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

Sales of existing homes rose in May to the fastest pace since late 2009, as first-time buyers stepped up their purchases and more homes on the market encouraged buyers, according to data released Monday. Sales of existing homes rose 5.1% in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.35 million, hitting the fastest pace since November 2009 and rebounding from a drop in April, the National Association of Realtors reported. This year is on track to be the best for home sales since 2007, when the U.S. last entered a recession, NAR said. Economists polled by MarketWatch  had forecast a sales rate of 5.25 million for May, compared with an original estimate of 5.04 million for April. On Monday NAR revised April’s pace to 5.09 million. “Solid gains were seen throughout the country,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. First-time buyers are accounting for a bigger share of the market. In May they were 32% of sales, compared with 30% in April and 27% in May 2014. ...

Photo by Amanda Lucidon courtesy of  White House Photo After six years in the White House,  Michelle Obama  has finally embarked on a major  redecorating project  for the late 18th-century neoclassical mansion on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The First Lady decided to set a striking, contemporary tone for the Old Family Dining Room, a small room for private events that is adjacent to the official State Dining Room. The room, which was previously furnished with Kennedy-era antiques and painted yellow, now has gray walls hung with bold modern artworks by Robert Rauschenberg, Josef Albers, Anni Albers, and Alma Thomas, whose 1966 painting "Resurrection" is the first work by an African-American woman to be incorporated into the White House's permanent collection. Ms. Obama also added burgundy window treatments and bronze sconces. Ms. Obama has mixed these newer items with a selection of fine antiques, including a mahogany table dating to 1800, when construction on...

I was meeting with a client the other day for an interior paint color consultation, and at one point we found ourselves sitting on the stairs just outside of her powder room trying to figure out the exact shade of blue she wanted for an accent wall in the room. We couldn’t find the color in the paint fan deck I had with me, but then she suddenly pointed to my ponytail elastic and said, “That’s the blue I want!” I’d describe it as a bold electric blue that has the teensiest touch of green in it. That very afternoon I saw the announcement of Blue Paisley as PPG Pittsburgh Paints’ Color of the Year for 2015 and realized it was the exact hue my client wanted for her powder room wall. And now I am suddenly seeing this color popping up everywhere, from accent walls to winter clothing to decorative accessories. One in a series: See more featured colors of the year Jennifer Ott Design Blue Paisley was chosen for the 2015 Color of the Year by PPG Pittsburgh Paints because ...

Mortgage rates for 30-year fixed mortgages remained fairly stable this week, with the current rate borrowers were quoted on Zillow Mortgages at 4.06 percent, down from 4.08 percent at this same time last week. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate hovered around 4.08 percent for the majority of the week, falling to 3.97 percent on Friday before returning to the current rate. “Mortgage rates dropped mid-week to their lowest level in two months on weak U.S. economic data and geopolitical concerns over the escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia,” said Erin Lantz , vice president of mortgages at Zillow. “This week, we expect rates to inch back up unless international turmoil continues to lead the news.” Additionally, the 15-year fixed mortgage rate this morning was 3.12 percent, and for 5/1 ARMs , the rate was 2.79 percent. read more... https://homes.yahoo.com/news/30-fixed-mortgage-rates-hold-steady-185235422.html

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 ...

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...

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...

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. ...

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), pending home sales declined for the eighth straight month in February. Modest increases in the Midwest and West were offset by declines in the Northeast and South; all regions are below a year ago. NAR's Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, dipped 0.8 percent to 93.9 from a downwardly revised 94.7 in January, and is 10.5 percent below February 2013 when it was 104.9. The February reading was the lowest since October 2011, when it was 92.2. Lawrence Yun Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the recent slowdown in home sales may be behind us, while home prices continue to rise. "Contract signings for the past three months have been little changed, implying the market appears to be stabilizing," he said. "Moreover, buyer traffic information from our monthly Realtor survey shows a modest turnaround, and some weather delayed transactions should close in the sprin...

Scandinavian-Influenced Manse on the Sound Asks $18.5M | Bedford Corners NY Real Estate | Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor

This Grand, Flowery Remsen Street Brownstone Wants $6.2M | Bedford Corners Homes | Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor

Mortgage applications increased 11.9% from a week ago, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending Jan. 10, 2014. The previous week’s results included an adjustment for the New Year’s holiday. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 61% when compared with the previous week. The refinance index increased 11% from the prior week. The seasonally adjusted purchase index increased 12% from a week ago, but is at a level similar to what was observed in mid-November 2013. The unadjusted Purchase Index increased 66% compared with the previous week and was 10% lower than the same week one year ago. The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 62% of total applications from 63% the previous week, which is the lowest share observed since the end of September 2013. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity remained unchanged at 8% of total applications . The average contract interest...

San Antonio’s luxury real estate market sees surge | Bedford Corners Homes | Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor

Google Marketing Tips for 2014 | Bedford Corners Realtor | Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor

A lot has changed in real estate in 2013. Home values have skyrocketed in many markets, mortgage rates have risen from their bottom and most recently, negative equity fell at the fastest pace ever. Zillow predicts 2014 to see a continuation of this positive trend. Take a look at Zillow’s four bold predictions for real estate and mortgages below, and the top 10 hottest housing markets for 2014. Do you think our predictions will come true? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter using the hashtag #HousingTrends2014. For more information about the predictions, visit Zillow Research . http://www.zillow.com/blog/2013-12-05/2014-real-estate-predictions/

Florida's housing market continued its upswing in October 2013, with more closed sales, higher median prices, more new listings and a stabilizing supply of homes for sale, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. "Florida's economy continues to improve, and that's good news for the housing market," said 2013 Florida Realtors President Dean Asher, broker-owner with Don Asher & Associates Inc. in Orlando. "October marks 23 months in a row that statewide median sales prices rose year-over-year for both single-family homes and for townhouse-condo properties. Last month, the median days on market (the midpoint of the number of days it took for a property to sell) was 46 days for single-family homes and 48 days for townhouses and condos. That means 50 percent of homes on the market in Florida sell in less than two months. "On average, sellers received about 94 percent of their asking price in October. Interested home sell...

As the City Council prepares to vote next week on the controversial plan to rezone a huge swath of one of the city's busiest commercial neighborhoods, it increasingly looks like the final decision on the last major project of the Bloomberg administration may be put off until next year for the new de Blasio administration. As part of a Department of City Planning proposal that would impact a 73-block area surrounding Grand Central Terminal in midtown east, the city would offer landlords the opportunity to increase the height and bulk of their towers by buying air rights from the city. The proceeds of those sales would be used to redevelop mass transit access and pedestrian networks in the area. While the 75-page proposal is rife with intricate details, it is aimed mainly at revitalizing what is increasingly seen as an outdated midtown east. But some of those details are proving to be politically insurmountable, despite heavy pressure from the Bloomberg administration in its waning...

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