Tag Archives: South Salem NY

When Mother Nature Meets Your Modern Nature | South Salem Real Estate

Much like cooking, mixing interior styles can create new and interesting flavors. Consider mixing modern detailing with cabin style. The result is a warm, clean design that allows occupants to focus on the interior architecture and the exterior views.
Mixing two aesthetics that seem counterintuitive can result in a fresh look. The key is highlighting the best attributes from both styles in a way that blends naturally. Here are a few key details that create this unexpected aesthetic.

Live edge slab table. Furniture selection plays a big part in the modern cabin mix. A slab of a fallen tree with its edge left natural sets the tone perfectly. Warm and rustic, this table is also modern because of its simple form.
Modern lighting. Consider modern lighting selections against the warmth of wood. Glass, pewter and iron are great contrasting materials.
Highlight floor-to-ceiling views. The glory of a cabin is the surrounding landscape. Highlight towering pines with a modern-style floor-to-ceiling window. Consider a modern window free of mullions and casings, and let the pines add the rustic half of the equation.
Stair rail with attitude. Add modern elements of metal, iron or steel cable on a stair rail. Cabins often have double-height great rooms with a focal stair rail. Use this opportunity to mix in some modern detailing.
Repeat horizontal lines. A horizontal orientation of materials will translate modern or transitional. Horizontal lines featured within rustic elements like concrete or wood siding is an eye-catching contrast.
Textured neutrals. Consider all of the texture from rustic wood details in cabinets, beams and flooring. Now layer that look with neutral finishes like concrete countertops and several shades of gray for a perfect modern cabin mix.
Full-height fireplace. There is nothing quite like a warm fire in a cabin on a snowy night — even better a fire in a mountain thunderstorm. Add modern drama with a full-height fireplace. Modern and rustic material selections for a fireplace could be copper, natural stone or stainless steel.
Lighten up. Yes, wood beams and siding can be lightened up. Create a clean and modern aesthetic with a lighter, monochromatic palette. Consider whitewashing or a light stain on beams and siding with pale walls.

7 Content Marketing Tips: Your Audience Attention Cheat Sheet | South Salem NY Realtor

I won’t lie: content marketing is hard. But  most of us make it harder than it needs to be. We  pour energy and resources into minute gains, instead of focusing our attention  on the simple changes that make a huge difference.

Today, I’d like to talk about 7 content marketing tips that will get you so  much more with so much less. It’s about working smarter, not harder.

Let’s get going.

#1. Start with the headline

Most content marketers and bloggers start with a post idea, write it up, and  then try to come up with a viral headline that will blow people away. This is  all backward.

Think about it:

  • People don’t read blog posts because they know the blog post is going to be  good. They read blog posts because the title catches their attention.
  • Blog posts don’t go viral, headlines do. It’s the headline that people share  on Facebook. It’s the headline that people talk about at the water cooler.  Complex ideas do not go viral. Viral ideas are simple, yet impactful.
  • Headlines set the expectation for the rest of the article. If you put the  blog post first, only to realize that the idea can’t be summed up into a viral  headline, you either settle for a crummy headline, or you write up a misleading  one.

The secret to writing headlines

The importance of a headline for content marketing

What’s the secret to writing headlines that people just can’t ignore? Well,  there are two ways to approach this:

  1. Copy headline structures that work
  2. Use the basic principles of viral attention

I would advise doing both.

That first one can mess people up, so let me explain. How many times have you  seen a title that went something like: “[X] Things Your [Trusted Person] Will  Never Tell You” or “[X] [Subject] Mistakes You Never Realized You Were  Making?”

Those look familiar, don’t they?

Headline hacks

Well, pick up a copy of Jon Morrow’s Headline Hacks (it’s free) and prepare to be  amazed. Pretty much every viral headline you’ve seen has been in circulation for  at least half a century, with a little bit of updated language and a healthy  dose of mad libs to keep things current.

I strongly advise you to take a look at the most viral headlines on the web.  Just copy the headline, and swap out a few words to make it relevant to your  industry. If there is only one thing you do to improve your headlines, (not to  mention your entire content marketing strategy) do this.

Trust me, those very headlines have been written thousands of times before.  Nobody is going to care.

6 principles of content that goes viral

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I’d like to address a few basic  principles of viral attention that are going to keep coming up throughout this  post. First, Dr. Jonah Berger’s 6 principles of viral sharing:

  1. Social Currency – People only share things because it helps them improve or  maintain their social standing. It doesn’t matter how much we love a piece of  content. We won’t share it if doing so doesn’t help our relationships or help us  define who we are to other people.
  2. Triggers – Context and associations shape how likely we are to share  something. Votes held in churches are more likely to be for conservative  politicians. Think of peanut butter and you’ll probably think of jelly. Play  French music in a grocery store and people will be more likely to buy French  wine.
  3. Emotions – Intense emotions like fear, anger, humor, and awe beg to be  shared. Disaffecting emotions, like sadness, do not. Of all emotions, awe is the  most powerful. When we learn something new, or learn to see it in a different  way, we are compelled to share the experience more than anything else. Humor  takes the silver medal, which is of course closely related to surprise, which  is closely related to awe.
  4. Public – This is about our inherent trust in the wisdom of the crowd. If  others have taken an action, we are more likely to follow them, especially if it  seems to be a crowd of like-minded people. In other words, it takes a seed of  sharing activity for something to go viral.
  5. Practical – Content marketers already know this one. Actionable content begs  to be shared.
  6. Stories – Humans are hard-wired to listen to and tell stories. Stories are  about facing struggles and solving problems. They are purposeful, not merely  descriptive. There is a reason why most people will say “what was the point?” to  a Cohen brothers’ film. When we listen to stories, we expect people to struggle  with problems and either succeed or fail tragically. We don’t expect a series of  purposeless events.

 

 

Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/10/11/7-content-marketing-tips-your-audience-attention-cheat-sheet/#3IHq282PmgLXoCFP.99

Nearly Half of Renters Lack Insurance | South Salem NY Real Estate

Some 46 percent of renters are uninsured even though renters are more satisfied with their insurance than homeowners, according to a new JD Powers study released today.

Price is the leading driver of the satisfaction gap: price satisfaction is a significant 45 points higher among renters than among homeowners.  Satisfaction with insurers is higher among renters than among homeowners (809 vs. 787, respectively, on a 1,000-point scale), the study found.

State Farm captures the largest share of the renter insurance market (26%), followed by Allstate (12%) and USAA (10%).

Customer retention rates with their current insurer are higher among renters who bundle an auto policy (91%) compared to renters who do not bundle an auto policy (67%).

“Many insurance agents focus their time selling high-dollar products, such as auto and homeowners, with higher commissions instead of the average $200 per year renters policy,” said Jeremy Bowler, senior director of the global insurance practice at J.D. Power. “This is shortsighted because agents who satisfy the large renter population today are more likely to retain and service their growing household insurance needs over time” (learn more in the review of SuperMoney).

Rankings
Overall Customer   Satisfaction Index ScoresJ.D. Power.com Power   Circle Ratings
(Based on a   1,000-point scale)For Consumers
Homeowners Segment
Amica Mutual

842

5

State Farm

813

4

Auto-Owners Insurance

812

4

Erie Insurance

811

4

Automobile Club of   Southern California

808

4

Encompass

798

4

American Family

797

4

Progressive

796

4

COUNTRY

795

3

Allstate

789

3

GEICO

789

3

The Hartford

787

3

Homeowners Average

787

3

NCNU Insurance   Exchange

786

3

Nationwide

780

3

MetLife

778

3

Safeco

778

3

Automobile Club Group

776

3

CHUBB

768

2

The Hanover

766

2

Farmers

763

2

Liberty Mutual

762

2

Travelers

756

2

__________________________
USAA*

894

5

*USAA is an insurance   provider open only to U.S. military personnel and their families and   therefore is not included in the rankings.
Homeowners Segment:   Included in the study but not award-eligible due to localized availability   and/or not meeting minimum sample requirements are Alfa Insurance, Allied,   Cincinnati Insurance, Fireman’s Fund, Homesite, Mercury, North Carolina Farm   Bureau, Shelter and Tennessee Farm Bureau.

Mortgage refinance activity picks back up | South Salem NY Real Estate

Mortgage applications shot back up this past week as the market corrected itself in the wake of the Labor Day weekend, analysts said Wednesday morning.

Despite seasonal factors having an impact on applications, other factors remain. The market overall continues to readjust as interest rates fluctuate and analysts wait to see whether the Federal Reserve will slow down its acquisition of mortgage-backed securities and Treasurys. An update from the latest Federal Open Market Committee Meeting is expected this afternoon.

Looking at the data, mortgage applications increased 11.2% from a week earlier, the MBA said. Refinance activity also came back, growing 18% from the previous week, while the purchase index rose 3%.

Collectively, the refinance share of mortgage activity inched back up to 61% of total applications this week, up from 57% a week earlier.

Mortgage analysts are attributing the rebound in refinance applications to a recent drop in mortgage rates and a natural pick-up resulting from the end of a holiday.

“However, refinance volume remains almost 70% below the peak in early May,” explained MBA vice president of research and economics Mike Fratantoni.

He added, “The decline and rebound were also caused to some extent by the slowdown around the Labor Day holiday. Although we included an adjustment for the holiday, it did not precisely capture this slowdown.”

Handling such a volatile market, it becomes difficult to discern what happens week-over-week in the mortgage space, explained Quicken Loans chief economist Bob Walters.

“The week before, you had people on holiday, so when consumers reengaged back into their every day life a lot more people were making more decisions on their homes,” Walters noted.

He added, “Additionally, the industry had a ton of people out on vacation, which also effects such a volatile series.”

On a similar note, Ellie Mae noted that purchase loans continued to gain share in August, climbing 4% to represent 57% of all loans analyzed by Ellie.

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/26898-mortgage-refinance-activity-edges-back-up

Completed foreclosures fall 34% | South Salem NY Real Estate

Completed foreclosures dropped 34% year-over-year in August 2013, according to data from CoreLogic (CLGX). As a whole, August’s completed foreclosures hit 48,000 filings, down from 72,000 filings in August 2012.

From a month ago, completed foreclosures grew a slight 1.3% from 47,000 actions in July 2013.

Overall, the nation has experienced 4.5 million completed foreclosures across the country since the start of the financial crisis in September 2008.

Through August 2013 this year, approximately 939,000 homes were in some stage of foreclosure, compared to 1.4 million in August 2012, a year-over-year decrease of 33%.

From August to July, the foreclosure inventory declined 3.2%. In August, the foreclosure inventory represented 2.4% of all homes with a mortgage, compared to 3.3% in August 2012.

By the end of August, 2.1 million mortgages, or 5.3% of loans survyed, were seriously delinquent, the lowest level since December 2008.

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/27288-foreclosure-inventory-plummets-34

 

Claims Cause Hefty Hikes in Homeowners’ Premiums | South Salem NY Real Estate

Insurance claims can cause significant increases in on homeowners’ policies according to the state where they are located according to a new study commissioned by insuranceQuotes.com

Using a hypothetical two-story, single family home covered for $144,000 with a $500 deductible, the study revealed that how much annual premiums can rise following the filing of a claim for  fire, hail, liability, medical, theft, vandalism, water (non-weather related), weather (except for hail and wind) and wind.

According to the study, U.S. families who file a single homeowner’s insurance claim can expect their annual premium to increase 9 percent (or about $150). However, premium increases varied greatly by state.  Homeowners who file a single claim in Minnesota can expect their annual premium to increase, on average, by 21 percent. Conversely, filing a single claim in Texas won’t result in any premium increase.

According to the latest data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the average cost of home insurance increased 36 percent between 2003 and 2010, which is almost twice the rate of inflation.   The study’s findings come at a time when most U.S. families are already experiencing an increase in their homeowner’s insurance premiums across the board.

The following five states showed the greatest average premium increase as a result of filing one claim:

1. Minnesota – 21 percent increase

2. Connecticut – 21 percent increase

3. Maryland – 19 percent increase

4. California – 18 percent increase

5. Oregon – 17 percent increase

Meanwhile, the following five states, on average, showed the smallest percentage premium increase as a result of filing one claim:

1. Texas – 0 percent increase

2. New York – 1 percent increase

3. Florida – 2 percent increase

4. Vermont – 2 percent increase

According to the study, premiums in 31 states and the District of Columbia increased by an average of 10 percent or more after filing a single claim. What’s more, only 18 states fell below the national average increase of 9 percent. 5. Massachusetts – 2 percent increase

“For homeowners in states where premiums are going up by more than 10 percent for a single claim, that’s a bit troubling,” says Bob Hunter, former Texas Insurance Commissioner and current director of insurance at the D.C.-based Consumer Federation of America, a consumer advocacy organization.

The reasons behind why there is such a disparity from state to state are varied and nuanced, says Chris Hackett, director of personal lines policy at the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, an insurance trade association. According to Hackett, rate swings between states come from several factors, including the nature and severity of claims filed in a given state, as well as the different ways in which insurance is regulated from state to state.

 

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/10/claims-cause-hefty-hikes-in-homeowners%e2%80%99-premiums/

Westchester CSEA endorses all Democrats | South Salem Real Estate

Here’s the statement of the union. All the candidates are Democrats:

WHITE PLAINS – Leaders of CSEA, the largest union representing public employees across Westchester County, today announced the union’s full list of endorsements for county-level races.

The endorsements were made by the CSEA Southern Region Political Action Committee.

“We are excited to endorse a strong slate of qualified individuals who have worked and will continue to work to preserve a strong middle class in Westchester County,” said CSEA Southern Region President Billy Riccaldo.

The endorsements are as follows:

• County Executive: Noam Bramson

• County Clerk: Tim Idoni

• Board of Legislators, District 1:Duane Jackson

• Board of Legislators, District 2: Peter Harckham

• Board of Legislators, District 5: Ben Boykin

• Board of Legislators, District 8: Alfreda Williams

• Board of Legislators, District 9: Catherine Borgia

• Board of Legislators, District 10: Mary Jo Jacobs

• Board of Legislators, District 11: Stavros Pantelis

• Board of Legislators, District 12: Mary Jane Shimsky

• Board of Legislators, District 13: Lyndon Williams

• Board of Legislators, District 14: Rachelle “Rocky” Richard

?• Board of Legislators, District 16: Ken Jenkins

CSEA is New York’s leading union, representing employees of the state and its counties, towns, villages, school districts, library systems, authorities and public benefit corporations. Together with a growing population of private sector members and retirees, CSEA is the largest affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which is one of the largest affiliates of the AFL-CIO.

 

 

http://northernwestchester.lohudblogs.com/2013/09/25/westchester-elections-csea-announces-endorsements/

 

Mortgage relief fails to provide as much promised aid | South Salem NY Real Estate

While the five giant mortgage firms signed a landmark $25 billion mortgage settlement last year, the real relief did not fulfill most borrowers expectations. Just 20% of the aid dished out under the settlement covered forgiveness of first-mortgage principal. Per the Los Angeles Times:

“We all wish there had been more principal reduction, which is what is most helpful in keeping people in homes,” said Kevin Stein, associate director of the California Reinvestment Coalition, a 300-member alliance that lobbies on behalf of low-income and minority neighborhoods.

Still, Stein said, the program set a good precedent, demonstrating that debt forgiveness can benefit lenders and borrowers alike without causing a wave of intentional defaults, as critics had warned.

                    Source: LA Times

Many Markets Still Underpriced and Primed for Growth | South Salem NY Homes

Prices in half the 315 markets covered by Local Market Monitor were flat through the first half of the year, but the slow takeoff only means most homeowners can expect steadily higher home prices during the next few years.

Part of the reason is that many markets are still under-priced relative to local incomes, some by 25 percent and more. In these markets, prices fell too far and buyers can now get a lot of house for their money.

Foreclosures still cloud the data in places like Phoenix, Las Vegas, and a good number of California and Florida markets. The value of the average home bears little relation to the bidding wars for cheap foreclosed properties.

 

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/09/many-markets-still-underpriced-and-primed-for-growth/

 

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

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