Tag Archives: Bedford Real Estate

Bedford Real Estate

Case-Shiller is Still on a Roll | Bedford NY Real Estate

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Once again in June, prices increased at a double digit pace in both the 10-City and 20-City Composites Indexes from S&P/Case-Shiller, posting returns of 2.2% for June and 11.9% and 12.1% over 12 months.

The S&P/Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index, which covers all nine U.S. census divisions, grew 7.1% in the second quarter and 10.1% over the last four quarters.

All 20 cities posted gains on a monthly and annual basis. However, in only six cities were prices rising faster this month than last, compared to ten in May. Dallas and Denver reached new all-time highs as they did last month, with returns of +1.7% each in June. San Francisco’s rebound is the largest, up 47.0% from its low in March 2009. Phoenix is second, 37.1% above its September 2011

Measured from their June/July 2006 peaks, the peak-to-current decline for both 10-City and 20-City Composites is approximately 23%. The recovery from the March 2012 lows is 18.4% and 19.0% for the 10-City and 20-City Composites.

“National home prices rose more than 10% annually in each of the last two quarters,” says David M. Blitzer, Chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices. “However, the monthly city by city data show the pace of price increases is moderating.

“The Southwest and California have consistently led the recovery with Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco posting at least 15 months of gains. Looking at the cities, New York recorded its highest monthly return since 2002. Atlanta was up the most at +3.4% and Washington DC had the lowest return at +1.0%. In terms of annual rates of change, San Francisco lost its leadership position with Las Vegas showing the highest post-recession gain of 24.9%.

“Overall, the report shows that housing prices are rising but the pace may be slowing. Thirteen out of twenty cities saw their returns weaken from May to June. As we are in the middle of a seasonal buying period, we should expect to see the most gains. With interest rates rising to almost 4.6%, home buyers may be discouraged and sharp increases may be dampened.

“Other housing news is positive, but not as robust as last spring. Starts and sales of new homes continue to lag the stronger pace set by existing homes. Despite recent increases in mortgage interest rates, affordability is still good as credit qualifications have eased somewhat.”

As of June 2013, average home prices across the United States are back to their spring 2004 levels. Measured from their June/July 2006 peaks, the peak-to-current decline for both Composites is approximately 23%. The recovery from the March 2012 lows is 18.4% and 19.0% for the 10-City and 20-City Composites.

All 20 cities showed positive monthly returns for at least the third consecutive month. Six cities – Charlotte, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, New York and Tampa – showed acceleration. Atlanta took the lead with a return of 3.4% as San Francisco dropped to +2.7% in June from +4.3% in May. New York posted a gain of 2.1%, its highest since July 2002.

Year-over-year, Las Vegas and San Francisco were the only two MSAs to post gains of over 20%; Atlanta, Detroit and Phoenix decreased to +19.0%, +16.4% and +19.8%, respectively. Seven cities – Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Diego and Tampa – showed improvement in their annual rates. Out of the 13 remaining MSAs, Detroit showed the most deceleration but it still posted an impressive 16.4% increase. Despite gaining 35.6% from its post-recession low in April 2011, Detroit remains the only city below its January 2000 level

 

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/08/case-shiller-is-still-on-a-roll/

 

Realtor recovering after being shot on grounds of $1.88M property | Bedford NY Real Estate

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A Canadian Realtor is recovering after being shot in the head Saturday on the grounds of a 19-acre, $1.88 million listing he represents near Vancouver, British Columbia.

Franz Prokop of Macdonald Realty was airlifted to a hospital after he was found by the side of the road on the property, which formerly housed a marijuana grow operation and methamphetamine lab.

Police say the shooting was not random but don’t have a suspect in custody, The Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News reports.

 

Source: mapleridgenews.com.

 

read more…

 

http://www.inman.com/wire/realtor-recovering-after-being-shot-on-grounds-of-1-88m-property/#sthash.vNA0cTsh.dpuf

5 Common Mistakes to Avoid on Google+ | Bedford Realtor

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Google+ maybe a newer social network, but it’s a powerful one.5 Common Mistakes to Avoid on Google+

In fact it is now the second largest social media network behind Facebook after only launching just over two years ago.

So why are so many Google+ users confused about how to use it? The fact is, if  you’re like most people on Google+, you’re still a little confused about the site.

So what should you do?

To answer that question, here’s a list of some of the most common mistakes  users make on the network. Examine these errors and avoid them, and you set  yourself up to be ahead of the pack.

1. Not Optimizing Your Profile

Completing your profile is Google+ 101.

When you add your name, bio, photo and other information, you let other users  know who you are and how to identify you. This not only encourages connection,  but it also reinforces your brand. To make the most of your profile, optimize it  with keywords relevant to your industry. Likewise, include relevant links  throughout your About page, from the “introduction” to the “website” section.

Look at my profile as an example:

  • Completed tagline
  • Keyword-rich introduction
  • Contact information
  • Photo

5 Common Mistakes to Avoid on Google+

Also optimize your profile by listing all the of the sites where your  writing or content appears.

5 Common Mistakes to Avoid on Google+

2. Never Posting

You gain the most exposure on Google+ when you post regularly.

Fresh content keeps you current in the feeds of contacts and makes you seem  relevant, as is shown in the feed below. Likewise, regular posting benefits search engine optimization, improving your results when  users search for content related to what you share.

Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/08/26/5-common-mistakes-to-avoid-on-google/#kImM2Q5AWspxokA7.99

Comptroller Raises Concerns About Bedford’s Finances | Bedford Homes

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Town Comptroller Edward Ritter presented a bleak financial outlook for the Town of Bedford at a recent work session.

At the Aug. 20 meeting, Ritter presented a financial outlook for the town for the next five years that showed Bedford facing rising pension and benefit costs that will be hard to keep up with.

Like most municipalities, Bedford has seen pension and health care costs skyrocket over the past few years while they try to keep budgets within the 2-percent cap on the tax levy.

The board is already working on its 2014 budget, where, according to Ritter, the town faces a $692,082 budget  gap for 2014. The gap could reach $2.6 million by 2018.

Municipalities are required to pass balance budgets. Ritter said the town’s fund balance is also running low. Municipalities often use fund balance to help mitigate two percent.

Ritter said employee benefits will rise from $5.7 million this year to more than $8 million in 2018.

At the work session, the town board discussed possibly overriding the tax cap in future years. The Bedford Town Board can override the tax cap with a 3-2 vote.

Supervisor Lee Roberts said, while she is concerned, she believes Bedford is in better shape than most.

“We have a AAA bond rating and a healthy fund balance,” Roberts said. “We have our concerns. It’s not going to be business as usual.”

Roberts said the town board has to be creative with the town’s future financial direction.

“This exercise is going to give us a longer range view of our finances so we can plan and not just have a knee-jerk reaction,” Roberts said. “It was a call for all of the town board to come up with thoughts and ideas on how we’re going to move forward.”

Bedford’s situation is not unique in New York, Roberts said.

“Every town will be required to have a long range review,” Roberts said. “It’s good to have a sense of direction you’re taking and not just be reactionary when things go wrong.”

The town has tried to keep costs down, having cut for the last five years. But along with pension and health insurance costs increasing, replacing vehicles, paving roads and fuel costs have all gone up. Last year, the town laid off employees for the first time in history.

“Everything goes up,” Roberts lamented. “It’s a very difficult economic picture for municipalities. Mandate relief would go a long way to helping us. The entire financial picture is challenging.”

Roberts noted the town has no control over pension costs, simply getting a bill from the state comptroller’s office.

 

 

 

http://bedford.dailyvoice.com/politics/comptroller-raises-concerns-about-bedfords-finances

Bedford Farms Added to Westchester County Agriculture District | Bedford Homes

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Six farms, in North Salem, Lewisboro and Bedford, have been added to the county’s agricultural district.

The farms are SweetWater Farm in North Salem (13.30 acres), Gossett Brothers Nursery in Lewisboro (5.50 acres), Sun Raven Farm in Bedford, (4 acres), Canterwood Farm in North Salem (19.11 acres), 102 Titicus Road in North Salem (1.31 acres) and Mill Pond Farm in Bedford (24.79 acres).

Adding farms to the agricultural district allows the county to apply for state grants.

“This protects these parcels,” county Legislator Peter Hatckham said. The parcels are all in Harckham’s district.

Harckham said farming in Northern Westchester is becoming a big business, which is good for the county and the environment.

“Farms help lower obesity rates,” Harckham said. “We need to make more of an effort to harvest locally and give our kids fresh produce.”

Harckham said people in Westchester are beginning to realize how beneficial farms are, especially with tourism.

“In the fall people are always going up to farms picking apples, pumpkins and berries. It builds sales tax revenue,” Harckham said.

The properties are used mainly for farming crops, dairy production or raising horses. Agricultural land in Westchester, including family farms and homesteads passed from generation to generation, has been converted to other land uses in the past several decades. Therefore, agricultural property buyers might be interested in viewing these farms.

read more…

http://bedford.dailyvoice.com/news/bedford-farms-added-westchester-county-agriculture-district

Inspiring Cabins & Cottages | Bedford NY Real Estate

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For many of us, the archetypal image of the cottage home comes from storybook memories of our childhood: the diminutive dwelling glimpsed through the trees at the end of a winding trail, smoke rising from the chimney, roses rambling over a trellis and up onto the thatched roof, leaded windows, an inviting entryway … There’s something undeniably appealing about this image, something that makes the cottage the dream home for so many people, but it’s hard to put your finger on exactly what it is.

After all, also implied in this picture are cramped quarters, a dark interior and a lack of modern amenities. In attempting to define the enduring appeal of cottages, words such as comfort, coziness, charm, simplicity, intimacy and romance readily spring to mind, suggesting that the idea of cottage is as much a state of mind as it is a tangible presence.

To try to capture the essence of cottage appeal, think back to those most special places of your childhood. In your mind, revisit that snug hollow hidden under dense lilac bushes, the ramshackle fort cradled high in the limbs of the maple tree, the attic closet and its secret passageway winding under the stairs, or the bunk bed at the lake cabin draped with thick blankets. What do these places have in common? What did you feel like when you were in them? And what do these places of your childhood memories have to do with cottages?

I’ll answer the last question for you — everything. To me, these hollows, forts and closets all evoke the essence of what the cottage house must be for us. In our childhood, we found or created spaces to fulfill an essential, unspoken need to feel safe and secure from an overstimulating and dangerous outside world. (If you think about it, none of these spaces would have felt this way had they been larger, more open to the outside or more fancily built.) We may be all grown up now, but these needs are still essential to our sense of well-being. Those who understand this also understand the appeal of the cottage house: a magical, almost mysterious place that holds us closely within its lovely boundaries, warming and soothing our work- and world-weary souls.

What seems to be constant is the idea of the cottage as a retreat, the place to go to get away from it all, be it a beach cottage overlooking the ocean, a mountain hideaway, a pastoral retreat nestled in the woods or even a thoughtfully built cottage in town. It’s a place for lounging, for curling up with a good book or for doing absolutely nothing. It’s small enough to personalize and make your own: If you want to hang lobster pots from the ceiling or carve snail shells for drawer pulls, who’s going to stop you?

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-homes/inspiring-cabins-cottages.aspx?newsletter=1&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=GEGH%20eNews&utm_campaign=08.16.13%20GEGH#ixzz2cKBN1pMu

 

Inspiring Cabins & Cottages.

11 Things You Should Know About Homeowners Insurance | Bedford Real Estate

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Insurance requires you to think about bad occurrences: medical problems, car accidents, emergency home repairs. But while it may sound pessimistic to dwell on what could happen (carpe diem, anyone?), it’s important to protect yourself from some of life’s biggest surprises.

When it comes to protecting your home, it’s not just about safeguarding against structural damage or theft — it’s just as much about feeling secure in where you live. If disaster strikes, your focus should be on reclaiming your sense of stability. The last thing you should worry about is money.

We spoke to LearnVest Planning Services certified financial planner™ Ellen Derrick — and some real homeowners — about the top 11 things you should know about homeowners insurance.

No. 1: What it covers

A typical policy will pay for damage to your property and your possessions in the event of certain storms, fire, theft or vandalism. Like renters insurance, it also provides liability coverage if someone gets hurt on your property and decides to sue. Homeowners insurance also covers shelter costs, so you don’t have to face crazy hotel bills if you’re temporarily displaced from your house.

Homeowners insurance can protect belongings outside the home, too. If something is stolen from your car, auto insurance won’t cover it — but your homeowners policy likely will. “Most policies will cover your belongings when they are traveling with you,” Derrick said. “If you have a $1,200 laptop and it gets lost by the airline, call your insurance agent — right after you file the claim with the airline, of course.”

No. 2: What it doesn’t cover

A standard policy has exclusions including earth movements (landslides, earthquakes, sinkholes), power failure, war, nuclear hazard, government action, faulty zoning, bad repair or workmanship, defective maintenance and flooding. Windstorms are typically covered, including tornadoes, although insurance companies exclude tornadoes or hurricanes in some high-risk areas.

Water damage is tricky. As a rule of thumb, water from above (rainwater or a burst pipe in an upstairs apartment) is usually covered, but water from below (backed-up sewers or ground flooding) generally isn’t. If your region is prone to floods and earthquakes, you should consider supplemental coverage.

No. 3: Why you should shop around

Before committing to a policy, take the time to research an agent whom you trust — preferably one with good reviews online or via a personal recommendation. It’s certainly something that homeowner Ramzy Ayyad, who struggled to receive benefits following a house fire in November 2008, recommends that prospective homeowners do. “I had to deal with a rude adjuster,” he said. After complaining assertively to the adjuster’s boss, Ayyad finally received a check for the damages — but the process was exhausting.

By contrast, homeowner Terri Corcoran has nothing but glowing reviews for her adjuster. After a snowstorm caused a major leak in Corcoran’s laundry room, an insurance agent came to her home to assess the damage and promptly determined that the entire room needed to be redone. “They wrote me a check on the spot for what it should cost,” Corcoran said. “I was really impressed by how the company responded!”

 

11 Things You Should Know About Homeowners Insurance | Zillow Blog.

Give unrealistic sellers the ‘shock treatment’ | Bedford NY Homes

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There’s an old saying that it’s best to be the first born, second spouse and the third listing agent. So whose fault is it when a property doesn’t sell?

There are thousands of reasons that cause listings to expire. An agent may do everything possible and the property still doesn’t sell due to lack of activity in that price range or location. Other times, the listing agent didn’t market the property adequately, or conditions under the seller’s control prevented the sale. In almost every case, however, the reason most properties do not sell is the price.

A major misconception

Many people, including a large number of real estate professionals, fail to realize that it is the buyers (and sometimes the appraisers) who determine the selling price, not the sellers or agents.

The stock market provides a good analogy for understanding this situation. Assume that an investor paid $100 for a share of IBM stock. Today that stock is trading at $60 a share. If the investor insists on getting $100 a share, he will have to wait to sell until the market conditions improve. Otherwise, if he must sell now he will need to reduce his price to $60 a share.

The same is true for the real estate market. If someone paid $225,000 for a home and today similar homes are selling for $180,000, the owner has the same choices as the investor in the example above: sell at today’s prices or wait for the market to improve.

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/07/22/give-unrealistic-sellers-the-shock-treatment/#sthash.IKPvdyVR.dpuf

 

Give unrealistic sellers the ‘shock treatment’ | Inman News.

U.S. housing outlook still promising despite rise in rates: Citigroup economist | Bedford Real Estate

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U.S. housing sector fundamentals remain favorable despite the recent rise in interest rates and the sharp drop in housing starts in June, says Citigroup economist Peter D’Antonio.

Housing starts fell 9.9 percent to a ten-month low of 836,000 units in June.

But the decline was almost all in the volatile multi-family sector, D’Antonio notes. Single-family starts remained in a range just below 600,000, while multi-family fell 26 percent to 245,000.

Multi-family starts have been an important growth sector in housing in the past year, but month-to-month changes in multi-family starts – noted for their volatility – are meaningless. Multi-family housing starts rose 21 percent in March, fell 32 percent in April, rose 28 percent in May, then fell 26 percent in June.

Even with the rate increase, houses remain extremely affordable.

The typical household still can afford about 70 percent more than the median house. The (NAHB) housing market index for July reported another big rise in buyer traffic and sales, indicating builder optimism and continued solid demand for new homes.

 

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, in what was likely his last monetary policy testimony to Congress this week, largely agreed:

Housing has contributed significantly to recent gains in economic activity. Home sales, house prices, and residential construction have moved up over the past year, supported by low mortgage rates and improved confidence in both the housing market and the economy. Rising housing construction and home sales are adding to job growth, and substantial increases in home prices are bolstering household finances and consumer spending while reducing the number of homeowners with underwater mortgages.

Housing activity and prices seem likely to continue to recover, notwithstanding the recent increases in mortgage rates, but it will be important to monitor developments in this sector carefully.

 

 

U.S. housing outlook still promising despite rise in rates: Citigroup economist | MacroScope.

Q&A: Painting Popcorn Ceilings | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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Q.Several of my customers have “popcorn” ceilings that are old and dirty. Is there any way of painting them short of spray-painting?

A.Dan Greenough, a painting and finishing contractor in the San Francisco Bay area, responds: I always spray-paint popcorn — or blown-on acoustic — ceilings. When you roll them, the material breaks loose and clogs the roller.

If you have to roll them, look for a special textured foam roller cover designed for acoustic ceilings. These covers have slits and cross-hatchings that allow the foam to better conform to the irregular ceiling surface. The idea is to apply the paint with the least possible pressure to prevent the ceiling material from breaking loose.

Cutting in the corners can also be tricky. If you try to cut in with a brush, you will have to work hard to avoid lap marks. It may be faster to mask the walls and roll right up to the edge.

It will take several coats of paint on the entire ceiling to produce an even finish. Be advised that the water in the paint will wet the popcorn surface, causing it to roll off with the roller. Apply the first coat and allow it to dry thoroughly before you try to backroll or apply additional coats.

One reason people often want to repaint acoustic ceiling is to hide water stains caused by plumbing or roof leaks. But those stains are water soluble and will telegraph through new paint. To prevent that, always use several coats of a shellac primer to lock in the stain and prevent it from bleeding through.

While you’re at the paint store, inquire about ceiling paints that are engineered especially for acoustic ceilings. Such paints have less resin density than standard smooth-wall paints and will help maintain the acoustic qualities of the rough, textured surface.

 

 

Q&A: Painting Popcorn Ceilings – Painting, Walls, Paints, Finishes And Surfaces, Acoustics – JLC Online.