Tag Archives: Westchester Luxury Homes

All Aboard Florida’s Ft. Laud. Station Will Be In Flagler Village | Katonah Real Estate

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All Aboard Florida is planning to announce on November 22nd that their Fort Lauderdale train station will be just north of Broward Boulevard, in Flagler Village. The Las Olas Riverfront site is out. It will likely span the tracks from the empty Florida Power & Light lot on the west side of the railroad tracks between Broward and NW 2nd Avenue to the Broward Central Terminal bus depot on the east side of the tracks, a location that was established as the preferred spot on the railroad’s environmental assessment report. This completes selection of the project’s four station locations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando.

Also in the environmental assessment report (it was full of goodies), the station, which will be designed by firms Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Zyscovich, will be centered around a great hall with an elevated waiting room and concourse above the tracks connecting to a 35 foot wide central platform. Sure, it won’t be as monumental as the Miami terminus station, but it won’t exactly be dinky either. · Fort Lauderdale FEC Station [Curbed Miami] · All Aboard Florida coverage [Curbed Miami]

This North Andover home has style and elegance | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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We’ve seen a lot of huge regal houses in town. But who says you need land to have luxury?

Check out this luxury condominium located at 2705 Tupelo Circle, the most expensive condo on the market in North Andover today, listed at

It’s not your typical condo — with three bedrooms and more than 3,000 square feet of living space, it’s larger than many single-family homes on the market today.

The unit has shiny hardwood floors and new carpeting; a large gourmet kitchen with high-end upgrades; a fireplace in the living room and another in the master bedroom; a two-stall garage; and a master bathroom with French doors and a big jacuzzi bath.

The condominium complex, Oakridge Village, has a community swimming pool, a community fitness center, laundry room and a park.

 

 

 

 

http://northandover.patch.com/groups/real-estate/p/high-end-most-expensive-condo-on-the-market

 

 

 

 

Home affordability sees biggest drop since 2004 | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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There is a downside to rapidly rising home prices: declining home affordability.

The share of new and existing homes affordable to median-income families plunged in the third quarter, to 64.5 percent, according to an index report from the National Association of Home Builders released today. That’s down from 69.3 percent in the second quarter — the biggest drop since second-quarter 2004.

“Housing affordability is being negatively affected by a ‘perfect storm’ scenario,” said NAHB Chairman Rick Judson in a statement.

“With markets across the country recovering, home values are strengthening at the same time that the cost of building homes is rising due to tightened supplies of building materials, developable lots and labor.”

NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe said higher mortgage rates also contributed to the decrease in affordability.

The most affordable major housing markets in the U.S. last quarter were Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind., and Syracuse, N.Y., with 93.3 percent of homes sold in the third quarter affordable to families earning the areas’ median income.

 

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/wire/home-affordability-sees-biggest-drop-since-2004/#sthash.TS4dwZEw.dpuf

6 Reasons Social Media Is Critical To Your SEO | South Salem Real Estate

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Once upon a time, “the old SEO” ruled the website marketing world. This was during the early, pioneering days of online marketing — before it was typical for a small business to have a website and long before your grandmother had an online presence that could rival a teenager. The old SEO strategy centered around one primary factor: Link Building. But today, link building as a direct SEO tactic is completely dead. The fact is, Google has found smarter ways to measure the popularity of your website: it’s called social media.

The fact that social media is critical to your online presence (and your search engine rankings) is often a tough pill for small business owners to swallow. It can be a difficult marketing strategy to measure, and it can seem like a strange way to grow their business.

But the days of easily measuring your SEO strategy are long gone. It’s no longer about building X amount of links and creating Y amount of optimized content pages on your website. These old approaches to getting search engine attention are very static. The new strategy is about being dynamic, engaged, and interactive within your marketplace and when acquiring SEO for commercial real estate companies. Social media is the only place you can make that happen.

Here are six reasons social media needs to be an important part of your website marketing and SEO strategy for years to come:

1. Link building was always about social proofing.

Think about it – why did Google ever allow links to determine which websites ranked above all the others? The answer is simple: links were like “votes” for your website. The more votes you get, the better off you are. So SEO companies started building links (aka “votes”) manually. Then, Google — to counter all of the fake voting — figured out that some votes should count more than other votes. So SEO companies went around manufacturing websites with the best votes. And Google, finally, realized that SEO link building would never work long-term for ranking websites. So Google started penalizing websites with “fake votes” (which is basically anyone who pays a company to do SEO link building for them). Seeing a trend here? The idea behind links as a ranking factor is a very good idea, but since it’s become so easy to manipulate, Google has been forced to turn to social media channels which do the same thing but are much harder to manipulate. Link building was always about social proofing.

2. Social media allows you to “crowd source” your link building.

When you have a following on Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn, you create a team of fans who can share your content. That’s what social media is all about, folks — being social! (Imagine that.) So when you write a new blog post on your business blog, you can take that content and share it on Twitter and then get some of your followers to share your content. You can also get your website visitors to share pages of your site and your blog on social media by adding simple social buttons to allow people to quickly and easily “vote” for your content right there on your website. Sure, many of these people will never become your actual customers, but that’s not your objective here. Your objective is to build buzz and attention around your website.

3. Being social is the fastest way to multiply your presence online.

The problem with old school SEO link building is your always building “signs” to your website in places where nobody is looking. It’s something like buying a billboard in the desert. Social media, on the other hand, is a dynamic world of interaction and activity where things are constantly happening in real time. This is why it’s so crucial that you have a social media PRESENCE — not just social media accounts where you never or rarely post anything. You’ve got to be active, you’ve got to be social. This is the fastest way to multiply your online presence simply because it’s where everyone is. If you get in front of the right people (which is a matter of consistency, not luck) then you can build some buzz around your business and your website.

4. Social signals is a real thing.

I’m sure you’ve heard the term “social signals” floating around out there. Love it or hate it, this is a real thing. Google is definitely measuring your website’s “pulse rate” on social media channels. How often do you share content on social channels? How often do people visit your website for social channels? How many fans/followers do you have? Does your website have social sharing elements available for visitors? Social signals really is the new “link building” metric you should be concerned about and worried about. Forget about how many links you have — especially if you’re building fake links — and start worrying about the health of your social media presence.

http://socialmediatoday.com/stephaniefrasco/1901891/

Being ‘tech savvy’ is not what gets real estate agents business | Cross River Realtor

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I reject the idea that younger people can earn a living as real estate agents just because they are “tech savvy,” and that this somehow gives them an advantage that enables them to compete with more experienced agents.

I believe that there is plenty of business for agents young and old, and that we should encourage young people to join our profession. But we might be going about it all wrong. The Internet has been around for more than 30 years. Smartphones have been with us, in one form or another, for 15 years.

Before that we had the Palm Pilot. Many of us “old” agents have evolved, adapted and kept up with the times.

Some of us have even been innovators and early adopters of technology like the iPad, which some experts told us would be useless for business. In some real estate associations and offices, I see an emphasis on having young, “tech savvy” agents teaching older agents about technology.

I think the future of the real estate industry would be better served if older, more experienced agents spent more time teaching younger agents how to be real estate agents.“Young Professionals Networks” (YPNs) for real estate agents have sprung up all over the country.

Many of them offer opportunities for agents to go to bars and parties and social events and network with each other. They also offer occasional educational opportunities that focus on how to use technology.

 

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/11/15/being-tech-savvy-is-not-what-get-real-estate-agents-business/#sthash.NkQxJR9S.dpuf

After Fukushima, Japan Finds Beauty in Solar Power | Bedford Corners Homes

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The Kagoshima Nanatsujima Mega Solar Power Plant, built by the electronics manufacturer Kyocera, boasts postcard views of Kagoshima Bay and Sakurajima volcano. It’s also Japan’s largest, with a capacity of 70 megawatts. That’s enough to power some 22,000 Japanese homes. The $280 million project is part of a national effort to invest in clean, renewable energy as the country continues to grapple with the fallout of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The country’s new feed-in tariffs have made it one of the world’s fastest-growing solar markets.

This sort of sprawling solar-panel farm is hardly the most efficient form of power generation in terms of either cost or the amount of land required. Still, it makes more sense when you consider that Japan has been dealing with soaring energy prices in the wake of a disaster that threw into question its entire nuclear-power program. While solar is clearly more expensive than nuclear power, the Washington Post noted in June:

Most consumers think that sacrifice is worthwhile, and they say nuclear power has hidden cleanup and compensation costs that emerge only after an accident. Fossil fuels, meanwhile, release harmful greenhouse gases and must be imported from Australia, Russia, Indonesia and the Middle East.

In other words, this gorgeous solar plant is what happens when a country comes face-to-face with the full societal costs of more traditional power sources.

To promote the project’s beauty, Kyocera has opened it to the public, offering tours and building a circular viewing room with sweeping vistas and science exhibits. As Cnet’s Tim Hornyak notes, it isn’t the country’s first solar-themed attraction: There’s also Panasonic’s Solar Ark, which turned recalled Sanyo solar cells into a stunning display of how photovoltaics could be incorporated into a building’s design.

The United States, meanwhile, is building some impressive solar projects of its own. Brightsource’s Ivanpah plant may not be quite as aesthetically pleasing as the Kagoshima project, but at 377 megawatts  it’s more than five times as powerful. And while there’s no public viewing platform, you can take a virtual tour of the Ivanpah solar power plant here.

 

 

 

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/11/12/kyocera_solar_power_plant_after_fukushima_japan_finds_beauty_in_renewable.html

Foreclosure filings creep up a slight 2% | North Salem NY Homes

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Foreclosure filings crept up 2% in the most recent weekly survey, but still declined 28% from year ago levels, RealtyTrac reported Thursday.

In all, the data firm recorded 133,919 filings in October.

For the 16th month in a row, judicial foreclosure auctions increased from year ago levels, with 30,023 foreclosure auctions nationwide in October, up 10% from the prior month and up 7% from last year.

Overall, there were 58,939 properties that started the foreclosure process for the first time in October, rising 2% from September, but down 34% from last year.

This marks the 15th consecutive month where foreclosure starts have declined on an annual basis, the data firm said.

Individually, Maryland, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Florida witnessed the largest annual increases in scheduled judicial foreclosures. In particular, Maryland and Delaware shocked with dramatic ‘judicial foreclosure’ increases of 177% and 142%, respectively.

“The backlog of delayed judicial foreclosures continues to make its way through the pipeline, with many of these properties now being scheduled for the public auction after starting the foreclosure process last year or earlier this year,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president of RealtyTrac.

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/27952-foreclosure-filings-creep-up-a-slight-2

Eight Insane Facts about Disney World’s Gated Community | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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disneycommunity.jpg Photo via Disney Golden Oak

No longer content to merely spread its over-saturated vision of Main Street, U.S.A., across the globe, The Walt Disney Company, is trying its four-fingered, white-gloved hand at real estate development. Makes sense, because, as any American child (or childish American) will attest, the only thing better than visiting Disney World would be staying there forever. Built on a huge tract of Lake Buena Vista land adjacent to the park, the gated community of Golden Oak has been open to buyers since 2011, and, as you might expect, the details from the Wall Street Journal’s look into what the first wave of Disneyphilic homeowners have done with their places is absolutely nutso. Though most of them use their Disney World houses for vacationing, an elite few have enough devotion to this mind-colonizing megacorporation to live at the park year-round. For your horror and delight, eight fast facts about Golden Oak, as gleaned by the Journal:

8. Up to 450 homes are planned for the 980-acre parcel, but only a select few will afford a view of the famous Cinderella Castle fireworks. Since the community opened two-and-a-half years ago, nearly 100 of the community homes have been sold.

7. Owning a Golden Oaks home starts at $1.7M, while a few of the Magic Kingdom–connected McMansions have sold for over $7M.

6. Annual fees of as much as $12K cover park passes, door-to-park transportation, extended visiting hours for attractions, membership at a clubhouse with a restaurant and concierge, and, eventually, entrance to the spa and dining rooms at the Four Seasons resort expected to open in Golden Oak next summer.

5. Golden Oaks homes are especially popular with Brazilians, who can fly direct from São Paulo to Orlando.

4. Disney makes a point of overlooking trademark violations in the dwellings, many of which are decorated with references to licensed characters: Donald Duck door carvings, backlit tray ceilings in the shape of Mickey’s head, etc.

3. Devoted Disneyphiles have the option of filling their homes with tiny mouse-eared insignias known as “hidden Mickeys.” A showcase home finished earlier this year included an estimated 75.

2. When building in Golden Oak, one is limited to seven handpicked custom builders and constrained by a number of design and landscaping restrictions. Shutters must be functional. Square gutters are banned.

1. Disney has representatives in four of the seven seats on the community board. One agent reports that “when you live in there, you live and die by the rules.”

· Is There a Mouse in the House? [WSJ]

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

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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

Hong Kong Luxury Property Prices Choked by Tightening | Mt Kisco Real Estate

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Hong Kong businessman Raymond Chiu says he has perfect credit and is prepared to spend about HK$16 million ($2 million) on a 1,000-square-foot apartment in the city’s Mid-Levels residential area. There’s just one catch. The government requires a 50 percent down payment.

That’s “really putting us off,” said Chiu, 45, who owns an information technology consulting company. “I run a business so cash flow is important. It’s frustrating because this is non-negotiable, though I have perfect credit history.”

Prices of high-end apartments, defined as those larger than 1,000 square feet or costing at least HK$10 million, have gained less than the broader market since the second half of 2012 as buyers in Chiu’s price bracket have been hardest hit after the government raised minimum down payments six times over less than three years as part of curbs to make homes more affordable.

The slowing price growth in high-end apartments is the first sign that efforts to temper rampant speculation that has fueled a surging housing market are working even as it stings luxury developers and potential homebuyers. Broker Cushman & Wakefield Inc. forecasts that prices of homes valued at more than HK$10 million will fall about 3 percent in the fourth quarter, extending a 3 percent drop so far this year, while those selling for less will be little changed.

“The luxury segment has taken the first and the most direct hit,” said Buggle Lau, chief analyst at Midland Holdings Ltd., Hong Kong’s biggest realtor by branch numbers. “The measures were aimed at driving the speculators away and they have certainly achieved that, but many people wanting to buy for their own use are also affected.”

World’s Highest

An influx of wealthy buyers from mainland China, mortgage rates close to record lows and a financial-services sector that has thrived thanks to fundraising by Chinese companies helped fuel a 250 percent increase in luxury-home prices from 2003 to the beginning of 2012, outpacing the 150 percent gain in mass-market homes, according to statistics compiled by Savills Plc. The London-based broker defines luxury homes as those with at least 1,000 square feet (93 square meters) or value of at least HK$15 million.

Hong Kong home prices are the world’s highest in a Savills survey of 10 cities, including London, New York and Tokyo. The value of luxury properties will drop as much as 5 percent in the second half after a 3.2 percent decline in the first three months of the year, according to Savills. Prices in the mass market will see no change after increasing 1.7 percent in the first six months, the broker said.

Luxury Projects

Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd., a developer of luxury residential projects, plans to build more, smaller apartments because of a change in buyers’ appetites, Victor Lui, the company’s deputy managing director, said in September. The company, one of Hong Kong’s two-biggest developers by market value, reported lower profit from sales for the year ended in June.

There were about 86,000 luxury homes — or units of at least 100 square meters (1,076 square feet) — in Hong Kong at the end of 2012, according to statistics from the government. That represents about 7.7 percent of private homes in the city. About 24 percent of the 10,149 new homes completed by developers in 2012 were larger than 100 square meters, government statistics show.

The gap between the top end of the market and the cheaper bracket narrowed last year as the government’s mortgage tightening started to impact the luxury segment. Prices of mass-market homes rose 20 percent in 2012, almost double that of luxury homes, according to Savills. Prices of luxury homes began to decline after the government in October 2012 slapped a 15 percent tax on all non-resident buyers as it sought to stem the inflow of Chinese capital into the property market.

Chinese Buyers

“For a while, Chinese buyers were the main driver for luxury homes,” said Thomas Lam, Hong Kong-based research director at broker Knight Frank LLP. “When you raise buying costs for them, of course it takes away a large part of the demand.”

Mainland Chinese buyers accounted for an estimated 8 percent of private home sales in the city, a former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997, in the third quarter of this year, down from a record 25 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, according to Centaline Property Agency Ltd. Since October 2010, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the city’s de-facto central bank, has raised the minimum down payment required for home purchases over HK$10 million to as much as 60 percent from 30 percent, and to 50 percent for those from HK$7 million to HK$10 million. The most recent round took place in February.

Mortgage Rules

That month, the government doubled stamp-duty taxes for all properties over HK$2 million, with new tax rates ranging from 1.5 percent for properties valued below HK$2 million, to 8.5 percent for those priced above HK$21.7 million.

“The extra stamp duties and mortgage rules are like progressive taxes,” said Vincent Cheung, Hong Kong-based national director of valuation at Cushman & Wakefield. “The higher the property value, the higher the tax rates and the tighter the mortgage rules. Of course this would impact luxury properties the most.”

Hong Kong’s government won’t cut back property curbs until there’s a “steady supply” of new housing, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said in June.

There were 607 sales of homes worth over HK$12 million in the third quarter, according to statistics compiled by Centaline. The number is the lowest since the first quarter of 2009, according to the Hong Kong-based realtor.

 

 

 

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-10/hong-kong-luxury-property-prices-choked-by-tightening.html