This nugget of housing information was repeated again this morning in a data-filled blog post from Point2Homes, which adds that more than 2.5 million people own homes that are worth $1 million or more.

California tops the national list with nearly 809,000 homes worth at least $1 million or more. New York comes in second with 426,202 properties that are worth at least $1 million followed by Florida with 226,842 and Massachusetts with 98,113 properties.

The top ten counties in New York are New York (NYC), Westchester, Suffolk, Kings, Nassau, Queens, Bronx, Rockland, Richmond and in the western part of the state Onondaga.

Now some would say that for $1 million you can get more house and property in Ohio than in New York. But the draw of the nine counties in the New York City area remains strong, and particularly in Westchester and Rockland counties.

In Westchester, for instance there are 709 active home listings that fall into the luxury category, according to www.luxuryportfolio.com.

Listings include a four-story brownstone townhouse at Hudson Harbor in Tarrytown for $1,469,000 and Northshire, a 26-acre estate that includes a 9,000-square-foot brick home build in 1934 for the Woolworth heir Richard Woolworth.

The post New York maintains its pricey real estate status appeared first on LoHud Real Estate.

Westchester-based Murphy Brothers Contracting will be inducted into the Business Council of Westchester’s 2013 Hall of Fame Award in the category of Small Business Success. The company was started by Christopher and Sean Murphy in their childhood home in Larchmont in 1979 has grown into one of the Westchester and southern Fairfield (CT) counties’ premier construction companies, known for custom homes,whole home renovations and commercial projects, as well as their own line of custom millwork. The company is headquartered in Mamaroneck, NY, and employs 45 individuals.

Businesses and individuals are nominated by members of the Westchester business community and evaluated according to how the business has demonstrated effective business strategy, their contributions and commitment to the community and their efforts to build a more sustainable business through enforcing green initiatives within their organization.

We have featured the work the company did on Gerry Angel’s “green house” project in White Plains, as well as with Westchester Magazine’s annual Dream Home.

Congratulations to Murphy Brothers. Here’s a link to a YouTube video by Christopher Murphy:

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Read a wonderful account of his efforts as a World War II fighter pilot and his current day efforts, along with his wife Emily, to ensure that Holocaust victims are remembered  by my colleague Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy on Lohud.com.

Here is the link.

(Photo by Matthew Brown/The Journal News)

The post Real estate developer recalls, remembers Holocaust appeared first on LoHud Real Estate.

Here’s a video tour of Shoba’s Garden:

The post Shoba Vanchiswar’s Chappaqua Garden appeared first on LoHud Real Estate.

At an earlier point, the property at 48 Haights Cross Road  was listed at $33 million, according to Luxist.com, which notes that the property was designed by Boris Baranovich Architects of New York City.

The gated property is 87 acres and includes tennis/paddleball court, an infinity swimming pool and pool cottage, landscaped gardens and a lake. The main house, built in 2004, features cathedral ceilings, exercise room, walk-in closets, sauna and an indoor basketball court.

From the photos posted with the listing great attention was given to decorating the rooms to be elegant and comfortable.

There is a two-story wood-paneled library, six bedrooms and 9 full bathrooms, open kitchen plan with traditional styling.

The current listing agent is Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty.

The post Chappaqua estate back on market with 10 percent price reduction appeared first on LoHud Real Estate.

The report says that multi-use centers that includes shopping are also in demand. There is a high value placed on being able to walk to stores, restaurants and offices.

Here is how the Mortgage Bankers Association described the report’s conclusions in its latest MBA NewsLink:

“The study, America in 2013, indicated demand will continue to rise for infill residential development that is less car-dependent, while demand could wane for isolated development in outlying suburbs. The survey said among all respondents, 61 percent said they would prefer a smaller home with a shorter commute over a larger home with longer commute. Fifty-three percent want to live close to shopping; 52 percent would prefer to live in mixed-income housing; and 51 percent prefer access to public transportation.”

Realtors in the lower Hudson Valley have said that homes in Rivertowns are in demand because of their proximity to New York City and city commute that is less than an hour.

The post Homeowners want smaller homes, convenient location appeared first on LoHud Real Estate.

A Putnam County real estate sales associate, Barbara Negro, is the 37th inductee to the Century 21 Dick Loughlin International Hall of Fame that was awarded recently in Las Vegas.

The Brewster resident has been a Centurion or Double Centurion producer for Century 21 VJF Realty Inc. in Brewster each year since 1992, and received this award at the company’s Global Conference in Nevada in March.

“It was a total surprise to me,” Negro said in a press release from Putnam County. “I was planning to attend the conference but had been traveling across the country visiting back and forth with my ailing 84-year-old mother in Santa Barbara, Calif. I left from there to go to Las Vegas and had no idea I was being honored.”

A mother of three sons Andrew, Nick and Michael, Negro began her real estate career in 1986 shortly after moving to Putnam County. Her family grew to include a fourth child, daughter Fallon, for whom Negro and her husband, Albert, became legal guardians. Fallon was the only family member who knew ahead of time that Barbara was going to be honored.

“I’ve worked with a lot of real estate agents over the years,” said long time friend and former title closer County Executive MaryEllen Odell, “and when I would get to the table and see Barbara in the room, I knew we were going to have a smooth closing.”

“The real estate market drives the economic market. Once the house is sold, the repairs or alterations, additions, etc., are planned and contractors are brought in and money is spent which is great for the community,” added Odell.

Negro denies being a miracle worker.  But she is highly respected by buyers, sellers and her colleagues for her integrity.

“If I get you a buyer, I’m going to get you to a closing table,” she said.

Another part of Negro’s success is that her former buying clients return to her when they choose to sell their homes. And word of mouth among happy homeowners, whom Negro has stayed in touch with over the years, keeps new clients calling.

Linda Ficarra, managing partner of Century 21 VJF Realty on Route 22, said Negro “truly embraces the idea of keeping clients for life and we are really fortunate to have an agent like her associated with our company.”

(Above from left to right,  First Deputy Putnam County Attorney Andrew Negro, County Executive MaryEllen Odell and Century 21 Hall of Fame inductee Barbara Negro. Photo by Terry Oliver.)

The post Brewster Realtor Inducted into Hall of Fame appeared first on LoHud Real Estate.

The average 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage rose to 3.67 percent from 3.59 percent, which Housingwire says is the hightes level since the week ending April 13, 2013.

Read their full report.

The post Mortgage applications fall this week appeared first on LoHud Real Estate.

A grand Bedford Corners estate on the market for $5 million since May 4 will goes on the auction block next month through AmeriBid LLC.

The gated estate at 23 Hollow Ridge Road is 22.81-acres. The  main house built in 1996 has five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and five fireplaces.

“This is a huge estate with something for every discerning investor of exquisite properties,” comments Randy Ligon, Regional Director, Auctioneer and Broker for AmeriBid.

The custom mansion estate has a  carriage house,  a large garage that can accommodate 16 cars, a  chef’s kitchen with commercial grade Viking appliances and high-end details, according to listing details.

The master bedroom features a large walk-in closet with custom shelving, and the master bath includes a huge tub, dual vanities, separate shower and fireplace.

Outdoor features include in-ground pool and spa with pool house, bocce court, children’s playground, gardens and expansive walking and riding trails that wind throughout the woods surrounding the estate.

“Celebrities and professional athletes are your neighbors in this exclusive neighborhood. There is room for all of your favorite trophies here at Old Iron Estate,” notes Fernando Palacios, Regional Director and Broker for AmeriBid.

The auction will at 1 p.m. June 13th at the property, Old Iron Estates, in Bedford Corners.  For those that cannot be physically present at the auction, online bidding will be available. Inspections begin Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday. Other dates and times are available. For more information go to AmeriBids.

The listing real estate agent is Pamela Testa of Keller Williams Realty Partners in Yorktown.

The post Bedford’s Old Iron Estates to be sold at auction appeared first on LoHud Real Estate.

The honorees were recognized for their contributions to Westchester’s economy at a gala held earlier this month.

Forest City Ratner is a wholly owned subsidiary of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. In Westchester, the company built the 1.3 million-square-foot Ridge Hill retail complex in Yonkers, a mix of boutiques, national retailers, restaurants and entertainment venues. The complex, which opened in 2011, has as its anchor tenants Lord & Taylor, Whole Foods Market, Showcase Cinema de Lux, Dick’s Sporting Goods, REI and The Cheesecake Factory.

The 136-bed Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center was established in 1987 by the Sisters of Charity. The Pediatric Center has evolved into a multi-location $65 million healthcare organization with a wide range of services including pediatric long-term care, special education and a clinic that participates with Medicaid. Last year, the in-patient Center in Manhattan relocated to its new home to a 6.5-acre  wooded site in Yonkers.

Past recipients of the Hall of Honor Awards have included Beacon Capital Partners, BioMed Realty Trust, Cappelli Enterprises, Eastridge Properties, Fordham University, Fuji Photo Film USA, Halpern Enterprises, Heineken USA, IBM, MBIA, Morgan Stanley, New York Life Insurance Company, PepsiCo,  Ritz-Carlton Company, RPW Group Robert Martin Company, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Schulman Realty and The Trump Organization.

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