Tag Archives: South Salem NY

The Real Estate Market Meets the Internet: How Zillow Came to Be (Z) | South Salem Real Estate

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The Fool is exploring Seattle. Today, CEO Spencer Rascoff introduces us to Zillow  (NASDAQ: Z  ) , telling us how the online home and real estate marketplace works, what he considers its greatest strengths, and what investors should know about it.

 

Spencer recounts how the idea for Zillow was born of his time at Expedia, and how far the company has come since then. He also offers some insight on what investors should look for when evaluating any tech company.

 

The Real Estate Market Meets the Internet: How Zillow Came to Be (Z).

South Salem sales up 7% – Prices down 16% | RobReportBlog

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South Salem NY Real Estate ReportRobReportBlog
20136 months ending 7/82012
29Sales27
$500,000.00median sold price$600,000.00
$180,000.00low sold price$185,000.00
$925,000.00high sold price$1,325,000.00
2404average size2688
$237.00ave. price per foot$239.00
211ave days on market254
$546,043.00average sold price$629,575.00
96.26%ave sold to ask94.01%

 

 

South Salem sales up 7% – Prices down 16% | RobReportBlog.

5 reasons it’s still a great time to buy a house | South Salem Real Estate

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After years of sluggish sales and false starts, the real estate market is on a tear this summer, with prices posting double-digit gains every consecutive month since April.

 

Prices have increased so much so quickly in some markets that a few experts are already crying “bubble.” There’s no doubt that the bottom has passed.

Tight inventory and climbing prices have created a seller’s market in most places and realtors are reporting bidding wars in the hottest markets — but that doesn’t mean there’s not opportunity out there for home buyers. “Just because it would have been cheaper to buy a home six months ago, doesn’t mean it’s not a good time to buy one now,” says Trulia housing analyst Jed Kolko.

 

That’s good news for the 68% of renters surveyed in March by JP Morgan Chase, who said they wanted to buy a home. It may be risky in today’s market for home flippers looking to purchase and sell a home quickly for profit. But for those retail buyers who want to buy and live in a house for five or 10 years, here are five reasons to act now:

 

1. Home prices are still rising

The massive gains seen over the past few months make it easy to forget that housing only bottomed out last year, hitting its lowest level in March 2012. While recent prices increases aren’t sustainable, there’s plenty of room for home values to climb. Even with four months of improvement, prices remain about 26% below their 2006 peaks.

 

The chief driver of price gains is constrained supply, reflecting modest homebuilder activity; dwindling foreclosures; and continued foot-dragging by potential sellers who are waiting for prices to improve even further. Total housing inventory at the end of May rose 3.3%, to 2.22 million existing homes available for sale, which represents a 5.1 months’ supply at the current sales pace, down from 5.2 months in April, according to the National Association of Realtors. Listed inventory is still 10.1% below a year ago, when there was a 6.5-month supply.

 

Going forward, price increases will vary by region, while prices nationally are expected to see more modest increases of an annualized 3.9% per year through 2017, according to CoreLogic.

 

2. Rates are low by historical standards

Rates, currently at about 4.6%, have climbed a full percentage point since May — but they’re still lower than they were just two years ago and far lower than their long-term average of about 8%. “In the history of America, a 30-year mortgage at less than 5% is a gift,” says Mark Dotzour, chief economist at Texas A&M’s Real Estate Center. “It’s not supposed to be that way, and rates are only that low because of extraordinary monetary policy.”

 

Economists don’t expect the recent surge to continue. The Mortgage Bankers Association predicts rates will remain close to current levels through the end of next year.

 

5 reasons it’s still a great time to buy a house- MSN Money.

4 Steps to Creating a Top-Ranked Business Podcast | South Salem Realtor

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Do you want to create your own business podcast?

Do you have the passion and drive to make it happen, but you’re just not sure where to start?

Keep reading for 4 tips to set you down the path of podcasting success.

Why Podcasting?

Podcasting is a unique tool that allows you to deliver relevant, on-demand and targeted content to a massive, worldwide audience.

What’s special about podcasting beyond its reach is that, unlike any other social platform, it allows you to connect with your audience on a personal, one-on-one level during a time when they are looking for hands-free, audio-only content.

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Podcasting can be a powerful delivery platform in your marketing toolbox. Image source: iStockPhoto.

Pat Flynn of The Smart Passive Income Podcast, who was recently profiled for the success he’s had with his podcast, stated, “I’ve been able to make a much deeper connection with my audience. When I go to conferences, the first thing people who meet me say is, ‘I love listening to your podcast.’”

A podcaster’s ability to create a show that consistently delivers high-quality content to a captive audience, like Flynn does, will determine his or her success.

Here are four steps you can take to set yourself up for podcasting success.

#1: Buy Recording and Editing Equipment

There are a lot of different types of equipment and software out there for recording and editing your podcast. As you can imagine, they range in price from free to really expensive. However, one of the many great things about podcasting is its accessibility—whether you have $100 or $10,000 to spend doesn’t matter.

Here’s what you’ll need to get set up.

A Microphone

One option is to simply use the built-in microphone on your computer to record your podcast. While you will definitely be forfeiting some of your audio quality by going this route, it is possible.

The Logitech ClearChat Headset is a low-cost option ($26.78) and a big step up from your computer’s built-in microphone. This headset will connect straight to your computer via USB.

If you’re not willing to forfeit your audio quality on any level and have some money to spend on a high-quality microphone, the Heil PR-40 is a great option that will cost you just around $300.00. This microphone functions via an XLR connection, not via USB, and thus requires that you also purchase a mixer.

mic shot

The Heil PR-40 is a great choice for a microphone because it delivers high-quality audio every time.

A Mixer

A mixer allows you to manipulate the audio signals, dynamics and frequency of your recording. While a mixer is not a requirement, it is an important piece of equipment to have if you want to provide your audience with high-quality audio.

If you’re going to purchase a mixer, an all-in-one is the way to go. The PreSonus FireStudio Project is a great option and allows you to record audio on two separate tracks, which is a huge benefit if you plan on doing interviews. With this, you cansilence out background noise and easily edit both sides of the interview. The Presonus Firestudio mixer runs around $400.00.

Recording and Editing Software

Recording and editing software is required because this is what actually allows you torecord, edit and convert your audio into an MP3 file.

Much like the microphone equipment, there is a free option and an option that costs money.

  • Free options: Mac users can use GarageBand while Audacity is available for PC users.
  • Paid option: Adobe Audition is a top-notch recording software program that has amazing capabilities. If you do not subscribe to an Adobe software package likeCreative Cloud, then you can check out package options or simply purchase access to Adobe Audition alone for $19.99 per month.

 

4 Steps to Creating a Top-Ranked Business Podcast | Social Media Examiner.

The Strokes’ Nick Valensi & Wife Amanda de Cadenet List Home | South Salem Real Estate

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Does a home once showcased on a TV talk show help with a sale? It depends on the home, of course, but in the case of this New England-style traditional, the TV fame is just one more feature added to a list of amenities.

Located at 12701 Hortense St, Studio City, CA 91604, the home is currently owned by The Strokes’ lead guitarist Nick Valensi and wife Amanda de Cadenet, host of Lifetime’s “The Conversation.” The TV show is filmed in the residence, with the British actress and photographer interviewing Lady Gaga, Rita Wilson, Portia de Rossi and Gwyneth Paltrow, among others. Valensi and de Cadenet have it on the market for $1.799 million.

“An ideal buyer is a family with kids who love the proximity to Studio City’s best park and new library,” said listing agent Craig Knizek of The Agency. “It’s a wonderful neighborhood to walk your dog [or] have kids ride a bike past friendly neighbors.”

According to property records, Valensi and de Cadenet bought the home for $1.3 million in 2011. Built in 2009, the 4,000-square-foot house has an open floor plan, with the family and living rooms centered around a chef’s kitchen with center island. The 5-bedroom house includes a main-floor guest suite, and the space above the garage has been permitted for a 2-bedroom guest apartment. Currently, Valensi is using the space for his music. The walkable residence is filled with top-of-the-line finishes and tucked away behind every celebrity’s favorite feature: high-privacy hedges.

“A unique attribute about the house is what it retains from your own treasured past — memories of how you grew up and felt comfortable and safe,” Knizek said.

 

The Strokes’ Nick Valensi & Wife Amanda de Cadenet List Home | Zillow Blog.

New Google+ Website Plugins: This Week in Social Media | South Salem Realtor

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Welcome to our weekly edition of what’s hot in social media news. To help you stay up to date with social media, here are some of the news items that caught our attention.

What’s New This Week?

Google+ Launches New Plugins for Your Website: Google+ launches “a bunch of new plugins that help visitors to connect with you on Google+, directly from your website.”  There’s an updated Google+ Follow plugin and updated badges for your Google+ Profiles and Pages.  You can now also create a badge for your Google+ Communities.

Check out the updated Google+ Page badges.

LinkedIn Adds the Top Requested Features to Their Mobile App: LinkedIn has “added the top requested features — the ability to search for jobs, companies, groups and people on-the-go. In addition they have added a few tips to help you be more productive from wherever you may be working.”

With LinkedIn mobile, you can now find and discover people, jobs and groups.

Discussion From Our Networking Clubs: Thousands of social media marketers and small business owners are asking questions and helping others in our free Networking Clubs. Here are a few interesting discussions worth highlighting:

How are the Facebook Hashtags going for you so far?

Are you drowning in social media?

Facebook Announces a New Review Policy for Pages and Groups: Facebook will “implement a new review process for determining which Pages and Groups should feature ads alongside their content. This process will expand the scope of Pages and Groups that should be ad-restricted.”

For example, Facebook “will now seek to restrict ads from appearing next to Pages and Groups that contain any violent, graphic or sexual content [content that does not violate (current) community standards]. Prior to this change, a Page selling adult products was eligible to have ads appear on its right-hand side; now there will not be ads displayed next to this type of content.”

Twitter Decides Auto-Follow-Back Is Now Taboo: SocialOomph reports that “Twitter changed their terms of service and outlawed automated following back of people who followed you first.”

Bing Integrates Search Prevalence Into the Klout Score: Klout announces “the official integration of Bing search results into the Klout Score.” This means that “the number of times you are searched for on Bing will now contribute directly to your Klout Score.”

 

New Google+ Website Plugins: This Week in Social Media | Social Media Examiner.

Antique Homes Are Popular Again In Westchester | South Salem NY Homes

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Antique homes are making a comeback on Westchester’s real estate scene, especially among houses built before 1900.

Many homebuyers are looking to these homes because of their history, unique layouts, and to cultivate old-fashioned pursuits such as gardening, knitting, and even raising chickens. One Westchester real estate office,Douglas Elliman, has more than a dozen historic listings on the market in Westchester.

In Chappaqua, a 1740 red Colonial on King Street is listed for $1.39 million. Nestled on just under 3.5 acres, the 5-bedroom, 4-bath home has been updated to include a dishwasher, eat-in kitchen, central air conditioning, and updated electrical systems, while still maintaining its antique charm. The nicely landscaped grounds feature extensive stonework, perennial, and vegetable gardens. There is also a pool and a two-car detached garage.

“Antique homes are really in vogue right now because they appeal to people who want an authentic living experience. Some people like the new turn-key look, but we are seeing that people are also really adamant about living in a highly unique space with a sense of history that echoes the values of a bygone, simpler time,” said listing agent Nancy Strong. “Westchester is steeped in history, and we are lucky to be ahead of the trend when it comes to antique house hunting.”

 

Antique Homes Are Popular Again In Westchester | The White Plains Daily Voice.

Remembering New York’s Historic Baseball Stadiums | South Salem Real Estate

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o avid baseball fans, summer is everything: season tickets, double plays, the crack of the bat, doubleheaders, cracker jacks, the disabled list. These days, New Yorkers have some elegant stadiums to watch both major and minor league ball—but the oldest among them, the Richmond County Bank Ballpark and MCU Park, where the Staten Island Yankees and the Brooklyn Cyclones play, were built in 2001. Citi Field and Yankee Stadium’s latest incarnation are even newer. So as the summer wears on, the All-Star break comes and goes, and the Subway Series grows ever more heated, take a moment to remember the city’s great ballparks that were. Journey from the very early days of the Capitoline Grounds to the expansion of Harlem’s Polo Grounds, where people perched on bluffs to watch the matches for free. Remember the dear departed Ebbets Field (sadly replaced by an apartment complex, though its flagpole stands at Barclays Center) and the wonderfully retro 60s-era colored paneling of the original Shea Stadium. If we missed any of your favorites, please let us know in the comments or by email. Now please doff your cap to rise for the national anthem. And play ball!

↓ Union Grounds
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Team: Brooklyn Hartfords
In operation: 1862-1883

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1865%20union%20grounds%20via%20Brooklyn%20Ballparks.png

union%20grounds%20rendering%20via%20brooklyn%20ballparks.jpg

↓ Washington Park I, II & III
Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn
Teams: Brooklyn Atlantics, Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Brooklyn Tip Tops
In operation (in various locations): 1883-1915

Washington%20Park%201880s.JPG

Washington%20Park%201909.JPG

Washington%20Park%201915.jpg

↓ Eastern Park
Location: Brownsville, Brooklyn
Teams: Brooklyn Ward’s Wonders and Brooklyn Dodgers
In operation: 1890-1898

Eastern%20Park%20Opening%20Day%201894.JPG.JPG

eastern%20park%20grandstand%20via%20brooklyn%20ballparks.jpg

eastern%20park%20map%20via%20brooklyn%20ballparks.jpg

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Remembering New York’s Historic Baseball Stadiums, In Photos – Summer Flashbacks – Curbed NY.

Second-home sales shift to Generation X | South Salem Real Estate

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The average age of a consumer looking to buy a second home is 50, said Chris Kelsey, president of Long Cove, a private community on Cedar Creek Lake built to give Dallas-area families a close-to-home getaway. 

“A lot of people are wondering how the desires of consumers are changing now that we’re coming out of the recession,” said Kelsey. 

The whole second-home industry has been predicated on Baby Boomers, said Kelsey, although the industry is now crossing the threshold from Boomer to Generation X. 

“Boomers are becoming grandparents,” said Kelsey, who noted that their motivation for buying is often for extended family. On the other hand, Generation X is simply approaching the natural point in life where a second home becomes a feasible option. 

What’s interesting, notes Kelsey, is the language used by the Baby Boomers compared to Generation X. Boomers often refer to their second home as a “vacation home,” while Gen X typically calls it a “second home.”

“This distinction is important to them because they don’t see their resort property as a place for vacation,” said the Kelsey & Norden Resort Real Estate Survey. “Instead, they think of it as an extension of their regular lives, a second home where they are connected to a community of like-minded friends and can provide their kids an alternative experience to their urban or suburban neighborhoods. And with the shift comes a similar shift in vocabulary.”

Kelsey added that Gen X is notorious for its distaste for gated communities and their dislike of inclusivity. “They may want a gated community, they may just not want to celebrate the fact that they’re in a gated community,” said Kelsey. 

 

Second-home sales shift to Generation X | HousingWire.

May home sales up 4.2%; median price up 15.4% | South Salem Real Estate

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Existing home sales improved in May but the supply of homes for sale remains tight — which isn’t good news for buyers, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday.

Total existing home sales increased 4.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.18 million in May from 4.97 million in April, NAR said. That’s the highest rate since November 2009 and almost 13% above year-ago levels.

The inventory of homes for sale, meanwhile, dipped to a 5.1 month supply, down from 5.2 months in April. That means all the homes would sell in that time frame if no new supply was added and sales continued at May’s pace. Realtors consider a 6-month supply to be a balanced market between buyers and sellers.

Total housing inventory at the end of May was up 3.3% to 2.22 million existing homes for sale.

Despite last month’s “nice” gain in homes for sale, the supply is unlikely to grow unless home building ramps up by an additional 50%, says Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist.

Homes are also selling fast. The median time on market for all homes was 41 days in May, down from 46 in April.

Nationwide, 45% of all homes sold in May were on the market for less than a month, NAR says.

Single-family home sales rose 5% in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.6 million and are almost 13% above the year ago pace.

 

May home sales up 4.2%; median price up 15.4%.