Tag Archives: Pound Ridge Homes for Sale

China’s falling real-estate prices trigger protests, clashes | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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The sharp drop in China’s housing prices has led to an outburst of anger among property owners, leading to violent clashes in some cases, according to local media reports Tuesday.

In one case, scores of property owners surrounded a Shanghai sales office of Greentown China Holdings Ltd. 3900, +8.58% GTWCF, -33.19%  to protest the developer’s 25% cut to prices within a five-day period, according to a report on the NetEase NTES, +1.62%  news portal site 163.com.

Protesters held banners with slogans such as “You cheated us!” and “300,000 yuan [$48,750] worth of assets evaporate within five days — years of work in vain!” according to photographs of the demonstration posted on the site.

The report quoted a sales manager from Greentown as saying that the price-cut was aimed to boost sales and “cope with competition” from rival China Vanke Co. 2202, +1.48% the nation’s largest residential property developer.

In other Chinese cities, such confrontations between buyers and developers have turned violent.

In the eastern city of Jinan, banner-carrying owners blocked a street to protest another 25% price cut for a local housing development, this one conducted over the space of two weeks, according to the local-government-run Life Daily newspaper.

The protesters clashed with a group of counter-protestors suspected to have been hired by local developers, injuring some of the demonstrators and forcing the police to break up the fight, 163.com said in a separate report.

 

 

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http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chinas-falling-real-estate-prices-trigger-protests-clashes-2014-08-26

Good news for the housing market? | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Home Depot (HD) recorded strong second-quarter earnings on the same day the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development reported multifamily housing starts soaring. Per Forbes:

Home Depot reported $23.8 billion in second quarter revenue, a 5.7% increase over the year-ago quarter and a figure that cleared the $23.5 billion Wall Street consensus.

“In the second quarter, our spring seasonal business rebounded, and we saw strong performance in the core of the store and across all of our geographies,” Frank Blake, Home Depot chairman and CEO, said in a statement Tuesday morning. 

And as a result, homebuilder stocks on the HW 30, HousingWire’s exclusive list of mortgage related stocks, were up on the news Tuesday.

 

 

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Good news for the housing market?

 

 

How One Israeli Firm Thinks Architecture Can Make Peace | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Saya.jpg

When Israel began building a wall along the West Bank in 2003—called the “separation fence” by some, the “Apartheid wall” by others—Yehuda Greenfield-Gilat and Karen Lee Bar-Sinai were about to graduate from architecture school at Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology. As aspiring architects studying and living “in the shadow of a territorial conflict,” as Greenfield-Gilat says, they were shocked to see that architects were involved in only the most superficial conversations about the aesthetics of the wall—there were no bigger-picture architectural discussions about how the wall would change its surroundings. “It was insulting that architects were not considered by themselves as people who have something to say about the most significant spatial fact that [was] being built in Israel,” Greenfield-Gilat says now.

Bar-Sinai and Greenfield-Gilat, now 36 and 37, believed architecture and architects had a place in the conversation about conflict resolution. For their Technion thesis project, they designed a transportation hub that, after a final Israeli-Palestinian agreement, could serve as both a border and a functional structure within Jerusalem, strengthening the city rather than fragmenting it. The project raised all kinds of big questions, as Greenfield-Gilat recalls: “How can we use architectural tools and insights in order to enhance…territorial peace agreements? How do you create a border within a city that does not really destroy the city?” And so, in 2006, they formed SAYA, a firm focused on “resolution planning,” or the idea that design and architecture can be tools for peace. The firm’s name is short for “Studio Aya,” in memory of Greenfield-Gilat and Bar-Sinai’s friend and fellow architect Aya Shapira.

Many of the firm’s current projects are thought-driven, paid for by think tanks, universities, or international agencies and governments. Most often, the architects come up with ideas based on needs they see in the world and pitch them to relevant organizations, though sometimes it’s the other way around. It’s prebuilding rather than rebuilding. The idea, as Bar-Sinai explained in a talk at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design last year, is to “be in the prime minister’s head,” to get policymakers to think, as much as possible, like architects.

 

 

 

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http://curbed.com/archives/2014/01/09/how-one-israeli-firm-thinks-architecture-can-make-peace.php

15 states aggressively going after stop-foreclosure scams | Pound Ridge Realtor

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Last month, it was announced that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission were filing nine lawsuits against companies and individuals that collected more than $25 million in illegal advance fees with false promises to prevent foreclosures.

That was on a national level.

At the same time, 15 state Attorney General offices announced an additional 32 actions against foreclosure prevention scammers.

Often in these scams, the scammers offer delinquent homeowners security from mortgage servicers who are seeking to foreclose.

They promise the homeowners home retention, often take fees upfront and do little in return.

The homeowners often still face foreclosure, and receive none of the promised compensation.

Well, as HousingWire can now exclusively reveal, here are those 15 states that are aggressively going after these scammers.

The list was provided by the CFPB, and for the purpose of the list, we gathered some additional information.

 

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15 states aggressively going after stop-foreclosure scams

 

Consolidation Creates Megalandlords Dominating Single Family Rentals | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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“Now we’ll sweep up everybody over the next two years who got stuck, who says I have home price appreciation, which they do. They bought right, but now they are stuck.”

The chief executive officer of the second largest hedge fund landlord articulated in an interview with Bloomberg why a handful of megalords are the process of dominating the single family rental business.

Rising value, soaring rents, atmospheric demand and difficulties finding new properties at below market prices are providing smaller players, includng small investors and “accidental” investors who rent out a property or two an ideal opportunity to cash in.

Consolication is underway across America. American Homes 4 Rent, the second-biggest REIT in the industry, this month bought Beazer Pre-Owned Rental Homes Inc., gaining more than 1,300 houses. Barrack’s Colony American has made four bulk purchases this year, reported Bloomberg in the story by John Gittelsohn and Heather Perlberg.

Another factor for consolidation is the challenge of managing hundreds, thousands of single family homes. Bigger may not always be better for single-family rental operators. Institutional funds that have internalized property management have to be able to maintain thousands of properties that were initially serviced by local and regional groups, said J.D. Asbell, a landlord with about 175 houses in Kansas and Missouri who also renovates and sells homes to Wall Street-backed firms, according to the Bloomberg piece.

“This is a hard business to run,” said Asbell, who has been renting homes since 1993. “The management is always going to be an issue for the big funds. That’s the key to this long term, keeping the houses occupied and getting out bad tenants that aren’t paying.”

 

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http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2014/07/consolidation-creates-megalandlords-dominating-single-family-rentals/

Mortgage Defaults Sink Below 1 Percent | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Mortgage default rates fell below one percent for the first time in years, providing further evidence that the foreclosure era is all but over.

Data through June 2014, released today by S&P Dow Jones Indices and Experian for the S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices, a comprehensive measure of changes in consumer credit defaults, showed decline in default rates. After eight consecutive months of rate declines, the first mortgage default rate fell to 0.89.

“Consumer credit default rates continue to drift lower and have reached a historical low,” says David M. Blitzer, Managing Director and Chairman of the Index Committee for S&P Dow Jones Indices. “Recent economic reports are encouraging with the unemployment rate now at a six year low and strong job creation in recent months. The continued declines in consumer default rates confirm other indicators of an improving economy. Credit standards for mortgage loans continue to be somewhat restrictive and may be contributing to low first mortgage default rates.

 

 

 

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http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2014/07/mortgage-defaults-sink-below-1-percent/

Zillow and Trulia continue to set records | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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With each passing month, the giants of online real estate continue to break records for web traffic. In June, both Trulia (TRLA) and Zillow (Z) set records for unique visitors.

That follows record-breaking traffic for both sites in May as well.

Zillow has increased its traffic in each of the last five months, topping out at just shy of 83 million in June. That eclipsed May’s total by 1.5 million visitors.

The site had a year-over-year increase of 49% from June 2013, when the site had 55.7 million visitors, to June 2014, when the site had 82.99 million visitors.

Trulia broke its own record in June as well. The site welcomed 54 million unique visitors in June, which is up 55% from June 2013. The company’s traffic was up 3 million from May 2014.

Trulia said that its rate of growth is increasing. “This was an acceleration from 42% growth in Q1 2014 compared to Q1 2013, and the 47% annual growth rate in May 2014 compared to May 2013,” the company said.

“Trulia’s marketing campaign continues to deliver strong results in attracting more transaction-ready consumers to our platform,” said Pete Flint, CEO and co-founder of Trulia. “The marketing campaign, combined with our leading consumer products, are contributing to the acceleration of our audience growth amidst the busiest part of the home buying and selling season.”

Both sites’ increasing traffic has done wonders for their stock prices as well. Trulia’s stock is up 16.76% year-to-date and 23.38% from the same date last year.

 

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Zillow and Trulia continue to set records

Email marketing ideas for Realtors | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Email has been proven to be a tremendously powerful real estate marketing tool. In fact, it’s the No. 1 way people share content with their friends and family members. Additionally, this 2012 survey shows 77 percent of consumers want to receive emails from companies they have an interest in.

In this article, I’ll go through four great real estate email marketing ideas to help you generate new leads, convert those leads into clients and stay “top of mind” with your entire database.

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1. Provide value with an e-newsletter
A monthly real estate newsletter filled with useful and interesting articles for homeowners will help you stay in touch with your database, continue to provide value to past clients over time and position yourself as an expert in your industry. The content of the newsletter shouldn’t be promotional in nature but instead contain helpful tips and ideas for homeowners. If you don’t have time to write and design an e-newsletter, be sure to choose a customer relationship management (CRM) platform that comes with one preloaded and relevant to your business. You’ll likely be pleasantly surprised at how many replies you’ll get!

2. Send Just Listed and Just Sold e-cards and e-fliers
A whole lot of agents are not doing this, but if you’re careful about who you’re sending your Just Listed and Just Sold e-fliers to, they can be extremely valuable in getting some motivated leads.

If you know that certain people in your database are likely to be interested in a certain area, next time you get a listing or sell a home in that area, let them know about it.

Then, look at who opened your email and how many times they opened it and clicked on its links. You may find that certain people have read your email multiple times, clicked on the hyperlinks and even forwarded it to someone else. If this is the case, be sure to give these leads a call, as they’re potentially very hot!

3. Assign every new lead to a drip marketing plan
Whenever you get a new lead, be sure to assign it to a drip marketing campaign in your CRM immediately. Effective drip campaigns include a mix of emails that are sent automatically and periodic prompts to make keep-in-touch phone calls. And remember, with drip marketing, it’s not a “one size fits all” approach. Each campaign should be tailored to the individual prospect type, such as a first-time buyer, FSBO, seller and so forth.

Automating your lead nurturing with drip marketing frees up a lot of time, and ensures no lead falls through the cracks.

 

 

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http://www.inman.com/next/the-way-to-a-clients-heart-4-fantastic-email-marketing-ideas-for-realtors/?utm_source=20140701&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinesam

5 Questions Every Real Estate Agent Should Ask a New Client | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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There are many articles out there suggesting questions that buyers should ask their real estate agent, but now it’s your turn!

Whether you’re an experienced realtor or not, it’s important to always be crystal clear on a new client’s background information and preferences. Know where you stand before jumping into a relationship with a lead.

Here are 5 questions you should ask a new client:

  1. Why are you buying and why is now the right time to move?

    Learning WHY they are buying a new home at this specific time is very helpful in tailoring your real estate services to fit their needs. It will also help you determine how many hours you can expect to work. For instance, some may be looking for a REALTOR® way before they sell their current home, while others may wait until the last minute. Everyone’s timing is different.

  2. How many houses have you already seen and what are your 3 favorite neighborhoods?

    You’ll gain a better understanding of their recent real estate experience and at the same time, you’ll find out if they have already been working with another agent. Also, ask them to list their 3 favorite neighborhoods – this is an easy way to begin discussing the importance they place on schools, demographics, and where they want to live.

  3. If we found your perfect home tomorrow, what would you do?

    Ask this question so you can evaluate their readiness to actually move and better grasp their preferred timeline. If you’re speaking with a first-time home buyer, use this moment to go over the closing process and any other details they need to know about buying a new home.

  4. Are you working with a lender?

    Now you’ll can make an easy transition into a financial conversation. This is a great opportunity to learn whether or not they are pre-approved. If they have not been pre-approved, suggest a lender of your choosing.

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http://blog.realestatebook.com/2014/06/18/5-questions-every-real-estate-agent-should-ask-a-new-client/

Where are Baby Boomers moving? Absolutely nowhere | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Some 10,000 Baby Boomers reach retirement every day, exiting a world dependent on jobs and kids and into a new lifestyle that drastically adjusts their housing choices, a commentary by Patrick Simmons, director with the Economic and Strategic Research Group of Fannie Mae, said.

The common perception is that the generation born between 1946 and 1964 is starting to downsize from suburban single-family homes to urban multifamily residences as they become empty nesters.

But this assumption is not true, and in fact, the truth is quite the opposite.

Simmons explained, “Despite these life transitions, one key metric of boomer housing consumption – the proportion of the population residing in a single-family detached home – has yet to decline.”

And instead of the downsizing perception, the percent of Baby Boomers residing in single-family detached homes was at least as high in 2012 as at any time since the onset of the housing crisis.

 

 

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Where are Baby Boomers moving? Absolutely nowhere