Binge on the Design of ‘House of Cards’ | Pound Ridge Real Estate
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Tag Archives: pound ridge homes
Crunching the numbers: the promise, and practical applications, of predictive data | Pound Ridge Real Estate
Los Angeles’ CLAW is first MLS in the country to delay listing syndication feeds | Pound Ridge Realtor
What $5,200/Month Can Rent You Around New York City | Pound Ridge NY Homes
Real Estate agents turn to video to shoot for a marketing edge | Pound Ridge Realtor
Steve Dao spent a recent Friday rushing from the office to the gym, picking up some freshly-rolled sushi and, back home as the city lights came up, impressing his date with the view of Toronto’s skyline from the terrace of his King Street East loft.
All the while, a camera crew was capturing the lifestyle of a successful, thirtysomething loft owner and single dad. Mr. Dao is an actor and on that day he was the star of a video designed to show off the amenities of the loft and the surrounding King and Parliament neighbourhood to prospective buyers. Taking on the role of his date was real estate agent Karyn Filiatrault of Bosley Real Estate Ltd., who also commissioned the video.
Creating a big bang in the Los Feliz real estate market | Pound Ridge Real Estate
Twilight” film series vampire Robert Pattinson found a warm body to pay $6.375 million for his Los Feliz home. Jim Parsons of “The Big Bang Theory” is the new owner.
The 1922 Spanish Colonial-style house has a formal entry, a library/study, a den, three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and 4,026 square feet of space in two stories. Antiqued tile and stone, hand-carved wood and stenciled ceilings maintain a vintage vibe.
The 1.5-acre sloping lot, enclosed by walls, features a lagoon-style swimming pool, waterfalls and fountains. Stunning terraced gardens follow the hillside down to the home, which has cityscape views.
The property was purchased by Pattinson in 2011 for $6.25 million. An earlier owner of the house was Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Parsons also has listed his old Los Feliz house.
Priced at $1.85 million, the 1942 traditional home sits on a hillside with city views. The 2,827 square feet of open-plan living space on two levels includes a formal entry, an office, a breakfast area, three bedrooms and four bathrooms.
There are fireplaces in the living room and dining room and on the entry patio.
The actor bought the home in 2009 for $1.3 million.
Pattinson, 27, starred in the 2012 films “Cosmopolis” and “Bel Ami.” He will be in the upcoming films “Maps to the Stars” and “The Rover.”
Parsons, 40, has won three Emmys and a Golden Globe award for his work on the sitcom, which premiered in 2007. He will be in the upcoming TV movie “The Normal Heart.”
David Gray of Partners Trust Beverly Hills was the listing agent for Pattinson. Ronald Shore of Keller Williams represented Parsons.
Shore and Samuel Bernstein, also with Keller Williams, are Parsons’ listing agents.
http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-hotprop-20140202,0,3518370.story#ixzz2sUAyeieI
http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-hotprop-20140202,0,3518370.story#ixzz2sUAtfWf6
The 8 most common tax filing errors, and how to avoid them | Pound Ridge NY Real Estate
It’s tax time! The IRS started accepting individual returns for processing on Jan. 31 — later than usual, but better late than never.
Last year, the IRS issued a useful list of the eight most common filing errors made by individual taxpayers. Many of the mistakes people make are incredibly easy to avoid — it just takes a little care and attention.
If the IRS owes you a refund, it could be delayed if your return contains an error like one of these:
1. Wrong or missing Social Security numbers: Your refund could be delayed simply because you made a mistake listing your Social Security number. The number on your return must match the number on your Social Security cards.
2. Names wrong or misspelled: You’ve got to spell your own name right, or the IRS will get confused. Again, your name on your return should match the name on your Social Security card.
If you’ve changed your name since you filed your last return, you need to notify the Social Security Administration (SSA) and obtain a new Social Security card before you file your taxes. The SSA will issue a new Social Security card with your new name, but will keep your old Social Security number. This way, the name on your tax return will match Social Security records.
– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2014/02/03/the-8-most-common-tax-filing-errors-and-how-to-avoid-them/?utm_source=20140203&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinespm#sthash.LpVsBQUg.dpuf
5 Ways to Get the Most Space Out of Your Home | Pound Ridge NY Homes
You look around you and feel like your home is bursting at the seams. Whether it’s an apartment, a condo, or a small single-family house, you see your stuff all over and know that you’re running out of space. But you may not be prepared to make the move to someplace bigger.
No worries: January is a great time to start anew and make the most out of the space you have. To help appeal to shoppers who have resolved to de-clutter in the new year, many stores offer discounts on storage systems and organization supplies. In cold-weather cities, contractors probably aren’t working on outdoor projects, so you might be able to catch one during a slow time and get a decent deal.
With a little planning and some creative thinking, your home may turn out to have more space than you think.
1. Look in the nook.
The alcove by your front door, or a corner or recess in a downstairs or upstairs hallway, could be a good spot to set up some prefabricated bookshelves. You can even buy the components for a home office space that hangs from the wall. Of course, if you live in rental space, you should check with your landlord before drilling holes in the wall. But small touches like these can move things—books, laptop, printer, CDs—out of your main living space. These also tend to be smaller projects that you can do yourself.
Vertical space is precious andoften-overlookedreal estate.
If the thought of a few hours of quality time with an Allen wrench isn’t your idea of fun, see if your building’s maintenance staff is looking for extra work. They may be willing to do it for less if you’re able to pay them swiftly, so consider using the Popmoney ® personal payment service which allows you to send money to virtually anyone’s U.S. bank account easily with your phone, directly from your bank account, using the Citi Mobile ® App.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/5-ways-most-space-home-143052537.html
Fear that rising home prices will fuel market instability | Pound RidgeNY Real Estate
Even though home prices in the valley have risen 55 percent and distressed sales have fallen to 15 percent from a high of 60 percent, many people worry about this housing market — not just in the desert but also throughout the country. Some believe prices might be forming another housing bubble. Others worry that early foreclosure investors will begin selling their investments, raising inventories and depressing prices. In our opinion, only one of these issues has merit — and just slightly.
Fear of Bubbles
I’ve studied market bubbles for more than 40 years. In fact, I wrote a book in 2000 on the stock market dot-com bubble, and the current housing market shows no signs of impending trouble. One important sign there is “no bubble” is the constant talk and worry about one. While this may seem strange, it’s rooted in history.
Bubbles occur after many years of constantly rising prices. Buyers become convinced the market carries little risk, since prices never seem to decline. Any warnings that prices have advanced beyond what the economy or wages can support are thought “out of touch” and generally ignored. That prices continue to move higher is proof these warnings are wrong. Alan Greenspan called this condition “irrational exuberance,” and it doesn’t exist today.
“Normal” Affordability
What we have now is simply a rapidly recovering housing market driven upward by a special Federal Reserve program that keeps mortgage rates low. When we measure home prices against affordability — the percentage of homeowners who can afford the current median-priced home — we find no bubble; prices are generally in line with historic norms.
Foreclosure Investors
We do think there is validity to the worry that investors might begin selling, but we believe it is somewhat overblown.
During the dark days of valley housing — from 2010 through 2011 — we had an inverted market that couldn’t right itself. The normal mechanisms to rebalance weren’t there. Too many buyers throughout California were underwater, and those who could buy were restricted by extremely tight lending conditions. Then an army of cash investors came forth who bought up the huge inventory of distressed homes. Resented by some for their good timing, they did help turn things around and save the day.
http://www.palmspringslife.com/Palm-Springs-Life/February-2014/Market-Watch-Bubble-Free-Zone/
Mortgage Loan Rates Dip as Home Sales Stabilize | Pound Ridge NY Homes
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its weekly report on mortgage applications Wednesday morning, noting a decrease of 0.2% in the group’s seasonally adjusted composite index, following a rise of 4.7% for the previous week. Mortgage loan rates decreased last week on three of four loan types to their lowest levels since late November.
The seasonally adjusted purchase index increased by 2% from the prior week’s report. On an unadjusted basis, the composite index decreased by 9% week-over-week. The unadjusted purchase index decreased by 3% for the week and is 12% lower year-over-year.
Mortgage rates continue to inch downward, with only the 5/1 ARM interest rate adding three basis points last week. Adjustable rate mortgage loans account for 7% of all applications.
The MBA’s refinance index decreased by 2%, after rising by 10% in the previous week. The share of refinancings fell by two points, totaling 62% of all applications.
The average mortgage loan rate for a conforming 30-year fixed-rate mortgage decreased from 4.57% to 4.52%. The rate for a jumbo 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell from 4.57% to 4.47%. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage fell from 3.68% to 3.59%.
The contract interest rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage loan rose from 3.23% to 3.25%.
Sales have held fairly stable in January after an initial recovery, which is good news for sellers. As inventories increase with better weather, buyers should get a break too.
http://247wallst.com/housing/2014/01/29/mortgage-loan-rates-dip-as-home-sales-stabilize/