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

This $449,900 "cottage" in Madison, Wisc. owes its very Wrightish look to the fact that it was designed by William Wesley Peters , who became Frank Lloyd Wright's first apprentice in 1932, and went on to assist in the construction of Falling Water and the Johnson Wax Administration Building , and was also responsible for the structural design of New York's Guggenheim Museum . Peters remained involved with Wright's Taliesin School throughout the bulk of his career, and even joined the family in 1935, when he married Wright's adopted daughter Svetlana. (After she and their son died in a car accident in 1946, Peters was briefly married to Joseph Stalin's daughter, also named Svetlana, in an ill-fated union arranged by Wright's third wife). According to the listing, Peters and some Taliesin students designed this three-bedroom in 1963 as a "thank you" to "two friends" who unsuccessfully fought to have Madison's Wright-desi...

[ Simon Cowell/wikipedia ] Last year, we suggested some East End houses for entertainment mogul Simon Cowell to buy along with his baby mama Lauren Silverman . Cowell unaccountably failed to heed our advice, and now word has it that he and Lauren are looking to rent a place this summer . [Update: they rented a place in Bridgehampton!] Since we are nothing but obliging, we ferreted out some rentals for him. We decided to skip the more obvious homes like Joe Farrell's Sandcastle (pictured above) this time (although we do think it would be perfect for Cowell). Which do you think Cowell should take? read more.... http://hamptons.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/28/where_should_simon_cowell_rent_in_the_hamptons.php

Watering is essential for any landscape, but it’s at the top of the to-do list if you’re growing an edible garden. Most edibles require regular watering. If you live where summer rainstorms are common, Mother Nature might provide enough to keep everything happy. If you live in a dry climate, or are facing drought conditions, you’ll need to do more if you plan to keep growing. For those of us dealing with water shortages, making the most of every drop becomes even more urgent. But you still have options. You can cut back on the size of your garden and look for varieties that thrive in naturally arid regions. While crops like broccoli and beans can be water hogs, peppers , squash , Swiss chard and tomatoes , especially ‘Early Girl’, ‘Sweet 100’, ‘Brandywine’ and ‘Burbank Slicing’, can handle less-than-regular watering once they’re established. Of course, herbs such as oregano , rosemary , thyme and lavender are staples of a drought-tolerant garden. Or maybe this is the summer you s...

If you love the idea of a relaxing soak in your own backyard hot tub , but don’t want a big, unsightly plastic and fiberglass tub, why not try one with a more organic look? With wood, stone or concrete surrounds (and some strategic landscaping), these 12 hot tubs complement their natural surroundings — so you can enjoy the view and soak in peace. Projects by Giffin & Crane Save to Ideabook Email Photo Curvy surround with sliding cover. This innovative tub, which the designers call the 007 Spa Deck, includes cedar decking set into a stainless steel frame, with a cover that slides into place. The swoop of the deck echoes the roundness of the hot tub, helping the tub look at home in the landscape. Margie Grace - Grace Design Associates Save to Ideabook Email Photo Nestled into rocks. Tumbled rocks hug this beautiful wooden tub, creating a natural staircase into it. Rocks are also used here to create a built-in bench surrounding the fire pit. S...

Renderings by Archpartners 9 images <div class="gallery loaded"><a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/21/longawaited_30_park_place_reveals_condo_interiors.php"><img src="http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/537cca6cf92ea10cd101a23f/30-Park-Place-duplex-penthouse.jpg" width="500" height="313"></a><br /><a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/21/longawaited_30_park_place_reveals_condo_interiors.php" style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Click here to view the full photogallery.</a></div> First came the floorplans , now come the renderings. Behold, the first look inside the future condos of 30 Park Place , currently rising in Downtown Manhattan (h/t BuzzBuzz Home ). The 82-story, Robert A.M. Stern-designed tower will hold 157 condos on its top floors, and new renderings show what those condos will look like: very white, with very big windows...

Despite a decrease in overall foreclosure activity, bank repossessions in April increased 4 percent from the previous month, although they were still down 14 percent from a year ago. There were a total of 30,056 bank repossessions nationwide in April. Bank repossessions increased from the previous month in 26 states and were up from a year ago in 16 states, including New York (142 percent increase), Oregon (91 percent increase), New Jersey (58 percent increase), Illinois (55 percent increase), Indiana (52 percent increase), Maryland (45 percent increase), Connecticut (44 percent increase), California (27 percent increase), and Nevada (15 percent increase). “The rise in bank repossessions in many states is a sign that those markets are working through the final remnants of foreclosures left over from the recent housing crisis,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac. “Many of these bank-owned homes are bottom-of-the-barrel properties in terms of location or condition, ...

Santa Ynez, Calif. Stats : 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 2 half baths Size : 7,000 square feet Price : $7.5 million Pedigree: In 2006, architect Frederick Fisher conceived this modernist house on a former cattle ranch north of Santa Barbara. Corrugated Cor-Ten steel clads the single-story structure, whose floor plan is based on a grid of 25-foot squares punctuated by a central courtyard. Interior designer Brad Dunning collaborated on the dwelling. read more... http://realestate.msn.com/incredible-homes-for-sale-this-month

After rising at the end of 2013, for-sale inventory has fallen for four straight months to begin 2014. Inventory remains tight nationwide, with the number of homes listed for sale on Zillow down 0.4 percent annually in April and more than half of metros in the U.S. currently seeing a similar downward trend. In many metros, inventory is tightest in the lower-end of the market, which represents the homes most commonly sought by first-time home buyers. According to Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries this shortage of inventory is driven by a couple of factors, most notably by stubbornly high negative equity , particularly at the lower end of the market, which is preventing many sellers from listing their homes. National home values in April were also down 0.1 percent from March to a Zillow Home Value Index of $170,200, marking the first monthly decline in more than two years. Among the 35 largest metros covered by Zillow, home values in a dozen were down on a monthly basi...

I should preface the story by explaining this happened back in 2008, when buyers were a hot commodity with a plethora of listings to consider. The buyer and seller negotiated back and forth until we were all cross-eyed with changes. Finally, the buyer accepted the seller’s counter … kinda, sorta. There was one small addition on what I had been told was a signed-off contract. The buyer suddenly decided she had to have the seller’s desk chair in the home office, a personal item that had not previously been mentioned anywhere in the contract. After peeling the sellers off the ceiling, I quickly realized their indignation wasn’t just about venting. They were seriously willing to kill the deal. They were that mad. Their anger was about to lose them a well-qualified buyer and a strong offer in a weak market. We all know the homebuying and selling experience is stressful and fraught with emotion; however, when those emotions run high, sometimes clients will make a decision that isn’t ...

34 images <div class="gallery loaded"><a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2014/05/19/socals-historic-villa-rockledge-roars-back-for-30m.php"><img src="http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/53798e77f92ea13865027394/timthumb.jpg" width="500" height="338"></a><br /><a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2014/05/19/socals-historic-villa-rockledge-roars-back-for-30m.php" style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Click here to view the full photogallery.</a></div> Location: Laguna Beach, Calif. Price: $30,000,000 The Skinny: Finding a sprawling, Mediterranean Revival clifftop villa with a private beach, amazing views and a National Registry of Historic Places pedigree is no small order, but Laguna Beach's Villa Rockledge ticks all the boxes and then some to make for a trophy property of the highest order. Built by Riverside's Mission Inn developer Frank Mille...

U.S. homebuilders are feeling less confident this month in their near-term sales prospects, reflecting doubts stirred by a sluggish start to the annual spring home-selling season. Even so, builders are more optimistic that sales will perk up later this year. That would bode well for home construction, which slowed early this year as severe winter weather dampened sales in many markets. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index released Thursday fell to 45. That's down one point from a revised reading of 46 in April and the lowest level in 12 months. Readings below 50 indicate that more builders view sales conditions as poor rather than good. The overall index has been below 50 since February. "Builders are waiting for consumers to feel more secure about their financial situation," said David Crowe, the NAHB's chief economist. "Once job growth becomes more consistent, consumers will return to the market in la...

In its 1Q14 'Mortgage Market Index - Ireland', Fitch Ratings says that Irish mortgage loans in arrears by more than three months continue to increase, reaching a new high of 18.4% of the current balance in 1Q14, up from 16.7% a year earlier. This has primarily been driven by portfolios with concentrations of buy-to-let loans. "There are signs that lenders are becoming more willing to consider taking properties into possession," says Andrew Currie, Managing Director at Fitch's Structured Finance team. "As the legal process becomes more certain, lenders have begun to selectively enforce their security over properties. However, it is clearly still the last resort as the number of cases remains extremely low, especially relative to the amount of distress in the market." Ireland has experienced significant home price increases over the past year, which has been driven primarily by demand for properties in Dublin. Home prices have risen ...

The etymology of the phrase “everything but the kitchen sink” probably has to do with the fact that the sink is difficult to move. For instance, if a person absconded with “everything but the kitchen sink,” it means he or she made off with every conceivable portable item. But here is a new way of looking at the term: What if said person didn’t take the hypothetical sink because it was too necessary to the kitchen? When you think about it, there are very few features in the home that are used as often. And what other home item performs as many different tasks? It could be argued that the selection of a sink is one of the most important kitchen choices you will make — and it’s a decision that will affect your daily life for many years to come. We spoke to designers who belong to the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) about how to select the right sink. Justrich Design Save to Ideabook Email Photo How Many Basins, and in What Configuration? 1. A large, single ...

Banks are once again giving out jumbo loans. Loans that are at least $417,000 or more, are once again in vogue in the mortgage market, according to a Bloomberg report. Bloomberg Wells Fargo & Co. /quotes/zigman/239557/delayed /quotes/nls/wfc WFC +0.11% , J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. /quotes/zigman/272085/delayed /quotes/nls/jpm JPM +0.06% and Bank of America Corp. /quotes/zigman/190927/delayed /quotes/nls/bac BAC -0.30% are all increasing their efforts to win over wealthy home buyers but are still keeping credit tight for everyone else, according to media reports. Banks need loan growth to compete and are aggressively seeeking out the jumbo loan home buyer, say analysts. Applications for jumbo mortgages that were $729,000 or more were up 4.9% in March, compared to a year earlier. Meanwhile, applications for loans of less than $150,000 fell by 21%, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association . The average purchase application loan amount reached $280,500 in th...

Banish those bare walls. Go from boring to unbelievable with a few creative tricks: Hang Plates The good china needn't stay behind the cabinet glass. Display plates or flea-market finds in a space where art would feel cramped, such as in the corner of a large kitchen or along a lengthy corridor. A casual assemblage of patterned and neutral plates delivers a visual bang that's homey. (For this project, pick up special wire hangers from the local hardware store.) Hang Plates Create a Gallery Let your wall express yourself. There are no rules saying everything needs the same frame or, better yet, that everything needs to be framed. Choose art, prints, and photos that tell a story about people, places, or things in your life. If you're hanging a grouping of art, maintaining two inches or more between frames on all sides is a good rule of thumb. Gallery Wall Transform A Stairway When it comes to hanging art, we often need to force ourselves to think beyond the li...

6 images <div class="gallery loaded"><a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/09/what_2100month_can_rent_you_around_new_york_city.php"><img src="http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/536cf9c9f92ea12d820081a6/full-2.jpg" width="500" height="375"></a><br /><a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/09/what_2100month_can_rent_you_around_new_york_city.php" style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Click here to view the full photogallery.</a></div> ↑ On the Upper West Side , a two-level one-bedroom with exposed brick is asking $2,200/month . It's less than a block from Central Park and allows pets. The kitchen is its own separate room, which is nice. read more... http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/09/what_2100month_can_rent_you_around_new_york_city.php

409 Bridge Lane, Sagaponack 24 images <div class="gallery loaded"><a href="http://hamptons.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/09/breezy_elegance_in_sagaponack_for_765m.php"><img src="http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/536cd144f92ea12cc0025521/34864.jpg" width="500" height="334"></a><br /><a href="http://hamptons.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/09/breezy_elegance_in_sagaponack_for_765m.php" style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Click here to view the full photogallery.</a></div> We're crazy in love with the subtle charm of this property. The exterior is all classic summer house , with awnings, a dining pergola, apple trees, hedges, a heated saltwater pool and even a vintage shed. Inside, it's all understated elegance, from the beamed ceilings, to the planked doors, to the vintage bathroom fixtures. The kitchen is perfection , with pro appliances, more vinta...

Northern California’s Wine Country is heavily and magically populated with the most lovely array of tiny cottages. There are entire towns where every home sings a snug, cozy welcome, and they are omnipresent in the surrounding countryside. I’ll be driving down winding roads bordered by lush vineyards and I’ll pass a cottage so charming that I have to slam on my brakes, go into full reverse and jump out of the car to stare and covet. Honestly, I have made it clear to God that I want my home in heaven to be a cottage. With a red door. Or maybe sage green. While the term “cottage” has been used to describe everything from a contemporary faux chateau to the massive seaside sanctums of the uberrich, Merriam-Webster, quite pedantically, calls it “a usually small frame one-family house.” It is, however, so much more than that. Allison Ramsey Architects Save to Ideabook Email Photo If you were to peruse my ideabook titled “Becky’s faves,” this is the first picture you...

reat gardeners are great planners. However, there is an unknown variable that occasionally interjects itself in our most logical equations, that unpredictable thing called serendipity. It’s defined as luck in the form of a happy accidental discovery, and most of us intuitively recognize it when it happens to us. It puts a smile on our faces. It causes us to slow down and ponder what is really important in life. It causes the rose gardener in each of us to actually stop and smell the roses. For those new to gardening, serendipity can shock and surprise when it happens. For the artist or garden designer, the stage can be set through thoughtful placement of plants, beds and accessories. Still, serendipity is one of life’s fleeting mysteries. Embrace and celebrate it when it occurs. My goal in writing this ideabook is to encourage you to open your eyes to serendipity so that you don’t miss it when it next happens to you. Let us know what you see. Jay Sifford Garden Design Sav...

[Photo via Architectural Digest/William Waldron .] The triplex penthouse belonging to actress, singer, and activist Bette Midler is, unsurprisingly, as divine as Miss M herself. She let Architectural Digest tour her Upper East Side digs , which boast stellar views of Central Park and gorgeously lush, landscaped wraparound terraces overrun with flowers. That's no shocker, either, given that bonafide belter is also the founder of a (literally) green nonprofit, the 20-year-old New York Restoration Project , which builds and maintains parks and community gardens across the city. More on the outside bits in a moment, but as for the inside, it's a combo that was put together and renovated by Los Angeles-based Frederick Fisher . A vibrant mish-mash of styles , there's everything from ruffled lampshades to contemporary art courtesy of collector/investor husband Martin von Haselberg, from ebony-colored furnishings by Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann to an Art Deco carpet ...

27 images <div class="gallery loaded"><a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2014/05/07/shoot-a-period-piece-in-this-crisp-875m-colonial.php"><img src="http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/536aa465f92ea16657023a91/ISlepbcrtoqq4b0000000000.jpg" width="500" height="334"></a><br /><a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2014/05/07/shoot-a-period-piece-in-this-crisp-875m-colonial.php" style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Click here to view the full photogallery.</a></div> Though it's hardly the most monumental home in rarified Greenwich—that honor would go to Cooper Beach Farm, by virtue of its $120M sale price—the 6,500-square-foot Voorhis Counting House , in all of its relative modesty, could be called one of the primmest. Nowhere does it fall out of lockstep with the town's well-earned reputation for starchy home design. But it can't really be faulted...

Photo via Business Insider The 80-person team at Kickstarter —an online crowd-funding powerhouse that has helped some truly cool architecture projects find funding—recently migrated from Manhattan to Brooklyn to set up shop in a renovated, multi-story pencil factory that's heavy on industrial detailing and hipster-centric quirkiness. Largely updated with reclaimed wood and other sustainable materials, the space feels remarkably like an old fashioned library, thanks to rows of wooden bookshelves, long communal work tables—"where the late-night Dungeons and Dragons games go down," according to Business Insider—and little cubby-like nooks. More, right this way. >> The space also boasts a pillow-lined room devoted to napping, an NYC diner-themed cafeteria, and, as is Cool Office custom, a vintage arcade room. Out on the roof there's a 8,500 square-foot garden rigged with a rainwater irrigation system, as well as just a bit more lounging space. Take a cl...

Greg Leffel, an investor in Columbus, Ohio, said he relishes cash deals as much as he dislikes home loans. He has spent $150,000 buying and renovating 10 foreclosed houses in the past two years and turned them into rentals. “Lending is so tight, and even if you do get a loan you’d have to jump through a bunch of hoops first,” Leffel, 44, said. “I like buying with cash, because then I can control my investments.” Investors like Leffel helped spur all-cash home purchases to a record 43 percent of U.S. deals in the first quarter, more than double the share a year ago, according to data firm RealtyTrac Inc. Cash is keeping residential sales trudging along while mortgage lending plummets, hurt by rising interest rates and stiff credit requirements. Americans seeking a loan to purchase their first dwelling are increasingly shut out. “The cash buyers today mean that all is not well in the housing market,” said Clifford Rossi, finance professor at the University of Maryland’s Rober...

Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages fell this week for a second straight week as the spring home-buying season has gotten off to a slow start. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate for the 30-year loan declined to 4.21 percent from 4.29 percent last week. The average for the 15-year mortgage eased to 3.32 percent from 3.38 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, while many homeowners are reluctant to list their properties for sale. Roughly a third of homeowners owe more on their mortgage than they could recoup from a sale. Data released Tuesday showed that U.S. home prices rose at a slightly slower pace in the 12 months that ended in March, a sign that weak sales have begun to restrain the housing market's sharp price gains. Rea...

Transunion: Mortgage delinquency rate falls to mid-2008 low | Armonk NY Homes | Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor

12 images <div class="gallery loaded"><a href="http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/06/what_3600month_can_rent_you_around_san_francisco.php"><img src="http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/5368fb24f92ea10aba00d527/rich1.jpg" width="500" height="334"></a><br /><a href="http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/06/what_3600month_can_rent_you_around_san_francisco.php" style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Click here to view the full photogallery.</a></div> ↑ In the Outer Richmond , this 2-bedroom house is asking $3,600/month. It's got a large floor plan that includes a lower-level den with a vintage fireplace and wood paneling. There's a full bath on the main level and a half-bath downstairs. There's also a backyard, deck, and two-car garage. No pets and tenant pays all utilities. More apartments >> 11 image...

12 images <div class="gallery loaded"><a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2014/05/06/canary-yellow-florida-manse-assaults-senses-wants-17m.php"><img src="http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/536865b8f92ea13dd000e9ab/l9ee7ae44-m0o.jpg" width="500" height="334"></a><br /><a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2014/05/06/canary-yellow-florida-manse-assaults-senses-wants-17m.php" style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Click here to view the full photogallery.</a></div> Location: Lantana, Fla. Price: $16,995,000 The Skinny: The eye-scorching canary yellow exterior is just the beginning with this home in an exclusive gated neighborhood on South Florida's Hypoluxo Island; within these walls lies room after room of diabolically decorated interiors, revealed layer by layer like a Russian nesting doll of bad taste and worse furniture. The Florida room sets the tone...

[The completed Carrier and Company room. Photos of finished rooms by Will Femia .] In 1987, the New York Times described being chosen for the Kips Bay Decorator Show House as the equivalent of "Harvard Medical School, the Pulitzer Prize, the Baseball Hall of Fame and the New York State Lottery rolled into one." Former Architectural Digest editor-in-chief Paige Rense compared the experience—an exhibition of interior designers' work that draws an estimated 15,000 people each year —to "doing your first show on Broadway." Thanks to digital coverage, the showhouse is the most visible one in the country, says designer, author, and past Kips Bay participant Charlotte Moss. For a young designer, it is, genuinely, an honor—and a guarantee of some career cred—just to be invited. But those who find themselves designing rooms next to the best in the profession—Kips Bay, in its 41 years, has shown off the work of people like Jeffrey Bilhuber, Mario Buatta, Jamie Dra...