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

According to AARP, for the next 18 years, baby boomers will be turning 65 at a rate of about 8,000 a day. That's a lot of American homeowners who are reaching retirement age and are starting thinking about their next phase in live. Part of that next phase may include unloading their large family homes in favor of spending their 'empty nest' years enjoying their newfound freedom. When you think about the combination of approaching retirement and the children off on their own, what are the real advantages to downsizing? Here are six enticing advantages to living the "Less is More" lifestyle. Smaller House = Smaller Mortgage Generally a smaller home can translate into a smaller monthly mortgage payment . In many cases, if you have lived in your family home for many years, and built up a sizable home equity, you may be able to cash out and purchase a new smaller, less-expensive home – even possibly eliminating a mortgage payment completely. When searching for ho...

October, despite the government shutdown, was still a strong month for the New Jersey real estate market, according to data released by the New Jersey Association of Realtors, in conjunction with 10K Research and Marketing. So strong, in fact, that closed sales were up more than 32 percent over the same time last year. “We’re continuing to see a lower number of properties for sale – just under 15 percent lower than last year – so it’s not surprising to see more closed sales since inventory is limited around the Garden State,” said Christina “Tina” Banasiak, 2013 President of NJAR. “It’s a competitive market right now for buyers, which means that sellers are certainly happier to see prices increasing.” While the trends do vary around the state since each market is different, the overall outlook is very good. Statewide, for single-family homes, though the total number of homes for sale is down 12.1 percent, there were 15.8 percent more new listings, indicating that sellers are feelin...

Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor » Blog Archive » How to Use Facebook Power Editor, a Detailed Guide | Bedford Realtor

Are underwater homes deterring unemployed people from moving to get new jobs? Not according to a new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, which finds that homeowners will relocate for a job, even if they will lose money on the sale of their home. The study found that “the lock-in effect,” a term coined to help explain why joblessness persisted so stubbornly during the recovery’s first fitful years, is really a myth. After the financial crisis, the number of homeowners who relocated from one state to another declined. At the same time, the number of homeowners who were underwater, i.e., owed more than their house was worth, increased. Some studies suggested that the decline in mobility rates was caused by homeowners being locked in to their underwater homes, contributing to higher unemployment rates. However, the data used in those earlier studies had many limitations. Using anonymous data from two major credit bureaus, a team of researchers, including the Clev...

Plans to create the world’s biggest offshore wind farm off the coast of Britain have been approved. Work on the massive Triton Knoll site – 288 giant wind turbines off the Lincolnshire coast – can now begin after the £3.6bn project was given the go ahead. It will dwarf Britain’s current largest offshore facility, the 175-turbine London Array in the Thames Estuary unveiled last week by David Cameron. Go-ahead: An offshore wind farm off the coast of Skegness in Lincolnshire When complete, the new giant windfarm will generate 1.2 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power for 820,000 homes. But critics say it will not come without a cost, as offshore power is currently subsidised by the taxpayer at three time the wholesale price of conventionally-produced electricity. And the scheme is not without controversy. As part of the project, energy giant RWE are proposing building a substation the size of 30 football pitches connected to the offshore turbines, in the Lincolnshi...

Swimming can be great exercise and a lot of fun, not to mention an exciting sport at the Olympics. But the chlorine used in most pools can have some negative side effects, not the least of which is reliance on toxic (and finicky) chemicals. Chlorine’s damaging effects on hair are well known, but few people realize that a number of studies have linked inhalation of the chemical by swimmers to increased asthma rates (in fact a new Irish study published this April reported a significant link between the number of years a boy had been swimming and the likelihood of the child being wheezy in the past year.) A Norwegian study also documented an increased risk of wheezing among children who swim in pools before 6 months of age. Further, in an unpleasant reaction, pee and sweat in water can react with chlorine to form toxic breakdown products known as chloramines. For health, environmental and aesthetic reasons, a lot of people have expressed interest in alternatives to chlorine pools, an...

You are not hiring a Realtor to put a sign on the lawn, an ad in the paper, and hold an open house. You can do this yourself. You are hiring a Realtor to provide you with maximum exposure to the greatest number of qualified buyers for your home. Supply and Demand You’ve heard of supply and demand? The more potential buyers at your supply, the higher a priceyou can demand. The absolute number one tip I can give you to help you get the most money possible for your home is this: make sure you get full Multiple Listing Service (MLS) coverage. Don’t look at any offers until you are sure your home is on the MLS computer. I will say this again… Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor » Blog Archive » Real Estate Number One Selling Tip | Bedford Real Estate

Yolanda Barnes, director of research for  Savills , an organization that focuses on international real estate, comments: There’s a great deal of interest in New York, which is seen as relatively cheap compared to other global cities.” As such, foreign investors who are looking for a new home, who need a vacation spot, or who work on an international level and want to set up a home base in the United States, are turning to New York City as a wonderful place to invest in luxury real estate at a fraction of the cost when compared to the price tags associated with other global locations, such as London. Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor » Blog Archive » New York luxury real estate is booming | Bedford Real Estate

A full 94% of sellers do some “ staging ,” such as repainting or bringing in new furniture, says  Coldwell Banker . “You can be so wowed by staging that you overlook important things,” says San Jose Realtor Carl San Miguel. To focus on what matters, lift rugs to look at floors, ask the agent to turn off music so you can listen for nearby noise, and beware of any smells masked by candles. Also request a disclosure sheet, which lists  known structural issues . See what else CNNMoney advises regarding open homes  here . Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor » Blog Archive » What to know about open houses | Bedford Hills Real Estate

For all those  super cautious people  in the world, they have to be wondering if it is time to enter the real estate market. Should you consider a move today, or is waiting prudent? I would think that if you are happy with where you live, then  now is not the best time to buy a home . But if you have been  contemplating a move , you might want to consider these two very strong arguments that support now as the best time to buy a home. When Should You Enter The Real Estate Market There are personal reasons that should be the most important factors when you determine the best time to  buy a home . But once you determine that you are ready to move and want to time the market, consider the message from the two graphs below. Some Home Values Are Rising  - After six long years of declining home values, it appears the trend has turned for homes priced below $250,000 in Tallahassee. While  high end homes are still dealing with over-supply and...

Bedford NY Weekly Real Estate Report 5/16/2013 Homes for sale 90 Median Ask Price $1,392,000.00 Low Price $419,000.00 High Price $14,500,000.00 Average Size 4806 Average Price/foot $397.00 Average DOM 96 Average Ask Price $1,998,283.00 Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor » Blog Archive » Bedford NY Weekly Real Estate Report | RobReportBlog

Real estate market seeing increase in activity - MiningJournal.net | News, Sports, Jobs, Marquette Information | The Mining Journal

Source: The Australian BUSINESSES exposed to the international marketplace are having a hard time with the Australian dollar trading above US105c, but the economy is much the richer for the rerating by global capital of Australian investment opportunities. Foreign investment is pouring into Australia at a faster rate than ever before, at a time when globally, foreign direct investment flows are either flat or declining. To date, the money is overwhelmingly going to resource projects, but an analysis of Australia's appeal to foreign investors by ANZ foreign currency strategist Andrew Salter shows real estate is a major destination with potential to become much larger. Mergers and acquisitions, which have been quiet for the past year, could also attract a lot more global capital over the year ahead. There is a temptation to see the high value of the currency as something that world markets have "done to us" and ...

via businessinsider.com

Zillow is adding a suite of free tools and productivity solutions to allow property managers and rental agents to quickly and easily create a custom website to brand themselves or their business at no cost. Real estate search is transitioning to a more virtual experience with an estimated 90% of home shoppers — and renters — starting their search online. “At Zillow we’re focused on giving rental professionals the tools they need to attract and collaborate with prospective tenants,” said David Vivero, vice president of Zillow Rentals. The target users for the new suite of tools are rental professionals who do not own a website or are looking to improve their current website. Users can choose a personalized domain, optimize their site for search engines, integrate rentals listing and engage surfers using Zillow. via housingwire.com

via suntimes.com

Bigger vs. better It's not always one or the other, but sometimes the trade-off is unavoidable. It's clear that more is not always compatible with our other goals. Like most choices, this one usually works better if you make it on purpose. via sethgodin.typepad.com

via mashable.com

via housingwire.com

Stains, tears, burns, loose areas and other issues with your carpeting can be a real eyesore, and in some cases can even be a potentially dangerous tripping hazard. Rather than replace an entire roomful of expensive carpeting, you can often repair those problem areas instead. Restretching carpeting Wall-to-wall carpeting is installed by stretching it into place in the room. Over time, the weight of furniture and the action of people moving over the carpeting can cause the carpet's backing to break down, resulting in random loose, wrinkled areas. When that happens, assuming the carpeting is otherwise in good shape, it can be restretched to remove the wrinkles. When the carpet is first stretched into place, it's hooked onto a tack strip that's located around the perimeter of the room, just out from the wall. The tack strip has hundreds of tiny nails in it, which are angled toward the wall. The carpet is stretched over the tack strip during installa...