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Chappaqua NY Realtor Uses the Three C’s Of Social Media | Chappaqua NY Homes

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I recently received a “Twitter Status 6 achievement” on empireavenue.com.
It means I posted 750 tweets in my life. This merely indicates that I’ve been active on Twitter for a short period. During this short period however, I noticed a little annoying aspect of the social media phenomenon.

 

That little annoying aspect I want to talk about is what I call “the deployment of social media marketing automation tools” or even “twitter marketing automation”.

Social media has a human aspect

Social media doesn’t bear the word “social” in it just for fun. It’s all about engagement and connecting with people. As a result I recommend to listen before you define your social media strategy – and especially before you start automating. This will improve your overall social media campaign…

Oh wait! Stop thinking campaign-wise! It’s social, not campaigns. It’s people. It’s connecting. It’s engaging. It’s conversations. It’s for once and forever. It is marriage.

The Machine - painting as spotted in Museum of Modern Art Brussels.

The Machine – painting as spotted in Museum of Modern Art Brussels.

Social media’s machine aspect: automation

 

Let’s say social relates to human and let’s assume automation relates to machines. How can you then appropriately deploy automation within a social sphere? I believe the answer ought to be found in the 3 C’s of Social Media Marketing Automation.

The 3 C’s of Social Media Marketing Automation: Cool, Cute, Crap.

As I’ve been around and active in social media for about 750 tweets now, I’ve distilled some of the do’s and don’ts of social media automation.

It turned out however that it’s not that easy to define an automation aspect as “do” or “don’t”. Sometimes it can be used in a “good” way but it can easily glimpse into a “bad” one. That’s why I introduce a third class into this debate, the “consider wisely” category.

Bringing sexiness: category labels and infographics – Cool, Cute, Crap.

So to turn my entire theory / philosophy about social media marketing automation into a sex bomb, I’ve relabeled the categories into something more compelling (at least I believe, and please allow me to do so) and spice it up with an infographic.

The categories / labels are:

  • Cool (do): social media automation that’s recommended. A do. A Cool thing.
  • Cute (do with care): social media automation that might be beneficial. There’s the danger to glimpse into the don’t category.
  • Crap (don’t): absolute don’ts of social media marketing automation.

Cut the crap – what exactly is Cool, Cute or Crap?

Well, read the below overview or scroll down to the infographic below. Please realize that this is not an exact science and only a personal interpretation of what I’ve encountered. Of course, the list also doesn’t claim to be complete. I would highly appreciate your suggestions to include in this list – whether under Cool, Cute or Crap.

Infographic - 3 Cs

Infographic – 3Cs

  1. COOL
    • Multiple account management tools. If you need more than one account / profile / personality in the social realms, it might be cool to automate the management of the different personas. One could think of e.g. a professional and a private account or a consultant managing multiple company accounts, etc.
    • Multiple contributors to one account (professional environments).
    • Url shorteners. One of the key social aspects is to share things. Most of the time this includes sharing a link. It’s very cool to use Url shorteners. And it’s supercool to deploy personalized url shorteners…
    • Monitoring. It’s cool to monitor what people say about you or your themes. But please don’t push it.
  2. CRAP
    • Auto creation of users so to have a higher follower rate. There are tools who promise you a high amount of followers. In fact, the software creates fake people that follow you. Big fail.
    • Extensive retweet scheduling: automatically scream the same message over and over.
    • Bulk tweet sending. If you see a person able to tweet 10 messages in less than a minute than you know it’s automated, than you know it ain’t human.
    • Auto message to new followers “look forward to your tweets”. Yeah right, you follow over 20K people, as if you’re really interested in me.
    • Auto follow followers. It doesn’t make sense to follow somebody just merely because they follow you.
    • Picked keywords that are automatically (re)tweeted. This is very annoying. Yes it’s cool to monitor to stay informed but automatic re-spread of a message is crap.
    • Constant retweet of your marketing hero without any input. If I like those tweets, I will follow the source, your hero. After all it’s your hero who’s cool, not you.
    • Feed tweets from other sources that don’t have a 140 chars limit. Facebook has a 420 character limit, so if you push this to Twitter, your message is lost.
  3. CUTE:
    • Feed it from a different source. Linking your blog to other social networks is cool but tends to be cute when you don’t pay enough attention. It’s completely crap when you don’t pay any attention at all. Make sure you can modify your message for the different platforms’ characteristics.
    • Tweet scheduling can be very cute. Especially if you have a follower base in different time zones. But don’t spam it.
    • Automated tweeting when there’s a new comment on your blog is cute. But what about auto tweeting spammy a-like messages?
    • Social Media Monitoring and auto-follow anyone who mentions you without any interaction or further engagement. I personally had that experience with big brands as Adobe, Audi and RedBull. Of course I was flattered they followed me but without any engagement or interaction, it was only cute, not cool.

An infographic – that makes things sexy these days

Infographics are very hot these days. And yes, it makes facts and figures sexier to read. That’s probably why some even call it infoporn. OK, mine isn’t that sexy but it’ll be only by trying that I’ll make good once later, much later.

 

Infographic - 3 C's of Social Media Marketing Automation

Infographic – 3 C’s of Social Media Marketing Automation

 

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Reading into real estate demographics | Inman News in Chappaqua NY

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Cheryl Russell is a professional demographer. Her job, which she does well, is to notice certain trend lines in statistical data. I became familiar with her and her blog, “DemoMemo: Demographic Trends with Attitude,” when someone forwarded me one of her March blogs with the headline, “Steep Decline In Homebuying Among Young.”

That’s the kind of trend lines that catch my attention — especially when I had seen nothing else about that subject from the traditional housing or census reports. I gave Russell a call, but before asking her about that particular blog, I was curious how one gets to be a professional demographer.

It wasn’t all that difficult. She went to Cornell University, where she earned her master’s degree in demography — who knew there was such a curriculum? Soon afterward, she became editor of American Demographics. I missed that one also; gee, I need to get out more.

Then she moved to the Boomer Report. For the last 20 years she has been working for New Strategist publications, which she tells me produces demographic reference tools.

If you think this kind of work is boring, well, I won’t argue. However, some of her blog posts fascinate me, even when they are just numbers. Recent subjects include: “Who Goes To The Movies,” “The Mystery of Travel Statistics,” “A New Baby Bust,” and “The Boomer Inheritance.”

Sometimes her blog posts are as short as one line. The post, “Little Savings,” reads en toto, “percentage of workers who have saved $100,000 or more: 24 percent.”

Russell began April with a blog post called, “The Housing Market’s Problem,” and I’ll reprint it here in its one paragraph entirety.

“Yes, the unemployment rate is falling. Slowly. This morning the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the unemployment rate declined to 8.8 percent in March, down from 8.9 percent in February. We may be on the road to recovery, but our progress is blocked by what has been destroyed: confidence. The average American worker feels much less secure in his job than he did a few years ago. The percentage who think there is no chance they could lose their job in the next year, as shown in the post below, fell from 71 to 52 percent between 2000 and 2010, according to the General Social Survey. This insecurity might be good news for businesses that want to hold down wages. But it is a disaster for the housing market. With the threat of unemployment looming over them, how many will be brave enough to buy a house? Apparently, not many.”

Good stuff, right?

So, that takes me to the blog post that caught my eye. Homebuilders, take note.

According to Russell, young adults are more hesitant to buy a home today than at any time in the past quarter century.

When I told Russell I hadn’t read anything on this subject before, she told me that was because she dissected the existing data differently, looking at homeownership in five-year age groups.

“If you look at these groups, you can see that the 30- to 34-year-olds had the biggest decline in homeownership rates since the market for ownership peaked in 2004,” Russell said. “And that was a 5.8 percent decline. That got me interested in what has happened in that age group because this is a critical group for the housing market –this is the first group where homeownership rises above the 50 percent level.”

To see what happened with 30- to 34-year-olds, Russell turned back to the prior grouping, the 25- to 29-year-olds, to see how their ownership changed from 2005-10.

“Homeownership in that age group increased because as people age they are more likely to become homeowners,” said Russell. “But the increase was so much less than it had been in the previous comparable five-year periods that it became clear the 25- to 29-year-olds were becoming much more cautious about buying homes relative to that age group 10 or 20 years ago.”

Here’s the key statistic, as I saw it: If you look at 25- to 29-year-olds as they move into the 30- to 34-year-old age bracket, from 2005-10 their homeownership rate increased 10.7 percent, which compares extremely unfavorably with the 20.2 percent increase a decade earlier for that same age group. Going back two decades, for that same cohort, there was a 14.1 percent increase in the homeownership rate.

If Russell is correct, the enthusiasm for homebuying in that age group is much less than it has been in the prior two decades.

Here’s something else Russell points out: The median age of homeowners in new homes (a structure built in the past four years) is 40. That compares to the median age of 52 for all homeowners. In fact, the under-40 age group is half of all owners of new homes, which is why a dampening enthusiasm for homeownership should be a bit frightening for builders.

“Developers and homebuilders are looking at a very different environment than they have ever experienced in their careers,” said Russell. “It’s going to be an environment that may be with them for the rest of their careers, so they have to learn how to function in this new, more cautious environment.”

For the 30- to 34-year-old group, homeownership remains at 51.6 percent, which means more people in that age group would still prefer to own rather than rent.

Since the Census Bureau has been tracking this information starting in the early 1980s, homeownership in this age group has never fallen below 50 percent. If it does, that would be, as Russell noted, a very big deal, “because it would be very clear to everyone that this important age group is not buying home.

via inman.com

7 Habits of Professional Bloggers | Chappaqua NY Homes

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This guest post is by Ali Luke of Aliventures.

Your blog isn’t growing as fast as you’d hoped.

You’re working hard—and trying to follow all the advice which you’ve read online—but you’re not seeing the traffic or subscriber levels that you’d like, and you’re not making quit-your-day-job levels of money. Actually, you’re not making much money at all.

Professional blogging isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme—and I’m sure you’ve discovered that for yourself. But although building a successful, income-producing blog might take a bit longer than you wanted, it’s far from impossible.

In fact, it’s just a case of slowly but surely improving your game. These are seven habits which top bloggers share. Are you missing any of them?

1. Learning

Being willing to learn, consistently, is crucial to success in today’s fast-moving world—but that’s especially true in blogging, where technological changes mean that last year’s top sites are this year’s has-beens.

As I’ve met more and more great bloggers, I’ve been struck how much they invest in learning. They go to conferences, they read ebooks and take ecourses, and they make sure they keep improving their skills in the two areas which matter most: being able to write well and being adept with technology.

First step

Become a regular reader of great blogging and writing related blogs. My top three are:

Take it further

Buy an ebook or take an ecourse that’ll help you take your blogging further. A great one to start with is 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, because it combines solid theory with practical exercises, and it covers a wide range of beginner-friendly topics.

2. Sustainability

Your blogging needs to be sustainable. While you might not be making much money to start with, you should aim to make enough to invest in some learning materials—and to cover your hosting, domain name registration, and other blogging expenses.

You also need to make sure that you’re being realistic about the time you can spend on your blog. Sure, you might have the energy to write all weekend when you first start out—but will you be able to do that month after month? An awful lot of would-be probloggers give up after a few weeks because their blogging schedule just wasn’t sustainable.

First step

If your hosting and other expenses mean that your blog’s currently running at a loss, find one simple way to monetize it. That might mean finding a great affiliate product to recommend, installing a donation button, or putting up Google AdSense.

Take it further

Plan out major purchases—like ecourses or conference tickets—in advance. Look for ways to cover the costs from your blogging income, rather than out of your own pocket. The first time I went to South by South West, I released an ebook which paid for the cost of my trip (you can read how I did it here on ProBlogger).

3. Consistency

Can you imagine reading a post like this on ProBlogger?

Sorry guys, I know I haven’t updated in a month, I’ve just been really busy…

Of course not. In fact, if even a couple of days went by without a ProBlogger update, I bet Darren would be inundated with emails from worried readers asking what was wrong. Professional bloggers post consistently—whether that means once a week or three times a day.

Posting consistently shows that you take your blog seriously. It gets readers into the habit of coming back to read new posts—and it gets you into the habit of writing regularly.

First step

Decide on a sensible, sustainable posting schedule. It’s fine if that means one post a week—readers would rather have one great post every week than seven rushed posts one week then nothing for a month.

Take it further

Write posts ahead of time, so that you’ve got some “banked” for busy periods. You can schedule a post to publish in the future using WordPress, so your posts can keep going up consistently even if you’re jetting off on holiday.

4. Self-discipline

The sun’s shining outside. There’s a show I want to watch. And I really should do the dishes…

It’s all too easy to think up excuses to leave your desk and your blog. Even if you love writing, you probably find it hard to sit down and stay focused while you’re working on a post. I write for a living and I still find it challenging!

That’s why self-discipline is so important for professional bloggers. You need to be able to work on your blog without checking Twitter every two minutes, and without getting distracted by everything else that’s going on around you.

Self-discipline doesn’t just mean sitting down and working, though. It also means knowing when to stop working. That might mean being self-disciplined enough not to check your emails during dinner, or not obsessing over Google Analytics.

First step

Next time you sit down to write a post, close your internet browser first. Don’t open it up again until you’ve been writing for at least 30 minutes.

Take it further

Find ways to bolster your self-discipline by changing your environment:

  • Take your laptop to a coffee shop that doesn’t have wi-fi.
  • Get up earlier so you can blog before work, rather than struggling to have motivation to blog when you get home.
  • Block websites which you find yourself accessing too often.

5. Integrity

This might seem like an odd habit to include on the list, but I think integrity is extremely important for professional bloggers. The best bloggers I know are people who I put a lot of trust in. I buy their products—and I’m confident that these will be worth my money. I buy products which they recommend—and I know that the blogger isn’t just hyping something in order to get a few dollars in commission.

I can’t tell you what integrity means for you and your blog. But I suggest that you give it some thought. It’s very easy to lose readers’ trust—and once you’ve lost it, they won’t be coming back. Worse, they might warn other people to steer clear of you.

First step

Make sure you always disclose affiliate links. This isn’t just to help readers trust you—it’s also a legal requirement if you live in America.

Take it further

Think through any moral grey areas carefully. For instance, would you run a sponsored post on your blog—and if so, would you disclose its status? Would you promote a product which you hadn’t tried out yourself—and if so, would you make that clear to your readers?

6. Courtesy

I’ve seen a few train-wreck situations in my time in the blogosphere, where comment threads have got out of hand, or where two bloggers have attacked one another in their posts. It’s never a pretty sight, and it always gives me a dim view of the people in question.

So courtesy is a vital habit. That means responding politely and pleasantly to people—even if they’ve said something which makes you angry. If your blog is still small, courtesy might also mean replying to all your comments. If your blog is too big to do that, courtesy might prompt you to explain on your “About” page that you can’t reply to everyone but that you do value their comments.

First step

If you’re ever tempted to post a blazing angry comment, stop. Walk away for a while—at least an hour if you can.

Take it further

Consider having a comments policy which encourages (or requires) all your blog’s readers to interact respectfully. That doesn’t mean that everyone has to agree—but they have to avoid using aggressive language or posting personal attacks. Remember that many readers may read the comments, even if they never post one.

7. Growth

Finally, professional bloggers don’t stay in the middle of their cozy comfort zone. If they did, they’d never have got far. They keep on growing—stretching themselves, trying new things, bringing in new readers, and launching new products.

Growth isn’t always easy. There’ll be plenty of times in your blogging journey where you’re nervous about taking the next step. Perhaps you’ve never sent out a guest post, because you’re worried about being rejected. Or perhaps you’ve not made a start on that ebook you’ve got planned, because you know it’ll be a lot of work.

But every single problogger had to write their first guest post, launch their first product and go to their first conference. I’m sure they were all nervous—there’s nothing wrong with that—but what matters is that they did it anyway. And that’s how they, and their blogs, grew.

First step

Try something which challenges you: maybe emailing a blogger who you admire, or sending out your first guest post.

Take it further

Keep looking for new ways to grow. That might mean trying a joint venture, taking an ecourse, going to a conference, writing an ebook, hiring a personal assistant … or almost anything. It’ll probably feel scary the first time you do it, but it’ll quickly get easier.

So—which of these seven habits could you work on today? And if you think I’ve missed out a vital habit, add an eighth (or more!) in the comments.

Ali Luke has just released a (totally free) mini-ebook, Ten Powerful Ways to Make Your Blog Posts Stronger. It’s packed with great advice, clear examples and quick exercises to get you to take action. Click here to grab your copy now.

via problogger.net

NAR pushes for gradual changes to secondary mortgage market | Chappaqua NY Homes

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Former high-level officials for Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush agree that any changes to the secondary mortgage market to drive private capital back into housing must be gradual. Otherwise, the shock to the system could destabilize the economy and housing.

“You don’t want the medicine to kill you,” said David Axelrod, former senior adviser to President Obama and one of the chief architects of his election three years ago. “You want to come out healthier on the other side.”

Dana Perino, the chief spokesperson for President Bush during his second term, predicted that lawmakers would debate reform proposals for the two government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, for another two years before changes are enacted. “You can’t throw this thing in reverse,” she said, referring to the need to take time in crafting a solution to the two companies. As recently as last week, Fannie Mae announced it needed another federal infusion of $8.5 billion as it works through the bad loans on its books.

The message from Perino and Axelrod jibes with the one REALTORS® will be sending to their members of Congress this week on their visits to Capitol Hill. NAR’s proposal calls for replacing the two companies over time with another entity that maintains federal support of the market without allowing executives and shareholders of the new company to privately profit while taxpayers take any losses.

Keeping the MID Intact

During those Capitol Hill visits, REALTORS® will also be talking about the need to preserve the mortgage interest deduction, and in response to a comment from a REALTOR®, imploring Axelrod to talk to his boss about the importance of the deduction to the young buyers she works with, Axelrod said he generally agreed with the need for the MID to benefit households getting into the housing market and trying to build wealth.

Maintaining the current value of the deduction for higher-wealth households is something that should be talked about, said Axelrod, alluding to a controversial proposal in the Obama administration’s latest budget request to cut the value of MID and other itemized deductions for higher-income households.

“Your young couple should be able to take advantage of that tax deduction,” he said, but that raises the question of whether there should be a “limit so [the deduction] is there for that young couple that really needs the help.” The Obama administration’s proposal would cut the value of itemized deductions to 28 percent for households in the 35 percent tax bracket.

‘Nudge Lawmakers In a Creative Direction’

Both Perino and Axelrod encouraged REALTORS® to use their meetings with lawmakers this week to drive home their messages on policies that impact housing.

“NAR is an amazingly powerful organization,” said Perino, “not because you have a great D.C. lobbying group, but because you represent all those communities. Members of Congress want their communities to thrive, so if NAR comes with creative ideas and a united front, you can nudge lawmakers in a creative direction and get things done.”

Axelrod ended his comments with a note of optimism. “It’s a testament to our country,” he said, “that we’re always perfecting our union, always moving forward — and hopefully we do that in a way that sustains and strengthens the middle class. Key to that is the work you do, home ownership.”

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3 essentials to make a house a home | Inman News in Chappaqua NY

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Last week, we completed a deep dive into what real estate consumers — a term I use to include everyone who pays for housing, whether they rent or own their homes, whether they are contemplating buying or selling or walking away — really want, inspired by author Meir Statman’s recent parallel exploration into “What Investors Really Want.”

The parallels between the desires of human beings who invest in traded assets, fine wines and films as compared with those people who “invest” money in real estate are innumerable.

But there is one area in which our cravings as housing consumers have no parallel in the other investment asset classes, arising from the fact that our homes are not just investments — they are the places in which we live. (I don’t, for example, know anyone who lives inside their stock portfolio.)

Have you ever had that experience where you hear yourself say a word, then repeat it aloud or in your head, then type it and read it and say it again, maybe even spell-checking it to make sure you do have it right, marveling the whole while at how strange, as a matter of actual fact, the word “that” or “detergent” really is?

The real estate recession has caused many to do a similar rethink with the largely American concept of home as both habitat and investment.

When you take a step back, it can seem a bit strange that our homes, the places we live, double as our biggest financial asset (or liability, as the case may be), especially when you take a world tour and realize that in many other places the investment and home aspects of real estate ownership are nowhere near so intertwined.

For better or for worse, in America we do see homes as investments. But a home is also the place where we report at the end of the day, the place where we curl up and hibernate when we’re sick, the place that serves as our headquarters for family life, and the hub for our non-work-related interpersonal relationships and recreational pursuits.

(In fact, for a growing chunk of the population, home also serves as the workplace, some or all of the time.) The places we live can boost — or batter — both our health and our happiness, not just our financial net worth.

So, the question we’ve left unanswered in our largely investment-oriented exploration of what real estate consumers really want is a profound one: What do we want from our homes — not financially, but as the environment, the habitat, the locale, the stage for and actor in our daily lives?

Some have devoted their entire lives and careers to answering just this question.

Swiss architect and lifestyle designer Le Corbusier answered it simply and profoundly (as was his style): “Space and light and order. Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep.”

Modern British philosopher Alain de Botton, in his book, “The Architecture of Happiness” (Vintage International, 2006), approaches the question over and over, describing homes as providing “not only physical but also psychological sanctuary,” and serving the role in their occupants’ lives as, among other things, “a guardian of identity.”

I suspect, from years of selling and writing about real estate, thousands of in-the-car sessions with homebuyers anticipating what’s inside the listing they saw online and post-viewing downloads of their delight or disappointment at what they found, that the answer to the question is actually a pretty short bullet list comprised of a mixture of elements as simple as Corbusier’s ingredients for a good home and as abstract or emotional as de Botton’s:

Space and light: Most people know they want or need a certain amount of space, and increasingly, buyers seek out homes with the “right” directional exposure and amount of windows for optimal natural light. But this craving for space and light is just as frequently subconscious, and is often wrapped up in the package of a desire for a “floor plan with good flow.”

In fact, many buyers don’t know this is their hot button until they fall instantly in love with a home that has it, without knowing exactly why, or they walk into a home that meets their requirements on paper but is so chopped up and dark that it causes them to spontaneously yelp, as a client of mine once did: “I would cry!” (i.e., if she lived in this particular place). Wall height and color can also contribute to the emotional impact of a home, on this score.

Lifestyle-easing and -enhancing features and amenities: This is where Le Corbusier’s “order” comes in. Housing consumers crave for their homes to fit and improve and make easier their lives, and this is increasingly so as the technology and design solutions to the challenges of daily life evolve. Clutter is a lifestyle problem that causes people to be less effective at doing the things they want to do, and can even cause relationship discord and psychological depression.

So, people want their homes to have a place for everything and help them keep everything in its place. They also want gadgets and custom spaces and conveniences that fit well with the things they (and their family members) have to or want to do with their lives.

Outdoor kitchens, spa bathrooms, heated driveways, and even office nooks and closet systems all fall within this realm. And so does location — real estate consumers want their home’s location to either make their life better (e.g., good schools, desirable neighborhood hot spots, beautiful natural surroundings, quiet neighbors) or easier (e.g., close to work or public transportation) or both.

Style and beauty: Generally speaking, housing consumers want their homes to help them live more beautiful lives. We seek out homes — or we seek to add to our homes — with a style that reflects who we think we are (or, more often, who we want to be).

This is aligned with de Botton’s reference to homes as guardians of our identity. We want our home’s aesthetics to either reflect or effect our own personal sense of what is beautiful, whether that be the wrought-iron curlicues and pink stucco or stark, modern minimalist concrete and wood, and to saturate our lives more deeply with that beauty, by living there.

To be clear, these are broad categories that contain our human, even American, wants in terms of the physical aspect of our homes for ourselves — above and beyond the real estate characteristics we believe will create status or engender the envy of our friends. You know, the things every self-respecting celebrity real estate reporter relates by rote — e.g., Cher’s 9,000-square-foot Hawaiian hacienda.

The more you read Architectural Digest, the more obvious it will be to you that the higher end you go, things like architect, designer and extreme gadgetry also earn status and swanky real estate street “cred.”

But while there may be a status element that factors into what we normal folk want from our homes, this is less and less important in the minds of today’s homebuyers and even renters who — if anything — want to flaunt their frugality and the sustainability of their real estate decisions.

What do real estate consumers really want from their homes, outside of financial perks? They want their logistical problems solved and their lives made easier, more convenient and more beautiful. And that’s a good standard for what makes a good home.

Tara-Nicholle Nelson is author of “The Savvy Woman’s Homebuying Handbook” and “Trillion Dollar Women: Use Your Power to Make Buying and Remodeling Decisions.” Tara is also the Consumer Ambassador and Educator for real estate listings search site Trulia.com. Ask her a real estate question online or visit her website, www.rethinkrealestate.com.

via inman.com

Home Insurance Primer For Chappaqua NY | Chappaqua NY Homes

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What you need to know when you are considering Home Insurance:

1. You’re a statistic.

To an insurer, you’re not a person; you’re a set of risks. An insurer bases its premium (or its decision to insure you at all) on your “risk factors,” including your occupation, who you are, what you own, and how you live.

2. Know your home’s value.

Before you choose a policy, it is essential to establish your home’s replacement cost. A local builder can provide the best estimate.

3. Insurers differ.

As with anything else you buy, what seems to be the same product can be priced differently by different companies. You can save money by comparison shopping.

4. Don’t just look at price.

A low price is no bargain if an insurer takes forever to service your claim. Research the insurer’s record for claims service, as well as its financial stability.

5. Go beyond the basics.

A basic homeowners policy may not promise to entirely replace your home.

6. Demand discounts. Insurers provide discounts to reward behavior that reduces risk.

However, Americans waste money every year because they forget to ask for them!

7. At claims time, your insurer isn’t necessarily your friend.

Your idea of fair compensation may not match that of your insurer. Your insurer’s job is to restore you financially. Your job is to prove your losses so you get what you need.

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Chappaqua NY Weekend Real Estate Report | RobReportBlog | Chappaqua NY Homes

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Chappaqua Real Estate Report   |    RobReportBlog

86   homes available

$1,100,000    median price

$27,500,000   high price

$449,000   low price

$411  price per foot

106   average days on market

4159   average size

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Oil Versus Gas Fuel. What do I do? | Chappaqua NY Homes

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Gas Furnaces vs. Oil and electric Furnaces
Most residential furnaces are old, highly inefficient, and a cause of high energy bills and pollution. And many are oil furnaces, which raises the question: is it worth changing to a gas furnace?

Furnace and fuels
For many years oil and natural gas heating systems were in direct competition, without no clear economical advantage of any of them.

Today, in most cases, gas furnaces are a better option due to their efficiency, cleanness, easier maintenance, and also by economical reasons. Propane isn’t such a good option, and electricity isn’t a true economical choice, except for small needs…

Fuel Prices
The oil and gas prices are still fluctuating, making it difficult to give a definitive advice. But most experts bet on gas, even considering prices fluctuations or the supply and connection charges, surcharges, discounts, etc. involving the different fuels.

Electric furnaces
Electric furnaces have low maintenance requirements and are easy to install and cheap, but they are much more expensive to operate than gas (and oil…) furnaces.

Electric furnaces should only be considered for infrequently uses and small needs, mostly in moderate climates. But in this case electric furnaces have other well positioned competitors, like modern gas stoves or even insert fireplaces…

Oil furnaces
Oil furnaces are no more a popular option. Their efficiency has risen a lot (80% and more are the standard), and there are now new high-efficient oil furnaces offered by manufacturers like Carrier/Bryant or Thermo Pride, but that doesn’t make them a first option.

High efficient oil furnaces – with a reliability that prior models didn’t offer – require a different and better chimney, often an upgrade with a stainless steel liner inside the old structure. Installing a sealed-vent model is highly advantageous, even if that costs more…

Oil Furnaces disadvantages
Oil furnaces are now a relatively clean option, but not as cleaner as the gas one; they also require more maintenance than their gas or electric counterparts, besides storage tanks and insurance costs and other higher requirements; but above all, they involve higher running costs – a trend that will not be reversed in the future, according to most forecasts…

New natural gas and propane furnaces
In most cases, switching from oil or electric furnaces to gas units is an economical option. Even if the gas furnaces require relining the chimney or a plastic venting out the side wall, as high-efficiency furnaces do.

Gas furnaces are cleaner, require low maintenance, provide higher energy savings and are more friendly for the environment. Bet on a highly efficient gas furnace system, if you are not considering hypotheses like solar, heat pumps or space heating combined with high levels of home insulation and sealing…

Propane furnaces are usually modified natural gas equipment, for regions where natural gas isn’t available.

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