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Latest News from Teatown | Chappaqua Real Estate
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Tag Archives: Westchester NY Homes for Sale
On August 1, an adorable black and white rabbit was left abandoned in a cage by the basement door of Teatown. Sadly, after examination, it was determined that the bunny suffered a traumatic leg break sometime in the past that did not receive any care and healed improperly. This sobering case reminds all of us to think carefully about the responsibility of caring for a pet.
engers are an important part of nature’s clean-up crew. Come meet a couple of Teatown’s animal scavengers.
Enjoy a guided tour of Wildflower Island, Teatown’s unique two-acre sanctuary that is home to over 230 species of wildflowers and shrubs native to our area.
Another year of Teatown camp has drawn to a close. It’s been a wonderful summer and our campers learned a great deal about the world around them. From setting camera traps to making art from weeds and thorns to exploring new trails and getting an up-close view at native animals, it’s been an adventure and dis
covery-filled summer.
How Do Digital Marketers Engage On Twitter? | South Salem Real Estate
Social media has made it possible for us all to be digital marketers.
The reality is that if you are on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ you “are” a digital marketer whether you like it or not. You are publishing and promoting a brand. It might be brand “you” or it maybe be a business or organisation you represent.
If you publish you are a digital marketer.
Publishing is now marketing and the mind share that content marketing has garnered reveals the power of social content and crowd sourced sharing.
Marketing also involves two key activities.
Publishing and promotion
Social media provides the means, the technology and the platforms to do both.
Don’t underestimate Twitter’s brevity
Twitter’s role in the digital marketing pantheon was often seen as about breaking news. Used correctly it can accelerate your brand message and content to a global waiting audience that will pass it on. Don’t underestimate Twitter’s marketing horsepower because of its 140 character brevity.
It can be a focused marketing platform that drives brand awareness and content discovery. It is a low friction network that moves multi-media content in real time….fast.
Some questions
So if you see yourself as a digital marketer then you may be asking some questions. This will provide you with some ideas on the sources you may need to be reading to keep up to date. It will also enable some insights into the sources, apps and people that you may need to follow or check out.
- Which social networks are they on?
- What apps and platforms do they use to share on Twitter?
- What mobile apps do they use for sharing ?
- What types of content do they share?
- What are the mainstream media sources?
- What industry sources are they sharing?
- What are the social media media sources are they reading, viewing and sharing?
- Who are the people most retweeted by digital marketers?
- Who are the people that are most mentioned?
- What are the brands most retweeted?
A recent report on Leadtail looked at 143,856 tweets and 69,657 shared links to provide a snapshot of how digital marketers engage on Twitter. It also provided answers to those 10 questions.
How do digital marketers engage on Twitter?
Here are some insights into Twitter engagement as performed by digital marketers. It reveals resources, tools and people that you may not have heard of that you may want to add to your reading, viewing and watch list.
Read more at…
http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/08/13/how-do-digital-marketers-engage-on-twitter/#lDMbWKAz2bVfL841.99
Katonah-Lewisboro Math/ELA Scores Above State Average | Katonah Real Estate
The percentage of students considered proficient in math and English language arts for grades three to eight was significantly lower in 2013 throughout New York state, including the Katonah-Lewisboro School District, which came in well above state average.
“The District is analyzing the results, and initial review suggests that we performed in a manner consistent with our comparable schools,” district officials said in an emailed statement. “We can assure the community that our students are being educated based on the new standards.”
According to the state’s assessment tests, given to students in third- to eighth-grade, 41 percent of Westchester students were at grade level in ELA and 40 percent of county students were at grade level in math. The state results were released last week with most schools’ averages coming in below previous years on the exams.
The state results for Katonah-Lewisboro and Westchester schools showed the following percentages:
readr more…
http://bedford.dailyvoice.com/schools/katonah-lewisboro-mathela-scores-above-state-average
Optimize your real estate brand with Instagram video | Bedford Corners Real Estate
As a real estate agent, what could you do with 15 seconds? With the latest update, Instagram 4.1 is opening some creative doors for its users by allowing video uploads directly from your library. Here are some great examples:
Coldwell Banker I love this from Coldwell Banker. A combination of a live video introduction and still shots from a home featured in Payson, Ariz., make this 15 seconds enjoyable and definitely recognizable as the CB brand.
Anne Jones I admire what Anne is able to capture with Instagram and now that video keeps getting better, I can’t wait to see more from the Tacoma area!
– See more at: http://www.inman.com/next/optimize-your-real-estate-brand-with-instagram-video/#sthash.wiMd5fxN.dpuf
Mount Kisco Diner Begins Expansion | Mount Kisco Real Estate
The Mount Kisco Coach Diner, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s favorite hangout, has begun construction on its expansion.
The diner is adding 1,250 square feet and 13 new parking spaces, along with providing a terrace for outdoor seating.
The project was approved by the planning board earlier this year after the Mount Kisco Village Board approved a zoning change in 2010.
Recently, the Paul Power’s structure, which exists south of the diner, was demolished, which was the first phase of construction.
Harry Georgiou, whose family owns the diner, said it will be much larger and more convenient for customers.
“We wanted to provide more space for clients and a nicer atmosphere,” Georgiou said. “We wanted to modernize the restaurant. It was time to expand.”
Plans for expansion have been in the works for five years. During that time, despite the recession, the diner’s business has remained steady, giving Georgiou confidence expansion was the right idea.
Georgiou’s father, Frank, a Somers resident, purchased the diner 18 years ago. Harry Georgiou, who lives in Queens, said it is in the family’s blood to provide service, hospitality, and good food.
read more…
http://chappaqua.dailyvoice.com/business/mount-kisco-diner-begins-expansion
Soaring real estate portal valuations are all about growth | Armonk Real Estate
Zillow and Trulia are on a growth tear, their “market caps” — the value of outstanding common stock — soaring into the stratosphere in 2013. But like their older sibling, Move Inc., the companies have lost money, overall, since launching.
The three big listing portals all employ a similar business model — selling leads, advertising and tech services to real estate agents. And if Move has racked up a $2 billion net accumulated loss in its 20-year life, why do analysts think the younger startups will not only survive, but thrive?
| Move (founded 1993) | Zillow (founded 2005) | Trulia (founded 2005) | |
| Net accumulated loss through 2012 | $2.0 billion | $71.7 million | $47.1 million |
Sources: Move, Zillow and Trulia 2012 annual reports.
The answer is projected growth, a focus on consumers, and faith in a new breed of management, analysts who follow the three companies say.
Looking back at the most recent four quarters, Move is still the leader in revenue. But Trulia’s market cap is nearly three times Move’s, and investors think Zillow is worth about six times as much as Move. In 2012, Zillow booked about $6 million in profits on $117 million in revenue, while Trulia lost $11 million on $68 million in revenue. According to its most recent annual report to investors, Move made $4.7 million on $199 million in revenue.
Revenue, market caps and projected revenue growth
| Company | Revenue, four quarters through second-quarter 2013 | Market cap, Aug. 9, 2013 | Projected 2013 revenue growth, percent |
| Zillow | $152.1 million | $3.24 billion | 60.0% |
| Trulia | $92.8 million | $1.41 billion | 73.3%* |
| Move | $213.9 million | $553.2 million | 14.2% |
Source: Google Finance and firms’ earnings call transcripts. *Estimate generated by projecting 60 percent Q4 year-over-year revenue growth, in line with recent quarters, and using the midpoint of Trulia’s projected Q3 revenue: $31 million.
Their revenue might be less, but Zillow and Trulia’s blazing growth, both in terms of revenue and Web market share, trumps that of Move and realtor.com, which is operated by Move under a special agreement with the National Association of Realtors, through the second quarter.
“Investors are always going to pay more for growth,” said Bradley Safalow, founder and CEO of stock analysis firm PAA Research LLC, who covers all three companies.
Aaron Kessler, a stock analyst who covers Zillow for Raymond James Financial Inc., agreed: Zillow’s faster growth accounts for its much higher relative valuation.
The price of a share of Zillow stock has shot up 233 percent this year, and Trulia’s share price is up 158 percent. Move, too, is up 77 percent, as the housing rebound has stoked investors’ interest in many companies whose fortunes are tied to the real estate sector
– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/08/13/soaring-real-estate-portal-valuations-are-all-about-growth/#sthash.wIFi0T96.dpuf
National Guard Holds Disaster Response Training in Westchester | Chappaqua Real Estate
Soldiers and airmen from the New York National Guard responded to a “train derailment and chemical spill” on Friday in Valhalla.
There were no reports of injuries, fatalities, or even property damage, however, as it was all part of a training evaluation Friday afternoon at the Westchester County Fire Training Center.
“This is to be prepared for chemical, biological, radiological — those worst case scenarios,” said Army Col. Richard Goldenberg. “This is a specially trained and designed team that is meant to bridge the gap between local responders and all the assets of a federal government that can take a number of hours to get to a site.”
According to Goldenberg, the unit is called the Homeland Response Force which works in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The soldiers support FEMA region II of New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The training exercise they must execute involves three elements: Search and Extraction, Decontamination and Triage.
“This allows us to look at everything holistically,” said Goldenberg. “We get to see everything start to finish, soup to nuts. Can we pull it off? Can we get it set up together? Can we have the medical team linked to the decontamination team? Does the communication work for everybody? That’s the real benefit of a collective training exercise.”
http://chappaqua.dailyvoice.com/news/national-guard-holds-disaster-response-training-westchester
9 tools to help you measure mobile analytics | North Salem Realtor
Measuring your startup’s Web analytics seems complicated enough. But with the rise of mobile-only users and visitors, there’s an added layer of complexity for startups to consider.
To figure out which tools are robust enough to handle both, I asked a panel of 9 successful entrepreneurs the following question:
Are you actively measuring mobile analytics? What tools or resources are helping your company analyze mobile vs. overall analytics?
Their answers are below:
1. Segment.io
We use Segment.io so that we can track analytics in a number of tools: Google Analytics, Mixpanel and KISSmetrics. We only have to implement the tracking of events on time from a development perspective this way. We tend to use Mixpanel to segment out the difference in usage between native mobile and Web browser usage across our user base.
– Danny Boice, Speek
2. TestFlight
We use TestFlight’s analytics package to monitor a variety of core mobile behaviors. This varies drastically from what we do on the website.
3. Google Analytics
With recent improvements to Google Analytics’ filters and segments, we no longer have any reason to use any other analytics program to track where visitors are coming from and what devices they’re using. For instance, you can filter mobile devices or go one step further and see who is using a tablet because Google Analytics now takes screen size into consideration.
Additionally, manufacturer model and marketing names have become available, so you’ll know exactly who is using an iPhone and who prefers Android. Using both filters and segments allows you to compare mobile to overall visitors.
4. Localytics
There is no substitute for Localytics when trying to turn your mobile data into information that will drive your business.
5. Geckoboard
For a while now, we’ve been using Geckoboard for monitoring a wide variety of analytics. One of our favorites is to monitor sign-up conversion rates from mobile. Although desktop users still sign up three to four times more than those browsing with mobile devices (especially true with smartphones), this trend is changing fast.
By tweaking our mobile experience and monitoring in real time how that affects our conversion rates, we are now able to understand much better which works and which does not.
– Juha Liikala, Stripped Bare Media
read more…
More Consumers Expect Rates to Rise | Mt Kisco Real Estate
The share of consumers who believe interest rates will go up over the next year increased another 5 percentage points to 62 percent, the highest level in the three-year history of Fannie Mae’s July 2013 National Housing Survey. Consumers also expect home prices to climb 3.9 percent on average over the next 12 months, holding steady from the May and June survey results. At the same time, the share of respondents who say it is a good time to buy a house increased to 74 percent, while the share who say it’s a good time to sell a house increased to 40 percent, matching the survey high. “Consumers have taken the interest rate rise in stride. Expectations for continued improvement in housing persist, and sentiment toward the current buying and selling environment is back on track from its dip last month,” said Doug Duncan, senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae. “These results are consistent with our own analysis of previous housing cycles, which finds that interest rates and home prices are not strongly correlated.” Homeownership and Renting
At 3.9 percent, the average 12-month home price change expectation increased slightly to match May 2013’s survey high. The share of people who say home prices will go up in the next 12 months fell 4 percentage points from June’s survey high to 53 percent, while those who say home prices will go down reached a survey low of 6 percent. The share of respondents who say mortgage rates will go up in the next 12 months jumped 5 percentage points to 62 percent, the highest level since the survey’s inception. The share who say it is a good time to buy a house increased slightly to 74 percent, and those who say it is a good time to sell a house increased 4 percentage points to 40 percent. The average 12-month rental price expectation fell to 4.2 percent, a 0.4 percent decrease from last month.
Fifty-four percent of those surveyed say home rental prices will go up in the next 12 months, a 2 percentage point decrease from June’s survey high. Forty-five percent of respondents think it would be easy for them to get a home mortgage today, a 2 percentage point decrease from last month. The share of respondents who said they would buy if they were going to move decreased slightly to 64 percent.
read more…
http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/08/more-consumers-expect-rates-to-rise/
Las Vegas home prices continue steady rise, surprising experts | North Salem Homes
Despite an expected slowdown, Las Vegas housing prices keep going up.
The median price of a previously owned single-family home sold in Southern Nevada last month was $180,000, up 35 percent from $133,000 a year earlier, according to a new report from the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors.
Sales prices have now climbed 17 of the past 18 months after bottoming out in January 2012, at $118,000. According to research firm CoreLogic, Nevada home prices are the fastest-rising in the country.
“We keep expecting these price increases to slow down at some point, but it hasn’t happened yet,” GLVAR President Dave Tina said.
He’s not the only one to predict that Las Vegas’ housing market will cool off. Home values are expected to grow 9 percent by June 2014 after soaring 29 percent over the past year, the second-fastest rate among major metro areas, according to Zillow.
The surge has been fueled in large part by cash investors who buy cheap houses in bulk to turn into rentals, crimping the inventory of homes for sale. Availability also has been limited by homeowners who refuse to sell or can’t sell because they’re underwater or stuck in foreclosure processing delays.
Analysts say the valley is not mired in another housing bubble, as prices and values simply are rising from historic lows. Some experts, however, say the valley could be on the cusp of another false housing boom.
Yale University economist Robert Shiller, co-founder of the closely watched S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, said in late June that Las Vegas is one of several cities at risk of a bubble
read more…
http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2013/aug/08/nevada-home-prices-continue-steady-rise-surprising/