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All Top 100 Markets Gained in Homes.com July Data | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Utilizing home pricing data for the period ending July 2013, the Homes.com Price Index showed gains for single-family properties in all 100 markets, up from 87 in the previous reporting period

“Homes.com’s Rebound Report provides a deeper view into the 22 fully rebounded markets. Many never experienced the dramatic swings in home values that were a result of foreclosures and short sales that plagued many markets across the nation”

The Homes.com Local Market Index has been expanded to include midsized markets ranked from 101-300. It provides a closer look at smaller markets nationwide, showing increases in 293 of the top 300 markets, up from 250 the previous month. Year over year, all midsized markets increased.

As a complement to the Local Market Index, Homes.com publishes an exclusive Rebound Report, highlighting how the housing recovery process is unfolding across the country. Rebound data for July 2013 in the top 100 markets revealed that 22 markets across the U.S. are fully recovered – up from the previous month’s 19 markets. Additionally, 44 U.S. markets now show a rebound of 50 percent or more, up from 41 in last month’s report.

“Homes.com’s Rebound Report provides a deeper view into the 22 fully rebounded markets. Many never experienced the dramatic swings in home values that were a result of foreclosures and short sales that plagued many markets across the nation,” said Brock MacLean, executive vice president of Homes.com. “By contrast, most of the markets with the lowest rebound have experienced more dramatic changes in values as a result of foreclosures and short sales and will have a slower path to recovery.”

The latest Homes.com Local Market Index reports the following:

Monthly increases in all 100 of the top 100 markets and in 193 of the 200 midsized markets.

Honolulu, Hawaii remains the top gaining market on a year-over-year basis with a 29.17 index point or 13.51% increase.

California markets [Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif.; San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif., San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif.; Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, Calif.] are the remaining 4 in top 5 and increased 25.26, 24.60, 24.19 and 20.16 index points respectively.

Six of the top 10 monthly gaining markets are in the West (up from two in the previous month), followed by four from the South.

Highlights from the Homes.com Rebound Report for the top 100 markets show:

22 have made more than a 100% rebound, indicating a complete recovery in these markets. This is up from 19 markets posting a full recovery in last month’s report.

 

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/09/all-top-100-markets-gained-in-homescom-july-data/

Greenwich Real Estate Sales Stay Strong In 3rd Quarter | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Real estate sales in Fairfield County continued their strong growth in the third quarter, with closed sales improving 28 percent from the same quarter in 2012 and under contract sales jumping 59 percent, according to a report published by William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty.

“There’s nothing startling in the report,’’ said Brad Kimmelman, brokerage manager for William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty in Southport. “We are absolutely moving in the right direction. We saw a huge improvement over last year. Overall, we are enjoying a revitalization of the real estate market in Fairfield County, and across the country.”

The William Pitt Sotheby’s International report showed strength across the board, with closed sales running 68 percent higher for the third quarter in Ridgefield, 50 percent higher in Redding, 45 percent higher in the town of Fairfield and 40 percent higher in Danbury.

The closed dollar volume rose 31 percent in the quarter over the same time frame last year, with Weston (up 57 percent), Ridgefield (up 56 percent) and Westport (up 39 percent) among the top communities in the county.

Median sales price rose 6 percent for single-family homes in Fairfield County for the third quarter, to $500,000, according to the report from William Pitt Sotheby’s. In Wilton and Ridgefield, median single family home prices rose 17 percent, while Westport prices jumped 12 percent. In the past year, the median price for single family homes in Fairfield County has jumped 7 percent.

“The 7 percent increase in the average sales price is great,’’ said Molly Lane, who works for William Raveis Homes in Westport. “The rest of the country is down about a half a percent, another indicator that the market is strong.”

Lane said the historically low interest rates continue to help the real estate market. “For someone who is putting 20 percent down with a good credit rating, they could get a 30-year fixed mortgage for about 4.125 percent. That’s even lower than it was a few months ago,’’ Lane said. “If the rates continue to remain at historic lows, that would be great. It’s a good harbinger for the spring market.”

Kimmelman said one of the most encouraging aspects of the market growth is the steady increase. “Consumer confidence is up, and I think we’re going to see the market hold steady but not increase dramatically,’’ he said. “We don’t want double-digit growth year after year. We want to see a nice, healthy progression.”

Typically, there is some seasonality in real estate and summer tends to be slower. That was not the case this year. “Closings are up in the third quarter for single-family homes in both Connecticut and Rhode Island, which is significant due to the fact that we have not experienced the seasonality in the market for the third quarter which generally tends to decline,” said Terence Beaty, director of new homes and land for Berkshire Hathaway Home Services New England Properties.

High-end homes are also beginning to move a little more quickly in Fairfield County, Kimmelman said, and inventory levels continue to decline. The condominium market is also contributing to the gains.

Berkshire Hathaway Home Services New England Properties Third Quarter 2013 Market Report indicates that the luxury market, identified as those properties worth $2 million or more has been growing throughout the year. Sales of high-end single family homes rose 13.2 percent to 378 in Connecticut. Fairfield County closed most of the business. The strongest sales growth in this category was in Greenwich, Westport and Darien.

“This has been another upbeat quarter as far as real estate goes,” said Diane M. Ramirez, Chief Executive Officer of Halstead Property. “Though prices only increased modestly, it is still a positive trend overall.  We were pleased to see the huge upswing in sales in some of the markets and in the decline in days on the market in many of the towns that reported.”

“We are optimistic that the market has balanced.  Although pending sales went down slightly in September, interest rates remain historically low and prices remain stable,’’ said Candace Adams, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services New England Properties. “We anticipate there will be a balanced market through the end of the year.”

The Berkshire Hathaway Home Services New England Properties Report is attached as a PDF. The William Pitt Sotheby’s report and the Halstead Property report are online.

Attached: (bhhsnep-2013-q3-marketreport.pdf)

 

 

 

http://greenwich.dailyvoice.com/real-estate/fairfield-county-real-estate-stays-strong-3rd-quarter

How to Finally Tackle Your Closet’s Critical Mess | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Ever the organizer, I was extolling the virtues of closet purging to a friend. She was feeling a little overwhelmed. Her possessions had been slowly encroaching due to nothing more insidious than the steady march of time and life. Honestly, my friend is an organized person. Things have their place. But lately, there are fewer and fewer places for things. Yet she remained staunchly purge-resistant, especially when it came to her clothes. Sound familiar? Keep reading to learn more about how making a little room in your closet can be an exercise in self-discovery.

Reaching “critical mess.” “I don’t have a problem getting my closet organized,” my friend said. “My problem is keeping it organized.” And this brings us to the crux of a problem shared by the organized and maybe-not-so-organized alike.
“As long as I have room for it,” the thinking goes, “I might as well keep it.” And that’s all fine until you have to dislodge a carefully constructed pile to fish for that pair of shorts. Or you pull out a blouse and three other things slip off their hangers with it in a wrinkled, crumpled mess. That’s when all of your efforts at tidying up go out the window. You’ve reached “critical mess,” and there’s no room for even one more thing. And yet folks still insist on holding on.
Editing boldly. While people often toss a few token items, they rarely edit boldly. Cleaning out your closet is a very personal thing and can highlight some complexities in our psyche. Sound dramatic? Maybe, but it’s true. We identify our possessions with ourselves — our accomplishments, joys and sorrows. Being told to let go of old or even not-so-old clothing can feel like we’re being told to get rid of parts of ourselves. And, in fact, that would be correct.
What no one tells you (but I will). When your closet (or your house) is full of things from your past, things that only remind you of who you were, you very literally have no room for who you are now and who you are becoming.
Granted, lots of people simply will not go down the philosophical road with me here: “Seriously? My closet is a mirror for what I think about myself? Yeah, right.”
So look at it this way: What is the point of spending money on new clothes if you lose them in a sea of stuff you don’t even wear? At least think of it as making room for all the new things you’re going to buy this season.
Does your closet make you feel bad about yourself? Now let’s take a clear-eyed look at items in your closet that may have unpleasant feelings associated with them. For example, do you have professional clothing from a job where you felt unappreciated? Are you keeping your “skinny clothes” as inspiration to lose weight?
Be honest about whether seeing them each day inspires you or just makes you feel bad about yourself again and again. Put them away. Or better yet, get rid of them. Because when you do lose that 20 pounds (or get a new job), chances are you’ll want a whole new wardrobe to celebrate your new self!
Put it in perspective. Having a hard time deciding what to get rid of? Try this simple exercise I did with one of my clients. Her closet was packed wall to wall, floor to ceiling, with old clothes she couldn’t let go of. However, it was clear to me that the old, boring, outdated clothes definitely didn’t reflect the style and personality of the woman who stood before me and, most likely, no longer fit her properly.
So, I tore a page from her favorite clothing catalog of a kicky little jacket that she wanted to buy — something that definitely expressed the stylish and confident person she is today. I taped it to the door. Then I pulled each item out of her closet, held it up to the picture and asked, “If you had to make room for one of these things, which would it be?” The juxtaposition was illuminating! Given the choice between a paisley corduroy pinafore dress (not kidding) and this little gem of a jacket, she finally saw what she’d been doing to herself. In the end, she donated about a quarter of her closet.
Feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of dredging through your past — I mean, your closet? Start with these baby steps.
Look at each item. Do you wear it? If not, ask yourself why you’re keeping it and listen to your answer.
Try things on. Have a trusted friend with you and honestly (honestly being the operative word) see if it fits and suits you — your body, personality, style and lifestyle. If it doesn’t, put it in a bag.
Do one drawer, one shelf, one row at a time, once a week. Put what you remove into a bag. Then find a charity, like a women’s shelter or a veterans’ job training program where you know those clothes will be appreciated, or the nondescript thrift store you pass on the way to work, and drop those bags off. You will feel good and get a tax deduction to boot.
Store the keepakes. Finally, if you really want to keep something you don’t currently wear, like your favorite boyfriend jeans from college, it doesn’t mean you have to keep it in your closet competing for space with stuff you wear frequently. Pack it up and store it elsewhere.
Do this and you’ll gain yourself a little breathing room. Your wardrobe will have plenty of room to grow, and maybe sprout a kicky little jacket or two.
More: Your Total Home Organizing and Decluttering Guide

Get Your Projects Into Clients’ Hands | Pound Ridge Homes

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So you want to get your projects published. Why?

It’s great for exposure and marketing. You can use print articles as an extension of your showroom for clients to get ideas, to learn design terminology, and to help you learn what clients do and don’t like; you can use it to show architects.

But take advantage of the longevity of print publications, which often sit on coffee tables in homes but also in doctor’s waiting rooms, salons, and fitness studios. Buy a bunch of issues and slap a banner on them with your logo and some text that reads: “Check out the local home remodeled by YOUR COMPANY featured on page X”

And, of course, most print publications have a web presence, where your work—and links to your company’s website—will live forever.

RESEARCH YOUR OPTIONS There are local and national publications that are always looking for content. Head to your local bookstore and buy a bunch of magazines and study them. Ask yourself if your project might be a good fit. You wouldn’t contact Dog Fancy with your latest kitchen remodel—unless it has a fantastic dog bowl area and they actually publish stories about such things.

Think about who the reader is going to be and who your ideal client is. Where do those two intersect?

You’d be surprised how many local publications there are in your market—from newspapers to business journals, women’s weeklies, and food-focused magazines. And don’t discount association publications from NARI and NAHB, but also those for related industries: doors and windows, concrete, metal fabricators.

Then read the articles themselves and determine how they’re put together and what they focus on. Are written about the lifestyle of the owner? Do it Yourself carpentry? The biggest, the best, the first of its kind, only a particular room?

You ultimately want to make things easy for an editor to see that, yes, your project/story is going to be something their readers will be interested in.

THINK LIKE AN EDITOR Have an idea about what makes a good story. Come up with a hook. “We had to design and build a kitchen for a homeowner who is in a wheel chair.” “Our client’s daughter was going to be married in two months and they wanted a quick kitchen pick-me-up so we did cabinet refacing.” Think about packages: “5 storage options” “kitchens with fireplaces,” “poolside outdoor kitchens.”

Pay attention to lead times. If you built a special Christmas tree closet for a client, don’t pitch that story to a monthly magazine on December 1. Even newspapers might budget time for a story like that a few months in advance. Pitch an outdoor living story in January, a winter holiday story in September.

BUILD A RELATIONSHIP Look on the publication’s masthead to find the appropriate editor—and it’s not the editor-in-chief. You most likely want to contact a senior editor, writer, or contributing writers or editors. There might be a specific editor for the type of material you want to have published. In a national publication, get the name of the regional editor near you.

Call or email and establish a relationship with that person. In many cases, they are hungry for material. Offer to take that person to coffee and show them photos of your projects, help them understand the scope and scale and level of design involved; take them on a tour of your most recent project.

Even if it doesn’t turn into something right away, keep up the relationship. The publication might not need anything right now, but your new editor friend will have your name and might call on you as a source for another story. Or, he or she might know that in a few weeks the publication needs 10 contemporary baths. It’s good for them to have contacts in the architecture and design community.

 

 

http://www.remodeling.hw.net/marketing/get-your-projects-into-clients-hands1.aspx

How does Google’s Hummingbird Update Impact Social Media Marketers? | Pound Ridge Realtor

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Google recently launched a new algorithm, code-named Hummingbird, that was  designed to answer more complex queries and present more in-depth knowledge to  users.   Launched over a month ago, Google’s Hummingbird is its  largest algorithm overhaul in 10 years.

At a press conference announcing the change, Google explained that the new  algorithm is smarter, able to understand complex queries and return more  relevant answers.  They are preparing for a future of phone concierges,  where you ask your phone for information and it talks back to you, understanding  the meaning behind your questions and giving you semantically relevant  answers.

According to the  NY Times:

“The company made the changes  because Google users are asking  increasingly long and complex questions and are searching Google more often on  mobile phones with voice search.”

So how does Google’s Hummingbird update impact social media marketers?

What can you do to make sure your blog’s visibility improves in the wake of  Hummingbird?

#1. Improve your mobile’s web search experience

On InsideSearch, Amit Singhal, Google’s chief technologist, explained:

“The world has changed so much: billions of people have come online, the  Web has grown exponentially, and now you can ask any question on the powerful  little device in your pocket.”

Obviously mobile is a major focus for Google, and Hummingbird presents a way  for Google to serve better results for mobile users.  Given the massive  amounts of data Google has at their fingertips, they can anticipate trends  better than any other company…and if they are focusing on mobile and overhauling  their entire algorithm to serve better mobile results, then this is something  social media marketers must pay attention to.  Just this week, Google  changed their User Interface for tablet and mobile users.

What can you do to get your website mobile ready?

Do you need more information?  Check out Google’s extensive guide on how  to build Mobile-Optimized  Websites.

#2. Connect your blog to your Google+ profile using Authorship

Authorship is a way of identifying categorical influencers and featuring  their content in Google.

According to Google:

“Using authorship helps  searchers discover great information by highlighting content from authors who  they might find interesting. If you’re an author, signing up for authorship will  help users recognize content that you’ve written. Additionally, searchers can  click the byline to see more articles you’ve authored or to follow you on  Google+”.

It’s that simple!

 

 

 

Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/10/30/how-does-googles-hummingbird-update-impact-social-media-marketers/#7RxDdcHq6wjBLmZV.99

Smart Shopper: How to Choose a Dining Chair | Pound Ridge Homes

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In Grandma’s day, newlyweds started out their marriages with a matching dining table and chairs. You never had to wonder if the pieces worked together. But the results were so predictable, they induced drowsiness faster than the tryptophan in a turkey dinner.
Today mix-and-match dining sets are in vogue. They’re more interesting, but also more challenging to put together. So before you invest in a set of dining chairs, make sure they’re going to work with the table, the room — and even the size of your guests.

Design
Although it can be chic to pair traditional chairs with a contemporary table, and vice versa, try to find pieces that share a common design element. If the table has a sinuous leg, look for a chair with the same line in the leg or back, or choose upholstery with swirls on it.
If the table is square or rectangular, consider chairs with a square or rectangular seat.
Dimensions
Twenty-two inches is a good standard width for an armless dining chair, but you can go larger than that if your dining table or dining room is especially big and would dwarf a normal-size chair.
Avoid chairs that are narrower than 17 inches; they just don’t provide enough support for the derriere. For maximum comfort, choose chairs that are 20 to 24 inches deep.

Smart Shopper: How to Choose a Sofa Bed | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Anyone who has spent a restless night on a friend’s fold-out couch will appreciate the importance of a good sleep sofa. Yes, there are comfortable models on the market — you just need to know what to look for when you shop. Here’s a rundown of some of the most important things to consider.

Do you need a sleep sofa? If you’ve never needed a sleep sofa before but are thinking about buying one “just in case,” you might want to think again. A sofa bed is more expensive than a conventional sofa, so unless you’re going to use it for sleeping, you’re better off buying a conventional sofa and stashing an air mattress in the closet. Due to their construction, sleep sofas have firmer seats than conventional sofas. While seniors often like the extra support (it’s easier to get up), others may find sleepers less comfortable.
What size? Measure the spot where you want to place the sofa bed, and figure out the ideal sofa width for that space. Sleepers come in four standard widths:
Chair: 51 to 58 inches Twin (like the model shown): 56 to 65 inches Full: 68 to 92 inches Queen: 79 to 101 inches
Will it fit through the door? Measure the height of the room’s ceiling and the width of the doorway (and any preceding doorways, stairs or elevators). Bring those figures to the store, so you’ll know whether you can get the piece into the room. Legs can usually be unscrewed.
Most bed frames are the same. Most sleep sofa mechanisms are made the same way (and by the same manufacturer), so there’s little difference from one brand to another: You’ll find a metal frame with coils around the edges holding canvas decking. (Although sofa beds still have that bar underneath the mattress, it now curves away from the body, preventing painful surprises in the morning.)

Peak Fall Foliage Season About To Start In Westchester | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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As the leaves begin to change colors, Westchester County residents can look forward to the peak days of fall foliage season in the coming weeks.Photo Album2013 Fall Foliage of Westchester County

“As of right now we’re a little behind where we would normally be,” said John Dlugoenski, a meteorologist with Accuweather.com.

The peak time for vibrant colors normally comes around Oct. 15 to Oct. 20, but warmer weather this year means that the peak should come around Oct. 20 to 25.

The weather in September and October has been cool, but not cold enough for the foliage to really start turning, Dlugoenski said. The leaves really start changing colors when the nights are cold, with lows in the 30’s, and the days are warm and sunny, with highs in the 60’s. Rain and moisture in the soil can also have an impact on the vibrancy of the colors. When the weather is really dry in September, sometimes the leaves can start to die before they change color, so the colors will not be as vibrant.

Farther north up in the Catskills the leaves have already hit their peak colors, but by the weekend, Westchester residents won’t have to travel that far, Dlugoenski said. Saturday, Oct. 19 will be a good day to observe the trees, as it is expected to be partly sunny and dry.

Westchester is home to more than 50 parks and recreation areas where leaf peepers can check out the changing colors in the weeks ahead. Westchester County Tourism also has a number of routes that you can take through the county to enjoy the sights. Recommended stops include the Water Grant Street area in Yonkers, Kingsland Point Park in Sleepy Hollow, and Riverfront Green Park in Peekskill. Along these routes you will be able to see the different colors among the hundreds of species of trees in Westchester.

“There are three trees that are particularly colorful,” said Michael Penziner, a long-time volunteer with the Rye Nature Center and the New York Botanical Gardens. “The sugar maple is a brilliant red, the red maple is a nice red, and the black tupelo.”

Parks around Westchester County will be holding a number of events for nature lovers to enjoy the fall foliage. On Saturday, Oct. 19, there will be a naturalist’s choice hike at 10 a.m. at the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Cross River, and a foliage tour at 2 p.m. at the Marshlands Conservancy in Rye. There will be a fall foliage hike at the Lenoir Preserve in Yonkers on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 10 a.m.

 

 

 

http://armonk.dailyvoice.com/lifestyle/peak-fall-foliage-season-about-start-westchester

Susan Sarandon hands over Clinton Hill pad to rocker son | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Famed actress Susan Sarandon has unloaded one of her three New York City apartments to her musician son, by way of a trust overseen by the ex-wife of television personality Geraldo Rivera and a veteran Hollywood actress.

Sarandon transferred the apartment at 334 Grand Avenue in Clinton Hill for $900,000 — the same price she paid for it in January 2012 — to a trust named after Miles Robbins, her son with long-time partner, the actor Tim Robbins, property records filed with the city today show.

The trustees of the Lancaster, Pa.-based trust are Edith Vonnegut, the daughter of noted novelist Kurt Vonnegut and Rivera’s former wife, and actress Lynn Cohen, who has appeared on the television show “Sex and the City” and is part of the cast of the upcoming “Hunger Games” film.

Sarandon won an Academy Award in 1996 for her leading role in “Dead Man Walking” and is a four-time Oscar nominee. Her more memorable film roles include “Thelma & Louise” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

Miles Robbins, 21, is a musician and has appeared in a few of his mom’s films, including “The Greatest” and “Dead Man Walking.”

The two-bedroom, two-bathroom, 2,500-square-foot apartment includes 17-foot ceilings, a vaulted skylight, a working fireplace and 25-foot long rooms, according to the most recent listing.

Artist Danny Simmons, the older brother of music maven Russell Simmons, was the apartment’s previous owner. He put it on and off the market over the course of six years, beginning in May 2006, when it was priced at $1.25 million, StreetEasy and city property records show. Russell’s name was on the deed of the apartment until 2005, records show.

Toni Martin of the Corcoran Group had the listing when Sarandon purchased the home. She could not immediately be reached for comment.

 

 

http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/10/03/susan-sarandon-hands-over-clinton-hill-pad-to-rocker-son/

 

 

 

POUND RIDGE HARVESFEST — Tomorrow 2-6pm! | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Sparklers Open House, Family Games & Contests,

Beer Garden for Adults — Root Beer Garden for the Kids!

   ….and  THE SMITHEREENS!!

POUND RIDGE HARVESFEST — Tomorrow 2-6pm!

OPEN HOUSE!

Swing by for party info or drop the kiddos off at Sparklers for

some Fall fun!

Complimentary cider & snacks!

Beading and crafts a la carte!

2-5pm Saturday October 19th ~ Sparklers Design Studio

40 Westchester Avenue

(located between The Wine Connection and Scotts Corner Market)

~

SATURDAY OCTOBER 19th – 2-6pm
Scotts Corners – Pound Ridge, NY