Tag Archives: Chappaqua Real Estate for Sale

Dirty to Clean with Just a Few Cranks: Safe Drinking Water for All | Chappaqua Realtor

Reminiscent of a hand-cranked bingo number generator, Poly Glu International of Osaka has developed an easy-to-use portable water purification system, Eco-Polyglu, intended for those cut off from access to clean potable water.
We all want whole house water filters, as we all know they remove more than 99% of most dangerous contaminants in the water, including heavy metals, herbicides, pesticides, chlorine and other chemicals, and even hormones. The mechanics of the system are simple: pour dirty water in need of cleaning into the 10-liter capacity tank, add a packet of polyglutamic acid, insert a filter, and use the hand crank to spin the tank for about one minute. Voila! You now have water that is safe to drink. Change the filter and you’re ready to go again. The system’s water tank can also be easily detached and carried like a bucket. You can navigate here for more info.

Full video of this fantastic little contraption turning filthy liquid into crystal-clear water after the break.
“Polyglumatic acid, a type of amino acid found in natto (traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans) and responsible for the dish’s gooey texture, becomes entangled with contaminants in the dirty water. Rotating the tank results in aeration which furthers the effectiveness of the acid making it easier to separate and remove toxicants such as colon bacterium and heavy metals,” said a company representative in explaining the science behind the device.
No electricity is needed to operate the system, just a little muscle power, making it suitable for those without access to electricity such as victims in disaster areas or people living in destitute regions lacking reliable energy sources. Furthermore, with production costs kept comparatively low, the Eco-Polyglu is a much more affordable alternative to portable water filtration systems we’ve seen previously.
When asked why the company pursued the product’s development, the representative responded, “We wanted households in developing countries to have access to a simple, inexpensive water purifier.” The company says its desire is to “have people around the world be able to safely drink unboiled water.”
In less fortunate countries, human suffering from contaminated water is a serious problem. Helping relieve such suffering became a prime task for Poly Glu International and is also the reason they focused on developing a water purification system that would not require electric power.
The system cannot purify all types of contaminated water. “It’s suitable for stored rain water and water in baths and pools and such, and can also purify water from ponds and rivers,” said the company rep. Water containing domestic sewage or hazardous substances, however, is beyond the device’s capabilities.
When asked how they planned to market the item going forward, the rep responded, “Overseas we will target the less-fortunate. In Japan we will market it as an item for emergency-preparedness kits, to be used in times of disaster when water supplies may be disrupted.”
Eco-Polyglu is currently available at Amazon Japan for 12,800 yen (US$145). Filters retail at 2,200 yen (US$25) for a package of 50 and a bundle of 100 Polyglu powder packets (polyglutamic acid) goes for 4, 500 yen (US$51).
Source: Excite News

via en.rocketnews24.com

Short Sales Overtook REO Sales in Q3 | Chappaqua Real Estate

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For the first time ever, sales of properties in some stage of foreclosure (pre-foreclosure sales) outnumbered sales of bank-owned properties (REO) in the third quarter, as short sales continue to gain market share at the expense of REO and sales of completed foreclosures at auction.
Pre-foreclosure sales, largely short sales, increased 22 percent from the second quarter and were also up 22 percent from the third quarter of 2011, while the average sales price decreased 3 percent from the previous quarter and was down 5 percent from a year ago, according to RealtyTrac. A total of 98,125 pre-foreclosure sales occurred during the quarter compared to a total of 94,934 REO sales.
By contrast, REO sales increased 19 percent from the previous quarter but were still down 20 percent from the third quarter of 2011. A total of 193,059 U.S. properties in some stage of foreclosure or bank-owned (REO) were sold during the third quarter, an increase of 21 percent from the previous quarter, but still down 3 percent from the third quarter of 2011. Foreclosure-related sales accounted for 19 percent of all U.S. residential sales during the third quarter – down from 20 percent in the previous quarter but the same level as in the third quarter of 2011.
Pre-foreclosure properties sold for an average price of $191,025 in the third quarter, down 3 percent from the second quarter and down 5 percent from the third quarter of 2011. The average sales price of a pre-foreclosure residential property in the third quarter was 27 percent below the average sales price of a non-foreclosure residential property, up from a 25 percent discount in the previous quarter and a 19 percent discount in the third quarter of 2011.
The average REO sales price decreased 7 percent from the previous quarter but was still up 7 percent from the third quarter of 2011. REOs sold for an average price of $161,954 in the third quarter, down 7 percent from the second quarter but up 7 percent from the third quarter of 2011. The average sales price of a bank-owned home in the third quarter was 38 percent below the average price of a non-foreclosure home, up from a 33 percent discount in the second quarter but down from a 39 percent discount in the third quarter of 2011.
Homes in foreclosure or bank owned sold at an average price that was 32 percent below the average price of a home not in foreclosure, up from a 29 percent discount in the second quarter and a 31 percent discount in the third quarter of 2011.
Short sales of properties not in the foreclosure process increased 15 percent from the previous quarter and were up 17 percent from the third quarter of 2011. These non-foreclosure short sales accounted for an estimated 22 percent of all residential sales, bringing the total distressed sale share to an estimated 41 percent for the quarter. Non-foreclosure short sales prices in the third quarter fell short of the total amount of loans outstanding by an average of $82,312 per short sale. For all short sales, including non-foreclosure and in-foreclosure properties, the sales price was short of combined loan amounts by average of $94,896 per short sale.
“The shift toward earlier disposition of distressed properties continued in the third quarter as both lenders and at-risk homeowners are realizing that short sales are often a better alternative than foreclosure,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president of RealtyTrac. “However, the scheduled expiration of the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act at the end of this year could stifle this trend toward short sales. If that law expires as scheduled, homeowners who agree to a short sale could see their income tax jump significantly because the portion of the unpaid loan balance not covered by the short sale proceeds will be considered taxable income in many cases.
Pre-foreclosure homes that sold in the third quarter took an average of 359 days to sell after starting the foreclosure process, up from an average of 319 days in the previous quarter and up from an average of 318 days in the third quarter of 2011.
Third parties purchased a total of 94,934 bank-owned (REO) residential properties in the third quarter, an increase of 19 percent from the previous quarter but down 20 percent from the third quarter of 2011. REO sales accounted for 10 percent of all residential sales during the quarter, the same as in the second quarter but down from 11 percent of sales in the third quarter of 2011.
Separately, Lender Processing Services reported yesterday that foreclosure starts declined significantly foreclosure starts over the last two months – down 21.9 percent in October and almost 48 percent on a year-over-year basis – leading to a nearly 7 percent drop in overall foreclosure inventory.
“LPS observed a drop-off in foreclosure starts in September that accelerated in October,” Blecher said. “This decline coincided with the implementation of new procedural changes outlined in the National Mortgage Settlement, which requires, among other things, that mortgage servicers provide written notice to borrowers 14 days prior to referring a delinquent loan to a foreclosure attorney. This has resulted in what is likely a temporary slowdown in foreclosure starts that we do not believe is indicative of a longer-term trend. However, we will continue to monitor this activity closely in the coming months.”
The LPS Mortgage Monitor reported that September loan originations were down, likely due to the shortened number of business days in the month. However, prepayment speeds (historically a good indicator of refinance activity) rebounded in October, and as such, LPS expects to see overall origination numbers pick up for that month. LPS also found that mortgage spreads remain elevated, averaging 197 basis points above the 10-Year Treasury rates, with interest rates consistent across all product types.

via realestateeconomywatch.com

Is the Housing Recovery at Risk? | Chappaqua Realtor

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Housing market forecasts have been fairly rosy of late, but as a “fiscal cliff” looms some analysts are worried the housing market may be doomed for a very slow recovery.
The analytics firm Fiserv is predicting that nearly two-thirds of the nationwide housing market is going to see home prices decline for the year through next June. Home price gains will be modest at 0.3 percent, according to Fiserv.
The fiscal cliff has many in the real estate industry concerned about how it might impact housing and the gains in home prices recently, CNNMoney reports. Lawmakers are trying to reach a deal on potential tax increases and spending cuts. But some housing experts are concerned that sellers, particularly high-end sellers, may have less to spend on buying a new home depending on how the fiscal cliff talks play out.
“Even people who do have the resources to buy homes will be more nervous,” says Celina Chen, an economist and analyst for Moody’s Analytics.
Despite the fiscal cliff, other issues are challenging the recovery in the housing market, CNNMoney reports. The Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act of 2007 is set to expire Jan. 1. If the act does expire, home owners who went through a foreclosure, short sale, or principal loan reduction may now be responsible for paying income taxes on the portion of their mortgage that was forgiven. The expiration of the act may also have more struggling home owners choosing a foreclosure over a short sale, CNNMoney reports.
Fiserv predicts the housing market will be marked by a slow recovery, with modest gains at first and with home prices starting to edge up between June 2013 and 2014. Fiserv predicts home prices to rise 3.4 percent in that period and grow at an annual rate of 3.3 percent for the next five years through June 2017.
Source: “There’s a Home Price Recovery … But it’s Really, Really Slow,” CNNMoney (Dec. 5, 2012)
Read More
The ‘Fiscal Cliff,’ QE3, and the Future of Interest Rates
Mortgage Rates Stay Near Record Lows

via realtormag.realtor.org

The 3 Things You Can’t Do On Twitter | Chappaqua NY Real Estate

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via readwrite.com

Quick Tip: The art of the retweet | Chappaqua Luxury Homes

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One of the easiest ways to provide valuable information to your followers and add to your content strategy on Twitter, is to retweet valuable information. As part of an overall social media strategy, you should retweet a few things each day that you think are interesting, consistent with your brand message and that you think your followers may read. But, what most people don’t realize is that there is the “art of the retweet.”
There are two ways to retweet a message. The first way, is that you can simply click the “retweet button” under a tweet. If you do that, that tweet gets sent out to all of your followers exactly as is – as if it were from them (not you.) The other way to retweet (which is a much better way in my opinion), is to copy the tweet into a new tweet, add the characters: “RT” and then add a short note at the beginning or the end.
Here are a few screenshots to explain:
Option 1:
Click the “retweet” button

Option 2:
Copy text

Click ‘reply’ and then copy/paste

What is the difference? See below!
Important: When you tweet the second way, the person you retweeted gets an “@” notification that you retweeted them. When you retweet the first way, they are NOT notified unless they have their email notifications turned on.
For mobile users:
If you are on a mobile device, here is how you can do this easily.
Click the ‘retweet’ button, and then click “quote tweet”

You can then add your text below
In social media, many times it is the little things that make a big difference – and this is one of them! Would love your feedback about this article, leave me a comment below!

via next.inman.com

The Realtor’s 3 Step Guide to Managing Online Reputation | Chappaqua NY Real Estate

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The Realtor’s 3 Step Guide to Managing Online Reputation
I thought this was a nice infographic from our friends at DooID. We talk a lot about your online reputation on Tech Savvy and the things you need to do to stay on top of it, so this graphic falls right into place here.
Here are the three steps they recommend to get started.
1. Define Your Personal Brand
2. Build Your Online Identity
3. Monitor Your Reputation
Check out the graphic below to see the tools you can use to successfully manage your reputation.

via techsavvyagent.com

Lost Home Equity Leaves Thirty-somethings Vulnerable | Chappaqua NY Real Estate

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Contrary to popular belief, loss of equity in their homes since 2007 has hurt adults in their late thirties more than their Baby Boomer parents, contributing to fears that they will not have enough income and assets for their retirement, according to a new Pew Research survey released today.
Americans today are more worried about their retirement finances than they were at the end of the recession in 2009, especially younger and middle-aged adults rather than among those closer to retirement age-a major shift in the pattern that had prevailed at the end of the recession.
About four-in-ten adults (38 percent) say they are “not too” or “not at all” confident that they will have enough income and assets for their retirement, up from 25 percent in a Pew Research survey conducted in late February and March of 2009. Among adults between the ages of 36 and 40, 53 percent say they are either “not too” or “not at all” confident that their income and assets will last through retirement. In contrast, only about a third (34 percent) of those ages 60 to 64 express similar concerns, as do a somewhat smaller share (27 percent) of those 18 to 22 years old.
Fears over retirement are driven by a companion Pew Research analysis of data collected by the Federal Reserve Board in its Survey of Consumer Finances. For most Americans, equity in their homes represents most of their wealth and the collapse of housing values in the middle of the past decade sent personal wealth into a nose dive for most homeowners, regardless of age.
Overall, the Consumer Finances survey found that median home equity-the fair market value of a home less the amount of the outstanding mortgage and other liens-fell by about a third (32 percent) from 2007 to 2010. And U.S. Census data released in June found that most of the decline in median wealth between 2005 and 2010 can be attributed to sinking home values.
Median home equity-so-called housing wealth-declined the most for homeowners ages 35 to 44. Between 2007 and 2010, the equity of homeowners in this age group was cut in half (52 percent). In contrast, housing wealth fell by 30 percent among those 55 to 64 and by 20 percent among adults 65 and older.
Adults 35 to 44 years old have a much greater share of their wealth represented by their home equity because they have not yet had the time to accumulate financial wealth. Moreover, these younger adults have had less time to build equity, so the market collapse cut into a greater share of a smaller base than for longtime homeowners. Finally, this age group benefitted less than older adults from the rise in stock market values since many sold their holdings when stocks fell in 2009.
The S&P 500 Index peaked at 1,576 in October 2007 but then fell to a modern low of 667 in March 2009. Since then, the stock market began a steady rise, closing at 1,258 on the last day of December 2010. It now stands at about 1,450, nearly back to its earlier peak.
During this decade of wild market swings, ownership of stocks and retirement accounts, such as 401(k) and thrift accounts, fell among most age groups. But the declines were greatest among those ages 35 to 44. The proportion of adults in this age group who directly held stocks declined by nine percentage points from 2001 to 2010, with half of this drop occurring before 2007. In contrast, the share of adults 65 and older who directly held stocks declined only 3 percentage points from 2001 to 2010, from 21 percent to 18 percent.
The proportion of 35- to 44-year-olds who held stocks indirectly through retirement accounts also disproportionately fell by 9 percentage points, about double the decline among those younger than 35 or between 45 and 54 years old (4 percentage points for both groups). As a consequence, those in the 35 to 44 age group have benefited less from the rapid increase in stock prices since 2009 because they were less likely than their older counterparts to own stock and retirement accounts.

via realestateeconomywatch.com

Home Warranties Take Some of the Worry out of Home Buying | Chappaqua Homes fo Sale

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If you buy a silk blouse and the sleeve falls off after just one wearing, you’re likely to get your money back — or at least an exchange — from the retailer who sold it.
If you buy a house and the furnace stops working two weeks after you move in, you’re out of luck — unless you purchased or received a home warranty.
Two products — the home warranty and the builder warranty — can take some of the worry out of buying or selling a home. These warranties typically insure appliances and major systems in a home, whether it’s new or just new to you.
Builder warranties
Most builder warranties cover a new home’s materials and workmanship for one to two years, with coverage that lasts up to 10 years on major structural elements.
Rules vary from state to state, but generally these warranties only apply to the sale of a new home from the person or company that constructed it, to a new owner-occupant. Your state attorney general’s office can help you determine whether your builder is offering all the warranties required by state law.
Home warranties
A homeowner who gets a builder warranty with the purchase of his new home may also opt to add another layer of coverage by purchasing a home warranty. Additionally, home warranties can provide protection for those buying older homes. Home warranties generally cannot be purchased for mixed-use properties or mobile homes.
A basic one-year warranty can cost as little as $200 and will generally cover plumbing, heating and some appliances. The price of a warranty will increase as additional items and coverages — such as a swimming pool, washing machine or garage door opener — are added.
Home warranties may be purchased by sellers, who often add them to their closing costs, but they may also be purchased by buyers. Some real estate agents will give buyers a home warranty as a gift at closing.
Home warranties are not the same as homeowners insurance. Insurance protects against perils including fire, hail, property crimes and certain types of water damage. A home warranty does not cover these perils but, rather, covers specific components of the home.
A home warranty is a contract between a homeowner and a home warranty company that provides for discounted repair and replacement service on named items. When something that is covered by a home warranty breaks down, the homeowner calls the home warranty company, which dispatches one of its contracted service providers to examine the problem. If the necessary repair or replacement is covered by the warranty, the homeowner only pays a small service fee (in addition to the money already spent to purchase the warranty), and the service provider completes the work.
If you’re thinking about purchasing a home warranty, do your homework. Shop around for the coverage and pricing that best fits your needs. Ask the warranty company:
What is covered?
What is excluded from coverage?
When does coverage begin? Some companies provide coverage on closing day, while others don’t take effect for two weeks to a month.
How long does coverage last?
What is the claim-filing process?
Is there a cost to file a claim?
Knowing your warranty options and doing your research ahead of time can provide peace of mind when moving into your new home.