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

With a cup of tea in hand and her pinky finger alert, Morticia Addams would doubtless approve of these Gothic and  Gothic Revival homes that — like her — are romantic, but with a spooky edge. Charleston, SC 13 Johnson Rd, Charleston, SC For Sale: $5.9 million It’s easy to picture Tish snipping roses on the grounds of this lakefront estate. Built in 2007, its Gothic features meld with modern luxuries such as an outdoor kitchen by the pool, an airy home gym and a spa-like master bath with heated floors and towel-warming drawers. Check out more listings in Charleston . Great Neck, NY Pond Rd, Great Neck, NY For Sale: $100 million What better place to knit like an Addams while contemplating all things creepy and crawly than a gated, eight-acre estate with views of Manhattan? The compound includes 60,000 square feet of Gothic Revival living space, including 35 bathrooms. See more homes for sale in Great Neck . New York, NY 45 Tudor City Pl APT 1818, ...

With 78 million baby boomers entering or on the verge of retirement, a concerted national effort is required to adapt homes and communities for the 73 percent of seniors who prefer to age in place, according to a new report released yesterday by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC). The preference to grow older in one’s own home and community stems from a desire among many seniors to remain close to family and friends and maintain the social connections that have enriched their lives. They appreciate the familiarity of their own homes as well as that of the local shopping center, the community library, and their place of worship. They want to remain close to doctors, nurses, social workers, and the other professional service providers upon whom they have come to rely, according to research by AARP That’s bad news for the nation’s real estate and housing finance industries, who have been anticipating a flood of transactions from Boomers selling their long-time residences.  But it...

The owners of this beautiful heritage home had a vision to restore it to its former glory, and enlisted Terri Shannon from Bloom Interior Design & Decoration to help them turn their dream into reality. Shannon describes the home’s style as contemporary classic with a mix of formal rooms and comfortable, inviting spaces. The front of the 1880s home features formal living and dining rooms, while the back contains a relaxed open-plan space. The kitchen and informal living room are the home’s main social spaces, where the kids can play and the family can catch up or entertain around the spacious island. Bloom Interior Design Photos by Armelle Habib Houzz at a Glance Who lives here:  Amanda and Brett McMillian and their 2 young daughters Location:  Melbourne Size:  4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms The homeowners were immediately drawn to this bayside-area home with a picture-perfect white picket fence. The historic home is situated along the tree-lined streets of sout...

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/

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

Though a recent surge in interest rates may dissuade some consumers from buying homes, the development also could have a silver lining for the real estate market: making mortgages available to more people. With the recent spike in interest rates, refinances have plummeted. In the last week of May, shortly after Fed officials hinted that the Fed may scale back its stimulus program later this year, refinance applications dropped to their lowest level since November 2011, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported. With the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage continuing to push higher, they have trended lower since then. That’s chipping away at banks’ profits. JPMorgan and Wells Fargo recently reported that their earnings from refinances have dropped significantly in recent months. To make up for the lost revenue, some experts say, banks may extend credit to a larger swath of borrowers, allowing them to originate more mortgages. “Because refi activity is down, yo...

Conducting the first study of its kind, the  Department of Housing and Urban Development  studied 50 metropolitan markets from June to October 2011 and concluded that same-sex couples were “significantly less likely than heterosexual couples to get favorable responses to e-mail inquiries about electronically advertised rental housing.” More specifically, “heterosexual couples were favored over gay male couples in 15.9% of tests and over lesbian couples in 15.6% of tests,” writes MSNBC. Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor » Blog Archive » Study finds same-sex couples face housing bias | Bedford Real Estate

The home has 4 bedrooms, 4 full and 2 half bathrooms, an office and an attached guest suite. Adjacent to a formal dining room, a butler’s pantry leads to a stunning kitchen. A luxurious master suite features a sitting area, walk-in closets, fireplace and sauna, according to  Trulia . Outside, the central courtyard pool and brick patio are shielded by a high-reaching hedge for the utmost seclusion – a must for the notoriously private Foster. Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor » Blog Archive » Actress Jodie Foster listed home for $6.4 million | Bedford Real Estate

B2B marketers are distributing their content on social networks more than ever before.  A recent study conducted by the  Content Marketing Institute  and  Marketing Profs  confirms that content marketing remains a top priority for  B2B marketers, with the vast majority leveraging the practice as part of their marketing strategy. But many are uncertain about how to successfully employ the many tactics available to them. Content marketing is the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without selling.  It is non-interruptive — instead of directly advertising your products or services, you are communicating with your target audience by sharing valuable, free information. The core of this content strategy is the belief that buyers will be driven to do business with you if you provide valuable information to them on an ongoing basis. If you have a website, a blog, or maintain a presence on Facebook, Twitter, or other social n...

With 42 new permits issued in January through March of this year, Sacramento increased by 121% over the same period a year earlier,  according to  RealtyTrac .  Foreclosure starts slid by 74% when compared to the pace from a year earlier, writes the Sacramento Business Journal. Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor » Blog Archive » Sacramento housing market nears normal | Bedford Real Estate

For the sixth straight month, home value appreciation was at or exceeded 5%, according to data from  Zillow . More specifically, home values rose in April to $158,300.   Home values jumped 5.2% over year ago levels, Zillow  ($59.41  0% ) reported, reaching their highest level since June 2004. A majority of the 365 metros — 55% to be exact — experienced home value appreciation in April from March. Sacramento saw the largest monthly increase, with home values jumping 3.4%. Las Vegas and San Francisco also reported monthly increases of 3% and 2.8%, respectively.   Looking forward, home values from April 2013 through April 2014 are predicted to rise 4% to approximately $164,648, according to Zillow. This is a drop from the 5.2% annual rate of appreciation reported between April 2012 and April 2013 and indicates a shift in supply and demand in some of the hardest-hit markets.   “April marks the sixth straight month of annual home value appreciation of ...

via economistsoutlook.blogs.realtor.org

Now that jumbo loan rates are making a comeback, the differences between a jumbo loan and a conforming loan are beginning to disappear, especially when looking at the rate, CNBC said. Conforming loans are mostly backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and are valued up to $417,000. However, some can be as high as $625,500. A jumbo loan is anything above that amount, CNBC stated. via housingwire.com

via nytimes.com

via zillowblog.com

Yet some of the results are not exactly what one might expect. Mississippi, with a household income in the low $40,000s, has a higher median credit score on Mortgage Marvel's list than the national average of 684. Rick Allen, COO of Mortgage Marvel, cautions that there's a story underlying the data that might not be obvious to the naked eye. "There's a little bit of self-selection going on here," said Allen. "The people with not-as-good scores don't apply, because they think without stellar credit they won't qualify." Indeed, while income is a good indicator of where credit scores will end up, the price of real-estate seems to determine who applies, and how good their credit is. This is especially true of places at the upper end of Mortgage Marvel's list. While Maryland regularly ranks as the top state for personal income, the state doesn't make the top ten in the best credit scores for mortgage applicants. That is because Maryland ranks...

Real estate prices and rents in Long Island City and Astoria are on the rise, especially in the luxury housing market, where there isn’t enough supply to meet demand, a new report shows. The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom was $1,600 in Astoria and $2,400 in Long Island City in the last quarter of 2012, according to real estate brokerage firm Modern Spaces. And the average one-bedroom sold for $387,786 in Astoria and $501,732 in Long Island City in the same period. “We’re definitely seeing prices going up,” said Modern Spaces President and CEO Eric Benaim. “There’s not enough housing to support everybody.” Long Island City rentals saw a roughly $50 monthly hike from the previous year. And though one-bedrooms sold for about $34,000 less in 2012 over 2011, the price per square foot jumped from $700 to $732. There was no 2011 data available for Astoria. Benaim attributes the hike to Manhattanites getting priced out of the city and moving to Long Isl...

With so many business-related videos on YouTube, and more being added every day, you need to put some effort in if you want your brand to stand out. In this article I’ll look at five quick tips to help you create a more memorable YouTube presence. Tip #1: Reinforce who you are At the end of every company video you upload to YouTube, you should reinforce your brand. For example, you could say your company name and web address at the end of each clip or include an image showing this information in the final frame of your video. If you fail to do this, people might forget who you are by the end, depending on the length of the video they’ve just watched. Tip #2: Add your social media links Your YouTube channel shouldn’t be treated as an individual online entity. It’s definitely a good idea to include your other social media links within the channel. For example, if people like your video and what you’ve had to say, they might want to follow you on Twitter or Facebook. Tip #3: Take time c...

The Bay Area's housing market posted strong gains in December, capping off a year of sharp improvement in that region's real estate market. Rising at its fastest rate in more than 25 years, the region's median home price soared 32% from the same month a year prior to hit $442,750, real estate firm DataQuick reported Tuesday. That was a 1.1% increase from the month prior. The median is the point at which half the homes in the Bay Area sold for more and half for less. The Bay Area has been one of the nation's strongest housing markets and one of the fastest to recover from the crash. Sales increased year-over-year for the 18thmonth in a row. A total of 7,832 houses and condominiums sold last month, a 7.3% increase from November, and a 4.5% jump from December 2011."Prices are in the midst of bouncing off bottom right now, and nobody really knows what the trajectory of this bounce will be beyond this point," DataQuick President John Walsh said in a news re...