Tag Archives: Mt Kisco NY Realtor

Mortgage Rates Fall For Fifth Straight Week | Mt Kisco Realtor

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The bond rally of 2014 continues to carry over into mortgage rates, which fell for a fifth straight week. The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate dropped to 4.23% this week from 4.32% a week ago and 4.53% in the first week of January, according to Freddie Mac’s (FMCC) latest weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey. A year ago that rate stood at 3.53%. The average 15-year fixed-rate mortgage rate also fell to 3.33% from 3.40% a week earlier, up from 2.77% a year ago.

A similar 30-year mortgage rate measured by the Mortgage Bankers Association’s latest weekly survey fell to 4.47% from 4.52%, a week earlier. That survey also showed mortgage applications increased by 0.4% in the week.

 

http://blogs.barrons.com/incomeinvesting/2014/02/06/mortgage-rates-fall-for-fifth-straight-week/?mod=yahoobarrons&ru=yahoo

The cure to zombie foreclosures | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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From 2008 to 2010, 8.7% of foreclosures filed in Cook County, Illinois, were zombie foreclosures, accruing to more than 5,800 zombie properties in the city of Chicago. But this is just the beginning.

According to a recent report from the Woodstock Institute, if the trend continues, there will be an additional 7,200 zombie properties in Cook County, including nearly 3,200 in the city of Chicago, by 2015.

“Zombie properties will make it harder for Cook County to recover fully from the housing crisis, especially in the neighborhoods where they are concentrated,” Spencer Cowan, vice president of Woodstock Institute, said.

“Zombies introduce an element of uncertainty that poses barriers to returning homes to productive use or finding creative ways to deal with blighted properties,” Cowan said.

When the foreclosure crisis hit Cook County, it reported 217,035 foreclosure filings and 89,327 properties sold at auction between 2008 and 2012.

And the county felt each one.

Since a zombie property is a foreclosure that has not been resolved for more than three years, usually because neither the borrower nor servicer has a strong incentive to assume responsibility, the houses are likely to be poorly maintained or blighted, which in turn threatens the stability of surrounding communities.

 

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/28743-the-cure-to-zombie-foreclosures

For Sale: Mid-Century Homes With Modern Upgrades | Mt Kisco NY Real Estate

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Mid-century modern homes are just as popular as ever: furniture stores are lined with sleek, retro pieces, and designers are showing off their “Mad Men” flair on Zillow Digs. But shopping for an architectural gem doesn’t mean you have to forgo contemporary amenities. Here’s a look at a few homes currently on the market combining classic mid-century style with tasteful upgrades.

Phoenix, AZ

4832 E Virginia Ave, Phoenix, AZ For sale: $269,900

Phoenix, AZPhoenix, AZ - 2

Built in 1957, this Phoenix mid-century residence has been completely remodeled with a new kitchen layout, maple cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, modern bath fixtures and an indoor-outdoor entertaining space separated by a glass garage door. The home first hit the market in September 2013; its list price was dropped by $1,000 in December.

 

 

http://www.zillow.com/blog/2014-01-23/mid-century-homes-modern-upgrades/

Colorado agent launches marijuana-friendly marketing campaign | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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On Jan. 1, Bob Costello, an agent with the Brokers Guild brokerage in Denver, launched his “420 Friendly Realty Broker” campaign to capitalize on Colorado’s new 2014 law that allows adults over the age of 21 to purchase recreational marijuana legally in the state.

“I’ve had about 30 calls about this, and for a real estate broker, it’s great — you want a lot of leads,” Costello told the Huffington Post.

Costello offers prospective clients who might want to grow pot insight into what type of homes they should be looking for.

“First of all, you want to be in a marijuana-friendly city like Denver, Edgewater, Wheat Ridge or Pueblo,” Costello told the Post. “You probably also want to get a house that’s not too close to a school, maybe not too close to something controversial.”

Source: Huffington Post

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/wire/colorado-agents-2014-marijuana-friendly-marketing-campaign-seeing-early-returns/?utm_source=20140110&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinesam#sthash.CVrTCTBy.dpuf

Paul McCartney Eyes $13M 4BR Condo On Fifth Avenue | Mt Kisco NY Homes

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A four-bedroom condo on Museum Mile that’s been sitting on the market for more than a year got some Christmas love from former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney. The Post reports that McCartney and his wife, Nancy Shevell, checked out unit 16B at 1049 Fifth Avenue, currently listed for $12.9 million. The 3,335-square-foot apartment was originally listed in October 2012 for $13.5 million, but had its price reduced by $500K in July 2013. The home has Central Park views and design details one expects from a prewar Fifth Avenue building: coffered ceilings, rosewood herringbone floors, marble bathrooms, and a mahogany paneled library.

 

 

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/12/26/paul_mccartney_eyes_13m_4br_condo_on_fifth_avenue.php

Classic European architecture mixes with modern furnishings in a newly open Edwardian home | Mt Kisco Homes

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Architect Stephen Sutro of Sutro Architects grew up in San Francisco just four blocks from this home, alongside one of the owners, who was a childhood friend. Years later, when the friend and her husband hired Sutro for this project, that long relationship made it easy to communicate and share ideas for the transformation of the couple’s Edwardian flat from a dark warren of small rooms to a light-filled family dwelling.
Houzz at a Glance Who lives here: A couple and their 2 children Location: San Francisco Size: 2,900 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms Year renovated: 2013
Photography by Aaron Leitz

“We call this project Parisian Modern Flat, because it uses the European idea of classic architecture as the backdrop for modern elements and furniture,” says Sutro. The architect reordered the rooms, making a large, open space up front and relocating the bedrooms in the rear of the house. Now the living room, dining room and kitchen are in one space.
Sofa: Dizani; art: Matt Lipps
The architect staged a delicate design balance. “By using classic molding and a herringbone-patterned floor, we referenced the era in which the house was built,” the architect says. A sofa with multisided seating has decidedly modernist attributes; it allows people to relax and enjoy the contemporary fireplace, the avant-garde photo collage, the more traditional bay window or the modern kitchen. “It is the perfect piece, because it has seating on all four sides,” says the architect. “It knits the room together.”
“The modern interventions create an interesting juxtaposition and a pleasant tension between the old and new,” says Sutro. The design of a fireplace in Tom Ford’s New York City flagship store inspired the architect to create this wood and limestone surround and mantel in the living room.
“The Lindsey Adelman light fixture defines the dining area and adds a formality to it,” says Sutro. Although the architect removed the division between the rooms, he left a suggestion of a wall between the dining room and kitchen to make a slight visual separation. “It’s just enough to suggest two spaces,” he says. “Dim the lights in the kitchen during a dinner party, and it seems to disappear.”
Light fixture: Lindsey Adelman; dining table: Link by Jakob Wagner, B&B Italia; dining chairs: Masters by Philippe Starck, Kartell

Another 8.3 Million Underwater Homeowners on Track to Resurface Before 2015 | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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While 10.7 million residential homeowners nationwide owe at least 25 percent or more on their mortgages than their properties are worth, another 8.3 million homeowners are either slightly underwater or slightly above water, putting them on track to have enough equity to sell sometime in the next 15 months — without resorting to a short sale.

The 8.3 million include homeowners with a loan to value (LTV) ratio from 90 to 110 percent, meaning they have between 10 percent positive equity and 10 percent negative equity. These homeowners represented 18 percent of all U.S. homeowners with a mortgage as of the beginning of September.

The 10.7 million residential properties with an LTV ratio of at least 125 percent represented 23 percent of U.S. residential properties with a mortgage — down from 11.3 million deeply underwater properties representing 26 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage in May 2013 and down from 12.5 million deeply underwater properties representing 28 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage in September 2012.

“Steadily rising home prices are lifting all boats in this housing market and should spill over into more inventory of homes for sale in the coming months,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac. “Homeowners who already have ample equity are quickly building on that equity, while the 8.3 million homeowners on the fence with little or no equity are on track to regain enough equity to sell before 2015 if home prices continue to increase at the rate of 1.33 percent per month that they have since bottoming out in March 2012.”

“In addition, nearly one in four homeowners in foreclosure has at least some equity, giving them a better chance to avoid foreclosure without resorting to a short sale — assuming they realize they have equity and don’t miss the opportunity to leverage that equity,” Blomquist added. “Even homeowners deeply underwater have reason for hope, with about 150,000 each month rising past the 25 percent negative equity milestone — although it will certainly take years rather than months before most of those homeowners have enough equity to sell other than via short sale.”

Other high-level findings from the report:

More than 126,000 properties in the foreclosure process nationwide had an LTV of 100 percent or lower in September, representing 24 percent of all homes in the foreclosure process. States with the highest percentage of foreclosures with equity included Oklahoma (54 percent), Hawaii (51 percent), New York (47 percent), and Texas (46 percent).

 

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/09/another-83-million-homeowners-on-track-to-resurface-before-2015/

How Fashion’s Reed Krakoff and Lisa Perry Do Entry Spaces | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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before
after

Photo of Reed Krakoff by Douglas Friedman/Elle Decor; Photo of Lisa Perry by Oberto Gili/Elle Decor

 

It’s not surprising that the homes of fashion designers have always been something of a fascination for shelter magazines; after all, these people presumably possess the kind of taste level well beyond the average person’s and have the means to perfect their glassy mansions or restored palaces, or, in some cases, large collection of estates. This month’s Elle Decor asks seven fashion designers to pose in their favorite room: for Coach honcho Reed Krakoff—who’s Manhattan townhouse is the stuff of legends—that means a sweeping foyer filled expressing “artisanal craftsmanship combined with warm modernism”; for Lisa Perry that means a bright, “blinding in its whiteness” entry hall filled with Pop Art. Head to Elle Decor for Carolina Herrera, Donna Karan, and more.

 

· Fashion Favorites [Elle Decor] ·

 

Behold Fashion’s Loveliest Homes, as Seen in Shelter Books [Curbed National]

Content Marketing for Real Estate Agents: Can Blogging Help You Sell Homes? | Mt Kisco NY Realtor

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It’s amazing to consider the ways in which online marketing has transformed the real estate industry—and if you don’t believe it, consider some of these figures from a 2012 study from the National Association of Realtors.

The study finds that more than 40 percent of all home buyers find their dream property via the Internet; nearly as many home buyers find their home by consulting with a real estate agent, and in many cases, these agents are found through the Web. But what about those old-fashioned newspaper ads, once so prized by real estate agents?

In today’s world, they account for only 2 percent of the homes found and purchased. What all of this suggests is that, for the real estate sales professional, the Internet represents the best, most cost-effective place to spend one’s marketing budget—by a long shot. Of course, this is something that most real estate agents have come to terms with.

The trouble that many have is deciding on the best way to reach leads on the Web. Increasing Visibility Means Drawing in Homebuyers The secret is in understanding that, for realtors, successful online marketing is all about improving visibility. That same NAR study reveals that the overwhelming majority of homebuyers never call more than one real estate agent—meaning that the first agent they come across is the one who gets their business.

Additionally, the NAR’s 2013 “Field Guide to Quick Real Estate Statistics” notes that 90 percent of homebuyers use the Internet as a primary tool in their real estate quest. The bottom line?

When people want to buy homes, they don’t flip to the Real Estate section of the local paper, and they don’t pick up the print catalogs that are on display outside supermarkets. They turn to the Web, they conduct a Google search, and they seek out a real estate agent who has high visibility—an agent positioned on the Web as someone who is knowledgeable, helpful, authoritative, and, above all available.

Content Marketing Tips for Real Estate Professionals In many ways, content marketing is the perfect way for real estate agents to position themselves in this way. Content marketing is all about selling without selling—not about constant self-promotion, but rather about sharing helpful and informative content that establishes the agent as someone consumers can trust. As an added bonus, helpful content like this is what Google and Bing favor—so content marketing empowers real estate agents to achieve high visibility and superior rankings on online searches.

What kinds of helpful and informative content can agents share? A few ideas come to mind: Share local market data and statistics. What are the “hot” neighborhoods in your city or town? Where can local home seekers find the best deals on the most valuable properties? For buyers who do not know exactly where to begin their real estate search, information like this can be priceless.

Share tips for first-time homebuyers. This is, after all, a daunting process for many, but when you share handy info on applying for loans, negotiating closing costs, conducting home inspections, and so on, you cultivate trust with potential buyers.

Share home maintenance tips, proving that you’re interested in the long-term satisfaction of your clients, and that your expertise doesn’t end when all of the papers are signed. Share information about local schools and community events, which can be helpful for those moving from another city or state.

Finally, there is certainly nothing wrong with sharing some of your own more attractive listings, from time to time!

Read more at http://www.business2community.com/content-marketing/content-marketing-for-real-estate-agents-can-blogging-help-you-sell-homes-0538077#akA1qQyPkCq7ZUDe.99

Content Marketing for Real Estate Agents: Can Blogging Help You Sell Homes? – Business 2 Community.

7 Signs You are Not a Good Blogger | Mt Kisco NY Realtor

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Let me start off this post with a little assumption … Every one of us wants to be a good blogger, right?7 Sign you are not a good blogger

But it’s not like we get a lot of direct opinions about how good we actually are… I mean, your friends and family will tell you that you’re great. A number of haters will tell you that you suck. But it’s not like these opinions reflect the actual situation.

The negative voices are always more vocal than the positive ones, and the things your friends say … well, they just don’t have the guts to say anything bad. So how you can find out for sure?

First of all, let’s explain what it means to actually be a good blogger.

Who’s a good blogger?

The most important distinction is that being a good blogger is not the same thing as being a good writer. Writing is a single activity – you take an idea, and write an article around it. Blogging involves a lot more elements. Apart from writing.

  • Bloggers have to network with other bloggers
  • Master the art of online promotion,marketing and social media
  • Do brand building
  • Attract new followers and subscribers
  • Have some business sense and be able to turn pro at some point
  • They need to learn how to make things happen
  • Manage their own work and time, and much much more

Taking all this into account, there are 7 signs that you’re NOT a good blogger.

1. You’re not publishing regularly

This is really basic, but some people still forget that publishing regularly is, essentially, your main task as a blogger. If you don’t publish regularly, people will lose track of what’s going on with your blog, or even forget about you completely, which is not good for business. If, at some point, you get distracted and don’t publish a post for a longer while, just return to your everyday blogging like nothing ever happened.

Whatever you do, don’t publish a “sorry I’ve been away post.” The reason is simple. Some people won’t even notice that you were gone, unless you tell them…

2. You’re not managing your time properly

Time management may sound like something only people loaded with extreme amount of work need, but it’s not the case. Whatever your career is, and whatever you’re doing, you can always use a time management system to make you more effective. Let’s face it, there are a lot of tasks a blogger needs to do on a daily basis, and if you try to keep it all in your head, you’ll inevitably forget some of it.

First of all, I encourage you to check out a methodology called Getting Things Done. Then try different online tools to make you more effective. Tools like: Remember The Milk, Teambox, Google Calendar, Dropbox, and others.

3. You have no blogging friends

Bloggers who try to make things happen on their own will have a lot harder time achieving success. Building a network of contacts and utilizing it for various purposes is a lot better approach. Here are some of the possible benefits:

  • you can email your blogging friends notifying them about a new post of yours,
  • you can take part in joint ventures,
  • you can promote each other on different occasions,
  • they can help you get guest posting spots on other blogs,
  • you can host guest posts from them,
  • you can promote each other’s products as affiliates, and much more.

Quite frankly, building a network of contacts is a great practice in any industry, blogging included. Don’t pretend that it doesn’t concern you.

4. No one contacts you with freelance writing opportunities

If you’re a good blogger, chances are that some people will notice and reach out to you with new opportunities. The most obvious opportunity for a blogger is a freelance writing project of some kind. If you’re inside a fairly popular niche, you should get offers like that every now and then. If there aren’t any then maybe you’re not as good as you think. But still, you can help the situation a little by providing an easy-to-use contact form or any other clear way of getting a hold of you.

It still amazes me that some bloggers have absolutely no contact information on their sites, or that the info is buried so deep that it’s like it wasn’t there at all.

5. You don’t know what SEO is

I’m sorry, but good blogging has a lot to do with SEO. Good bloggers accept this fact and try to make the most out of it. Bad bloggers think that SEO is not relevant and that content is the only king. From my perspective, there’s no point in providing great content if you’re going to do nothing to promote it in the search engines.

Every post you publish should include some form of SEO (optimization), even if it’s just some simple keyword research and good subheadings. Remember that Google is the biggest provider of traffic online. You can really earn a lot in terms of traffic and recognition if you decide to play their game.

6. You don’t know what your most popular articles are

This one is about knowing your audience and being aware what’s going on on your OWN blog. If you don’t know what your most popular content is then how are you going to create more of it? I mean, there’s really little point in publishing posts just for the sake of it.

Every blogger should aim at publishing only posts that have the biggest chance of going viral. To be up-to-date with your blog start by installing a plugin like WordPress Popular Postsand including a Google Analytics embed code in your blog. This will give you all the information you need.

What matters is ongoing work. Check your stats every week or every month and note which articles have become the most popular, then create your publishing schedule for the next months to include more articles similar to the popular ones in some way (topic, style, etc.).

7. You have no plan for your blog’s nearest future

Bad bloggers are always running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Remember that you’re a blogger long term (at least that’s my assumption). So you need to have a plan for your blog, or else your success will be a lot less predictable. Things worth including in your plan are:

  • Your publishing schedule.
  • New keywords to tackle.
  • A list of blogs where you want to guest post.
  • A list of products you want to create.
  • A list of products you want to promote as an affiliate.
  • A list of joint venture projects and their execution schedules.
  • The general goal your blog should achieve in one year’s time.

Of course, this is just an example, and you’re free to include whatever else you find suitable. That’s it for my list of 7 signs that you’re not a good blogger. Feel free to comment and share your own insights. Also, what would look good as the item #8 on this list?

About the author: Karol K. is a freelance writer and blogger. If you’re interested in learning how to start writing paid articles feel free to visit him at YoungPrePro.

 

Want to Learn More About How to Create Compelling Content that Your Audience Wants to Read, View and Share?

My book – Blogging the Smart Way “How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 130,000.

Download and read it now.

 

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