Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Window Replacement in Innisfil Ontario
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Window Replacement in Innisfil Ontario (855) 618-1600 http://ift.tt/2fGNaaH Are you looking for Window Replacement in Innisfil Ontario call Reno Proof Me today because we have done the research on the best window and door company in your town to find the most reliable installers available. We have looked at the online reviews, testimonials and spoken directly with customers that have had windows and doors installed by these companies. We take all that information into account when we are vetting contractors that we recommend to you. Reno Proof Me does a lot of your research for you to save you time when you’re looking for a windows and doors contractor or supplier. Reno Proof Me has checked to see that Window Replacement in Innisfil Ontario has the proper liability insurance and that they have WSIB coverage. We are making it easier for you to choose the company that you want to entrust your window replacement job to. We recommend that you get multiple quotes but follow our guidelines for choosing the right window and door contractor for you. Reno Proof Me contractors distribute the major brands and their installers are factory trained to ensure that they provide the very best workmanship. They provide picture windows, bay windows, vinyl windows, bow windows, fixed windows, shaped windows, greenhouse windows as well as single and double hung tilt windows. If you are looking for exterior shutters they have all types including California shutters. Retractable awnings, exterior doors and sunrooms are also available. Let Reno Proof Me help you choose the best window installer and window replacement company. Call 1-888-618-1600 and you will be connected directly to a window supplier or window installer near you.
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Cheap Windows Keswick
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Pictures Windows Innisfil Ontario
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Bargain-Basement Victorians: 7 Classic Homes Under $200K
realtor.com
It’s the time of year when shoppers are on the hunt for bargain prices. Every day between now and Christmas will present a different must-have deal that’s too good to pass up—or so retailers try to make you think.
While homes can’t be snapped up with 1-Click ordering, homes with budget-friendly prices should galvanize shoppers to take quick and decisive action.
Dreaming of holidays around the hearth in classic style, we scoured our listings for Victorian homes for sale across the country. There are about 8,000 on the market, give or take a gable. Our aim was to turn up affordability, so we capped our cross-country search at $200,000—well below the country’s median list price of $250,000.
We found seven stunners worthy of a bargain hunter’s gaze. If you’re into scoring a deal this year, scroll down to see homes that should be on your holiday shopping list.
235 SW Woodlawn Ave, Topeka, KSPrice: $199,900
Victorian vitals: Located in the Potwin Place Historic District, this beautiful four-bedroom home has a number of nostalgic features: leaded glass doors, stained-glass windows, and and gleaming hardwood floors. It’s been on the market since April, and we’re shocked that a buyer has not stepped forward.
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1617 N Napa St, Spokane, WAPrice: $164,500
Victorian vitals: Pure Americana in the Pacific Northwest, it even has a white picket fence! Built in 1909, the five-bedroom charmer has a separate entrance, which means it could generate income for a smart buyer.
realtor.com
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3939 Shaffers Church Rd, Glen Rock, PAPrice: $190,000
Victorian vitals: Sitting on just over an acre of land, this three-bedroom cutie is nestled next to the Maryland state line. The two-story home offers spacious rooms, old-school charm, and a tire swing out back.
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3632 S 23rd St, Omaha, NEPrice: $150,000
Victorian vitals: This Queen Anne Victorian comes with one of our all-time favorite features: a turret! A buyer should negotiate some of the decor into the final sale, because the period touches in this place are on point.
realtor.com
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1311 Third St, Dudley, GAPrice: $178,000
Victorian vitals: We’re in love with the gingerbread look of this Georgia peach. The yellow paint on the exterior, not quite as much. But with the low list price, you can afford a few gallons of exterior paint.
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52 Brewster St, Kingston, NYPrice: $159,000
Victorian vitals: This slim three-bedroom home has over 1,000 square feet of space, which makes it the coziest spot on our list. While the inside is small, there’s a big patio out back that looks perfect for warm summer nights.
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289 N Broad St, Carlinville, ILPrice: $179,000
Victorian vitals: In the words of singer and songwriter John Mellencamp, little pink houses for you and me. We’re smitten with the shade of exterior paint on this gorgeous four-bedroom home. The listing mentions a mouthwatering room we’ve never heard of: a pie pantry! In which case, a slice of Key lime pie on the wraparound front porch would be heavenly.
realtor.com
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White House-Worthy Holiday Decorations: The Obamas Show How It’s Done
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
Many people go just a teeny bit overboard on their holiday decorations: from garlands of twinkling lights strung around their homes, to life-size “Westworld”-like animatronic manger scenes crammed onto tiny front lawns. Sometimes things just get a bit out of control.
But for presidents, the sought-for Christmas decorating credo seems to be “excess without insanity.”
And nobody pulls it off quite like the Obamas, who are getting ready to celebrate their last Christmas in the White House. The theme for this year’s celebration is “The Gift of the Holidays”—and it comes complete with a 300-pound gingerbread house, a 19-foot Douglas fir in the Blue Room with the preamble to the Constitution on its garland, and giant pompom replicas of the Obamas’ dogs Bo and Sunny greeting visitors in the East Wing.
Replicas of the First Family’s dogs, Bo and Sunny.SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
That’s in addition to the more than 8,000 bows and ribbons adorning the East Hallway of the White House; trees in the library built from crayons and pencils; and snowball arches created from more than 6,000 ornaments. Wreaths and garlands have been constructed from lemons, limes, clove-covered oranges, apples, pomegranates, and greens to emphasize first lady Michelle Obama‘s commitment to encouraging healthy eating habits for children.
And did we mention the 56 gingerbread houses made of Legos and representing each U.S. state and territory? They took more than 200,000 blocks to construct.
Lego houses from each stateSAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
The White House decorations are all about attention to detail this year. Even that massive gingerbread house we mentioned earlier is a confectionery (and cavity-inducing) Christmas miracle unto itself. On display in the State Dining Room, the sugary masterpiece is made of 150 pounds of gingerbread, along with 100 pounds of bread, 20 pounds of icing, and 20 pounds of sculpted sugar pieces, according to The Associated Press. It’s almost too pretty to eat.
The White House Gingerbread House.SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
The White House Gingerbread House sits in the State Dining Room.Alex Wong/Getty Images
Nearly 100 volunteers from 33 states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico began trickling in on Thanksgiving and spent the past few days helping to ready the White House for the holidays. Their tasks included trimming trees, hanging lights, and making bows, according to the AP.
The White House Christmas Tree in the Blue Room and holiday decorations are seen from the Grand Foyer of the White HouseSAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
Military families were invited first to see the decorations to honor one of the first lady’s favorite holiday traditions, according to The Washington Post.
“We promised to open up this house to as many people from as many backgrounds as possible,” Michelle said at a media preview of the decorations on Tuesday. “And we truly wanted to make the White House the people’s house.”
The smell of the holidays also wafted through the presidential home, with a cookie-scented candle in the security guard station and the mouthwatering scent of roasting meats in the outdoor kitchen, according to The Washington Post.
So take a tip from the first family: Bigger just might be better when it comes to getting your home ready for the holidays. Just be tasteful. Delicious, even.
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Dallas-Fort Worth 2017 forecast: Unafforadable homes
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1790s Style! Blondie’s Debbie Harry Buys a Vintage Connecticut Home
Greg Chow
Blondie front woman Debbie Harry has scored a vintage property in Roxbury, CT, for $785,000.
The four-bedroom, 2.5-bath home was built in 1795 and has been “beautifully maintained,” according to marketing materials.
It features a chef’s kitchen with a farmhouse sink and Carrara marble countertops, a great room with a wood-beamed ceiling and french doors opening to the front patio. On the main floor is the master bedroom with a sitting room, fireplace, and master bath. Upstairs are three additional bedrooms and a full bathroom.
Exteriorrealtor.com
The 2,685-square-foot home on 3.47 acres boasts wide-plank wood floors throughout, a new wood-shingle roof, and restored windows. According to the Historic Barns of Connecticut, the original structure was a saltbox-style home popular during the 1790s. The saltbox had other buildings from the property grafted onto it over time.
As it stands now, it’s a beguiling blend of old-world charm and modern conveniences. The house features central air conditioning, new mechanicals, and a charming kitchen.
The listing agent and seller was Halstead’s Jill Sloane, who also sold Harry a neighboring property last year for $185,000, according to the New York Post.
Harry, 71, recorded several No. 1 singles with Blondie during the 1970s and 1980s, including “Heart of Glass” and “Call Me.”
Kitchenrealtor.com
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Trump Names Mortgage Industry Lobbyist to HUD Transition Team
Quicken Loans
President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named a top government-relations executive for one of the nation’s largest mortgage companies to the team overseeing the transition at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Shawn Krause is executive vice president of government advocacy for Quicken Loans Inc., the privately held mortgage company that is the largest underwriter of mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration, which is part of HUD.
Ms. Krause, who has been registered to lobby for Quicken since 2009, deregistered as a lobbyist in the last few weeks, a Quicken executive said Tuesday. Ms. Krause was registered to lobby Congress, HUD and other federal regulators as recently as Sept. 30, according to a disclosure form filed Nov. 18.
The Trump transition team ordered all lobbyists removed from its ranks two weeks ago to follow through on campaign pledges made by Mr. Trump to “drain the swamp” in Washington.
Spokesmen for the Trump transition team didn’t respond to inquiries about Ms. Krause’s appointment on Tuesday.
Quicken said Ms. Krause’s role on the Trump transition didn’t pose any conflicts of interest for the lender and said her 26 years at the company made her well-qualified to assist the incoming administration.
“It makes total sense you’d have someone like that. You’re finding people that actually understand housing,” said Bill Emerson,Quicken’s chief executive. “When you think about draining the swamp, this goes right in line with that.”
The U.S. Justice Department sued Quicken last year alleging the lender misled the government over the quality of certain mortgages insured by the FHA between 2007 and 2011. Quicken, which is fighting the lawsuit, has said it is the victim of a “witch-hunt” by federal prosecutors.
The Detroit-based lender also pre-emptively sued the Justice Department and HUD last year, alleging the government unfairly coerced the lender to admit claims of fraud. A federal judge dismissed the case last year, and Quicken has appealed the ruling.
Transition teams have been unveiled across the federal bureaucracy over the last two weeks to gather information about particular government functions. They report back to the Trump headquarters about the state of personnel and policy to facilitate a smooth transition of power when Mr. Trump takes office in January.
Mr. Trump also named Jimmy Kemp, the son of former HUD Secretary Jack Kemp, to the HUD transition team.
Mr. Trump has said he is considering former GOP presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson to lead the department. Mr. Carson last week said he might join the Trump administration, reversing his earlier stance that he didn’t want to run a government department.
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How presidential elections affect Houston's housing market
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Ricky Martin Scores Fabulous Beverly Hills Estate for $13.5M
Vyacheslav Prokofyev\TASS via Getty Images
Hunky pop star Ricky Martin just bought a gloriously reimagined estate in the Beverly Crest neighborhood of Beverly Hills, CA, for $13.5 million, according to Yolanda’s Little Black Book.
The original house on the property was built in 1953 and had four bedrooms, two baths, and walls of windows. A local builder paid $3.5 million for the property in January 2014, tore it down to the studs, and rebuilt it from scratch using the original footprint.
The resulting mansion is 11,300 square feet with seven bedrooms and 8.5 baths. It features white oak flooring, a wet bar, and walls of glass looking onto a nearly 1-acre yard. The master suite has a three-sided fireplace and his-and-his bathrooms—Martin is engaged to Jwan Yosef, a Swedish painter and artist. Outside there’s an infinity-edge pool, parking for nine cars, and a 2,000-square-foot “secluded wellness center.”
After the extensive renovations, the home re-emerged on the market in May 2016 with a list price of $16.9 million. A couple of price cuts and six months later, the former Menudo frontman scored himself a 90210 deal.
Martin’s new neighbors include A-listers Sandra Bullock, James Murdoch (younger son of media mogul Rupert), and Dr. Phil, Yolanda says. The singer, 44, is best known for his inescapable hits “Livin’ la Vida Loca” and “She Bangs.”
Backyardrealtor.com
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The 5 Real Estate Trends That Will Shape 2017
We won’t pretend to know everything that 2017 will bring—heck, 2016 sure surprised us—but we’re pretty certain there will be changes. A lot of them. And while the surprise triumph of Donald Trump in the presidential election won’t alter the fundamentals shaping the 2017 real estate market, its impact is already being felt.
We’ve seen interest rates jump since the election, a movement that’s likely to affect the youngest generation of home buyers.
Just like last year, realtor.com®‘s economic data team analyzed our market data and economic indicators to come up with a picture of the key housing trends for 2017. As we prepare to bid farewell to 2016, it looks like we’ll be saying goodbye to the last of the record-low interest rates of the past few years, too. Interest rates have shot up 40 basis points, or 0.4 percentage points, since Trump’s election.
And that’s significant, especially for first-time home buyers, including many millennials.
“With more than 95% of first-time home buyers dependent on financing their home purchase, and a majority of first-time buyers reporting one or more financial challenges, the uptick we’ve already seen may price some first-timers out of the market,” says Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke, who worked on the realtor.com 2017 housing forecast.
According to the forecast, the 2017 national real estate market is predicted to slow compared with the past two years, across the majority of economic indicators studied. But maybe “slowdown” isn’t quite the right description.
“I would characterize our 2017 forecast as a moderation, as opposed to a slowdown,” says Smoke. “The pace of growth is still strong and, for pricing, still represents an above-average level of appreciation.”
Smoke says we’re mostly reverting to normal prices, after years of appreciation as the housing market recovered from its 2008 crash.
Recovery is good, but the flip side is that pricing is tougher for consumers, Smoke points out.
“Throw in higher mortgage rates, and it becomes more challenging to be able to afford homes compared to what it was over the course of this recovery,” he says.
Here are some of the key predictions for 2017:
1. Millennials and boomers will move marketsIn 2017, the U.S. real estate market will be in the middle of two massive demographic waves that will power demand for at least the next 10 years.
Millennials and baby boomers, the two largest American generations in history, are both approaching life stages that typically motivate people to buy a home: marriage, having children, retirement, and becoming empty nesters.
Smoke predicts that millennials will make up 33% of buyers in 2017, lower than his original estimate due to those increasing interest rates.
2. Millennials will look to the MidwestWhile the financial picture may look grim for our youngest home buyers, the Midwest, with its affordable cities, still looks good. We believe Midwestern cities will continue to beat the national average in terms of its proportion of millennial home buyers in 2017. Leading the pack are Madison, WI; Columbus, OH; Omaha, NE; Des Moines, IA; and Minneapolis.
“It’s easier for millennials to buy in more affordable markets like in the Midwest,” Smoke says. “We’re also seeing large numbers of millennials buying in Midwestern markets with or near big universities. So part of this is an effect of recent graduates with good jobs being able to settle down in these more affordable markets.”
3. Price appreciation will slow downNationally, home prices are forecast to slow to 3.9% growth year over year, from an estimated 4.9% in 2016.
“Prices are still likely to go up at an above-average pace as long as supply remains so tight,” Smoke says. “The inventory problem is not going away.”
Of the top 100 largest metros in the country, 26 markets are expected to see price acceleration of 1 percentage point or more, with Greensboro, NC; Akron, OH; and Baltimore experiencing the largest gains. Likewise, 46 markets are expected to see a slowdown in price growth of 1 percentage point or more, with Lakeland, FL; Durham, NC; and Jackson, MS, undergoing the biggest downshift.
4. Fewer homes, fast-moving marketsThe inventory of homes available for sale is currently down an average of 11% year over year in the top 100 U.S. metropolitan markets—and the conditions limiting home supply are not expected to change in 2017. The median age of inventory, or the time it takes a home to sell, is currently 68 days in the top 100 metros, which is 14%, or 11 days, faster than the national average.
5. The West will lead the wayWe’re expecting metropolitan markets in the West will see a price increase of 5.8% and sales increase of 4.7%, much higher than the U.S. overall. These markets also dominate the ranking of the realtor.com 2017 top housing markets (more on that tomorrow), making up five of the top 10 markets on the list: Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Riverside in California; Tucson, AZ; and Portland, OR.
The post The 5 Real Estate Trends That Will Shape 2017 appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.
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Raleigh, Durham to rank among top markets for housing growth in 2017, says report
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Housing forecast for 2017: Orlando among fastest-growing metros
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Housing forecast for 2017: South Florida predicted to be among slowest metros
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Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Santa baby, hurry down the chimney with this millionaire's mansion on Lake Travis
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Home resale price gains hold steady in metro Denver; national prices reach new high
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Celebrity Chef Cat Cora Hopes to Cook Up a Sale in Santa Barbara
Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Cat Cora
When you hear a home is outfitted with a chef’s kitchen, you figure you’ll see a prep space worth drooling over. But in the case of this home now on the market, the chef’s kitchen has a more literal meaning.
A modest ranch house in Santa Barbara, CA, belonging to celebrity chef Cat Cora is up for sale. Listed for $1,259,000, the home features a chef’s kitchen with true culinary mojo. The cooking vibes Cora is leaving behind could be the cherry on top of a sweet sale.
The three-bedroom, two-bath, 1,565-square-foot house was built in 1958, but has since been updated. Walls have been eliminated, and the kitchen was expanded. The cooking area is now the center of an open floor plan. And you shouldn’t be shocked to find the kitchen has professional-grade appliances.
A true “chef’s kitchen”realtor.com
Beyond the kitchen, the small home is in “need of some TLC,” according to the listing. Because this property sits on prime Santa Barbara real estate. You can “enjoy the quaint original size or expand out or up to maximize the wonderful ocean and island view potential,” notes listing agent Toni Mochi of George Logan Properties.
Exterior of the ranch houserealtor.com
Children’s roomrealtor.com
Another room for the kidsrealtor.com
Not only does the home have an ocean view, it’s also a short walk to Santa Barbara’s Thousand Steps beach, parks, shops, restaurants, and highly rated Washington Elementary School, which was no doubt a big deal for Cora and her four young sons.
Cora split from her wife, Jennifer Cora, late last year and has been busy expanding her culinary empire. The first female Iron Chef is the former host of Bravo’s “Around the World in 80 Plates,” and the current host of the upcoming Fox reality show, “My Kitchen Rules,” based on an Australian show of the same name.
She’s the founder of Chefs for Humanity, a grass-roots organization that mobilizes chefs to lend their skills to communities in need. In addition, she oversees two food lines, a cookware line, a shoe line, and restaurants.
Living roomrealtor.com
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These Meck County home sales ranked as most expensive in October (PHOTOS)
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We’ve Wrapped Up Fresh Homes in the 10 Hottest Housing Markets
realtor.com
As we wrap up a notable November and get ready to put a bow on 2016, the housing market shows no signs of post-Thanksgiving fatigue. The median list price of $250,000 hasn’t wavered despite an anticipated seasonal slowdown thanks to the holidays.
Inventory is down compared with last year, but demand for homes remains high—which means we’ve seen prices stay steady. As Javier Vivas, manager of economic research for realtor.com®, said, “waves of buyers intent on entering the market” are still on the hunt for homes.
And if you’re on the prowl in the hottest markets in the country, the hunt can be a true challenge. Our top 10 cities are familiar faces, with half of the metros in the Golden State.
To give buyers a sense of what to expect in these blazing hot locales, we’ve picked a nice home in each of the markets. And we even found a few bargains!
1. San Francisco, CA 319 Kensington WayPrice: $1,475,000
Hot note: “Offers period details, hardwood floors, bright living space, and amazing Pacific Ocean views.”
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2. Dallas, TX 16817 Rustic Meadows DrPrice: $390,000
Hot note: “Gorgeous new flooring throughout, decorator colors, completely new bathrooms, all new windows and a private patio.”
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3. Vallejo, CA 315 Ohio StPrice: $499,000
Hot note: “Upgraded kitchen boasts refinished counters and stained glass cabinets with 1920s Wedgewood stove.”
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4. Denver, CO 2607 S Gilpin StPrice: $899,500
Hot note: “This open, spacious and bright home is what you have been looking for.”
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5. San Jose, CA 921 Dry Creek RdPrice: $3,995,000
Hot note: “Selected Home of the Year in 2004 by Architecture + Builder magazine.”
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6. San Diego, CA 4246 Trias StPrice: $1,586,000
Hot note: “An incredible drought tolerant front and side garden that has been awarded the Mission Hills Garden Club’s ‘Green Thumb Award.'”
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7. Stockton, CA 3313 Amberfield CirPrice: $319,500
Hot note: “Everything has been redone, from the exterior elastomeric paint to the interior upgrades in kitchen and all bathrooms.”
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8. Fort Wayne, IN 3914 Hiawatha BlvdPrice: $89,900
Hot note: “You will find this Cape Cod on a lovely tree-lined boulevard in popular Indian Village.”
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9. Columbus, OH 755 Dennison AvePrice: $1,595,000
Hot note: “The ‘Circus House’ has been exquisitely renovated by interior designer/owner Fritz Harding with an incredible attention to detail.”
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10. Detroit, MI 849 Edison StPrice: $195,000
Hot note: “Live within a short drive of the action in New Center, Midtown and downtown.”
realtor.com
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Monday, November 28, 2016
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NYC Apartments Experiencing the ‘Fastest Market Adjustment Ever’
Luke Abrahams/iStock
Holiday specials aren’t limited to flat-screen TVs.
The overpriced Manhattan real-estate scene has left some homes lingering on the market for more than four years, prompting huge price cuts that make them ripe for the picking, according to experts and stats compiled for The Post.
“Historically, we are now in the midst of the fastest market adjustment ever,” said Leonard Steinberg, president of the city real-estate giant Compass.
The prices of some high-end homes have been slashed nearly in half since hitting the market.
A penthouse duplex at 165 Perry St. in the West Village, where actor Robert De Niro once lived, has taken the biggest hit, with its asking price dropping 49.8 percent, from $39.8 million more than a year and a half ago to its current $19.8 million.
“The natural forces of markets have kicked in on their own,” Steinberg said.
There also have been extreme price drops in the much more affordable range, according to statistics compiled for The Post by real-estate Web site StreetEasy.
A one-bedroom, one-bath, 700-square-foot unit at The Beekman, a prewar co-op at 575 Park Ave., has been on and off the market since 2013 and was listed for $500,000 last year. This month, it was slashed by 40 percent, to $300,000.
Experts insisted the deep price cuts don’t mean that the units have problems.
“Sometimes, sellers shoot for the highest price points in a market without really knowing what the real transaction value for their property is,” said broker Michael Bolla of Luxury Lofts and Homes International.
This month, a buyer got a seemingly incredible deal when a Village town house sold for $6.8 million, even though it was listed for $13 million just last year.
But “the house was totally overpriced starting out,” noted Steinberg, who was the listing broker when it sold.
When a property stays on the market for a while, sellers just want to “cash out,’’ leading to the sudden price drops, experts said.
An apartment at the Village’s 150 Charles St., where rocker Jon Bon Jovi and actor Ben Stiller live, has been on the market the longest — 1,355 days, according to Streeteasy. Its original $8.99 million asking price is now down to $7.95 million.
“Someone’s loss is another’s gain,’’ said Paula Del Nunzio, a top luxury broker with Brown Harris Stevens.
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Wakefield Reutlinger has a new GM — and it is a familiar face
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Wakefield Reutlinger has a new GM — and it is a familiar face
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Friday, November 25, 2016
When Your Home Is a Castle (and a Tourist Destination)
Dylan Thomas for the Wall Street Journal
Charlie Courtenay’s home has been besieged twice in its 600-year history, first by another branch of the family in the medieval era, then by Parliamentarians during the English Civil War. Today, the armies who storm Powderham Castle in southwest England may consist of tourists, but it still pays to have a battle plan.
Like the homes of many aristocratic British families that have been passed down from generation to generation, Powderham Castle long ago opened its doors to the public to help pay its bills. These days, over 100,000 people come to Powderham’s 3,500-acre estate annually, spending anywhere from $8 to $14 each to attend events or for regular castle tours, estimates the corporate lawyer at Latham & Watkins in London, who is also the 19th Earl of Devon. The family also operates about a dozen businesses on the estate, including a country store and a “deer safari” for tourists seeking to snap photos of the wildlife on the grounds.
Living private lives in a public space is something of a perpetual balancing act for the earl, 41, his wife, 42-year-old actress A.J. Langer of “My So Called Life” fame, and their children, Joscelyn, 9, and Jack, 7. Still, the earl says the sacrifices are worth it. Powderham’s “purpose since the 1300s has been to be a family home,” he says.
Estimates of the number of castles and historic homes in the U.K. vary. Over 1,640 historic homes, castles and gardens are represented by the Historic Houses Association, a U.K. lobbying group. Around 500 of these properties are open to visitors, and attract about 24 million visitors a year, according to the association.
While many house hunters and tourists might, like Elizabeth Bennet at Pemberley, find their spirits “in a high flutter” at the sight of such grand properties, the reality can often sink those of an owner. The country’s steep inheritance tax, which hovers at around 40% at the higher end, has led many families over the decades to open up their homes to visitors as part of a deal with the government to defer inheritance liabilities.
Other families run their homes as businesses to defray maintenance and repair costs, says Ben Cowell, director general of the Historic Houses Association. “Often the family is relegated to an apartment in some other bit of the building,” he says.
Until two years ago, the earl was in Topanga Canyon, Calif., where he and his family they lived a fairly “normal” existence. His desire to be closer to his aging parents was one motivation for his family’s move to the U.K.Ben Mostyn for the Wall Street Journal
The Earl of Devon says his family began paying the inheritance tax in the 1930s, and his father reluctantly opened up the house to tourists in the 1950s to defray expenses. The earl’s grandparents lived at the castle when he was a child, and he moved in as a teenager. “As a kid, it was quite an intimidating, fascinating place,” he says.
In 2008, the castle lost its wedding license after the earl’s father refused to permit a same-sex wedding on the property. The castle has since regained its civil-ceremony license. The current Earl of Devon extols the openness of the venue to same-sex couples, and tours highlight the role a gay family member played in the estate’s history.
More recently, the earl was in Topanga Canyon, Calif., where he says his family lived a fairly “normal” existence. Two years ago they moved to the U.K., first to London and then a year later to the castle, in part to be closer to his aging parents. The earl’s father died, and as inheritance of titles is patrilineal his son inherited the title.
The estate, however, is currently in probate, and the earl and his wife are managing the property as the executors complete the probate and determine how to proceed.
About half of their roughly 100-room home is open for public viewing Sundays to Fridays, from Easter to Halloween. The Courtenays occupy eight rooms, between the medieval kitchen and great hall. Ropes and doors set off the family’s living area, which the earl says is a “decent size for a family of four.”
Despite the large number of tourists who flock to his home, the earl says the sacrifices are worth it. Powderham’s “purpose since the 1300s has been to be a family home,” he says.Ben Mostyn for the Wall Street Journal
Sometimes, visitors to the estate get lost and stumble into the family’s private rooms. The earl says that early on in their time at the castle, his very friendly son would ask visiting children to come in and look at his bedroom. As a parent, he says, he needs to be vigilant that his children are protected and that they have their privacy. “You don’t get much outside space that is private,” he adds.
When the guests have gone, though, the family regains the public portions of the house. This year, for instance, they plan to have their Thanksgiving dinner—his wife and the children are Americans—in the wood-paneled State Dining Room. Children’s birthday parties often involve treasure hunts around the castle, through its many secret doors.
Festive as castle living may be, it isn’t cheap. In previous decades, the castle and estate were not profitable, and the Earl of Devon says his father had to sell “considerable” contents of the castle—including millions of dollars’ worth of furniture, art and even a historical manuscript by Marco Polo—over the years to make up for the shortfall.
The earl says the castle and estate cost over $1.2 million to operate annually, and the place is “rarely profitable,” with any surplus revenue reinvested back into the estate. One recent outlay involved a cracked incinerator tower, which the earl says provides no real modern function, is essentially a “Victorian trash chute,” and was necessary to repair. The bill: over $120,000.
Hodsock Priory, near Worksop in Nottinghamshire, has existed for centuries and has been in the Buchanan family for decades. Mr. Buchanan’s father inherited the property and began living there in 1966. A section of the 11,000-square-foot home was converted into an events venue in 2006, and a pavilion added in 2007 serves as a function room for events, including a recent yoga retreat.
Hodsock Priory, near Worksop in Nottinghamshire, has hosted around 500 weddings since a section of the 11,000-square-foot home was converted into an events venue in 2006.Vanessa Berberian for the Wall Street Journal
The business brings in about $612,000 a year, giving the family a small profit. They are looking into other ways to raise revenue, such as concerts or theater events—taking advantage of George Buchanan’s former career as a manager of rock venues in London.
The main inconvenience that Mr. Buchanan, 41, has experienced since starting the business is an olfactory one.
“It is the after-shave smell, and the smell of gravy on a Saturday afternoon, that is the only invasion of privacy,” he says.
Mr. Buchanan’s wife, Kat, says her secret to survival involves “mobile phones and patience.” The grounds are so large that phones cut down on the time the family needs to spend searching for one another.
The couple’s two boys and two girls—now ranging in age from 6 to 11—love playing “Harry Potter” in the home’s grand rooms, she says, but sometimes they get lost.
Highclere Castle, one of the most famous historic homes thanks largely to its real estate role in the hugely popular ITV series “Downton Abbey,” is inhabited from time to time by George Herbert, the eighth Earl of Carnarvon. The earl says Highclere is doing well: Annual revenue comes to “a few million dollars,” and the business is profitable.
Set in northern England, 181-room Harewood House has been used as a set—most recently for the hit ITV series “Victoria.” The estate is also home to Emmerdale Village, a set built in a field for the ITV soap opera Emmerdale.
David Lascelles, the eighth Earl of Harewood, doesn’t currently live in Harewood House. In a somewhat complex arrangement, his estate leases the house to a trust that is set up to maintain and develop Harewood, its collections and grounds, for the public benefit.
So the great-grandson of George V instead lives in a four-bedroom home on the 4,500-acre estate. And whenever the 66-year-old earl wants to use Harewood House for a personal event, he must book and—if it is available—pay rent for the space, just like any other guest.
“Real life in country houses isn’t like ‘Downton Abbey,’” the earl says. “It is very different in the 21st century.”
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