Tag Archives: Westchester Real Estate for Sale

Luxury builders better positioned in rising interest rate environment | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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Market analysts remain confident in homebuilders, with luxury builders expected to lead as rising interest rates freeze out entry-level buyers, analysts say.

Sterne Agee analyst Jay McCanless believes investors should be looking to move-up and luxury homebuilders since households operating on modest incomes are generally the first to bail on housing when mortgage rates rise.

McCanless specifically highlighted the stocks of Ryland Homes (RYL) and Meritage Homes Corp. (MTH) as solid picks. “Our takeaway from this month’s data is to continue buying these names because the fundamental backdrop remains positive,” McCanless said of the two stocks.

The 30-year mortgage reached 4.80% this past week, the highest level obtained since April 2011, and more proof that overly competitive rates are slowly becoming a thing of the past.

Homebuilder stocks overall fell Friday after experiencing a positive run on the HW 30—HousingWire’s exclusive index for mortgage finance and housing stocks.

The dip in share prices followed a strong week for builders – many of which closed in positive territory on Thursday afternoon, only to fall a day later. On Thursday, D.R. Horton (DHI), Lennar Corp. (LEN) and Toll Brothers (TOL), saw their stock prices shoot up on positive gross domestic product and jobless claims data.

D.R. Horton alone rose 3.55% by close on Thursday, only to fall more than 2% by Friday afternoon. Lennar Corp. also fell more than 2% by market close, with Toll Brothers also down 1.86% by market close on Friday.

Despite a weaker close on the HW 30 index for the week, analysts still see homebuilders in a position to benefit from the nascent housing recovery.

“Average sales and inventory trends in the Top 25 markets we monitor continue to improve sequentially and month over month, and we view these indicators as the best barometers of housing demand in our builders’ collective footprints,” McCanless said.

 

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/26573-luxury-builders-better-positioned-in-rising-rate-environment

 

Home sales shoot up in Massachusetts | Chappaqua Real Estate

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According to the Boston Globe, home sales in Massachusetts and the Greater Boston area are back to boom-time levels, with July showing the best results since 2006.

Nearly 6,000 homes changed hands across the state in July. That’s the most hectic month for sales since June 2006, the Boston-based real estate data firm and publisher reports.

However, Bay State home prices, after rising 12% through the first six months of the year, took a break in July.

The median home price in July was $349,000, down slightly from $350,000 in June. Hardly a big drop, but worth taking notice of.

                    Source: Boston Globe

Breezy Point Slow to Recover from Fires and Flooding | North Salem Real Estate

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No place on the East Coast took a harder hit from last October’s Hurricane Sandy than the blue-collar neighborhood of Breezy Point, in Queens. When the storm surge swept over the low-lying streets, electrical power was still on—and soon, fires broke out. By the end of the night, nearly 130 houses burned. In all, some 350 houses were totaled by flood, fire, or both.

Nine months later, Breezy Point is far from recovering, reports the Huffington Post (“Breezy Point Sees Little Rebuilt After Devastating Superstorm Sandy Fire,” by Meghan Barr). “Rows of rectangular boxes sunk into the sand form a graveyard of wrecked homes. American flags waving feebly from the ground help mark where a street once existed,” the Post reports. “A perfect storm of government inefficiency, cumbersome permit laws, and general confusion has hampered the recovery effort in Breezy Point.”

The Wall Street Journal chimes in (“Recovery Is Choppy in Breezy Point,” by Josh Dawsey): “Some leaders and homeowners in Breezy Point, where all the homes are owned by a cooperative, said they had been stymied by city and federal rules.”

But the New York Daily News is focusing on success (“First new Breezy Point homes are starting to rise after Superstorm Sandy,” by Clare Trapasso) — highlighting the story of residents Rich and Tracy Whalen, whose modular house has just been set on a new poured concrete foundation. “The couple is racing against the clock to be in their two-story, three-bedroom modular home by Labor Day — right around the time their second child is due,” the paper reports. Whalen, a volunteer firefighter, told the paper, “This is our home. This is where we grew up. A little water’s not going to scare us away.”

For Christine and George Donley, an older couple, rebuilding is a hard slog — but they’re not giving up, reports NBC News: (“‘It will be beautiful again’: Breezy Point couple returns home, and recovers through rebuilding,” by Miranda Leitsinger). “Sixty-three years old sleeping on a mattress on the floor is tough,” Christine said as she presented the single habitable room of their Breezy Point home. “He sleeps on the couch, and this is where we live now.”

But Christine Donley’s determined: “”We will get through this,” she told NBC. “I am stronger than the storm. I am. It took me a long time to say that, but I said it the other night. I am stronger.”

Mortgage originations defy interest rate hikes | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Mortgage originations rose 12.7 percent year over year and dipped a slight 1.5 percent month to month in June, indicating stability despite increases in interest rates, according to a monthly report from Lender Processing Services.

Through June, originations had their strongest 12-month period since 2007, to 784,000, LPS said.

Prepayment activity, which is historically a good indicator of mortgage refinances, is still largely driving origination volume, the company said.

“Prepayment speeds have been impacted by the sharp increase in mortgage interest rates we’ve seen over the last couple months. However, even with that increasing interest rate pressure, July’s monthly prepayment rates are still about where they were this time last year, when rates were at historic lows,” said LPS Data & Analytics Senior Vice President Herb Blecher in a statement.

“In fact, they are roughly at the same levels as the heights of the ‘mini refinance booms’ in 2010 — when interest rates were comparable to where they are today — and in 2009, when rates were even higher.

“Of course, as interest rates continue to climb, we can expect that both prepayments and associated originations will decline.”

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/wire/mortgage-originations-defy-interest-rate-hikes/#sthash.3Gj9SiEH.dpuf

Move facilitating sharing of listings between California MLSs | Katonah Real Estate

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Agents with two California multiple listing services — MetroList Services Inc. and i-Tech MLS — will see confidential information about shared listings from the source MLS using a reciprocal deep-linking service powered by realtor.com operator Move Inc.’s “Find” search tool.

Agents at those MLSs — and any others in California that agree to sign on to the service — will see an additional layer of detail about shared listings that includes offers of cooperation and compensation, agent contact information, and showing details, Move said.

MetroList Services is based in Sacramento, and serves more than 17,000 real estate professionals in seven counties — Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced and Yolo. I-Tech MLS is a joint venture of the Glendale Association of Realtors and the Pasadena-Foothills Association of Realtors.

Any MLS in California can participate by contracting with Move for the Find search tool, becoming a party to the reciprocal deep-linking agreement, and implementing the technology on their MLS system, Move said.

“This innovative agreement is a model for MLSs seeking collaborative solutions that meet the business and technical needs of their customers, which are now inseparable,” said Move CEO Steve Berkowitz in a statement. “The agreement and integration is a landmark step towards maximizing the tremendous potential of the Find application by allowing licensed agents to work together across MLSs to access complete listing information in real time to serve their clients.”

MetroList Services President and CEO Tom Beede called reciprocal deep linking “the most cost-effective way to provide real estate agents with access to confidential information on for-sale properties, because it’s free.”

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/09/04/move-facilitating-sharing-of-listings-between-california-mlss/#sthash.VHAWjPB9.dpuf

 

Move facilitating sharing of listings between California MLSs | Inman News.

Down to Earth Markets in Chappaqua | Chappaqua Homes

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ShopperMasthead_Update
                        Market Update: Trotta Pasta will be in Larchmont tomorrow!   Metro North Parking Deck off of Chatsworth Avenue 8:30 am to 1:00 pm

TrottaPasta
Ed Trotta of Trotta’s House of Pasta is packing up for Larchmont’s Down to Earth Farmers Market.                         What will he bring? For starters:

Fresh mozzarella                         Burrata (an Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream)                         Fresh Basil Pasta                         and the LAST BATCH of Summer Squash Ravioli! All this in addition to the varieties of ravioli and pasta that Larchmont has come to love.                        He’ll join these great vendors:

American Pride Seafood
Calcutta Kitchens
Coach Farm
Dr. Pickle
Gaia’s Breath Farm
Kiernan Farm
Kontoulis Family Olive Oil
Lani’s Farm
Migliorelli Farm
Newgate Farms
Orchards of Concklin
Orwarshers Bakery
Pie Lady & Son
Robinson & Co. Catering Services
Stone & Thistle Farm
Sugar & Spice
Tierra Farm
Wavehill Breads

                        Stay tuned to market events, day vendor listings, and more on the Larchmont market webpage.

Thank you for supporting local farms and food businesses.

Down to Earth Farmers Markets is a mission-driven company that curates and manages approximately twenty farmers markets in and around New York City. In the fall of 2012, after two decades as Community Markets, we rebranded as Down to Earth Farmers Markets. The name change affirmed our commitment to the true source of our food: the earth. We believe that seasonal, local food is a vital part of our heritage that ensures                         the health of our communities and environment.

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3 Mobile Tools to Improve Your Social Media Marketing | Waccabuc Realtor

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Have you figured out how to engage on-the-go prospects and customers?

Is more of your audience interacting with your business from their mobile phones?

If you want to enhance your mobile marketing, then keep reading.

I’ll show you three awesome tools that make mobile marketing easier.

Why Mobile?

Mobile is no longer something you can afford to ignore.

As customers’ adoption of mobile grows, you need to find ways to leverage mobile marketing tools to optimize their experience, no matter what device they’re on.

Whether you’ve already been experimenting with mobile marketing or are just getting started, the right tools help increase leads, engagement and sales.

In this article, I highlight three tools that offer easy ways to mobilize your social media marketing strategy.

#1: Send SMS (Text) and Video Messaging With Mogreet Express

One of the most powerful mobile marketing channels available today is SMS or short message service, which is also known as text message marketing.

SMS is a permission-based messaging tool that lets customers receive messages from you after they text a keyword or sign up using a web form.

SMS may not sound sexy, but it’s highly effective. Studies have indicated that 97% of mobile subscribers read an SMS (text) message within 15 minutes of receiving it. 84% respond within 1 hour.

Many top retailers actively use SMS to send out sales or product updates, special coupons or other important announcements. Coca-Cola focuses 70% of their mobile marketing budget on SMS/Text messaging.

Coca-Cola embraces the power of SMS to reach consumers.

So what does this have to do with social media?

Conversations with your customers shouldn’t end on Facebook, Twitter or any other social platform you currently use.

Mogreet Express lets you quickly create SMS (text) or video messaging campaigns to incorporate into social media and build a database of customers who want to receive your information and offers.

First, you create a keyword to title your campaign, and then Mogreet Express pairs your keyword with a shared short code. Make your keyword short and easy to remember.

After you’ve decided on a keyword, you’re guided through the process to set up the response customers receive when they opt in.

mogreet dashboard use keywords

Mogreet Express lets you set up keywords in your dashboard to promote campaigns to your audience.

Now you’re ready to promote your campaign on Facebook and Twitter. The easiest way to do this is by using language such as:

“Become a Mobile VIP. Just text YOURKEYWORDHERE to 12345″ (this would be the short code that Mogreet Express provides to you).

Lane Bryant incorporates their call to action on a Facebook tab to connect with them. Their keyword is LBGB and their short code is 23705.

Armonk Fighting over Funeral | Armonk NY Homes

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Dear North Castle Residents,

Yesterday Town Clerk Anne Curran sent an email notice to our residents with considerable misinformation regarding Becky Kittredge’s funeral. I would like to provide the facts regarding the arrangements for the former Town Board member. As we enter election season, I would also like to express my deep disappointment with the political nature of Ms. Curran’s message which is unbefitting the Office of Town Clerk. This is the truth about Ms. Kittredge’s funeral arrangements:

  • The Town Board was pleased to hold Becky Kittredge’s funeral ceremony in front of Town Hall in order to pay tribute to this valued public servant and her many contributions to North Castle over the years.
  • We ceased all official town business on Friday morning August 31st, for the three hour period of the funeral and closed off Bedford Road from Maple Avenue to Main Street to allow for the proceedings. We gave all Town employees time off to attend both the funeral service and subsequent buffet lunch at Legion Hall.
  • We provided the procession with an official police and fire truck escort from the funeral home in Hawthorne to Town Hall.
  • This was the most extensive recognition of a public servant in recent memory and far exceeded what was done by the prior Town Board for Jack Lombardi.
  • In response to Ann Curran’s request to air Ms. Kittredge’s funeral video on NCTV, an informal email discussion was conducted by Town Board members. Contrary to Ms. Curran’s representation, NO VOTE WAS EVER HELD as there has been no Town Board meeting since August 14th 2013 well before Ms. Kittredge’s passing. We were also aware that “All About Armonk” and Channel 12 were already covering the funeral so that any residents who were interested could easily access the proceedings.
  • When asked about airing the funeral on NCTV, several Board members expressed that rather than showing a funeral, a video montage celebrating Becky’s lifetime achievements would be a much more tasteful and respectful tribute– and frankly more relevant to those residents who are unaware of her contributions. It would also address the issue that the Town had no policy or guidelines about how to handle the passing of elected officials and employees.
  • The Town Clerk chose not to pursue this suggestion or to inform residents about it.  Instead, she decided to send out a town-wide email deliberately mischaracterizing the nature of our discussions. I can only assume that her effort was an attempt to paint the three of us in a negative light and inflame voters’ passions.
  • As early as August 26th, immediately after Ms. Kittredge’s passing, Councilman Cronin began exploring and proposed to me a more lasting memorial to her service in one of our parks. Over the weekend he met with members of the Recreation Board to review the proposal. We hope to publicly announce our plans at the Rec. Board update at the September 11th Town Board Meeting.

Given that some residents have expressed an interest in viewing Ms. Kittredge’s funeral on NCTV, we will of course schedule to have it shown. We will also add as an agenda item to our September 11th meeting the development of a policy concerning funerals for elected officials and Town employees including the appropriate level of funds to expend and televising such events.

In closing I must point out that the Town Clerk’s office is required by law to be a politically objective source of accurate information, NOT a venue for expressing opinions about Town Board actions or for advancing political agendas. The fact that Ms. Curran used the passing of Ms. Kittredge to pass along misinformation and make a political statement is not only an ethical breach, it is in poor taste.

Sincerely,

Howard Arden, Supervisor

How to Use the New Facebook Insights | Pound Ridge Realtor

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Do you rely on Facebook Insights to track the performance of your Facebook page?

Are you wondering how the new Insights can help you refine your Facebook activities?

In this article, I’ll give you a tour of the new Facebook Insights and the data you’ll find there, so you’re better equipped to support your marketing goals with Facebook.

What’s New With Facebook Insights?

Facebook Insights has long been valued by successful marketers as a source of data that can help drive strategic marketing decisions. Until recently, the bulk of that valuable data was accessible only through the export of clumsy, difficult-to-navigate spreadsheet files that often buried key metrics.

Thankfully, Facebook has refreshed the web version of Insights to bring you clear data sets that are presented in easier-to-navigate graphs that are highly dynamic and customizable. New features include:

  • Benchmarking
  • Easy start and end date slider
  • When your fans are online feature
  • Best post types feature
  • Comparisons vs. general Facebook audience
  • Advanced filtering
  • Addition of Post Clicks stat

Keep reading to discover more…

Access the New Insights

view insights in admin panel

Access the new Insights from within your admin panel.

From your admin panel, the Insights box is located next to the Get More Likes box. If it looks like the example above, you have the new Insights. Click on See All to launch the Overview.

If it looks like it used to a month or more back, you don’t have it yet. Patience! You’ll get it soon. In the meantime, here’s what you can expect…

Explore the New Overview Tab

Immediately upon arriving at the new Insights, you’ll get an updated Overview screen. This is Facebook’s way of showing you as much data as they can at one time.

The new Insights are broken down into the following tabbed sections:

  • Overview
  • Page
  • Posts
  • People

The Overview tab of Facebook Insights summarizes what’s going on with your page.

You’ll recall the old Insights had an Overview screen as well. Now, new graphs represent snapshots of your Page Likes growth, Post Reach and Engagement. The most recent posts are still found at the bottom of the screen.

If you aren’t sure what a data set refers to, hover over the title and a definition will pop up.

Hover over People Engaged to get a definition of the data segment.

The definition of an Engaged User has long been confusing to page admins. Many have incorrectly assumed that an engaged user is anyone who likes, comments on or shares a post. In reality, it includes any click at all.

Facebook Insights now clarifies this and breaks the stat into Post Clicks (see below) and Comments, Likes and Shares only (we’ll see this later).

 

 

read more…

 

 

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/new-facebook-insights/

10 Stylish Options for Shower Enclosures | North Salem Real Estate

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A shower is one of the first things you notice when you step into a bathroom, so make sure your enclosure not only matches your style but also accentuates your bathroom.
We’ve all seen or lived in a home with the ever-so-famous enclosure framed in polished brass, but there are tons of other options with which to surround your shower. Whether you go for framed or frameless, or with no enclosure at all, choose your style wisely.

traditional bathroom by Specialty Tile Products

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1. Frameless glass shower enclosure. This is a very popular option right now because of its flexibility; a frameless glass enclosure lends itself to any style, whether it’s a clean, sleek design that appeals to modern tastes or a simple and understated one with an elegant and classic look.
The glass itself is fairly easy to clean and maintain; it’s even more so if you get glass with a finish baked on that repels soap scum and water spots. Overall, frameless glass is a great way to showcase your shower.
modern bathroom by Robert Nebolon Architects

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2. Aluminum and glass shower enclosure. Need a little something more to spruce up your shower? Don’t be afraid to be unique and try a shower surround that has flair. Created with glass panels set into an aluminum frame, this shower enclosure mimics the look of the tile in the back of the shower. The dark metal mixed with the clear glass gives the enclosure an eclectic feel.
traditional bathroom by J Allen Smith Design/Build

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3. Glass block shower enclosure. Eliminate the need for a door with a glass block enclosure. Glass block surrounds are versatile, and there are textured patterns on the blocks themselves. They have strong lines and give your bathroom a clean, cool look.
The options are virtually limitless with glass blocks. You can find different block styles, thicknesses and even colors.