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Armonk NY Needs Those Construction Jobs | Armonk NY Real Estate

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The National Bureau of Economic Research announced in September that the recession officially ended in June of 2009. However, nearly 15 million people remain unemployed and countless more are working fewer hours than they would like. Unemployment threatens the housing industry as it erodes consumer confidence causing would-be buyers to shy away from big purchasers like homes, and pushing many homeowners into foreclosure. Employment growth is the key to a robust recovery; and while last spring provided a reason for optimism, job growth will not be even around the country.

Officially, the recession ended more than a year ago, but the unemployment rate remained at 9.6 percent in August and is forecasted to remain above 9 percent through 2012. Furthermore, the unemployment rate varies around the country. As of August, the highest rate of unemployment in the 159 markets monitored by NAR Research was 14.8 percent in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California, while the lowest was 3.1 percent in Bismarck, North Dakota. The spread between these two markets’ unemployment rates is close to its widest point in two decades at 11.7, but is below the recent peak of 14.9 in January of 2010. With the exception of the spike in 2006 caused by Hurricane Katrina, the spread between the highest and lowest unemployment rates had not been this wide since
February 1993.

The expansion of this spread reflects the widely different experiences of those markets which have performed relatively well compared to those that experienced a more severe decline in growth.

The Geography of Unemployment

Geographically speaking, many of the most resilient markets in the country are in the Northern Midwest, in particular Fargo, Sioux Falls, and Bismarck; as well as in the Middle Atlantic and a handful of markets in New England and in western and upstate New York. Washington, D.C. and Baltimore have also done well. Both of these markets have large education and health service sectors, which have weathered the recession. Additionally, Washington, D.C. garners a large share of its employment from the Federal government, a notably stable employer. Some of the hardest hit markets in the country are those where home construction was very strong during the boom and played an important part in the local economy. As the housing market slowed, layoffs in construction and the mortgage finance industries rose. The credit crunch spread economic decline to the rest of the economy and this second wave of unemployment added to already swelled pools of unemployed workers. Many of the high unemployment cities in Florida and central California as well as Las Vegas and Phoenix depicted below experienced this pattern.

Unemployment by Industry

More often than not, the geography of unemployment reflects the relative concentrations of certain industries. Nationally, the construction and manufacturing industries were hardest hit over the last four years. Employment in the construction industry fell 26 percent from August of 2006 through August of 2010, while it fell 17 percent in manufacturing, and 11 percent in information services. The trade and transportation sector slid only 6 percent over this period, but that sector accounted for 19 percent of total national employment in August of 2006. When the economy slows, fewer products are shipped, so this sector feels the pinch sooner than most. Memphis, home to Federal Express, and other cities that act as hubs for shipping and warehousing have experienced a sharp decline in employment, but will likely be at the forefront of any expansion. The manufacturing sector accounted for 10 percent of total employment in August of 2006, so the 17 percent decline in that sector over the subsequent four years was deeply felt. Likewise, the share of total employment in both the manufacturing and construction industries declined over this 4-year period. The manufacturing industry’s share of total employment slid from 10 percent to 9 percent by August of 2010, while the construction industry’s share slid from 6 percent to 4 percent.

Not all sectors have withered, though. Employment in mining and logging grew 7 percent over the last four years as prices of oil and some minerals surged. The Federal government expanded to supply services for the unemployed as well as to support U.S. foreign and domestic security policy. Finally, employment in the education and health services sector grew 10 percent as the baby boom generation continues to march into retirement and their parents require more care. Employment growth in this sector caused its share of total employment to rise from 13 percent in August of 2006 to 15 percent four years later. Likewise, the government’s share of total employment rose from 16 percent to 17 percent over this same time frame. These two industries have been boons for the floundering labor market.

The experience of industries at the national level is reflected in unemployment at the local level. Furthermore, the industrial makeup of local markets will likely determine whether their path of expansion is relatively rapid and robust or protracted and modest. Markets with high shares of unemployed construction workers will feel the drag of this industry for many quarters to come.

Unemployment in Construction and Housing Inventory

Nationally, the construction industry made up 6.0 percent of the employed work force in August of 2006. As depicted in the map below, construction employment made up a greater share of the total work force in many markets across the West, Southwest, Southeast, and Middle Atlantic. A few markets had significantly larger shares like Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (10.5 percent), Reno (11.3 percent), Las Vegas (12.2 percent), Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice (18.8 percent), and Phoenix (10.1 percent).

By 2010, the landscape of employment in construction had changed dramatically. That industry’s share of employment fell in most markets with the exception of a few locations in Texas, Louisiana, North Dakota and several other cities spread across the country. Coastal and Northern California along with Reno, Las Vegas, and a slew of markets in Florida experienced declines greater than 2 percentage points. Cape Coral-Fort Myers was one of the hardest hit cities with the construction share of employment falling 8.4 percentage points from 16.7 percent in August of 2006 to 8.3 percent by August of 2010. The Carolinas were all hit hard with Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, Charleston-North Charleston, and Raleigh-Cary declining by 2.7 percentage points, 2.6 percentage points, and 2.5 percentage points, respectively.

Many markets that experienced a construction boom are now burdened by high concentrations of excess inventory, which will stymie demand for housing and retard future construction. The decline in construction also impacted workers in industries that supported construction like manufacturing and food services. This situation will limit job growth in the local financial and service sectors as well as local governments which depend on property tax revenue. Conversely, markets with higher than average concentrations of workers in manufacturing may expand sooner than mothers as businesses increase orders for the machinery and goods needed to expand production. Likewise as shipments and orders rise, so will those markets that supply shipping and warehousing services.

NAR Research Report

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Loans Entering Special Servicing Before Default South Salem Real Estate

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While there have been signs of improvement, the local real estate industry remains plagued by a rash of troubled properties saddled with bad loans and falling values.

The number of New York City commercial properties with loans that entered special servicing surged 80% in the first 11 months of 2010, reaching 54, compared with a total of 30 for all of 2009. Apartment houses accounted for the largest share of the bad loans, with a total of 21. There were 13 office towers in the crop of poorly performing assets. And each property’s value sank by an average of 47%, to $220 million.

The outlook may not be as bleak as the recent data suggest, says Paul Mancuso, a vice president at Trepp, which tracks real estate debt and provided the above-mentioned figures.

The primary reason for the sharp increase in the number of loans entering special servicing was a late-2009 change in the tax code, under which loans can enter the process without first going into default. That allows owners to get an earlier start on the process of negotiating terms with lenders.

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Being a Tenant in North Salem NY | North Salem NY Real

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1) “This building is in foreclosure.”

In late 2009, Melody Thompson called her landlords to ask about the well-dressed picture-takers outside her four-bedroom Portland rental home. “Oh, we’re refinancing,” she remembers them telling her. Then in late April, a formal bank notification arrived in the mail, stating that the home was in foreclosure and would be put up for sale in late August. “I was immediately angry,” says Thompson, the executive director of Financial Beginnings, a financial literacy nonprofit. “They lied.” The sale has been postponed twice as the landlords apply for a mortgage adjustment, but Thompson is still hunting for a new place.

Renters accounted for 40% of families facing eviction from foreclosure in 2009, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. And unfortunately, they often hear about it as Thompson did — from the bank, just weeks before the sale, says Janet Portman, an attorney and the managing editor of legal book publisher Nolo. “The landlord wants the tenant in there, paying rent,” she says. The lack of notice was so pervasive that last year Congress passed the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act, which gives tenants at least 90 days from the foreclosure sale to move out. (Previously, they had as few as 30 days, Portman says.) Provided the new owner doesn’t want to live there, the law also lets legitimate tenants — those who signed a lease before the sale and pay a market value rent, among other qualifications — stay through the end of their lease.

2) “You should complain more.”

When a steady drip, drip, drip of water from the ceiling led a third-floor tenant to complain, Adam Jernow, a principal at property management firm OGI Management in New York City, assumed they were dealing with a leaky pipe. It wasn’t until a week later, when the tenants on the top floor two flights above that apartment finally called, that he realized they were dealing with a big roof leak from heavy summer rains. Had upper-floor tenants complained sooner, Jernow says, they could have limited the damage, and that third-floor tenant might not have had a problem at all. So while renters often assume quirks like hot-then-not showers or moisture on the walls is just part of big-city living – or that complaining to the landlord will just open up a can of worms – keeping a property owner informed can actually help a problem get fixed faster. Besides, most states require landlords to keep the property in good repair, with home systems and appliances in working order.

 
3) “There’s more to negotiate than the rent.”

Rental markets in many cities around the country have improved this year, which means landlords have less incentive to cut you a break. Just 31% of landlords lowered rent in 2010, versus 69% in 2009, according to property marketplace Rent.com. All the major real estate investment groups are asking for higher rent on new leases, and about half are doing so on renewals, says Peggy Abkemeier, the president of Rent.com.

But the market hasn’t improved so much that landlords don’t have incentive to keep good tenants, she says. The survey found that 44% of landlords are willing to lower security deposits, and 22% will offer an upgrade to a fancier unit (think better views, quieter neighbors, newer kitchen) without raising rent. And there’s still that 31% of landlords who will offer a price break. “It never hurts to ask,” Abkemeier says. In markets where vacancy rates are still high, such as Atlanta, Las Vegas, Orlando and Phoenix, tenants have a better chance.

4) “Your neighbor is not my problem.”

Loud music. Late-night parties. More foot traffic than a mall on Sunday mornings. Kevin Amolsch, the owner of real estate investment company Advantage Homes in Denver, Colo., has heard all of these complaints and more from the tenants in the buildings he manages. Trouble is, there’s not much he can do. States’ tenant rights laws make it tough for landlords to intervene when there isn’t a clear violation of the lease. Even when a “right of quiet enjoyment” is in the lease, those noisy neighbors usually have time to mend their ways. “Two weeks later [when they are free and clear], it’s going to start up all over again,” Amolsch says. And so does the clock on their grace period to pipe down.

The best bet is to reach out to the other tenant and try to smooth things over directly, Amolsch says. If that doesn’t work, report problems to the police as well as the landlord, so the situation is well-documented. That makes it easier to initiate eviction proceedings, he says.

5) “You may have more rights than I do.”

Brianne Vorse, a longtime renter, knows the number to her local tenant rights group by heart. Vorse first sought help four years ago to force her landlord to fix windows that wouldn’t shut all the way, letting in cold air and the San Francisco fog. She called again after a sub-letter offered a higher rent if the landlord would break Vorse’s lease and let him take over. “I found that [the landlord] couldn’t legally do this,” says Vorse, who sent the landlord an official tenant petition she found on the web site of the San Francisco Rent Board. “In the end, I got the apartment and kept the original lease.”

Tenant rights vary widely by state, says attorney Portman. Arkansas doesn’t even require landlords to provide “fit and habitable housing,” but that’s extreme. In the most renter-friendly states, including California, New York, Illinois and New Jersey, renters without say, hot water, can withhold rent until it is fixed (or pay to fix it and deduct that from the rent). “If the landlord tried to evict you for that, you would win that lawsuit,” she says. Landlords aren’t necessarily any better informed about what they can and cannot do, so it’s up to the tenant to figure it out. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development maintains a database of tenants’ rights by state, including groups that offer assistance with disputes.

6) “I don’t know about your problems – and I like it that way.”

Tenants who think they have a beef with the property owner may actually find their true discontent with the management company hired by the landlord. The Better Business Bureau logged 5,297 complaints about property managers last year, a 13% increase from 2008. They’re among the most-complained about industries, ranking 37th of the 3,024 the BBB tracks. “You would hope that the person who owns the property has done their due diligence, but that just may not be the case,” says Kimberly Smith, the co-founder of short-term furnished rental site CorporateHousingbyOwner.com. Inexperienced or incompetent property managers may not have a good system in place to handle repairs — especially emergencies – or neglect to keep your security deposit in a safe place, she says.

While a landlord is ultimately responsible for providing habitable housing, they hire management companies precisely so they don’t have to deal with the day-to-day decision making and every tenant request. This is a case where the squeaky wheel definitely gets the grease (see No. 2, above). If there’s a pervasive issue, try to reach the landlord directly, Smith says. Public records will list the property owner. You might also consider paying by credit card if that’s an option, she says, which can make it easier to file a dispute if requested repairs or other complaints aren’t resolved.

7) “I never wanted to do this.”

The recession has generated plenty of “accidental” landlords — property owners who wanted to sell, but can’t find a buyer. At first glance, the surge seems like a boon for renters. Inexperienced landlords’ biggest and most common mistake is not asking for enough rent, says Steve Dexter, who operates more than a dozen properties throughout Southern California and teaches real estate investment seminars. But that poor financial management can also mean a substantial rent increase upon renewal, or worse, living in a poorly-maintained home at greater risk of foreclosure.

A tenant’s best defense is to ask questions about the landlord and the property’s history, Dexter says. Among the important ones: how long has the property been a rental? Why is the landlord renting it out? If the answers involve anything that reflects on the recession or the landlord’s need to increase his cash flow, be cautious. Look for foreclosure and sale notifications on sites such as RealtyTrac, StreetEasy and Zillow.com.

8) “If you smoke, you can’t rent.”

The Fair Housing Act prohibits landlords from discriminating against a number of groups — but smokers aren’t one of them. So discriminate they do. Although smokers account for 20% of U.S. adults in most cities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a search of New York City apartment listings on Craigslist turned up just six explicitly allowing smoking. Nearly 700 explicitly prohibited it. Their reasoning: once a rental property is occupied by a smoker, it’s tough to rent to non-smokers without a thorough, expensive cleaning that includes repainting the walls and professionally cleaning the carpets, says Matt Kuhlhorst, who rents out four single-family homes in Allen, Texas. “Even if the tenant doesn’t get their deposit back, that’s still not enough to cover the cost,” which can easily top $2,000, he says.

Laws in several states require landlords to disclose smoking policies upfront, so if it’s important for you to be able to light up indoors check the details before signing a lease. Policy violators could find themselves facing loss of their security deposit or eviction, if their smoke wafts into a non-smoker’s domain. And if a chain-smoking neighbor is in violation, your landlord will be glad to take your complaints—it’s one thing that will allow him to evict a tenant.

9) “What you see is what you get.”

The rusty, cracked stove was nearly a deal-breaker for an otherwise great apartment in Boston’s North End. But the landlord promised to replace the clunker and make other repairs, so Joanna DiTrapano and her roommate signed a one year lease in March. Suddenly, the landlord’s tune changed — although the gas company documented the dangerous stove leaking gas, he insisted it wasn’t damaged enough to warrant replacing. It took six months, numerous phone calls and finally, a formal letter citing city tenants’ rights laws to get a new stove, DiTrapano says. The smaller repairs the landlord promised? She’s simply given up.

Some landlords were never good about making necessary repairs, but the recession has forced many to postpone anything that isn’t absolutely vital, says Dave Zundel, a co-founder of Arizona property management firm HomeLovers. The firm has seen a 70% drop in maintenance projects, and just 13% of landlords are still spending on regular upkeep and cosmetic improvements such as replacing worn carpets or repainting. Your safest bet is to assume the condition of the apartment you’re viewing is about what it will be when you move in, Zundel says. If the landlord promises to make repairs, get it in writing.

10) “You’ll pay for my rebellion.”

The building or community homeowners’ association may have it in for you. Some renters — and owners – learn this the hard way, Abkemeier says. During the downturn, many associations have taken steps to limit owners’ ability to rent out property, or require extensive screening before a lease can be signed. And owners who try to avoid or ignore the rule-changes end up making it difficult on tenants who suddenly find themselves faced with lengthy rental applications or fines for a litany of association rules they never knew they had to uphold. The extra layer of administration can also make it tough for tenants to get damage repaired, because they’re dealing with the building and not just the landlord.

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Mortgage Interest Deduction Pros and Cons | Katonah NY Real Estate

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The plan to eliminate the mortgage tax deduction was widely criticized, but the industry overreacted to the proposal. Turns out it’s not that great for most of us.

President Obama’s deficit commission came up short of votes to command quick action in Congress of a bipartisan plan that recommended eliminating or reducing long-standing credits, including the popular home mortgage interest deduction. This isn’t much of a surprise. While lawmakers acknowledge that the nation faces an incredibly worrisome debt problem and that a dramatic slash in spending needs to happen, the plan was politically unpopular from the start.

Real estate and mortgage industry experts argued the elimination of the mortgage deduction would put more pressure on an already fragile housing market. That might be the case, but if we look deeper, many of their arguments are exaggerated. If anything, once the housing market gains some strength three or so years from now, slimming the deduction down some might actually not be such a bad thing and it could save the US government billions of dollars. Here are three reasons why:

It doesn’t benefit the vast majority of American homeowners anyway.

Under the current program, taxpayers who itemize their deductions can deduct the interest on mortgages of up to $1 million for their primary and second homes, as well as on home equity loans of up to $100,000. This overwhelmingly benefits relatively wealthier households since they’re more likely to itemize their tax deductions. Middle to lower income households tend to go with standard deductions.

The deficit commission’s proposal recommended scaling the mortgage interest deduction to $500,000 from $1 million and limiting it to only primary residences and not second homes. The deficit commission also proposed eliminating the mortgage interest deduction and turning it into a 12% nonrefundable tax credit available to everyone – a pitch that some experts including Steve Ott, director the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Center for Real Estate says could benefit more homeowners including lower to middle-income households.

“A credit is always a benefit but the deduction is only a benefit to the extent that you itemize,” Ott says.

What’s more, even though mortgage industry leaders say doing away with the deduction could make homeownership less appealing, Chris Mayer, real estate professor at Columbia University, says the program hasn’t proven to encourage home buying. Since the deduction mostly benefits relatively wealthier households, they would own homes with or without the deduction.

Years from now, it’s anyone’s guess what could come next of the mortgage tax deduction. Efforts to change the structure have been under way before. A panel in 2005 appointed by then-President Bush proposed allowing homeowners to claim a mortgage interest credit of 15% on loans of up to $412,000. The proposal never really took off.

It doesn’t help home prices much.

In a way, the timing of the panel’s latest proposals was just bad. Because of the fragility of home prices and record foreclosures, the housing market is an incredibly touchy topic, and a very political one at that.

Nationally, home prices for the third quarter fell 1.5% from the same time last year and were down 2% from the previous three months, according to data released earlier this week by the S&P/Case-Shiller index. At least for now, doing away with the deduction or scaling it down would likely push home prices even lower, especially in areas along the East Coast where home prices are higher relative to the rest of the country, says Mayer of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. This might help make homes relatively more affordable to a wider spectrum of potential buyers but it could also increase foreclosures since far too many homeowners already owe more on their mortgages than their properties are valued.

Mayer adds that while winding down the tax deduction would add further pressure to the soft housing market in the short-term, it wouldn’t have much of an impact on prices in the long-run. Enacting legislation that would start phasing out the program three or so years from now could be an option.

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4 Steps To Get a Good Real Estate Buy in Bedford Corners NY | Bedford Corners NY Real Estate

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No matter how low of an offer you put in for a home, it almost never fails that at some point you get buyer’s remorse wondering if you could have purchased it for even less. Some realtors might tell you that the fair market value is what you did pay, but we all know that some times buyers can, and do, over pay. Often that’s because they are thinking with their emotions rather than with their head. On the other hand, did you offer too little that you might lose the deal?

Just ask Donita Nurse how she feels about home negotiations and you’ll get an ear full of her experiences. When the 29-year-old was ready to move out of her rental in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago into a place of her own, she didn’t want to leave the area, which is rich in African-American history and a short commute to her downtown job at the East Bank Club.

She also wanted to purchase a short sale with a minimum of three bedrooms and with about $100,000 of equity above the purchase price. Her reasons were logical: This single woman with no kids wanted a place she could grow into, and that she would not likely lose money on, even if it went down in value.

And why the short sale (other than for a great value)? When owners are selling their homes without outside pressures, like from banks, Donita says that she has found that sellers are too attached and unwilling to negotiate a fair price. She prefers to target short sales that have been on the market awhile.

“At that point they have to sell it or they’ll go into foreclosure,” she says. “It has been on the market long enough for the owners to accept that.”

So Donita did her research to find a great value on short sales. (She felt that homes already in foreclosure would be a bigger hassle with the banks). She studied the sale prices for comparable homes and over a two-year period Donita found her dream home — three times. She made an offer each time, only to run into problems on all three. But a turn of events just may make the third time the charm.

Here are seven tips for purchasing a home at your price:

1. Be prepared to walk away.Full Article

If the home meets all of your criteria related to design, convenience, amenities, etc. don’t go in with the attitude “I can’t lose this house.” That’s a sure way to overpay. Instead, be prepared to walk away if the sellers don’t meet your maximum price point for that home or for other major concessions that you want. The first home that Donita made an offer on took six months to get approved, then she learned upon inspection that some upgrades and electrical fixes weren’t done to code, so she backed out. Know that there will always be other homes. However, be realistic about your maximum purchase price. How much you can afford to spend is not the seller’s problem. It could just mean that you need to set your sights on a less expensive property.

2. Crunch the numbers.

When determining what price to make your initial offer, you need to be familiar with the “comps” — the prices that similar homes in the neighborhood (about a one-mile radius) have sold for in the past three to six months. Sometimes you might need to search back as far as a year, but of course more recent data is most valuable.

On the second home, Donita made an offer of $128,000 on a well-upgraded, first-floor unit listed at $139,000, in a small multi-family building. The bank accepted the offer but ultimately sold it for less money — $119,000 — to someone who made a cash offer. The bank said they’d approve her for another unit in the building at her original $128,000 offer, but given the very recent lower comp for a similar unit, Donita said that she’d only accept if they upgraded the unit. They said no, so again she walked.

The sold price is more relevant than list prices for similar homes, because the list price can always drop. “Solds” are the most accurate gauge of the market. You will want to compare your offer price to each comp’s sold price, its price per square foot, and even how much its sold price differs from its list price to help you best determine a range where your offer should be. (It might be drastically lower than the seller’s list price if they have overpriced their home). If you don’t have a real estate agent who can provide you with the sold data, websites such as CyberHomes.com and ListingBook list them, with the latter allowing you to display the data by price per square foot, sales data and other criteria.

3. Drive by the comps.

It’s important that you go see the comps in person, because a photo can sometimes mask whether a home needs an exterior paint job, a new roof or fresh blacktop on the driveway. If you were doing due diligence during your home search, some of these comps are probably homes that you toured earlier in your quest.

4. Determine a price.

Once you’ve determined, that say, the comps sold on average for about 95 percent of the asking price, you might want to make your first offer at 90 percent of the asking price, with your limit being that you’ll pay 97 percent of asking price.

For example, if the home has a list price of $250,000, you might make your first offer at $225,000, which is 90 percent of the list price. The sellers might counter, and you might counter again and ultimately settle at $237,500, which is 95 percent of the asking price — the norm for nearby comparable homes. Also, you might be surprised and buy the home for the lower amount, especially if it has been on the market for 90 days or longer, or a previous sale for the owner has already fallen through.

Donita currently has an offer in on a large, and move-in condition duplex unit, with four bedrooms and three baths. It has a list price of $100,000 and an appraised value of $196,000. She offered $90,000, but it was rejected for a better one. The deal isn’t over, however. The other offer fell through, and the bank’s negotiator called Donita to ask if she was still interested. Now she’s waiting for the banks to approve her offer.

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Time To Refinance Your Mortgage Loan In Armonk NY | Armonk NY Real Estate

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Lured by low mortgage rates, many homeowners have been rushing to refinance. Interest is gaining for good reason: Eligible borrowers can lock in rates that haven’t been this attractive in decades.

“With interest rates hovering around 5% for conforming loan amounts, homeowners should begin to seriously consider refinancing into a new fixed-rate mortgage, especially if they currently have an adjustable-rate mortgage,” said Lisa Weaver, president of Columbia, Mo.-based Certitude Financial Group. And don’t drag your feet, either, she said.

Rates on jumbo mortgages are still high, she said, but the national average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate conforming mortgage is the lowest in at least 37 years, according to Freddie Mac. The conforming loan limit in 2009 is $417,000 for most areas of the continental U.S., although in designated high-cost markets it will be up to $625,500.

Given the volatility in the mortgage market this year, Greg Gwizdz, national retail sales manager for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, also advises homeowners to be proactive. It’s possible that rates will be low for a while, but in this turbulent economy, it’s not best to gamble that tomorrow will bring a better deal.

“Don’t sit back and say I’m going to wait for something to happen and for rates to go even lower,” he said. If you’re able to refinance into a mortgage that will be better for your finances, don’t pass up the opportunity, Gwizdz said.

Below are other points to consider:

1. Have an idea of home’s value

Prior to starting the refinancing process, call a real-estate agent or look online at sites including Zillow.com to get an estimate of what your home could be worth, said Scott Everett, founder and president of Dallas-based Supreme Lending. If you’re “drastically upside down” on your mortgage, meaning that you owe a lot more than your home is now worth, the possibility of refinancing might end right there.

“If you owe $250,000 and the house is worth $250,000, it [refinancing] is worth discussing,” he said. But if you owe $250,000 and “the house is worth $150,000 and you’re in Southern California, then you probably won’t be able to do it,” he said. Many Southern California markets have experienced a drop in home prices.

To get a better idea on a home’s value, borrowers might ask their mortgage firm if the appraiser it works with could give a ballpark estimate before starting the process, said David Adamo, CEO of Luxury Mortgage, in Stamford, Conn. But that’s still just an estimate until an appraiser comes out to your home, he pointed out.

2. Get ready for a thorough screening process

It’s not impossible to get a mortgage in today’s environment. But lending standards are likely a lot stricter than they were the last time you applied for a mortgage, so expect a thorough and frank discussion of your finances with a mortgage banker or broker before the application is even filled out.

Lenders are asking would-be borrowers to document income and assets thoroughly. In general, many also want FICO credit scores of 660 or 680 for conventional conforming mortgages; requirements are lower for loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, Gwizdz said.

Those who might have a particularly tough time getting a mortgage today are self-employed homeowners who don’t have two years of income documentation — even if they have the income to support the mortgage, Adamo said. The availability of stated-income mortgages, which don’t require borrowers to fully document their income, is limited, he added.

3. Know what you’ll be saving

The old rule of thumb was that your rate should drop two percentage points for a refinance to be worth it, but that doesn’t always apply anymore, Adamo said. If you can recoup closing costs of the new mortgage in the first 12 months — and can save three-quarters of a percentage point on your interest rate every year thereafter — it’s probably economically justifiable to refinance, he said.

In any case, have a conversation about what rate would make refinancing worthwhile, and be prepared to take action. Borrowers also need to consider how long they want to stay in the property to determine which mortgage makes the most sense for their situation, Weaver said.

Sometimes you could be better off refinancing even if you don’t get a better rate, Gwizdz pointed out. If you have an adjustable-rate mortgage that resets in a year, but can get a fixed-rate mortgage at the same rate, it’s probably a good idea to refinance now if you plan on being in the home for years to come, he said.

He also cautions people about refinancing into mortgage terms that extend the life of the loan; doing so may bring monthly payments down, but will probably make the loan more expensive in the long term. “However, for homeowners that must have the lowest payment possible, it may be the right choice when combined with a lower fixed-rate product,” Ms. Weaver said.

4. Don’t count on cashing out

Tapping home equity through a cash-out refinance is much more difficult these days, due to stringent credit standards and loan-to-value requirements, Weaver said.

According to Freddie Mac, the share of refinances with a cash-out component was 63% over the first three quarters of 2008, the lowest level since 2004. Cash-out refinance mortgages have loan amounts at least 5% higher than the paid-off mortgage balances.

 

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Robert Paul, Prudential Holmes and Kennedy, 914-325-5758

 

By Robert Paul, Prudential Holmes and Kennedy, 914-325-5758 | Agent in Bedford, NY

Top 10 Tech Gifts This Year | South Salem Real Estate

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1. iPad

Some tablets in the market are just too small and less functional. Besides, the iPad will be a good addition to my iPhone and Macbook Pro. 😀 – Autumn Rain

2. Kinect

I want to tear open the wrapping paper on a Kinect for Xbox. I tried out Kinect Sports: boxing at PAX and love the idea that I can KO people twice my size! – Jessica Otte

3. Samsung Galaxy Tablet

I currently have an iPhone for developing purposes, so I am wanting something Android so I can start developing for both! – Eric Castilo

4. Canon PowerShot SD3500IS

I would absolutely love a Blackberry Playbook, but they aren’t due to come out until early part of next year, so instead I say a new Canon PowerShot SD3500IS so I can give the boyfriend my old Canon Exilim. – MJ Schrader

5. TiVo Slide

With all the developments in Internet TV technology over the past few months, why are we using the same standard, medieval remotes our parents did? Remotes have been around since 1950… it’s time for a serious change. The TiVo Slide remote has a full QWERTY keyboard and cuts search time significantly. I hope Santa brings me one. – Lacey Haines

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Ideas For Adding A New Bathroom In Katonah NY | Katonah NY Real Estate

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So you’re thinking about adding another bathroom to your home. There are many reasons to contemplate this project, ranging from an elderly parent moving in, to your teenagers’ constant fights over the current bathroom, to wanting more space to accommodate guests. Whatever your reasons, adding a bathroom will enhance your home’s resale value and provide increased comfort and convenience in the short term. 

According to a 2003 cost-versus-value report from Remodeling magazine, you could make up to 94 percent of your investment back on a $15,000 mid-range bathroom addition. That is even more than the 80 percent this report cites for a major kitchen remodeling job. 

Finding Space in Your Existing Home 

The good news is that most homes offer sufficient space for another bathroom. The first thing to do is scour your home for possible locations; you’d be surprised at how much extra space you have in your house if you’d just look for it. Consider the basement, attic, under the hallway stairs, an enclosed porch or even an empty corner of an existing room. Maybe you would even be willing to give up a linen closet or space in a guest bedroom to accommodate a new bathroom. Look around and see what is available and what makes sense. 

Planning the Room 

Once you’ve taken the plunge and decided to move ahead with the room, start by checking your local building codes to determine minimum room size. In general, a powder room should be at least 18 square feet, a bathroom with a shower no smaller than 30 square feet, while a room with both a shower and tub should be no less than 35 square feet. You will also need the proper permits from your city before beginning the job. 

Next, get a feel for the room by using masking tape to lay out where the fixtures will be located. A standard size toilet is usually 30 inches in width with a clearance of two feet in front. Don’t forget to map out the sink area and a tub or shower if that is in the plan, too. 

If the new space you have targeted shares a wall with an existing bathroom or kitchen, you can save hundreds of dollars by not having to extend the plumbing, according to Garry Gage, a 20-year West coast plumbing veteran and consultant for FlowGuard Gold pipe and fittings. “Plumbing also will be less expensive if the area beneath the new bath is a basement or crawlspace without any obstructions,” says Gage. 

Another tip for keeping the plumbing costs low is to locate the room as close as possible to the main waste drain, or the stack. Gage also advises homeowners to ensure that all drains are vented by routing them to an exterior wall or the roof to prevent sewer gas from entering the house. 

Most critical is to ensure that the area is structurally sound, especially in an older home where floor joists may need reinforcement in the process of adding the bath.

 

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Asbestos May Lurk in Your Attic in Armonk NY | Armonk NY Real Estate

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WASHINGTON (Nov. 29) — Americans living in millions of homes will soon crawl into their attics to collect their holiday decorations. With those colorful lights and ornaments could come invisible and deadly asbestos fibers that decades from now may destroy or end the lives of some of the celebrants. For years the government has known that the attics and walls of as many as 35 million homes and businesses are insulated with Zonolite, which contains lethal asbestos-tainted vermiculite. Some medical authorities believe that people are still dying because of it. Paul Kitagaki Jr. with permission of the Seattle Post-Inteligencer Ten years ago, then EPA investigator Keven McDermott crawled through an attic in Manchester, Wash., confirming the presence of 130 bags of asbestos-containing Zonolite insulation. “Based on my experience, and my understanding of the residential and worker exposures to the asbestos in this insulation, I believe firmly that individuals are being sickened and even dying from these exposures across the country on a continuing basis, in these cases bonded asbestos services are extremely needed”  said Dr. Aubrey Miller, who was medical director for the EPA team that was sent to the remote town of Libby, Mont., in 1999 to investigate reports of hundreds of deaths and illnesses with asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer. More than 400 deaths have been attributed to exposure to vermiculite in the community in which it was mined, and a litany of solid scientific studies has shown that it can kill. Yet AOL News has documented that the government has steadfastly refused even to issue widespread warnings to the public about the dangers of a product that was became a popular insulation in the 1940s and continued to be installed in U.S. homes through the 1990s.

The tale of this confirmed killer includes political intrigue, White House intervention, industry meddling and the failure of three Environmental Protection Agency administrators to act on their promises. In This Series Part 1: Government Refuses to Act on Cancer-Causing Insulation Madison Square Garden Case Illustrates Paranoia What to Do If You Have Zonolite Insulation Part 2: Cancer Patient’s Home a ‘Living Laboratory’ for Deadly Fibers Part 3: ‘In Libby, There Was No Maybe’ About Dangers Part 4: Asbestos Dangers Known Centuries Ago, but Battle Continues When asked what they’ve done to alert the public, EPA officials repeatedly point to the vermiculite page on the agency’s website, which even many inside the agency say is inadequate. W. R. Grace & Co., which produced the vermiculite ore used in the insulation, continues to insist that the insulation is safe and presents no health risk to homeowners.

Zonolite insulation hasn’t been sold for years, but experts fear its dangers may be more acute today than ever. They worry about the spread of asbestos contamination in aging homes containing this insulation. And they fear that government-funded plans to weatherize millions of homes will increase the likelihood of exposure among installers and residents. While the threat exists all year, every year until the Zonolite is removed, experts like Miller believe the potential for exposure to the asbestos is greatest during the holidays. He and other researchers from the EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have learned from homeowners that while they may go up to their attics occasionally during the year, holidays almost always necessitate climbing the attic stairs. Miller told AOL News that decorations, coils of lights, artificial wreaths and trees may have become the resting place for asbestos-laden dust over the years. He said he can only imagine how much asbestos has collected in the fake trees and wreaths. But he’s worried most about exposure to the younger children. “It’s particularly important to understand the risks for children who have higher breathing rates and will inhale more of the fibers,” said Miller, a father of two. “Children, especially young ones, tend to spend much of their time on the floor playing with the ornaments and toys, breathing the asbestos-contaminated dust, and have many years for the asbestos fibers that lodge in their lungs to eventually cause disease.” Dangers Widespread For decades, the Grace mine, six miles from Libby, was the source of more than 70 percent of the world’s vermiculite, and geologists say almost all was heavily contaminated with an exceptionally virulent type of cancer-causing asbestos. U.S.Geological Service This shows 1,000-times magnification of needlelike asbestos fibers that contaminate the vermiculite ore from Libby, Mont. These are the same fibers released when Zonolite insulation is even gently disturbed.

No one even knows how many people with lung disease are made ill because of exposure to the tainted vermiculite because most physicians — especially those who are not occupational medicine specialists — rarely probe their patients beyond the traditional question of whether they’d ever worked with asbestos. Since 1999, Miller, Chris Weis, who was EPA’s lead forensic toxicologist on the Libby team, and many of their colleagues have worked closely with the victims of vermiculite and their survivors. They and other government scientists collected more evidence than they wanted showing that exposure to the asbestos in the insulation can trigger a 20-year or longer path to eventual disease and death for those who disturb and then breathe in the cancer-causing fibers. They have fought for years to get the government to disclose the risk to home and business owners throughout the country who have no clue that they may be living with a potentially lethal product. But they were far from alone in calling for highly publicized government warnings. Then and now, union health and safety personnel expressed concern for their members who crawl in and around attics and ceilings doing renovations and stringing telephone, television and Internet cables.

“I am amazed and appalled that nothing has happened,” Joel Shufro, executive director of the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, told AOL News last week. “Given the tremendous government-funded winterization programs, we can expect exposure to workers to increase as they disturb the old asbestos-carrying insulations,” he said. It was at least eight years ago when NYCOSH — a nonprofit coalition of 200 unions and hundreds of health and safety activists — first pleaded for the government to pay attention. “Failure of the government to inform workers and others who may be exposed to this hazard is incorrigible. This is a well-known, aggressive carcinogen and unless people know about it, it’s a prescription for death,” Shufro said. Spreading From Libby to the Rest of U.S. The vermiculite ore pulled from the Grace mine was laced with naturally occurring tremolite, one of the most toxic of six forms of asbestos regulated by the government. Interviews and medical records showed that asbestos first killed miners and then their wives and children and then others just living in Libby. More than 400 deaths have been blamed on the asbestos-fouled vermiculite. Government medical testing found that more than a thousand more had signs of asbestos-related disease. But that was just among people living in and near that corner of Montana. Andrew Schneider for AOL News The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tracked shipments to vermiculite, used in Zonolite insulation, from Libby, Mont., to all over the world.How did this dangerous product get into so many homes so far from Libby? The government analyzed invoices and shipping papers of the massive building-products and chemical multinational. It found that Grace shipped by rail and road 15.6 billion pounds of the identical cancer-causing mineral that spawned the carnage in Libby to more than 750 plants and factories throughout North America.

There the flat, silky smooth, raw vermiculite rock went through high-temperature ovens to pop or exfoliate the ore into popcorn-weight fluff that was then bagged and sold by Grace and hundreds of home- and builder-supply outlets as insulation. Sometimes it was used in scores of other products, such as fertilzer, pool lining, garden additives, potting soil enhancers, cat litter and faux ambers for gas fireplaces. “There are millions, likely tens of millions of homes in the United States probably contaminated with this [lethal] material. The inventories show it was pretty much distributed from coast to coast, most heavily across the tier of Northern states — New England, the upper Midwest and the Northwest — and in all likelihood, it’s still there,” toxicologist Weis said. Agency statisticians geographically plotted sales of Libby vermiculite and showed it went into homes at least as far south as Jacksonville, Fla., and deep into the northern portions of the Canadian provinces. Sales were highest from Grace’s national network of processing plants. The threat may be even more pressing today because the potential for hazard is increasing as the homes containing this insulation age. “They’re being renovated. New wiring is being put in as the aging wiring becomes unsafe. Internet wiring and cabling is being installed in these attics, as well as exhaust fans and various type of winterization,” said Weis, who is now senior toxicologist with the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences. “All of this activity — even the most gentle action — disturbs the asbestos, endangering not only the workers but spreading it though the homes,” he added. But even if the attics are well sealed off from the rest of the house, the EPA and its outside asbestos consultants have found asbestos-contaminated vermiculite dust seeping through wall switches, ceiling-light fixtures and fans and sometimes through the dried-out joint tape in ceilings and walls. “If I had Zonolite in my house I would want to know it, and if I knew it, I would do everything I could to get it out of there,” said Paul Peronard, who headed the EPA’s cleanup of Libby

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Upcoming Events in Westchester | Westchester NY Real Estate

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Events in Westchester

A guide to cultural and recreational goings-on in and around the Hudson Valley. Items for the guide should be sent at least three weeks in advance to westweek@nytimes.com, or by mail to Westchester Calendar, Metropolitan, 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018-1405.

Comedy

POUGHKEEPSIE Bananas Comedy Club Tina Giorgi. Friday and Dec. 4. $12 and $15. Billy Garan. Dec. 10 and 11. $12 and $15. Bananas Comedy Club, 2170 Route 9. (845) 462-3333; bananascomedyclub.com.

TARRYTOWN Tarrytown Music Hall “Kevin Meaney Christmas Show,” stand-up. Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. $29.50 to $43.50. Tarrytown Music Hall, 13 Main Street. (877) 840-0457; tarrytownmusichall.org.

Film

CROTON-ON-HUDSON Croton Free Library “Hot Water” and “Bumping Into Broadway,” starring Harold Lloyd. Live accompaniment by Jesse Beller. Friday at 7:30 p.m. Free. Croton Free Library, 171 Cleveland Drive. (914) 271-6612; crotonfreelibrary.org.

IRVINGTON Irvington Town Hall Theater Puccini’s “Tosca,” starring Daniela Dessì and Fabio Armiliato. Dec. 4 at 1 p.m. $22. “Who Is Harry Nilsson (and Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)?” Directed by John Scheinfeld. Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. $8. Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main Street. irvingtontheater.com; (914) 591-6602.

PLEASANTVILLE Jacob Burns Film Center “Catching Up Film Series.” Friday through Dec. 22. $6 to $11. Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Road. (914) 747-5555; burnsfilmcenter.org.

POUGHKEEPSIE Bardavon Opera House “A Christmas Story,” starring Peter Billingsley. Friday at 8 p.m. $5. Bardavon Opera House, 35 Market Street. bardavon.org; (845) 473-2072.

For Children

IRVINGTON Irvington Town Hall Theater “A Year With Frog and Toad,” musical by Willie Reale and Robert Reale. Presented by the Clocktower Players Kids Troupe. Ages 3 and up. Dec. 11 and 12 at 12:30 p.m. $10 and $15. Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main Street. (914) 591-6602; irvingtontheater.com.

KATONAH Muscoot Farm “Christmas on the Farm,” carols and a lantern tour. Dec. 11 and 12, 5 to 7 p.m. Donations accepted. Muscoot Farm, 51 Route 100. (914) 864-7282; muscootfarm.org.

LARCHMONT The Voracious Reader “Hello Kitty Celebration,” games, crafts and readings. All ages. Dec. 4, 2 to 4 p.m. Free admission. The Voracious Reader, 1997 Palmer Avenue. (914) 630-4581; thevoraciousreader.com.

MAMARONECK Emelin Theater “Charlotte’s Web,” musical based on the story by E. B. White, presented by TheatreWorks U. S. A. Ages 3 and up. Thursday and Dec. 4. $13 to $18 Emelin Theater, 153 Library Lane. emelin.org; (914) 698-0098.

PEEKSKILL Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art “Family Art Weekend,” performances and activities, along with Eastern and Central European crafts. Dec. 5, 1 to 5 p.m. All ages. Free. Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, 1701 Main Street. hvcca.com; (914) 788-0100.

SCARSDALE Greenburgh Nature Center “Nature Bugs,” stories, crafts and games. Ages 3 and up. Monday at 1:30 p.m. $4 to $9. Greenburgh Nature Center, 99 Dromore Road. greenburghnaturecenter.org; (914) 723-3470.

SCARSDALE Scarsdale Synagogue Temples Tremont and Emanu-El Rick Recht, interactive rock concert in Hebrew and English. Dec. 4 at 4:30 p.m. $18; under 3, free. Scarsdale Synagogue Temples Tremont and Emanu-El, 2 Ogden Road. (914) 725-5175; sstte.org.

Museums and Galleries

BEACON Dia:Beacon “Franz Erhard Walther: Work as Action.” Through Feb. 13. $7 to $10; members and children under 12, free. Friday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dia:Beacon, 3 Beekman Street. diabeacon.org; (845) 440-0100.

BEACON Fovea Exhibitions Beacon Gallery “One Block: A New Orleans Neighborhood Rebuilds,” photographs by Dave Anderson. Through Jan. 8. Fridays through Sundays, noon to 6 p.m. Fovea Exhibitions Beacon Gallery, 143 Main Street. (845) 765-2199; foveaexhibitions.org.

CHAPPAQUA Horace Greeley House “Reader’s Digest: The Local Magazine That Conquered the World,photographs and artifacts. Through January. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 1 to 4 p.m. or by appointment. Horace Greeley House, 100 King Street. newcastlehs.org; (914) 238-4666. 

COLD SPRING Putnam County Historical Society and Foundry School Museum “Making a Living: Businesses in Philipstown and Beyond, 1850-1970,” photographs, artifacts and memorabilia. Through Dec. 19. $2 to $5; members and children under 7, free. Wednesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Putnam County Historical Society and Foundry School Museum, 63 Chestnut Street. (845) 265-4010; pchs-fsm.org.

CROSS RIVER Trailside Nature Museum “Affinities,” sculptures and paintings by David Safhay. Through Dec. 30. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Trailside Nature Museum, Routes 35 and 121. (914) 864-7322; trailsidemuseum.org.

CROTON FALLS The Schoolhouse Theater Gallery “Whoopee We’re All Gonna Die,” works by Susan Zoon and Nicolas De Jesus. Through Dec. 12. Call for hours. The Schoolhouse Theater Gallery, 3 Owens Road. schoolhousetheater.org; (914) 277-3461.

CROTON-ON-HUDSON Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Briarcliff, Croton and Ossining “Art and Craft Show,” jewelry, ceramics, paintings and housewares. Friday, 5 to 9 p.m. and Dec. 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Briarcliff, Croton and Ossining, 2021 Albany Post Road. uucroton.org; (914) 488-5309.

DOBBS FERRY The Donald Gallery Paintings by Rene Nascimento. Through Dec. 12. Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Donald Gallery, 343 Broadway. (914) 693-0473; southpres.org/thedonaldgallery.shtml.

DOBBS FERRY Upstream Gallery Joan Gillman Smith, paintings and collages. Through Dec. 5. Thursdays through Sundays, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Upstream Gallery, 26B Main Street. upstreamgallery.com; (914) 674-8548.

EASTCHESTER Eastchester Public Library “Hudson River Potters Annual Show and Sale,” ceramics. Friday through Dec. 5. Eastchester Public Library, 11 Oakridge Place. hudsonriverpotters.com; (914) 793-5055.

HARRISON Harrison Public Library “Favorite Things,” acrylic paintings by Robert Cotnoir. Dec. 5 through Jan. 7. Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Harrison Public Library, 2 Bruce Avenue. (914) 835-0324; harrisonpl.org.

HUDSON BCB Art “Thunder Bunny Buddha Shrine,” works by Musho Rodney Alan Greenblat. Through Dec. 19. Thursdays through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.; or by appointment. BCB Art, 116 Warren Street. (518) 828-4539; bcbart.com.

KATONAH Katonah Museum of Art “Mapping: Memory and Motion in Contemporary Art,” multimedia. “Uri Shulevitz: How I Learned Geography.” “Watercolor,” by Dan Osyczka. All three run through Jan. 9. “Wind Orchid,” by George Sherwood, sculpture. Through May 22. $3 to $5; members and children, free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Katonah Museum of Art, 134 Jay Street. (914) 232-9555; katonahmuseum.org.

LARCHMONT Larchmont Public Library “Potpourri,” watercolors and mixed media by Mary Ann Maclellan and “Drawn by Nature,” works by Diane Elliott. Through Monday. Mondays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Larchmont Public Library, 121 Larchmont Avenue. (914) 834-2281; larchmontlibrary.org.

LARCHMONT The Voracious Reader “The Many Gifts of Children’s Book Illustrators,” picture book art. Dec. 5 through Dec. 19. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. The Voracious Reader, 1997 Palmer Avenue. thevoraciousreader.com; (914) 630-4581.

MONTROSE Hendrick Hudson Free Library “Recent Watercolors” by Michele Izzo Croft. Through Monday. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Hendrick Hudson Free Library, 185 Kings Ferry Road. (914) 739-5654; henhudfreelibrary.org.

OSSINING Ossining Public Library “A Second Look,” cut-paper collages by Susan MacMurdy. Through Tuesday. Ossining Public Library, 53 Croton Avenue. (914) 941-2416; ossininglibrary.org.

PEEKSKILL Flat Iron Gallery “Gifts of Fire and Clay,” group show. Thursday through Dec. 31. Thursdays through Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; or by appointment. Flat Iron Gallery, 105 South Division Street. flatiron.qpg.com; (914) 734-1894.

PEEKSKILL Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art Artist-in-Residence, Leonardo Silaghi, paintings. Through Dec. 19. “After the Fall,” group show featuring contemporary art from Eastern and Central Europe. Through July 24. $2 to $5; members, free. Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; or by appointment. Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, 1701 Main Street. (914) 788-0100; hvcca.com.

PEEKSKILL Innovative Arts Gallery “That Which Roars: Beasts of the Imagination,” group show. Through Jan. 9. Fridays through Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; or by appointment. Innovative Arts Gallery, 1 South Division Street, Studio 1. (914) 930-1474; innovative-arts.com.

PELHAM Pelham Art Center “Craft-Tastic” and “Gift It,” handmade goods. Friday through Jan. 15. “Diwali: Hindu Festival of Lights,” performances and activities. Dec. 5 at 1:30 p.m. Free. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pelham Art Center, 155 Fifth Avenue. (914) 738-2525; pelhamartcenter.org.

PLEASANTVILLE Choate House Gallery “Toys Through the Ages.” Through Dec. 16. Mondays through Wednesdays and Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m.; Thursdays, noon to 6 p.m.; or by appointment. Choate House Gallery, 861 Bedford Road, Entrance 3. (914) 773-3473; pace.edu.

PORT CHESTER Clay Art Center “Arnie Zimmerman: New Lost City.” Through Dec. 18. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Clay Art Center, 40 Beech Street. clayartcenter.org; (914) 937-2047.

POUGHKEEPSIE Locust Grove “Being in Code,” works by Douglas Navarra. Through Dec. 5. $5 and $9; children 18 and under, free. Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Locust Grove, 2683 South Road (Route 9). (845) 454-4500; lgny.org.

PURCHASE Berger Gallery “W. P. A. Posters From the Collection of Merrill C. Berman.” Through Dec. 17. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. Berger Gallery, 2900 Purchase Street. (914) 323-5331; mville.edu.

PURCHASE Neuberger Museum of Art “Pat Steir: Drawing Out of Line” and “American People, Black Light: Faith Ringgold’s Paintings of the 1960s.” Both through Dec. 19. $3 to $5. Tuesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Neuberger Museum of Art, 735 Anderson Hill Road. (914) 251-6100; neuberger.org.

RHINEBECK Montgomery Row Second Level “Black-and-White Photos in Pairs and Series,” works by Phyllis Marsteller. Through Tuesday. Mondays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Montgomery Row, Second Level, 6422-3 Montgomery Street. montgomeryrow.com; (845) 876-6670.

RYE Rye Arts Center “Jazz: Iconic Portraits and Contemporary Images,” paintings and sculptures. Through Dec. 4. Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rye Arts Center, 51 Milton Road. (914) 967-0700; ryeartscenter.org.

WEST NYACK Rockland Center for the Arts “Kate Gilmore: Standing Here.” Through Dec. 5. “On Earth,” group show and “Lothar Osterburg: Piranesi.” Through Dec. 12. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rockland Center for the Arts, 27 South Greenbush Road. rocklandartcenter.org; (845) 358-0877.

WHITE PLAINS Arts Exchange “Latin American Paper Arts Exhibition.” Through Dec. 5. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Arts Exchange, 31 Mamaroneck Avenue. westarts.com; (914) 428-4220.

WOODSTOCK Galerie BMG “Florilegium,” works by Kim Kauffman. Through Monday. Alyson Belcher, photographs. Friday through Jan. 10. Fridays through Mondays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., or by appointment. Galerie BMG, 12 Tannery Brook Road. galeriebmg.com; (845) 679-0027.

YONKERS Blue Door Gallery “Small Works for Holiday Giving,” group show. Through Dec. 30. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.; Fridays, 2 to 7 p.m. Blue Door Gallery, 13 Riverdale Avenue. bluedoorgallery.org; (914) 375-5100.

YONKERS Hudson River Museum “Paintbox Leaves: Autumnal Inspiration From Cole to Wyeth,” group show. Through Jan. 16. $3 to $5; members, free. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Avenue. (914) 963-4550; hrm.org.

Music and Dance

BEDFORD Bedford Presbyterian Church “A Christmas Candlelight Concert,”presented by the Charis Chamber Voices. Dec. 5 at 4 p.m. $20 and $25. Bedford Presbyterian Church, Village Green. (914) 931-6575; charisvocals.com.

BRONXVILLE Reisinger Concert Hall, Sarah Lawrence College “Composer Portrait: William Schuman at 100: A Sarah Lawrence Legend: 1935-1945,” concerts, lectures and films. Wednesday at 7 p.m. Free. Reisinger Concert Hall, Sarah Lawrence College, 1 Mead Way. slc.edu/campuscalendar; (914) 395-2412.

CHAPPAQUA Chappaqua Library Akiko Kobayashi, violin and Claudia Kobayashi, piano. Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. $15 suggested donation. Chappaqua Library, 195 South Greeley Avenue. chappaqualibrary.org; (914) 238-4779.

DOBBS FERRY South Presbyterian Church “A Rose in Winter,” presented by the Angelica chamber singers. Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. $8 and $15. South Presbyterian Church, 343 Broadway. angelicavoices.org; (914) 478-3267.

IRVINGTON Irvington Town Hall Theater Judy Collins, folk. Friday at 8 p.m. $55 to $100. “Trumpet Masters: Music of Miles, Pops and Dizzy,” presented by the Westchester Jazz Orchestra. Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. $10 to $35. “The Broadway All-Star Holiday Concert,” featuring Neil Berg. Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. $40 and $45. “Bach Meets Bebop,” featuring Gary Smulyan and Henk van Twillert. Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. $28. The Subdudes, jazz. Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. $40. Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main Street. (914) 591-6602; irvingtontheater.com.

KINGSTON Ulster Performing Arts Center “A Christmas Carol,” presented by the Ulster Ballet Company. Friday through Dec. 5. $10 to $15. “The Nutcracker,” presented by the Catskill Ballet Theater. Dec. 10 through Dec. 12. $20 and $27. Ulster Performing Arts Center, 601 Broadway. (845) 339-6088; upac.org.

LARCHMONT Watercolor Cafe Erin McKeown, pop. Wednesday at 8 p.m. $20. Karla Bonoff, pop. Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. $45. Marshall Crenshaw, folk and rock. Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. $35. Watercolor Cafe, 2094 Boston Post Road. (914) 834-2213; watercolorcafe.net.

MAMARONECK Emelin Theater Beatlemania Now, tribute to the Beatles. Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. $55. David Bromberg Quartet, folk. Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. $60. Gold Heart with Buddy Merriam and Backroads, bluegrass. Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. $32. Kelli O’Hara, cabaret. Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. $60. Sutton Foster, cabaret. Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. $35 to $50. Emelin Theater, 153 Library Lane. emelin.org; (914) 698-0098.

MARLBORO The Falcon Marvin Bugalu Smith, jazz. Thursday at 7 p.m. Bruce Katz, blues. Friday at 7 p.m. Pilc, Frahm, Moutin and Hoenig, jazz. Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. Niels Lan Doky and Larry Grenadier, jazz. Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. Donations accepted. “The Ed Palermo Big Band Plays Zappa.” Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. Lucky Peterson, blues. Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. Donations accepted for each. The Falcon, 1348 Route 9W. (845) 236-7970; liveatthefalcon.com.

MONTROSE Hendrick Hudson Free Library E. Zoe Hassman, cello. Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. Free. Hendrick Hudson Free Library, 185 Kings Ferry Road. henhudfreelibrary.org; (914) 739-5654.

MOUNT KISCO Merestead “Heaven, Hell and Hollywood,” works by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Miklos Rozsa and others. Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. $10 to $25. Merestead, 455 Byram Lake Road. (914) 788-4659; coplandhouse.org.

NEW ROCHELLE Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, Iona College The Westchester Chamber Symphony featuring Lawrence Dutton, violin. Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. $15 to $50. Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, Iona College, 715 North Avenue. (914) 633-2628; www.iona.edu.

OSSINING Ossining High School Old Mill Singers Holiday Concert. Friday and Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. $5 to $15. Ossining High School, 29 South Highland Avenue. (914) 762-3765; oldmillsingers.org.

PEEKSKILL Paramount Center for the Arts Nanci Griffith, folk. Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. $30 to $40. “A Rockin Doo Wop Celebration.” Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. $39 to $59. Paramount Center for the Arts, 1008 Brown Street. (914) 739-2333; paramountcenter.org.

PEEKSKILL The New Yorker Dikki Du and the Zydeco Krewe, Cajun. Dec. 4, 7 to 11:30 p.m. $20. The New Yorker, 824 Washington Street. somebodyscreamny.org; (914) 960-9057.

PELHAM Pelham Art Center “Korean Folk Art Day,” traditional music and dance. Dec. 4 at 11 a.m. Free. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pelham Art Center, 155 Fifth Avenue. pelhamartcenter.org; (914) 738-2525.

PIERMONT The Turning Point Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, blues. Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. $40. Jewmongous, alternative folk. Wednesday at 8 p.m. $20. Chris Smither, folk. Thursday at 8 p.m. $30. Shemekia Copeland, blues. Friday at 9 p.m. $40. Enter the Haggis, Celtic rock. Dec. 5 at 4 p.m. $20. Bucky Pizzarelli featuring Ed Laub, jazz. Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. $20. Elliott Murphy Band, rock. Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. $20. Alexis P. Suter Band, blues and soul. Dec. 10 at 9 p.m. $20. Chris Bergson Band, blues and soul. Dec. 11 at 9 p.m. $20. “Annual Winter Solstice Celebration,” featuring the Neil Alexander Group. Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. $15. The Swippers, folk and rock. Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. $10. The Turning Point, 468 Piermont Avenue. (845) 359-1089; turningpointcafe.com.

PLEASANTVILLE Richard G. Rosenthal Jewish Community Center “Chanukah Concert,” featuring Kol Rinah. Dec. 5 at 4 p.m. $17. Richard G. Rosenthal Jewish Community Center, 600 Bear Ridge Road. kolrinahchorus.org; (914) 243-9059.

POUGHKEEPSIE Bardavon Opera House Amos Lee, funk and soul. Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. $28 and $33. “The Nutcracker,” presented by the New Paltz Ballet Theater. Dec. 9 through Dec. 12. $6 to $12. Bardavon Opera House, 35 Market Street. (845) 473-2072; bardavon.org.

PURCHASE Performing Arts Center Orion String Quartet, classical. Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. $52.50. The Harlem Gospel Choir. Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. $20 to $50. Brandenburg All-Stars, classical. Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. $25 to $50. Performing Arts Center, 735 Anderson Hill Road. (914) 251-6200; artscenter.org.

RYE Rye Country Day School Attacca String Quartet, classical. Dec. 5 at 3:30 p.m. $25 suggested donation. Rye Country Day School, 1 Cedar Street. (914) 424-9547; musicforparkinsonsresearch.org.

SAUGERTIES Saugerties Pro Musica, Saugerties United Methodist Church Wei Zhou, piano and David Nagy, bassoon. Nov. 28 at 3 p.m. $10 and $12; students, free. Saugerties Pro Musica, Saugerties United Methodist Church, Washington Avenue and Post Street. (845) 246-5021; saugertiespromusica.org.

TARRYTOWN Tarrytown Music Hall Dave Brubeck Quartet, jazz. Friday at 8 p.m. $45 to $85. Rickie Lee Jones, rock. Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. $45 to $75. Tarrytown Music Hall, 13 Main Street. tarrytownmusichall.org; (877) 840-0457.

VALHALLA Academic Arts Theater “Tomaseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas,” Irish music, dance and storytelling. Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. $18 and $20. Academic Arts Theater, 75 Grasslands Road. (914) 606-6262; sunywcc.edu.

WHITE PLAINS Arts Exchange “Byzantine Chant and Folk Music Festival,” day of workshops and performances. Dec. 4. $10 and $15. Workshops are free. Arts Exchange, 31 Mamaroneck Avenue. (914) 428-4220; westarts.com.

WHITE PLAINS Music Conservatory of Westchester “Holiday Jazz,” featuring Hiroshi Yamazaki, piano; Rale Micic, guitar; Nick Mangini, drums; and Steve LaSpina, bass. Friday at 7 p.m. $10 and $15. Music Conservatory of Westchester, 216 Central Avenue. musicconservatory.org; (914) 761-3900.

WOODSTOCK Bearsville Theater The Marc Black Band and the Amy Fradon Band, folk. Dec. 4 at 8:30 p.m. $20. Bearsville Theater, 291 Tinker Street. (845) 679-4406; bearsvilletheater.com.

YONKERS Yonkers Public Library, Grinton I. Will Branch “Unforgettable … Bring Him Home,” musical presented by A Musical Affair. Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. Free. Yonkers Public Library, Grinton I. Will Branch, 1500 Central Park Avenue. (914) 337-1500; ypl.org/grinton.

Outdoors

CROSS RIVER Trailside Nature Museum “Holiday Decorations From Nature,” craft activities. Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. $4 and $8. Trailside Nature Museum, Routes 35 and 121. (914) 864-7322; trailsidemuseum.org.

OSSINING Teatown Lake Reservation “Ready, Set, Sleep,” learn about how animals survive during the winter. Dec. 4 at 11 a.m. “Hike the Teatown-Kitchawan Trail,” walk along the reservoir and over Bald Mountain. Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Both are $5; members, free. Teatown Lake Reservation, 1600 Spring Valley Road. (914) 762-2912; teatown.org.

POCANTICO HILLS Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture “Winter on the Farm Weekend,” activities, crafts and holiday market. Dec. 11 and 12. Free admission. Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, 630 Bedford Road. stonebarnscenter.org; (914) 366-6200.

POUGHKEEPSIE Downtown Poughkeepsie “Celebration of Lights Parade and Fireworks.” Friday at 6:30 p.m. Free. Downtown Poughkeepsie, Main and Market Streets. bardavon.org; (845) 473-5288.

RYE Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary “Winter Wildflower Arrangements,” create a bouquet using dried plants and natural objects. Bring your own vase. Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. Free. Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary, Playland Parkway. (914) 967-8720; westchestergov.com/parks.

SCARSDALE Greenburgh Nature Center “Trim the Nature Tree,” decoration activities led by Dean Fausel. Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. $3 and $6. Greenburgh Nature Center, 99 Dromore Road. (914) 723-3470; greenburghnaturecenter.org.

Spoken Word

MOUNT VERNON St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site “A Clash of Cultures: The Battle of the Little Bighorn,” lecture and discussion. Monday at 1 p.m. Free. St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site, 897 South Columbus Avenue. (914) 667-4116; nps.gov/sapa.

NORTH SALEM Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” by Dylan Thomas, reading by Alan Sklar. Dec. 4 at 4 p.m. Free. Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden, 28 Deveau Road. hammondmuseum.org; (914) 669-5033.

PEEKSKILL Antonia Arts and Studio Two “First Friday Open Mic,” poetry readings and music. Wine and cheese will be served. Friday at 8 p.m. $5. Antonia Arts and Studio Two, 814 South Street. (914) 930-7588; antoniaarts.com.

YONKERS Hudson River Museum “Science Sundays: The Scientist’s Eye, the Artist’s Touch,” discussion with Dorie Petrochko and Linda Thomas. Nov. 28 at 2:30 p.m. Free with museum admission. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Avenue. (914) 963-4550; hrm.org.

Theater

ARMONK Whippoorwill Hall “It Happened One Christmas Eve,” musical by Bob Fitzsimmons and Barbara Campbell. Friday through Dec. 12. $14 and $18. Whippoorwill Hall, 19 Whippoorwill Road East. armonkplayers.org; (914) 273-3887.

ELMSFORD Westchester Broadway Theater “A Sleepy Hollow Christmas Carol,” musical by Jean-Paul Richard, based on the stories by Charles Dickens and Washington Irving. Wednesday through Dec. 26. $52 to $75. Westchester Broadway Theater, 75 Clearbrook Road. (914) 592-2222; broadwaytheatre.com.

GARRISON Boscobel House and Gardens “Holiday Party With the Fezziwigs,” staged reading of excerpts from “A Christmas Carol” by the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival and refreshments. Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 11. $75. Boscobel House and Gardens, 1601 Route 9D. (845) 265-3638; boscobel.org.

PEEKSKILL BeanRunner Cafe “My Hand Your Hand,” one-woman show by Marcy B. Freedman. Dec. 11, noon to 6 p.m. Free. BeanRunner Cafe, 201 South Division Street. beanrunnercafe.com; (914) 737-1701.

PURCHASE Performing Arts Center, Purchase College “King John,” by Shakespeare. Friday through Dec. 11. $12.50 and $17.50. Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road. (914) 251-6200; artscenter.org.

SCARSDALE Edgemont High School Theater “And Then There Were None,” mystery by Agatha Christie, presented by the Greenville Community Theater. Wednesday through Dec. 4. $10 to $15. Edgemont High School Theater, 200 White Oak Lane. (914) 636-2863; gctstage.org.

VALHALLA Academic Arts Theater “Blood Type: Ragu,” one-man show by Frank Ingrasciotta. Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. $7 to $15. Academic Arts Theater, 75 Grasslands Road. (914) 606-6262; sunywcc.edu.

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS Yorktown Stage “Fiddler on the Roof,” musical by Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joseph Stein. Through Nov. 28. $19 to $25. Yorktown Stage, 1974 Commerce Street. (914) 962-0606; yorktownstage.org.

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