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

13 images <div class="gallery loaded"><a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/04/29/time_warner_duplex_asks_425m_for_white_walls_and_views.php"><img src="http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/535fa507f92ea17c0502f517/1.jpg" width="500" height="334"></a><br /><a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/04/29/time_warner_duplex_asks_425m_for_white_walls_and_views.php" style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Click here to view the full photogallery.</a></div> A duplex four-bedroom on the 54th and 55th floors of the Time Warner Center is on the market asking $42.5 million . The 3,582-square-foot home is uniquely Time Warner Center-shaped with vast views of Manhattan. The fully-updated apartment has four full bathrooms, a few awkwardly trapezoidal-shaped rooms and a neat spiral staircase all coated in lots o' white. The apartment's upper floor hosts t...

ALISON STEWART: For a few years now, we’ve been hearing a great deal about the nation’s housing recovery. But recent reports suggest that trend might be slowing. If it is, it could have a significant impact on the nation’s overall economic health. For more about this, we’re joined now by Michelle Conlin, she’s a senior correspondent with Reuters. And Michelle, the reports everybody’s sort of taking a look at, they say that existing home sales are at their lowest in about 18 months of July 2012 and new home sales are down by about 14 percent as compared with this time last year. So what’s happening in the past 12 to 18 months.   MICHELLE CONLIN: Well, one thing that’s happening, is that in order to have a health housing market you have to have a healthy first-time buyers group. I mean, first time buyers are the engine of the housing market and they have virtually been locked out of this market by various things. I mean one thing that they’ve been locked out by is pretty tight...

As the host of DIY Network's "I Hate My Bath," licensed contractor Jeff Devlin has seen his share of renovation missteps both big and small. "I see mistakes all the time," he confirms, "and most of them are so easy to prevent!" Read on to find out the five most common problems Devlin encounters—and how you can avoid them in your own home. 1. Ignoring the Bathroom Fan "Overlooking your bathroom fan is a huge mistake," Devlin observes. "Sometimes people don't install one or they don't clean the one they have." Without proper ventilation, he explains, humidity builds up on surfaces, and over time this moisture will cause paint and grout to deteriorate and mildew to form. Vacuuming the vent on a regular basis will help keep the fan clean. To determine if your fan is overdue for a cleaning, turn it on and hold a square of toilet tissue up to the vent. If the tissue stays up on its own when you let go, air is still flowing. [...

11 images <div class="gallery loaded"><a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/04/27/san_remo_corner_apartment_wants_25_million.php"><img src="http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/535bfcf4f92ea143ef0138ff/74713038.jpg" width="500" height="334"></a><br /><a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/04/27/san_remo_corner_apartment_wants_25_million.php" style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Click here to view the full photogallery.</a></div> This three-bedroom corner apartment in Emery Roth's San Remo just hit the market for the first time in 35 years, and it's asking an impressive $25 million . The views of Central Park and the Boat Pond from the wraparound terrace are pretty spectacular, and despite its modern furnishings, most of the original details have been preserved, including Roth-designed master baths, plaster walls with bas-relief insets,...

Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages rose this week with the spring home-buying season beginning. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac says the average rate for the 30-year loan rose to 4.33 percent from 4.27 percent last week. The average for the 15-year mortgage increased to 3.39 percent from 3.33 percent.   Mortgage rates have risen almost a full percentage point since hitting record lows about a year ago. Warmer weather has yet to boost home-buying as it normally does. Rising prices and higher rates have made affordability a problem for would-be buyers. Sales of new homes fell 14.5 percent in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 384,000, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Purchases of existing homes also declined last month, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. read more.... http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/04/24/average-us-rate-on-30-year-mortgage-rises-to-433-pct-15-year-loan-increases-to/

Single-family homes, condominiums and townhomes sold at an estimated annual pace of 5,253,464 in March, an increase of 0.4% from February and up 8% from a year ago, according to RealtyTrac’s March and Q1 2014 Residential & Foreclosure Sales Report. This report includes all sales, not just new home sales , which took a beating in March, dropping 14.5% for the month and 13.3% year-over-year. “The housing market showed signs of coming out of hibernation in March after a sluggish fall and winter,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac. “Median home prices increased on a monthly basis following six consecutive months where they were flat or declining, and increased on an annual basis by the biggest percentage since hitting bottom in March 2012. The median sales price of U.S. residential properties — including both distressed and non-distressed sales — was $164,500 in March, up 1% from February and up 10% from March 2013. March was the 24th consecutive month wher...

Advocating Good Government Concerned Citizens of North Castle Established 2004 You are Cordially Invited To An Open Discussion of Property Tax Trends and Issues in Westchester County Featuring: Mary Beth Murphy Executive Director Westchester County Tax Commission Thursday, April 24 th at 7:00 pm at the American Legion Hall 35 Bedford Road, Armonk, NY 10504 Come and meet your neighbors, enjoy some wine and cheese, discuss the future of property taxes in Westchester County and the Town of North Castle, and how they affect your home values now and in the future. The Concerned Citizens of North Castle, Inc.* was established in 2004 as a non-partisan, not for profit community organization. Its mission is to help North Castle residents learn about, and objectively discuss, all sides of critical issues impacting the Town. This meeting is the first of a series of ...

A Siena College poll of New York State voters shows Gov. Andrew Cuomo still enjoys a better than two-to-one advantage over Westchester County Executive and GOP gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino, though the gap has narrowed slightly since the last poll. While Cuomo, a New Castle resident, still enjoys a 58-28 percent lead over Astorino, a Mount Pleasant resident, in a head-to-head race, his advantage has dwindled slightly since Siena's poll last month that had Cuomo out in front 61-26 percent. The real game changer in this election, according to Siena, would be the addition of a Working Families Party candidate. Should the WFP back a candidate that is viewed as more liberal or progressive than Cuomo, the split becomes 39 percent for Cuomo and 24 percent each for Astorino and the WFP candidate. “While Cuomo continues to hold a dominant position in a head-to-head matchup against Astorino, his lead is cut in half when a WFP candidate perceived to be more liberal or progressiv...

From left: Kiefer Sutherland and 763 Greenwich Street A Greenwich Village townhouse once home to actor Kiefer Sutherland is back on the market for $22 million. Sutherland purchased the five-bedroom pad at 763 Greenwich Street for $8.2 million back in 2008, gut renovated and flipped the place for the full $17.5 million ask within 24 hours of listing. This go-round, the seller aims to bag a profit despite not having made any further renovations to the property, according to Curbed. The digs boast an “Apple-based savant system” that controls audio, video, lighting, security and climate, among other things. Multiple fireplaces fill the townhouse, and arched doors, an elevator and a roof deck round out the posh accoutrements. The Corcoran Group’s Meris Blumstein and Kenny Blumstein have the listing. read more... http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/04/22/kiefer-sutherlands-former-pad-returns-to-the-market/

Sales of new U.S. single-family homes tumbled to their lowest level in eight months in March, dealing a setback to the housing market recovery. The Commerce Department said on Wednesday sales dropped 14.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 384,000 units, declining for a second consecutive month. February's sales were revised up to a 449,000-unit pace from the previously reported 440,000-unit rate. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast new home sales at a 450,000-unit pace last month. Compared to March last year, sales were down 13.3 percent, the largest decline since April 2011. read more... http://www.cnbc.com/id/101605827

Is your business using Instagram ? Do you need better tools? Many marketers haven’t adopted Instagram because it doesn’t offer the right tools to help them use it effectively . Here are five Instagram tools to help you become more efficient with Instagram . Why Instagram? Instagram is a rapidly growing photo and video sharing platform with more than 150 million users and 16 billion photos shared. Over 55 million photos are shared on Instagram to a very engaged community every single day. Google Trends show you the volume of searches for “Instagram.” As you can see, over the last year it has grown significantly and is set to grow further in 2014. Pin It Pin It Google Trends show a rapid growth in the search for “Instagram,” which is a good sign for the application’s popularity. Read on to find tools that will help you market yourself or your brand on this popular platform . #1: Improve Your Account Management with Statigr.am Statigr.am is a web-based management too...

10 images <div class="gallery loaded"><a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/04/21/very_white_contemporary_townhouse_asks_38k_a_month.php"><img src="http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/535539bbf92ea102e601fb11/4.jpg" width="500" height="375"></a><br /><a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/04/21/very_white_contemporary_townhouse_asks_38k_a_month.php" style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Click here to view the full photogallery.</a></div> A minimally furnished contemporary townhouse at 240 East 61st Street is on the rental market asking $38,000 a month. The renovated home comes with a garden and small terrace looked over by a wall of glass and steel that allows light into the five-story Lenox Hill townhouse. The second floor master suite comes with pretty gracious closet space, although that seems to be sorely lacking elsewhere throughout the hous...

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You are Cordially Invited To An Open Discussion of Property Tax Trends and Issues in Weschester County Featuring: Mary Beth Murphy Executive Director Westchester County Tax Commission Thursday, April 24 th at 7:00 pm at the American Legion Hall 35 Bedford Road, Armonk, NY 10504 Come and meet your neighbors, enjoy some wine and cheese, discuss the future of property taxes in Westchester County and the Town of North Castle, and how they affect your home values now and in the future.

[Renderings via NBWW] 5 images <div class="gallery loaded"><a href="http://miami.curbed.com/archives/2014/04/16/fontainebleau-penthouse-versailles-tower-suites.php"><img src="http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/534ec1c6f92ea1358500fc7b/SHOT2for web.jpg" width="500" height="355"></a><br /><a href="http://miami.curbed.com/archives/2014/04/16/fontainebleau-penthouse-versailles-tower-suites.php" style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Click here to view the full photogallery.</a></div> The old historical feud between the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc Hotels that produced the Fontainebleau's "Spite Wall" , actually called the Versailles Tower, was more or less resolved years ago. The Eden Roc built a new, Spite Wall-proof pool deck and their own tower to hide the wall's blank whiteness, and they both changed hands to new ownership that didn't ho...

Photo via Home Adore Glittering like a real estate mirage, this insanely chic apartment in Paris, France was designed in collaboration between Israel-based Ando Studio and what must be one very fashionable client. Done up in an almost entirely monochrome palette—yet somehow dodging that austere look color-free homes tend to take on—the so-called Saint Germain Apartment pairs its classic moldings and marble floors with an eclectic mix of framed photography, gold accent pieces—including some cool, hanging light fixtures—and modern, neutral-hued furniture. While every room is pretty darn spectacular, the ridiculously lovely, high-ceilinged bathroom, with its sculptural chandelier and vibrant tiled floors, might just be the chicest of them all. By all means, get an eyeful of the photos below, then head over to Home Adore for the full gallery. http://curbed.com/archives/2014/04/16/this-parisian-dream-apartment-looks-too-perfect-to-be-real.php

U.S. housing starts rose less than expected in March and building permits fell, pointing to underlying weakness in the housing market that could persist despite better weather. The Commerce Department said on Wednesday groundbreaking increased 2.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 946,000. February's starts were revised to show a 1.9 percent rise rather than the previously reported 0.2 percent fall. Economists polled by Reuters had expected starts to rise to a 973,000-unit rate last month. While a brutally cold winter weighed on home building in December and January, activity has also been hampered by shortages of building lots and skilled labor as well as rising prices for materials. A report on Tuesday showed homebuilders in April were still downbeat about the sector's near-term prospects. The housing market is under strain from higher mortgage rates and elevated house prices that are sidelining potential buyers. http://www.foxbusiness.com/business-le...

U.S. housing starts rose but below market expectations and building permits fell in March, pointing to underlying weakness in the housing market that could persist despite improving weather. The Commerce Department said on Wednesday groundbreaking increased 2.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 946,000. February's starts were revised to show a 1.9 percent rise rather than the previously reported 0.2 percent fall. Economists polled by Reuters had expected starts to rise to a 973,000-unit rate last month. "Given the weather, housing is still disappointing," said Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James in St. Petersburg, Florida. Compared to March last year, starts dropped 5.9 percent, the biggest decline since April 2011. While a brutally cold winter weighed on home building in December and January, activity has also been hampered by shortages of building lots and skilled labor as well as rising prices for materials. A report on Tuesday showed h...

Reversing four weeks of straight declines , mortgage applications climbed 4.3% from last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association ’s weekly survey of mortgage activity for the week ending April 11, 2014. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 4.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. The Refinance Index increased 7% from the previous week. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 1% from one week earlier. The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 52% of total applications from 51% the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage share of activity remained unchanged at 8% of total applications. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($417,000 or less) decreased to 4.47% from 4.56%, with points decreasing to 0.32 from 0.33 (including the origination fee) for 80% loan-to-value ratio loans. The effective rate decreased from last ...

The Bedford Police Department is reminding residents that April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Police sent out a community message Tuesday, April 15, reminding residents that "one text or call could wreck it all." The department is spreading the word on the national Distracted Driving Awareness campaign that aims to stop drivers from using a cell phone or texting while driving. Residents looking to learn more about the initiative are asked to visit the national Distracted Driving Awareness website. http://bedford.dailyvoice.com/police-fire/bedford-police-raise-awareness-distracted-driving

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Spring Egg Hunt Moved to the 4/17 Rain Date Due to the rain forecast for Tuesday (4/15), the annual Spring Egg Hunt has been postponed to the rain date of Thursday, April 17th. The Egg Hunt will be held at the FOX LANE HS TURF FIELD (Rte. 172; Bedford) and will kick off with magician Joe Barney at 10:45am. The Egg Hunt will start promptly at 11:15am. Children will be divided into age groups (ages 2-5) (ages 6-7) (ages8-10). After the egg hunt, Joe Barney will continue to perform and the Spring Bunny plans to hop on over for a guest appearance and some photo ops! Thank you! Bedford Recreation 914-666-7004 Upcoming Meetings Meeting agenda and backup materials are available for the following meetings: 4/16 Town Board - Note: This meeting is being held on Wednesday due to the Passover holiday. Reminders: Public Information Session 4/16 @ 8:30pm There will be a public information session on April 16th at 8:30pm at the Town Board monthly meeting regarding...

In a lawsuit that seeks to prevent former realtor.com President Errol Samuelson from working for rival Zillow, Move Inc. and the National Association of Realtors say Samuelson was privy to two secret, yet-to-be-launched realtor.com projects — one that would provide “new consumer functionality” and the other which is “the modification of a major product.” Filings in the case reveal that Samuelson’s would-be successor at Move, Curt Beardsley, was worried about the speed at which he would be expected to execute a plan to “save ListHub,” Move’s listing syndication subsidiary. Beardsley ended up following Samuelson to Zillow. Move and NAR filed a lawsuit against Zillow and Samuelson for alleged breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and misappropriation of trade secrets on March 17, less than two weeks after Samuelson unexpectedly jumped ship to become Zillow’s new chief industry development officer. In a motion for a preliminary injunction filed on March 27, an attorney for M...

Over the past couple of weeks, you may have been given the false impression that Richard Cordray and his colleagues at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are working to destroy the US mortgage market. Likewise, you may have the false impression that various consumer groups and advocates are making mortgage lending unattractive as a business for banks and non-banks alike. But the truth of the matter is that even if Richard Cordray was back in Ohio, where he formally served as Attorney General — a reality where the CFPB and said housing groups didn't exist — the US mortgage market would still be in trouble. Were there no CFPB or Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, banks and non-banks alike would be backing away from the mortgage business. The significant withdrawal of players such as Nationstar and Bank of America from retail lending, and the collapse of the mortgage wholesale and correspondent markets, is just the start of a more generalized ret...

hen this couple and their two young children moved from California to Oregon, they carried north a love of relaxed California midcentury modern style. “This was a true collaboration with our clients, Paula and Mike, who had a very specific design aesthetic,” says interior designer Jenny Baines. Together, Baines, her colleague Lara White and the homeowners mixed comfortable new pieces with eclectic retro ones, laid soft textures atop rough and paired dark wood with white to create a room that’s light, comfy, beachy and infused with bursts of bold color and midcentury energy. Save to Ideabook Email Photo The room had great bones, but they were bare. “I think Mike and Paula had probably picked up this furniture after graduating from college,” Baines says. Jenny Baines, Jennifer Baines Interiors Save to Ideabook Email Photo AFTER: Baines and White set out to make things light, starting with neutral-colored base pieces like the rug and the sofas. Then they...

Copper Beech Farm, the 50-acre Greenwich estate that thundered onto the market last May with a record-setting $190M price tag, has sold this morning for $120M, according to CTNews.com. Though it sold for just 61 percent of its initial ask, the property still managed to edge out a win over the reigning champ of single-family residential sales in the United States, a nine-acre Silicon Valley spread that sold for $117.5M in January 2013. (It did not, in fact, beat Montana's Broken O Ranch, which sold in 2012 for $132.5M—though most would consider that a working farm and not a single-family home of the Copper Beech breed.) In all: quite a feat for the debt-saddled mansion, which endured a monstrous PriceChop pummeling, first down to $140M in September, then down to $130M just after the New Year. According to the Greenwich Town Clerk's office, the buyer is "Conservation Institute LLC"—more information forthcoming, no doubt. More about Copper Beech, this way. ...

Freddie Mac chief economist Frank Nothaft just published a blog on their websites laying out where the housing market is headed this spring . And like Fannie Mae , the outlook is rosy compared to winter . And while the three main facts backing up Nothaft are listed here, there are many more intersting point mentioned on the Freddie Mac blogpost. Nothaft writes, "as we move to a purchase market, how does the overall housing market stack up?" "Housing is stronger today than at any point since the Great Recession began and hit bottom in 2009," he said. A few points from Nothaft that prove housing is going to keep trending upward: 1. Home sales are up 13% since their low point. Expect home sales to increase about 3% in 2014 as the purchase market continues to evolve. 2. Housing starts are up 50% since they bottomed out. Expect almost 20% growth for this sector in 2014, which will begin to help ease tight inventories in many markets. 3. House Pri...

Only about 17% of the 350 metro markets in America have seen a return to or growth beyond their last normal levels of housing activity, according to the National Association of Home Builders /First American Leading Markets Index. Exactly 59 metros can be said to have fully recovered. This represents a net gain of 11 metros year over year. Notably, a large number of the most recovered metros are in and around renewed petroleum activity – places in West Texas and North Dakota. The index’s nationwide score ticked up to .88 from a March reading of .87. This means that based on current permit, price and employment data, the nationwide average is running at 88% of normal economic and housing activity. For single-family permits and home prices, 2000-2003 is used as the last normal period, and for employment, 2007 is the base comparison. A little more than a quarter of metros saw their score rise this month and 83% have shown an improvement over the past year, the report says. ...

21 images <div class="gallery loaded"><a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2014/04/10/walt-disneys-sinatraapproved-former-party-pad-wants-535k.php"><img src="http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/53469e90f92ea13b55011d7d/Disney3 copy.jpg" width="500" height="334"></a><br /><a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2014/04/10/walt-disneys-sinatraapproved-former-party-pad-wants-535k.php" style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Click here to view the full photogallery.</a></div> It may not be as castle-like as his old Los Feliz estate, or as over the top as the mansion that sits on the site of his last home, but what Walt Disney 's former ranch-style retreat in Mountain Center, Calif. lacks in grandeur it makes up for in Rat Pack history. "This was where the Smoke Tree crowd would go to get away from everyone," the listing agent for the property tells the ...

10 images <div class="gallery loaded"><a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2014/04/09/richard-landrys-illfated-le-grand-reve-now-asks-1875m.php"><img src="http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/5345bf06f92ea123920012fb/Screen shot 2014-04-09 at 5.39.24 PM.png" width="499" height="373"></a><br /><a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2014/04/09/richard-landrys-illfated-le-grand-reve-now-asks-1875m.php" style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Click here to view the full photogallery.</a></div> It's a story with a plot you predict in the opening credits: renown megamanse sire Richard Landry (who boasts clients like Tom Brady and Mark Wahlberg ) builds a typically exorbitant, overbuilt megamansion in the suburbs (in this case, just outside of Chicago), it gets a silly name like Le Grand Rêve —that's French for "The Big Dream," an estate name that's...

  You could literally be washing soap (and money) down the drain. Suspicious that you've been using too much soap in your laundry? Follow these guidelines to get it right every time.   1. Choose the detergent that works with your machine. Today, many detergents are formulated for both regular and high-efficiency machines, but some brands, like Tide and Gain, still offer separate product lines. Pick the wrong one, and you may end up with too many suds in your clothes. 2. Make sure you're measuring. The instructions on your detergent's packaging are accurate guidelines -- it's when you ignore them that errors occur. "Don't pour in your detergent without measuring," says Carolyn Forte, the director of the Home Appliances and Cleaning Products department in the Good Housekeeping Research Institute. "Eyeballing the correct amount is more difficult than you think. You'll get it wrong." If measuring into your detergent'...

Death and taxes. Benjamin Franklin espoused their certainty, but it’s doubtful even he knew how difficult it would be to avoid the latter – especially property taxes. No matter where you live in the United States, if you own real estate, you must pay property taxes. According to a recent study by Zillow, a U.S. property owner pays an average of around $2,800, or approximately 1.4 percent of their home’s value each year in property taxes. Of course, that “average” figure indicates some homeowners pay more while others pay less. The counties with the highest averages are Westchester County, NY ($14,829 per year); Essex County, NY ($12,051 per year) and Bergen County, NJ ($11,172 per year). Do you know how much you pay in property taxes? Look up your home on Zillow – the information is there on your home details page. Deciphering how property tax rates are set is not easy. There is no single formula used by states and counties to calculate property taxes. In fact, more than 13,5...

While national trends for troubled properties are improving, there are 19 states where newly started foreclosures are heading higher, according to data released Thursday. In March, there were foreclosure filings on about 117,000 properties throughout the country, up 4% from February, but down 23% from a year earlier, online foreclosure marketplace RealtyTrac said. Such filings include default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions. In addition, trends show national improvement: For the first quarter, there were about 342,000 properties with foreclosure filings, also down 23% from a year earlier. Looking nationally, the pipeline of foreclosures has narrowed since the housing bubble burst. The past year in particular has seen a rebound for the U.S. housing market, with rapidly rising price s enabling many troubled borrowers to gain equity. But at the state level, the foreclosure news is somewhat darker, with 19 states posting annual growth in foreclosure starts for the firs...

Once a booming industry, U.S. wind power saw its growth plummet 92% last year as it wrestled with tax uncertainties and cheap natural gas. The industry is still growing but not nearly as fast, says a report Thursday by the American Wind Energy Association. It added a record 13,131 megawatts of power in 2012 but that fell to only 1,087 MW last year — the lowest level since 2004. One reason was investors' uncertainty that Congress would renew a federal wind tax subsidy. "People didn't know it would be passed ... so they weren't creating new projects" early last year, says AWEA's president Tom Kiernan. He says it takes about nine months to plan a wind farm, so the one-year extension in January 2013 didn't trigger a flurry of new wind farm construction until the second half of 2013. He expects this year will see a rebound in new capacity but how much will depend on whether Congress extends the tax subsidy, which expired in January. An extension is pendin...