Tag Archives: Westchester NY Homes

Westchester NY Homes

Down to Earth Farmers Markets | Bedford Corners NY Real Estate

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JAN2014-DTE-E-Mail-Masthead_(722x226pxl)FRESH-2-(1

Fresh Food from Local Sources: January 30th-February 5th, 2014 Down to Earth Markets
Game Day Edition: What’s New and On Special This Week
                                    *Place order for SuperBowl Sunday & pick up Saturday                                     at Mamaroneck market – See Announcements below for details* Taiim Falafel Shack                                     Beef Burgers                                     $1 OFF/lb = $10.25/lb                                     (Reg. $11.25/lb) Kiernan Farm
Black Bean Chili Flourish Baking Company
Butternut Squash and                                     Brussels Sprout Hash Sourced from                                     Gajeski Farm Produce Flourish Baking Company
 		Caramelized Garlic Loaf                                     50 cents OFF (Reg. $7) Wave Hill Breads
Chicken Wings – Buy one bag, get second bag HALF PRICE! Yellow Bell Farm
DIY Apple Crumb Pie Flourish Baking Company
DIY Chocolate Chip Cookies Flourish Baking Company
Fingerling Potato & Parsnip Chips Flourish Baking Company
French Boules for Dips, Chowders, Chili,                                     & Slicing – $3.50 each Wave Hill Breads		Just Crush Antioxidant Chips                                     Flavors: Garlic, Naked, and                                     With a Kick – $5/bag Wave Hill Breads
Mutzu Apple Chips Sourced from Migliorelli Farm Flourish Baking Company
Pickled Eggs Jalapeño and plain                                     Yellow Bell Farm
Pork Sausages                                     Buy five (5) packages, get one FREE! (reg. $9.50/lb) Breakfast, Hot Italian, and                                     Sweet Italian Kiernan Farm
SuperBowl Cupcakes &                                     Decorated Cookies Meredith’s Bread
Click on a Market to see all vendor and event details…

    Westchester County
Mamaroneck Winter                                     Saturdays, 9:00 am-1:00 pm St. Thomas Episcopal Church                                     168 West Boston Post Road (at Mount Pleasant Ave) Ossining Winter
Saturdays, 9:00 am-1:00 pm At the corner of Spring & Main                                     in downtown Ossining		Headed to the city soon? Visit a Down to Earth                                     Farmers Market in NYC!
Announcements
Mamaroneck Host your SuperBowl Party with delicious foods from Taiim Falafel Shack. They offer several hummus varieties, babaghanouj, Spicy Red Pepper Spread, Vegetarian Grape Leaves, Falafel, and more. Place your order via phone (914-478-0006) or email (info@taiimfalafelshack.com). Then pick it up from Taiim at Mamaroneck’s Down to Earth Market on Saturday, anytime from 9 am to 1 pm.                         How easy – and deeelish – is that?
Westchester Magazine Contest: The BEST OF Westchester                         Vote for your favorite Down to Earth Farmers Market for the BEST Farmers Market in Westchester!                         Our eligible markets include: Croton, Larchmont, Mamaroneck Winter, New Rochelle,                         Ossining, Rye, and Tarrytown. Westchester Magazine hosts this annual online survey, and this year for the first time, they’ve added “Farmers Markets” as a category. Please find your online ballot right here. Voting ends on February 7th at midnight. Thank you for singin’ it loud and proud about your favorite Down to Earth Farmers Market in Westchester.                                                  Stay tuned to all market happenings via our Down to Earth Markets Facebook page                           and follow us on Twitter @DowntoEarthMarkets
Down to Earth Markets is Now a Certified B Corp!
B the Change Photo
Here’s what we’re talking about!

 

We have an exciting announcement to share: Down to Earth Markets is now a certified B Corporation.

                        B Corporations – the B stands for Benefit – represent a new generation                        of companies that are in business to solve social and environmental problems. The certification is                        awarded by the B Lab organization.
To further explain, Jon Zeltsman, President, Down to Earth Markets, shared this: “When my wife, Miriam Haas, started our first farmers market in Ossining in 1991, her goal was                        to rediscover community. The 1980s had ushered in the era of big, impersonal business. Since                        then, it’s become clear that the focus of big business has left the community. Our work of strengthening community – and the                        local economy – has only grown more vital.”

He continued, “We’re proud to be a certified B Corporation because it unites us with the                        movement to realign business values to the values of community and environmental care.”

During the rigorous assessment process, our company was evaluated in four                        categories: Governance, Workers, Community, and Environment. At the core of our                        successful bid for certification was our primary purpose of “creating economic opportunity for                        local farmers, processors, and consumers to trade with one another for mutual benefit.”

“When we first started, the rally cry was to save the family farm. And that’s still the rally cry.                        But, we realized that if farmers could earn their livelihood through strong sales at the market,                        they would save the family farm. We had to become business-minded,” Zeltsman said.

He added, “Sustainable business is an enduring way to secure sustainable food for everyone. If                        local food is not economically viable, then we won’t have local food. Our business structure keeps                        us innovating to make it viable. We very happy to be in business as a certified B Corp.”
Our final step of the B Corp certification process was to sign The Declaration of Interdependence. We love the vision stated in this document.
Thank you for supporting local farmers and food makers at Down to Earth Farmers Markets. We look forward to seeing you this weekend.

Day Vendors This Week
Mamaroneck
Calcutta Kitchens                         **NEW FULL SEASON VENDOR** – Danascara Cheese                         Flourish Baking Company                         Pie Lady & Son                         Third Day Naturals (Handmade, all-natural soaps and body care products)                         Trotta Pasta
Down to Earth Markets 173 Main Street Ossining, NY 10562 Phone: 914-923-4837

The Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges: First Look | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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The first answer is yes. You should go to the Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges. That is, if you can get in. A reservation at the restaurant, owned by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, is the hottest ticket in Westchester since Blue Hill at Stone Barns opened in 2004.

lj012214inn24 The downstairs dining room, which was not open the evening I went, but all lit with beautiful candles anyway.

The second answer: very good. The food is beautifully presented, and the flavors shine with signature Jean-Georges magic: a little heat, a little sweet, a little acidity, a little umami. The chef is Blake Farrar, who formerly cooked in Jean-Georges’ restaurant The Mark in Manhattan.

lj012214inn25 Booths downstairs.

The third answer: gorgeous. The renovations of the building, a former inn and restaurant dating from 1833, will leave you slack-jawed. A big white-brick fireplace is the centerpiece of the dining room. The decor is mid-century-modern (elegant wood tables and chairs), vintage (mismatched silver and linens) and farmhouse chic (reclaimed barn wood, exposed beams), all rolled into one.

lj012214inn26 A fireplace downstairs.

The fourth answer: it won’t break the bank — unless you want it to. Entrees range from $25 to $38. If you’re there for a celebration, you can spend $300 on a bottle of wine. If you’re there on a Tuesday, you can get an appetizer and a pizza and be out of there for under $50.

lj012214inn31 The busy dining room upstairs.

Food writer Megan McCaffrey and I had a reservation for opening night, but because of the snowstorm, we decided to change it to Wednesday. It meant we missed Martha Stewart and Richard Gere, but lucked in to a sighting of Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

It also means the restaurant had one more day to work out kinks. Besides a little technical difficulty with the check at the bar and the extra salt on our fries, we didn’t notice many.

Because we changed our reservation at the last minute, we could only get in at 5 p.m. (I think I was the first customer at the restaurant!) We ordered drinks at the bar while the staff scurried around, getting the dining room ready for the evening.

lj012214inn01 My Manhattan.

The bar is small — about 10 seats — and there are 10 or so tables in the lounge alongside it.

lj012214inn02 Tables in the lounge.

The lounge and dining room are separated by a banquette (for both). The dining room has a soaring ceiling, but feels cozy nonetheless.

lj012214inn10

This is not a review, just our first impressions of a restaurant on its second night open to the public. But here’s a look at the food. It was all terrific, though a couple of dishes were heavy handed on the salt.

Our first dish was the Peekytoe Crab Crostini with Garlic Aioli ($14). It came on a rye toast, considerately cut into four pieces, which made it easy to share. Sweet and buttery, and just as good as when I had it at ABC Kitchen.

 

 

http://food.lohudblogs.com/2014/01/27/inn-pound-ridge-jean-georges-first-look/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

$1.349M buys you home designed by Mount Rushmore sculptor | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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OK, so Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum actually designed and built this Stamford, Conn., home in the 1920s to be a carriage house and stable. But with four bedrooms, a massive stone fireplace, and a new kitchen with Wolf range and center island, who would argue that this 3,424-square-foot home is unsuited for human inhabitants who can afford the $1.349 million asking price? Source: stamford.patch.com.

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/wire/1-349m-buys-you-home-designed-by-mount-rushmore-sculptor/?utm_source=20140127&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinespm#sthash.LATqdb4w.dpuf

3 proclamations from social media ‘experts’ | South Salem Realtor

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Social media “experts” abound these days. Many send conflicting messages every time technology changes, delivering “urgent” signals to hop on the next big thing or be left in the dust.

If someone refers to themselves as a social media expert, your first red flag should go up. The landscape of social media is huge. Someone may be an expert in strategies, tactics or particular channels (for example, Mari Smith is an expert in Facebook), but an expert in all of social media? Nope.

If you hopped on every bandwagon as instructed, you would be in a constant state of disarray. How could you possibly have time to run your business?

The following are directives you may receive as you search the Web, and things to consider as you hear them.

1.  ”Be on every social media channel or be left behind”

Particularly for those just getting started, this will take you down before you begin. If you have a goal of running a marathon, are you going to put “run 26.2 miles” on your calendar tomorrow morning? No. You would map out a plan that takes you from point A to the point of reaching your goal in digestible pieces. This sort of overwhelming statement is what causes people to procrastinate — sometimes for years

 

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/next/3-proclamations-from-social-media-experts-that-will-kill-your-implementation-strategy/?utm_source=20140127&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinesam#sthash.qAKuE3yS.dpuf

What we value in U.S. is not the same as in other countries | Bedford Hills Homes

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How does marketing to and negotiating with U.S. clients differ from working with global clients? Understanding the difference and adapting your style can dramatically improve your income in 2014. Global buyers and sellers continue to be a growing segment of the U.S. real estate market. A critical step in serving this market is being able to identify the unique cultural needs of your clients. The next step is to adjust your marketing and negotiation style to fit their cultural background.

The reptilian always wins Psychologist and marketing specialist Clotaire Rapaille’s research shows that the brainstem, rather than the cortex, has the greatest influence on buying decisions. This area is sometimes known as the reptilian brain. It lacks words, yet it regulates virtually all of your vital functions.

When you can discover what motivates a person’s reptilian brain, you greatly increase the probability of making a sale. As Rapaille puts it, “The reptilian always wins.” In other words, the brain’s desire for food, comfort and other basic needs outweighs the logical decisions made in the cortex.

 

 

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2014/01/27/my-home-is-my-castle-4-tips-for-understanding-americans-unique-real-estate-needs/?utm_source=20140127&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinesam#sthash.dOdsKWwH.dpuf

Dallas-area housing market soared last year; 2014 looks promising, too | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Last year’s bull housing market will be hard to top in 2014.

Dallas-area home sales rose almost 20 percent from the previous year, and prices jumped more than 10 percent — more than double the average annual increase North Texas usually sees.

With the local economy booming and consumers ready to buy real estate again, the only limitation this year will be availability and pricing.

“I don’t think 2014 will be as crazy as last year,” said D’Ann Petersen, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. “Home sales would be doing better if we had more inventory on the market.

“We have seen good increases in prices, but I don’t know if that is going to continue at the rate we saw last year,” she said.

In 2013, median home sales prices were up by double-digit percentages in more than two dozen Dallas-area residential districts The Dallas Morning News tracks.

The biggest sales price increases were in neighborhoods in Oak Lawn, Oak Cliff, Mesquite, Irving and North Dallas, according to data from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.

The number of homes sold rose by more than 20 percent from 2012 levels in 13 area residential districts, including Sunnyvale, Hurst, Rockwall, Sachse-Rowlett and Far North Dallas.

Covering the area

Jim Fite, president of Dallas’ Century 21 Judge Fite Realtors, said that housing activity is good in neighborhoods across the Dallas area.

“We are looking forward to a 6 percent to 8 percent increase in sales in 2014,” Fite said.

The inventory of homes listed for sale with real estate agents last year fell to less than a two-month supply in several residential areas, including The Colony, Richardson, Grapevine, Coppell, Allen and Plano.

 

 

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/area-home-sales/20140123-dallas-area-housing-market-soared-last-year-2014-looks-promising-too.ece

Russian oligarch’s record $75M co-op buy in peril | Katonah NY Real Estate

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Roman Abramovich and 828 Fifth Avenue

Roman Abramovich and 828 Fifth Avenue

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich’s move to buy a Fifth Avenue mansion owned by the estate of  the late real estate mogul Howard Ronson for $75 million is in jeopardy, because Ronson’s widow  believes she can squeeze even more cash out of the oligarch.

Abramovich, who is the owner of the Chelsea Football Club, agreed in October to buy the 828 Fifth Avenue home for $75 million, and were the deal for the 22-room property to close at that price, it would dwarf the $54 million David Geffen paid for 785 Fifth Avenue, which is currently the record sale price for a co-op in the city.

But sources close to Ronson’s widow Angelika Ivanc told the New York Post that Abramovich was willing to pay even more for the mansion before trustees for Ronson’s estate accepted the offer. Ivanc is now looking to challenge the executors’ approval of the co-op sale in court in the English Channel island of Guernsey, according to the newspaper.

 

 

http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/01/22/russian-oligarchs-record-75m-co-op-buy-in-peril/

Upgrade Your House With New Interior Doors | Cross River NY Real Estate

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Interior doors play a more important role than you might realize. While they are minor elements in the grand scheme, they add architectural detail and style to a house.  As something we use every day, doors create a tactile experience that leaves a significant impression. Closing a solid wood door, for example, feels very different than closing a hollow door made of synthetic materials.

For a house with modest detail, beautiful doors may add enough interest to make the spaces feel more stylistically specific. Even if your house has significant architecture, upgraded doors can complement and complete your design. For example, gilt, intricate details and the best stained wood finish make this Italian door remarkable. (We’ll get into looks for modern and other home styles soon.)
Who to hire: Replacing an interior door can be a good DIY project for someone who has at least a moderate level of skill in home improvement — but it doesn’t cost much to have interior doors installed by a reliable handyperson or licensed contractor. As for the design and which doors to choose, you will never regret the assistance of a competent design professional.
Permit: Rarely will you need a permit to replace an interior door. While there are minimum widths required for certain circumstances, it is unlikely that you would want less than the minimum anyway. One door that many consider an interior door is the one between the house and the garage. This technically is considered an exterior door, and it is wise to understand that these doors must have self-closing hardware and be fire rated. Consult a professional if you are changing this door.
First step: Get a quick lesson from this ideabook for some basic knowledge of door parts. Then determine if all you need to do is replace the door alone, or if you will want to replace the door and its jamb along with the casing (or molding) around the door. It is likely that you will want to replace the jamb.
Even if you hire someone to do the work, it is always a good idea to have a basic understanding of what needs to be done, so read this tutorial on how to replace one kind of door and jamb.
Project length: Give yourself a few hours per door. A handyperson or contractor can probably replace a door in about an hour. It all depends on how many doors you replace at once, but this is a project that can likely be done in less than a month, even in more complicated cases.
Best time to do this project: Since all of the work takes place inside the house, you can do this project just about any time of year, though it is best not to start projects of this nature in the weeks before significant holidays, since you probably want your house neat if you intend to entertain.
Types of Door Styles
Let’s take a look at the simplest door first and then progress by the number of panels.
Flush Doors
A flush door can come with a hollow or solid core, primed for painting or finished in a wood veneer, as shown here. Typically it is the least expensive, and is well suited to modern architecture.
Cost: Doors start at under $50 for a hollow core with a primed surface. Prices jump significantly for solid wood doors; expect to pay between $200 and $300 for the more common styles and sizes.
Moving on up into specialty woods, such as exotic veneers, the price will balloon to $500 to $1,000 per door, or more for antique and custom doors. Keep in mind that you have to pay for installation labor and finish materials in all circumstances.
This flush door has a more complex veneer finish. Some manufacturers will offer set choices for veneer designs, while others can do custom configurations.
Patterned veneers increase the cost substantially.
Single-Panel Doors
Single-panel doors are suitable for and often found in Craftsman houses as well as other modest houses of the 1920s and 1930s.
You can get a single panel on an arched door like this one. Just one or two of these in key places in your house can add lots of character. You will often find these in Spanish colonial and Spanish eclectic architecture.
Two-Panel Doors
As you will see in the following examples, variations on two-panel designs are many. This particular type, with its segmental arched top panel, is great for French country and French eclectic homes.
Very similar to the previous example, this door has a plank detail within the panel. This evokes a farmhouse or country feeling. This embossed design comes from the tongue and groove wood joinery found on old-fashioned stile and rail doors.

Hard proof Dodd-Frank isn’t working | Katonah NY Real Estate

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Reuters is running a pretty shocking exclusive right now. Apparently the Federal Bureau of Investigation, of all agencies, is investigating the claim that derivative traders are front running swaps orders from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The article itself goes into the unethical, if technically legal, nature of these trades. So I won’t. Still the contents are disturbing in implication.

The first is that the government-sponsored enterprises didn’t even look to monitor shifts in markets BEFORE placing these huge orders. Clearly, they were getting played, but aren’t even wide awake enough to take notice.

Second, this is proof Dodd-Frank isn’t working. The financial reform made plenty to do with how it would regulate derivatives and how this was going to happen: “The Dodd-Frank Act divides regulatory authority over swap agreements between the CFTC and SEC.”

Yet the FBI is investigating? Clearly something about this whole ordeal should be illegal, if not yet explicitly so as of today. How did this get past regulatory authority?

After all, we were led to believe that Dodd-Frank is meant to prevent activities just as this.

Three points from the article that show Dodd-Frank isn’t working. Read them and weep (the italics are my responses):

1: “Senior bankers at the two banks ‘planned and encouraged this behavior because it led to higher revenue for their respective parent banks’.”

Dodd-Frank is meant to serve as a model for disincentivizing this exact behavior.

2: There is “low confidence that law enforcement could prosecute suspected traders because the trades concerned seem to be completely legitimate.”

This kind of market manipulation may or may not be illegal? Dodd-Frank should have made it clear.

3: “GSEs frequently submit large interest-rate swap trades, making them easy targets for front running and lucrative targets for market manipulation,” the FBI bulletin said.

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/blogs/1-rewired/post/28585-heres-hard-proof-dodd-frank-isnt-working