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

House Poor: Just Another Learning Experience By Homer Guthrie Expert Homeowner Have you ever had that free-falling feeling, like someone has blindfolded you, pushed you out of an airplane door at 5,000 feet and all you can do is scream at the top of your lungs and wonder how long it will take before you hit the ground? That’s what buying a foreclosure felt like. I was counting on my real estate team, Bea Meriwether, my real estate agent, and Earnest S. Crowe, my mortgage guy, to guide me through the process. After all, they were the ones who had talked me into it. They said I would make eight percent or better and I would learn a lot. They were half right. Bea had her eye on a sweet little bank-owned split-level not far from my home in Mirage Mills, a suburb widely known as the Chernobyl of American real estate because we live in the epicenter of the foreclosure crisis. I had to close out my 401K to pay for it and by the time the check arrived, the house was gone. S...

via businessweek.com

The U.S. housing market, which plunged the economy into recession five years ago and was a persistent drag on the recovery, is now a key economic driver at a time when other sectors are slowing. Economists project U.S. gross domestic product growth will slow in the final three months of the year from the sluggish 2% annual rate in the third quarter. Businesses, unnerved by the prospect of federal tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff" taking effect in January, have slowed their pace of investment spending. Defense spending also is expected to slow, further weighing on growth. But while those economic pillars weaken, an improving housing market is buoying consumers' spirits and giving the economy its biggest lift since the real-estate boom. Macroeconomic Advisers projects the economy will grow at a 1.4% annual rate in the fourth quarter, with housing contributing 0.4 percentage point. IHS Global Insight is projecting a 1% growth rate, with housi...

Armonk Sales up 16% -  Prices down 15%  | RobReportBlog Armonk NY Real Estate Report  -  last six months 2012 50               homes sold $890,000     median sales price $150,000     low $3,753,750   high 3479            ave. size $329            ave. price per foot 196              ave. days on market 93.66%        ave. sold to ask price $1,136,011   ave. sold price via trulia.com

Home prices increased in September in most major U.S. cities, more evidence of a housing recovery that is providing a lift to the fragile economy. The Standard & Poor's/Case Shiller national index measuring prices in 20 cities rose 3 percent in September compared with the same month a year ago. Prices also gained 3.6 percent in the July-September quarter compared with the same quarter in 2011. ( Read More : Yes, Housing Starts Surge, but Rentals Are the Drivers ) Across the nation, prices increased in 18 of 20 cities. Phoenix prices jumped 20.4 percent over that stretch to lead all cities. Prices in Atlanta showed a modest 0.1 percent increase, ending 26 straight consecutive year-over-year declines. Prices also rose in September from August in 13 cities. Five metro regions posted declines, and two were unchanged. Monthly prices are not seasonally adjusted. via cnbc.com

Q: Our landlord has refused to fix our heater, despite our repeated requests. We'd fix it ourselves, but we can't afford it. In fact, we're down to one income and are behind in the rent. The landlord says if we fix it ourselves and deduct the cost from our rent bill, he'll evict us. Is this legal? --Dale and Candace A: In every state but Arkansas, residential landlords are required to offer and maintain fit and habitable housing. While a handful limit the guarantee to certain types of tenancies (excluding portions of the guarantee for single-family dwellings, for example), most simply extend the warranty to all tenancies. But that doesn't mean that all tenants, at every moment, can call upon its protections. In fact, at least eight states condition a tenant's right to get action from the landlord on the tenant not being delinquent in rent at the time the tenant gives notice to the landlord of the problem. In Delaware, Massachusetts, Mis...

Whether you are thrilled and overjoyed at the results -- or wearing sackcloth and rending your hair -- the results of this month's elections were, shall we say, sobering for the Republican party. Not only did President Obama win re-election, but the Democrats strengthened their hold on the Senate, in a political environment that nearly everybody thought was disadvantageous to Democrats. An election that most talking heads thought would be razor-thin turned out to be as close a contest as Oregon vs. USC . Since you're reading this on Inman, your primary concern is what the election portends for real estate. Fortunately for us, Lawrence Yun, the chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, fielded some great questions on this very topic from NAR's director of digital engagement, Nobu Hata. Unfortunately for us, Dr. Yun's answers seem somewhat contradictory and therefore require further bloviatings from op/ed columnists such as yours truly. ...