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New Castle Working With Con Edison On Storm Response | Chappaqua Real Estate

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The Town of New Castle Administrator Penny Paderewski released a report on Tuesday on the town’s efforts of improving communication with Con Edison during storms.

Paderewski noted that she and other town officials witnessed a demonstration of new software tentatively called “Dashboard” that will allow officials and, eventually, residents to see exactly where the outages are during storms.

The program will also let officials and residents know when power is expected to come back online and what resources have been sent out to resolve the issue.

Paderewski also reminded New Castle citizens to sign up for the town’s CodeRED Emergency Alert robo-call system by visiting the town’s website.

The administrator also noted that Con Ed intends to train local municipal crews in identifying non-live wires so that local DPW crews can help with clearing so that restoration can start more quickly after storms.

“We look forward to that training and are waiting for notification as to when this will begin,” Paderewski said in the report.

Paderewski also informed the public of news that New Castle and Greenburgh will install generators, courtesy of the Department of Transportation, that will allow many, if not all, of the town’s traffic signals to function during outages.

 

 

read more…

 

http://chappaqua.dailyvoice.com/news/new-castle-working-con-edison-storm-response

Seller financing: an untapped resource for real estate agents | Chappaqua Real Estate

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While the residential real estate market is generally believed to be improving nationwide, some of the residual effects of the Great Recession still affect the ability of real estate agents to facilitate home sales.

Emerging employment opportunities in many parts of the country are bringing workers into new communities. Even though financial institutions have brought reserve levels back to all-time highs within the past few years, banks are unable to fund loans due to restrictive lending criteria.

For buyers, the regulatory pendulum has swung too far. Though fully capable of making payments, many are marked with imperfect credit or low cash reserves as a result of short sales, foreclosures or plummeting values of their prior residences. For sellers, this means a significantly smaller pool of potential buyers, which negatively impacts their home values as well as their financial well-being.

Prime opportunity

According to the Pew Research Center, about 10,000 people will turn 65 every day for the next 17 years. With baby boomers entering retirement at an exponential rate, many are looking to their homes as an additional source of revenue to supplement Social Security or other insufficient income.

Today’s rising home values present a perfect opportunity for sellers to capitalize on their homes’ increasing market values, and savvy real estate agents recognize the prime opportunity that seller financing presents. The trend of tight lending standards combined with willing buyers, sellers and an appreciating housing market is certainly not permanent, so this nontraditional financing option must be quickly leveraged to yield maximum benefit.

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/05/22/seller-financing-an-untapped-resource-for-real-estate-agents/#sthash.glExI8Fd.dpuf

 

Seller financing: an untapped resource for real estate agents | Inman News.

Bernanke Says Premature Tightening Would Endanger Recover | Chappaqua NY Homes

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Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said raising interest rates or reducing asset purchases too soon would endanger the recovery as the economy remains hampered by high unemployment and government spending cuts.

“A premature tightening of monetary policy could lead interest rates to rise temporarily but would also carry a substantial risk of slowing or ending the economic recovery and causing inflation to fall further,” Bernanke said today in testimony to the Joint Economic Committee of Congress in Washington.

Bernanke lamented the human and economic costs of anunemployment rate at 7.5 percent nearly four years into the recovery from the deepest recession since the Great Depression, and he said the Fed’s record easing is providing “significant benefits.” His comments echoed remarks by William C. Dudley, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, who said in an interview that it would take three to four months before policy makers will know whether a sustainable recovery is in place.

Fed officials “need to see inflation expectations remain in a desired range, they need to see that the peak home-buying season goes as well as it can, and they need to see that we have absorbed the bulk of the huge fiscal consolidation” before they reduce the pace of purchases from $85 billion a month, said Lou Crandall, chief economist at Wrightson ICAP LLC inJersey City, New Jersey.

Stocks erased an early rally and Treasuries fell after Bernanke said the Fed could “take a step down in our pace of purchases” in the “next few meetings.”

Brady Question

“We’re trying to make an assessment of whether or not we have seen real and sustainable progress in the labor market outlook,” Bernanke said in response to a question from Representative Kevin Brady, the Texas Republican who chairs the committee. “If we see continued improvement and we have confidence that that is going to be sustained, then we could in — in the next few meetings, we could take a step down in our pace of purchases.”

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 0.6 percent to 1,659.54 at 2:54 p.m. in New York. Yields on the U.S. 10-year note rose above 2 percent for the first time since March.

“The market reacts pretty wildly to any hint of exit,” said Michael Hanson, senior economist at Bank of America Corp. in New York. “It’s a small exit and a lot of people are trying to get out of it — like a rock concert.”

“The Fed is not looking to very quickly get out of this,” said Hanson, a former Fed economist. “There’s obviously a few members who want to wrap this up sooner than later, but Bernanke doesn’t seem eager to pull back on QE very soon. He wants to see more evidence that the economy really is moving on a forward path.”

More Progress

Many Fed officials said more progress in the labor market is needed before deciding to slow the pace of asset purchases, according to minutes of their last meeting released after Bernanke’s testimony.

“Most observed that the outlook for the labor market had shown progress” since the bond-buying program began in September, according to the record of the April 30-May 1 gathering released today in Washington. “But many of these participants indicated that continued progress, more confidence in the outlook, or diminished downside risks would be required before slowing the pace of purchases would become appropriate.”

 

Bernanke Says Premature Tightening Would Endanger Recover – Bloomberg.

Jam Packed Weekend On Deck In Chappaqua | Chappaqua Real Estate

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CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. – Looking for something to do around Chappaqua this weekend will not be a problem—but choosing what you do might be. Several exciting events are slated to take place this weekend, along with a favorable weather forecast. You can also visit our Events page for more options in the area.

Friday, May 17

Free Ice Cream for Middle Schoolers: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. For Bell Middle School and Seven Bridges Middle School students, free ice cream will be served at “Local” compliments of Chappaqua Pediatrics. 75 South Greeley Avenue

Lecture: Screenwriter Mark Bomback: 7:30 p.m. Screenwriting and Mark’s film Unstoppable, starring Denzel Washington, will be the subject of the talk. A short clip of the film will be shown. Mark is also the screenwriter for Live free or Die Hard, Race to Witch Mountain and Total Recoil. Free and open to the public. Chappaqua Public Library, 195 South Greeley Avenue, Chappaqua.

Saturday, May 18

Chappaqua Farmers Market Outdoor Season: 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  The Chappaqua Farmers Market will welcome shoppers for their third season with new offerings.  The market’s spring/summer season will now take place outdoors at the Chappaqua train station.

Family Fun Day at Wagon Road Camp: Noon to 4 p.m. Experience “a day in the life” of summer camp at Wagon Road Day Camp. Experience the amazing adventure ropes course and imagination playground, take a pony ride, visit our petting zoo, enjoy the bouncy castle, get your face painted, and enjoy a free lunch from our Summer Camp menu.  Kids can participate in our scavenger hunt and win a prize! Free for all Chappaqua families. 431 Quaker Road, Chappaqua.

Relay For Life of Chappaqua: 7 p.m. The journey to end cancer starts with a single step. The American Cancer Society invites you to take that step with us by joining the global Relay For Life movement. When you walk to end cancer at a Relay event, it’s your opportunity to not only honor cancer survivors and remember loved ones lost, but also to raise awareness about what we can do to stay well from cancer and raise money to help fuel the world’s largest walk to end cancer. Held in the Horace Greelye High School, 70 Roaring Brook Road.

Sunday, May 19

New Castle 10K Road Race: 8:10 a.m. Sponsored by New Castle Physical Therapy and Personal Training, the 26th annual New Castle 10K Road Race is slated to begin outside of Town Hall. If you did not already register, it costs $25 to do so on the day of the race. 200 South Greeley Avenue, Chappaqua.

Tails to Trails: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce will hold Millwood’s first annual “Tails to Trails” this Sunday in the parking lot of the Millwood Animal Hospital. The event is a combination of a pet fair and a walk along the North County Trailway. The fair will include free hot dogs, water and a raffle with items such as an iPod, pet exams and Frontline products.

Free Family Concert: 3 p.m. The Pleasantville Fire Department Band will include music of Benny Goodman, Rimsky Korsakov, as well as marches by John Phillip Sousa. Featured will be solos by the flute and drum. Free and open to the public. Chappaqua Public Library, 195 South Greeley Avenue.

 

 

Jam Packed Weekend On Deck In Chappaqua | The Chappaqua Daily Voice.

Mortgage Rates – Today’s Home Loan Rates and Trends | Chappaqua NY Homes

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Latest rates from zillow.com

 

3.625% APR
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    $1,094 /mo
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3.626% APR
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    $1,094 /mo
  • $35 in Fees
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3.641% APR
  • 30 year fixed
  • 3.625 % Rate

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    $1,094 /mo
  • $465 in Fees
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3.641% APR
  • 30 year fixed
  • 3.625 % Rate

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    $1,094 /mo
  • $466 in Fees
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3.672% APR
  • 30 year fixed
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    $1,094 /mo
  • $1,392 in Fees
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3.752% APR
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    $1,111 /mo
  • $72 in Fees
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Mortgage Rates – Today’s Home Loan Rates and Trends | Zillow.

Drought Tolerant Perennials | Chappaqua Real Estate

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In my neck of the woods precipitation comes one of two ways; either all at once or not at all. Spring sees ample showers, but as soon as the calendar turns to June the rain dries up. Unless there is an unusual weather pattern in play I can count on Arkansas’ summers to be hot and dry.

Rather than rely 100 percent on irrigation to carry the garden through, I choose drought tolerant plants that I know will survive extended periods without rain. By selecting the right plants for my dry climate I use less water and I don’t have to work as hard to keep the garden looking good during the dog days of summer.

To make things even easier I use a lot of drought tolerant perennials. Perennials will come back year after year without replanting and most are pretty low maintenance. Throw in drought tolerance and you’ve got something you can pretty much plant and forget.

Unlike annuals, many perennials bloom for a specific amount of time. Gardeners can create season-long interest by selecting spring, summer and fall flowering perennials and showy foliage plants.

Here’s a short list of drought tolerant perennials categorized by season.

Spring Flowering Drought Tolerant Perennials

Alyssum (Alyssum montanum)

Alyssum will form a dense mat of attractive foliage and spring blooms. Try River of Gold™ for its bright yellow flowers.

Zones 4 – 8; full sun; 6 to 8 inches tall with a 10-inch spread.

Proven Winners River of Gold Alyssum

Dead Nettle (Lamium maculatum)

Lamium is a low growing groundcover for either sun or shade. The variety Pink Chablis® has charming pale pink flower and frosty green and white variegated leaves.

 

Zones 4 – 8; full sun or shade; 8 – 12 inches tall with a 24-inch spread.

Proven Winners Pink Chablis Lamium

False Indigo (Baptisia hybrid)

Baptisia is a North American native plant that produces sweetpea-like blooms. Try one of the hybrids in theDecadence™ series for compact plant form and saturated color. Available cultivars include ‘Cherries Jubilee’ (maroon and yellow), ‘Blueberry Sundae’ (vibrant blue), ‘Dutch Chocolate’ (dark plum), and ‘Lemon Meringue’ (yellow).

Zones 4 – 9; full sun to partial shade; 30 – 26 inches tall.

Proven Winners Decadence Baptisia

Summer Flowering Drought Tolerant Perennials

Evening Primrose (Oenothera)

Oenothera has a loose, wildflower appearance that makes it right at home in cottage-style gardens. The cultivar Lemon Drop® produces fragrant, yellow blooms all summer. It is both drought tolerant and adaptable to poor soils. Because Lemon Drop® does not set seeds like some of its freewheeling cousins, it will stay put rather than pop up around the garden.

Zones 5 – 11, full sun; 8 – 12 inches tall.

Proven Winners Lemon Drop Oenothera

Perennial Sunflower (Heliopsis)

The bright yellow, daisy-like flowers of this North American native plant brighten the garden. The improved cultivar ‘Tuscan Sun’ boasts an extended blooming season and stays a manageable size.

Zones 3 – 9; full sun to partial shade; 12 – 20 inches tall.

Proven Winners Tuscan Sun Heliopsis

Butterfly Flower (Gaura lindheimeri)

This is one of my favorite “see through” plants. I like to position Gaura in the middle of a flower border so that the loose stems create a veil through which the background plants are seen. This creates a little mystery and added dimension. Stratosphere™ Pink Picotee and Stratosphere™ White will bloom May through September.

Zones 6 – 11; full sun; 12 – 24 inches tall.

Proven Winners Stratosphere Gaura

Fall Flowering Drought Tolerant Perennials

Sedum sp.

Sedums are a classic choice for low water gardens. There are both spreading and upright forms. The upright cultivar ‘Maestro’ puts on a spectacular autumn show with abundant bright purple bloom stalks and pink flowers.

Zones 3 – 9; full sun; 24 – 30 inches tall.

Proven Winners Maestro Sedum

Aster sp.

What would the fall garden be without asters? I’m particularly fond of the blue and purple varieties because the colors complement the red, orange and yellow of the season. ‘Sapphire Mist’ produces an abundance of large, lilac blooms on compact plants from late summer through fall.

Zones 4 – 8; full sun; 12 – 16 inches tall.

Proven Winners Sapphire Mist Aster

Bluebeard (Caryopteris sp.)

Caryopteris blooms are a splash of cool blue at the end of summer. Sunshine Blue® Caryopteris incana is one I grow. I love the color combination of the neon yellow foliage and periwinkle flowers.

Zones 5 – 11; full sun; 36 – 48 inches tall.

Proven Winners Sunshine Blue Caryopteris

Drought Tolerant Perennials Prized for their Foliage

Ornamental Grasses

Pair ornamental grasses with bold blooms or fleshy leaves to create an interesting texture combination. ‘Cheyenne Sky’ Red Switch Grass (Panicum) is part of my Proven Winners® Platinum Collection. It’s a chameleon that changes from blue-green to wine red over the course of the summer.

Zones 4 – 9; full sun; 30 – 36 inches tall.

Proven Winners Cheyenne Sky Switch Grass

Heuchera sp.

You’ll be amazed at the variety of color and pattern available with such an easy care plant. I’m a huge fan of the varieties in the Proven Winners® Dolce® Series, which range in color from chartreuse to almost black.

 

Zones 4 – 9; full sun to partial shade; 8 – 16 inches tall.

Proven Winners Dolce Heuchera

Wood Spurge (Euphorbia amygdaliodes)

This plant blooms in spring, but the foliage is its greatest asset. The cultivar ‘Helena’s Blush’ has variegated green and white leaves that develop bright pink highlights as the temperatures cool in autumn.

Zones 6 – 9; full sun; 16 – 20 inches tall and 20 inches wide.

Proven Winners Helena's Blush Euphorbia

Good to Know

Even drought tolerant plants need water just after planting, water your newly planted drought tolerant perennials weekly the first growing season.

 

 

http://www.pallensmith.com/articles

Home prices post biggest gains in over 6 years | Chappaqua Homes

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homeprice 

Home sold in south Denver in March 2012.(Photo: David Zalubowski, AP)

 

U.S. home prices jumped by the most in 6½ years in December, spurred by a low supply of available homes and rising demand.

Home prices rose 8.3%in December compared with a year earlier, according to data Tuesday from CoreLogic, a real estate data provider. That is the biggest annual gain since May 2006. Prices rose last year in 46 of 50 states.

 

Home prices also rose 0.4%in December from the previous month. That’s a healthy increase given that sales usually slow over the winter months.

Steady increases in prices are helping fuel the housing recovery. They’re encouraging some people to sell homes and enticing some would-be buyers to purchase homes before prices rise further.

 

Higher prices can also make homeowners feel wealthier. That can encourage more consumer spending.

Most economists expect prices to keep rising this year. Sales of previously-occupied homes reached their highest level in five years in 2012 and will likely keep growing. Home builders, encouraged by rising interest from customers, broke ground on the most new homes and apartments in four years last year.

Ultra-low mortgage rates and steady job gains have fueled more demand for houses and apartments. More people are moving out into their own homes after doubling up with friends and relatives in the recession.

At the same time, the number of previously-occupied homes for sale has fallen to the lowest level in 11 years.

 

“All signals point to a continued improvement in the fundamentals underpinning the U.S. housing market recovery,” said Anand Nallathambi, CEO of CoreLogic.

The states with the biggest price gains were Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, California, and Hawaii. The four states were prices fell were Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The housing recovery is also boosting job creation. Construction companies have added 98,000 jobs in the past four months, the best hiring spree since the bubble burst in 2006. Economists forecast even more could be added this year.

Housing has been a leading driver of past recoveries. But the bursting of the housing bubble pushed a flood of foreclosed homes on the market at low prices. That made it hard for builders to compete.

And a collapse in home prices left millions of homeowners owing more on their mortgages than their houses were worth. That made it difficult to sell.

Now, six years after the bubble burst, those barriers are fading. Some economists forecast that housing could add a point or more to economic growth this year.

 

via usatoday.com

 

U.S. home prices crawl upward | Chappaqua Realtor

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U.S. home prices continued to inch their way up, showing a 0.5% increase from October to November, according to the latest Lender Processing Services home price index.

Home prices grew 5.1% year-over-year, based on LPS’s analysis of homes in 15,500 ZIP codes.

The LPS HPI is a study of non-distressed home sales and discounts the influence of REO sales and short-sale transactions.

The average price for a home sold in the U.S. in November reached $207,000, dropping from a peak of $266,000 in June 2006, but up from $197,000 in November 2011.

The states that saw the greatest price appreciation in the report were Florida (prices up 1.5%); New York (prices up 1.1%); Washington D.C. (prices up 1.0%); and Georgia, Minnesota and Nevada (all up 0.9%).

Conversely, Rhode Island and Massachusetts both saw negative monthly movement, dipping 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively.

Individual metros that saw strong price gains included Chicago (prices up 0.7%), Dallas (prices up 0.3%), Los Angeles (prices up 0.8%), New York (prices up 1.0%) and Washington (prices up 0.5%).

Click on the table below to see the recent HPI changes.

 

 


Jonathon Weiner, vice president of research & development at LPS Applied Analytics believes the upward trajectory of home prices will continue throughout the year.

“Given the duration and strength of the recent upturn, and the absence of any obvious short term cause, it is probably related to a fundamental demand for housing,” said Weiner. “While there are any number of external events which could yet impact home prices, barring any unseen developments, we expect this trend to continue through 2013.”

 

via housingwire.com