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

After hurricane Sandy destroyed Mary Jane Liu’s home in Westport, Connecticut, she found herself with the opportunity to build a house perfectly suited to her family’s needs. It was also a chance to build a house that was very energy efficient and as low maintenance as possible, in the modern farmhouse style she loved. Liu found some plans that appealed to her online, then took them to her architect, Ann Lathrop, to adjust them to work with her nonconforming lot and to have a more modern, open layout that would best work for her family. Bensonwood Photos (except for the crane shot) by Stacy Bass Photography Houzz at a Glance Who lives here:  Mary Jane Liu and her teenage daughter. Her two adult sons visit often. Location:  Westport, Connecticut Size:  2,400 square feet (223 square meters); 4 bedrooms, 3 ½  baths Because Liu was in a hurry to rebuild while the Federal Emergency Management Agency was still helping her cover the rent at her temporary home, she and Lathrop lo

[11-15 East 75th Street/photo via  PropertyShark ] Roman Abramovich , Russian billionaire and  unabashed real estate whale , was set to break the record  for the most expensive co-op ever sold, until  the seller smashed his dreams  and pulled out of the deal. But like any good rich boy, Abramovich didn't let the heartbreak slow him down, and it looks like the foiled sale led him to dream even bigger.  The Post reports  that Abramovich "secretly" purchased two townhouses on  East 75th Street , and is in contract to purchase a third, with plans to combine the three properties into  one enormous megamansion . The houses in question are located at  11, 13, and 15 East 75th Street . Hiding behind an LLC, Abramovich  purchased  no. 11 for  $29.7 million  in October, and in December, he used the same LLC to  buy  no. 15 for  $18.3 million . He's reportedly in contract to purchase no. 13, currently owned by Mark and Lori Fife, who paid $7.4 million for the house in 2000

Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell for the third straight week, with the benchmark 30-year rate again marking its lowest level since May 2013. The average for a 15-year mortgage, a popular choice for people who are refinancing, dipped below 3 percent for the first time since then. The ongoing decline in rates lured a crop of prospective buyers, as applications for mortgages marked their biggest weekly gain last week in over six years. Applications jumped 49.1 percent, the biggest weekly increase since November 2008, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Mortgage company Freddie Mac said Thursday the nationwide average for a 30-year mortgage slid to 3.66 percent this week from 3.73 percent last week. The rate for the 15-year loan declined to 2.98 percent from 3.05 percent last week. A year ago, the 30-year mortgage stood at 4.41 percent and the 15-year mortgage at 3.45 percent. Mortgage rates have remained low even though the Federal Reserve in October ended its mo

Brooklyn  townhouses  don't come cheap. In fact, they often come with  $3 million price tags , according to the latest market reports, but even that is a lot less than many mint condition homes . So in search of the best bargains ( once again ), we scoured  StreetEasy  to find 10 of the best (mostly) move-in ready  single-family homes * in Brownstone Brooklyn (plus the neighboring areas) and North Brooklyn for  less than $2 million . *It should be noted that there are dozens of good-looking two- and three-family homes in prime areas for less than $2 million, but we wanted a challenge. ↑ The most expensive offering on this list may also be the smallest. The listing for this  $1.8 million  townhouse in  Williamsburg  doesn't list the square footage, but the floorplan shows the house to only be about 25-feet deep. But it's brand new construction, and it was built to Passive House standards read more... http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/01/14/10_o

In an effort to make homeownership more accessible and sustainable,  President Obama announced  the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will reduce annual mortgage insurance premiums (MIP) by 0.5 percentage points. On a $175,000 home loan with less than 5 percent down, this MIP reduction will equate to a savings of $818 per year or $3,932 over five years. FHA annual mortgage premiums are paid in 12 monthly installments every year, and are paid on top of principal, interest and insurance. For new FHA loans, they last for the entire life of the loan, regardless of whether you have more than 20 percent equity in your home. The announced changes will take the annual MIP from 1.35 percent to 0.85 percent for loans with less than 5 percent down, and from 1.30 percent to 0.8 percent for loans with more than 5 percent down. According to the White House, the lowered premiums will help more than 800,000 homeowners save on their monthly mortgage costs and enable up to 250,000 new home buyer

Unlike the typical 10-foot by 10-foot kitchen or the 5-foot by 8-foot bathroom, laundry rooms have no standard size. That’s why many laundry rooms end up in awkward places or banished to a dark and dingy basement. “They become afterthoughts,” says designer Amber Linse. But if you’re lucky enough to have space for a washer and dryer in your home, it makes a job that everyone hates a bit more manageable. So homeowners and designers are always looking for the best solutions for where to put the laundry room. Should it be near the bedrooms? Or should it be off the kitchen? What about in a bathroom? The truth is, it depends on a variety of factors, including your lifestyle, how much laundry you do and whether you care if guests see your piles of dirty clothes come laundry day. “There’s never one be-all, end-all best spot,” says designer Joanne Padvaiskas. With that in mind, we wanted to explore the pros and cons of putting the laundry room in the kitchen, bedroom, closet, bathroom and mor

Another year is upon us — I can tell because just yesterday I had half a dozen plant catalogs in my mailbox (and probably another half-dozen in my email). Dreaming up garden plans for the growing season is what I value most about winter. In no other season can I take the time to carefully strategize and rethink what works and what doesn’t for my landscape. Will I finally tear out the gangly plant that annoys me even though it’s healthy? What can I do for that problem area of dry shade in the corner? What are some fundamental ways in which I can garden in healthier ways for myself and wildlife? Well, here’s what I’ve been thinking and that I hope helps you this year. Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens Let it go to see what we can learn.  This doesn’t mean I’m advocating “messy” design; instead, see what the garden has to teach you. Gardens aren’t static, and neither are we. If you let a portion of the garden be itself for the entire year, what happens? If weeds move in and cu