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Jennifer Ott Interior Design

1. Light Purples
Whether you go for a cool lavender or a warmer mauve, the trick to making this color appear sophisticated rather than sugary is to go with a shade that has a good amount of neutralizing gray or brown in it. The paint color here contains both gray and brown, which neutralizes the purple. You get the best of both worlds — a neutral hue with just a hint of color.

Get a similar look with Beguiling Mauve from Sherwin-Williams

Smart Design Studio

Jennifer Ott Interior Design

This lavender has less gray in it than the previous color, but it still has an iciness, which keeps it soft and soothing.

Get a similar look with North Cascades from Benjamin Moore

Sylvestre Construction

Jennifer Ott Interior Design

This pretty wall color has more red and brown in it, which adds warmth. The hint of brown also nudges it toward neutral territory.

Get a similar look with Plum Frost from Behr.

Abode Interiors

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/20113860

2. Blue-Grays
A soft blue with a hint of gray is a fantastic choice to create a soothing, relaxing vibe in a bedroom. Those who live in areas where cool and overcast days outnumber warm and sunny ones may want to opt for a hue with more blue and less gray.

Ideabooks Aid Design Collaboration in Seattle | Waccabuc Real Estate

Style can be hard to verbalize. What’s my personal home decor style? It’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I don’t know that I could sum it up in a sentence, but I do know that I could point it out in a picture. Tom and Jessica Freeman discovered this while remodeling their 1902 Seattle home. Both had strong opinions about what they wanted in their new house but were unsure how to communicate that to the right architect.
After browsing the 2 million-plus photos on Houzz, the couple narrowed their search by metro area so they could look at projects in Seattle. They came across architect Michael Knowles’ work. Drawn by his more traditional projects they saw on Houzz, they ended up hiring both Knowles and his wife, Colleen, an interior designer. Sharing and collaborating design concepts via their Houzz ideabooks streamlined the process and helped lead the couple to their dream home.
Houzz at a Glance Who lives here: Tom and Jessica Freeman Team: Michael Knowles, architect; Colleen Knowles, interior designer Location: Seattle Size: About 2,400 square feet; 3 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms
Photography by Tom Marks

The 1902 house had undergone an extensive renovation in the 1980s, but the bones of the house were good. “We pretty much touched every room, but some had a lighter touch than others,” says Michael Knowles.
The kitchen went through the biggest changes. Although the footprint remains the same, a few structural changes and new surfaces resulted in a dramatic update. Previously it had a vaulted, open ceiling with a clerestory window. Although the window was intended to bring in more light, a neighbor’s house blocked the view, and the open ceiling felt like wasted space.
The floor plan made the most of the space and worked well for the couple’s cooking habits. The Freemans didn’t particularly like the color of the cabinets, but they were solid wood and well made, so they kept them.

knowles ps

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/20091473

AFTER: After searching through dozens of kitchen photos on Houzz featuring black granite, the Freemans determined the look they wanted very quickly. “The ideabooks allowed us to communicate with Michael and Colleen much faster,” says Jessica Freeman. “It was an absolute dream to work with them.”
Michael closed off the kitchen ceiling and repainted the cabinets in a bright white. The cabinets had to be removed during construction, but he put them back in using almost the same layout. A new granite countertop and gray tile backsplash add contrast to the color palette, while new pot lights and ceiling pendants make the kitchen feel brighter than it did with the higher ceiling.

Housing market gets some upbeat news | Cross River Homes

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/some-good-news-housing-market-building-permits-leap-2D11658882

U.S. single-family home prices rose in September and posted their strongest annualized gain in 7-1/2 years, a closely watched survey said on Tuesday.

The S&P/Case Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas gained 0.7 percent in September on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, matching the Reuters forecast.

Earlier, the Commerce Department said permits for future U.S. home construction rose to their highest level in nearly 5-1/2 years in October.

“Housing continues to emerge from the financial crisis: the proportion of homes in foreclosure is declining and consumers’ balance sheets are strengthening,” David Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices, said in a statement.

“The longer run question is whether household formation continues to recover and if home ownership will return to the peak levels seen in 2004.”

Prices in the 20 cities rose 13.3 percent year-over-year, the strongest gain since February 2006, topping expectations for a 13 percent year-on-year advance.

Meanwhile, the Commerce Department said building permits jumped 6.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.03 million units. That was the highest rate since June 2008. Permits increased 5.2 percent in September.

August’s permits were revised to a 926,000-unit pace from the previously reported 918,000 units. Permits lead housing starts by at least a month.

The Department postponed the release of housing starts and completions for September and October until December 18 because the collection of data was affected by a 16-day shutdown of the government last month. November data also will be published at that time.

The partial shutdown of the federal government also delayed the publishing of the September and October permits reports.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected building permits at a 930,000-unit rate in October.

While permits are not counted in gross domestic product (GDP), they are a key indicator of economic activity and the sturdy gains in both September and October should ease concerns the housing market recovery was stalling.

Higher mortgage rates have slowed the pace of home sales, but demand for accommodation as household formation continues to recover from multi-decade lows is expected to keep residential construction supported.

Home resales fell in October for a second straight month and confidence among single-family home builders has ebbed somewhat since nearing an eight-year high in August.

Permits for the multifamily home sector surged 15.3 percent in October after increasing 20.1 percent in September. Permits for buildings with five units or more reached their highest level since June 2008.

Single-family home permits, the largest segment of the market, increased 0.8 percent after falling 1.9 percent in September.

High Wind Watch In Effect For Tuesday As Heavy Rain Arrives In Chappaqua | Chappaqua Real Estate

http://chappaqua.dailyvoice.com/news/high-wind-watch-effect-tuesday-heavy-rain-arrives-westchester

Temperatures will be climbing on Tuesday, but watch out for the winds — and then rain. The National Weather Service has put a High Wind Watch in place for late Tuesday into Wednesday afternoon.

Strong southerly winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts of 50 to 60 mph are possible with downed trees and limbs as well as power outages possible, the weather service said.

The heavy winds were expected as a storm system tracks up the East Coast on Tuesday, with the potential to bring 2 to 4 inches of rainfall to the region.

Urban and small stream flooding are possible, and the weather service warned a Flood Watch may be declared if the storm increases in strength.

The forecast calls for increasing clouds Monday night, with a low around 26. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph.

Tuesday: A chance of rain after noon. Cloudy, with a high around 40. West wind around 7 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tuesday Night: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Temperature rising to around 50 by 4 a.m. East wind 8 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Wednesday: Rain before noon, then showers after noon. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 60. Breezy, with a south wind 13 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 48 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Wednesday Night: A chance of rain before midnight, then a slight chance of rain and snow between midnight and 3 a.m., then a slight chance of snow after 3 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. Breezy, with a west wind 17 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

Thanksgiving Day: Sunny, with a high near 33. Breezy.

Staten Island will host city’s largest solar power facility | Katonah Homes

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/11/staten_island_will_host_citys.html

What was once the world’s largest landfill will become the home to the city’s largest solar energy facility, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Monday.

“It’s fitting that this site, long associated with the most stubborn challenges of urban development, will now be a shining example of cutting-edge solutions,” Bloomberg said at Freshkills Park, formerly the city’s garbage dump. Dumpsters can be needed whenever a large amount of waste needs to be disposed of. Most homeowners and contractors hire dumpster rentals for home renovation projects because at that time, a large amount of waste is produced that needs to be cleared from the property. Clearing waste is difficult with your conventional garbage bins or dumpsters. For large amount of waste, you need a large sized dumpster that can easily help you get rid of all the waste that is produced during your project. Finding cheap and affordable dumpster rentals might be an issue for many, especially if they are hiring such services for the first time. Therefore, following are some tips that will help you find lowest prices of junk removal services. Then have a peek here for the dumpster rental.

The solar panels will be installed and operated by Sun Edison, at no cost to the city. The city will earn money from the project through a leasing agreement that is still being negotiated – and business owners in the city will be able to get a green energy credit thanks to their installation.

“The solar panels Sun Edison will install on the site will be able to produce up to 10 megawatts of energy, and that’s enough to power 2,000 homes,” Bloomberg said.

The energy will be fed back into Con Edison’s grid system, so it won’t go to specific homeowners but will help power the entire city.

Sun Edison was selected after bidding to lease 47 acres of the park, and will install 30,000 to 35,000 high-efficiency solar panels on the site.

General Manager Attila Toth praised the city for their forward-thinking approach.

“This is the largest city in the nation and the largest city is developing the largest brownfield to park conversion site,” Toth said. “This is a very innovative solution and this kind of thinking does not happen in every city around the nation.”

Toth said the plant would employ more than 100 workers when it’s up and running in 2016.

The city already captures methane gas created underground – enough to heat 22,000 homes — at the site and sells it to National Grid for about $3 million a year.

Among those who have long been pressing for renewable energy at Freshkills is Borough President James Molinaro.

“Who knew that he would be a tree-hugger when he was elected?” Bloomberg joked. “But it runs out he has been very environmentally conscious and has really done a great job for the people of Staten Island.”

Molinaro called it an historic day, and recalled asking the Port Authority for $500,000 to study renewable energy at the site shortly after the landfill closed in 2001.

20 tips to harden your home security for next to nothing | Chappaqua NY Real Estate

Most burglars work the daytime shift, just like most of us do. “Daylight jobs require a burglar to be quick, typically spending around 45 minutes selecting a home to target and just three minutes actually doing the job,” Los Angeles security expert Chris McGoey tells MSN Real Estate.

Burglars decide whether to hit your home based on appearances: Is it easy to crack or not worth the trouble? The most effective improvements are the ones that convince a burglar to move on to the next guy’s home. How? see it here. Sonitrol verified electronic security, this company for commercial security systems in New England notes. Alarm New England’s home security systems in Boston provide multiple safety and home automation features, For more information you could check here. The locksmith walnut creek ca provide locksmith services such as: lock & key cutting, lost car keys replacement, re key and unlock door assistance. Sonitrol provides security systems like Intrusion detection, fire protection, video surveillance and access control.

9 easy and free ideas

Enlist local police. Local police departments typically will send a trained officer to your home to do a “walk through” with you, pointing out your vulnerabilities and suggesting simple fixes. Check your police department’s website for crime statistics and tips. Any resident who lives in Norwalk would do well to protect themselves, by resorting to security systems that will help prevent crimes or at least help pinpoint and catch perpetrators when they do occur, for more information contact Mammoth Security Inc. For example, here is the Los Angeles Police Department’s detailed list of home-security tips for residents. Remember to alert police when you’ll be out of town.
Chat up the neighbors. Join the local Neighborhood Watch program or start one. Chatting with neighbors updates you on local crime problems and enlists allies who’ll watch your home while you’re away. Neighbors are terrific watchdogs. My retired neighbor up the hill who likes peering out his window through a giant telescope spotted and chased a pre-dawn intruder from my garden once.
Use your locks. Even if your neighborhood feels safe, make locking up a habit. Burglars often test a home by knocking on a door and, if no one answers, opening it. Keep every exterior door and window locked, including the door between the garage and house. If you need help finding locksmith companies working in Philly willing to take your job.
Fake it. Getting a dog is a great security move. But if you can’t, pretend to have one, McGoey advises. Buy a couple “Beware of Dog” signs at a hardware store and put them up. When a stranger is at the door, make a show of putting the “dog” in the other room before you open the door.
Install Long Distance Wireless Security Cameras. That way you will not only get indoor but also outdoor protection, using wireless technology avoid the use of communication wires and it will make your security cameras almost invisible at night time. For more details about security camera, click here now to find out the solution for camera installation.
Paste a local security company’s sticker on your front window.
Keep the place looking lived in. Rotate lights on timers when you’re gone. Sign up for USPS’ Hold Mail service, reschedule expected deliveries and get friends to drop by randomly to water plants or just walk around.
Trim shrubs. Bushy trees and shrubs provide cover for bad deeds. Keep the foliage well-trimmed.
Use your head. “Don’t open the door — and don’t let kids open the door — to uninvited strangers,” McGoey tells MSN Real Estate. Stay home when workers are in or around your home. Don’t put keys in obvious places like fake rocks and under pots and doormats. “Train children (especially teens) to keep key locations, alarm codes and other family security information private from their friends,” the article adds.Locksmith sacramento ca provide us a good security solution.

4 cheap fixes

Light the night. Install bright, motion-triggered security lights outside the front and back of your home. Battery-powered lights start at around $10 each. Hard-wired products start at around $50.
Replace the door … or don’t. The best entry doors are solid wood ($100 and up) or 16-gauge minimum steel ($120 and up), says the Los Angeles Police Department. Use non-removable hinge pins and avoid doors with glass windows unless the glass is burglar-resistant. Consumer Reports’ test of entry doors found, however, that a strong door frame may count more than the door: “All [doors] eventually failed because the doorjamb split near the lock’s strike plate, though we also found that beefed-up locks and strike plates can greatly increase a door’s kick-in resistance.”
Install a high-quality deadbolt – or two. Whatever you do, don’t rely on a simple knob lock (built into the door handle) alone. Install a deadbolt above a knob lock. McGoey recommends:

Use a solid core or metal door for all entrance points.
Use a quality, heavy-duty deadbolt lock with a 1-inch throw bolt.
http://money.msn.com/home-loans/article.aspx

Genworth Mortgage Insurance will offer discounts on ‘green’ homes | Bedford Corners Real Estate

Mortgage insurers have statistical evidence that people who buy homes with energy-saving components present a lower risk of default, and Genworth Mortgage Insurance is determined to reward those homeowners by incorporating that knowledge into its underwriting procedures, syndicated housing columnist Ken Harney reports.

Genworth already offers Canadian buyers a 10 percent “energy-efficient refund” on their premiums, and more leeway on debt-to-income ratio calculations used in underwriting.

On a $300,000 mortgage with a 5 percent down payment, Canadian homeowners can qualify for an $825 refund, and have savings on heating bills factored into debt service ratios. Source: courant.com.

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/wire/genworth-mortgage-insurance-will-offer-discounts-to-owners-of-green-homes/#sthash.6DOcnD4E.dpuf

For 2014 listen to your clients, neighbors and smart friends | Cross River Homes

It isn’t even December yet, and I’m already tired of the holidays and of reading about what I need to do to be successful in 2014.

Usually the articles are about the three, five, eight, 10 or 14 things that I need to do. Before throwing caution to the wind and taking all of that wonderful advice, I like to consider who is writing it and why. There are plenty of armchair real estate quarterbacks who just know what we need to do to be successful.

They give advice and never have to implement any of the ideas. Right now I can’t see any reason why 2014 will be very different from 2013. I think the tight inventory of homes for sale will loosen up a bit, and interest rates will rise slightly, as will home prices. Real estate is local, so that last sentence may not apply to your market. Here are 10 things I think everyone should take into consideration as they plan for 2014:

1. The Internet is not going to replace most real estate agents, and it isn’t going to go away.

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/11/22/tune-out-generic-advice-on-how-to-succeed-in-2014-and-listen-to-your-clients-neighbors-and-smart-friends/#sthash.cjZ4CeAZ.dpuf

North Salem NY Real Estate Weekly Report | #RobReportBlog

North Salem NY Weekly Real Estate Report	11/13/2013
Homes for sale	50
Median Ask Price	$799,450.00
Low Price	$235,000.00
High Price	$18,500,000.00
Average Size	3288
Average Price/foot	$405.00
Average DOM	193
Average Ask Price	$1,670,172.00

Realtors forecast flat sales, rising prices | Chappaqua Real Estate