Will jobs gains for December be enough? | 2014-01-08 | HousingWire.
Will jobs gains for December be enough? | Katonah Realtor
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Tag Archives: Katonah Homes for Sale
Why 2013 Might be Housing’s Best Year Ever | Katonah NY Real Estate
After nearly a decade of disaster that reached levels of despair not seen since the Great Depression., the year ending today was more than a turnaround year. Within its short life, it changed housing from a liability to an asset so favorable that it had to power to take the rest of the nation’s economy along for its ride upward, in the eyes of the Bernankes and Obamas.
In some ways, it changed the housing economy for years to come. Like a human life, it’s true place in history won’t be known until it is gone and some time has passed, but it will be hard to argue with the hard numbers of what was achieved in 2013.
Some examples:
â—¦ Home prices are rising faster than they have since the housing boom. The S&P/Case-Shiller index of property prices in 20 cities released today climbed 13.6 percent from October 2012, the biggest 12-month gain since February 2006, after a 13.3 percent increase in the year ended in September.
◦ Annual existing home sales should reach 5.1 million in 2013, the highest total in seven years, according to NAR. That is 10 percent higher than 2012’s total of almost 4.7 million.
â—¦ New home sales are on pace to reach 435,100 new homes sold this year, the most since 2008, according to Bloomberg. In November, purchases of new U.S. homes exceeded projections, holding near a five-year high and showing the housing recovery was gaining momentum even as mortgage rates climbed.
â—¦ Through the third quarter of 2013. more than 3 million homeowners returned to positive equity and homeowner equity increased by $33 billion. Some 7.1 million homes, or 14.5 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage, were still in negative equity at the end of the second quarter of 2013. This figure is down from 9.6 million homes, or 19.7 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage, at the end of the first quarter of 2013, according to CoreLogic.
◦ By the end of October, homeowners in 55 of the nation’s 100 largest markets have now recovered more than half of the equity they lost in the housing crash. Of the 84 all markets that achieved more than a 100 percent rebound in November, 58 were midsize. Additionally, 58 midsize markets (28% of the U.S. midsized markets) now have fully recovered prices.
â—¦ Mortgage rates rose about one full point during the year, which made buying a home more expensive for many. But at long last lending standards have begun to loosen up, perhaps because many originators are shifting from refinancing to purchase loans. Median FICO scores, for example, were at 729 in November, down from 750 in November 2012. Closing rates were 53.1% compared to 52.3% in 2012.
http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/12/why-2013-might-be-housing%e2%80%99s-best-year-ever/
Housing Prices Rise at Brisk Pace in Britain | Katonah NY Homes
Teatown Lake Reservation updates | Katonah Real Estate
January 2, 2014
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We look forward to another year of engaging people with nature!
Photo taken by Elissa Schilmeister, Environmental Educator, at our Holi-Daze Mini Camp.
Visit Teatown
1600 Spring Valley Road
Ossining, NY 10562
914-762-2912
www.teatown.org
Nature Center hours:
9:00am-5:00pm everyday
Trails are open 365 days a year from dawn to dusk.
Teatown Lake Reservation’s
mission is to conserve open
space and to educate and
involve the regional community
in order to sustain the diversity
of wildlife, plants and habitats
for future generations.
Your donation can make
an immediate impact to help
conserve and protect the
diversity of wildlife, plants
and habitats…
today and into the future.
In Teatown’s Gallery
Recent Works by
Inez Andrucyk
Inez Andrucyk has exhibited at
The Hudson River Museum,
The Jacob Burns Film Center,
The Katonah Museum, The Arts Exchange, various galleries, colleges and universities, and was a guest speaker at The National Museum in Malta and Rutgers University. Murals are located in New York City (featured on Channel 11 News) and Port Chester, NY.
Photos of her work have been featured in The New York Times, and in “Crimes of the Beats and Unbearables.” Her Community Mural was listed in “On the Wall: Community Murals” by Janet Braun-Reinitz and Jane Weissman.
Inez enjoys teaching art to adults, children, youth and at risk populations. Her long term teaching position is at Silvermine Arts Center.
All photographs are for sale, and all proceeds will be donated to Teatown Lake Reservation.
www.teatown.org
Animal Adventures: Musky Mustelids
Saturday, January 4, 11:00am- 12:00pm
Meet a few of Teatown’s ambassador animals in this program featuring odiferous animals. Families with children 4 & over. Free for members, $5 for non-members.
First Hike of the New Year
Sunday, January 5, 1:00- 2:30pm
Kick off the New Year with a hearty hike in the frosty air. We’ll hike up into Hidden Valley looking for winter wildlife. On our return we’ll toast the New Year with a hot drink. Please dress for the weather and wear appropriate footgear for the trail conditions. All welcome. Free for members, $5 for non-members.
All programs require pre-registration
To register call 914-762-2912 x 110
unless otherwise noted.
Click for more info on Teatown’s upcoming programs.
Teatown’s Hudson River EagleFestsm
General Admission Tickets Now Available!
Click here to purchase general admission tickets.
To purchase bus tour tickets, call 914-762-2912 x 110.
For more information, click here.
Nature Girls
Tuesdays, January 28 – March 25, 3:30 – 5:30 pm
Come on girls get your nature on! Led by Elissa Schilmeister, girls will hike and explore natural habitats, engage in team-building activities, conduct mini-experiments and scientific investigations. *No program February 18. Girls ages 10- 14.
For more information, click here.
Little Tree Huggers: Wonderful Winter
Tuesdays, January 28 – March 11, 10:00- 11:15am
This class for 2- 3 year olds is packed with age-appropriate outdoor explorations, stories and activities. *No program February 18. Must be accompanied by parent or caregiver.
For more information,click here.
Reap the rewards
of being a Teatown member.
Click to join today!
Farewell to Jove
Our beloved little kestrel, Jove, passed away earlier last week. He had a beak handicap which meant that he would never survive in the wild. So he came to Teatown and spent the last 6 years educating the public about raptors, falcons, and especially, the right steps to take when encountering baby birds to prevent imprinting. He helped give those birds the chance he would never have – a wild life.
Jove had more character and personality packed into that tiny body of his than you could imagine. I am certain that at some point he landed on every handler’s head in his enclosure. He loved to fly to his dish and be hand fed his minced mouse tartar, making him one of the easiest birds to work with. And, “working” did not phase him – he was comfortable with his audiences, allowing countless people a chance to glimpse a beautiful falcon up very close and personal. He both wow’d and charmed his audiences time and again. He even had his five minutes of fame, starring in the opening scene of the locally filmed movie “A Birder’s Guide to Everything.”
Jove has earned a special place in my heart, and I can honestly say that he will probably be one of the best raptor ambassadors that I’ll ever work with. I know those of you who will miss him most – miss him rousing on your glove, bobbing his head and tail. I think we can all be proud of our little friend’s legacy. He touched many lives and helped instill compassion and respect for wildlife and their local habitats.
-Written by Erin Baker, Teatown’s Animal Care Supervisor & Environmental Educator.
“From Garbage to Black GOLD: Realizing the Value of Food Waste”
January 24, 2014, 8:30 am-10:30am
Greenburgh Public Library
Conservation Cafe´presents
the next Conversations on Conservation.
“From Garbage to Black GOLD:
Realizing the Value of Food Waste”
Moderator: Braeden Cohen, Composting/Sustainability Specialist and educator at the Greenburgh Nature Center will be discussing the scope and expense of the food waste problem in Westchester; composting as a profitable solution to food waste; basic mechanics of composting food along with yard organics.
Jean Bonhotal of the Cornell Waste Management Institute and the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, will be speaking on the economics of food waste composting and case studies of food waste composting operations in New York State.
Terry Laibach, Recycling Specialist at NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Region III will talk about the New York State DEC requirements for food waste composting in New York and examples of food waste composting facilities currently in operation or in planning stages in New York State.
Sarah Groat, Manager of Soil, Recycling, and Compost Operations at Stone Barns Center For Food and Agriculture will present on how Stone Barns turns Garbage To Gold as part of both their mission and business operations.
Who Should Attend: Municipal officials, DPW officials, school facility managers, grocery store associations, restaurateurs, homeowners, the agricultural community, gardening enthusiasts, organizations that have high food waste disposal costs and those concerned about waste.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.; the program begins at 8:45 a.m.
This is a FREE program, and all are welcome to join.
3 fighting bid-rigging charges at California foreclosure auctions | Katonah NY Real Estate
Two California real estate investors and an auctioneer who were indicted more than two years ago for allegedly conspiring to rig bids at real estate foreclosure auctions in San Joaquin County are finally headed to trial next month, where two other investors who have submitted guilty pleas in the case are likely to called as witnesses.
Anthony B. Joachim of Stockton pleaded guilty today to conspiring to rig bids and commit mail fraud, prosecutors said. Investor Wiley C. Chandler had already submitted a guilty plea.
Auctioneer W. Theodore Longley and investors Andrew B. Katakis and Donald M. Parker are fighting the allegations. Their trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 28.
Prosecutors said they’ve obtained 11 guilty pleas in an ongoing investigation of bid rigging and fraud at real estate foreclosure auctions in the Eastern District of California, a vast area of the state that stretches from the Oregon border in the north to the Tehachapis in the south and from the Coastal Range in the west to the Nevada Border in the east.
Last month the Department of Justice and the FBI said an ongoing investigation into bid rigging in Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo and Contra Costa counties has netted 38 guilty pleas. Source: fbi.gov.
– See more at: http://www.inman.com/wire/another-calif-defendant-pleads-guilty-for-foreclosure-auction-fraud/?utm_source=20131231&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinesam#sthash.3Wptidgl.dpuf
Reese Witherspoon Sells Ojai Home at a Loss | Katonah Real Estate
Mortgage rates tick up slightly | Katonah NY Real Estate
Freddie Mac today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey, showing average fixed mortgage rates climbing a little from last week following positive news for housing starts and building permits.
According to Freddie Mac, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rates averaged 4.47% with an average 0.7 point for the week ending Dec. 19.
That’s up from last week’s 4.42%.
The 30-year fixed averaged 3.37% a year ago.
The 15-year fixed rate hit 3.51% with an average 0.6 point, up from 3.43% last week.
http://www.housingwire.com/articles/28357-mortgage-rates-tick-up-slightly
Blue is the new cool kid on the backsplash block | Katonah NY Real Estate
Continuing our series on colorful backsplashes, we turn to blue. Blue kitchens are, er, red hot right now. After years of our being advised to not use blue in a kitchen (it’s thought to be appetite suppressing), cool shades of the color are showing up more and more in kitchen tools, accessories and, yes, backsplash materials. Here’s a small glimpse at some of the many blue backsplash options, along with a few tips for working the color into your own kitchen.
One of my favorite kitchen color trends is a palette consisting of black, white and shades of gray and watery blues. The blue glass subway tile backsplash here adds just the right punch of color. Mix in a wooden or natural cork floor for added warmth and texture.
Backsplash: 3- by 6-inch glass subway tiles in Frosted Ocean Grey from The Five Elements
Backsplash: 3- by 6-inch glass subway tiles in Frosted Ocean Grey from The Five Elements
Cobalt blue becomes fashionable every 15 years or so and is currently enjoying an upswing in popularity. But I would never advocate using a color for your backsplash just because it’s trending, as the expense and hassle of changing it once the trend passes is much too great. So if you aren’t sure you’d want this color in your kitchen for very long, paint it on a wall instead. It’ll be much easier (not to mention affordable) to swap out down the road.
If you truly love this color — ever-changing color trends aside — and want to use it for a backsplash, I say go for it. It’s close enough to the indigo color of blue jeans, which we are used to seeing accessorized with any and every color, that it functions as a neutral, giving you flexibility with the palette.
Backsplash: Classic field tile in Opal Blue from Heath Ceramics
If you truly love this color — ever-changing color trends aside — and want to use it for a backsplash, I say go for it. It’s close enough to the indigo color of blue jeans, which we are used to seeing accessorized with any and every color, that it functions as a neutral, giving you flexibility with the palette.
Backsplash: Classic field tile in Opal Blue from Heath Ceramics
It’s tough to compete for attention with this fantastic range, vent hood and stone arch but, boy, the backsplash sure does a good job of it. These beautiful Moroccan blue tiles are hand made in Casablanca. You can mix and match the patterns to create a unique backsplash in your own kitchen.
Backsplash: 4-inch square Fez tiles from Moorish Architectural Design
Backsplash: 4-inch square Fez tiles from Moorish Architectural Design
Navy blue is an elegant, dramatic backsplash color choice. It looks superb when paired with medium to dark wood tones as well as shades of orange, its complementary hue on the color wheel. Backsplash: 2- by 8-inch Debris Series field tile in Navy Gloss from Fireclay.
HUGE NEWS: Websites soon to end in .mortgage or .home | Katonah NY Realtor
Imagine coming to this website by simply typing “housing.wire” into your web address bar.
That’s right, no “.com” necessary.
This hugely flexible option for online businesses — as well as other, brand-specific URL endings — is one step closer to reality.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers recently released more than a thousand potential URL suffixes, a vast increase in the 22 currently in use.
According to law firm Ballard Spahr, which broke the news in its Privacy and Data Security and Intellectual Property Alert, website domain names will start looking dramatically different.
These listings are the first wave of ICANN new generic top-level domain names, or gTLDs, as they are more commonly referred to. Some are already online, and the mortgage-type listings will be available in a matter of months.There is no specific timetable.
“What it means to the mortgage banking industry is they also need to consider their internet security, as well as their trademarks and whether or not they need to defensively register,” said Amy Mushahwar, privacy and data security cousel for Ballard Spahr. “Any internal naming architecture, internal email server with .loans for example, could also create a conflict. They need to take a peek and not only see any names worth registering, but whether any of the thousands of new names could impact their existing digital structure.”
In response to a request from HousingWire, Ballard Spahr pulled a list of housing and banking potential substitutes for .com or .org.
Those examples include, but are not limited to:
.BROKER .CREDIT .CREDITUNION .FINANCE .FINANCIAL .HOME .HOMES .INVESTMENTS .LAND .LEASE .LOAN .LOANS .MORTGAGE .REALESTATE .REALTOR .REALTY
There are also many brand strings available, below are a few examples: .BBT .CAPITALONE .CITI .HSBC Ballard Spahr said it plans to complete a more comprehensive list of potential URL endings in the near term. Companies, and no doubt there will be plenty, looking to cash in on this new option should be warned, however, as risks include adding to consumer confusion.
And that’s not all.
“Issues arising from the complexity of Domain Name System (DNS) expansion, if not fully resolved, could pose security risks and potentially destabilize global Internet operations,” the Ballard Spahr alert stated.
Immigration reform could spur housing recovery | Katonah Real Estate
Immigration reform in America would broaden and accelerate the current housing recovery, in addition to feeding the growth of the economy by adding new, younger workers into the labor force, a report from the Bipartisan Policy Center said.
In a report titled “Immigration Reform: Implications for Growth, Budgets, and Housing,” the policy center argues that immigration reform can produce powerful economic benefits, and for people trying to protect their immigration status in the USA, the use of a lawyer from the Sam Shihab & Associates, LLC is one of the best options for this.
Immigration reform would jump-start the housing recovery by dramatically increasing demand for housing units, growing residential construction spending by an average of $68 billion per year from fiscal year 2014 to 2023, the report said.
The 20-year period includes a peak of more than $110 billion per year in fiscal year 2022 through 2025, with the first decade’s annual average about $56 billion per year higher, and the second decade’s about $81 per year billion higher.
However, if all unauthorized workers were removed, spending would decline by more than $100 billion per year compared with the baseline, or the current projections if no change was made, and more than $175 billion per year compared to the reference case.
http://www.housingwire.com/articles/28250-immigration-reform-could-spur-housing-recovery