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...

All photos by  Philippe Ruault  via  ArchDaily It was pretty impressive to see a  warm, expensive-looking Texas house  come together for just $175K, but it's also remarkable to take in the total nonchalance of this house in western France, completed for a tight  $128K  and proud of it. Tasked with completing a "big" home (it clocks in at  1,593 square feet ) with a relatively low budget, the designers at  Fouquet Architecture Urbanisme  served up pure utilitarianism: the wood-framed home wears a layer of polycarbonate panels and include wide openings and sliding doors leading out to the garden. Though the striking voids might  look  like some floors still need to be filled in, they're actually intentional: The empty spaces serve as a garage and interior terraces. It's hard to imagine that the greenhouse-like home will stay comfortable throughout the seasons, but the architects insist it will. The rooms are heated with a...

Location:  Smyrna, Delaware Price:  $1,175,000 The Skinny:  Like Dylan's goofy picaresque ballads, this estate in Smyrna, Delaware, mixes eras all over the place. You've got a lot of updated but historically rooted spaces—check the herringbone floors in the  formal dining room,  the columns and french doors in the  less-than-formal  (but still pretty fancy) one, or the accented ceilings and crown moldings in both—and then there's rooms like the theater or the  studio space  in the guest barn, which went a bit off the rails in search of modernity. The original section of this handsome chimera was built in 1740, and there was a large addition in 1800, which features like the timber beams in the  stone-heavy den  date back to. There have been smaller updates and additions since then, but features like the fireplace in the  sitting room  have been maintained. As of a recent renovation, the space leads into an expanded ma...

Metro Phoenix's housing market didn't heat up in July. Both sales and prices dipped. Home sales fell 4.5 percent and the median home sales price inched down to $210,000 compared with June, according to the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. The housing market's moderate slowing is proof another housing bubble isn't about to pop anytime soon in the Phoenix area, said Mike Orr, director of the Center for Real Estate Theory and Practice at W.P. Carey. "Usually when demand is weak for an extended period, supply starts to grow, as it did in the second half of 2005 and throughout 2006 and 2007, heralding the collapse of the housing bubble," he said. "However, this summer, supply is slowly weakening. "It appears that the lack of enthusiasm among buyers has spread to sellers, instead of causing them to panic. Many sellers clearly have the patience to wait for better times and are unwilling to drop prices to dispose of their ho...

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

1930s Biscayne Boulevard, looking south. 18 images <div class="gallery loaded"><a href="http://miami.curbed.com/archives/2014/06/17/old-photos-of-miamis-skyline.php"><img src="http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/539a116cf92ea153bf001a57/BISCAYNELOOKINGSOUTH.jpg" width="500" height="324"></a><br /><a href="http://miami.curbed.com/archives/2014/06/17/old-photos-of-miamis-skyline.php" style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Click here to view the full photogallery.</a></div> Downtown Miami's skyline has evolved quite radically over our city's 100+ year history, from a collection of low buildings tightly huddled around Flagler Street, to a disbursed jumble of boxy towers with large empty parking lots in between, to the dense (and rapidly growing ) agglomeration of condo towers that we know today. Courtesy of the ever popular 'Miami's Often For...

The most recent results from the Case-Shiller Index published last week suggests that through March of 2014, home prices were starting to visibly slow from the torrid, double digit rates of home price appreciation (HPA) seen over the past two years and more. Whereas in the last year HPA was more than 12% or 1% per month, in the first quarter of 2014, the National Index gained just 0.2%. Nineteen of the 20 cities in the index showed positive returns in March, but New York declined. Not surprisingly, fast growing regions like Dallas and Denver reached new index peaks. The Case-Shiller press release stated: “In March, the National and Composite Indices saw their annual rates of gain slow significantly. Chicago showed its highest year-over-year return of 11.5% since December 1988. Las Vegas and San Francisco, the cities with the highest returns, saw their rates of gain slow to approximately 21%; their post-crisis peak returns were 29.2% and 25.7%, respectively. At the lower end was...

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

From new countertops to energy-efficient appliances, these projects will add the most value to your home. Spring is coming and you’re dreaming about tackling some home improvement projects that have been weighing down your wish list. But, while that swimming pool you’ve always wanted is something your family will enjoy, it might not be the right project to add value to your home. Any home upgrades should fit your lifestyle, add comfort — and give you a good return on your investment. Below are three home improvement project ideas that will help you learn how to increase the value of your home: 1. Kitchen and Bath Facelifts Replacing cabinet door fronts, hardware, countertops and appliances will give you the best bang for your buck. The national average ROI for that kind of minor remodeling project is 82.7%, according to Remodeling magazine’s 2014 Cost vs. Value Report . For the bathroom, “keep the tub and tile, but change faucet fixtures, medicine cabinets, ...

As the host of DIY Network's "I Hate My Bath," licensed contractor Jeff Devlin has seen his share of renovation missteps both big and small. "I see mistakes all the time," he confirms, "and most of them are so easy to prevent!" Read on to find out the five most common problems Devlin encounters—and how you can avoid them in your own home. 1. Ignoring the Bathroom Fan "Overlooking your bathroom fan is a huge mistake," Devlin observes. "Sometimes people don't install one or they don't clean the one they have." Without proper ventilation, he explains, humidity builds up on surfaces, and over time this moisture will cause paint and grout to deteriorate and mildew to form. Vacuuming the vent on a regular basis will help keep the fan clean. To determine if your fan is overdue for a cleaning, turn it on and hold a square of toilet tissue up to the vent. If the tissue stays up on its own when you let go, air is still flowing. [...

Entering the 2014 spring buying season, the U.S. housing market faces an unusual dilemma: Too few people are selling homes. Yet too few buyers can afford the homes that are for sale. "Both sides of the equation are in a funk," said Glenn Kelman, CEO of the real estate brokerage Redfin. A 13.4 percent jump in the average price of a home sold last year, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city index, hasn't managed to coax more homeowners to sell. And combined with higher mortgage rates, higher prices have made homes costlier for first-time buyers as well as for all-cash investors. Average prices nationally are expected to rise by single digits this year. The gains could be strongest in areas with solid job growth, such as Seattle and Austin, Texas. And while construction will put more homes on the market, lack of affordability could keep sales flat to falling. On the other hand, many lenders are easing the barriers for those with less-than...

John Lautner's Bayfront 'Jaws' House Asks $6M In SoCal - House of the Day - Curbed National

Southern California home prices held steady last month while sales tumbled to a six-year low, further evidence that the market has stalled after a torrid rebound. The median home sale price in the six-county Southland inched up 0.8% from January to $383,000, research firm DataQuick said Wednesday. Prices shot up in the first half of 2013, but the region’s median has been about the same since June. Still, the February median price was 19.7% higher than the same month in 2013 because of rapid price gains early last year. Buyers scooped up 14,027 new and resale condos and houses in February, 12% fewer than a year earlier. It was the fifth consecutive month that sales fell compared with the previous year. Sales were the lowest for a February since 2008. Sales continued to fall even though buyers have more homes to choose from. Though inventory remains tight across Southern California, there were more homes for sale in January than a year earlier, according to Realtor.c...

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

Considering The Cloud: A Strategic Guide For Business | Cross River Real Estate | Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor

In a new report on home prices and economic risk, Fitch Ratings estimates that home prices today are overvalued, raises serious concerns about the long term viability of the current housing recovery and concedes that significant price declines are unlikely though declines in real terms are not. Fitch estimates that current prices currently are overvalued in real terms by approximately 18% nationally, led primarily by exuberant gains in the West, lingering economic weakness may hamper demand as the housing market normalizes and approaches a new equilibrium. “The current housing market is buoyed by a unique set of market forces that include tightly restricted supply and the short-term effects of both investor money and the pent-up demand of individual owners. Long-term housing demand originates from a strong base of workers, measured both in wages and employment. With today’s economy lagging on both indicators, Fitch continues to have concerns about the sustainability of the rapidl...

Upgrade Your House With New Interior Doors | Cross River NY 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...

October 2013 Home Prices | FHFA Housing Stats October | Cross River Homes | Bedford New York Real Estate | Bedford NY Homes by Robert Paul Realtor

House prices will end 2014 between 4% and 8% higher than they start the year, but it is "too early to talk of a housing bubble", the UK's largest lender has said. Further economic recovery and continued low interest rates should support the market, according to Halifax, but several factors – including continuing pressure on household finances – should limit the increase. The lender has reported a 7% increase in prices in the first 11 months of 2013, which puts the average UK house price at £174,910 at the end of November. An 8% increase would push this up by more than £1,000 a month to £188,903, which is still some way from the £199,612 peak recorded in August 2007. Halifax's chief economist, Martin Ellis, said: "Despite the recent gains, house prices remain 12% below their August 2007 peak, and transactions in 2013 are still around a third below the average for 2006 and 2007. "House prices are also lower in relation to earnings, with the average ...