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Is This the Top Content Marketing Company in the World? | Waccabuc Realtor

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The rise of blogging , Facebook and Twitter has made us all publishers.

Add mobile HD cameras mounted to helmets streaming death defying leaps,  extreme bike moves and dives and you have an explosion of multi-media creators  and publishers. Mobile and modern camera technology coupled with global social  networks are providing platforms and networks with the media fodder that are  supercharging content distribution and sharing.

Content and media is no longer gathering dust in the bottom draw or the  filing cabinet but is published online. Often it is streaming and unedited. It’s  real and raw.

Content now comes in a wide variety of formats and media. It can start with a  140 character micro blog (tweet), a video. image or a long form content piece of  2,000 words on your blog. It can even be a 6 second “Vine” video or a filtered  snapshot on Instagram taken on a smartphone.

These fast changing opportunities and mediums are presenting the traditional  marketer with some thought provoking and uncomfortable choices. You can almost  hear the squirming.

Why content marketing upsets traditional marketers

The old school marketing habits and paradigms don’t cut it anymore because  content marketing requires a different way of thinking. It flips the marketing  model in many ways.

  1. Pull rather than push. Its about attracting the customer to  you rather than pushing advertisements. That’s different.
  2. Entertain and educate first and sell second. Traditional  marketing never heard of the term educate.
  3. You don’t talk  about your product. Mentioning your product in content marketing  is inappropriate. The old school thinking struggles with that.
  4. You must think and act like a publisher not an advertiser.  That is not in the comfort zone.
  5. You operate in real time. This means you have to be  thinking about “continuous marketing” as well as being campaign focused. That’s  demanding.
  6. Need different  resources. This includes staff and software. The status quo is  being challenged.
  7. Needs a different culture. Publishing culture is different  to an advertising mindset. Newsrooms, reporting and editing are a world apart  from corporate marketing and advertising.

These mind warps are presenting some challenges and potential disruption to  the marketing department and the CEO. What are the obstacles in moving from  traditional mass media habits to a publisher paradigm?

The challenges to becoming a media company

The challenges come from many angles. Some are larger than others. It means  adopting a flexible mindset that is open to change. That in itself is a  challenge.

Here are a few to keep in mind as you move to a content marketing culture  that  embraces the new.

  • Re-allocation of  resources. It is hard to discard old habits but it requires a hard look  at what isn’t working or appropriate and try something new.
  • Re-educating the  team. It will mean sometimes forgetting what was taught at university  or college because most of the changes in media are mostly less than a decade  old. YouTube is not yet 10 years old (founded in 2005), tablets have only been  around for 4 years and Facebook was launched in February 2004.
  • Changing the culture. Maybe change management is  needed.
  • Adapting to a mobile content world. Smartphones only  exploded into popular culture when the first iPhone was launched in 2007.  Websites need upgrading to be “mobile responsive” and content optimisation now  has to consider viewing on smartphones.
  • Understanding  re-purposing of content. With the broad range of multi-media formats  (30 plus at last count) and social networks, brands need to understand that we  have different  preferences for the media we read and watch and the social  networks we use to consume them on. Same message but different  media.
  • Developing an integrated mindset. This means weaving  content marketing into other marketing channels. This includes embedding content  marketing in and across all media channels including social, search, email and  traditional mass media.
  • Creating “conversations around the brand” not about the  brand. (Thanks Altimeter for that insightful phrase). This means creating content that has heart and  soul of the brand embedded but not mentioned.

So what does this adaptation look like?

The content marketing stages

Content marketing is still embryonic for most companies. Here is how  Altimeter sees the stages of content marketing maturity.

 

 

 

 

Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/11/08/is-this-the-top-content-marketing-company-in-the-world/#5eVc09uyx9ypi8ic.99

Charting the Changes Happening Around The Barclays Center | Waccabuc NY Realtor

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Today the Municipal Art Society named the year-old Barclays Center a 2013 MASterworks Winner for being a “Neighborhood Catalyst.” The distinction may be somewhat vague, but it’s certainly fitting. Even before the arena opened in September 2012, the surrounding neighborhoods of Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and Fort Greene started to see changes, but now that construction is underway on the first residential tower of Atlantic Yards, new development will no doubt increase. Property values are increasing, new retailers and restaurants are moving in, and old stores are being replaced with new buildings. For this microhood map, we charted the changes happening in the blocks closest to the arena. There’s likely a property or two that we missed, so leave a comment or hit up the tipline if you know something that we don’t.

Barclays Center
620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217 (877) 772-5849, website

Map DataMap data ©2013 Google, Sanborn
Map Data
Map data ©2013 Google, Sanborn
Map data ©2013 Google, Sanborn
Atlantic Yards Microhood Map
Atlantic Terrace
Plans for the eco-friendly co-op building Atlantic Terrace began around the same time that Bruce Ratner first announced his grand plans for Atlantic Yards way back in 2003. The building is located on the site of a former gas station, so a brownfield remediation took place before construction could begin. The building opened in 2010, with 59 of the 80 units being affordable, and it sold out within a year and a half. Since then, the new building has been a residential anchor on this stretch of Atlantic Avenue, which faces the railyards. Before the Barclays Center opened, the developer had trouble finding a tenant for the street level commercial space, but the chain Tony Roma’s is supposed to open soon, much to the dismay of residents.
212 South Oxford Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.6831583-73.97283479999998
Barclays Center
After nine years of lawsuits, fights, and delays, the controversial Barclays Center basketball arena opened in September 2012. The arena was the first piece of the megaproject to be completed, and it’s opening boosted changes in the surrounding neighborhood.
620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
(877) 772-5849
40.68312-73.975979
Atlantic Yards Tower B2
Three months after the Barclays Center opened, Forest Cit Ratner broke ground on the first tower of Atlantic Yards, the 32-story B2. It will be tallest modular building in the world when complete. The building will eventually be joined by 14 others, and the project’s new investor expects to complete everything within eight years. That may be overly optimistic, however, given that a platform must be constructed over the rail yards before work can begin on most of those towers.
461 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.6817672-73.97543239999999
215 Flatbush Avenue
Directly across the street from B2, PRD Realty is building a new six-story apartment building at 215 Flatbush Avenue. The site was formerly home to the Bergen Tile Company, and now it will have 53 rentals and 9,875-square-feet of ground floor retail.
215 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.681482-73.97519499999998
474 Dean Street
The yellow clapboard house at 474 Dean Street went into contract just 22 days after hitting the market in early 2013, ultimately closing for $1.52M. The asking price was $1.95M. The owners wouldn’t discuss why they wanted to sell, but many believed the opening of the Barclays Center was a major catalyst. The new owners are a Richard and Angela Datlon. No permits have been filed with the Department of Buildings, so for the time being, they clearly aren’t planning any major changes, like demolishing the house and building something bigger.
474 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.68139-73.974872
Shake Shack
Food critics have praised the selection of local eateries inside the new arena, and it seems that better dining choices are coming to the outside neighborhood. In February, restauranteur Danny Meyer announced that a Shake Shack would be opening across from Barclays at 170 Flatbush Avenue, formerly home to a furniture store.
170 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.682631-73.976789
182 Flatbush Avenue
Before the Barclays Center even opened, the owners of Triangle Sports at 182 Flatbush Avenue put their building up for sale. The store had occupied the location since 1916, but the owners saw an opportunity to make big bucks thanks to the arena. They didn’t put a price on the property, but rather let the market determine its value. Public records show that it sold to an LLC for $4.1 million, closing just one day before the arena opened.  No new building permits have been filed with the Department of Buildings, but Triangle Sports has long since closed.
182 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.68213-73.97631799999999
Church of the Redeemer
A 150-year-old Gothic Revival Church at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Pacific Street, just one block from Barclays, announced its imminent demolition in the summer of 2012, but neighbors have been fighting to save or repurpose the building. The priest in charge of the site said the church needed at least $8 million to repair the building, and at least $20 million to make is useable. At the time of the announcement came, the dwindling congregation had already relocated to a different church, and the priest admitted that they had made no moves to try to raise money. The church planned to tear down the building, and rebuild a more profitable residential mixed-use building. But as of April 2013, no final decision had been made, and neighbors were still trying to save it.
561 Pacific Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.6838032-73.97884529999999
U.S. Post Office
In August, a tipster told Brownstoner that the post office at 542 Atlantic Avenue would be closed, demolished, and replaced with a 7-story hotel. The closure of another post office would not be surprising given that it’s happening in other parts of the city, and a hotel near the Barclays Center would make sense for a property owner looking to make more money. The owner also owns the warehouse next door at 540 Atlantic Avenue. The post office is widely loathed, but it’s still open, and there are no demolition or new building permits on the DOB website. In September, a rep for the post office told DNAinfo that they were “still in lease negotiations on this location.”
542 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.684583-73.97981199999998
123 Fort Greene Place
In the immediate blocks around the Barclays Center, most new developments have been retail, but one of the first new condo buildings is 123 Fort Greene Place. The development, a conversion of two adjacent townhouses into six condos, hit the market in February, and they were snapped up in a hurry. By June, only one remained, and by the end of August, all six were sold and closed. As the Atlantic Yards towers grow, we expect more condo projects to pop up nearby.
123 Fort Greene Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.68581574674811-73.97606300000007
Atlantic Terrace
Plans for the eco-friendly co-op building Atlantic Terrace began around the same time that Bruce Ratner first announced his grand plans for Atlantic Yards way back in 2003. The building is located on the site of a former gas station, so a brownfield remediation took place before construction could begin. The building opened in 2010, with 59 of the 80 units being affordable, and it sold out within a year and a half. Since then, the new building has been a residential anchor on this stretch of Atlantic Avenue, which faces the railyards. Before the Barclays Center opened, the developer had trouble finding a tenant for the street level commercial space, but the chain Tony Roma’s is supposed to open soon, much to the dismay of residents.
212 South Oxford Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.6831583-73.97283479999998
Barclays Center
After nine years of lawsuits, fights, and delays, the controversial Barclays Center basketball arena opened in September 2012. The arena was the first piece of the megaproject to be completed, and it’s opening boosted changes in the surrounding neighborhood.
620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
(877) 772-5849
40.68312-73.975979
Barclays Center
After nine years of lawsuits, fights, and delays, the controversial Barclays Center basketball arena opened in September 2012. The arena was the first piece of the megaproject to be completed, and it’s opening boosted changes in the surrounding neighborhood.
620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
(877) 772-5849
40.68312-73.975979
Atlantic Yards Tower B2
Three months after the Barclays Center opened, Forest Cit Ratner broke ground on the first tower of Atlantic Yards, the 32-story B2. It will be tallest modular building in the world when complete. The building will eventually be joined by 14 others, and the project’s new investor expects to complete everything within eight years. That may be overly optimistic, however, given that a platform must be constructed over the rail yards before work can begin on most of those towers.
461 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.6817672-73.97543239999999
215 Flatbush Avenue
Directly across the street from B2, PRD Realty is building a new six-story apartment building at 215 Flatbush Avenue. The site was formerly home to the Bergen Tile Company, and now it will have 53 rentals and 9,875-square-feet of ground floor retail.
215 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.681482-73.97519499999998
474 Dean Street
The yellow clapboard house at 474 Dean Street went into contract just 22 days after hitting the market in early 2013, ultimately closing for $1.52M. The asking price was $1.95M. The owners wouldn’t discuss why they wanted to sell, but many believed the opening of the Barclays Center was a major catalyst. The new owners are a Richard and Angela Datlon. No permits have been filed with the Department of Buildings, so for the time being, they clearly aren’t planning any major changes, like demolishing the house and building something bigger.
474 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.68139-73.974872
Shake Shack
Food critics have praised the selection of local eateries inside the new arena, and it seems that better dining choices are coming to the outside neighborhood. In February, restauranteur Danny Meyer announced that a Shake Shack would be opening across from Barclays at 170 Flatbush Avenue, formerly home to a furniture store.
170 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.682631-73.976789
182 Flatbush Avenue
Before the Barclays Center even opened, the owners of Triangle Sports at 182 Flatbush Avenue put their building up for sale. The store had occupied the location since 1916, but the owners saw an opportunity to make big bucks thanks to the arena. They didn’t put a price on the property, but rather let the market determine its value. Public records show that it sold to an LLC for $4.1 million, closing just one day before the arena opened.  No new building permits have been filed with the Department of Buildings, but Triangle Sports has long since closed.
182 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.68213-73.97631799999999
Church of the Redeemer
A 150-year-old Gothic Revival Church at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Pacific Street, just one block from Barclays, announced its imminent demolition in the summer of 2012, but neighbors have been fighting to save or repurpose the building. The priest in charge of the site said the church needed at least $8 million to repair the building, and at least $20 million to make is useable. At the time of the announcement came, the dwindling congregation had already relocated to a different church, and the priest admitted that they had made no moves to try to raise money. The church planned to tear down the building, and rebuild a more profitable residential mixed-use building. But as of April 2013, no final decision had been made, and neighbors were still trying to save it.
561 Pacific Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.6838032-73.97884529999999
U.S. Post Office
In August, a tipster told Brownstoner that the post office at 542 Atlantic Avenue would be closed, demolished, and replaced with a 7-story hotel. The closure of another post office would not be surprising given that it’s happening in other parts of the city, and a hotel near the Barclays Center would make sense for a property owner looking to make more money. The owner also owns the warehouse next door at 540 Atlantic Avenue. The post office is widely loathed, but it’s still open, and there are no demolition or new building permits on the DOB website. In September, a rep for the post office told DNAinfo that they were “still in lease negotiations on this location.”
542 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.684583-73.97981199999998
123 Fort Greene Place
In the immediate blocks around the Barclays Center, most new developments have been retail, but one of the first new condo buildings is 123 Fort Greene Place. The development, a conversion of two adjacent townhouses into six condos, hit the market in February, and they were snapped up in a hurry. By June, only one remained, and by the end of August, all six were sold and closed. As the Atlantic Yards towers grow, we expect more condo projects to pop up nearby.
123 Fort Greene Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217
40.68581574674811-73.97606300000007
Atlantic Terrace
Plans for the eco-friendly co-op building Atlantic Terrace began around the same time that Bruce Ratner first announced his grand plans for Atlantic Yards way back in 2003. The building is located on the site of a former gas station, so a brownfield remediation took place before construction could,…

Supporting a Wide-Span Floor With Structural Steel | Waccabuc Real Estate

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When my client described how he wanted to convert his home’s existing two-car garage into a spacious new living room, I knew it would be a great project for my design/build firm. Measuring 34 feet deep by 28 feet wide, the garage space was a blank slate — little more than an unheated box with a concrete slab for a floor. The garage had a full-height attic that he was planning to convert into a master suite, and the first floor had plenty of space for a nice living room and his many collectibles. The only problem was that the wide-open floor plan he wanted wouldn’t be possible until we figured out a way to support the second floor’s main girder, which was propped up by a steel I-beam running down the center of the garage (see Figure 1).

To transform this garage (top) into living space with an open floor plan, the author replaced the existing steel I-beam and supporting column with a framework of custom-fabricated decorative steel (bottom).

When we started the design process — specifically, figuring out how to create a unique space and support the second floor without posts or columns — I immediately thought of local steel fabricator and sculptor John Rubino, whose decorative steel beams are on display in various residential and commercial structures in northern Vermont. Although these structural elements function much like ordinary structural red iron, the stylized beams look anything but ordinary.

With the client’s go-ahead, John and I worked out a plan: We would support the top half of the building without intermediate posts and simultaneously create a living space using exposed steel framing that would become an integral part of the overall design. While John spent about a month fabricating the steel in his Morrisville, Vt., shop (see “Fabricating a Custom steel Beam“), my crew and I readied the building for its new structural elements.

The steel design was relatively simple — two upside-down U-shaped frames connected to another beam running perpendicular to them at the center. Designed with a graceful sweeping curve, the connecting beam would replace the garage’s existing center I- beam and eliminate the need for supporting columns; it would also add a sculptural element to the space.

Getting to Work

Before delivery of the steel, we built a pair of 2×4 walls that would temporarily support the second floor while we removed the existing steel I-beam and posts. Even though we had to frame new openings for a 6-foot patio door and several windows, we purposely left the existing garage-door openings in place to make it easier to bring the steel inside.

About a month after finalizing the plan, John backed his delivery truck into the garage and we lifted the beams off with a chain hoist (Figure 2). John had welded on lifting points near the center span of each beam, to help keep the components nice and level as they went up. This was good thinking, because this steel was meant to be exposed and had been spray-painted and finished with a water-based clear finish called Safecoat Acrylacq (AFM, 619/239-0321, www.afmsafecoat.com). This coating is pretty tough, but we still had to handle the steel with care so as not to scratch it. The lifting points made the process a lot easier and safer.

 

 

http://www.jlconline.com/framing/supporting-a-wide-span-floor-with-structural-steel.aspx

Dreaming in Color: 8 Eye-Opening Yellow Bedrooms | Waccabuc Real Estate

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I tend to associate the color yellow with the sweet corn my hometown, just outside the reach of suburban Chicago, is famous for. It’s also the color of one of the first flowers of spring in that part of the country, daffodils, which my mother planted in beds around the house to herald the end of our long, cold winters. To me yellow represents the color of sunshine, sustenance and rejuvenation. It reminds me of happy, idyllic days and makes me feel optimistic for the future. If you have similar positive associations with yellow, try using it in your bedroom to help you get revved up each morning for the day ahead.
Below you’ll find several sunny yellow bedrooms as well as tips for working the happy hue into your sleeping space.

If you have tall ceilings in your bedroom and lots of natural light, you can go super bold and intense with yellow. This particular shade of yellow packs a wallop, so I’d recommend limiting it to an accent wall. A room that gets this much natural light can handle a bold yellow on an entire wall, but be aware that if your bedroom has low ceilings and little natural light streaming in, then a yellow as bright and bold as this one could leave you feeling anxious.
Get a similar look with Babouche from Farrow & Ball.
Those seeking a mellower yellow should look at softer sandy and golden hues, such as this green-tinged gold. There’s quite a bit of brown and white in it, so it reads as a neutral hue — a pumped-up beige, if you will. This is a good color choice if you plan to paint all or most of your walls yellow, as it offers a nice wash of color without going overboard.
Add oodles of warmth to your bedroom with a generous dose of wood tones and a yellow hue such as this one that veers more toward warmer orange than cooler green. This is an ideal palette for getting a cozy bedroom vibe in even the coldest of climates.
If you’re a fan of wall coverings, choose one that really makes a statement. An interesting print on a bold yellow background is a great choice for an accent wall. Wall coverings can also provide protection from dents and dings, and many are scrubbable and therefore easy to clean, making them a smart choice in a kids’ room.

Native Plants Inspire and Educate at NYC’s Botanical Garden | Waccabuc NY Real Estate

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If you’re planning a trip to New York City, make sure to see the Native Plant Garden, which opened earlier this year at the New York Botanical Garden. There’s something for everyone here.  Shade gardeners will find plenty to look at in the dappled layers beneath a canopy of river birch, dogwood and sugar maple. Farther along the path, beneath an open sky, plants that love sun sprawl in wispy cascades that catch the wind or offer up their blooms in rigid, colorful spikes. And there are places for sitting and listening. In the middle of one of the biggest cities in the world, the sound of bees and birds is very sweet.

Flared pots showcase native plants outside the entrance pavilion — you won’t find geraniums or begonias here. Instead, ornamental grasses welcome you to this state-of-the-art landscape with plants indigenous to eastern North America.
More than 100,000 plants cover this 3½-acre USDA zone 7a location, inspiring anyone looking for ways to develop a sustainable landscape or combine plants in new ways. On a recent visit, I found a new baptisia that I’d like to try — the short purple cultivar ‘Purple Smoke’ (Baptisia australis ‘Purple Smoke’), because I love anything with purple spikes.
Winding paths take you through a woodland and connect to other distinct areas. There’s a glade, wetland, wet meadow, dry meadow, native border and promenade walk that runs along an angular 230-foot-long water feature that cuts through the center of the landscape.
“The whole site is a tribute to the rich, diverse flora of the Northeast,” says principal designer Sheila Brady of Oehme, van Sweden. “We pivoted the design around the geology, all the beautiful rock outcroppings, the wet meadow and the mature forest nearby.”
One of the project goals was to integrate a sustainable water feature. “We capture all the surface runoff in a system that utilizes biofiltration and minimizes potable water usage,” Brady says. Storm water is filtered through plants like sweetflag (Acorus sp) and stored in cisterns belowground.
In the specially designed wetland, a pump recirculates rainwater, moving it through layers of gravel, sand and plant roots that filter and clean the water through this natural biofiltration system.
Slender blue flag iris (Iris prismatica ‘Exeter’), one of only three iris species native to New York, can be found along the boardwalk. If you’ve got wet soil, a pond or stream, you’ll be interested to know that this tough perennial naturally occurs in these types of areas and has a lovely spring bloom.
In the dappled light of the woodland, clumps of wild columbine (Aquelegia canadensis) mingle with prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), a delicate grass with wand-like seed heads.  Aquilegia canadensis ‘Little Lanterns’, called Canadian columbine, is mixed into the displays and is more intensely colored than the species.
Red Northern lady fern (Athyrium ‘Lady in Red’) forms a ground cover, along with eastern teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens) and Appalachian sedge (Carex appalachica).
Prairie dropseed cascades along the edges of walkways and adds a tactile element.
“What really intrigued me was how, even with a simplified plant palette, a very strong sense of place for each habitat area was communicated,” says garden photographer Karen Bussolini.
Grasses abound on rocky slopes, where they soften the hard contours of boulders.
For Bussolini, who also works as an ecofriendly garden coach in northwestern Connecticut, the plantings are inspirational. “The garden is full of really great plants, any one of which would be an asset in any garden, but here grown in community,” she says. “The patterns of intermingling plants were endlessly fascinating, and I left inspired to try quite a few of them.”

Foreclosure Starts Rise in 11 States | Waccabuc Real Estate

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Thought foreclosures were dead?  Not quite. Hallowe’en must be coming because foreclosure filings rose 2 percent in September and new foreclosures are rising from the grave in 11 states.

In the third quarter foreclosure filings were reported on 131,232 U.S. properties in September, a 2 percent increase from the previous month but a 27 percent decrease from a year ago.

September was the 36th consecutive month with an annual decrease in U.S. foreclosure activity, a downward trend that started in October 2010 when lenders and servicers were accused of improperly signing off on foreclosure documents with a practice dubbed robo-signing.

September numbers helped drop third quarter foreclosure activity to the lowest quarterly level since the second quarter of 2007. There were a total of 376,931 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings in the third quarter of 2013, down 7 percent from the previous quarter and down 29 percent from the third quarter of 2012 – the biggest annual decrease since the second quarter of 2011. One in every 348 housing units had a foreclosure filing during the quarter.

High-level findings from the report:

  • U.S. foreclosure starts in the third quarter were at a seven-year low. A total of 174,366 U.S. properties started the foreclosure process for the first time during the quarter, down 13 percent from the previous quarter and down 39 percent from a year ago to the lowest level since the second quarter of 2006.
  • Third quarter foreclosure starts decreased from a year ago in 38 states including Colorado (down 71 percent), Arizona (down 63 percent), California (down 59 percent), Illinois (down 56 percent), and Florida (down 52 percent).
  • Third quarter foreclosure starts increased from a year ago in 11 states, including Maryland (up 259 percent), Oregon (up 252 percent), New Jersey (up 53 percent), Connecticut(up 52 percent), Nevada (up 36 percent), and New York (up 25 percent).
  • Third quarter bank repossessions (REO) decreased 24 percent from a year ago but were up 7 percent from the previous quarter. A total of 119,485 U.S. properties were repossessed by lenders in the third quarter, putting the nation on pace for close to half a million total bank repossessions for the year.
  • The quarterly increase in REOs nationwide was driven by quarterly increases in 26 states, including New York (up 65 percent), New Jersey (up 64 percent), Illinois (up 44 percent), Virginia (up 36 percent), Connecticut (up 34 percent), Indiana (up 30 percent), Nevada (up 29 percent), and California (up 19 percent).

 

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/10/6719/

Kitchen of the Week: Paring Down and Styling Up in a Pennsylvania Tudor | Waccabuc Real Estate

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ill Unruh’s 80-year-old Tudor was designed by renowned Philadelphia architects Wallace and Warner, but you wouldn’t have known it from the kitchen. Dark granite and other 1980s touches belied the home’s style heritage, which Unruh was eager to restore.
With help from contractor Kyle Lissack, Unruh stripped the kitchen of all of its finishes and started from scratch. The new space focuses on streamlined simplicity, with the contents limited to what the family uses on a daily basis. “The more space for junk you have, the more likely it is that you’ll keep it,” Unruh says.
Kitchen at a Glance Who lives here: Jill Unruh, her husband and their 2 young sons Location: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Contractor: Kyle Lissack, Pinemar Size: 308 square feet

transitional kitchen by Pinemar, Inc

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Simple subway tile covers the entire back wall from floor to ceiling. Even the range hood is wrapped in drywall and tiled over. “I didn’t want the eye to see all this stainless steel,” Unruh says.
The tile makes for easy cleaning, particularly around the cooking area.
Backsplash: Daltile; range: Wolf; countertops: statuary marble; cabinetry: custom by Pinemar
transitional kitchen by Pinemar, Inc

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Despite the kitchen’s spaciousness, Unruh and Lissack limited themselves to minimal counters and cabinets. This simple approach to storage prompted Unruh to get rid of all unnecessary items.
The open shelves are painted a custom navy blue to add dimension to the neutral room.
transitional kitchen by Pinemar, Inc

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Unruh keeps her most-used items on display for easy access; everything else is tucked away in cupboards and the mudroom pantry. Pullout shelves next to the refrigerator store after-school snacks; the sliding function makes it easy for the kids to find what they need without getting in the way of dinner prep.
Sink: Cotswold, Just Sinks; wood countertops: edge grain maple, Grothouse Lumber; flooring: flat-sawn white oak; faucet: Waterstone; refrigerator: Sub-Zero
transitional kitchen by Pinemar, Inc

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The kitchen cabinetry used to loop all the way around the kitchen, leaving just a small spot for a 30-inch oven. Eliminating the cabinetry in this corner created room for a little workspace with appliance garages and an area for a Wolf range.
transitional kitchen by Pinemar, Inc

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This nook on the back wall once opened to a servant’s staircase to the second floor. But the steps were so steep and narrow that Unruh knew her family wouldn’t use them. So she and Lissack closed off the top of the staircase and replaced the door at the bottom with a custom bar. The cupboard beneath opens to reveal the steep original stairs, which the family uses for bar storage.
Wine cooler: Liebherr

Create “the Ultimate Hampton Experience” in Sagaponack | Waccabuc Real Estate

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Our admiration for the real estate prose of Corcoran’s Gary DePersia continues. His brokerbabble isn’t trying to sell you on a house–it’s trying to sell you on a lifestyle. This is a new listing for a Sagaponack farmhouse we love as is; Mr. DePersia describes it as “amiable.” But if you’re “seeking something more formidable” than an amiable house, look no further! You could create “the ultimate Hampton experience” to “the very Atlantic beyond,” to wit:

Nearly three acres, awash in Sagaponack sea breezes and only several hundred yards to the beach, presents an unparalleled opportunity in the hamlet that has become the nexus of the Hampton lifestyle. An amiable 4 bedroom farm house of recent vintage anchors this expansive property that additionally offers a two story barn with upstairs finished loft and full bath, heated pool and acres of grassy expanse secluded behind tall perimeter trees. However, those seeking something more formidable might be intrigued to learn that this singular offering could accommodate a new 9000+ SF residence, pool, pool house and full size north/south tennis court that would have views to the east of a nearby horse farm and south across an 11 acre reserve past a handful of ocean side houses to the very Atlantic beyond. Held in the same ownership for nearly 400 years, this never before available 2 3/4 acre property presents a limited window to create the ultimate Hampton experience.

 

 

Two Vintage Carl Fishers Plus Bonus Cottage Now $1M Cheaper | Waccabuc Real Estate

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When we first posted about this compound in Montauk, in between the usual bickering about hipsters and cityfolk, one commenter wrote “If they get anywhere near asking I will be amazed. This place is a total gut renovation.” So far, you’re correct, Guest 14, as the price is now a cool million dollars lower at $3.45M. Any guesses now about the final selling price? (Note: we still love the green bathroom.)

The property has plenty to offer: three acres of land with three buildings on them. We love Carl Fisher Tudors—and this property offers two of them, though they need work. One house has a five bedroom, five bath main part, with the staff quarters as a three bedroom, one bath separate apartment. The second Tudor is in rougher shape and is broken up into two apartments. There’s also a cottage that looks extremely dilapidated. So that’s three buildings with five legal C of Os. · Investment Opportunity-Compound; Carl Fisher Tudors [Corcoran]

Jersey Leads in Mortgage Fraud Factors | Waccabuc Real Estate

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New Jersey was the only state to make it on all three top 10 lists for mortgage fraud and misrepresentation reported to MIDEX, potential collusion and property defaults, according to the LexisNexis® Risk Solutions 15th Annual Mortgage Fraud Report.

Five states appear on both the Investigation and Origination Mortgage Fraud Indices (MFIs) and the newly-established list of Property Default Rankings: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada and Ohio.1

Ohio, which ranked first on the Origination MFI list, with a ranking of 224, had more than two times the expected rate of fraud or misrepresentation based on origination volume.

“This year’s study suggests that the more shared problematic economic indicators a state has, the greater its financial challenges will be in the coming years,” said Tom Brown, Senior Vice President, Financial Services, LexisNexis. “With Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) mortgage regulations going into effect in January 2014, and demanding new rules for quality loans, it will be interesting to see what impact this has on overall mortgage defaults.”

Five states – Arizona, California, Florida, New Jersey and New York – occupy space on both the Investigation and Origination MFIs.

Eight states – Alabama, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, New York and Vermont – rank highly on both Collusion Indicator Indices (CIIs) as areas with high percentages of potential non-arm’s length transaction activity.

Analysis of all loans investigated in 2012 and submitted to MIDEX shows a five-year high of 69 percent of all reports received having some type of application misrepresentation or fraud. Similarly, when focusing on just those loans originated in 2012, 61 percent report application misrepresentation and/or fraud. This is up from 49 percent of loans originated in 2011 and 43 percent in 2010.

For the first time in the study, a nationwide aggregation of available LexisNexis property data was used to determine states most likely suffering from the largest percentage of properties in default. Florida and Nevada experienced the most dramatic decreases in properties in default even though they were ranked first and fourth, respectively, on the list for 2012.

 

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/09/