oven on one side, a garbage and recycling station and a Sharp microwave drawer on another, and a three-drawer system for everyday needs on a third side. Even the bar seating area offers hidden storage.
Sakai credits the owners for working out the details of the room. “They were very thoughtful with their vision of how they wanted to use the space now and down the line.”
Range hood: Zephyr
The perimeter of the kitchen is just as functional. Matching drawer systems flank the 36-inch Thermador range, while cabinets with ¼-inch beaded glass border the 36-inch Venezia hood to provide the couple with everything they need to prep and plate food.

We vent attics for four reasons | Mt Kisco Homes

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Most homeowners and builders believe that attics should be vented. If you walk down to your local lumberyard and lean on the counter, the employees and nearby customers will offer a variety of opinions about why attics need to be vented. Unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely that the statements you hear will be true.

Here are the four most common reasons people suggest to explain the practice of venting attics:

  • To reduce the chance of moisture build-up in the attic or condensation on the underside of the roof sheathing.
  • To make roofing shingles last longer.
  • To lower cooling bills during the summer.
  • To reduce the chance of ice dams.

Although attic ventilation is sometimes able to contribute in a very small way to addressing the problems on this list, there are much better solutions to all four problems than ventilation.

What does the code require?

If you plan to install insulation on your attic floor, then most building codes require that your house be equipped with soffit vents.

The standard code formula requires 1 square foot of net free ventilation area for every 300 square feet of attic floor area, assuming that half of the ventilation openings are located in the soffit, and half along the ridge. If a roof has only soffit vents and no ridge vents, most codes require 1 square foot of net free ventilation area for every 150 square feet of attic floor area.

BoomTown earns Google Partner status | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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BoomTown is set to receive special training and support from Google that it says will help it improve the marketing services that it offers agents.

The customer relationship management (CRM) system and marketing services provider has achieved certified Google Partner status in search advertising, giving it exclusive access to private Google events, Google beta programs, marketing support and a Google Partner profile page, the company said.

“BoomTown is proud to be part of the Google Partner program, and thrilled to offer this heightened level of service to our clients,” said Rivers Pearce, director of inbound marketing at BoomTown, in a statement. “We work diligently to exceed client expectations, and demonstrate their PPC dollars are expertly managed.

This partnership enables us to continue maintaining Google’s high standards while enjoying the benefits and continued learning provided in the partner program.”

 

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/12/02/boomtown-earns-google-partner-status/#sthash.mHtJldSo.dpuf

Indian Point Responds To Schumer’s Security Remarks | Mt Kisco Homes

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Officials from the Indian Point Nuclear Facility issued a response to U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) suggestion that the plant’s maritime security be upgraded with around-the-clock boat patrols.

Here is the statement issued by Indian Point officials:

“We take every aspect of the security of Indian Point seriously, including the safety of the waterfront. The plant’s security capabilities are reviewed regularly by federal inspectors at the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission), including during mock scenarios where our security teams must effectively defend against water-born adversaries in extremely realistic drills. The NRC has said that Indian Point is secure and that our highly-trained onsite security teams can protect the facility on land and at the waterfront. We look forward to working with the Dept. of Homeland Security in any additional review and expect that their work will confirm Indian Point has significant security capabilities and is a secure facility.”

Day and night boat patrols are not currently required of Indian Point, but Schumer said that 24-hour security by boat is a reasonable and achievable goal – by drawing on the combined resources of the U.S. Coast Guard, New York State, and local law enforcement – and called for federal experts to provide recommendations on the best way to close any gaps in Indian Point’s security.

 

 

http://mtkisco.dailyvoice.com/news/indian-point-responds-schumers-security-remarks