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Interesting Upstate Properties

Interesting Upstate Properties published on

minnewaska

Why have just a house when you can get something spectacular for the same price? Here’s what popped up during a 5 minute search on Craigslist. Imagine what I could have found had I spent 10 minutes doing a proper broker’s search.

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Have you ever hiked Minnewaska? You know when you can see those private properties from the trail and you wonder who lives there? Then you get jealous and you’re all like “Well, what makes them so special that they get to have a backyard like this?” Well, here’s your chance to own a house with a Minnewaska backyard.

No, you won’t own the Minnewaska trail but the house does sit on 5.6 private acres and the lovely farmhouse itself is not too shabby. There is also a barn situated on the property. All this for $399k. I want.

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A nothing special house in a nothing special -yet convenient- area, but the indoor pool is priceless. The house itself was built in 1930 and the exterior is cute, but interior is a generic renovation. That’s ok. It’s easy enough to make it fabulous. Located in Bloomingburg, which is a sleepy town, but fairly close to Middletown big box shopping. It’s just about commutable and the bus to the city does stop in Bloomingburg. $257k.

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According to the Craigslist ad, this historic church is located in central Columbia County. It’s 2100 square feet and needs work (drool). $190k. That’s all the info there is, apart from the blog which has a few photos but nothing else.

Still amazing what can be bought upstate for the price of a studio in the armpits of Brooklyn.

Upstate Craigs: Under $100k

Upstate Craigs: Under $100k published on

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It’s been awhile since we looked into real estate here. That’s simply because the temptation to actually buy is too strong. But since there are no funds anyway, what does it hurt to look, eh? So, you should buy something instead. Deal?

The Monticello house above is pretty cute. It sits on 3/4 acre near town. If you’re not familiar with Monticello, it’s actually pretty run down. The area is naturally beautiful though, so if you just ignore the derelicts, it could be a nice place. For only 65 grand, what do you expect?

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This 3 bedroom ranch in Pine Plains is going for $69.9k. Don’t know much about Pine Plains except that it’s east of The Taconic about as north as Red Hook. It’s also horse country. Looks like this house is in a cul-de-sac-ey area.

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I’m going to sound like a realtor here and say “Bring your vision!”. Yes, this is a garage. With electric and a well. It’s 1000 square feet and sits on an acre of land in Esopus. That’s some nice weekender country right there. For $79k, that would make a nice home conversion. Turn that garage into a “carriage house”!

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Ooh, this sweet little cottage on a dead end road comes in at $99k. It’s located in Claryville, a beautiful hamlet in the town Neversink, Sullivan County. Here’s the thing…It’s a dry town. We rented a cottage in Claryville once and it was a 30 minute drive to the closest liquor shop. Not saying this house is as far out as the house we rented, but just letting you know…it’s dry.

Occupied

Occupied published on

occupyourhome4250contrast

It’s been nearly a year since I started renovations on the Rockaway house. I can finally say that both apartments are fully occupied now and I get to have my life back!

The project was meant to be a flip that would take a few months. Ok, so it took a bit longer with some minor and major disasters. Lemme fill you in on my setbacks. May I?

1. Disaster One. Crappy contractors. I can’t even begin to imagine how badly contractors rip off folks who don’t know a thing about the renovation process. When pipes separate and fall inside the wall and paint starts to peel after a few days, you MUST know that shortcuts were taken, right? This is why I DIY. Unless you want to spend the big bucks on a high end licensed contractor who comes with a thousand percent positive referrals, be verrrry careful.

Slow contractors who didn’t know what they were doing, contractors whose work had to be done over cost me an extra month or two in the beginning (and throughout). A month that I might have been able to unload the house on some poor, unsuspecting sucker prior to….

2. Disaster Two. Sandy. Yes, Superstorm Sandy is listed second to bad contractors. Not that I would ever want for anyone to go through that again, but believe it or not, the combination of incompetent team members set me back worse than the worst storm of the century. All in all, I was lucky. Just basement damage and some siding. Some pocket change from insurance that helped pay for the new boiler. It wasn’t so much the money that got to me as it was the time and momentum that was lost. With an NYC gas shortage and no heat or power at the house, this would set me back close to 2 months.

3. Disaster Three. Oops. Wrecked my car. Well, that’s what we get for trying to spend New Year’s Day working on the house. Some dumb bitch ran the red light and next thing we know, the car was totaled. Another bad luck/good luck story: We walked away! Set back of about 2 weeks until I dealt with the situation and got another car to get over to the house. Remember that the trains were not running after the storm.

Ok, those were the major setbacks. What do setbacks mean? It means you can’t fold. You have to readjust the original plan. With the real estate market down in Rockaway after the hurricane, I knew I’d be stuck with the house for awhile and I’d have to rent instead of sell. On the plus side, I’ll be earning back some money I lost.

This could all be blessings in disguise. The universe works in mysterious ways. It fucks with you but for good reason. Putting me through tests? Hell yeah. Making me hang on to the house until Rockaway rebuilds stronger and better than ever, so my house will be worth a small fortune?

Let’s hope so.

Tips On Reconditioning Toys

Tips On Reconditioning Toys published on

Who says reconditioning should exclusively be aimed at furniture pieces, old beds, and other items around the house? You can also salvage your children’s old toys while saving some money, preserving emotional value as kids get easily attached to their toys ad seeing them break is never fun, and teaching your small ones the importance of preservation. Here are a few tips on reconditioning plastic toys that toy collectors make use of.     

 

How To Clean Plastic Toys

Toys that are made of plastic usually get unaesthetic crayon marks on them. Try paint thinner as a first solution to this problem; keep in mind you might risk getting the finish off the plastic, so gently rub the marks off with the help of paint thinner and either a toothbrush. Pay special attention when cleaning up lithos and make sure you do not rub the marks off too hard. If you are only considering using a cleaning product that is based on water only, know the latter is prone to cause wrinkles. Other solutions you could use are the ones based on denatured alcohol or xylene. Of course you can always visit a top lottery website and try your luck at the big jackpot in hopes for getting to buy brand new toys for your kids.

 

Getting back to our reconditioning dnitions tips Watch out for xylene-based products though! You will need to be really fast and wipe up all the excess on the spot, or risk ruining the plastic. The simple, classic water and rag combo can also be used for less serious stains and dirt on lithos.

 

You can also place a layer of toilet paper above an old toy sticker, pour mineral spirits on it and let it sit like that for a few minutes. The glue will easily dissolve and you will get to easily peel off the sticker starting with the edges.

Rented!

Rented! published on 3 Comments on Rented!

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It’s been a long and flooded road to get here, nearly a year since buying the house, but I am pleased as punch to let y’all know that my little property will be fully occupied by July 15th. And no, the renovation isn’t finished!

I needed to set a deadline and find out if anyone even wanted to live there. Figured that if I showed it for July 1st, it could look nice and then I’d have a few more weeks to finish up. Only two people called to purchase and a TON of renters called. There were some would-be tenants who didn’t fit the bill and that wasted time, but at the end of the day, I’m loving the tenants who will be moving in. It was also inspiring to see how many young people want to be part of Rockaway’s resurgence, so I’m kind of glad to be hanging on to the house now.

The apartments will be finished by the time they are inhabited. (Fingers crossed) There’s still backyard and basement work, but it will be livable.

First guys move into upstairs on July 1st.  Downstairs guy moves in on July 15th. Yes, all guys. The middle aged single-guy next door neighbor will be disappointed. He asked for hot female flight attendants.

So what’s my next project?

Mid Century in Dublin

Mid Century in Dublin published on

Living One_l

Hey, if anyone is in the market for a house in Dublin (You never know), my friend’s home is up for sale.

The house is right across the street from my mother in law in Foxrock, an area that my husband does not like to admit he’s from because it’s a bit suburban well heeled. The houses around there are a mostly samey-samey but I’ve always loved going over to 74 Clonkeen for tea so I can drool over their awesome mid-century interiors. And this is from a person who doesn’t get excited over mid-century design! The parents really had superb taste.

I’ll miss going over there. Unless you buy it and invite me over for tea. Just a thought.

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Live from Rockaway, it’s…

Live from Rockaway, it’s… published on 1 Comment on Live from Rockaway, it’s…

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Just finished the house website! I actually bought the domain for Rockaway House but then it was just sooo much easier to create the site through Weebly, so I said WTH.

Here goes nuthin’. So, I guess this means the house is officially on the market, even though there’s still plenty of work left to do.

Showing this weekend. The fire under my butt has been lit.

Apartment Two

Apartment Two published on 3 Comments on Apartment Two

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The Rockaway upstairs apartment is now ready for it’s (not so) close up! The original goal was to start showing by the end of May. (The original original goal was to have the house sold by the end of 2012, but we all know how that worked out.) Ok, so this new deadline was somewhat delayed due to the fact that I mistakenly decided to have a life and go away for Memorial Day weekend. But whatev. I’m back up to speed.

I wish every room could be as interesting as doing a bathroom or kitchen. Remember my original pink bathroom that I was determined to keep? Well, it has been resurrected! Still on the to do list: vanity pulls, scrape paint off door glass, lock set, stain saddle and a few other things that don’t show up in the photo.

kitchen

The decision to do a Mexican kitchen was born when I found the ceramic “terracotta” tiles at a Habitat Restore. The upper cabinets were there when I bought the house. Because of my not-so-great planning skills, the fridge, which was originally for the downstairs kitchen, was moved up here because it was too wide. It was meant to go on the opposite wall but proved too big for that also. I ended up tearing down some more cabinets to fit it in that corner. It works so much better there, but now I have to move an outlet. To do list: Move outlet, cabinet pulls, replace broken stove knob, switch plates.

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This is the living room. I stuck the chair in the photo because it looked so empty, but now it looks even more sad. To do list: Hang crystals from light fixture, re-coat window trim and inner white, switch plates.

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This is actually the small front room, but it looks bigger than the living room in this photo. It can be a second junior bedroom, an office or child’s room.

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The main bedroom is Manhattan sized also, but it has a room off of it with a closet that can act as a dressing room. Nothing at all interesting about this corner photo. I just wanted to show off yet another vintage light fixture.

Related: Apartment One

Here are some “before” shots…

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Front Room

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Living Room

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Kitchen

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Pink Bathroom

Welcome Back, A Train!

Welcome Back, A Train! published on

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Some of you may not have realized that the train tracks out to Rockaway that were destroyed during Sandy were not restored until yesterday.  As someone who just travels from Brooklyn by car every day to work on the house, it was a minor pain in the buttocks only if I wanted to get some help out there from someone who didn’t own a vehicle. I can’t imagine what the trip was like for folks who had to commute for seven months doing the bus/train thing.

A ferry was added to lower Manhattan that is quite popular and people are fighting to keep that in addition to the train. Why not? Williamsburg and Red Hook have ferries. Please sign the Keep the Ferry in Rockaway petition!

I can ramble on, but I am no Rachel Maddow. Rach, as I don’t really call her, puts it so eloquently in the video below. Best I shut up and you can just watch her.

Go to the beach! Support The Rock and any businesses that are open. They still very much need your help!

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Apartment One

Apartment One published on 5 Comments on Apartment One

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Open living/dining/kitchen area.

One half of the two family Rockaway house will be liveable by June 1st! As in liveable for normal people, not someone like me who no longer notices lack of switchplates and doorknobs. The self imposed deadline was set for this weekend to take some pictures and start spreading the word. Although it’s ready for it’s close-up, it’s a few days from being ready to show. Show by next weekend? Yeah, probably!!

The entire house will be for sale or rent by the end of this month. I call it a two story bungalow. It’s a cozy (that means small in realtor speak) 2 BR over 1BR, just under 1000 square feet for the whole house. Gotta do some comps and math to come up with prices. The website will get started (but not finished) today.

I’m on a roll baby and it feels good!

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Yeah, that toe kick needs to be painted and stove needs backsplash.

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The old singer sewing machine base trick. A favorite of mine.

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Long, narrow bedroom in the back of the house. I want to work a little magic on those plain, white doors if I get the time.

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Kitchen area before.

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Living room during demo.

Hey Moma,Can We Talk?

Hey Moma,Can We Talk? published on

NYC - American Folk Art Museum

So, MOMA, I hear you want to expand. How nice for you. No, really. That’s actually good news for New York. We do love a good art museum. Love it more when it’s a suggested admission and not some crazy, rip off price that’s too steep for actual working artists to afford, but I digress.

It seems a bit … oh, I dunno, ironic, that in order for you to expand, you want to tear down a 12 year old architectural work of art by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. Do you think that only canvases and sculptures should be considered art? Does it not matter to you that these architects CREATED this building?

Excuse me, but how is this any different than taking a torch to a Warhol? Could you imagine the outrage if someone went and bulldozed a pile of Pollocks? You even have an architecture and design department in the museum, for fuck’s sake!

Do I love the building in question? Not really. I don’t have much appreciation for anything new. I’m all about the antique and vintage. But that doesn’t mean I want to see someone’s work being torn down. It’s not a cheap-ass brick Fedder’s building. It’s someone’s imagination being brought to life.

And I think you, MOMA, of all institutions, should not try to tear down anyone’s imagination.

Deadline: May

Deadline: May published on

kitchen

A renovation that was supposed to take about two to three months turns into a nine month process when all is said and done. There were unforeseen circumstances along the way, like the worst storm ever to hit the Northeast and a car accident that kept me away from the house for a few weeks. Those things set me back about three months or so, but I have no one to blame but myself for the rest of it.

Apart from spending my budget on some of the wrong contractors up front and having to redo some of their work, the real stagnation started after Sandy. I was in no rush to spend all my money and time on a house that nobody would want to purchase at the price I need to charge. Now that Spring is in the air and Rockaway is getting ready for the summer season, it’s a mad dash to the finish line.

The two apartments are very close to being finished. Now comes the tedious task of finishing work, making sure every small detail is in place. I should say that “small details” mean touch up repainting every room, a kitchen countertop, painting cabinets, bathroom vanity and installing all light fixtures. More than a day’s work, but we’ve come so far.

The exterior needs some prettying up, as does the basement.

Notice I didn’t mention a specific May deadline date. I’m hoping for the first week. Actually, between you and I, I’d like to see it done by the end of this month but I’m also trying to be realistic.

The house will be for sale or rent. I’m resigned to the fact that I will probably have to rent it for a year or two before Rockaway really bounces back. Doesn’t mean I won’t try to sell as that was my original intention, but the price I need to ask and where the market is at now are two different places.

But it’s all good. Either way, I’m going to take the summer off. A much needed break from the physical and toxic work called renovation. I’ll probably take that spare time to work on my Bed Stuy house. D’oh!

PS: About the photo above. It looks like a “before” shot, but believe it or not, that’s a progress shot. The floor is tiled. The cabinets are installed but not painted. The dishwasher and radiator are hooked up. It’s come a long way from the partially gutted room it was.

Big Chill House For Sale

Big Chill House For Sale published on

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Ah, The Big Chill. The house itself certainly wasn’t the subject of the film and yet it played an important role. A group of friends gather for their buddy’s funeral. They spend the weekend together in this amazing house that has enough bedrooms for each of them, a dining area large enough to seat all of them, a living room where they can all gather comfortably and plenty of land to engage in outdoor sex.

That special house located in Beaufort, South Carolina is up for sale now for a cool $4.5M. Would it make a lovely family residence for someone with deep pockets? Sure. Would it make an even awesomer investment? Hell yeah!

Picture a B&B that does weddings and events. Actually, it was a guest house from the 1930’s-1970’s. Shit, I’d stay there…if I ever found myself in South Carolina. It’s also a great film shoot location. Not only was it The Big Chill House but it was also featured in The Great Santini.

The home was built in 1853. It has seven bedrooms and over seven thousand square feet on 1.38 acres.

If you buy it, I will come. Here’s the listing.

Well, They DID Recycle!

Well, They DID Recycle! published on

rockaway

I didn’t come up with the name “Reclaimed Home” for nothing. I love salvaging old materials and restoring neglected homes that were once full of life. Yesterday I was reminded why I torture myself with endless renovations.

You may look at the photo above and say “Meh, it’s a rotten old sign.” Indeed, you would be correct, but this find had me jumping up and down. I discovered it as I took up the rotten bathroom floor. (We’ll chat more about that later.) The previous owners or someone before them used it as subflooring. The writing was not facing up so I didn’t know it was there until I actually started taking up the floor.

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Unfortunately, the sign is in bad shape as the bathtub and toilet were leaking for years causing rot all the way through to the joists. Yes, the hole in the second photo was what the bathroom fixtures were sitting on. At any given time, someone could have ended up in the kitchen below while bathing or taking a dump. BTW, this is NOT the first old house I found such rot. Live in an old home? Pray they did the right thing when “renovating” as they often just cover things up. Enjoy your bath.

Anyway, back to the cool find. It seems to be more than one sign because I see “Library” and I also see “Club”. Actually, I’m guessing that perhaps they were the destination signs on the boardwalk? Anyone have a clue?

Whatever the case, even though they crumble in my hands, they will most definitely stay with the house as part of the reclaiming process. Right now, I’m thinking of embedding the edges in a plaster or concrete wall.

But it was nice to see that folks were reusing salvaged material even back then!

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Love Letter Counter

New York 2013

New York 2013 published on

Let’s say we survive this Mayan inspired apocalypse tomorrow. What do you think is in store for us come 2013?

Well, I’m a hit-or-miss psychic but here are my predictions (more like observations) on the near future in local areas.

First, a slight backtrack to 2012 and said apocalypse. I remember reading a Nostradamus predictions on the subject a few years ago. It’s in one of my books that are still packed in a tote box in the basement years after moving. Anyway, I was relieved to find that according to Nostradamus, the 2012 destruction of earth isn’t one single event that immediately ends it all but rather a series of cataclylsmic occurrences around the globe. If I remember correctly, many would be wiped out, but not all would perish.

So, ok. Nostradamus may have been on to something there.

Moving forward, I think New York will survive and flourish as she always does. Armageddon or not, you just can’t hold New York down.

Don’t know if you realize this, but there are STILL people living without heat and electric. Many homes that were not torn down are not safe to live in, so I just want to take this opportunity to say that help is still very much needed for Sandy victims. Just because this blog and the media has moved on doesn’t mean they are not still struggling. If you were thinking that you missed out on volunteering or donating, think again.

Ok, the future!

Crazy real estate prices. That’s the present, I don’t have to be psychic to see that. Areas such as Bed Stuy, Crown Heights and Flatbush that were on the verge of affordable have hit the million mark. Rental prices have increased as well. I told you to buy a brownstone in Bed Stuy back when they were $650k. What were you waiting for??

I’m not going to put my money were my mouth is (because it’s tied up in Rockaway) but I’m thinking East Flatbush and Broadway Junction (pretty much East New York) will be the next affordable areas to take off. Don’t go out and buy because I said so. My track record is 50/50.

Right now, if you’re an out of work contractor, there’s something wrong with you. Think about this. How many homes in how many areas either need a total rebuild, renovation or just renovation of one floor? That’s not just houses. There are businesses and infrastructure that have been totaled as well. It’s going to be The Year of the Contractor. And they’ll let us down like they always do. F*ckin’ contractors.

Retail will see a spike as folks start getting money back from insurance, charity and FEMA and moving back into their homes. What was lost? EVERYTHING. Clothing, furniture, appliances, artwork, kitchenware, electronics. Think about every item you own times what it would take to replace it all times how many families have to do that. The shops in hard hit areas are struggling to survive right now, but if they can hang on, 2013 can be their busiest year yet. Even food vendors, what with all the workers coming into these neighborhoods.

Farming. I heard this on NPR, so I’m stealing this “prediction”. Because of climate change, we’re going to have a harder time growing food. Land will become more valuable as food production declines. Now is the time to buy those 50 acres upstate you’ve been dreaming about. So perhaps Gerald O’Hara was right when he said “Land is the only thing that lasts”.

Unless, of course, you’re near the water. Then fuhgettaboutit.

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