Tag Archives: Armonk Real Estate

Armonk Real Estate

Armonk’s Mariani Gardens Granted Zoning Text Amendment For Café Plans | Armonk Homes

Mariani Gardens in Armonk was recently granted a zoning text amendment from the North Castle Town Board to enlarge its café, according to a report by The Examiner News.

The text amendment would allow the Armonk nursery, located on Bedford Road, to enlarge its café from 1,000-square-feet to up to 3,500-square feet, and it would also be able to increase its seating capacity from 16 to 72, the report said. Certain home furnishing and luxury items, like soaps, lotions and jewelry, could also be sold at the business.

The final step in granting the zoning revision is approval from the North Castle Planning Board.

The text amendment was granted after two years of debate and revised proposals, according to the report.

To read the full story, click here.

 

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http://armonk.dailyvoice.com/news/mariani-gardens-expansion-approval-tops-armonk-news-week

Art Garfunkel To Perform, Speak In Armonk | Armonk Homes

Music legend Art Garfunkel will perform acoustic sets Oct. 25 and 26 at Whippoorwill Hall at the North Castle Public Library.

The performances will be at 8 p.m. at the library, 19 Whippoorwill Road E., Armonk.

The library said the event will be “an intimate evening of songs, anecdotes, prose and a question-and-answer session with the renowned singer, songwriter and poet.”

Attendance for this event is limited and advance tickets are required. Tickets are $40 and can be purchase online only beginning Sept. 1 here.

The doors will open at 7 pm, and general seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Because of the intimate nature of the program, the library asks those interested to use discretion with regards to purchasing tickets for children under the age of 10.

The library said Garfunkel has asked those who attend to refrain from the use of cameras or video/audio recording equipment of any kind at the performance.

 

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http://armonk.dailyvoice.com/events/art-garfunkel-perform-speak-armonk

 

Armonk Weekly Real Estate Report | Armonk NY Real Estate for Sale

Armonk   NY Weekly Real Estate Report8/29/2013
Homes for sale84
Median Ask Price$1,737,000.00
Low Price$395,000.00
High Price$17,000,000.00
Average Size5188
Average Price/foot$433.00
Average DOM159
Average Ask Price$2,349,718.00

Don’t Be Shy. Questions To Ask Your Contractor | Armonk Real Estate

Questions to ask your Contractor

When it comes to hiring a contractor, most folks think they do the right amount of due diligence. They search for reviews, they check with the Better Business Bureau, and they likely ask the prospective pro whether or not they’re licensed and insured. Doing your research is a good thing. It helps you avoid the mistake of hiring the wrong pro. However, many homeowners still feel intimidated when dealing with their contractor. So much so, that nearly 84 percent of homeowners we surveyed spent time researching their project before talking to their contractor in hopes of sounding like they knew what they were talking about!
Getting taken advantage of is a legitimate fear when hiring a pro to tackle a major home improvement project. One of the ways to prevent that from happening is by knowing how much others in your area are paying for similar projects. Our Cost Guide helps you get the pricing info you’re looking for so you can go into the budgeting process with the right information.
However, you’ll need more than pricing info to get the peace of mind you’re looking for. Thankfully, all it takes is the confidence to ask any and all questions you might have. Here are five must ask questions every homeowner should ask, as well as five questions you might not have thought to ask.

 

What you want to hear is that they’ve been in business long enough to establish a credible track record of successful work experience.

2. Are you licensed, insured, and/or bonded?

At the very least you want to know that they’re licensed (and it’s current) and carry worker’s comp and liability insurance to cover any accidents. Being bonded is not a universal requirement, so not all contractors are. Think of bonding as an insurance policy for the homeowner that protects you if the job heads south.

3. Do you guarantee your work in writing?

While a verbal guarantee is nice, it offers no guarantees that the contractor will actually stand behind their work. You want a written guarantee that states exactly what is and isn’t covered.

 

 

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http://welcome.homeadvisor.com/questions_to_ask_your_contractor?m=homesense&entry_point_id=26786319

 

Here’s Kobe Bryant’s ‘United States of Generica’ McMansion | Armonk Homes

“OH MY GAUD-Y.” “Like my mother-in-law’s condo, just more frilly.” “A plain faux French pizza palace.” “UNITED STATES OF GENERICA.” The commenters over at Curbed LA are a little more belligerent than usual in their assessment of the ultra beige, though still unambiguously nice (French pizza palace? now what does that even mean?) digs of L.A. hero and Lakers star Kobe Bryant. He and his wife Vanessa are unloading the gated, palm tree’d McMansion (a spare—he’s got a second one nearby) in Orange County they bought in 2001, asking$8.599M for four bedrooms and a pool that looks like it belongs at a Vegas hotel (and that, believe it or not, is a compliment). Also included? A hair salon, a theater (with lobby and wet bar), an 850-square-foot gym, and—cruelly not pictured—a library with a shark tank in it. Because, really, is a library without sharks really a library at all?

 

 

 

 

Here’s Kobe Bryant’s ‘United States of Generica’ McMansion – Celebrity Real Estate – Curbed National.

Industry push to raise visibility of home energy efficiency improvements | Armonk Real Estate

Everybody in real estate knows the rap against “green” and energy efficiency improvements to existing homes: Owners can invest a lot of money and save on utility bills, but then when they go to sell they often find it’s tough to get paybacks through higher prices on their homes.

Complicating the situation is the fact that many multiple listing services do not have “green fields” in their listing formats to highlight energy efficiency improvements, so buyers who are potentially interested in high-performance homes can’t shop for them effectively. Then come the appraisers and lenders. In an era of appraisal management companies, assignments often are made based on low fees, and appraisers with no training in valuing green improvements either ignore them or give them only minimal upward adjustments. And when they try to give significant adjustments, underwriters often challenge them or simply ask for a revised, lower number.

Builders routinely market new homes carrying Energy Star, HERS, LEED and National Green Building Standard certifications, and buyers across the country recognize these as credible performance indicators. But purchasers of existing homes have no standardized guidance.

This is despite the fact that National Association of Realtors’ annual surveys of homebuyers and sellers have consistently found that buyers care about energy efficiency.

The 2012 survey, for instance, reported that 87 percent of buyers surveyed said a home’s heating and cooling costs were “important” or “very important” to them, whatever the age of the house. Energy efficient lighting and appliances also are seen as major pluses, with roughly 70 percent of purchasers ranking them important or very important

 

 

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http://www.inman.com/2013/08/13/industry-push-to-raise-visibility-of-home-energy-efficiency-improvements/#sthash.d9jEKXNb.dpuf

Why Your Brand Must Tell A Compelling Story | Armonk Realtor

We think in story. It’s hardwired in our brain. It’s how we make strategic sense of the otherwise overwhelming world around us. – Lisa Cron, Wired for Story

It’s no longer enough to build a great looking web site that gets traffic.  Those are just the bare essentials and won’t take you very far.  In a world where we are inundated with inputs, your business and your brand must tell a compelling story. As human beings we’re wired for story.

Changing The Story on my About Page

A few days ago I came across an amazing article by Erika Napoletano about the 3 copywriting mistakes that are holding your business back.  When I looked  at it, I realized I was making all of those mistakes. So I decided to make some changes.

Here is the first version of my bio:

BLOGCAST FM founder/host Srinivas Rao has been a 2-time speaker at Blogworld Expo and was listed on Problogger’s annual list of 40 Bloggers to Watch in 2011. He’s a regular contributor to the adage 150 blog {GROW} and his work has been featured on Social Mouths, Write to Done, Dumb Little Man, Twitip, Kikolani, and many other social media and personal development blogs.

As you can see it was written in third person, and it’s just a list of my accolades. It’s not very relatable. There’s no sense of anticipation.

Below is the second version of my bio:

My name is Srinivas Rao and I’m a connector, instigator and corporate misfit who is allergic to cubicles and office buildings. I’m the guy you’ll hear shouting “let’s shift gears” in every episode of BlogcastFM. In other words I’m the host of the show.  I’ve never been particularly good at having a  ”real” job, been fired more than a handful of times, and if I wasn’t, I usually quit before I was going to be fired. It seems I was meant to set the world on fire instead. In April 2009 I graduated from business school, was completely

 

 

 

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http://www.searchenginejournal.com/why-your-brand-must-tell-a-compelling-story/67086/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SearchEngineJournal+%28Search+Engine+Journal%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail

 

Live Near A Clinton At The Whitman’s Bonkers $25M Penthouse | Armonk Real Estate

Event: A “top broker lawn party” to launch the sale of The Whitman‘s new-to-market penthouse
In the house: Every broker under the sun (seriously, more than 150 of them), including Elliman bigwigs Howard Lorber and Dottie Herman, as well as Fredrik Eklund, who made an appearance before his Million Dollar Listing New Yorkfinale party, plus architect Jeffrey Cole, contractor Allan Bloom of Facet Construction and his team, and a smattering of potential buyers
Dress code: Sleek summer dresses paired with sky-high heels for the ladies; summer suits for the gents, sometimes sans jackets, and the occasional dude in shorts with a backpack. What was he doing there?
Menu: An assortment of delicious chichi canapes (asiago and artichoke pizzette, barbequed duck crepes, Maryland crab cakes, summer rolls) and libations from not one but two bars
Overheard: “Look at this view!” “Oh, the hoi polloi is here.” “Where’s all the wine?” “It’s gor-gee-oso!”

Conversion The Whitman only has four residences, and the three on lower floors, priced in the $10 million ballpark, are already spoken for—one by former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton, who made a splash with an early buy of $10.5M back in March. That leaves the penthouse, a 10,000-square-foot giantess of a full-floor duplex that overlooks Madison Square Park. It’s asking$25,000,000. The 3,000-plus square feet of outdoor space includes a terrace on the lower level and a big, landscaped roof deck above the living room that both overlook Madison Square Park, plus a croquet pitch between the upstairs den and the master bed and bath, and a putting green behind the master bath, facing 27th Street. As party attendees oohed, aahed, and passed judgement over the luxurious trappings—courtesy of interior designer Jeremiah Brent (it’s actually the first New York project for the partner of designer Nate Berkus)—some of the 4BR/6.5BA apartment’s luxe amenities made themselves apparent.

The keyed elevator (note: still under construction) opens up onto a private foyer that will soon be enclosed in some kind of fancy notched semi-opaque glass—Cole was particularly enthusiastic about this, as well as the to-be-installed banister of the stairwell to the roof deck. It’s the little things.

Then you step into a spacious living room with three arched windows facing the park that opens up onto terrace, a.k.a. outdoor space #1. Backtracking to the area by the door, a staircase takes you up to the den… but wait, let’s keep walking north through the apartment’s massive restaurant-style kitchen, which includes a giant warming rack above an island, dual wine fridges that can hold 108 bottles at a time, a grand total of four Miele ovens, and grow lights for your herbs (“This is the most impressive thing in the apartment,” someone breathed).

 

Live Near A Clinton At The Whitman’s Bonkers $25M Penthouse – Hangover Observations – Curbed NY.

Westchester issues swimming alert | Armonk Real Estate

Below are selected alerts for residents to take note of:

July 17, 2013 Boater and swimmer advisory lifted for  Long Island Sound near Milton Harbor in Rye and Mamaroneck Harbor The advisory cautioning against contact with the Long Island Sound near Milton Harbor in Rye and Mamaroneck Harbor has been lifted by the Westchester County Department of Health.  The advisory is being lifted based on the results of water samples which show that the water does not pose a public health risk. People who use the Long Island Sound in this area for recreational purposes are free to resume direct contact with the water and swimming at the following beaches is now permitted: Beach Point Club, Orienta Beach Club, Mamaroneck Beach and Yacht Club, Shore Acres Pointe and Harbor Island Park Beach, all in Mamaroneck; and American Yacht Club, Shenorock Shore Club, Coveleigh Club and Greenhaven Association, all in Rye.

The advisory had been issued that If уоu are planning for Shорріng ѕwіmmіng рооl thаn it is  ѕuggеѕted that уоu ѕhоuld  buy oval above ground pools . Bесаuѕе when уоu are going to find yourself wіth numеrоuѕ арреаlіng options. Onе thіng tо keep іn mіnd wіth pools is thаt you have a number оf dіffеrеnt ѕhареѕ, manufactures, and ѕіzеѕ tо соnѕіdеr. But frоm all of them оvаl рооlѕ themselves hаvе ѕоmе unique bеnеfіtѕ that аrе wоrth kееріng іn mіnd, аѕ well and these pools are more secure from injuries and damage. Onе оf thе bіggеѕt аdvаntаgе to an оvаl рооl оvеr ground ѕwіmmіng pool would bе thе аеѕthеtісѕ.

The advisory had been issued as a precaution because an underground force main break near Blind Brook had released sludge close to where the Blind Brook empties into the Long Island Sound. The Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities took the force main out of service at about 2:15 p.m. on Monday, but repair efforts were hindered by high tide.
Repairs to the force main were completed Tuesday evening and water was pumped through the pipe during the night while workers checked the air relief valves along the force main. Crews finished backfilling this morning and the line has now resumed normal pumping operations.

http://health.westchestergov.com/alerts

More Britons Expect House Prices to Rise Next Year | Armonk NY Real Estate

Britons’ confidence in the housing market has risen, with more consumers forecasting price gains than declines in the next year, a survey by Halifax showed.

A gauge of the housing market measuring value expectations climbed to 40 in June from 33 in March, the mortgage unit of Lloyds Banking Group Plc said in an e-mailed statement in Londontoday. June’s reading was the highest since Halifax began the quarterly survey in April 2011. Fifty-two percent of respondents predict prices will advance over the next 12 months, with 12 percent forecasting decreases, it said.

“Sentiment regarding the outlook for house prices has improved markedly over the past quarter, continuing the trend seen since late 2012,” Halifax economist Martin Ellis said in the statement. “Nonetheless, the market still faces substantial headwinds with, for example, house prices remaining above the historical average in relation to earnings. Such factors are likely to prevent a sharp acceleration in house prices.”

The survey chimes with recent housing data that have shown an improving market. Reports from Hometrack Ltd., Acadametrics Ltd., and Nationwide Building Society all showed values rose in June as the Bank of England’s Funding for Lending Scheme and the government’s Help-to-Buy program eased the supply of credit.

 

More Britons Expect House Prices to Rise Next Year – Bloomberg.