With Independence Day kicking off the month here in the States, kids in the throes of school break and the days (and evenings) luxuriously long, July is a month to celebrate summer in all its glory. So make a summer bucket list, swing in a hammock, invite some friends over and stay cool — these to-dos are as much about fun as they are about smart home maintenance and safety.
Showing posts with label #Katonah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #Katonah. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
U.S. new home sales dip, but remain near multi-year highs | Katonah Real Estate
New U.S. single-family home sales in January fell less than expected and supply rose to its highest level since 2010, hopeful signs for the sluggish housing market.
The Commerce Department said on Wednesday that sales dipped 0.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 481,000 units. December's sales pace was revised up to 482,000 units, the highest level since June 2008, from 481,000 units.
Sales last month were likely held back by inclement weather in the Northeast, where sales recorded their biggest drop since June 2012.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast new home sales, which account for about 9.1 percent of the housing market falling to a 470,000-unit pace last month.
Compared to January last year, sales were up 5.3 percent.
Housing activity has remained lackluster since hitting a speed bump in the second half of 2013 as tight home inventories and higher prices sideline first-time buyers, against the backdrop of tepid wage growth.
It has lagged the overall economy, even though mortgage rates have declined substantially from their 2013 peaks. Recent data showed a plunge in home resales in January and softer single-family housing starts and permits.
Last month, new home sales in the Northeast plunged 51.6 percent to a record low. Sales in the South rose 2.2 percent to their highest level since May 2008. They surged 19.2 percent in the Midwest, but sales in the West slipped 0.8 percent.
The stock of new houses available on the market rose 1.4 percent last month to 218,000, the highest since March 2010.
read more...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/25/us-usa-economy-homesales-idUSKBN0LT1LM20150225
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Private boat dock and a bathtub with a view | Katonah Real Estate
One of the last homes where legendary actor Mickey Rooney lived is back on the market for $2.495 million following a massive remodel that rendered it unrecognizable, outside and in.
The prolific actor died a year later at the age of 93, following a career that included a special Oscar in 1939 for “bringing to the screen the spirit and personification of youth,” a Broadway debut at age 59 and, most recently, a recurring role in the “Night at the Museum” films.
The new owners, Kapilack Investments, hired Cal Western Builders to do a major remodel.
Now the 3,220-square-foot home features 4 bedrooms and a state-of-the-art kitchen:
It also has an alder wood-wrapped fireplace, a fourth bathroom and a master suite that includes a fireplace and a bathroom with a walk-in steam shower and a bathtub with a lake view.
read more....
http://www.zillow.com/blog/mickey-rooney-former-lakeside-home-165398/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ZillowBlog+%28Zillow+Blog%29
Before:
Built in 1976, 1400 Redsail Cir — located on the gated island of Westlake Village, north of Malibu — had a “newer kitchen” when Rooney sold it for just over $1 million in April 2013.
The prolific actor died a year later at the age of 93, following a career that included a special Oscar in 1939 for “bringing to the screen the spirit and personification of youth,” a Broadway debut at age 59 and, most recently, a recurring role in the “Night at the Museum” films.
The new owners, Kapilack Investments, hired Cal Western Builders to do a major remodel.
Now the 3,220-square-foot home features 4 bedrooms and a state-of-the-art kitchen:
It also has an alder wood-wrapped fireplace, a fourth bathroom and a master suite that includes a fireplace and a bathroom with a walk-in steam shower and a bathtub with a lake view.
read more....
http://www.zillow.com/blog/mickey-rooney-former-lakeside-home-165398/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ZillowBlog+%28Zillow+Blog%29
Monday, October 6, 2014
Your October Home Checklist | Katonah Real Estate
With the air turning crisp, leaves falling and farmer’s markets overflowing with squash, gourds, apples and potatoes, October is a time to celebrate the harvest — and button up the home and garden for the winter ahead. From raking leaves to sharpening knives, see which of these 13 to-dos make your list this month.
1. Rake leaves. Clearing away leaves from lawns is hard work, so be sure to choose a rake that feels good to you. Plastic rakes don’t last as long, but they are lightweight — which helps if you get fatigued easily (or have a lot of leaves to contend with). Instead of bagging all of the leaves you collect, try chopping some with your mower and using them as mulch in flower beds, or add them to a compost pile.
5 Ways to Put Fall Leaves to Work in Your Garden
2. Clean gutters and downspouts. Schedule rain-gutter cleaning for after most of the leaves have fallen. Inspect gutters and downspouts for cracks and loose parts, and make repairs as needed.
3. Put up storm windows and doors. If you use storm windows or doors and haven’t put them up yet, now is the time.
5 Ways to Put Fall Leaves to Work in Your Garden
2. Clean gutters and downspouts. Schedule rain-gutter cleaning for after most of the leaves have fallen. Inspect gutters and downspouts for cracks and loose parts, and make repairs as needed.
3. Put up storm windows and doors. If you use storm windows or doors and haven’t put them up yet, now is the time.
4. Decorate outdoor spaces. Fall flowers, pumpkins and gourds are versatile enough to work throughout the season. If you enjoy decorating for Halloween, get out that frightful decor.
5. Shut off exterior faucets and store hoses for winter. Disconnect, drain and roll hoses before storing them indoors for the winter. Shut off the water supply to exterior faucets to prevent frozen pipes.
DIY Halloween and fall decorating ideas
5. Shut off exterior faucets and store hoses for winter. Disconnect, drain and roll hoses before storing them indoors for the winter. Shut off the water supply to exterior faucets to prevent frozen pipes.
DIY Halloween and fall decorating ideas
6. Sharpen knives. The holidays are around the corner — be sure your knives are ready to take on all of that cooking by having them professionally sharpened now.
7. Launder and iron holiday linens. Get ahead of the holiday crunch and prep your linens — roll up the freshly laundered and ironed linens on old wrapping paper tubes to prevent wrinkles.
7. Launder and iron holiday linens. Get ahead of the holiday crunch and prep your linens — roll up the freshly laundered and ironed linens on old wrapping paper tubes to prevent wrinkles.
8. Decorate with layers of warmth. Get toasty indoors with cozy throws, thicker curtains and soft rugs. If you haven’t done so yet, swap out your bedding for thicker blankets and fluffy duvets.
9. Check safety devices. Test all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in the house, and replace batteries as needed. Check the expiration date on the kitchen fire extinguisher and replace it if needed.
10. Swap seasonal clothes. Depending on where you live, September can be a fickle month — but now that October has arrived, it’s time to settle into more predictable fall weather. Gather up stray sandals and lightweight clothing that you don’t plan to wear again until spring, and pack it away. Also look over your fall and winter clothes, and note anything you will need to replace this year.
10. Swap seasonal clothes. Depending on where you live, September can be a fickle month — but now that October has arrived, it’s time to settle into more predictable fall weather. Gather up stray sandals and lightweight clothing that you don’t plan to wear again until spring, and pack it away. Also look over your fall and winter clothes, and note anything you will need to replace this year.
11. Start an art wall for all of those school projects. Corral those stacks of paper coming home from school with a dedicated space for display. A large bulletin board or magnet board makes hanging art and papers easy. Or you could try art wire with bulldog clips, or simply tape art to the wall with colorful masking tape.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Inventory up, but home sales down in Westchester | #KatonahNY Real Estate
Despite an increase in inventory, home sales were down in Westchester County for the second quarter of 2014, according to data obtained from the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors.
Westchester, one of the four counties for which Hudson Gateway tracks data, saw a 12 percent overall drop in home sales in the second quarter compared with the same period in 2013, and a 13.5 percent drop in the sale of single-family homes. Meanwhile, home prices stayed relatively stable in Westchester, with a median sale price of $651,250 in 2014, a negligible increase of just 0.2 percent over the second quarter of 2013.
“We are selling (homes) but they have to be aggressively priced,” said Diane Cummins, a broker with Douglas Elliman in Katonah and the president of the association. “The value has to be there for the consumer.”
Although there was a drop in the number of home sales, the number of residential properties listed for sale was up 3 percent, with single-family homes showing a 5.7 percent growth in inventory and condominium inventory rising 6 percent.
“Up in the northern part of the county, I think sales are slow because there’s more inventory close to the city,” Cummins said. “When people can be closer to the city and have a shorter commute for a similar price, they’re going to do that.”
As the real estate market in the southern part of the county speeds up, Cummins said she expects to see more action up north. “South of (Interstate) 287, closer to the city, the market is still getting sellers close to their asking prices. But until the asking prices accelerate to push buyers northward,” buyers will continue to close on the best buy for their money, she said.
Statewide, home sales declined for July compared with July 2013, according to data from the New York Association of Realtors.
“Despite reports of an improving national economy, many consumers remain cautious about making large financial investments such as a home purchase,” said Duncan MacKenzie, CEO of the New York State Association of Realtors, in a press release. “Employment numbers are rising, but wages remain stagnant, thus creating a counterbalance to moderating home prices and low interest rates that continue to drive improving affordability conditions.”
Statewide, July saw 10,545 closed sales, down 10.3 percent from the July 2013 total of 11,754. From Jan. 1 to July 31 of this year, the sales total of 55,217 represents a 4.5 percent decrease from the same period last year. The statewide median sale price was $239,000 in July, a 0.4 percent decrease from the July 2013 median of $239,900. The year-to-date median sale price of $225,000 remained the same compared to this period last year. The data were compiled from multiple listing services in the state of New York and includes townhouses and condominiums in addition to existing single-family homes.
read more.....
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Top 10 Riskiest Housing Markets in America | Katonah Real Estate
The bursting of the housing bubble shattered one of the most widely held misconceptions among buyers: home prices can’t fall. For far too long, homeowners counted their profits before the ink was dry, while analysts expected a new era of prosperity. As we now know, home prices can indeed fall. In fact, some areas of the country suffered from declining prices well before the financial crisis.
Zillow Research recently analyzed the past thirty-five years of housing data to find which markets homeowners were mostly likely to incur a loss upon selling their homes. The firm chained its Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) to the FHFA Home Price Index, and observed changes in median values over 117 rolling five-year periods since the end of 1979. Out of the fifty largest housing markets in America, the riskiest metro areas were found in New England.
“Some of the most risky areas may come as a bit of a surprise, as they aren’t known as places that were hardest-hit after the most recent housing bubble,” explains Zillow. “While the measure of percent of negative returns identifies the metro areas where home values more consistently declined, it does not give extra weight to places that saw extreme declines post-bubble.”
Let’s take a look at the ten riskiest housing markets in America, based on likelihood of negative returns during the rolling five-year periods. In the case of ties between markets, those with the bigger drop in their worst years were ranked as riskier.
read more....
http://wallstcheatsheet.com/business/top-10-riskiest-housing-markets-in-america.html/?ref=YF
Thursday, June 19, 2014
International buyers are looking for more than just vacation homes | Katonah Real Estate
For years, international buyers have looked to buy properties in markets like Miami, Aspen and Palm Springs when searching for the perfect place for their “holiday.”
According to new data from Trulia (TRLA), international house hunters are shifting their focus away from traditional vacation areas to dense, urban areas.
“Foreign interest in U.S. real estate remains highly concentrated in mostly urban neighborhoods, particularly in Miami, Los Angeles, and New York, and is increasingly shifting toward high-density urban areas and away from vacation spots,” said Trulia’s chief economist Jed Kolko.
Trulia analyzed the site’s searches from January through May and found that 4% of the searches came from outside the U.S. That’s slightly down from 4.2% during the same time period last year. Canada (18.5%), United Kingdom (10.6%), and Germany (5.5%) remain the top three countries outside the U.S. for home searches on the site.
Trulia found that international searches are tending to focus more on urban areas as opposed to areas that are traditionally thought of as vacation areas.
“In general, these two types of places tend to get more foreign interest than the U.S. overall does: foreign searches accounted for 4.0% of searches for U.S. homes overall, 4.7% of searches in vacation areas, and 9.4% of searches in the densest urban neighborhoods,” Kolko said.
read more...
http://www.housingwire.com/articles/30369-international-buyers-are-looking-for-more-than-just-vacation-homes
According to new data from Trulia (TRLA), international house hunters are shifting their focus away from traditional vacation areas to dense, urban areas.
“Foreign interest in U.S. real estate remains highly concentrated in mostly urban neighborhoods, particularly in Miami, Los Angeles, and New York, and is increasingly shifting toward high-density urban areas and away from vacation spots,” said Trulia’s chief economist Jed Kolko.
Trulia analyzed the site’s searches from January through May and found that 4% of the searches came from outside the U.S. That’s slightly down from 4.2% during the same time period last year. Canada (18.5%), United Kingdom (10.6%), and Germany (5.5%) remain the top three countries outside the U.S. for home searches on the site.
Trulia found that international searches are tending to focus more on urban areas as opposed to areas that are traditionally thought of as vacation areas.
“In general, these two types of places tend to get more foreign interest than the U.S. overall does: foreign searches accounted for 4.0% of searches for U.S. homes overall, 4.7% of searches in vacation areas, and 9.4% of searches in the densest urban neighborhoods,” Kolko said.
read more...
http://www.housingwire.com/articles/30369-international-buyers-are-looking-for-more-than-just-vacation-homes
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