Tag Archives: Westchester Homes for Sale

Westchester Homes for Sale

Solar energy finally gets a push in NY | Bedford NY Real Estate

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An array of shimmering panels covering 3 acres in New York’s Finger Lakes is a sign of the state’s latest push to catch up to its neighbors in the Northeast that have set the pace in recent years for promoting solar energy.

The project in Romulus, N.Y., that will produce much of the electricity for the Seneca County sheriff’s department, was funded in part with a grant of almost $1 million from the state’s NY-Sun program. The initiative by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration will provide tens of millions of dollars a year for public and private projects producing at least a megawatt of solar power, the equivalent of about 200 typical residential installations.

An initial round of competition in 2012 allocated $30 million to 16 developers in New York City and the Hudson Valley who planned to put a total of 34 megawatts online by the end of this year.

One aim of NY-Sun is to help meet goals for increasing the share of the state’s energy needs covered by renewable sources, now dominated by hydropower. Another is to close the gap with other states that moved more aggressively and quickly to encourage development of solar.

Massachusetts, for example, saw 129 megawatts of solar installed in 2012 compared to 60 in New York, according to an industry group. At the same time, 415 megawatts were installed in New Jersey, where regulatory policy created a system that has utilities effectively subsidizing solar owners to meet renewable energy standards.

“It quickly comes down to policies,” said Michael Johnson, a California-based expert on funding such projects, who returned to his home county this month to help flip the switch on the Romulus system. “Every state does it their own way.”

Developers say Massachusetts and Vermont outpaced New York, in part, because of more generous incentives for a wider range of projects.

 

 

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20131223/REAL_ESTATE/131229976

Rising mortgage rates, closing costs joining higher home prices | Bedford Corners NY Homes

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Home prices are higher in metro Atlanta, and so are mortgage rates and closing costs.

All three are signs that the local housing market continues to roar  back from the meltdown just a few years ago as the economy continues to  strengthen with more homeowners and prospective homeowners finding jobs  and a paycheck.

The strengthening economy was a primary reason that Federal Reserve  policymakers signaled recently that they will do a little less in trying  to stimulate economic activity by influencing interest rates.

In interviews with Biz Beat, analysts at Zillow, the online housing  listing service, and Bankrate, which tracks loan rates in Georgia and  nationally, say consumers can expect to see mortgage rates trending  higher in the new year even if they are still at historically low  levels.

Erin Lantz, director of mortgages at Zillow, said weeks of  anticipating that the Fed would “dial back” its influence on interest  rates and the actual announcement that changes in its economic stimulus  program would begin in January have already begun to push rates higher.

“The stimulus program was meant to keep interest rates lower,” Lantz said. “The economy is getting back on its own footing and doesn’t need to rely on federal stimulus as much.”

In a weekly report, Bankrate said the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage in metro  Atlanta rose to 4.54 percent most recently, from 4.47 percent in the previous report and  3.76 percent at the start of 2013. The average 15-year fixed rate  rose to 3.59 percent from 3.48 percent.

Greg McBride, Bankrate’s senior financial analyst, said closing  costs, which lenders charge to process a loan, are up 6 percent from  last year in metro Atlanta. By comparison, inflation is up less than 2  percent.

McBride said lenders, who are paying out billions of dollars to  settle claims they botched loans and wrongly foreclosed on thousands of borrowers, are  facing higher costs in complying with new regulations designed to  prevent the problems that led to the housing crises. The due diligence now includes verifying  applicants’ employment, income and debt obligations multiple times before closing on a loan.

Those higher loan processing costs are being passed on to borrowers.

“Secondly, there is no wiggle room in terms of fees quoted by a  lender on the good-faith estimate of costs,” McBride said. Lenders are  required by law to provide borrowers with a written best estimate of  what a loan will cost, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise if they go with the higher end of a range. “Once they put that number on the form they are  locked in. It can’t be a penny more,” McBride said

 

http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/biz-beat/2013/dec/23/mortgage-rates-closing-costs-joining-higher-home-p/

South Florida home prices rise, but sales soften | Armonk NY Homes

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South Florida home prices rose in November, though sales slowed as buyers regained more control over the recovering market.

Broward County’s median price for existing single-family homes last month was $270,000,  up 29 percent from a year ago, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Realtors said Thursday. Despite the large annual increase, the median has remained unchanged for three consecutive months.

Palm Beach County’s median of $252,000 was 16 percent higher than a year ago, according to the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches. But it too has softened, hovering close to $250,000 since July.

Meanwhile, the once-blistering sales pace also has cooled. Broward had 1,076 homes trade hands last month, off 11 percent from a year ago. Palm Beach County had 1,110 sales in November, up just 1 percent from November 2012.

Investors have fueled demand since the market hit bottom early last year, but many have pulled back as prices have increased, real estate agents and analysts say. In both counties, cash sales declined in November from a year earlier.

Industry observers say the market was destined to lose some of its steam. They expect prices to continue rising next year, but at a much slower rate.

Terry Story, an agent in Broward and Palm Beach counties, said buyers are taking more time to consider their options and not rushing to bid on overpriced properties.

“The buyers are saying, ‘Nah, nah, nah,’” Story said. “They’re waiting for sellers to reduce their prices and they’re waiting for more properties to come on the market.”

 

 

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-12-19/business/sfl-south-florida-home-prices-link-20131219_1_south-florida-home-prices-large-annual-increase-terry-story

 

Where Is Content Marketing Headed in 2014? [INFOGRAPHIC | Waccabuc NY Realtor

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As the year 2013 comes to an end, marketing experts and internet professionals are taking a look forward to what the marketing terrain will be like in the year 2014, especially in the area of content marketing.

2013 has experienced a lot of innovative changes as far as marketing is concerned. There were a whole lot of new tools and conventions to deal with. But in all of these content marketing stood out! Today, content marketing is not just a buzz word but something that every business now takes as a MUST.

For example, in a recent survey conducted by MarketingProfs and the Content Marketing Institute, it was revealed that 93% B2B organizations now use content-based tactics for their marketing campaigns while 73% indicated they now produce more content than the previous year!

These are not mean figures. They are definitely an indication of what to expect in content marketing trends for 2014. The following infographic from Uberflip gives a concise view of what the trends will be like in content marketing in 2014.

So, whether you are a B2B or B2C business and you are among those who intent drive out-standing results for your content marketing spend in  2014 then you need to study this infographic very carefully because you will definitely get something from it!

Content Marketing Trends For 2014

So, how are you preparing to make good use of what the experts say about the content marketing in 2014?

 

 

 

http://socialmediatoday.com/okesteady/2002261/where-content-marketing-headed-2014-infographic?utm_source=smt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter&inf_contact_key=4e31d2e7346a5924bb28ec66a4887c9d1df030b8e5d58a3e790461ece08da544

 

 

 

 

City Going to Demolish Landmarked Bronx School | North Salem NY Real Estate

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front_DSCN0075.jpg [Photo via Lehman College]

On November 8, the city ordered an emergency demolition order for P.S. 31 in the Bronx, citing the extensive water damage that the building has incurred since it was vacated in 1997, the vertical crack that extends the full height of the building and into the basement, the 15-year-old timber that is shoring up the south part of the structure, and the fact that pieces of the facade habitually fall into the street. “It is truly a public hazard,” said assistant commissioner of the Buildings Department Tim Lynch.

But, before they can tear down the landmarked building, city officials had to present their case to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the catch being that that’s all they had to do, as the LPC’s role in this matter is only advisory. So, even though the Commission ended up telling the Department of Housing Preservation & Development that they would really rather the city not demolish an individual landmark that they have neglected and left to rot for the better part of two decades, that is exactly what’s going to end up happening.

“It has been a disgraceful stewardship by the Department of Education,” said commissioner Elizabeth Ryan. Commissioners also grilled Lynch and co. about why a proposed redevelopment plan from Bronx company SoBRO had not been allowed to proceed. SoBRO’s Phillip Morrow testified to the commission that he had gotten independent reports from three different engineers, all of whom had disagreed with the city’s findings and said that the building could be salvaged. Lynch demurred, saying that the redevelopment would take too long, while the building remained a significant public safety hazard.

Members of the Mott Haven community were also hurt and angered by the loss of one of their iconic buildings. One resident said that, along with Yankee Stadium, the “Castle on the Concourse,” as it is known, is the Bronx skyline. “The destruction of this building would really not be allowed anywhere else in the city,” said another resident. · Department of Buildings Told by Landmarks Preservation Commission Efforts Must be MAde to Save PS 31 [Welcome2theBronx] · P.S. 31 will face the wrecking ball [NYDN] · P.S. 31 coverage [Curbed]

Bedford Corners, Armonk, Lead in Highest Ave. Price per Foot | #RobReportBlog

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Bedford   Corners, Armonk, Lead in Highest Ave. Price per Foot | #RobReportBlogPrice per foot
Katonah$438.00
Pound   Ridge$350.00
South   Salem$338.00
Mt Kisco$322.00
Chappaqua$369.00
North   Salem$405.00
Armonk$456.00
Bedford$409.00
Bedford   Hills$419.00
Bedford   Corners$467.00

 

Existing Home Sales Fall For 3rd Straight Month In November | Bedford Hills NY Homes

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Sales of previously owned homes fell for the third straight month in November, as prices continued to rise year-over-year, the National Association of Realtors reported Thursday.

The annual pace of existing home sales (which include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops) fell 4.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.90 million in November, down from 5.12 million in October. For the first time in 29 months, the pace is slower (by 1.2%) than the rate one year earlier.

“Home sales are hurt by higher mortgage interest rates, constrained inventory and continuing tight credit,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. “There is a pent-up demand for both rental and owner-occupied housing as household formation will inevitably burst out, but the bottleneck is in limited housing supply, due to the slow recovery in new home construction. As such, rents are rising at the fastest pace in five years, while annual home prices are rising at the highest rate in eight years.”

Case in point: the national median sale price for previously-owned homes was $196,300 in November, up 9.4% year-over-year. However, that figure is lower than October’s median sales price, and ends an 11-month run of double-digit increases in sales prices year-over-year.

Distressed homes continued to account for 14% of sales (9% foreclosures and 5% short sales), as they did in both October and September. One year ago, in November 2012, distressed sales accounted for 22% of the total existing home sales. The decreased number of these properties on the market is contributing to the rise in median sale price.

 

 

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erincarlyle/2013/12/19/existing-home-sales-fall-for-3rd-straight-month-in-november/

Rising home prices speed Bay Area market recovery | Bedford Corners Homes

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The recovery of the Bay Area housing market reached a turning point this year as rising prices restored equity to tens of thousands of homes and low interest rates attracted flocks of buyers.

The rebound in 2013 “was very convincing,” said Andrew LePage of DataQuick, which released a report Tuesday on Bay Area home sales and prices for November. “There were virtually no markets left behind.”

The report is the last look at the Bay Area’s housing market to be released in 2013.

Historically low interest rates helped fuel the market until midyear. Thousands of homeowners were finally able to refinance their mortgages, take out a home equity loan or sell and move up to a bigger house.

This Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012, photo, shows an exterior view of house with a pending home sale sign in Palo Alto, Calif.

Sales slowed and price increases flattened midyear when interest rates rose above 4 percent, where they remain today. A slight uptick in the number of homes for sale also made for a less frenzied market.

But as the number of less expensive homes for sale dwindled, many buyers were priced out of the market for single-family homes and turned to condos and townhouses instead.

Jerry Molnar and his wife Cecilia Villar moved from Chicago to the Bay Area 18 months ago and began shopping for a home, just as prices began escalating. As prices soared, they realized a single-family home where they wanted to live had gone beyond their reach, so they bought a townhome for $590,000 in a new development in Dublin.

 

 

 

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24741822/bay-area-home-sales-dip-november

Mortgage Loan Rates Continue to March Higher | Armonk NY Homes

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The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its weekly report on mortgage applications Wednesday morning, noting a decrease of 5.5% in the group’s seasonally adjusted composite index following a rise of 1% for the previous week. Mortgage loan rates increased again last week on three of four loan types.

The seasonally adjusted purchase index decreased by 6% from the prior week’s report to its lowest level in a year. On an unadjusted basis, the composite index decreased by 6% week-over-week. The unadjusted purchase index decreased by 9% for the week, and is 12% lower year-over-year.

Mortgage rates continue to creep up and home sales continue to slip. An MBA executive noted:

Mortgage applications fell further last week, with the market index falling to its lowest level in more than a dozen years. Both purchase and refinance applications fell as interest rates increased going into today’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting.

The MBA’s refinance index decreased by 24%, after dropping by 2% in the previous week. The share of refinancings rose by a point, totaling 66% of all applications. Adjustable rate mortgage loans account for 8% of all applications, unchanged from the prior week.