Summer in the Hudson Valley...(so many choices)!

So many times here when I'm not selling Ulster County Real Estate, I will have a weekend off and instead of leaving town, just stay here because we have so MANY things happening around HERE to do!  When I have clients who buy their own Ulster County Real Estate, I sometimes check in and let them know about a concert or festival I don't think they should miss.

I live just across the Hudson River from The "Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome".  It's a really cool place with vintage biplanes that put on shows and even sell tickets to go up and fly in one!  I worked for a lot of years as a mascot for WPDH radio station and have gone up in the planes a couple times in the Eagle costume!  I am pretty afraid of planes, but for some reason a biplane felt more safe and comfortable.  On most weekends in Summer, I can look up and see the planes flying or doing tricks over the Hudson.  Check them out at ...

http://www.oldrhinebeck.org/

Another cool way to enjoy the Hudson River is to get out on a boat!  I like to go out on the Rip Van Winkle that leaves Kingston's Rondout waterfront.  The boat sometimes goes past my home and I always hear how much fun people are having out there!  Sometimes when I am on the boat, I point out to people my piece of Hudson Valley Real estate as we sail by the house!

http://www.hudsonrivercruises.com/

One really amazing outdoor sculpture park is Opus 40 in Saugerties.  It's an incredible blue stone sculpted work that is something you never forget.  Occasionally they have concerts there and you will find no other venue like this to enjoy.  It's an incredible story of one man's life work...

http://www.opus40.org/

Want to cool off?  Here is a list of places in the Hudson Valley from Hudson Valley Magazine, (my favorite is Kingston Point Beach here in Kingston)...

http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/May-2013/Beaches-and-Swimming-Holes/

Like trains?  There is no better way to take a ride and enjoy some breathtaking Hudson valley scenery!

http://www.catskillmtrailroad.com/

Need a place to stay while you are here having fun or looking at Ulster County Real Estate?  My two favorite places are...

A great lighthouse in Saugerties...

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.saugertieslighthouse.com/

and the  1950s house Inn in Rosendale...(I have had clients stay there and they LOVED it)!

http://www.the1850house.com/

Here is this morning's sunrise at my place...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kingston..."Brooklyn on the Hudson"...

I always love when I have clients from the city come up to look at houses in Woodstock, and after talking to them think Kingston might be a better fit.  To give them an idea of Kingston, I may have them meet in the Kingston office instead of meeting in our Woodstock office.  My Kingston office is in a very historic area and there are lots of shoppes, restaurants, and plenty of historic buildings from when this was NY’s first capitol.

Kingston has an artistic urban vibe, but you can still find, (like I did) a home that is on a dirt road and feels miles away, but is just a few minutes from EVERYTHING you need!

Kingston is not for everyone.  It’s a very diverse community where the locals really want to meet new people.  Some of my buyer clients really don’t want that, and would prefer to bring supplies and really escape for a remote weekend, (yes, I can find that also for you)!

Here is a photo log from our company Flickr page of Kingston…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldwellbankervillagegreenrealty/sets/72157629650584396/

Here are two of my own listings I have on right now that I feel are really the BEST this city has to offer!

http://www.upstatenydreamhome.com/Web/AR297973/ListingSearch/details/?mls_id=NY-UCMLS&mls_no=20122194&display_page=1&lpp=6&index=1&total_listings=1&from=results
&
http://www.upstatenydreamhome.com/Web/AR297973/ListingSearch/details/?mls_id=NY-UCMLS&mls_no=20115144&display_page=1&lpp=6&index=1&total_listings=1&from=results
 

I take great pride in this city, and would really love to show you around to all it has to offer, (even if you have no plans of buying property here)!

Many thanks, and have a great weekend,

(Fridays are a Realtor’s Monday)!

 

Upstate New York Real Estate

Esopus...(eee-so-puss)! Hidden jewel of the Hudson Valley

Esopus, NY is about 90 miles north of Manhattan, but worlds away.  It's a beautiful area of mountains that are along side the Hudson River.  I love to bring friends from out of town so see a lot of the great parks in Esopus like Black Creek Preserve...

http://www.scenichudson.org/parks/blackcreek

The famous women's rights and abolitionist Sojourner Truth lived in Esopus her first 32 years, and there is a small memorial park for her on 9W in town.

The writer John Borroughs also lived in Esopus at Slabslides.  Slabsides is a really great place to see and understand Mr. Burrough's inspiration from nature there.

http://research.amnh.org/burroughs/

Here is a small photo album about Esopus...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldwellbankervillagegreenrealty/sets/72157630012243065/

Esopus is a great find for classic Ulster County Real Estate...like this great property...

http://www.upstatenydreamhome.com/Web/AR297973/ListingSearch/details/?mls_id=NY-UCMLS&mls_no=20113129&display_page=1&lpp=6&index=1&total_listings=1&from=results

John Bourrough's Slabsides

Life in my historic home...

I live in a home that was once a brick manufacturer along the Hudson River.  Kingston, NY once had many brick companies because the clay was perfect for making bricks.  I live where Goldrick bricks were once made and in Mr. Philip Goldrick's home.  Some information about him and the company is here on this site...

http://brickcollecting.com/collection.htm

A few months ago I was asked by the Town of Saugerties to have my home on the  Saugerties historic home tour.  At first I said "no" mostly because I didn't think my home looked like other "historic" homes in the area and also because I really did not know what to expect.  The people on the commission addressed all my concerns and made me feel like it would be a great worthwhile experience. 

Being a Realtor I looked at the opportunity to also meet possible future clients.  Expecting about 200 people, I didn't want to just hand each person a card and had to think of a more creative way to get everyond my contact information.  After a lot of thinking, I came up with making chocolate Goldrick brick bars with my card attached to the wraper!

My neighbors Marion Boxer and Jason Boxer found out about the tour and really were not happy we were doing it, (well, they never really ARE happy about ANYTHING).  I explained to them that there would be a small bus taking small groups to the house all day and it would never be crowded, but they told me, "we have been on these tours and they are very invasive.  The people go through your drawers, destroy property, and have no respect for the home owners".  They had a survey done and started to park their cars in a way to make the whole tour difficult for any flow of parking.  As the tour got closer I started to wonder if they had a good point and started to get anxious about my descision.  Were the (peronoid) Boxers right?  Was this going to be the nightmare they promised?

Nothing could have been further from the truth.  On the day of the tour, small groups of people were bussed in.  The bus had no problems turning around, (even after the Boxers did all they could to block off my road).  People all day were just beyond grateful for my hospitality, respectful, and cociderate of my home and really loved learning it's history from all the voulenteers working.  Saugerties even had a woman, (Anna Serravallo) who was in her 90s and worked in the brickyards and sat on my porch telling the most fascinating stories of life back then!

One thing we have always known about Goldrick bricks was that they were used in building the original Yankee Stadium!  Looking online you can find the bricks from the stadium selling for big money!

What a great expierence and honor it was to be part of such a cool event!  It was pretty strange having groups of people walk through my home with voulenteers telling them all about the home I live in...sureal.

Some Hudson River bricks

&

A great brick website...

My house...

The City of Hudson

The City of Hudson is now the latest cool, hip, trendy, and fun place to be!  One of the bloggers at Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty just wrote a great blog about the real estate market in Hudson and how while opportunities to buy may have been missed, there is still PLENTY of properties with value to be found at a great price! 

http://villagegreenrealty.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/city-of-hudson-ny-real-estate-opportunity-missed

It really was just a quiet sleepy town with some cool antique and junk shops a few years ago and needed some work.  The City of Hudson is one of the few towns on the side of the river that Amtrak reaches from New York City which makes it a really perfect weekend place for second home buyers.

Here is a photo album of the city of Hudson...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldwellbankervillagegreenrealty/sets/72157629936794495/

There are plenty of places to stay in the City of Hudson before deciding to buy property there.  Friends of mine own "The Inn at Hudson" and it's a really special place to stay in town...

http://www.theinnathudson.com/

If you think the City of Hudson is for you and want to find the perfect property for you, give me a call or look for City of Hudson homes on my website...
www.upstatenydreamhome.com



Looking for Hudson River Views?

I just previewed this AMAZING Montana log home that sites high above the Hudson River. I love this home and location to Metro North trains, walkway over the Hudson, village of New Paltz, and so much more! Here is what the listing agent has to say…

Elegant and sophisticated one of a kind Montana Log built home. Enjoy nature at it's finest with 5 secluded acres yet just 1.5 hours from NYC. Gorgeous Hudson River and Berkshire views from your very own balcony off Master Suite! Take a dip in the inground pool or relax in your very own Suana. Soaring cathedral Ceiling with massive stone fireplace for those cold winter nights. Everything you are dreaming of and so much more....

Here is the full listing...

http://ulster.paragonrels.com/publink/default.aspx?GUID=74ae327d-2462-4443-a4b2-a92331242db9&Report=Yes

Give me a call today and I can make sure to get you in to see this before it's GONE!!!

A classic historic Victorian!

My latest listing is an elegant Victorian home on the "National Register of Historic Places".  The home is almost 6,000 square feet AND has a separate two bedroom downstairs apartment, (for added income).  Here is the full listing...

http://ulster.paragonrels.com/publink/default.aspx?GUID=89bff569-c406-419e-bcfa-29bcc2ab9175&Report=Yes

This is the "Chichester House" and has a rich history.

The home is walking distance to so much of Kingston's nightlife, Farmer's market, and busy community.

Here is a recent NY Times story about Kingston's new "scene"...

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/travel/kingston-ny-a-rest-stop-in-the-hudson-valley.html

Sooooooooooo much happening around this weekend!

There really is just so much going on all weekend, and I am trying to take a break from Hudson valley Real estate to take part in some of it all!  Last night kicked off the O positive festival.  Kingston has really wild art all over the city, and great bands are playing all over midtown.  It's a really cool event where artists perform and create for free heath care, (what a concept)!  You can read all about it and see some of the amazing bands here on their site...

http://opositivefestival.org/art-music-wellness/

Fresh off the stage from opening last weekend's B-52's concert in town, The Lady Esther Gin kicked things off in the parade last night on her giant toy horse!

This article was just in the New York Times all about Kingston's scene...

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/travel/kingston-ny-a-rest-stop-in-the-hudson-valley.html?src=tp&smid=fb-share

Sunday in Rosendale, (the REAL Woodstock town) is a Brasil festival and parade...

http://dailyfreeman.com/articles/2011/10/08/entertainment/doc4e8f16921410b127562484.txt

&

http://www.chronogram.com/issue/2011/10/Arts+%26+Culture/Brazil-Fest-at-the-Rosendale-Theater

Of course, the real estate market is full of amazing places to live here in the Hudson Valley!  Please, let me show you some of the coolest places to live in the area!



My Hudson Valley disaster report...

The headlines on Kingston's local paper this morning said in bold print..."DEVASTATION".  As I carried buckets of water to the house this morning after three days of no power, I started to think of how well I have things right now. 

Coldwell Banker Village Green had five offices here in the Hudson Valley.  One of the five was in Windham and that town has been "wiped out" according to the papers.  Our broker has lost one of the most productive offices she owns...for now, (Joan is a fighter and will get things back soon).

Here is the Windham flood Story...

http://dailyfreeman.com/articles/2011/08/28/news/doc4e5aefbdbf82e061884086.txt

I live in a 127 year old house on the Hudson River and before the storm I watched huge yachts going up river to escape.  The morning after the storm I saw some return and other boats upside down tied to floating away docks.

Hurricane Irene arrived in the middle of some very challenging negations and stress for me.  Driving around the area really is one of those horrible things that makes us step back and see how much there is to be grateful for.

I am still without power, but come into the Kingston office to contact clients, check the news, and share stories with co workers who are also without power and have stories of their own.  I had some high water in the basement and it really drained back out fast. 

Back to Hudson Valley Real Estate...

I have clients who want to look at homes the next few days and I am calling to see if the properties are still able to be accessed.

Happy to be alive!

(pict from my cell after the storm passed)

What does a million dollars buy in the Hudson Valley?

I sometimes hear people who live in the Hudson Valley say, "I could get a million dollars for my home,  I have a view"!  Right away I wonder, "do they have privacy?  what is the view of?  what makes your home so special"?  It's one of the toughest challenges for me in today's market.  I understand the EMOTIONAL value of a home for someone, but in this tough market savvy buyers know exactly what they are looking for and what they are willing to pay for it.

I did a search this morning on the MLS to see exactly what sort of single family residential properties have sold for a million dollars or more.  Here are the thirteen sold properties in the past year...

http://ulster.fnismls.com/publink/default.aspx?GUID=b32a11e3-1635-41b5-aa1b-3ba3fabe7e71&Report=Yes

The least amount of land on a property was 4 acres, (with Hudson River views).  The earliest year built was 1739, and newest was 2002.

Today's current market has 60 properties on the maket over one million dollars.  Here they are...

http://ulster.fnismls.com/publink/default.aspx?GUID=10beb349-4e76-4d20-87ec-c49839e1b1a9&Report=Yes

I really am glad I looked all this up for the next time I have a buyer looking for luxury Hudson Valley Real Estate or am at a party and hear someone say, "I can get a million bucks for my house right now"!

Psssssssssst...did you see this really funny commercial?

I love our latest commercial!
http://youtu.be/8F-TneYO6zE
Coldwell Banker really is the BESTfor Real Estate!