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

Changes in down payments have much greater impact on homebuyers’ willingness to buy for a home than changes in mortgage rates and lower down payment increase renters; willingness to buy six times more than existing owners, according to a new study published recently by economists at the New York Federal Reserve. The survey of buyers and renters found dramatic evidence that the impact of interest rates is highly overrated compared to the impact of even small changes in down payment requirements. The study found that decreasing the required down payment from 20% to 5% increases the willingness to purchase on the average about 15% among all buyers and 40% among renters.  Decreasing interest rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, though it would save the buyer much more than the lower down payment, raised the willingness to purchase a home by only 5% on average. The study also found that it is primarily the less wealthy respondents (particularly renters) that strongly increase the...

Unlike the typical 10-foot by 10-foot kitchen or the 5-foot by 8-foot bathroom, laundry rooms have no standard size. That’s why many laundry rooms end up in awkward places or banished to a dark and dingy basement. “They become afterthoughts,” says designer Amber Linse. But if you’re lucky enough to have space for a washer and dryer in your home, it makes a job that everyone hates a bit more manageable. So homeowners and designers are always looking for the best solutions for where to put the laundry room. Should it be near the bedrooms? Or should it be off the kitchen? What about in a bathroom? The truth is, it depends on a variety of factors, including your lifestyle, how much laundry you do and whether you care if guests see your piles of dirty clothes come laundry day. “There’s never one be-all, end-all best spot,” says designer Joanne Padvaiskas. With that in mind, we wanted to explore the pros and cons of putting the laundry room in the kitchen, bedroom, closet, bathroom and mor...

Property sales in New York City are likely to hit $63 billion by the end of 2014, topping the record $62 billion during the 2007 peak. Photo: Buck Ennis   Property sales in New York City in the first three quarters of the year totaled $39 billion—more than the total in 2013. Sales will likely hit $63 billion by year's end, topping the record $62 billion in properties that changed hands in the peak, precrash year of 2007, according to a report released Wednesday from Massey Knakal Realty Services. 2014 figure is a forecast That feverish buying drove prices higher all across the city. On a per-square-foot basis, the biggest increases were in Manhattan this year. There, the average price per square foot jumped to $1,629 in the most recent quarter, up a whopping 90% from the trough in 2009, and 24% from year-earlier levels. That increase puts it slightly above the 23% gain in upper Manhattan, the second-hottest market, where average pric...

For many people, renting instead of buying proves to be a cost-effective way to put a roof over their heads. Renting certainly has its potential benefits. For some people, the lower cost of renting allows them to save up to buy a home. In other cases, renters have no choice but to rent. And even for others, renting allows them to flexibility to move from place to place without the pain of buying and selling a home. Sometimes it's a combination of many factors. The truth remains, for many Americans, paying the rent is an unavoidable reality in their monthly life cycle. These days, being a renter means facing a cyclical reality of maybe never owning a home. That's because it becoming increasingly more difficult for renters to save any money to buy a place of their own because their rent continues to rise. read more.... http://www.housingwire.com/blogs/1-rewired/post/30992-rising-rent-squeezes-middle-america

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

5 Great Tax Breaks for Homeowners | Cross River Real Estate | Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor

A recent survey on employee engagement presents very encouraging results: Employee disengagement is at its lowest level in six years, according to the findings from Modern Survey. And certain key drivers—such as whether employees feel a sense of pride in their work or plan to remain with their current employer—are positive. It's safe to say that the currently improving economy is driving some optimism, but organizations are also having an impact on engagement, as a rising number of workers feel inspired by their company. These employees are also more willing to tell others about their employer's job openings. In addition, the survey sheds surprising light on the engagement levels of Gen Y workers, who have been saddled with a reputation for being perpetually difficult to please. In reality, the younger workers in this survey are slightly more engaged than their Boomer counterparts. However, Gen Y employees are more likely to be looking for another job than more mature worke...

San Francisco real estate boom | Cross River NY Homes | Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor

Fossil fuels are going to run out. This much we know. No one is entirely certain when they will run out exactly, but we know it will happen eventually.   Some estimates suggest we have about 70 years of coal, gas and oil left ; the fossil fuel industry itself insists that we have significantly longer . But everyone agrees they will run out in due course. So how will the world be powered when we can't rely anymore on fossil fuels? Why with volcanoes, waves, wet wood and solar power from space.   To compensate for the decline of traditional energy sources, researchers around the world are developing innovative new technologies that -- between them -- may provide a long-term solution to our rapidly growing energy needs. Some are familiar, some may seem far-fetched, and some could potentially pose as much of a threat to the environment as fossil fuels themselves.   One man's waste, another man's energy     CNN takes a look through some of...

Real estate fortunes are looking up in the Valley of the Sun — where the economy is tied inextricably to the housing market. The dramatic rise in housing prices during the past two years has lifted a millstone off the backs of many once-underwater homeowners and many who work in the industry. Sometimes they're one and the same, like Click|keyword[Lisa+Brown]"Lisa Brown , a branch manager at mortgage banker Click|keyword[AmeriFirst+Financial]"AmeriFirst Financial . "[I] lost a significant amount of income," says Brown, who appears on the Real Estate Show on KTAR (92.3 FM) as Lisa the Lender. Brown bought her Desert Ridge residence in 2004 and a rental in Scottsdale in 2005. She also took out cash to buy other homes. In the end, she had to short-sell one of them. "I lost sleep. I didn't come out of my house for a few months after I short-sold," she says. "I'm supposed to have perfect credit and give people direction on what to do w...

Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor » Blog Archive » Home prices were up 12% in September year over year but growth is slowing | Cross River Real Estate

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Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor » Blog Archive » Mortgage rates fall to 2-month low after Fed announcement | Cross River Real Estate

Distress sales as a whole are falling but short sales are declining twice as fast as fewer homeowners are losing their homes over the past year. For the 12-month period ending in June 2013, distressed sales overall (including both REO and short sales) were down nearly 30 percent from the same period ending in June 2012 — from 650,000 to 463,000. Of these, short sales had declined significantly — by nearly 60 percent — accounting for just over 46,000 sales during that timeframe as compared to 104,000 in 2012 according to residential real estate transaction data from the LPS Home Price Index. Short sales rose and fell quickly. In the first quarter of 2012, some 109,521 properties were sold in pre-foreclosure — a proxy for short sales, according to RealtyTrac. At that time, LPS reported a 25 percent increase from the same quarter the previous year and a three-year high and for the first time, short sale transactions are exceeding foreclosure deals. In January, short sales made up 23...

Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor » Blog Archive » Home prices in U.S. increase in 7 years | Cross River Homes

Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor » Blog Archive » Are Higher Mortgage Rates Boosting Home Sales? Nobody Knows. | Cross River Homes

The rebound in the Shelby County housing market continued in the second quarter. Total home sales in the quarter were up 11 percent from previous year levels, with a total of 4,226 total homes sold in the county.  According to Chandler Reports, total sales volume was up 21 percent as well. The average sales price in Shelby County was $141,303, a 9 percent improvement over the $129,316 average sales price in the second quarter of last year. The 38017 ZIP code in Collierville saw the highest number of sales in the quarter. A total of 290 homes were sold in that area alone. Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor » Blog Archive » Memphis real estate market continues improvement | Cross River Real Estate

The following is the text of the new house  price index  report for May released by  Statistics Canada . The New Housing Price Index (NHPI) rose 0.1% in May, following a 0.2% increase in April and continuing a series of similar increases over the past 12 months. Calgary was the top contributor to the national advance in May, as prices for new homes rose 0.9%. Builders reported an increase in material and labour costs as the main reason for higher prices. Prices increased 0.6% in both St. Catharines-Niagara and the combined region of Sudbury and Thunder Bay. Builders in both metropolitan areas cited higher material and labour costs as the main reason for the growth. This was the largest monthly price movement in Sudbury and Thunder Bay since May 2012, when prices rose 1.6%. Since then, new housing prices in the region have shown little or no growth. Winnipeg also saw a notable increase as prices for new homes rose 0.5% in May. Monthly prices in the region have bee...

If finding something as simple as ketchup in your refrigerator is akin to reaching into a storage unit  of forgotten mysteries, it’s probably time to rethink the way you’re storing food. Not only does a well-organized fridge make for a more pleasing kitchen environment overall, but you’ll never again find yourself frantically searching for green onions halfway through cooking dinner. Here are some easy ways to reorganize your fridge and streamline the way you cook and eat, for the better! Organize by expiration date and throw items away weekly Unless you’re planning on hunkering down for the next year or so, there’s no need to hoard food or keep leftovers for longer than 2-3 days. Judiciously throw away any foods that are expiring, or close to expiring, at the end of every week. This allows you to start each week with a clean slate — a great motivational tool if you’re following a specific diet plan or just trying to eat healthier. Invest in quality storage containers ...

Time is money, and more Americans are adjusting their schedules to complete tasks at the most convenient time. The mortgage space is just one of many industries adapting to this reality. In an analysis by  Mortgage Marvel  of more than 650,000 online applications submitted to 1,100 lending institutions, it became clear that more people are applying for mortgages at all hours of the day, including the workday. Technology has come a long way, allowing people to do almost anything from almost anywhere. The survey found that in 2012 only about 15% of applications came in on Saturday or Sunday. This means more people are conducting business remotely during the hectic work week. Additionally, of the applications coming in during weekdays, about 60% are submitted between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Mortgage Marvel said. Rick Allen, chief operating officer of Mortgage Marvel, said, “Technology has given us more flexibility in all aspects of our lives. People appr...