Tag Archives: Pound Ridge NY

Pound Ridge NY

Perfectly Staged Florida Bayfront Mansion Asks $16.9M | Pound Ridge NY Homes

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Location: Osprey, Fla. Price: $16,900,000 The Skinny: Consider, for a moment, the staged perfection of listing photos: coming home to a house that’s been meticulously polished to its Platonic ideal as this one has must be like arriving at your front door only to find that your grandmother’s front sitting room, with its strictly off–limits knick-knacks and vacuum-sealed sofas, is now every room in your house. Do you dare muss the taut bedclothes, or move the towel that’s so artfully draped over the edge of your tub (as if someone just happened to casually lay it down in the most picturesque way possible)? Is it permissible to flop down in your favorite easy chair, or will your weight irreparably deform its perfectly fluffed, better-than-new, cushions? And as for making a crumbly peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the sterile operating theater standing in for the kitchen—well, no. All chin-stroking aside, this four-bedroom, eight-bathroom bayfront home, which the listing thoughtfully assures us is “architect-designed”, is asking $16.9M.

 

 

http://curbed.com/archives/2014/01/15/perfectly-staged-florida-bayfront-mansion-asks-169m.php

Gray Day: Greenwich Remains Under Dense Fog Advisory | Pound Ridge Homes

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Fog was continuing to create hazardous travel conditions Thursday morning as a Dense Fog Advisory was in place until noon, the National Weather Service said.

The warning is in effect in all of southern Connecticut, the lower Hudson Valley, northeast New Jersey and on Long Island, creating dreary, gray conditions.

Dense fog can create a visibility of a quarter mile or less. The warning is through noon but the fog may continue into the afternoon and evening, especially along the coast, the National Weather Service said.

High temperatures Thursday will reach the mid-50s, but showers are expected to move in by afternoon or the evening, the weather service said. Rain is likely overnight with more fog.

The reduced visibility can create hazards for on the road. Drivers should slow down, use low beam headlights and leave plenty of distance ahead in case a sudden stop is needed.

 

 

http://greenwich.dailyvoice.com/news/fairfield-county-remains-under-dense-fog-advisory

 

Pound Ridge Police Chief Lends Voice To Panel On Domestic Violence | Pound Ridge Homes

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A recent panel discussion organized by the Domestic Abuse Network of Northeastern Westchester (DANNEW) was held at the Pound Ridge Library. Among those speaking was Town Police Chief David Ryan, who presented a convincing case as to how this issue is more prevalent in a small community like ours than most people may think.

The 90-minute discussion was moderated by Nicole Malgarinos of DANNEW.

The panel included six dedicated professionals who compared their views on working with victims when providing assistance. Included on the panel were Chip Andrus, pastor of the South Salem Presbyterian Church and Kymberly McNair, associate minister of the Antioch Baptist Church of Bedford Hills. McNair is also a coordinator at My Sister’s Place, an advocacy service that provides emergency housing for victims of domestic abuse.

In many communities, clergy are usually considered first responders because they are usually the ones a victim will turn to for help.

Also part of the panel was a local resident who through her resilience, spoke of dealing with domestic abuse and how she was able to receive assistance from people trained to reach out to anyone experiencing an abusive situation. In acknowledging Ryan, this individual started out by saying “If not for him I would not be alive today.”

In explaining what she went through before receiving help, she continued “It’s like living a nightmare and then feeling like being dumped into an ocean and you don’t know if you’re swimming up or down but you’re swimming as hard as you can.”

 

 

 

http://armonk.dailyvoice.com/news/pound-ridge-police-chief-lends-voice-panel-domestic-violence

Roman Abramovich to Buy Lavish (Almost) Manse For $75M | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Perhaps feeling insecure after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nayan stole the title as owner of the world’s largest yacht, billionaire Roman Abramovich has bought—well, he’s in contract to buy, according to the Post—this ridiculously opulent Manhattan mansion. The purchase would add a NYC home to an already robust portfolio (which includes, but is by no means limited to, nine-figure estates in St. Barths, Snowmass, Colo., and the English countryside), and provide Abramovich 22 rooms, eight bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, a grand ballroom, a reception rotunda, a library, a rooftop terrace, and some of the most lavish, gussied-up interiors in the city.

When the mansion hit the market last year, it was asking $72M for three units, all owned by the Monaco-based family of the late real estate developer Howard Ronson. That price was meant for uncombined—and frankly somewhat architecturally incompatible—units, but not the entirety of the building, as there were, at the time, still two of five holdout owners. If Abramovich was’t able to quietly convince them to vacate—and, really, who would want to be in the bad graces of a corrupt Russian billionaire?—perhaps his publicly profligate ways, surely a media magnet, will finally convince those guys to bid, uh, do svidaniya.

Curbed NY points out that if the deal goes through for $75M, it will become the most expensive co-op ever sold in New York. Oh, and that $3M over ask? Yep, that’s just about 0.03 percent of Abramovich’s net worth.

 

 

http://curbed.com/archives/2013/10/04/roman-abramovich-to-buy-lavish-almost-manse-for-75m.php

Get Your Projects Into Clients’ Hands | Pound Ridge Homes

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So you want to get your projects published. Why?

It’s great for exposure and marketing. You can use print articles as an extension of your showroom for clients to get ideas, to learn design terminology, and to help you learn what clients do and don’t like; you can use it to show architects.

But take advantage of the longevity of print publications, which often sit on coffee tables in homes but also in doctor’s waiting rooms, salons, and fitness studios. Buy a bunch of issues and slap a banner on them with your logo and some text that reads: “Check out the local home remodeled by YOUR COMPANY featured on page X”

And, of course, most print publications have a web presence, where your work—and links to your company’s website—will live forever.

RESEARCH YOUR OPTIONS There are local and national publications that are always looking for content. Head to your local bookstore and buy a bunch of magazines and study them. Ask yourself if your project might be a good fit. You wouldn’t contact Dog Fancy with your latest kitchen remodel—unless it has a fantastic dog bowl area and they actually publish stories about such things.

Think about who the reader is going to be and who your ideal client is. Where do those two intersect?

You’d be surprised how many local publications there are in your market—from newspapers to business journals, women’s weeklies, and food-focused magazines. And don’t discount association publications from NARI and NAHB, but also those for related industries: doors and windows, concrete, metal fabricators.

Then read the articles themselves and determine how they’re put together and what they focus on. Are written about the lifestyle of the owner? Do it Yourself carpentry? The biggest, the best, the first of its kind, only a particular room?

You ultimately want to make things easy for an editor to see that, yes, your project/story is going to be something their readers will be interested in.

THINK LIKE AN EDITOR Have an idea about what makes a good story. Come up with a hook. “We had to design and build a kitchen for a homeowner who is in a wheel chair.” “Our client’s daughter was going to be married in two months and they wanted a quick kitchen pick-me-up so we did cabinet refacing.” Think about packages: “5 storage options” “kitchens with fireplaces,” “poolside outdoor kitchens.”

Pay attention to lead times. If you built a special Christmas tree closet for a client, don’t pitch that story to a monthly magazine on December 1. Even newspapers might budget time for a story like that a few months in advance. Pitch an outdoor living story in January, a winter holiday story in September.

BUILD A RELATIONSHIP Look on the publication’s masthead to find the appropriate editor—and it’s not the editor-in-chief. You most likely want to contact a senior editor, writer, or contributing writers or editors. There might be a specific editor for the type of material you want to have published. In a national publication, get the name of the regional editor near you.

Call or email and establish a relationship with that person. In many cases, they are hungry for material. Offer to take that person to coffee and show them photos of your projects, help them understand the scope and scale and level of design involved; take them on a tour of your most recent project.

Even if it doesn’t turn into something right away, keep up the relationship. The publication might not need anything right now, but your new editor friend will have your name and might call on you as a source for another story. Or, he or she might know that in a few weeks the publication needs 10 contemporary baths. It’s good for them to have contacts in the architecture and design community.

 

 

http://www.remodeling.hw.net/marketing/get-your-projects-into-clients-hands1.aspx

NYC luxury broker partners with site devoted to Manhattan’s side streets | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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New York City-based luxury real estate brokerage Warburg Realty has joined forces with a website dedicated to exploring the “hidden gems” of Manhattan’s side streets.

The site, Manhattan Sideways, says it introduces people — through photography, video and narrative — to all that makes up a neighborhood, especially places inaccessible via newspapers, magazines and the Internet. These include boutiques, bars, restaurants, galleries, gardens and historic sites, among other places.

In a statement, Betsy Bober Polivy, creator of Manhattan Sideways, noted that the Avenues — the major north to south thoroughfares of the island — are well-covered by the media and well-traversed by shoppers and travelers.

“I wanted to get off the beaten path and explore the side streets. In fact, the development of Manhattan’s iconic grid, starting at 1st Street and continuing up to 155th Street, envisioned the side streets as being of greater importance than the avenues,” she said.

“I am literally walking side to side, east to west, beginning on 1st Street and winding my way north. My goal is to walk the numbered side streets and comprehensively document every commercial establishment, and other places of interest, with special feature write-ups along the way.”

Warburg Realty, which has 125 brokers throughout Manhattan, will now feature Manhattan Sideways’ Side Picks neighborhoods — which highlight “must see” destinations — on its website and social media channels, the brokerage said.

 

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/09/11/nyc-luxury-broker-partners-with-site-devoted-to-manhattans-side-streets/#sthash.kPZ5WCkf.dpuf

Sales of new homes rise nearly 8 percent in August | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Sales of new single-family homes rose nearly 8 percent in August and are 12.6 percent higher than a year ago, according to new data released Wednesday by the Census Bureau.

The rise — which comes just a month after new home sales plunged by more than 14 percent— is the latest turn in what economists say will be a volatile ride for this segment of the housing market.

The number of new homes sold in August was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 421,000, up from the revised rate of 390,000 homes in July. That figure is still below the rate of construction needed in a healthy market, according to analysts. Right now, it would take five months to run through the supply of new homes, according to the report.

A six-month supply of homes is considered healthy, and the housing market is still facing a shortage of inventory.

 

 

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-25/business/42378348_1_new-homes-housing-recovery-low-inventory

9 Strategies for Self-Sufficient Living | Pound Ridge NY Homes

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When you grow your own food, generate your own energy, and work from a home  office or farm for your livelihood, the so-called “costs of living” largely  disappear. You become untethered to the work-earn-spend consumer economy and  thrive, instead, in a more locally centered, self-sufficient economy in which  monetary income is less essential for a rich life. Making this self-sufficiency  dream a reality has been our goal since my wife, Lisa Kivirist, and I moved to  our 5 1/2-acre farmstead in southwestern Wisconsin in 1996.

Self-reliant living can take many forms. You can provide your own food and  energy and be your own barber, repair person, home-school teacher, house  cleaner, painter, and child care provider. By running a home-based business, you  can generate the money needed to obtain essential products or services you’re  unable to produce for yourself.

Transitioning to self-sufficient living requires research and planning. But  have no fear: You can get started today, wherever you live and with whatever  resources and skills you already have.

The Journey to Self-Reliance Begins

Today, our one-third-acre garden meets about 70 percent of our food needs. A  wind turbine and a photovoltaic system generate a surplus of electricity  annually. Our home-based enterprises include running a bed-and-breakfast named  Inn Serendipity, consulting for various nonprofit organizations, and writing  books about sustainable living. A modest farmhouse houses both our family and  our businesses. But it didn’t start out this way.

We moved to our farm from Chicago, newly married and eager to begin our quest  to reclaim the skills and services that we had been buying from others for so  long. We wanted to break free from our fossil fuel addiction and sequester more  carbon dioxide than we emit each year. We knew these goals would take years to  achieve. Here are the strategies we have followed to make our vision a  reality.

1. Be Frugal

Practice financial discipline by making a commitment to frugality. Forgoing  luxuries, such as satellite TV and smartphone service, allows us to live below  our means. We’ve never owned a new car or carried a balance on our credit  card.

Why rent a movie when you can get it free from the library? “Shop” at  clothing swaps, where you drop off the clothes your children have outgrown while  picking up something new for yourself. We chop cords of firewood with neighbors  and enjoy cooking with our Sun Oven solar cooker. The combined savings from  these creative ways to share and use free resources, along with our food and  energy production, allowed us to pay off our mortgage.

With our mortgage retired, we can live on about $10,000 a year. When we do  purchase items, they’re high-quality and durable — many with warranties for a  decade or more — and are bought from cooperatives when possible. As for  retirement, why would we want to stop what we love doing?

2. Think Long-Term and Stay Put

Commit to a permanent location and develop a long-term vision. You will want  to have a practical plan that you can achieve over a time period appropriate to  your current stage of life. Taking on a project in your 50s that would require  years to see through is not the same as doing so in your 20s. Be reasonable and  honest with yourself regarding your abilities and project time frames.

We plotted our journey to self-reliance by the decade, leaving ample time to  figure out projects big and small, from how to plant potatoes to how to take  advantage of renewable energy incentives that made our home energy systems  possible. We also factored in time to persevere when setbacks occurred — which  they did, such as when a severe windstorm damaged all three blades on our wind  turbine. We typically only take on one or two major self-sufficiency projects a  year.

3. Get Back to Basics

Deciding where to start your journey can feel overwhelming. If you’re like we  were — strung out on lattes, hunkered down in cubicles at stressful big-city  jobs, living off biweekly paychecks — simply finding the time to think through  the how, where and when is challenging. Raising kids  and paying a mortgage or student loans can add to the stress.

 

 

 

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/print.aspx?id={2A393461-2F16-4817-B2C4-914EB682EA48}#ixzz2hQ4dgvr0