Tag Archives: South Salem Real Estate for Sale

Foreclosure inventory down to lowest level since 2008 | South Salem NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

After 18 straight months of declines, U.S. foreclosure inventory is now at its lowest point since the end of 2008, according to a monthly report from Lender Processing Services.

Foreclosure inventory fell nearly 30 percent year over year in October, to 1.28 million loans, or 2.54 percent of currently active mortgages.

Delinquencies (loans that are 30 or more days past due but not in foreclosure) fell 2.8 percent from September, to 3.15 million loans, or 6.28 percent of mortgages. The delinquency rate fell 10.7 percent on an annual basis.

All in all, 4.4 million properties were either delinquent or in foreclosure in October. Mississippi had the highest percentage of noncurrent loans among states last month, eclipsing Florida for the first time since 2008.“Except for the period after Katrina, Mississippi has held the dubious distinction of having the highest noncurrent inventory for virtually all of the history LPS tracks. So, unfortunately for Mississippians, this is more indication that things are getting back to ‘normal,’ ” LPS said. Source: LPS

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/wire/foreclosure-inventory-down-to-lowest-level-since-2008/#sthash.bpSlaKht.dpuf

NAR takes steps to build ‘Rockefeller Center’-like headquarters in Chicago | South Salem Realtor

Leave a reply

Chicago may have its own Realtor Plaza in the not-too-distant future, modeled on New York’s iconic landmark, Rockefeller Center. Cheers and applause followed a vote by the board of directors of the National Association of Realtors today in which the board approved a redevelopment project for the trade group’s Chicago headquarters at 430 North Michigan Ave.

The project would involve demolishing the existing building, which is more than a half-century old, and combining it with an adjoining parcel to create a mixed-use development that would include retail, condominiums, a flagship hotel, and office space. NAR currently has a nonbinding understanding with a partner to build the project.

The trade group’s leaders declined to name the partner at today’s meeting. Pamela Monroe, chair of NAR’s Real Property Operations Committee, said the unidentified entity is “a world-class partner with premium credentials” that is “very private” and “extremely well-capitalized.”

“Our No. 1 priority is to maintain a permanent high-quality, high-productive work environment of which members and staff can be proud,” Monroe said, adding that other priorities include opportunities for branding and a return on investment.

NAR Treasurer Bill Armstrong noted that he and NAR CEO Dale Stinton had been in discussions with the partner for “a long time,” but had been prohibited from mentioning the project to members due to nondisclosure agreements.

The partner, which has “billions to invest,” proposed a 93-story, 2 million-square-foot building that would be a “Rockefeller Center-type venue,” Armstrong said.“This is one really exciting project we are trying to look into. The economics are very,very good,” he added.

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/11/11/nar-takes-steps-to-build-rockefeller-center-like-headquarters-in-chicago/#sthash.V7yrz5Pf.dpuf

August Values Rose in Fewer Local Markets | South Salem NY Homes

Leave a reply

Prices increased on a month-over-month basis in 253 of the top 300 markets, fewer than 293 in July, according to Homes.com’s Local Market Index for August.

The downtrend in the number of markets that gain monthly is likely due to both seasonal trends and the state of recovery for these markets. Of the 47 markets that saw declines last month, 40 percent have fully recovered their decline in home prices from the housing bubble, while another 28 percent were found to be unaffected by the boom-bust scenario, illustrating that the weakness is a result of leveling off in home prices.

As a complement to Local Market Index, Homes.com publishes an exclusive Rebound Report, highlighting how the housing recovery process is unfolding across the country. It measures each market’s peak-to-trough decline in index value, which had been attributed to the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble.

Rising home values in the third quarter saw four more top 100 markets reach full recovery. More than a quarter of the top 100 real estate markets have now fully recovered the value they lost in the housing crash. Nearly half of the remaining markets have recovered 50 percent of their lost value, increasing by four markets from the previous month.

Twenty-two midsized markets showed little to no effect from value lost in the 2007 housing bubble and experienced more stable changes in index values. Half of those 22 bubble-proof markets are from Texas, and more than 70 percent are from energy producing states where typical housing boom-bust scenarios did not occur. The remainder of midsized markets showed 51 markets, or 29 percent, with a 100 percent recovery and 94 markets with a 50 percent or more recovery.

“We found the effects of the housing boom-bust lingering in some areas because of the instability they suffered and the long, steep price slope needed for rebound.  While these particular markets are improving somewhat, higher rates of negative equity increase risk of foreclosure and can lock move-up buyers-who are also sellers-out of the marketplace, thus slowing overall recovery in certain local areas. Yet other markets that did not experience the bursting bubble to the same degree are in a better position to take full advantage of the recovery.  Their prices are appreciating faster, and they are rebounding earlier,” said Brock MacLean, executive vice president of Homes.com.  “The important thing to realize is that all markets are in some form of recovery, and different factors contribute to recovery scenarios across the country.  With data from the top 300 markets, the Homes.com Local Market Index and Rebound Report analyze trends in local communities where millions of Americans live-key trends missed by other real estate reports.”

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/10/6784/

 

Free FICO credit scores offered to millions | South Salem Real Estate

Leave a reply

Millions of credit card customers of Barclaycard US, the payments business of Barclays in the U.S., and First Bankcard, the credit card division of First National Bank of Omaha, can now access their FICO credit scores for free.

The two banks are the first to participate in the FICO Open Access Program, which in addition to offering free FICO Scores, allows customers to see the two most important factors affecting their score and provides them with FICO educational materials to help them better understand credit scoring and what behaviors impact their FICO Score. The program is open to all consumer lenders, including mortgage lenders.

“This new program provides individuals with the specific FICO Score used by lenders to make credit decisions regarding an individual customer,” said James Wehmann, executive vice president of scores at FICO, in a statement.

“In 2012 approximately 10 billion FICO Scores were bought by lenders for risk management purposes, and we are prepared to allow all of them to be shared with bank customers without any additional score fee charged by FICO to lenders.”

FICO expects more than 25 million Americans to have access through the program within 12 months.

Source: FICO

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/wire/free-fico-credit-scores-offered-to-millions/#sthash.mMbN7TKy.dpuf

Westchester County Executive Candidate Debate Moved To Larger Venue | South Salem Real Estate

Leave a reply

The county executive debate between incumbent Rob Astorino (R) and New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson (D) is set to attract a large crowd and officials are changing the venue to accommodate.

The debate, hosted by the Westchester County Association, is being moved to the Atrium at 1133 Westchester Avenue in White Plains, officials said. The debate is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16 and will feature Astorino and Bramson as well as moderator Steve Scott, host of WCBS 880’s “Eye on Politics.”

“Due to overwhelming demand, we’ve moved the Candidate Debate hosted by the Westchester County Association to a larger venue,” representatives said in the release. “The results of this hotly contested race will have far-reaching implications for Westchester, New York and beyond; this is an opportunity for the business community and general public to get up to speed on the candidates’ positions and initiatives that will drive economic development in the region.”

The Astorino-Bramson debate is also sponsored by the Building Contractors Association of Westchester and Mid-Hudson Valley, the Construction Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley and the RPW Group, according to the release.

 

The Oct. 16 debate between incumbent County Executive Rob Astorino and New Rochelle mayor Noam Bramson has been moved to a larger venue. Photo Credit: Suzanne Samin, File Photo

 

 

 

10 Brands with Great Google Plus Pages | South Salem NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

Google+ has risen astronomically since it was launched in 2011. It overtook  social media giant Twitter in January 2013, and is now second only to Facebook  in popularity. With over 700 million registered users, companies have a lot to gain  by maintaining a page on the service. However, some Google+ pages are more  popular than others.

Take a look at this list of 10 brands with great Google plus pages, and get  some tips, ideas and insights for your own business.

#1. Toyota

Toyota has an excellent Google+ page. They share industry news, inspirational  photos and innovative concepts with their followers, and update their page  regularly. However, it’s the ‘Toyota Collaborator’ feature which really  stands out. Using Google+ Hangouts,

  • Users can invite friends to help them design and customise their new  Toyota
  • Up to five people can collaborate on the project, changing paint colours and  wheel rims, discussing the options, and rotating the car to view it from  different angles
  • The interior of the car can be viewed through eye-tracking
  • The finished car can be taken for a virtual test drive on Google Maps

Toyota Google+ page

Source

#2. Cadbury

The layout of a Google+ page – wide and open – lends itself particularly well  to visual content. Pages which recognise this tend to do better than those which  rely solely on text. Cadbury has capitalised on this, ensuring that their page  is full of large, bright, attractive images. Scrolling down the page reveals  striking pictures of their various products, delicious-looking cakes and  biscuits, and lashings of the distinctive Cadbury purple.

Cadbury Google+ page

Source

#3. Hugo Boss

As a high-end fashion retailer, Hugo Boss are experts in visual design.  They’ve carried the clean lines and defined colours of their clothing to their  Google+ page, which reads like the pages of a glossy magazine. The page isn’t an  advert for the brand so much as an aspirational luxury lifestyle guide – and as  a result has gained a large number of followers.

Hugo Boss Google+ page

Source

#4. H&M

H&M, another fashion brand, take a slightly different approach to their  Google+ page. They operate in a different market to Hugo Boss, targeting a  younger generation in search of affordable, throwaway fashion. Along with  product pictures and photography, there are also ‘behind the scenes’ posts about  recent photo shoots, video interviews with famous designers, and guides to  upcoming fashion trends.

H and M Google+ page

Source

#5. Virgin

The ‘80/20’ rule dictates that only 20% of a company’s posts on social media  should actually be about the products it sells. Virgin has embraced this advice  fully, as it fits in with the brand’s lifestyle image. Building on Richard  Branson’s charismatic brand of entrepreneurialism, Virgin’s Google+ page offers  followers a mix of inspirational posts, interviews and debates. Part of the  page’s popularity inevitably lies with having Richard Branson as a CEO, but the  80/20 rule also plays a large role.

 

 

 

Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/10/18/10-brands-with-great-google-plus-pages/#cGwk67ZjJMyqbpCk.99

Nearly Half of Renters Lack Insurance | South Salem NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

Some 46 percent of renters are uninsured even though renters are more satisfied with their insurance than homeowners, according to a new JD Powers study released today.

Price is the leading driver of the satisfaction gap: price satisfaction is a significant 45 points higher among renters than among homeowners.  Satisfaction with insurers is higher among renters than among homeowners (809 vs. 787, respectively, on a 1,000-point scale), the study found.

State Farm captures the largest share of the renter insurance market (26%), followed by Allstate (12%) and USAA (10%).

Customer retention rates with their current insurer are higher among renters who bundle an auto policy (91%) compared to renters who do not bundle an auto policy (67%).

“Many insurance agents focus their time selling high-dollar products, such as auto and homeowners, with higher commissions instead of the average $200 per year renters policy,” said Jeremy Bowler, senior director of the global insurance practice at J.D. Power. “This is shortsighted because agents who satisfy the large renter population today are more likely to retain and service their growing household insurance needs over time” (learn more in the review of SuperMoney).

Rankings
Overall Customer   Satisfaction Index ScoresJ.D. Power.com Power   Circle Ratings
(Based on a   1,000-point scale)For Consumers
Homeowners Segment
Amica Mutual

842

5

State Farm

813

4

Auto-Owners Insurance

812

4

Erie Insurance

811

4

Automobile Club of   Southern California

808

4

Encompass

798

4

American Family

797

4

Progressive

796

4

COUNTRY

795

3

Allstate

789

3

GEICO

789

3

The Hartford

787

3

Homeowners Average

787

3

NCNU Insurance   Exchange

786

3

Nationwide

780

3

MetLife

778

3

Safeco

778

3

Automobile Club Group

776

3

CHUBB

768

2

The Hanover

766

2

Farmers

763

2

Liberty Mutual

762

2

Travelers

756

2

__________________________
USAA*

894

5

*USAA is an insurance   provider open only to U.S. military personnel and their families and   therefore is not included in the rankings.
Homeowners Segment:   Included in the study but not award-eligible due to localized availability   and/or not meeting minimum sample requirements are Alfa Insurance, Allied,   Cincinnati Insurance, Fireman’s Fund, Homesite, Mercury, North Carolina Farm   Bureau, Shelter and Tennessee Farm Bureau.

Completed foreclosures fall 34% | South Salem NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

Completed foreclosures dropped 34% year-over-year in August 2013, according to data from CoreLogic (CLGX). As a whole, August’s completed foreclosures hit 48,000 filings, down from 72,000 filings in August 2012.

From a month ago, completed foreclosures grew a slight 1.3% from 47,000 actions in July 2013.

Overall, the nation has experienced 4.5 million completed foreclosures across the country since the start of the financial crisis in September 2008.

Through August 2013 this year, approximately 939,000 homes were in some stage of foreclosure, compared to 1.4 million in August 2012, a year-over-year decrease of 33%.

From August to July, the foreclosure inventory declined 3.2%. In August, the foreclosure inventory represented 2.4% of all homes with a mortgage, compared to 3.3% in August 2012.

By the end of August, 2.1 million mortgages, or 5.3% of loans survyed, were seriously delinquent, the lowest level since December 2008.

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/27288-foreclosure-inventory-plummets-34

 

Westchester CSEA endorses all Democrats | South Salem Real Estate

Leave a reply

Here’s the statement of the union. All the candidates are Democrats:

WHITE PLAINS – Leaders of CSEA, the largest union representing public employees across Westchester County, today announced the union’s full list of endorsements for county-level races.

The endorsements were made by the CSEA Southern Region Political Action Committee.

“We are excited to endorse a strong slate of qualified individuals who have worked and will continue to work to preserve a strong middle class in Westchester County,” said CSEA Southern Region President Billy Riccaldo.

The endorsements are as follows:

• County Executive: Noam Bramson

• County Clerk: Tim Idoni

• Board of Legislators, District 1:Duane Jackson

• Board of Legislators, District 2: Peter Harckham

• Board of Legislators, District 5: Ben Boykin

• Board of Legislators, District 8: Alfreda Williams

• Board of Legislators, District 9: Catherine Borgia

• Board of Legislators, District 10: Mary Jo Jacobs

• Board of Legislators, District 11: Stavros Pantelis

• Board of Legislators, District 12: Mary Jane Shimsky

• Board of Legislators, District 13: Lyndon Williams

• Board of Legislators, District 14: Rachelle “Rocky” Richard

?• Board of Legislators, District 16: Ken Jenkins

CSEA is New York’s leading union, representing employees of the state and its counties, towns, villages, school districts, library systems, authorities and public benefit corporations. Together with a growing population of private sector members and retirees, CSEA is the largest affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which is one of the largest affiliates of the AFL-CIO.

 

 

http://northernwestchester.lohudblogs.com/2013/09/25/westchester-elections-csea-announces-endorsements/

 

Homesteading and Livestock | South Salem Real Estate

Leave a reply

If you suffer from Barnheart and would like to homestead but are unable to do  so right now for whatever reasons (there are many), do not despair. There are  still steps you can take in order to move yourself towards the goal of being  more self-sufficient. Happily, most of them don’t involve much money! Here’s a  list of my top 10:

 

1.  Save more, spend less. The sad fact is that most people cannot afford to buy the  homestead of their dreams … or any homestead, for that matter. In many places,  acreage is expensive. In order to make your dream a reality, you may need to  make some drastic changes. Thankfully, most of those changes have positive  outcomes …  stop eating out and instead, learn to cook the kinds of dishes  you’ll be making when you can have your own garden. Cancel cable and instead,  read books and magazines that will teach you about living self-sufficiently.  Make time work for you, and contribute annually to your IRA. Your 70-year old  self will thank you for it. Your co-workers and friends won’t understand why you  want to live so simply … but they don’t have Barnheart.

 

2. Seek to become debt-free. Once you have begun spending less, and saving  more, consider paying off those loans. No homesteader I know has ever said “I  wish I owed more money.” Every dollar in interest you are paying on your home,  car, or credit cards is one less dollar you have when at last you are able to  purchase your homestead.

 

3. Learn a new skill. You may not be able to milk your own cow, but you can  learn how to make your own yogurt and cheese. You may not be able to spin  your own wool, but you can learn how to knit or crochet. You may not be able to  build your own farmhouse, but you can learn how to do smaller woodworking  projects. Sign up for a class, have a friend teach you, or watch you-tube.

 

4. Learn to preserve food. Anyone can learn how to can and  dehydrate, and it doesn’t take a lot of money to get started. Someday you’ll  have a huge garden and bumper crops of produce, but for now you can support your  local farmer by buying in season and preserving the taste of summer all year  round.

 

 

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/homesteading-barnheart-zbcz1309.aspx#ixzz2fuhkj7hv