Tag Archives: Mt Kisco Real Estate

Bon Jovi’s Penthouse Stops Living on a Prayer, Cuts Price | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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It’s lonely at the top of 158 Mercer Street, and perhaps that’s why Jon Bon Jovihas been trying to unload his penthouse there since earlier this year. He paid $24 million for it in 2007 and re-listed it for $42 million after a renovation. His dream sale price was rumored to be $45M, but that’s now far out of reach—he has just cut the price to $39.9 million. That’s just the price of love.

The place is a 5BR, 5.5BA duplex, with three landscaped terraces, 11-foot ceilings, a private screening room, and arched windows.

 

 

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/09/10/bon_jovis_penthouse_stops_living_on_a_prayer_cuts_price.php

 

Tour the Haunting Interiors of a Silent, Abandoned Mall | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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Vacant, decaying spaces are something of an obsession to photographers, who have cast their lenses on everything from abandoned theaters and churches to empty asylums and Lithuanian discos. Shopping malls join this crowd thanks to the work of Dan Wampler, who photographed the interiors of St. Louis’ Crestwood Court mall after it closed in July after more than 56 years in business. Wampler, who calls himself a digital artist rather than a photographer, used HDR to create “a look ranging from 3D to surreal,” he writes on the project page, accentuating a corridor’s angular architecture or a stairway’s sherbet-hued tilework. While “the management company has maintained the mall quite well,” he explains, his images “may be the last opportunity anyone will have to see the inside for some time.” Meaning, of course, that this mall, unlike an abandoned mall in Providence, won’t be turned into a series of micro homes.

When a duplex trumps a penthouse | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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The term “duplex” may conjure up the image of a humble house in the suburbs with two front doors, but to Chicago luxury brokers, it means a two-story space in a high-rise condo tower with spectacular views of Lake Michigan.

The only way to get cathedral spaces and dramatic staircases is to buy two units and combine them into one, Koenig & Strey broker Nancy Joyce tells Michigan Avenue magazine. In an age where the term “penthouse” gets bandied about rather casually — it’s often applied to units that “aren’t necessarily bigger, grander or even on the top floor,” Baird & Warner broker Tom Gorman says — a case can be made that the “ultimate duplex” is actually “the gold standard of luxury living.”

Gorman says that a “good duplex is a hell of a lot harder to find than a good penthouse” — they’re often marketed as pocket listings. When Michigan Avenue checked in with the metro Chicago-area multiple listing service, Midwest Real Estate Data LLC (MRED), it found that 26 of 323 active listings in the lakefront and center city districts were marketed as penthouses, and eight as duplexes.

Source: michiganavemag.com.

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/wire/when-a-duplex-trumps-a-penthouse/#sthash.beZQwBgp.dpuf

Houston housing market on fire | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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August marked the 27th month in a row that Houston home sales have increased on a monthly basis.

The number of home sales registered in the Houston Association of Realtors multiple listing service topped 7,000 for the fourth month in a row in August in the large Texas city, defying the typical fall slowdown in the housing market and matching a flurry of activity not seen since 2007.

 

 

Source: Houston Association of Realtors

read more at…

 

http://www.inman.com/wire/houston-housing-market-on-fire/#sthash.vHPktDW8.dpuf

New York Third Safest In Country For Traffic Fatalities | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y.– New York State is the third safest area in the country when it comes to traffic fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

New York had 6.19 traffic-realted deaths per 100,000 people according to the NHTSA data. The only two areas with lower totals were Massachusetts with 4.79 traffic deaths per thousand and Washington, D.C. with just 3.97 traffic deaths per thousand.

The three most dangerous states to drive in were Arkansas, Mississippi and Wyoming.

 

 

http://mtkisco.dailyvoice.com/news/new-york-third-safest-country-traffic-fatalities

Lenders Loosen up as Refis Tank | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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In July, lenders loosened up their underwriting standards more than they have in yeas as purchase mortgages overtook refinancing as the leading source of mortgage originations according to Ellie Mae’s July Originations report.

“In July, the mix of purchase loans to refinances was 53% versus 47%: the largest percentage of purchase loans since we began tracking the data in August 2011,” said Jonathan Corr, president and chief operating officer of Ellie Mae. “This was a further indication that housing seems to be improving. Just six months ago, 73 percent of all mortgages were refinancings.

“Credit standards continued to ease in July,” said Corr. “The average FICO score fell to 737, from 742 in June 2013, and it is now at the lowest level since we began our tracking in August 2011. Similarly we saw slight increases in both loan-to-value and debt-to-income ratios last month-signs that lenders are willing to accept slightly more risk to maintain volume. Dent to income ratios also have risen to the highest level since Elli Mae began tracking mortgage data in February 012.

To get a meaningful view of lender “pull-through,” Ellie Mae reviewed a sampling of loan applications initiated 90 days prior (i.e., the April 2013 applications) to calculate an overall closing rate of 55.4% in July 2013, up from 54.3% in June 2013.

MONTHLY ORIGINATION OVERVIEW FOR JULY 2013

July 2013*

June 2013*

6 Months Ago
(January 2013)*

1 Year Ago
(July 2012)*

Closed Loans

Purpose

Refinance

47%

51%

73%

58%

Purchase

53%

49%

27%

42%

Type

FHA

19%

19%

18%

24%

Conventional

71%

71%

74%

67%

Days to Close

All

47

47

54

48

Refinance

48

47

55

48

Purchase

46

46

51

47

ARMs vs. Fixed, Length, Rate

ARM %

5.2%

4.0%

2.1%

3.1%

15 Year %

15.5%

16.5%

16.9%

15.3%

30 Year – Note Rate

4.357

3.918

3.634

3.870

*All references to months should be read as month ended.

PROFILES OF CLOSED AND DENIED LOANS FOR JULY 2013

Closed First-Lien Loans

Denied Loans

(All Types)

(All Types)

FICO Score (FICO)

737

702

Loan-to-Value (LTV)

81

84

Debt-to-Income (DTI)

24/36

28/44

 

 

 

 

Lenders Loosen up as Refis Tank | RealEstateEconomyWatch.com.

Mortgage Rates up on Signs of Stronger Economic Recovery | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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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 back up near their highs for the year amid recent data pointing to signs of a stronger economic recovery, as well as positive news coming from the housing and manufacturing sectors.

News Facts

  • 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.57 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending September 5, 2013, up from last week when it averaged 4.51 percent. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.55 percent.
  • 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.59 percent with an average 0.7 point, up from last week when it averaged 3.54 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 2.86 percent.
  • 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.28 percent this week with an average 0.5 point, up from last week when it averaged 3.24 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 2.75 percent.
  • 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 2.71 percent this week with an average 0.5 point, up from last week when it averaged 2.64 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 2.61 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 edged up this week on signs of a stronger economic recovery. Real GDP was revised upwards to 2.5 percent growth in the second quarter of this year. In addition, residential construction spending rose for a ninth consecutive month in July. Lastly, the manufacturing industry expanded by the fastest pace in August since June 2011.”

How Much For A One-Bedroom Condo In Long Island City? | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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Where/What: A 1BR/1BA condo in Long Island City
Square feet: 842
Maintenance/CC: $636
The Skinny: The listing for this apartment touts its 14-foot-high ceilings, hardwood floors, and “oversized casement windows.” Perhaps as a result of the slightly awkward layout, there’s a smaller extra room (not pictured) with a washer/dryer that could be used as a slightly claustrophobic home office or for extra storage. You also get a dishwasher, as well as a ginormous bathroom with a monolithic tub and a tiled shower. The building itself has a roof deck, courtyard, and a gym with a pool and sauna. How much is the seller asking?

Pricespotter%20Floorplan%208_21.gif

· Pricespotter archives [Curbed]

 

 

How Much For A One-Bedroom Condo In Long Island City? – Pricespotter – Curbed NY.

The 15 best blogging and publishing platforms on the Internet today. Which one is for you? | Mt Kisco Realtor

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Reading the signs a couple of years ago it was easy to assume that the art of blogging was set to die a painful death at the hands of social networks like Facebook and Twitter and others. While social has changed how we communicate online, blogging remains a core part of things.

In fact, the truth is that there’s never been a better time to blog. Social networks help build audiences and deliver content to readers, and more established blogs and websites often link to or aggregate smaller sites, sending swarms of viewers to read articles — The Daily Mail aside.

So, whether you’re a blogger returning from a break, seeking a new home or are looking to write online for the first time, here’s our guide to what blogging platforms are out there.

WordPress: WordPress.com and WordPress.org

tnw1 730x417 The 15 best blogging and publishing platforms on the Internet today. Which one is for you?

WordPress has two options: a freemium hosted service that provides .wordpress.com domains — e.g. jonrussell.wordpress.com (but you can still pay to use your own domain) — and includes limited customization. Or the completey free .org version which allows for you to host WordPress on your own servers with much more control, edit themes to your hearts content, hack code and add as many WordPress plugins as you wish.

It is, in simple terms, the daddy of blogging. The platform powers almost 19 percent of the Web and has been downloaded more than 45 million times.

One of the platform’s core strengths is its community of creatives, who have produced thousands of customizations and tweaks allowing WordPress users to add sophisticated and powerful plug-ins (features) to their blogs, or dress it up in a new layout or design.

Pros: Customization, customization, customization!

Cons: Vast array of options can be complicated for less-experienced users — tread carefully.

Verdict: Still the best option out there. WordPress is especially useful for companies or those looking to develop (or have someone else develop) a sophisticated website

 

 

read more…

 

 

http://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/08/16/best-blogging-services/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily

12 household toxins you should banish from your home | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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Coal tar driveway sealant

            To save money, protect your health, and help the environment, give these toxic tenants an eviction notice.

The Dirt: If you plan to seal your blacktop driveway, avoid coal tar–based sealants. They contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, toxic compounds shown to cause cancer or other genetic mutations. When rainwater and other precipitation hit your driveway, the toxic chemicals run off into your yard and into your local drinking water supply. In fact, this situation has been compared to dumping quarts of motor oil right down a storm drain. The dust is often tracked into homes, too.

Better Alternative: Gravel and other porous materials are best for driveways because they allow rainwater to sink into the ground, where it gets filtered and doesn’t inundate water treatment plants. But if you do seal blacktop, pick asphalt sealant and stay away from any product that has coal tar in its name (or products simply called “driveway sealant”). Lowe’s and Home Depot have already banned the bad stuff, but smaller hardware stores may still carry it.