<a href="https://www.robertpaulsells.com/" title="Buying Bedford Real Estate" rel="home">Buying Bedford Real Estate

Project: Creating a hidden doorway.

Things to consider: First you’ve got to decide where your secret doorway will be. Obviously, it’s going to be much easier to turn an existing doorway into a hidden one. Hallway closets, laundry rooms, mechanical rooms and home offices are great candidates.

Otherwise, if you choose to cut into an existing wall space, you’ll likely want to hire a professional to help determine if your chosen spot is doable or not. If you have to reroute electrical wiring, plumbing or HVAC ducts, this project can quickly get expensive.

You’ll then want to measure your doorway — 32 inches and 36 inches are the most common widths — and think about how you’ll want to conceal the opening. Bookcases are by far the most popular choice. They do a great job of distracting people from thinking there’s a doorway behind them, and are functional because you can store books and display items on them.

Wende Woodworking LLC

For this project Thad Wende of Wende Woodworking created a custom swivel bookcase that conceals a storage area in which the homeowners keep private personal belongings. To support the weight of books and other accessories on the shelves, most pivoting bookcases sit on a couple of swivel casters that allow the case to roll easily in and out. That’s why carpeted floors aren’t recommended for this style of bookcase.

Wende recommends considering how your bookcase unit and frame will match up with nearby trimwork or other cabinets. “If you can paint it onsite while you’re installing other cabinetry, or at least get a good match to surrounding pieces, that’s best,” he says. “Otherwise it will give itself away.”

He says it would cost about $1,500 to $1,750, parts and labor, for a piece similar to the one shown here.

Siol

For the 2010 San Francisco Decorator Showcase home, designer Jessica Weigley used this shallow display case to conceal a closet that she turned into a kids’ play nook.

Siol

She designed curved plywood ramps — similar to ones made for skateboarding — and covered them in carpet for a cool effect. She guesses a similar design could be done for around $2,000, including parts and labor, and would probably take a weekend to complete.

“Everyone loves that element of surprise,” Weigley says. “When you walk into a room and everything’s understood — there’s the bed, there’s the dresser — it can be boring. Whereas when you create a space that gets revealed or explored, it creates something in people — a sense of wonder that captures their interests.”

InHouse Design Studio

This completely custom bookcase door in a home office leads to a guest bedroom. “The homeowner has a wonderful childlike quality to him,” says Mark Dutka, the general contractor on the project. “He just said, ‘I don’t care what you do. I just want a hidden door.’”

He says it takes a skilled team to create a unit that’s flush with the frame as well as the floor. Otherwise your door-hiding bookcase will stand out like a sore thumb. This project was a three-person job. A designer spearheaded the aesthetic direction and had the technical expertise to assess the wall structure. Dutka made sure it was possible to build it accurately. And a cabinetmaker built the actual unit.

CS Hardware

Many companies now make prefabricated units that can be assembled in about an hour by the average homeowner. “If you’ve put together Ikea furniture, you can do this,” says Tim Stepanski, the marketing manager for CS Hardware, which sells prefabricated and semicustom units like the one seen here.

Kensico Burger And Beer Festival To Feature 30 Local Restaurants | Armonk Real Estate

Let out your inner child, foodie, shopaholic and nature lover out at these exciting upcoming events in Westchester County.

1. Westchester’s Burger and Beer Blast at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla on Friday, June 6 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Described as “the ultimate block party,” this part of Westchester Magazine’s Food and Wine week may be the tastiest. Thirty lauded burger restaurants from across the county will strut their stuff, serving signature dishes along with beer pairings. When you’re done noshing, vote on the best burger and catch a live performance by Mary C and the Stellars. $65. 21 and older. Rain or shine.

2. Pelham’s Annual Street Fair on Saturday, June 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, the free fair has attracted thousands of people from around the area in previous years. The event sports several fun activities for children and adults alike to benefit a variety of local businesses and philanthropies. Free. Rain or shine. Fifth Avenue between First and Lincoln Avenues.

3. Family Bird Walk in Mamaroneck’s Harbor Island Park on Saturday, June 7 at 10:15 a.m.

Led by Phil Horner, longtime resident and member of the Mamaroneck village committee for the environment, enjoy a walk through scenic harbor island park and learn about some of your local feathered friends. Free, but make sure to bring your own binoculars. Meet at the Marine Education Center.

4. Yonkers’ LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester Brick Factor on Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8, at 10 a.m.

“Brick Factor” is a two day search in which contestants will compete in creative LEGO building challenges for a chance to win their dream job as a Master Model Builder. 39 Fitzgerald Street.

World’s most expensive billionaire homes | Armonk Real Estate

Owner: Bill Gates, net worth $77.5 billion

Market value: $120.5 million, 2014 tax assessment

The high-tech Lake Washington complex owned by the world’s second-richest man boasts a pool with an underwater music system, a 2,500-square-foot gym and a library with a domed reading room.

http://realestate.msn.com/worlds-most-expensive-billionaire-homes#2

12 tiny, tricked-out homes | Armonk NY Homes

Fueled by backlash from the financial and housing crisis, these homes — typically sized 500 square feet or smaller — are having a moment. In April, the first Tiny House Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, sold out, attracting some 170 attendees.

Tiny-house pioneer Dee Williams, who has spent the last decade in an 84-square-foot home in a friend’s backyard, has toured touring the nation to promote her memoir “The Big Tiny.” Even students at the Savannah College of Art and Design are getting into the game, building an entire floor of 135-square-foot homes inside an old school parking lot.

These home may be environmentally friendly — they force owners to reduce their possessions and, often, to use less power — but they’re not exactly cheap. Tiny houses typically cost between $200 to $400 per square foot. On a square-foot basis, that’s far pricier than the average American home-and tiny homes don’t include land.

http://realestate.msn.com/12-tiny-tricked-out-homes

Metro Atlanta home prices jumped 18% at end of ‘13 | Armonk Real Estate

Metro Atlanta’s housing market continued to rebound at the end of 2013, posting double-digit growth, according to the CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indexes.

The area’s house prices jumped 17.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013, compared with the fourth quarter of 2012. CoreLogic also predicts metro Atlanta’s home prices will increase 2.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014.

National home prices rose 11.3 percent in the fourth quarter, compared with the fourth quarter of 2012. Home prices nationwide were 20 percent above the trough reached in the fourth quarter of 2011, but remained 21 percent below the peak reached in the first quarter of 2006.

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2014/05/13/metro-atlanta-home-prices-jumped-18-at-end-of-13.html

Ogle the Woolworth Building’s Stunning, Rarely Open Lobby | Armonk Homes

Show only beforeShow only after

[All photos by Bob Estremera.]

The Woolworth Building‘s opulent lobby is 101 years old, and while it’s not a nice, pretty centennial, it’s still pretty darn old, immaculately preserved, and positively beautiful. While it used to be open to the public, it’s not anymore due to security concerns, so it’s only ogle-able to the folks who work in the building—we’re looking at you, SHoP Architects. Meanwhile, there are occasional tours of the neo-Gothic, gilded-to-the-nines space. Architectural photographer extraordinaire Bob Estremera went on one last week hosted by Landmark Branding, and though he’d try something different from his last glimpse inside, taking a slew of shots in both color and sepia-infused black-and-white. Compare and contrast two views of the same scene, and marvel at how the architectural details pop in the bi-chrome version and how dazzling the full-on color ones are. It’s positively grotesque! No, really, there are tons of those carved faces and figures, all of which are unique—the workers had a lot of fun, apparently. And, FYI, whoever ends up living in the 34 condos amazing condos being constructed on the landmark’s upper floors will have a separate lobby, which just goes to show that even money can’t buy this kind of beauty… but working for a cool company can

Transunion: Mortgage delinquency rate falls to mid-2008 low | Armonk NY Homes

The mortgage delinquency rate for those more than 60 days late declined for the ninth consecutive quarter to 3.61% at the end of Q1 2014, according to TransUnion’s latest mortgage report.

The mortgage delinquency rate has declined more than 24% in the last year, down from 4.76% in Q1 2013, and it is now at the exact same level as it stood in Q2 2008.

“It’s encouraging to see mortgage delinquencies drop once again, especially during a period when mortgage originations slowed considerably,” said Steve Chaouki, head of financial services for TransUnion. “This trend in improved performance is driven in part by lenders working their way through the foreclosure backlog, along with continued conservatism in underwriting new mortgages.”

All 50 states and the District of Columbia experienced declines in their mortgage delinquency rates between Q1 2013 and Q1 2014.

The largest percentage declines continued to occur in states most impacted by the mortgage crisis – Arizona (down 37.8%), California (down 36.9%) and Nevada (down 34.0%). Both Arizona (2.81%) and California (2.80%), which just five years earlier had delinquency rates nearly double the national average, are now significantly lower than the rest of the nation.

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/29923-transunion-mortgage-delinquency-rate-falls-to-mid-2008-low

Let customer feedback shape the evolution of your product and it will sell itself | Armonk Homes

A lot of companies are started out of frustration, trying to solve a problem that their founders don’t see an available solution for, says Onvedeo founder and CEO Boubou Guiro.

Guiro says that was certainly the case for him. As a would-be homebuyer, the time he squandered visiting properties that weren’t always as they were depicted online convinced him that the solution was a video marketing platformm scalable so that it was affordable enough for every broker and agent to employ on all their listings.

Now he’s passing along the insight he’s gained building the company. He advises his fellow entrepreneurs to keep testing their product, and evolving it based on customer feedback.

“I truly believe the product is going to be the best marketing and the best sales tool you’re going to get,” he says. “If people love your product, you don’t really need to do much after that, besides just making them aware of it.”

http://www.inman.com/2014/05/02/let-customer-feedback-shape-the-evolution-of-your-product-and-it-will-sell-itself/?utm_source=20140502&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinesam

Westchester Foreclosure Spike Not An Economic Indicator, Legislator Says | Armonk Real Estate

Foreclosure judgments on Westchester homes spiked 514 percent in February and 200 percent in March, which Westchester County legislators said was a ripple effect from the housing crisis and isn’t a reflection of the county’s economic health in 2014.

Westchester County Clerk Timothy Idoni said that about 90 percent of the foreclosures were filed two-to-three years ago. The number of judgments had dipped 41 percent in 2011 and 32 percent in 2012, but rose 23 percent in 2013.

“We’re starting to see that kind of stuff clearing out,” he said at a meeting of the county Board of Legislators Labor/Parks/Planning/Housing Committee Tuesday.

In some cases banks haven’t taken the title on a foreclosed home because of new obligations placed on them by the courts to maintain the property, said Norma Drummond, deputy commissioner of the Westchester County Planning Department. As a result banks don’t want as much inventory and are handling foreclosures differently than they used to before the recession.

Sacramento home sales still hot, but not burning | Armonk Homes