Tag Archives: Armonk Luxury Homes for Sale

Housing Prices: Up Or Down? How To Understand Today’s Case-Shiller Data | Armonk Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Today S&P/Case-Shiller released its monthly housing data report, the leading measure of home prices across the nation. Immediately, reporters posted dozens of stories about January’s numbers–with oddly contradictory headlines.

“US home prices rise in January: S&P/Case-Shiller”, Reuters proclaimed. “Home prices decline for third month in January,” the Wall Street Journal‘s MarketWatch blog wrote. “Case-Shiller sees housing market cooling ever so slightly,” the Los Angeles Times proclaimed.

Which is it? Well, depending which numbers you look at, the answer is both–and all three. The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices track home prices across the nation, looking at the data a number of ways. The driver behind the conflicting headlines is whether the reporter is using non-seasonally adjusted numbers (the raw data from that month) or seasonally adjusted (with seasonal peaks and valleys smoothed out).

It turns out that in January, housing prices (not seasonally adjusted) across 20 major American metros collectively dipped by one tenth of 1% compared to the prior month. In both December and November, that was also true: home prices dipped by 0.1% compared to the prior months then as well. Time for hand-wringing.

 

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erincarlyle/2014/03/25/housing-prices-up-or-down-how-to-understand-todays-case-shiller-data/

Spring Has Sprung, But Snow Is Likely To Return To Westchester | Armonk Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Winter is officially over, but the first full week of spring in Westchester is likely to bring accumulating snow.

The latest forecast from accuweather.com calls for the potential for between 2 to 4 inches of snow Tuesday, with higher amounts toward the coast. The snow could start late Tuesday morning followed by periods of afternoon snow. You can view the accuweather.com forecast here.
Monday will be a mostly sunny day with a high between 30 and 32 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The overnight low will be around 20-22 degrees.

Tuesday’s high temperature will be between 35 and 37 degrees. There is a chance of morning flurries on Wednesday.

 

http://armonk.dailyvoice.com/news/spring-has-sprung-snow-likely-return-westchester

Historic Aspen Cottage With New Wing Asks a Colossal $18M | Armonk Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

25 images

Location: Aspen, Colo. Price: $17,995,000 The Skinny: Some enterprising developers in Aspen have renovated a tiny historic cottage, added an adjacent modern wing, and slapped a mind-bogglingly huge $17.995M price tag on it, which is one way to get around pesky preservation ordinances while still cashing in on a perpetually hot luxury market. The cottage, which was built in 1885 by a local candyman and now functions as the compound’s guest house, has been returned to its original exterior appearance, while the interior has been renovated and modernized. Its two-story modern addition is crammed into the same lot as the old home, and adds 6,000 square feet of living space, including five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and a rooftop patio with tremendous mountain views. The décor is what you might expect from a luxury spec home, tasteful and uninspired, creating the sort of atmosphere where, per the listing photos, you’d feel comfortable casually tossing your fur throw on an easy chair before heading out for a long day on the slopes

 

http://curbed.com/archives/2014/03/18/historic-aspen-cottage-with-new-wing-asks-a-colossal-18m.php

Morgage Rates Average 4.37% | Armonk Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Freddie Mac today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing average fixed mortgage rates edging up following a week with little new economic and housing news.

News Facts

  • 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.37 percent with an average 0.6 point for the week ending March 13, 2014, up from last week when it averaged 4.28 percent. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.63 percent.
  • 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.38 percent with an average 0.6 point, up from last week when it averaged 3.32 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 2.79 percent.
  • 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.09 percent this week with an average 0.4 point, up from last week when it averaged 3.03 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 2.61 percent.
  • 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 2.48 percent this week with an average 0.4 point, down from last week when it averaged 2.52 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 2.64 percent.

Average commitment rates should be reported along with average fees and points to reflect the total upfront cost of obtaining the mortgage. Visit the following links for the Regional and National Mortgage Rate Details and Definitions. Borrowers may still pay closing costs which are not included in the survey.

Quotes Attributed to Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist, Freddie Mac.

“Mortgage rates edged up amid a week of light economic reports. Of the few releases, the economy added 175,000 jobs in February, which was above the market consensus forecast and followed an upward revision of 25,000 jobs for the prior two months. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate nudged up to 6.7 percent, the first rate increase in over a year.”

Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation’s residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Today Freddie Mac is making home possible for one in four home borrowers and is one of the largest sources of financing for multifamily housing. For more information please visit www.FreddieMac.com and Twitter: @FreddieMac.

 

 

12 Key Decorating Tips to Make Any Room Better | Armonk Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

I hate to break it to you, but designers don’t follow a secret rule book. There are no hard and fast laws governing what we do. We are creative types by nature and love to imagine, dream and explore, following our intuition. That said, there are some rough principles that guide us to ensure a great result every time. They are just tried and true things that work. And these aren’t tricks or skills that take years to master. Anyone can do them from day one. Consider this a foundation for developing your own quirky, creative, rule-breaking intuition.

1. Pick the paint color last. I get calls all the time from homeowners who want to pick a paint color before they move in. I get the logic. Why not arrive to walls with a fresh coat of paint? Of course you can do it this way, but in my opinion it’s not ideal.
There are thousands of paint colors with various tints, tones and shades. And each one looks different from home to home, because light sources vary, meaning what looks good in your current home might not in your new one. You want the color that best complements your upholstery, artwork, rug and whatever else. You can pick that color only if your stuff is actually inside your home.

10 homes on wheels | Armonk Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Do you dream about simplifying your life by downsizing to a house on wheels? You’re not alone. Mobile living is gaining popularity, attracting everyone from young couples trying to save money to adventure-seeking retirees. Some people drive a refurbished bus or tow a tiny house because it reduces their cost of living, letting them live mortgage-free. Others choose the lifestyle for its promise of adventure — they can enjoy the freedom and joys of cross-country travel without giving up the comforts of home. Whether you dream of driving or pulling your own home, you’ll find inspiration in these 10 residences on wheels.

 

http://realestate.msn.com/10-homes-on-wheels

 

US mortgage applications rose last week: MBA | Armonk Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

Applications for U.S. home mortgages rose last week as interest rates slipped, an industry group said on Wednesday.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage application activity, which includes both refinancing and home purchase demand, rose 9.4 percent in the week ended Feb. 28.

The MBA’s seasonally adjusted index of refinancing applications rose 9.6 percent, while the gauge of loan requests for home purchases, a leading indicator of home sales, rose 9.4 percent.

Fixed 30-year mortgage rates averaged 4.47 percent in the week, down 6 basis points from 4.53 percent the week before.

The survey covers over 75 percent of U.S. retail residential mortgage applications, according to MBA.

 

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101467313

What is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) asking of credit card companies? | Armonk Real Estate

Leave a reply

 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is calling for credit card companies to make credit scores available to card holders on a monthly basis.  Will this cause more confusion and frustration for the average consumer?

Why are credit card companies responsible for providing consumers with copies of their credit scores monthly? It is hard enough as it is for consumers to get explanations and information from their credit card companies. It seems the three major credit bureaus who compile all the data should provide credit scores to the general public instead of the credit card companies. The bureaus have already created scores and can provide them to consumers much more easily. Right now there are some credit card companies, like https://www.53.com/content/fifth-third/en/personal-banking/bank/credit-cards/secured-card.html , offering credit scores but this could wind up confusing consumers and giving them a false sense of reality. If you read the fine print on the Discover Card offering credit scores it is clear that only the Trans Union FICO score is provided.

Here is the fine print taken from the Discover site:
“Your FICO® Credit Score is based on data from TransUnion and may be different from other credit scores. FICO® Credit Scores are delivered only to Primary cardmembers who get a monthly statement and have an available score. Discover and other lenders may use different inputs like a FICO® Credit Score, other credit scores and more information in credit decisions. This benefit may change or end in the future. FICO is a registered trademark of the Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and other countries.”
Since banks take the middle score of ALL THREE credit bureau FICO scores (Trans Union, Equifax, and Experian) only having one score isn’t a true and accurate reflection of what a lender would see when evaluating credit. Many consumers have different information on each credit bureau report. This will cause the three scores to vary. If a collection agency updated a bad debt it would place the derogatory on only two of the three credit bureaus.