New Life for Split-Levels that Sizzled then Fizzled

By Bill Primavera

The Home Guru

“Nobody in the past 20 years has ever once asked me to design them a split-level home,” says Michael Piccirillo, a Westchester architect who designs homes both for new construction and remodeling. “But a lot of people ask me to re-design already-existing splits for a more contemporary look and more open space,” he added.

While it offered hot sizzle among builders and homebuyers in the 1950s and 1960s, the split totally fizzled by 1970. Nevertheless, splits are a significant part of our residential landscape in Westchester and Putnam Counties, as across the entire nation, because they were built at the height of the post-WWII suburban housing boom.

Most of these homes are still standing, and not many are disguised to hide what they are, unlike raised ranches, now being treated to “re-dos” as mock colonials by adding a few details to the façade like a portico with columns.

That’s harder to do with the lopsided configuration of a split, having one story where the living room, dining room and kitchen reside, and a connecting two-story structure with stairs that drop a half flight in either direction, ascending to the bedrooms and bath above and usually a family room and a garage below. A fourth living space is sometimes added in the basement below the living room, and another bedroom, perhaps a master suite, in the attic space above the living room, again ascending only a half flight of stairs.

But a creative architect can do wonders.

Today people either love or hate split-levels, whether they are already living in one or are in search of a home.

On the love side, the  interesting configuration of levels appeals to some people who sense that they get a lot of house within the footprint with every inch used for living space, including the basement and attic. Some like the idea of ascending only a half flight of stairs to get where they’re going. And still others like the privacy the design affords, allowing parents to be quietly on a different level from their kids’ bedrooms or playroom.

On the hate side, it is felt that the design’s boxy rooms make it difficult to achieve a more open floor plan which is now preferred. The façade is usually dominated by the one-car garage upon which the two-level wing rests. And, while the concept was originally created for slopes, the majority of such homes are built on flat land, requiring that a flight of steps be climbed outside before getting to the front door.

Also, because this style was built as an economic option to the more traditional and more expensive colonials and capes preferred in the preceding decades, many were constructed with little attempt to add detail or charm. For instance, they didn’t have many windows, sometimes featuring a side wall with none at all.

And finally and perhaps more importantly, the kitchen and family gathering space are necessarily separated by this design, which flies in the face of how families want to live today.

Here are some solutions to put the sizzle back into the fizzle of the split-level.

To solve the problem of adding family living to the kitchen, an addition can be built to the back of the house. Piccirillo says that it is easier to do with a split than a ranch, because you don’t have to build as high up to get to the kitchen level as you do with a raised ranch to connect a family room.

To add detail to the exterior, a bump-out might be added to the entrance to give more interest to the exterior and more needed space in the entry. Also, drab exteriors can be upgraded with new finishes, the addition of trim details and additional windows.

So, yes, there is hope for even the homeliest split with a little creative thinking and a good architect.  For those who want to know the possibilities, Picircillo says he offers a free assessment and quote. His website is: www.mpiccirilloarchitect.com, and his office can be reached at 914-368-9838. 

Bill Primavera is a licensed Realtor® (www.PrimaveraHomes.com), affiliated with Coldwell Banker, and a marketing practitioner (www.PrimaveraPR.com). For questions or comments about the housing market, or selling or buying a home, he can be reached directly at 914-522-2076.

Never Before or Again Such a “Perfect Storm” To Buy a Home

By Bill Primavera

The Home Guru 

Published July 5, 2011 in The Examiner Newspapers

If ever there were a “perfect storm” in which to buy a home, it is now. And this is not just the opinion of realtors who would want to work with you in finding your dream digs.  For the first time since the start of Great Recession, financial media outlets are advising their followers that we’re practically awash in opportunity to make the deal of the century in buying a home, and it may never come again, certainly not in our lifetime.

This is a far cry from what we’ve been reading in the press and electronic media since we first heard the term subprime mortgage, which many of us had to look up to understand. Reporting unmercifully on the plight of housing’s dilemma since that time, the media has pummeled sellers and prospective homebuyers with bad news about double digit declines in home values, short sales and foreclosures. And these headlines convinced many to wait on the sidelines until they were assured that the bottom was here. We were all spooked out, both psychologically and with hard statistics.

Then suddenly, and perhaps coincidentally with the announcement that home values had actually increased in May for the first time since tax credits buoyed the market in 2009 and 2010, major news outlets like The Wall Street Journal, Moody’s and CBS Money Watch are saying that the market may indeed have hit bottom or very close to it. But, even if it hasn’t, they agree that it’s a very good bet to purchase now, rather than wait, while conditions are unprecedented.

The first condition may not at first glance be obvious, but each financial news source knows that PRICE is not as important as COST. The cost of a home can go up even if prices continue to fall. Unless you are an all-cash buyer, you must take into consideration the expense of mortgaging when calculating the full cost of a home.

Mortgage rates are at historic lows right now. A 4.6 percent interest rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage is bargain-basement cheap but, in just a year, the forecast is for a 5.7 percent interest rate. And, here’s the math on the difference that full one percent or more makes: 

If you take out a $300,000 today at 4.6 percent, your monthly bill will be $1,537. But if you wait another year on the expectation that prices will go lower, that one percent increase would dictate that homes prices would have to fall nearly 12 percent to come in at the same monthly mortgage cost if you were to buy next year. And, that is more than double the price decline most forecasters are expecting.

Another factor to consider is that the government has proposed a tightening of lending standards with the Quality Residential Mortgage (QRM). If this goes through, the qualification process of loans will become more difficult, and the cost of a loan will increase as a consequence.

And, adding to these conditions is the fact that there is still less competition, with fewer serious buyers looking to make a deal. That means it is less likely that there will be bidding wars for those who decide to purchase now.

Some may think that it is a better choice to rent until they are convinced that prices are at bottom, and while that may have been the case just a few months ago, now experts say that it would be a poor choice.  They point out that the rental market has boomed as the result of foreclosures, capturing higher prices, and the selection is now more limited.  Therefore, in this market certainly, buying offers stronger relative value compared to renting.

Recently a reader and I had a conversation on this very subject. “Yeah, things are great for buyers, but pity the poor homeowners who are giving their homes away, compared to a few years ago,” she said.  

I responded that I didn’t see it quite that way.  As more buyers break through their anxiety to buy before they lose the opportunities available to them right now, more homes will sell, the inventory will decrease, and prices will rise again.  And what is good for the goose, that is, the buyer, is also good for the gander, or the seller.  Remember, the sellers will move on to another property, either in a different area or downsize in the same location, and they will make up on the buy side what they lost on the sell side.

Bottom line:  For those who are able, never before or ever again will there be such a “perfect storm” to buy.  Ready, willing and able to make that leap?

 Bill Primavera is a licensed Realtor® (www.PrimaveraHomes.com), affiliated with Coldwell Banker, and a marketing practitioner (www.PrimaveraPR.com). For questions or comments about the housing market, or selling or buying a home, he can be reached directly at 914-522-2076.

More years ago than I care to remember, I arrived in New York with a college buddy and, together, we sought an apartment for which we would share the rent and expenses. Apartments were easy to find in those days because the rental market had been overbuilt, so we had a wide choice of possibilities, including new buildings that were offering concessions of three to six months free rent to sign a lease. Imagine that?

I experienced my first awareness about discrimination in housing at that time when an on-premise landlord of one of our favored apartments asked directly "are you two just buddies or are you a ‘couple’?" From the way he asked the question, I strongly suspected that if we had been a "couple," the apartment would not be ours.

While I didn’t know anything about Fair Housing laws at that time, it was only as late as 1986 when New York City, where the gay revolution began with the Stonewall riot in 1969, passed a law banning discrimination in housing based on sexual orientation. In 2000, Westchester County followed suit, as did New York State in 2002. Understanding and complying with Fair Housing laws are an important part of every realtor’s training, and every listing contract requires that the owner of a home agree to its tenets as well.

And, with the passage last Friday of the Equality in Marriage bill by the New York State Senate, observers agree that will be further impact regarding sexual orientation in real estate..

In sheer numbers alone, the bill can bring the benefit of marriage to an estimated 42,000 committed couples raising 14,000 children, according to Change.org, the organization that championed the cause in encouraging voters to petition their legislators in Albany.

Amid the jubilation of gay and lesbian couples in the past couple of days for winning their hard-fought battle, there is a healthy economic prospect to the bill’s passage concerning real estate. In the simplest of terms, it should provide a tremendous economic stimulus as couples from anywhere in the country will come to New York State to be married. They will be spending their money here, resulting in more jobs, and more jobs mean more people will be buying homes.

It probably won’t make a noticeable difference in the fabric of our neighborhoods because committed gay couples have always been part of them, but perhaps under the radar. I remember how surprised I was at a political campaign meeting some years ago to learn that, according to statistics supplied by the LOFT, a Westchester-based LGBT organization, my town was one of two identified as having the largest concentrations of gay and lesbian residents in Westchester County. So who knew?

Immediate legal and financial issues related to the new law were articulated by some of my friends who deal on a daily basis with home buying and selling.

Lawrence Horowitz, a lawyer based in White Plains, said, "Now that the legislation is law, it will be both easier and harder for gay couples to deal with the issue of ownership of real property. 

"It’s easier because, if they are considered legally married, for estate purposes, they would be protected against the loss of their residence. It’s harder in a divorce situation, unless there is a ‘pre-nup’ - which now may be more common in gay marriage - because the couple would be subject to the same laws that married couples have always faced, including equitable distribution and custody.  There are of course many more issues which can come into play."

One of those issues, according to Irene Amato, owner of A.S.A.P. Mortgage with offices in Cortlandt Manor and Yorktown Heights, will be the impact on qualifying for a mortgage with the gifting of cash for the purpose of buying a home, allowed only among those related to the purchaser. "Now, for the first time, one member of the gay marriage will be permitted to gift money to his/her spouse or spouse’s children for the purchase of a home," she said.

Amato classified her agency as "gay proud" and directed me for further comment to a branch manager of her company who happens to be gay. He is Doug Petri, well known and much respected for his long term work as a mortgage broker in the region.

"The most important benefit of this new law is its impact on the concept known as Tenancy by the Entirety, a form of ownership that is for married individuals," Petri said. "It means that if two people are married and they own a home together, if something should happen to either one of the spouses, the surviving spouse automatically gets ownership of the house without probate or any other form of estate issues."

When I interviewed Petri, it was by phone at his East Hampton home where he and his partner were throwing an annual fundraiser to benefit young gay people for educational scholarships. Petri’s wrap-up statement on the news was, "It’s about time, isn’t it? And, really, why should anyone care about who loves who?"

For gay and lesbian couples planning to be married in this area and contemplating buying a home, you might check for legal counsel with Larry Horowitz at 914-282-7171. To discuss mortgage needs, call Irene Amato or Dough Petri of A.S.A.P. Mortgage at 914-736-9230. And, of course, any realtor I know would be more than happy to work with you in finding the perfect neighborhood and home in which to enjoy your new legal status.

Is Your Beautiful Lawn Dangerous to Your Health?

By Bill Primavera

The Home Guru

Have you paid attention to those official notices we see posted on lawns when they are treated with pesticides? They are not placed there by the courtesy of the homeowner or the lawn care company but required by New York State law.  That might give us all pause to wonder.

I must confess that I haven’t participated in the chemical vs. organic debate in the use of fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides to treat lawns and to make them beautiful.  I had figured that if the law allows the use of chemicals for that purpose, they can’t be all that bad for us, right? Maybe. Maybe not.

John Jones, owner of Healthy & Happy Lawns, an all-natural lawn care company serving the lower Hudson Valley region, presents a strong argument for thinking about going totally organic for lawn care.

“When people have their lawns treated chemically, it’s almost like a toxic waste dump,” Jones said in a recent discussion. “It’s true that they have an almost-instant beautiful lawn,” he conceded, “and we are a society where the majority wants instant gratification.” he continued. “But Mother Nature just ‘don’t’ work that way!”

Jones admits that when he first started in business in the 1970s, he offered only chemical lawn care “because I didn’t know any better,” but when his science teacher from high school strongly urged him to offer organic lawn care, he practiced both methods for a number of years.

The decision for him to offer only complete organic treatment of lawns came to Jones in 1985.  He explained his epiphany with some statistics, noting that in that year, he had 500 customers and found that his accounts were split exactly down the middle between chemical and organic treatment.

“Coincidentally, that year was a bad drought year, and I found that, under those conditions, my organic customers had much better lawns than those that were chemically treated. The organic lawns stayed greener a lot longer,” he said.  “It was proof to me of the superiority of what organics do to both the soil and the grass to make a strong, more resilient lawn.  I knew I was on to something and made the decision to go 100 percent organic.”

I related to Jones that I had read some of the cautionary literature about chemical treatment of lawns and wondered why the government hasn’t placed a total ban on its use, as have some provinces of Canada. “Because the chemical companies like Monsanto and Union Carbide have very deep pockets to perpetrate the myth that chemicals are needed for better lawns and gardens,” he responded. “The advertisements that consumers see on TV are all chemically oriented now. And the chemical companies have mounted a ‘mis-information’ campaign that natural lawn care is expensive and it doesn’t work.”

Jones says that the evidence of the dangers of using chemicals for the landscape will continue to grow.  He keeps up with findings supporting his position and says that there is data about to be released by the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine that links Alzheimer’s disease and Hodgkin’s lymphoma to exposure to chemical pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.

If a homeowner wants to go organic, how do the costs compare? “It’s probably true that some organic landscapers are raping the public with their prices because they know that a certain percentage will pay more for all-natural care,” he said, “but because I use only organic products, I buy in much larger quantities and can be very competitively priced to chemical lawn care.”

While in a confessional mode, I told Jones that some time ago I wrote an article about time-savers for outdoor maintenance that suggested the use of both Roundup and Preen for weed control. With an all-gravel driveway and a large parking area for my business, I told him that I treat them with Preen to inhibit weed growth and follow that up with Roundup to kill those weeks that still manage to pop through.

He didn’t mince words when he responded. “Roundup is probably the most dangerous herbicide on the planet,” he said, “and Preen is way up there too in toxicity.”

He suggested instead that I use natural means to accomplish my goal, recommending that, instead of Preen, I apply corn gluten, a product I knew nothing about.  “It’s even rated for vegetable gardens, but Preen would contaminate the food supply if used in the garden,” Jones cautioned.

And I learned that if weeds do take root, they can be killed by spraying a mixture of 60 percent vinegar and 40 percent clove oil, another product of which I had no awareness.

Jones went on to explain the process of soil testing and how it sets the blueprint or the “bible” as he calls it, for addressing the needs of the soil to host all-natural, healthy grass growth. The process is longer than the instant fix of chemical products, but, according to Jones, it is longer lasting and healthier. That’s fodder for another column about achieving beautiful lawns.

For now, if you want to know more about all-natural lawn care, visit www.organic.org. John Jones of Healthy and Happy Lawns can be reached at 845-733-5296 or visit his website at: www.healthyhappylawns.com.

Bill Primavera is a licensed Realtor® (www.PrimaveraHomes.com), affiliated with Coldwell Banker, and a marketing practitioner (www.PrimaveraPR.com). For questions or comments about the housing market, or selling or buying a home, he can be reached directly at 914-522-2076.