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

Should you rent in a newer or older apartment building? New data shows  older rentals — especially those in buildings with fewer than 10 units — tend to have lower rents. But cost isn’t the only factor for today’s renters. Jessica’s newer, larger building Near Boston’s South End, One Back Bay embodies the luxury apartment experience with a 24-hour concierge and valet service. A studio apartment in the 2009-built building is available for $3,390 per month . Jessica Lau, 24, was initially concerned with location and safety. As a dental student at Boston University, proximity to school was at the top of her apartment wish list. Then she started talking to locals. “At first, I didn’t care about the age of the building where I lived,” she said. “But after I talked to them, I changed my mind and looked for something modern and new.” Turns out, Lau’s friends who live in older Boston apartment buildings and brownstones have battled a ...

Housing Market Resumes This Downtrend | Chappaqua NY Real Estate | Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor

Look at the average real estate company and how they’re using technology — it’s probably to complete a specific task or solve a specific problem. Think e-sign functionality for mobile signatures, or CRM for a full pipeline. That’s a great start, but homebuyers and sellers are skewing younger, are increasingly tech-savvy and are expecting more. They don’t want technology to be used in a one-off way. They want technology to be used in a way that not only makes the transaction process less painful, but also makes their lives easier. Plus, they want their experience to be personalized. To meet those expectations, real estate franchises need to think about where technology is headed.  No matter how innovative, exciting and fresh an idea or new application may seem, something even more innovative, more exciting and much fresher is right around the corner. It’s important to always look ahead, continue to innovate and ensure the greatest experience possible for homebuyers and sellers...

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Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor » Blog Archive » How to Integrate Social Media and Email Marketing | Chappaqua Real Estate

With 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) under his belt, you’d think Wayne Gretzky would be ready to settle down. But in real estate, “The Great One” is just warming up. In 2007, he sold his Thousand Oaks, CA home for $18.5 million. While that property  recently returned to the for-sale market , the former professional hockey player has listed his Scottsdale, AZ residence for $3.395 million. According to the  Los Angeles Times  and property records, Gretzky purchased the home at  6436 E Gainsborough Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251  in 2003 while putting the finishing touches on his 6.5-acre Sherwood Country Club estate, which he custom designed with architect Richard Landry. The Scottsdale property is an architectural gem as well, described by listing agent  Pam Wugalter  as “both sophisticated and elegant, with finishes that are of superior quality and workmanship.” Built in a Spanish-Mediterranean style, the home boasts high ceilings, vint...

Bob Vila’s 5 ‘Must-Do’ Tasks for February | Chappaqua Real Estate - Robert Paul's blog | Bedford NY Real Estate

Making extra payments on your mortgage? Many people do — they’re anxious to get that mortgage paid down as quick as they can. But especially with interest rates this low, that might not be the best place to put that next dollar. So what are the top five reasons to postpone that mortgage burning party? Your emergency fund is on the scrawny side. Before you send another extra dollar to your mortgage company, beef up your cash reserves. Sure, you are saving more in interest than you’re earning in your bank account, but what happens if you lose your job? You can’t rip out your bathtub and sell it on eBay for grocery money. And the bank isn’t likely to loan you the money back while you’re unemployed. Likewise, if you’re still saving for retirement, putting that extra money toward your retirement savings is a smart move. You’ll be taking advantage of the power of compounding by putting the money to work for you sooner. You get an extra bonus if adding to your retirement sav...

Estrella Diaz sits next to a homemade sign advertising her home for sale, in Havana, Cuba.  (Source:AP Photo/Franklin Reyes) In some ways, Yosuan Crespo’s real estate office resembles any you might find in New York, London or Tokyo. There are slick posters of hot properties hanging from the ceiling, a steady stream of hopeful buyers and sellers and a constant clack of computer keys. But Crespo’s headquarters in central Havana’s trendy Vedado neighborhood is actually somebody else’s breezy front porch. The computer’s only connection to the Internet is a creaky dial-up link, and Crespo is careful to say he’s not operating as a broker, since the job is still technically illegal. A baffling, sometimes bizarre real estate market has emerged in the year and a half since President Raul Castro legalized private home sales on this Communist-run island for the first time in five decades. While trade in homes is now legal, the people who bring buyers together with sellers are not. ...

Why does SEO take so long? It’s a question many frustrated business owners have asked again and again. It’s a completely valid question–yet one that rarely gets answered to anyone’s satisfaction. Here then, is a nuts-and-bolts answer to the question of why search engine optimization takes so much time. As you’ll see, this frequently time-consuming process is all part of an assurance that your SEO dollars are well-spent. Analyzing Your Competition Takes More Time than You May Think Unless you’re selling a product or service that is less than a month or two old, you will have competitors who are already ranking well in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Simply getting on equal ground with them is a  task that can take time. Why Does SEO Take So Long? | Search Engine Journal

The University of Michigan's April consumer confidence survey results are out. The headline index fell to 76.4 from last month's 78.6 reading. However, the index reading is well above both the flash estimate published earlier this month and economists' predictions for today's release. via housingwire.com

HousingWire's Monday Morning Cup of Coffee takes a look at news from the weekend, with more coverage on bigger issues. With existing home prices up 10% in February from one year prior and inventories at a 20-year low, many homebuyers are facing a dilemma, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal: paying more for a home today, compared with a year ago, or paying even more tomorrow at a time when interest rates might also be higher. For many buyers looking to get into their first home, high unemployment, low savings, high debt loads and tight credit standards are making homeownership nearly impossible. Many experts are concerned that if prices keep rising at their current pace, an affordability problem may arise — especially once rates reach above 6%. Budget cuts due to the federal sequester are already taking a toll on public housing, as the New Albany Housing Authority is adjusting to an 18% annual budget cut, News and Tribune reported . According to the art...

via economistsoutlook.blogs.realtor.org

According to 24/7 Wall St., most of the towns are in the Rust Belt where economic instability has persisted, which has kept home prices low. Factors considered in coming up with the list include cost of moving, rent appreciation, inflation and mortgage costs of 20% down payment on a 30-year fixed mortgage at a rate equal to the national average of 3.5%. 24/7 also looked at unemployment figures and home price changes in the areas. via housingwire.com

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WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. builders started more homes in February and permits for future construction rose at the fastest pace in 4 ½ years. The increases point to a housing recovery that is gaining strength. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that builders broke ground on houses and apartments last month at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 917,000. That's up from 910,000 in January. And it's the second-fastest pace since June 2008, behind December's rate of 982,000. Single-family home construction increased to an annual rate of 618,000, the most in 4 ½ years. Apartment construction also ticked up, to 285,000. The gains are likely to grow even faster in the coming months. Building permits, a sign of future construction, increased 4.6 percent to 946,000. That was also the most since June 2008, just a few months into the Great Recession. And the figures for January and December were also revised higher. Overall housing starts have risen 28 percent higher over the past 12 ...

Q: I'm now getting estimates to add a front porch to my house. What is the standard way to check on the licensing and insurance of the contractor, and the standard method of payment, such as certain percentage paid upfront or at the finish? --Connie D. A: There are actually a couple of steps that I recommend to anyone looking to hire a contractor: 1. Know specifically what you want to have done . The more information you have available for the contractor, the better. 2. Try to get personal referrals, rather than relying on the phone book . If you have a friend or a relative who had some work done on their home that they were pleased with, that's a great starting point. You can get some honest feedback about the contractor's skill level, price, scheduling, level of cooperation, and much more. There are a lot of contractors out there to choose from, and, like most businesses, they succeed or fail mostly by their reputation, so a good referral is very helpful....

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