Tag Archives: Mount Kisco Homes

Do little fixes boost home sales? | Mount Kisco Real Estate

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In some parts of the country, handyman services made up nearly half of all home-improvement projects undertaken in the six-month period before a home sold, according to real estate website Porch.

Real estate agents and sellers prioritize repairs and aesthetic improvements that prospective buyers are likely to notice, such as upgrades to flooring, cabinets, fences and doors, says Matt Ehrlichman, chief executive of Porch, which tracks home-improvement projects.

The Wall Street JournalFor the analysis, details of 675,000 home-improvement projects that had been submitted to Porch by homeowners, architects, builders, real estate agents and others were compared with home listings and sales data from realtor.com, which partners with Porch. The findings: Home sellers in the Northeast and Midwest were most likely to hire a handyman for minor repairs in the six-month period before the home sale. Homeowners in the West were most likely to hire a general contractor for larger improvements. In the South, home sellers were most likely to pay for electrical upgrades and repairs.

“Just doing these minor things will help your house sell quicker and typically for more money,” says Brad Carlson, a real estate agent with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene in The Woodlands, Texas.

Carlson once had the listing for a three-bedroom home with dated brass fixtures throughout. The house sat on the market for over two months with no offers until the seller finally agreed to swap the fixtures for more modern ones. Two days and $800 in new fixtures later, the home sold close to its listing price at $214,900

 

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http://realestate.msn.com/blogs/post–do-little-fixes-boost-home-sales

Award-Winning Modern Country Estate In Dallas Asks $9M | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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18 images


Click here to view the full photogallery.

Location: Dallas, Texas
Price: $8,975,000
The Skinny: This striking modern home outside Dallas opens itself up to the spectacular surrounding scenery with 23-foot walls and windows that wrap around the living room and his and hers offices. The attention to the home’s relation to the outdoors continues with its siting, which maximizes sunlight and theoretically keeps the home evenly illuminated with natural light throughout the day. The design by Dallas firm Oglebsy-Greene—which won a 2010 AIA Interior Architecture Design Award—also includes a dramatic four-story stair tower that extends from the first floor to the rooftop terrace, Douglas fir and Lueders stone finishes throughout, and an open kitchen with gold granite countertops and Gaggenau cooking surfaces. The five-bedroom, seven-bathroom manse has 11,000 square feet of living space and sits on an acre of wooded land with creek and waterfall views. It’s asking $8.975M.

 

 

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http://curbed.com/archives/2014/05/08/award-winning-modern-country-estate-in-dallas-asks-9m.php

Mount Kisco Among Best Places To Live In New York | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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Real estate blog Movoto.com recently named Mount Kisco the fourth-best place to live in New York.

Movoto compiled a list of municipalities within the state with 10,000 people or more from the 2010 U.S. census. The site then ranked the 87 qualifying areas on the following criteria:

  • Total amenities.
  • Quality of life (cost of living, median home price, median rent, median household income, and student- to-teacher ratio).
  • Total crimes.
  • Tax rates (sales tax and income tax).
  • Unemployment.
  • Commute time.
  • Weather (temperature and air quality).

Mount Kisco ranked in the top 10 in three categories: unemployment (fourth), tax rate (seventh) and quality of life (ninth). The town of nearly 11,000 also excelled in weather, coming in at No.14.

Mount Kisco’s worst category was in commute time, ranking 55th out of 87 communities.

The overall score of 22 for Mount Kisco placed it just behind Mamaroneck, Tarrytown and White Plains, which took the top three spots with scores of 20.71, 21.57 and 21.86, respectively.

Overall, Westchester County communities dominated the top 10, taking 10 spots. Scarsdale, Harrison, Dobbs Ferry, Ossining, Rye and New Rochelle (tied for 10th with Saratoga Springs) all made the top 10.

Port Chester, Peekskill and Yonkers all sat outside the top 10, ranking 12th through 14th, respectively.

 

 

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http://mtkisco.dailyvoice.com/lifestyle/mount-kisco-among-best-places-live-new-york

Home values in 20 percent of US housing markets headed for record highs within a year | Mount Kisco Real Estate

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Home values in almost 20 percent of all U.S. metros will surpass their housing boom peaks over the next year, and affordability problems that have begun to affect a fraction of markets may spread to others over the next few years, Zillow reported.

“The lows of the housing recession are becoming an increasingly distant memory as home values reach new highs and homes become more expensive than ever in many areas,” said Zillow Chief Economist Stan Humphries in a statement. “This is a remarkable milestone coming only two and a half years after the end of the worst housing recession since the Great Depression.”

Home values nationwide were up 0.5 percent from the fourth quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014, and were up 5.7 percent from the same time a year ago, according to the latest Zillow Real Estate Market Report.

Over the next year, Zillow forecasts that national home prices will appreciate by an additional 3.3 percent.

Price gains have already pushed values close to or above their housing boom peak in about 12 percent of the 8,700 markets tracked by Zillow.

Among the more than 300 metros tracked by Zillow, home values in nearly 20 percent of them have already passed or are expected to pass their prerecession peaks over the next year. Those fully or almost fully recovered metros include Dallas, Houston, Denver, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Texas, San Jose, Calif., and Austin, Texas.

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2014/04/22/home-values-in-20-percent-of-u-s-housing-markets-will-be-more-expensive-than-ever-within-a-year/?utm_source=20140422&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinespm#sthash.lzVRtVwk.dpuf

IRS will let quite a bit slide past April 15 | Mount Kisco Real Estate

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As you probably know, your income taxes are due on April 15. However, this is not really the final date to file your 2013 return. You can get a six-month extension to file, meaning that your return won’t be due until Oct. 15, 2014. Filing for an extension couldn’t be easier.

All you have to do is file Form 4868, Application For Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Tax Return. You can do this electronically or by postal mail. For filing details, see my article “Need more time for taxes? File an extension.

”You might be thinking: “This sounds too easy. What’s the catch?”There is one catch. Extending your time to file your return does not extend your time to pay your income and self-employment taxes. These taxes remain due in full on April 15.

So, if you do owe the IRS money, you’ll need to estimate out how much and pay the amount before April 15. If you pay late, you’ll be charged a late payment penalty on the outstanding balance of 0.5 percent per month and interest at a rate of 3 percent per year.

Although filing an extension doesn’t increase the time you have to pay your taxes, it does give you — and your tax pro, if you hire one — ample extra time to ensure that you file a complete and accurate tax return.

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2014/04/14/irs-will-let-quite-a-bit-slide-past-april-15/?utm_source=20140414&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinesam#sthash.qXXn7Lzx.dpuf

Fixed Mortgage Rates Tick Down | Mt Kisco NY Realtor

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Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing average fixed mortgage rates moving down slightly as we head into the spring homebuying season.

News Facts

  • 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.34 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending April 10, 2014, down from last week when it averaged 4.41 percent. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.43 percent.
  • 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.38 percent with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.47 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 2.65 percent.
  • 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.09 percent this week with an average 0.5 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.12 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 2.62 percent.
  • 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 2.41 percent this week with an average 0.5 point, down from last week when it averaged 2.45 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 2.62 percent.

Average commitment rates should be reported along with average fees and points to reflect the total upfront cost of obtaining the mortgage. Visit the following links for the Regional and National Mortgage Rate Details and Definitions. Borrowers may still pay closing costs which are not included in the survey.

Quotes Attributed to Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist, Freddie Mac.

“Mortgage rates eased a bit following the decline in 10-year Treasury yields. Also, the economy added 192,000 jobs in March, which was below the market consensus forecast but followed an upward revision of 22,000 jobs in February. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate held steady at 6.7 percent.”

Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation’s residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Today Freddie Mac is making home possible for one in four home borrowers and is one of the largest sources of financing for multifamily housing. Additional information is available at FreddieMac.com, Twitter @FreddieMac and Freddie Mac’s blog FreddieMac.com/blog.

 

 

 

Mortgage Rates Reletively Flat | Mt Kisco NY Homes

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Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing average fixed mortgage rates relatively unchanged from last week.

News Facts

  • 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.41 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending April 3, 2014, up from last week when it averaged 4.40 percent. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.54 percent.
  • 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.47 percent with an average 0.6 point, up from last week when it averaged 3.42 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 2.74 percent.
  • 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.12 percent this week with an average 0.5 point, up from last week when it averaged 3.10 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 2.65 percent.
  • 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 2.45 percent this week with an average 0.4 point, up from last week when it averaged 2.44 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 2.63 percent.

Average commitment rates should be reported along with average fees and points to reflect the total upfront cost of obtaining the mortgage. Visit the following links for the Regional and National Mortgage Rate Details and Definitions. Borrowers may still pay closing costs which are not included in the survey.

Quotes Attributed to Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist, Freddie Mac.

“Mortgage rates were little changed amid a week of light economic reports. Of the few releases, real GDP was revised up slightly to 2.6 percent growth in the fourth quarter of 2013. The private sector added an estimated 191,000 jobs in March, which followed an upward revision of 39,000 jobs in February according to the ADP Research Institute. Also, the Institute for Supply Management reported the manufacturing industry rebounded from a soft February but was still below market consensus.”

Eliot Spitzer puts $145M worth of apts. on the block | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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Real estate scion and former governor Eliot Spitzer is selling a big portfolio of apartments his family owns on the East Side in a deal that could fetch $145 million or more.

Mr. Spitzer has put 144 rental units at the Corinthian, a huge apartment tower his father Bernard Spitzer began building in the mid 1980s and finished in 1987. Robert Knakal, chairman of the brokerage firm Massey Knakal Realty Services, is marketing the apartments and confirmed the units were on the market.

“The market for any type of property today, but especially residential assets, is spectacular,” Mr. Knakal said. “It’s a great time to take advantage of it.”

The 57-story building, at 330 E. 38th St., is one of Manhattan’s largest residential towers, with 863 units, and a distinct columnar facade that provides the apartments inside with curving bay windows that offer sweeping views of midtown. The Spitzers sold most of those apartments in the years immediately after they constructed the tower, but when the city’s sales market slowed by the late 1980s, they decided to hold on to 144 units and convert them to rental properties.

The family has held onto the apartments, which are scattered throughout the tower, ever since.

Having lost a tightly-fought bid for city comptroller last year and with his father in his 80s and in poor health, the deal is also a sign that the younger Spitzer has begun to take a more active hand in steering the family’s real estate business. In December, he acquired a prime development site in the Hudson Yards for $88 million.

The sale of the Corinthian apartments could be a way for Mr. Spitzer to raise capital for future acquisitions or help finance the purchases he has made.

“Eliot is very sensitive to the fact that the family has extracted as much value as it can from some of the assets it owns,” said Jeffrey Moerdler, a real estate attorney with the firm Mintz Levin, who is a friend of Mr. Spitzer’s and handles the legal work for many of his real estate transactions, including this current sales effort. “He’s trying to monetize those buildings and revinvest in assets that have the opportunity to generate new value.”

 

 

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20140325/REAL_ESTATE/140329923/eliot-spitzer-puts-145m-worth-of-apts-on-the-block

4 things millennial homebuyers desire in a real estate agent | Mt Kisco NY Real Estate

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At Agent Reboot in New York City last month, real estate coach and trainer Travis Robertson outlined how Gen Y is reshaping the buying and selling experience to fit how they do business. Are you prepared to cope? Suppose you’re at a party and a longtime friend introduces you to a Gen Y (millennial) attorney who has just relocated from New York to join their local firm. The attorney wants to buy a loft condo within walking distance of their firm, which just happens to be the area where you specialize. Will you be the agent who captures the business? The answer to that question will probably be based upon what happens in the five minutes immediately following your introduction. If you haven’t done so already, search your own name on Google and see what turns up on the first page of the search. That’s exactly what that young attorney did within seconds or even minutes of leaving you. He searched your name on Google to see if you would be a good fit. In fact, many will make the decision to work with you based upon what they find in that search. If you haven’t embraced social and mobile and if your profile doesn’t show that you specialize in the downturn urban lifestyle, chances are that buyer will continue to search for someone who does meet those criteria.

 

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2014/02/24/4-things-millennial-homebuyers-desire-in-a-real-estate-agent/?utm_source=20140224&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinesam#sthash.0hRRbGEl.dpuf