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February 2015 Nassau County Real Estate News - Peter Owen

1/25/2015

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Long Island Real Estate

Nassau County, NY Homes

Garden City, Floral Park, West Hempstead, Franklin Square, Mineola, Stewart Manor

Peter Owen

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

  The Donnelly Group

730 Franklin Ave, Garden City, NY 11530

(516)317-2860

Email:  petero@TheDonnellyGroup.com

                                                                                                                                     February, 2015

Hi Everyone

Market activity continues to be high. Last week the Open Houses were quite full, even though it rained continuously. The interesting thing is that prices have been rising gradually - there have not been any jumps nor are any expected. I see an orderly market this year, though still very active. This bodes well for both buyers and sellers as they can plan their finances and expectations well in this type of market. This has especially been true for Floral Park, Garden City, Malverne, Roslyn, Roslyn Heights, West Hempstead and Stewart Manor.

Have you noticed it is already starting to stay light until roughly 5:15pm. Spring will eventually come. Stay warm.

Call me if you need assistance in any Real Estate transaction or if you have any questions.

Peter Owen

 

New Appliances Coming that Link Your Home to Internet

Get a good look at the smart-home tools making waves at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

    

Washer, dryer, and water heater, get ready to meet smartphone, tablet, and app.

Hooking up time-honored home equipment to the Internet is the latest trend being touted by some of the biggest names in the appliance industry at this year's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

This spring, Whirlpool Corp. will roll out Wi-Fi-equipped laundry machines that can download custom cycles, alert you if a load is unbalanced, and spot mechanical problems before they get out of hand. The new appliances, on display at Whirlpool's CES booth, communicate wirelessly with a dedicated app that will also let you start them remotely, offer instructional YouTube videos, and even make a charitable donation when you begin a new load.

The new appliances represent "a really exciting opportunity for Whirlpool … to do what we do best, which is helping families care for one another," said Ben Artis, senior category manager of connected homes for Whirlpool. "You can empower the appliances to offer new benefits that weren't possible before."

Whirlpool plans eventually to expand the app-based technology to other categories of appliances, such as ranges, ovens, and refrigerators. The company's booth at CES features an exhibit that displays its vision for the kitchen of the future, a concept that closely integrates appliance operation with the cooking requirements of specific recipes.

Another appliance maker exhibiting at CES, Robert Bosch GmbH, is also close to bringing wireless connectivity to its products. The German company has developed an app, dubbed Home Connect, that will control and monitor devices such as water heaters, thermostats, and refrigerators. It will be released in Europe later this year. Bosch expects to introduce the technology in the United States as well, but hasn't said when.

The drive toward linking devices to one another — an accelerating trend known as the Internet of Things — is spawning innovation across the electronics industry and playing a prominent role at CES.

In a packed keynote address at the start of the show, Boo-Keun Yoon, president and CEO of Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., declared that 2015 will be the year when many of the futuristic promises companies have made about getting devices to work together will finally become real.

"These are not pipe dreams anymore," Yoon said, adding that by 2017, 90 percent of the products Samsung produces — including TVs, mobile phones, and home appliances — will be linked to the Internet of Things, or IoT.

Yoon also said companies must take steps to ensure that the IoT-based products they manufacture adhere to open standards, so equipment from one company is able to work with software and hardware from another.

Yoon was joined onstage by other leaders of the IoT movement who laid out their vision for a world where machines go beyond communicating with each other to responding to — and even anticipating — people's needs. For example, working in tandem, a user's smartphone, heating system, and other Internet-linked equipment could learn when that person tends to go to sleep and under what conditions. Then it can adjust the temperature of the user's bedroom to promote a good night's sleep.

Many companies exhibiting at CES are developing products that aim to take advantage of the ability of individual devices to communicate.

Engineers at Baintex, a startup based in Valencia, Spain, showed off its unreleased mobile app and an array of related devices that control and monitor a host of home functions. The Sentio system's capabilities include remotely turning lights on and off; opening, closing, and securing doors; and tracking how much energy is being consumed in various parts of a home, said Alberto Sendra, lead mobile applications engineer for the company.

Meanwhile, California-based Savant unveiled an app by the same name that aims to enable disparate connected-home systems to communicate with one another as well as with the company's own hardware for linking entertainment, climate control, lighting, and security devices.

House Prices Per Square Foot of Living Space in the Various Towns 

Garden City





 

Floral Park





Malverne





Roslyn Heights





 


If you would like a free Comparative Listing Report to see what price you  can expect in this market, just call or email me. Absolutely no  obligation or pressure.

Peter Owen

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

The Donnelly Group

730 Franklin Ave, Garden City, NY 11530

(516)317-2860

Email:  petero@TheDonnellyGroup.com

Website: http://www.nassaucountynyhomes.com/



 

Peter Owen is one of the  Best, top, most trusted and dedicated agent covering Garden City, Stewart Manor

, Floral Park, Malverne, Lynbrook, Roslyn Estates, and Roslyn Heights displaying a high degree of integrity, service 24/7, professional attitude and actions.








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Latest Zillow Review of Garden City Real Estate Agent Peter Owen

1/21/2015

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http://www.zillow.com/profile/Peter-Owen/Reviews/?review=1155844

Highly likely to recommend

 01/17/2015 - scottcastellanoSold a home in 2014.
  • Local knowledge:
  • Process expertise:
  • Responsiveness:
  • Negotiation skills:
Peter did a masterful job of recommending the staging of the apartment for sale. He was right on target with his knowledge of the marketplace. He knew the price point that would work. He was extremely informative, responsive, courteous and willing to help in whatever way to assist in the sale process. He guided us throughout the process.

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Latest Trulia review of Garden City Real Estate Agent Peter Owen

1/21/2015

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Here is the latest review by a client of Peter Owen's services in Real Estate.

http://www.trulia.com/myprofile/reviews

 If you would like a free Comparative Listing Report to see what price you  can expect in this market, just call or email me. Absolutely no  obligation or pressure. I am one of the Peter Owen Licensed Real Estate Salesperson The Donnelly Group 730 Franklin Ave, Garden City, NY 11530 (516)317-2860Email:  petero@TheDonnellyGroup.comWebsite: http://www.nassaucountynyhomes.com/
Best, top, most trusted and dedicated agent covering Garden City, Stewart Manor, Floral Park, Malverne, Lynbrook, Roslyn Estates, and Roslyn Heights displaying a high degree of integrity, service 24/7, professional attitude and actions.
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January 2015 Mid Month  Real Estate News - Peter Owen

1/11/2015

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Long Island Real Estate

Nassau County, NY Homes

Garden City, Floral Park, West Hempstead, Franklin Square, Mineola, Stewart Manor

Peter Owen

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

The Donnelly Group

730 Franklin Ave, Garden City, NY 11530

(516)317-2860

Email: petero@TheDonnellyGroup.com

Hi Everyone

As I have been saying for several months, this market just won't quit. The market took a breather for about a week over the holidays, but got very active again starting January 5th. The open houses are already getting crowded. It would appear that again this year the Spring Season is going to strart in February, which means the prime selling season will be over by March. Crazy business to be in, but I love it.

Please don't wait until March or April to list your house since the busy season is going to be over by then as it has been the past 2 years. You will only go yourself a disservice.

Visit my new Website - http://www.nassaucountynyhomes.com/

Stay Warm!

Peter Owen



21 Hot Housing Trends for 2015Everyone wants to be hip, and the latest trends in design can help distinguish one home from another. And it’s not all flash; many new home fads are geared to pare maintenance and energy use and deliver information faster. Here’s a look at what’s coming.

December 2014 | By Barbara Ballinger



This time of the year, we hear from just about every sector of the economy what’s expected to be popular in the coming year. Foodies with their fingers on the pulse of the restaurant industry and hot TV chefs will tell us to say goodbye to beet-and-goat cheese salad and hello roasted cauliflower, and there’s no end to the gadgets touted as the next big thing.

In real estate, however, trends typically come slowly, often well after they appear in commercial spaces and fashion. And though they may entice buyers and sellers, remind them that trends are just that—a change in direction that may captivate, go mainstream, then disappear (though some will gain momentum and remain as classics). Which way they’ll go is hard to predict, but here are 21 trends that experts expect to draw great appeal this year:

  1. Coral shades. A blast of a new color is often the easiest change for sellers to make, offering the biggest bang for their buck. Sherwin-Williams says Coral Reef (#6606) is 2015’s color of the year because it reflects the country’s optimism about the future. “We have a brighter outlook now that we’re out of the recession. But this isn’t a bravado color; it’s more youthful, yet still sophisticated,” says Jackie Jordan, the company’s director of color marketing. She suggests using it outside or on an accent wall. Pair it with crisp white, gray, or similar saturations of lilac, green, and violet.
  2. Open spaces go mainstream. An open floor plan may feel like old hat, but it’s becoming a wish beyond the young hipster demographic, so you’ll increasingly see this layout in traditional condo buildings and single-family suburban homes in 2015. The reason? After the kitchen became the home’s hub, the next step was to remove all walls for greater togetherness. Design experts at Nurzia Construction Corp. recommend going a step further and adding windows to better meld indoors and outdoors.
  3. Off-the-shelf plans. Buyers who don’t want to spend time or money for a custom house have another option. House plan companies offer myriad blueprints to modify for site, code, budget, and climate conditions, says James Roche, whose Houseplans.com firm has 40,000 choices. There are lots of companies to consider, but the best bets are ones that are updating layouts for today’s wish lists—open-plan living, multiple master suites, greater energy efficiency, and smaller footprints for downsizers (in fact, Roche says, their plans’ average now is 2,300 square feet, versus 3,500 a few years ago). Many builders will accept these outsiders’ plans, though they may charge to adapt them.
  4. Freestanding tubs. Freestanding tubs may conjure images of Victorian-era opulence, but the newest iteration from companies like Kohler shows a cool sculptural hand. One caveat: Some may find it hard to climb in and out. These tubs complement other bathroom trends: open wall niches and single wash basins, since two people rarely use the room simultaneously.
  5. Quartzite. While granite still appeals, quartzite is becoming the new hot contender, thanks to its reputation as a natural stone that’s virtually indestructible. It also more closely resembles the most luxe classic—marble—without the drawbacks of staining easily. Quartzite is moving ahead of last year’s favorite, quartz, which is also tough but is manmade.
  6. Porcelain floors. If you’re going to go with imitation wood, porcelain will be your 2015 go-to. It’s less expensive and wears as well as or better than the real thing, says architect Stephen Alton. Porcelain can be found in traditional small tiles or long, linear planks. It’s also available in numerous colors and textures, including popular one-color combos with slight variations for a hint of differentiation. Good places to use this material are high-traffic rooms, hallways, and areas exposed to moisture.
  7. Almost Jetson-ready. Prices have come down for technologies such as web-controlled security cameras and motion sensors for pets. Newer models are also easier to install and operate since many are powered by batteries, rather than requiring an electrician to rewire an entire house,says Bob Cooper at Zonoff, which offers a software platform that allows multiple smart devices to communicate with each other. “You no longer have to worry about different standards,” Cooper says.
  8. Charging stations. With the size of electronic devices shrinking and the proliferation of Wi-Fi, demand for large desks and separate home office is waning. However, home owners still need a dedicated space for charging devices, and the most popular locations are a corner of a kitchen, entrance from the garage, and the mud room. In some two-story Lexington Homes plans, a niche is set aside on a landing everyone passes by daily.
  9. Multiple master suites. Having two master bedroom suites, each with its own adjoining bathroom, makes a house work better for multiple generations. Such an arrangement allows grown children and aging parents to move in for long- or short-term stays, but the arrangement also welcomes out-of-town guests, according to Nurzia Construction. When both suites are located on the main level, you hit the jackpot.
  10. Fireplaces and fire pits. The sight of a flame—real or faux—has universal appeal as a signal of warmth, romance, and togetherness. New versions on the market make this amenity more accessible with more compact design and fewer venting concerns. This year, be on the lookout for the latest iteration on this classic: chic, modern takes on the humble wood stove.
  11. Wellness systems. Builders are now addressing environmental and health concerns with holistic solutions, such as heat recovery ventilation systems that filter air continuously and use little energy, says real estate developer Gregory Malin of Troon Pacific. Other new ways to improve healthfulness include lighting systems that utilize sunshine, swimming pools that eschew chlorine and salt by featuring a second adjacent pool with plants and gravel that cleanse water, and edible gardens starring ingredients such as curly blue kale.
  12. Storage. The new buzzword is “specialized storage,” placed right where it’s needed. “Home owners want everything to have its place,” says designer Jennifer Adams. More home owners are increasingly willing to pare the dimensions of a second or third bedroom in order to gain a suitably sized walk-in closet in their master bedroom, Alton says. In a kitchen, it may mean a “super pantry”—a butler’s pantry on steroids with prep space, open storage, secondary appliances, and even a room for wrapping gifts. “It minimizes clutter in the main kitchen,” says architect Fred Wilson of Morgante-Wilson.
  13. Grander garages. According to Troon Pacific, the new trends here include bringing the driveway’s material into the garage, temperature controls, sleek glass doors, specialized zones for home audiovisual controls, and a big sink or tub to wash pets. For home owners with deeper pockets, car lifts have gone residential so extra autos don’t have to be parked outside.
  14. Keyless entry. Forget your key (again)? No big deal as builders start to switch to biometric fingerprint door locks with numerical algorithms entered in a database. Some systems permit home owners to track who entered and when, says Malin of Troon Pacific.
  15. Water conservation. The concerns of drought-ravaged California are spreading nationwide. Home owners can now purchase rainwater harvesting tanks and cisterns, graywater systems, weather-controlled watering stations, permeable pavers, drought-tolerant plants, and no- or low-mow grasses.
  16. Salon-style walls. Instead of displaying a few distinct pieces on a wall, the “salon style” trend features works from floor to ceiling and wall-to-wall. Think Parisian salon at the turn of the century. HGTV designer Taniya Nayak suggests using a common denominator for cohesiveness, such as the same mat, frame color, or subject matter. Before she hangs works, she spaces them four to five inches apart, starting at the center and at eye level and working outward, then up and down. She uses Frog Tape to test the layout since it doesn’t take paint off walls. Artist Francine Turk also installs works this way, but prefers testing the design on the floor like a big jigsaw puzzle.
  17. Cool copper. First came pewter; then brass made a comeback. The 2015 “it” metal is copper, which can exude industrial warmth in large swaths or judiciously in a few backsplash tiles, hanging fixture, or pots dangling from a rack. The appeal comes from the popularity of industrial chic, which Restoration Hardware’s iconic style has helped promote, says designer Tom Segal.
  18. Return to human scale. During the McMansion craze, kitchens got so big they almost required skates to get around. This year we’ll see a return to a more human, comfortable scale, says Mark Cutler, chief designer of design platform nousDecor. In many living or family rooms that will mean just enough space for one conversation grouping, and in kitchens one set of appliances, fewer countertops, and smaller islands.
  19. Luxury 2.0. Getting the right amount of sleep can improve alertness, mood, and productivity, according to the National Sleep Foundation. With trendsetters such as Arianna Huffington touting the importance of sleep, there’s no doubt this particular health concern will go mainstream this year. And there’s no space better to indulge the desire for quality rest than in a bedroom, says designer Jennifer Adams. “Everyone is realizing the importance of comfort, quality sleep, and taking care of yourself,” she says. To help, Adams suggests stocking up on luxury bedding, a new mattress, comfortable pillows, and calming scents.
  20. Shades of white kitchens. Despite all the variations in colors and textures for kitchen counters, backsplashes, cabinets, and flooring, the all-white kitchen still gets the brass ring. “Seven out of 10 of our kitchens have some form of white painted cabinetry,” says builder Peter Radzwillas. What’s different now is that all-white does not mean the same white, since variations add depth and visual appeal. White can go from stark white to creamy and beyond to pale blue-gray, says Radzwillas. He also notes that when cabinets are white, home owners can choose bigger, bolder hardware.
  21. Outdoor living. Interest in spending time outdoors keeps mushrooming, and 2015 will hold a few new options for enhancing the space, including outdoor showers adjacent to pools and hot tubs along with better-equipped roof decks for urban dwellers. Also expect to see improvements in perks for pets, such as private dog runs and wash stations, says landscape architect Jean Garbarini of Damon Farber Associates.
While all of these items refer to almost all houses and towns, they are especially applicable to towns such as Garden City, NY, Malverne, Floral Park, West Hempstead all on Long Island in Nassau County.

While it’s fun to be au courant with the latest trends, it’s also wise to put what’s newest in perspective for your clients. Remind them that the ultimate decision to update should hinge on their needs and budgets, not stargazers’ tempting predictions

Garden City



Franklin Square



Floral Park



Malverne



If you would like a free Comparative Listing Report to see what price you can expect in this market, just call or email me. Absolutely no obligation or pressure. I am one of the



Peter Owen

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

The Donnelly Group

730 Franklin Ave, Garden City, NY 11530

(516)317-2860

Email: petero@TheDonnellyGroup.com

Website: http://www.nassaucountynyhomes.com/

Best, top, most trusted and dedicated agent covering Garden City, Stewart Manor, Floral Park, Malverne, Lynbrook, Roslyn Estates, and Roslyn Heights displaying a high degree of integrity, service 24/7, professional attitude and actions.

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January 04th, 2015

1/4/2015

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What Garden City, NY Real Estate Trends to Expect in 2015

Experts predict investors will exit the market, clearing the way for traditional buyers and millennials. Many millennials have held off on buying a home, but experts expect that to change in 2015.

As Garden City, NY housing continues to recover, prices in many markets across the U.S. have shot up. In fact, RealtyTrac reported that the median sale price of U.S. single-family homes and condos in October had reached its highest level since September 2008. Price appreciation and the lure of foreclosures created a feeding frenzy for real estate investors willing to pay cash and made it harder for traditional buyers to compete.

But experts say that 2015 will be marked by a return to normalcy and balance for real estate markets across the country and in Garden City, NY. Stan Humphries, chief economist for Zillow.com, predicts that home value growth will slow to around 3 percent per year instead of the 6 percent seen recently, and that will make real estate less attractive to many investors. “It's been a tough market for buyers," he says. "I think it's going to get easier in 2015. Negotiating power will move back to buyers and away from sellers. It will be a much more balanced market." (Too many buyers and too little inventory, or the opposite, contribute to an unbalanced market.)

Redfin.com's chief economist Nela Richardson agrees. "It's been a clear pattern that the investor activity has been shrinking over time," she says. "Investors like to go in where they can buy low and sell high. Price growth is starting to slow dramatically, so they can't sell much higher than what they buy. Investment property is less compelling in 2014 going into 2015."

More inventory and less competition from investors means even traditional buyers are becoming “more picky, and they're willing to let a home go if they don't think it's a good fit for them," Richardson adds. "Buyers are less worried that they'll miss out on something. Houses are more like buses now. If you miss one, another one will come along." Whereas buyers might waive contingencies in the recent past to make their offer more attractive to sellers, they're now more likely to insist on contingencies for financing and inspections.

That said, foreign investors may still find high-end American real estate appealing because of economic turbulence in their home countries. For instance, the U.K. is toying with a so-called "mansion tax" that would apply to those who own properties worth more than 2 million British pounds (or over $3 million), and China has placed restrictions on homebuying in large cities. Some foreign investors also worry about currency fluctuations devaluing money they hold in their home countries. "That section of the market is still all cash – people buying up these huge places because it's safer here than in their own countries," says Herman Chan, real estate broker with Bay Sotheby's International Realty in San Francisco.

Garden City Buyers from outside the U.S. may use their properties as a rental, a pied-à-terre (a secondary residence used for travel) or a residence for children studying at American colleges. But for buyers looking for more moderately priced homes, 2015 could offer a respite from bidding wars and all-cash offers. "People who've been on the fence about selling are finally going to pull the trigger, which is great for buyers [because it creates more inventory]," Chan says. "Now people with regular jobs and 20 percent down finally have a chance to get into the market."

For years, many millennials have postponed homeownership in favor of renting, but that may also change next year as a growing number of Gen Yers start families and seek more stability. "By the end of 2015, millennial buyers will represent the largest group of homebuyers, taking over from Generation X," Humphries says. "They prefer smaller units closer to the urban core, so it will be interesting to see whether they follow the time-honored path towards the periphery of the metro."

Baby boomers are also likely to make a move in 2015. Chan says he's "gotten so many calls from baby boomers recently saying, 'We’re downsizing, and we're moving to be closer to our grandkids or our son or daughter.'" With fewer homes underwater, they're finally in a position to sell.

While mortgage rates may not remain at the historic lows seen recently, more people may qualify for home loans as issues like foreclosures or short sales age out of their credit reports and Freddy Mac and Fannie Mae ease mortgage eligibility. Freddy and Fannie recently announced a new mortgage program for buyers with a down payment as low as 3 percent. "Freddy and Fannie have always been the industry leaders, and they're saying, 'It's OK to lend to people who don't have 5 percent down. It's OK to extend credit in a reasonable and safe manner," Richardson says.

Peter Owen is the Top, best, Dedicated and trusted real estate agent focusing on Garden City, Floral Park, Stewart Manor, Lynbrook, Malverne, Mineola, Roslyn Heights, New Hyde Park


Long Island Real Estate

Nassau County, NY Homes

Garden City, Floral Park, West Hempstead, Franklin Square, Mineola, Stewart Manor

Peter Owen

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

The Donnelly Group

730 Franklin Ave, Garden City, NY 11530

(516)317-2860(516)317-2860

Email: petero@TheDonnellyGroup.com





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    Peter Owen -Best, most trusted and service oriented Licensed Real Estate Agent in Nassau County focusing on Garden City, Stewart Manor, Floral Park, Lynbrook, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Heights, New Hyde Park, Herricks, Mineola, and more

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