Cindrich Set For Another Term As Mayor Tops News This Week | The Mt. Kisco Daily Voice.
Cindrich Set For Another Term As Mayor Tops News This Week | The Mt. Kisco NY Realtor
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Burdick Wins Bedford Town Supervisor Race Tops Bedford News This Week | The Bedford Realtor
Private island costs less than the average NYC apartment | Cross River Real Estate
Only in New York is a private island cheaper than an average apartment.
Savvy city dwellers looking for a new home might want to consider buying their own private island less than two hours north in Putnam County.
While the average New York apartment costs more than $1.4 million, Willow Island on Putnam Lake in Patterson costs $995,000 — and comes with a three-story, four-bedroom home.
In contrast, the average price of a two-bedroom Manhattan apartment is $1.35 million — and $2.63 million for a three-bedroom.
The one-acre property also comes with its own special New York City provenance. The house was built by one of the engineers who created the Holland Tunnel.
The island is an hour-and-a-half commute from New York City, says listing broker Uri Hanoch, of Douglas Elliman.
But the deal does come with a hitch. The new buyer will have to row home each night from Patterson, where the property comes with a two-car garage.
The sellers are retired ad exec Larry Plapler, 79, and his wife Amelia, 70, who first put the island on the market in 2010 for $1.5 million.
Plapler — who has made the weekly drive with his wife, Amelia, and family for the past 38 years — once told The Post that the getaway makes him feel a world away from his Upper East Side home.
The 1¹/₂-bath home is 5,600-square feet and comes with 48 open-view windows. The home includes a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace and an artesian well. There’s a guest cottage and a private garage for your boat, according to the listing.
“Access,” according to the listing, “is a quick five minutes by a rowing boat or 5 mph electric motorboats. Canoes, kayaks, rowboats and sailboats are also welcome.”
Gas-powered boats are forbidden on Putnam Lake, on the Connecticut border.
http://nypost.com/2013/11/06/private-island-costs-less-than-the-average-nyc-apartment/
Consumer confidence in homebuying hits all-time low | South Salem Real Estate
Consumer confidence in housing significantly widened last month, as most taxpayers were turned off by the federal government shutdown and the ongoing debt ceiling debate, taking a toll on American’s outlook toward the housing market.
The share of consumers who believe it’s a good time buy a house declined to 65% — an all-time low — while the number of those who believe mortgage rates will go up in the next year fell to 57%, according to Fannie Mae’s latest monthly survey.
It’s important to note that the survey was conducted primarily in the first two weeks of October – before the government shutdown ended and the debt ceiling agreement was reached.
Generally speaking, buying a home is a bet on the future and the federal freeze created a lot of uncertainty about the near-term economic state, explained Trulia (TRLA) chief economist Jed Kolko.
“Also, affordability has worsened: both rising mortgage rates and rising home prices have pushed more homes out of reach of the middle class, which would also lead to a decline in people thinking it’s a good time to buy,” he added.
The gap between the share of consumers who say the economy is on the wrong track and those who believe all engines are a-go widened from 16 percentage points in September to 40 percentages points in October — a record month-over-month change.
Nonetheless, the steep decline in Americans’ housing sentiment, which is expected to continue to tumble down as housing debates continue to heat up, Fannie Mae senior vice president and chief economist Doug Duncan doesn’t believe it will derail the gradual healing in housing.
“While this decline in consumer optimism may portend a slowing of the housing recovery, supply constraint data suggest that we are likely to see continued positive growth in home prices,” Duncan said.
He added, “That being said, October’s survey results suggest that consumer attitudes are highly responsive to ongoing debate and decision-making in Washington. Three key budget and debt ceiling dates loom in December, January, and February. The handling of each will likely play a key role in determining the pace and timing of any recovery in consumer sentiment.”
The average 12-month price change expectation continued to fall, dropping 0.2% to 2.9%.
Additionally the share of people who believe home prices will go up in the next 12 months fell to 36%, while those who say prices will go down, increase to 10%.
The share of respondents who say they would buy if they were going to move increased to 70%, a new high.
Interestingly, the share of consumers who said their personal financial situation would get worse in the next 12 months hit a new high of 22%.
Consequently, the amount of respondents who say the economy is on the right track fell 12 percentage points, which is the biggest monthly record change in the survey’s history.
http://www.housingwire.com/articles/27847-consumer-confidence-in-homebuying-hits-an-all-time-low
Pound Ridge School Hosts Science Workshop | Pound Ridge Real Estate
Pound Ridge third- graders are invited to attend a hands-on science workshop that enables students to discover magnetism at the in the Pound Ridge Elementary School Bistro on Nov. 12.
Students will have the opportunity to experience transferring magnetism through water, wood and other media. In addition, they will use electromagnets to learn about other ways to make a magnet.
There will be three 90-minute sessions, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.; 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The school is at 7 Pound Ridge Road.
http://mtkisco.dailyvoice.com/schools/pound-ridge-school-hosts-science-workshop
The Grove’s Demolished Du Pont Estate Was Buried In Poison | North Salem Real Estate
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The end of Baymere, the lavish 33-room midcentury modern estate of Willis Du Pont in Coconut Grove that was listed on the market for $22 million, was sad and quick. After surveyors determined the property to be absolutely soaked with toxic waste—it was built on as much as 100,000 tons of toxic soil carted over from the “Old Smokey” incinerator over in the West Grove—the house sold for $11.4 million and was demolished. Perhaps it was appropriate for an heir to chemical fortune, Willis Du Pont, to build his house above a toxic wasteland in 1964. The current owners, who might be heirs to a Venezuelan oil fortune, demolished the house and apparently plan to build five luxury residences on impermeable surfaces and new top fill that should cap the contaminated soil, rendering it safe. · Live Like A Du Pont In The 1960s, In This $22M Grove Estate [Curbed Miami] · Du Pont Mansion In Coconut Grove Is Buried In Poison [Miami New Times]
How to Make the Most of Your Photos | Katonah NY Real Estate
The 2 million-plus stunning photos featured on Houzz manage to inspire, instruct and encourage all at once. The power of these photos for both professionals and homeowners is undeniable — but do you know how to take full advantage of it?
We spoke with five designers who’ve learned to harness the potential of photos on Houzz. Take a peek at their strategies — including choosing the right photo size, picking keywords and answering questions — to learn about what makes a photo popular and see how you can make the most out of your own photos on Houzz.
Related: How to Find a Designer or Architect Using Photos on Houzz
Quality. A photo’s quality has a huge impact on its visibility. “Everyone on the Houzz site makes or designs a visual product, so having really nice photos that show off a variety of work is key,” says Caitlin Walker of Mercury Mosaics. “You can create a beautiful design and have bad photos that don’t do it justice. Reward your hard work with good photos!”
Houzz always recommends uploading high-resolution photos taken by a professional photographer. Bigger is better: High-resolution photos with a minimum width of 1,000 pixels look best and will likely get many more views. And a professional photographer can make each image light, bright and fresh. (Don’t forget to credit the photographer in your photos.)
Houzz always recommends uploading high-resolution photos taken by a professional photographer. Bigger is better: High-resolution photos with a minimum width of 1,000 pixels look best and will likely get many more views. And a professional photographer can make each image light, bright and fresh. (Don’t forget to credit the photographer in your photos.)
“It’s really taught me how critical it is to take proper and professional photos of projects,” says designer Jason Urrutia. “It’s an investment but well worth the cost. It’s another step of branding — it says that you mean business, you care about your project and that your design is to be taken seriously.”
Variety. Upload a diverse portfolio of work, from your most amazing projects to the simpler but still stylish spaces. Include a variety of shots, from full room shots to details. Even open drawers and take photos of the insides! You’d be surprised how popular those photos are. Don’t underestimate the selling power of your simpler designs — sometimes those are the most inspiring for homeowners.
Style. Every year Houzz puts together a series of ideabooks that highlight the most popular photos of that year, according to how often they’ve been added to users’ ideabooks. And every year we spot certain consistencies in the most popular images: They’re chock-full of take-home ideas. Tracy Kundell found this to be true for the bathroom photo shown here — one of the most popular on the site, added to more than 255,000 ideabooks. “Almost everyone has a home with a bathtub that can be converted, such as this space,” she says. “More and more people prefer larger showers to shower-tub combinations. This layout is a very common builder layout, too.”
Work with your photographer to highlight your best work in beautiful photos that will show clients what you’ve got. Make sure your identity as a designer is coming through and that each photo doesn’t just look great, but shows potential clients how you can make their style shine through, too.
Style. Every year Houzz puts together a series of ideabooks that highlight the most popular photos of that year, according to how often they’ve been added to users’ ideabooks. And every year we spot certain consistencies in the most popular images: They’re chock-full of take-home ideas. Tracy Kundell found this to be true for the bathroom photo shown here — one of the most popular on the site, added to more than 255,000 ideabooks. “Almost everyone has a home with a bathtub that can be converted, such as this space,” she says. “More and more people prefer larger showers to shower-tub combinations. This layout is a very common builder layout, too.”
Work with your photographer to highlight your best work in beautiful photos that will show clients what you’ve got. Make sure your identity as a designer is coming through and that each photo doesn’t just look great, but shows potential clients how you can make their style shine through, too.
How Do Great Photos Pay Off?
The more popular a photo becomes on Houzz, the easier it is to find. Houzzers may see it in another Houzzer’s favorite photos, in a featured ideabook or on the Houzz homepage. How is this beneficial to pros? It’s more eyeballs on your work — homeowner eyeballs, to be exact. A great photo on Houzz can directly result in client referrals.
Architect John Mattingly found this to be true for the incredibly popular bedroom shown here, added to more than 200,000 ideabooks. Many designers and homeowners have contacted him about some of the room’s components or the entire project. He’s also sold a few furniture items that he custom designed for this particular home.
When Urrutia’s popular bedroom photo (the second photo above) was added to 180,000 ideabooks (and counting), interest in his business increased. “I’ve heard tons of comments from clients about this photo and this room in particular,” he says.
The more popular a photo becomes on Houzz, the easier it is to find. Houzzers may see it in another Houzzer’s favorite photos, in a featured ideabook or on the Houzz homepage. How is this beneficial to pros? It’s more eyeballs on your work — homeowner eyeballs, to be exact. A great photo on Houzz can directly result in client referrals.
Architect John Mattingly found this to be true for the incredibly popular bedroom shown here, added to more than 200,000 ideabooks. Many designers and homeowners have contacted him about some of the room’s components or the entire project. He’s also sold a few furniture items that he custom designed for this particular home.
When Urrutia’s popular bedroom photo (the second photo above) was added to 180,000 ideabooks (and counting), interest in his business increased. “I’ve heard tons of comments from clients about this photo and this room in particular,” he says.
Supporting a Wide-Span Floor With Structural Steel | Waccabuc Real Estate
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
Billionaire Activist Wants $48M for Award-Winning Penthouse | Mt Kisco Real Estate
[Photos via BHS.]
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Back in 2002, billionaire activist Jon Stryker snapped up two adjacent apartments atop the Beaux-Arts Prasada on Central Park West for $12.8 million, setting what was then an Upper West Side record for the the most expensive single-occupancy apartment purchase. Well, times, they have a-changed, and prices, they have a-soared. And Stryker just listed the combined, renovated triplex penthouse—clocking in at 5,600 square feet with five bedrooms and six baths, plus two levels of outdoor space, exposures in every direction, and Central Park views—for a whopping $48 million (h/t The Real Estalker.)
Though he’s trained as an architect himself in his native Michigan, where he is the heir to the fortune of a medical-equipment firm that bears his surname, Stryker currently devotes his time to philanthropy as one of the largest donors to gay and lesbian charities and conservation groups. Since he’s busy getting a species of monkey named after him and fighting for social justice and all, Stryker tapped notable design firm Shelton, Mindel & Associates to carry out the makeover. The units apparently came with, erm, “nymph sconces and endless stained-glass windows.” Eleven years later, the sprawling apartment still retains some classic touches, like detailed millwork and coffered ceilings, but the vibe is decidedly updated. Earning an award for its interiors from the American Institute of Architects, a 2010 jury deemed it “beguilingly timeless” and “masterfully done.” Agree or disagree?
Older photos of the apartment, via the AIA.
Another crop of older photos, via Shelton, Mindel & Associates.
If the photos don’t speak for themselves, there’s this from listing agent Brown Harris Stevens:
Featured in Architectural Digest, this unique mansion in the sky is in mint condition and features soaring ceilings, pristine hardwood flooring and expertly crafted millwork throughout. There are 4-5 bedrooms, 6 baths, 45 windows and 2 fireplaces. A stately foyer leads to a 19-foot gallery opening onto a dramatic corner entertaining expanse, with a fireplace a double-height coffered ceiling, a mezzanine balcony and a series of eight 7 windows capturing breathtaking direct Park views. … Upstairs, there is a magnificent altelier, with 3 walls of floor-to-ceiling windows, limestone flooring. and French doors leading onto an extraordinary private decked terrace of approximately 3,000 sf with attractive plantings. A staircase from the terrace leads to a second, tower rooftop terrace of approximately 480 square feet, offering 360 degree views.
Stryker has plenty of other real estate holdings in Michigan, Palm Beach, and upstate New York, so perhaps he was ready to sell while the market is going gangbusters in order to harness some more millions for his charity work. · Listing: 50 Central Park West [Brown Harris Stevens] · Floor Plan Porn: Jon Stryker [The Real Estalker] · Historic Central Park Triplex [Shelton, Mindel & Associates] · 2010 INSTITUTE HONOR AWARDS FOR INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE RECIPIENT: Historic Central Park West Residence [AIA] · West Side Record [NYO]
August Values Rose in Fewer Local Markets | South Salem NY Homes
Prices increased on a month-over-month basis in 253 of the top 300 markets, fewer than 293 in July, according to Homes.com’s Local Market Index for August.
The downtrend in the number of markets that gain monthly is likely due to both seasonal trends and the state of recovery for these markets. Of the 47 markets that saw declines last month, 40 percent have fully recovered their decline in home prices from the housing bubble, while another 28 percent were found to be unaffected by the boom-bust scenario, illustrating that the weakness is a result of leveling off in home prices.
As a complement to Local Market Index, Homes.com publishes an exclusive Rebound Report, highlighting how the housing recovery process is unfolding across the country. It measures each market’s peak-to-trough decline in index value, which had been attributed to the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble.
Rising home values in the third quarter saw four more top 100 markets reach full recovery. More than a quarter of the top 100 real estate markets have now fully recovered the value they lost in the housing crash. Nearly half of the remaining markets have recovered 50 percent of their lost value, increasing by four markets from the previous month.
Twenty-two midsized markets showed little to no effect from value lost in the 2007 housing bubble and experienced more stable changes in index values. Half of those 22 bubble-proof markets are from Texas, and more than 70 percent are from energy producing states where typical housing boom-bust scenarios did not occur. The remainder of midsized markets showed 51 markets, or 29 percent, with a 100 percent recovery and 94 markets with a 50 percent or more recovery.
“We found the effects of the housing boom-bust lingering in some areas because of the instability they suffered and the long, steep price slope needed for rebound. While these particular markets are improving somewhat, higher rates of negative equity increase risk of foreclosure and can lock move-up buyers-who are also sellers-out of the marketplace, thus slowing overall recovery in certain local areas. Yet other markets that did not experience the bursting bubble to the same degree are in a better position to take full advantage of the recovery. Their prices are appreciating faster, and they are rebounding earlier,” said Brock MacLean, executive vice president of Homes.com. “The important thing to realize is that all markets are in some form of recovery, and different factors contribute to recovery scenarios across the country. With data from the top 300 markets, the Homes.com Local Market Index and Rebound Report analyze trends in local communities where millions of Americans live-key trends missed by other real estate reports.”
http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/10/6784/