Bedford NY Real Estate | Robert Paul Talks Life in Bedford NY

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Growing up, Amber Schaub often heard her mother use the term "ruffle butts" to describe the style of diaper covers that she now sells online. But the first-time entrepreneur doesn't only code her website with the keywords "ruffle butts" to help consumers find her company's website from a search engine like Google or Bing. She also marks phrases such as "frilly diapers" and "baby bloomers" as keywords. And she includes them in her product descriptions. The reason: Her target customers—consumers and retail stores nationwide—refer to the diaper covers in different ways. Enlarge Image Close Andrew Roberts "We try to focus on our niche instead of going after generic keywords like 'infant clothing' or 'newborn gifts,' " says the 32-year-old, who tapped her savings to launch RuffleButts.com in late 2007. The Charlotte, N.C., business is now profitable, has about a dozen employees and last y

have wrote about this is the past, but it’s worth mentioning again because it’s so critical to the success of your business. Excellent customer service starts from within. Keeping your team happy is the golden rule to keeping your customers happy. A well trained staff makes for a great customer experience. You could have the best sales team in the world, bringing in 20 new customers a month, but if the back door is open you will never be able to build a solid business. The thing about a great customer experience is finding the right people to get the job done. The business owner is more than likely not the best candidate for the job. You might have the best intentions but you just may not deliver the best experience. For instance, I know what I want my  customers experience to be, but I have a hard time executing it. So I went out and put the right people in place to deliver that experience. It’s a challenge to deliver excellent customer service, so here are 7 things that will h

The softening labor market is taking its toll on the Remodeling Market Index (RMI), which slipped two points to 45 for Q2 2012, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). This downward adjustment comes after the RMI reached 48 twice in 2011, the highest reading since 2006. The RMI is based on a quarterly survey of NAHB remodelers that asks them to rate current remodeling activity along with indicators of future activity, i.e., calls for bids.  An RMI below 50 indicates that more remodelers report market activity is lower (compared to the prior quarter) than those who report higher market activity. In Q2 2012, the RMI component measuring current market conditions dropped to 46 from 49 in the previous quarter. The RMI component measuring future indicators of remodeling business remained unchanged at 44. According to David Crowe, chief economist for the NAHB, the overall index dropped a couple of points from the Q1 2012 to Q2 2012 and the first quarter was down one po

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Negative equity, lack of consumer confidence, frozen foreclosures and a shaky economy all have received their share of blame for the dearth of sellers and buyers that keeps the housing recovery in low gear and vulnerable.  No factor, however, has been as devastating to the housing economy and as difficult to improve as the inability of buyers, especially credit worthy buyers, to get financing. In the ten weeks that have passed since Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told bankers May 10 strict lending standards are preventing many creditworthy borrowers, but y some measures, consumers are actually having a more difficult time getting loans today than they were them. Risk of default is declining as the pool of mortgages written after tighter standards were imposed in 2007 grows. In the past two years, delinquent payments by homeowners have declined markedly.  The latest US Credit Trends report from Equifax shows that that 30-day delinquency rates on first mortgages are down 13.5 percent fr

WordPress Permalinks While many SEO experts put a lot of emphasis on keyword-rich URLs, they don’t seem to matter so much recently. Moreover, with the latest Google Penguin update you can pull an over-optimization trigger quite easily. So instead of fine-tuning every post URL and stuffing keywords in it, just make sure your URLs are text-based and not post-ID based (like www.yourblog.com/?p=123 ). This means to go to the Settings/Permalink Settings page in your WordPress admin and make sure the “Post name” option is selected. This is also the best way to make sure your link makes sense by itself. And when someone links to your post by using the URL as an anchor (which many bloggers do), you’ll still have a link with some keywords in it. Another thing, even if you make this permalink change in the settings, WordPress always makes post-ID based URLs work. This may sometimes lead to duplicate-content issues if someone (or you by accident) link to a post using the UD. The plugins th

After a year of supporting both the old and new versions of Analytics, we are now fully transitioning and leaving the old version behind. This means that as of tomorrow we’ll be removing the link to the previous version which sits at the bottom of Google Analytics pages and all your analysis will take place in the new version. It’s been a long journey to this point, and we hope you’ll find value in all of the features that the new version of Google Analytics offers. And our help center is a great resource to be sure you’re getting the most out of these new features and reports. The new version has been completely rebuilt on a more powerful platform that lets us move faster and develop more amazing features including these recent launches: Real-Time shows you what’s happening on your site as it happens. Immediately see the impact that online campaigns, TV ads, or mentions at a live event can have on engagement with your website. Multi-Channel Funnels provides insight on the

Just when you thought that images didn’t have their place in social media and networking (I jest!), Foursquare has taken its somewhat bland look and introduced a more image-based feed, giving your snapshots center stage … much like that of Path and Instagram . But that’s just the tip of the facelift … Before I get into the cool changes of Foursquare, let me explain quickly what Foursquare is for those of you who have been out of the loop for the past few years, and living on Planet Z. Foursquare is a free app that allows you to share and save what you are doing, and where you are doing it, along with everyone else at any given time. Why is this kind of sharing beneficial? A)  It’s age-old word of mouth marketing at it’s finest. B)  It’s a great way for you (a Realtor) to get to know your friends (and sphere) on a more intimate level – it is much less congested than Facebook tends to be. Article continues below Advertise with Inman Next --> So, back

In each Economic Update, the Research staff analyzes recently released economic indicators and addresses what these indicators mean for REALTORS® and their clients. Today’s update discusses retail sales and GDP growth. U.S. economic growth looks to be tepid heading into the November election.  Today’s data on retail sales is implying a very slow GDP growth rate in the second quarter, probably between 1 to 1.5 percent.  Moreover, a slightly higher level of business inventory implies less robust production activity and continuing slow GDP growth in the third quarter to the tune of 2 percent.  Such growth rates will not meaningfully lower the unemployment rate.  The economy after a recession needs to move at 4 percent or better on a consistent basis. Overall retail sales fell in June by 0.5 percent, though sales are higher by 3.8 percent from one year ago.  Spending at furniture and home furnishing stores is holding on b

In each Economic Update, the Research staff analyzes recently released economic indicators and addresses what these indicators mean for REALTORS® and their clients. Today’s update discusses the consumer price index and inflation. Today’s data on inflation showed decelerating pressure on consumer prices.  The Consumer Price Index (CPI) was unchanged in June from one month ago, and is now higher by 1.7 percent from one year ago. Food prices were up 2.7 percent from one year ago, but the rain shortage in the Midwest will raise prices going forward.  Gasoline prices fell 4.3 percent, but expect no further relief based on the recent rise in Brent crude oil prices back up to $100 per barrel.  Oil prices in June were lower, but rising so far in July.  Producer prices have shown a declining trend so perhaps the overall CPI could fall further in immediate upcoming months. Something appears amiss related to rent data.  Rents are up 2.7 percent, but were decelerating in the latest month w

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency published its Semiannual Risk Perspective for the spring of 2012 on July 5 th .  In it, the agency outlined concerns about a potential wave of rate resets on home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) that are set to occur from 2014 until 2017.  While these loans certainly merit concern given the already stressed banking and mortgage finance system, the current market environment has created room for borrowers to absorb the higher costs and primed the banking system to provide aid where needed, which should help to ameliorate this issue. According to the OCC, on average HELOCs accounted for roughly $500 billion of the combined balance sheets of the banks monitored by the agency in 2010 and that those portfolios fell through 2011.    As a share of all bank assets, HELOCs acount for only 9% compared to 27% for 1-4 family residences and 11% for credit cards.  Furthermore, the charge off rate was roughly 2% in 2011 compared to near 6% for credit

1. Create Link Bait Link bait is the look-at-me-now of any website. It refers to any content on a website created specifically to gain attention and encourage others to link to the website. Infographics are a great example of creating eye-catching content that has excellent visualization and a wealth of information. Articles that are funny or incite debate can also stir up attention, while breaking news and current affairs add timely content. 2. Create SEO Friendly Content Spend some time researching and selecting appropriate keywords using Google AdWords. Once you have a list of keywords, place them strategically in the title tags, body text, meta tags, image captions, etc. Write with your audience in mind and be relevant to the category for which you’re creating content. 3. Redesign Homepage Your homepage represents your company – treat it as your calling card. Without the right links and functions, it won’t serve its purpose. Evaluate your homepage load time and check whe

Buyers look to real estate agents most to help them find the right home. Fifty-five percent of buyers said that what they want most from their agent is help finding the right home. Thirteen percent of buyers wanted their real estate agent to help negotiate the price, and 12 percent wanted help with the terms of sale. The share of home buyers was consistent over first-time and repeat buyers, new and previously owned home buyers, and by household composition. Buyers most often noted that the benefit of having an agent was helping them understand the process (61 percent), more so for first-time buyers (81 percent). Also, more than half of buyers noted that real estate agents pointed out unnoticed features or faults with a property, while over 4 in 10 said real estate agents negotiated better sales contract terms, improved buyers’ knowledge of search areas, and provided a better list of service providers. Click to view larger graph via economistsoutlook.blogs.realtor.org

First time home buyers accounted for 32 percent of total buyers in the latest Realtors® Confidence Index , slightly lower than the May figure of 34 percent.  Normally first time buyers are in the neighborhood of 40 percent of total residential sales, according to NAR’s Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers [1] . The proportion of first-time homebuyers hit a peak of approximately 50 percent in 2009. The relatively low level of first time buyers in part reflects the difficulty of securing mortgage financing and/or the delay with distressed sales. Realtors® have also noted that investors offering all-cash sales to sellers have crowded out first-time buyers in some cases, particularly in the case of distressed properties.  Unsuccessful first-time buyers typically continue their property search, sometimes making a number of bids before securing a property. [1]              In the 2011 survey, first-time homebuyers accounted for 37 percent of all buyers. via economistsoutlook.blogs.re

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Armonk                            5 Bedford                            3 Bedford Hills                     1 Chappaqua                      1 Cross River                      1 Katonah                            2 Mt Kisco                            5 North Salem                      5 Pound Ridge                     4 South Salem                      6 Waccabuc                         1 via trulia.com

$507,000                         median price $1,995,000                      high price $79,000                           low price 2902                               average size $221                               ave, price/foot 246                                 average dom $795,000                         ave. start price $648,000                         average current ask price   via trulia.com

Pound Ridge NY Real Estate Report  |  RobReportBlog July 2012 Check out this website I found at trulia.com

More homes are being sold in less than a month according to the latest edition of the Realtors® Confidence Index report than was previously the case.  Approximately a third of properties were on the market for less than a month when sold, and 58 percent were sold within 3 months. Conversely, 24 percent of homes were on the market 6 months or more when sold, lower than a year ago. via economistsoutlook.blogs.realtor.org

In each Economic Update, the Research staff analyzes recently released economic indicators and addresses what these indicators mean for REALTORS® and their clients. Today’s update discusses unemployment insurance claims. Initial claims for unemployment insurance for the week ending July 21 fell to 353 thousand after a volatile spurt the prior week, based on data released by the Department of Labor.  The 4-week moving average, which is less volatile, has been declining over the last 3 weeks after a worrying increase in the second quarter. Judging by data since 2004, if claims continue to hover at around the upper 300 thousand, jobs generated will be a shy of 200 thousand and the unemployment rate will continue to hover at around 8 percent. Although still higher than the historical rate, the economy is certainly moving forward although modestly.  Job security will remain a major concern for homebuyers, although other mitigating factors such as the continued downtrend in interes

The Great Recession is over, but we are still short on jobs.  In responding to the Realtors® Confidence Index NAR members indicate that credit standards continue to be unreasonably tight.  The level of home sales appears to be held back by artificially tight credit standards.  The data suggest that we could have up to an additional 850,000 home sales per year  if credit standards were at the level used in the 2005/06 time frame—a prudent level of risk and mortgage availability.  That would translate to an additional 425,000 jobs—a simple, no-cost fix that would help the economy. What does this mean for Realtors®?  Many financial institutions still have excessively high credit requirements for getting a mortgage—apparently as a result of the Great Recession and weakened loan portfolios.  Being turned down for a loan may simply mean that the client applied to the wrong bank—one with a weak loan portfolio.  In the current credit environment, persistence in looking for a loan as well