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

Opposing voices were raised—sometimes only slightly but often simultaneously—when the town board mediated a full-throated debate Tuesday over the relative merits and potential perils of lawn-mower-powered leaf mulching. After two sometimes-tempestuous hours, the debate ended largely in a draw, a consensus holding that leaf-mulching and leaf removal each has a place in Bedford’s rites of autumn. Pre-empted by voting booths for the state’s new June primary, board members were forced to set up shop in the town hall basement. After squeezing in some 15 guests, the board heard from proponents of dicing leaves where they fall as well as critics who warned that such a bed of disintegrated leaves creates an attractive habitat for ticks. The chief mulching advocate, Fiona Mitchell, a certified master gardener, as well as a number of her supporters, discussed the benefits of nourishing a lawn’s soil with decomposing leaves. But Mark Solomon, who delivered most of the evening’s warnings, a...

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Incorporating seasonal style into your home doesn’t have to be an expensive or exhausting undertaking. Just a few changes can dramatically change the feel of your home, says west elm Creative Director Vanessa Holden. And just in time for summer, here are four ways to brighten your home’s look. Bring the outside in Source: west elm “Summer is all about being outside,” said Holden, “but you can easily bring the outdoors in with natural materials, textures and light airy fabrics.” A few of Holden’s favorite summery accents are natural wood pieces, woven baskets, sheer fabrics or nature-inspired accents in prints or pillows. Literally bringing the outdoors in can be another way to freshen your home for summer. Try terrariums, air plants or indoor herb gardens. Coral crush Source: west elm The hot hue for summer? Coral, says Holden. It’s a bright shade, so start small, suggests Holden. Coral is great on a throw pillow, duvet cover or bright rug. Worried about what to ...

As prospective homebuyers look for deals, they’re becoming increasingly interested in foreclosed homes.  In fact, 20 percent of all sales in April were foreclosure re-sales . Interested in buying a foreclosed home? Here’s what you bargain hunters need to know: Where to buy Even though the national foreclosure rate appears to have peaked (In April, the number of foreclosures was down almost 3 percent from a year ago), a tide of new foreclosures continues to plague the beleaguered housing market . Naturally, the regions with the most foreclosures – to date – are the ones worst affected by the housing crisis: places like Atlanta, Sacramento, Miami, Las Vegas (The “poster child” of the housing crisis — prices dropped over 60% from the peak in 2006), and Riverside, California areas, where 14.75 out of 10,000 homes were foreclosed in April. How to buy While you can buy directly from the owner before they’re officially foreclosed on, or dare to try your hand among the seasone...

Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? According to Zillow’s Chief Economist Stan Humphries, there may be. Humphries and other economists have predicted a bottoming out of U.S. home values in 2013. Some areas that have already hit bottom are now seeing gains in home values. The current home value hovers around $148,000, but for the first time in awhile, that number is seeing some modest gains : a 0.5 percent increase month over month and 1.8 percent increase quarter over quarter. Despite market growth, homes still remain remarkably affordable in many parts of the country, and a price point of $200,000 can offer a home buyer quite a lot. Here’s a sampling of homes listed for $200,000 around the country. Richmond, VA 705 W 26th St, Richmond VA For sale: $199,000 This darling Richmond house was completely renovated before hitting the market. The 3-bed, 2-bath home features custom cherry cabinets, granite countertops and new stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, a...

Garrett Thelander, an executive at Massey Knakal who leads the company’s capital services group, was fielding offers for a financing deal he was recently arranging when he noticed many of the banks lining up to compete weren’t ones he was used to working with. “There were a lot of players from out of town that you usually don’t see here that were competing and they were competing hard,” he said, describing it as a roughly $8 million deal for a commercial building that was owned by the building’s occupant. People’s United, a Connecticut-based bank, wound up making the loan. Smaller banks are moving in on the NYC market. Because it was a low-leverage deal, Mr. Thelander said the bank differentiated itself by pushing hard to lower its rates. Regional and local banks have the flexibility to undercut competitors on interest rates because of a roughly 200 basis point spread between what banks themselves can borrow at and what they charge customers for loans. “They were compet...

When hundreds of thousands of condominium and co-op unit owners open their tax bills July 1, the amounts they see may not accurately reflect what they owe. That's because the city erroneously included a 17.5% tax break that is set to expire on June 30 . Gov. Andrew Cuomo declined the Bloomberg administration's request for a last-minute "message of necessity" that would have allowed the state Legislature to extend the abatement, and lawmakers left Albany without taking action. The city's response, so far, is to maintain the status quo. The city Department of Finance planned to mail tens of thousands of letters to condo and co-op owners explaining why the expiring tax break was wrongly included in their bills. The letter—which insiders said was being edited by Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson—would have explained to property owners that their taxes will increase based on a percentage of their condo or co-op's "assessed value," which could reach up to ...