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Preventing Home Holiday Fires in Pound Ridge NY | Pound Ridge NY Real Estate

“We don’t want a fire to devastate your holiday celebrations,” said CAL FIRE Acting State Fire Marshal Tonya Hoover. “If everyone practices a little extra fire safety this holiday, we can help reduce the number of holiday decoration related fires and deaths.”

Robert Paul Realtor - Christmas Tree Fires In Pound Ridge NY

The holiday season is here and with it increased excitement about adorning homes with traditional decorations. As beautiful as they are, holiday decorations are an added home fire hazard. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a candle-caused fire in the home is reported every 30 minutes.

In 2009, 166 Christmas tree fires were reported to the CAL FIRE – Office of the State Fire Marshal. There were 100 reported fires caused by the ignition of Christmas decorations. As of December 1 there have been nearly 40,000 reported fire incidents with over 80 tragic fire deaths in California.

Follow these safety tips to ensure a safe and happy holiday season:

When selecting your Christmas tree, choose a fresh one with green needles.

Check the water level in the tree stand every day.

Keep the tree at least 3 feet away from any heat source including fireplaces and heating vents.

Never use lit candles to decorate a tree.

Keep outdoor decorative lights outdoors and indoor lights indoors.

Inspect lights every year for frayed wires or cracked sockets.

Don’t link more than 3 light strands together unless the directions indicate it is safe to do so.

Turn decorative lights out when you leave the house or go to bed.

Only use lights that have been tested and labeled by a recognized testing laboratory.

Christmas Trees

Holiday Lights

Cut Your Price if Your Home Is Not Getting Offers | Pound Ridge NY Real Estate

Sellers: Price to Your Market

In this tough market, price reductions are more acceptable than they used to be, real estate broker and author Dian Hymer says.

Certainly, they are more common because sellers have more difficulty setting reasonable prices, especially when prices change frequently.

With buyers ignoring properties they believe are overpriced, it is especially important for sellers to quickly correct noncompetitive pricing, according to Hymer.

Sellers should be prepared to lower their price more than once if they are out of sync with the market. The best measure is the sale prices of comparably priced properties that closed after the house was put on the market.

NAR Article

Best Pizza in Pound Ridge NY | Pound Ridge NY Real Estate

When you think “Casino Royale,” you think James Bond, right? After a visit to Pinocchio in Pound Ridge that just might change.

The Casino Royale is Pinocchio’s pizza version of Clams Casino — a crispy pie topped with baby clams, slab bacon, tomatoes, white wine, garlic and roasted red peppers. It’s just like the clams appetizer at your favorite checkered-clothed Italian restaurant — only better. A lot better. So good, in fact, that the Casino Royale won the top award for best seafood pizza in the 2008 North Atlantic Pizza Show.

And that’s not the only award Pinocchio has to its name. Bruno DiFabio, who owns Pinocchio, Amore Pizza in Scarsdale and two branches of Pinocchio Pizza in Connecticut, is the 2009 U.S. champion, a six-time World Pizza champion, and he won the Best Traditional Pizza medal at the 2010 World Games at the Las Vegas Pizza Expo. (Yes, there is such a thing.)?

He has 16 medals in all, and has appeared on “Rachael Ray” and “The Today Show.” As if that wasn’t enough, this year, Food & Wine magazine named his restaurant on the West Coast, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, one of the best new Italian spots in the country.

LoHud Story

Pound Ridge NY Real Estate Market for 2011 | Pound Ridge NY Homes

Predictions for the 2011 Pound Ridge NY real estate market.

Freddie Mac analysts point to five features that they believe will likely characterize the 2011 housing and mortgage markets:

1. Low mortgage rates. With Fed observers expecting the central bank to keep the federal funds rate at its current target range of 0 percent to 0.25 percent for most (or all) of 2011, relatively low mortgage rates will be a feature of the 2011 mortgage market. Thirty-year fixed-rate loans are likely to remain below 5 percent throughout the year, and initial rates of 5/1 hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages will likely remain below 4 percent in 2011.

.2. Prices have hit bottom. House prices are likely to begin a gradual, but sustained recovery in the second half of 2011.

3. Housing will remain affordable. With affordability high, many first-time buyers will be attracted to the housing market in the New Year, likely translating into more home sales in 2011 than in 2010.

4. Refinances will dwindle. Many eligible borrowers have already refinanced and the federal Making Home Affordable refinance program is expiring on June 30. While fixed-rate loans are likely to remain low, they will move up gradually, making it even less likely that refinances will be attractive to most home owners

5. Delinquency rates will decline. Based on the last several business cycles, the share of loans that are 90 or more days delinquent or in foreclosure proceedings — known as the “seriously delinquent rate” — generally crests within a year of the start of the recovery in payroll employment, and this economic recovery appears to fit within that pattern. Payrolls began to rise last January, and by the spring the seriously delinquent rate had begun to fall.

Source: Freddie Mac (12/09/2010)

Pound Ridge NY Home Wins AIA 2010 Design Award | Pound Ridge NY Real Estate

FOUR residences in Westchester County — two multifamily and two single-family homes — are among 13 winners of the 2010 Design Awards given every year for the past 20 by the 600-member Westchester-Hudson Valley chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

The awards, conferred late last month at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, acknowledge “design excellence and the best architecture recently produced in the chapter area or by a chapter member,” said Raymond Beeler, a Pelham architect and a chairman of the awards committee.

Thematically they seem to share a focus on the environment, and the safest, most practical ways to live within it. The four structures are:

FLOOD HOUSE, MAMARONECK

This 1,700-square-foot two-family house near Long Island Sound was built by Habitat for Humanity for a mother and daughter who lost their 1940s single-family cottage when the Mamaroneck River flooded in April 2007.

Built on concrete piers, the new residence was designed by Jason Taylor, the principal of the J. Taylor Design Group in New Rochelle, and Nick Viazzo, an associate, to rise above floodwaters, to resist hurricane-force winds and to be accessible to persons with disabilities. It uses L- and I-shaped piers as both stilts and buttresses against wind.

“This is a very different-looking house for this neighborhood,” Mr. Taylor said, alluding to the piers. “It looks like something you might find along a beach or perched beside a lake. But it actually sits along a normal suburban street with your standard mix of traditional-style homes.” He used cedar shingles and paint colors that blend with nearby houses.

Each half of the two-family has two bedrooms, a bath and a large living-dining area with a kitchen. Because one of the occupants is elderly, it has an elevator that serves both sides.

Mr. Taylor incorporated energy-efficient and sustainable elements into the house. But it is not certified by the United States Green Building Council as adhering to standards known as LEED (for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), he said, because “that entails a lot of record-keeping and a LEED coordinator, which makes it too expensive.” The project, using volunteer labor, cost $250,000.

RIVER TOWN HOUSE, HASTINGS

Christina Griffin, an architect in Hastings-on-Hudson, converted a 1910 railroad flat building into two condominiums, in accordance with the highest level of LEED certification. The structure has thermal panels and is designed to harvest and recycle rainwater, among other things. The three-story building — with glass walls and roof decks at each level — overlooks the Hudson River, the Metro-North railroad tracks and remnants of factories where its original occupants worked.

The architect owns the building. The condos, each with three bedrooms, are both listed at $999,000 and have been on the market for a year. Ms. Griffin questioned whether a market exists for LEED construction. “People say they like the idea of a green house,” she said, “but they don’t want to pay more for one, especially in the current real estate market.”

She said that even though prices for many materials used in green construction had come down in the past 12 months, the condos were far more expensive to build than if she had not sought LEED Platinum certification, the highest level. The cost of the project, including purchase of the land, was $1.3 million.

LINK HOUSE, POUND RIDGE

The three-bedroom residence in Pound Ridge, by Carol Kurth of Bedford, is called Link House in part because it seeks to link 21st-century advances with a midcentury-style aesthetic. One of Ms. Kurth’s first projects, dating to 1983, it has since been occupied and renovated by five different owners.

She was commissioned by the current owners, a retired couple, to return the house to its origins, and to add a guest suite and a large music room.

A trend in renovating today, especially when it comes to modern houses built in the last century, is to simplify, creating what Ms. Kurth describes as a “spa-like serenity.” For example, the bathrooms in the Link House have cedar walls, ivory stone countertops and a floor that resembles concrete — “very natural,” she said, “without any veining or swirling patterns.”

Ms. Kurth observed that in the current climate there are decidedly fewer commissions for residential construction, but that “what we’re doing a lot of these days is breathing new life into homes.”

While declining to provide specifics, the owners said the renovation cost less than $400,000.

The Marketing and Selling Process in Pound Ridge NY | Pound Ridge Real Estate

Comprehensive Market Analysis in Pricing Your Home

Property Specific Marketing of Your Home
All the Benefits of Our Rock Solid Alliance with Prudential
Consumers do not look to a single source to purchase a home. They are researching and shopping on the internet, in local papers and the real estate sections of a vast array of publications. Prudential Holmes and Kennedy’s proprietary marketing model surrounds the consumer with our property listings from traditional print media, public relations and direct mail to superior internet exposure. Our ongoing commitment ensures your property will be previewed in a consumer’s initial search, leading to a personal showing where your Prudential Holmes & Kennedy REALTOR will bring all your property’s unique features to life.

The most important factor to consider when choosing a real estate firm to represent your home is to find a firm with significant experience in selling comparable property. Our marketing model directs the most potential buyers to personally preview your home. Any REALTOR can promise you an ad in the local paper, but our experience has shown that full exposure of your property in multiple mediums is the best way to reach the largest potential buyer pool.

Internet Marketing

Over 80% of homebuyers begin their search on the internet.

Prudential Tri-State Connection

No other brokerage in Northern Westchester can claim our unique affiliation with our Tri-State partners. Others may have offices throughout the county, but no one else has their own website, joint marketing, tri-state co-brokerage groups and networking events. Even our tri-state relocation directors meet quarterly.

PrudentialTristate.com is the gateway to over 100,000 current property listings within the 100-mile radius of Midtown Manhattan. In 2004, the Prudential Tri-state group concluded 21 Billion Dollars in sales with 47,000 transactions. As part of the Prudential Tri-state group, we are linked to:

Prudential Douglas-Elliman in New York City
Prudential Douglas-Elliman in Long Island
Prudential Connecticut
Prudential New Jersey
Relocation Services

Prudential Relocation is a leading provider of global mobility, creating a constant flow of home buyer traffic in and out of our Westchester market.

Referral Services

Our affiliation has a membership of over 2000 offices and over 64,000 real estate professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Prudential referral program maximizes lead opportunities by supporting broker-to-broker activity.

Multiple Listing Services (MLS)

Founded in 1916, the Westchester County Board of REALTORS®, Inc. (WCBR Inc.) is a not-for-profit trade association representing more than 7,000 real estate professionals doing business in Westchester County and the surrounding region. WCBR owns and operates the Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service, Inc. a corporation that manages a large database of available properties listed by REALTORS®.

The term REALTOR® is a registered mark. It refers only to those licensed real estate brokers and salespersons that hold membership in a REALTOR® organization such as ours, who agree to be held accountable to a strict Code of Ethics and who also agree to periodic ethics education and other professional instruction that is required by the Board.

Direct Mail – Published by Prudential Holmes & Kennedy

The Holmes Report
Quarterly Reports
Residence Guide
Just Listed Cards

Brochures

A detailed, four-color brochure ensures that prospective buyers, open house visitors and cooperating agents will recall the critical features of your property long after they have viewed your home. It is displayed in the home, in our office lobbies, used for special mailings and sent to out-of-town prospects.

Advertising

Our experts will developed a high impact print media advertising plan identifying selected media vehicles that present your home to target buyers. Our affiliation with Prudential extends our advertising strength. Its network members spend millions of dollars each year placing advertising in the most prestigious publications and on high profile television stations to promote brand awareness.

Yard Signs

A 24 hour marketing tool that attracts the attention of prospective buyers.

Broker and Public Open Houses

An invitation to the Broker and public communities to view your property without an appointment or obligation to buy. Open houses are announced via print media and on various websites such as: MLS, Realtor.com, NYTimes.com and Pruholmes.com.

Additional Marketing Activities

Introduce the Property to Fellow Agents

Provide a Secure Lockbox for your Home
Follow-up with Buyers and Agents
Educate You to the Real Estate Market
Arrange Showings
Pre-screen potential buyers
Attend Inspections on your Behalf
Provide Home Warranty Options
Present, Evaluate and Negotiate Offers
Prepare and Distribute Required Documentation
Resolve Seller/Buyer Conflicts
Coordinate Repairs
Facilitate Closing and Transfer of Property

Pound Ridge NY Weekend Real Estate Update | Pound Ridge NY Real Estate

83 homes for sale

Low price $380,000

High Price $10,000,000

Median price $999,000

Average size 4129 square feet

Average price $360/ foot

Average DOM 145 days

Call Robert Paul for your market update 914-325-5758.

Heating With Gas Or Heating With Oil – The Great Energy Debate | Pound Ridge NY Real Estate

How to Decide Between Oil and Natural Gas to Heat Your Home

Every year, thousands of homeowners make a decision about which fuel will be their primary heating source for the winter: use oil or natural gas?. The pressure of winter’s arrival often leads to a quick decision, but determining which fuel makes the most economic sense depends on a complex set of circumstances that most homeowners have difficulty sorting out . With this simple questionnaire, the gas boiler service dublin offers a guide to help determine the best way for you to keep warm this winter and reduce your heating bills.

By Roy Berendsohn

Having been a home improvement editor here for more than 20 years, I can make one prediction with uncanny accuracy: As cooler weather settles in, heating questions will arrive. It may seem obvious. Yet, there’s a specific skew for our readers in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions. They ask us which heat source is less expensive over the long haul–oil or natural gas. Based on past experience, these are oil-heat customers, and in the heating battleground that encompasses this region, they’re bombarded with claims about the benefits of both fuels. This year, the cost of natural gas for residential users is low–about where it was three years ago. When you adjust for inflation, its price has actually dropped. So I’m predicting an upswing in interest in this topic (an increase that will likely subside when the price of gas begins to rise). As gas remains competitive, deciding whether to use it becomes more complex.

See the checklist below to sort your way through. The more answers you check as “Yes,” the more likely that the switch from oil to gas may make sense. If you check “Yes” on only on 1 to 3 questions, your current setup works fine. Check more than four, however, and it’s worth investigating your options. Seven or more means it may be time to switch to gas.

Notice that I say, “may.” I’m not advocating one fuel over the other. The fact is, either can be burned cleanly and efficiently. Both have advantages and disadvantages, which can vary–consult your local fuel-oil and gas providers and mechanical contractors (the businesses that install heating and cooling equipment).

Finally, there’s the propane option, and many customers in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic would do well to consider it. If you live in a competitive propane market, the more of the answers that you check as Yes, the more likely that propane could be a viable option as well.

As a side note, consider the Energy Information Administration’s unbiased comparison of heating-fuel costs. To get a sense of how this works in your market, plug local price figures into the cost calculator offered by Penn State’s engineering department.

Here’s the PM guide to heating-fuel options. Check all that apply.

1. Your oil-heat boiler or furnace is shot and needs to be replaced.

Yes

2. Your chimney is old and needs to be rebuilt or relined. Note: New oil or gas boilers and furnaces can be vented directly through the side of the house, bypassing the chimney entirely.

Yes

3. You have a natural gas line available and the utility company’s cost to run a lateral line from the street to your house is low.

Yes

4. The company that will run the gas lateral to your house can place the gas meter conveniently–for example, so that the existing gas line inside the house can access the meter without significant mechanical disruption or remodeling. Note: You need a heating/cooling contractor’s input to answer this question.

Yes

5. It appears that the gas lateral will create minimal disruption to your property and landscape.

Yes

6. Over the past ten years, you’ve tried several fuel oil providers in your area, at several different price and service plans. You’re dissatisfied–either the quality of service has been poor from a mechanical standpoint, or the company just seems unfriendly.

Yes

7. You want the fuel oil tank out of the basement. It’s either old, rusty and smelly, or you just want it out to free up space down there. Note: Getting an old fuel oil tank out of a basement, especially a crowded one, is a big job. Take some careful measurements of the tank and all stairs or exterior doors before proceeding. PM contributor Pat Porzio, a mechanical contractor, reminds us that some municipalities may require you to pull a special building permit just for the removal of the oil tank, regardless of whether it’s above or below ground, indoors or out.

Yes

8. The fuel tank is free-standing and located outdoors. Although it’s mechanically sound, you find its appearance unattractive and would like to be rid of it Note: See above, regarding tank-removal permits.

Yes

9. The oil-fired boiler or furnace is located in a utility closet somewhere in close proximity to the living space (not the basement or in a crawlspace) and it’s too loud. You’re hoping to reduce noise in the living space with gas-fired equipment. Note: 10. Oil-fired equipment tends to be noisier than gas-fired, though there are exceptions to this broad rule of thumb. If you’re replacing a furnace or boiler, speak to your oil-heat provider or mechanical contractor about noise reduction. If they know that this is an issue, they can better identify quieter equipment and noise-reduction measures (such as relocating equipment to a place where its sound will be less bothersome).

Yes

10. You have an electric water heater that needs to be replaced along with the heating equipment. You’re hoping to switch to a gas-fired water heater for better hot-water performance. Note: You can also get an oil-fired water heater. Oil-fired water heaters are generally more expensive than comparable gas-fired models, and they need to be tuned yearly, like an oil-fired boiler or furnace. On the other hand, they’re extremely potent hot-water producers–residential versions of these appliances are nearly as powerful as their commercial counterparts. If plentiful hot water is an issue, they’re hard to beat. Also, an oil-fired boiler can be equipped to produce sufficient hot water, as can a gas boiler. Again, investigate your options by talking to both your oil supplier and a heating/cooling contractor in order to make an informed decision.

Yes

Pound Ridge Luxury Real Estate

Picking Your House Color in Pound Ridge NY | Pound Ridge NY Real Estate

How to Pick Exterior House Colors

Picking exterior house colors is an exciting time. House exterior painting adds a fresh look to your home. But finding a flattering color scheme can also be overwhelming. You want the color scheme for your house design to be perfect. To help reduce frustration when planning to house exterior painting, you need to know the ins and outs of picking a color scheme for your house design. Read on to learn how to pick exterior house colors that will have you grinning from ear to ear. The beauty of your home begins with the right exterior color scheme.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions.

1) The first step on how to pick exterior house colors is to choose between a light or dark color scheme. Painting the exterior of your house with a light color scheme will tend to make your house stand out more from its surroundings. A house design exterior color scheme that is dark is usually good for when you want your home’s colors to blend in more with the surrounding environment.

2) Next, decide if you want a warm or cool color scheme for the exterior of your house. A warm color scheme can give your house design a livelier look. A house exterior with a cool color scheme tends to match its surrounding environment and not stand out as much.

3) The last step on how to pick exterior house colors is to choose an accent color. An accent that is lighter than the main exterior house color will help a small house look bigger. A lighter accent color on the front door and window shutters will also help these areas stand out more. Just be careful to pick an accent color that contrasts well with your main exterior paint color.