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Weekender: Greek Revival Under $200k

Weekender: Greek Revival Under $200k published on 3 Comments on Weekender: Greek Revival Under $200k

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This fabulous Coxsackie, NY house belongs to a friend of mine. Sadly, I’ve never been invited up to see it in person. (How subtle was that hint?)

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The Greek Revival was built circa 1839 and has been lovingly restored by said friend. I know that “lovingly restored” is a ridiculous real estate term, but it’s true…she did the restoration with love. And a bit of good taste didn’t hurt either. Before photos on Flickr.

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$199,900 will get you 3 bedrooms in a 1969 square foot home on 1/3 acre bordering a state park.

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So, where is this funny sounding town of Coxsackie? It’s upstate in Greene County. That’s west of Hudson (both the town and the river) and close to the other quaint towns of Athens and Catskill. It’s most famous for (in my mind) the kick ass Coxsackie Antique Center.

Check out the house! If you buy it, maybe you’ll invite me up.

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This House is Empty Now

This House is Empty Now published on 5 Comments on This House is Empty Now

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We rented a truck and some guys last Friday to move the rest of our belongings from Beacon to Brooklyn. Anything left in the house was sold off in our moving sale on Saturday. Apart from a few leftover items that will be donated or dumped, the house is sitting empty, waiting for the new owners to come and make it a home again.

The sale was called for 10am on Saturday. We woke up early to get our personal belongings out of the way. As I sat on the toilet at 9am, the bell rang. And that was it. The early birds had arrived.

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The first moving sale we had prior to putting the house on the market was in the driveway. This time, we had things from the basement all the way up to the attic and out to the garage, so we let people wander around.

My husband asked afterward if I felt violated having people rip through our stuff like that. Had we been given that extra hour to get a few more tote boxes out of the house, it would have been fine. But I had forgotten about some boxes in the attic. When I went upstairs in the afternoon, I found Alpine’s garbage scattered about the floor. I felt protective of her. There were a number of antique bottles that we took back from people. That’s a memory that stays together. Not for sale.

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Then I saw we had left a box of old tax files up there. Hopefully, we weren’t visited by an ID thief because they could have gotten our social security numbers and birth dates quite easily. Yeah, that was a big no no. More important than any other expensive possession I grabbed out of the house.

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The thing about these sales is people don’t respect your stuff. They don’t carefully go through boxes and closets. They scatter things about. I can’t imagine what it’s like to run an estate sale if you’re a child of an elderly or deceased parent, when it’s a lifetime of memories up for grabs.

I’m not saying I’m not the first one through the door at an estate sale! I love going through people’s old photos and keepsakes. It’s a way of honoring their lives.

Anyway, I don’t know what I’m going on about. We were in the house for 6 years. We were just getting rid of some old junk. I’m just getting sentimental about the house now that the transfer of property is becoming a reality.

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Stormville Antique Show

Stormville Antique Show published on

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The Stormville Airport Antique Show and Flea Market in Dutchess County takes place on holiday weekends during the warmer months. Since next Monday is Columbus Day, the fair is on this Saturday and Sunday, October 9th and 10th.

There are usually a couple of hundred antiques vendors (that’s a guess) and an area set up near the entrance for new stuff. Admission and parking are free. Vendor’s prices are pretty fair. The only thing I would suggest is getting there way early (like 6:30am) as there is only one road leading to the show and it gets backed up.

It took us moving out of the area to participate, but Reclaimed Home has a booth this weekend. Look for us in site #10, driveway 3. We’ll be emptying out our Beacon house and trying to cram everything into our Brooklyn home of half the size. Much of the furniture for sale is from our own private “estate” (I’m gonna add an LOL here just so you know that’s tongue in cheek).

The flea market inventory we’re bringing is stuff we never want to see again, so prices will be good, especially by the end of the second day. In fact, if you’re a vendor or just some hoarder who wants a bunch of crap, come see us on Sunday afternoon and we’ll make a deal for everything that’s left over.

Here’s what we have…(Bear with me. The only images I have of our personal items are real estate shots.)

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That red couch is probably 1920’s/30’s. We bought it in Brooklyn reupholstered. After moving it to Kingston then Beacon and living with it for 6 plus years, the fabric isn’t brand new anymore. Good but not excellent condition. $300

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Bought this Eastlake rocker at a shop in Beacon. Paid $350 and would like to get as close as possible. It is comfy!

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See that bed? That was our guest room bed. We no longer need it since we don’t have a guest room. Deco. Decent condition. Full. If you’re not paranoid about bed bugs (there aren’t any) we can throw in the mattress and box spring. $110. We also have some twin frames and a Mid Century Queen headboard.

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We’re asking $150 for the enamel table. See those chairs in the picture? We have 6 of them. They were our dining room chairs that we bought at Stormville when we first moved into the Beacon house. They never really matched our dining room table (which we’re keeping). Anyhoo, we paid $750 for the set of 6 and will take best offer. They’re English, 1800’s. Disclosure: Our dog chewed a corner of one of them.

Speaking of chairs, we have 4 painted brown ones that would match the table if repainted white. We’ll sell them with table for $200, entire set if ya want.
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Antique wood burning stove from Beacon farm house. Needs a good sandblasting or wire brushing and some spray paint. $250

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Mid Century reproduction lamps. A guy. A gal. And a whole lotta kitsch. This was actually from my cousin’s house and I have to do right by them. $175 for the pair.

So, you should come to the show. But if there’s anything you’re interested in, let us know and we won’t schlep it to Stormville for nothing.

My Beacon Victorian: Open House Sunday!

My Beacon Victorian: Open House Sunday! published on

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The realtor decided to do a last minute open house, scheduled for this Sunday, August 8th. Weird that July was dead but August is picking up as far as showings and interest. Fingers crossed! Eight is my lucky number!

Go look at it. Spread the word. Each week this home sits on the market, one of my cats will go without food. So, save the kittens and buy this lovely Beacon house!!

1189 North Avenue in Beacon (that’s route 9-D south)

1-4pm

Kelly will be hosting the open house. Her cell is 845-401-6906

Electric Windows in Beacon

Electric Windows in Beacon published on 3 Comments on Electric Windows in Beacon

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There’s a big ole abandoned building on the east side of Main Street in Beacon. In the town’s heyday, it was the electric blanket factory. Today, each window is covered by a fabulous work of art.

This Saturday, July 31st, the street artists will converge on Beacon once again to do a live installation. They’ll create the works of art right in front of the building during “Electric Windows”. There will also be music,vendors, the works!

If you plan on spending the night in Beacon, there’s an after party at The Piggy Bank starting at 10pm.

Then you can fall in love with Beacon and go buy my house.

Buy This House (So They Can Buy Ours)

Buy This House (So They Can Buy Ours) published on 3 Comments on Buy This House (So They Can Buy Ours)

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I shot this sweet Beacon Victorian last week for JonCar Realty, the same broker who’s listing our house. The seller and I got to chatting and it turns out they friggin adore my house but can’t put in an offer until they know theirs is going to sell.

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I like the idea of this couple getting our house for a number of reasons.

1. They’ve restored their own old home and know what it takes.

2. They appreciate the work we’ve already done because, well, see #1.

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3. They read my blog.

4. They are from Beacon, so they won’t be abandoning the house for the city after a few years (like us).

5. Our house is commercially zoned. A lovely Victorian with original detail up the road was sold to a lawyer a few years back and it was totally raped. Now it’s a vinyl sided law office. Damn shame, that is. I’d die if someone did that to my house.

6. Ok, here’s where I start tearing up. The wife said our house is her dream home. It’s always been our dream house and it still is. Just wish we could pack it and take it to Brooklyn. I want someone in there who loves it as much as we do.

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Ok, enough about our house. So, here’s the house you have to buy:

A 1910 house on a quiet street. 3 BR, 2 Bath lovely restoration. 0.08 backyard already fenced for a dog, if you have one. Oh yeah, or kids. No work to do as far as I could see. Just move in and enjoy. $284,900.

Hurry up and call JonCar @ 845-831-3331.

Open House on Sunday!

Open House on Sunday! published on

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So, after just 4 weeks, we’ve decided to reduce the price on our Beacon house. We are motivated sellers! Although, not so motivated that we’ll go down much more because we haven’t left ourselves with wiggle room now.

A 4 BR friggin drop dead gorgeous Queen Anne Victorian for $379,900. We already hate the people who are going to buy it because they’re ripping us off. But it was our decision to make. We’ve moved on, so holding onto the house for several months just to make a few more bucks isn’t going to do us any good.

This Sunday will be the first (hopefully the only) OPEN HOUSE! So, if you’re thinking of moving to Beacon but didn’t want to bother realtors because you’re not ready yet, here’s your excuse to check it out.

I’ll even plan your day for you….

Take Metro North.

Go to DIA.

Walk up to Main Street. Lunch @ Homespun. Continue to walk through the crappy mid section of town….there’s more at the other end. Make sure you get to the waterfall on the east side of Main.

Ok, so if you’re too tired, take the loop bus back down Main because the house is back on the west side.

Hit the open house. Put in a really, really high offer because of the bidding war that will undoubtedly be going on.

Walk back to train. Feel superior to all the people in their cars because they don’t live within walking distance to public transit.

The Deets:

When: Sunday June 6th, 1-4pm

Where: 1189 North Avenue (that’s Rt. 9-D south side) Beacon, NY 12508

How: Metro North to Beacon station. Front of train (That means walk to the back at Grand Central). Walk up the hill to W. Main, take left, then left on 9-D. House is third in from corner of Tompkins. There is a 33 on the door, but no 1189. JonCar Realty sign out front and if the agent is any good, there should be balloons or something.

Driving? 9-D South from Rt 84. Park on Tompkins (beyond the house) as it’s a tight driveway for too many cars.

* Don’t forget to bring your mortgage pre-approval and check book! 🙂

New Paltz Crafts Show Find

New Paltz Crafts Show Find published on

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So, remember how I previously mentioned that we are forced to attend the New Paltz Crafts every year and every year it’s the same tired vendors? Tired as in they haven’t updated their work since 1986. Well, we found one new vendor! Woo-hoo!

After running through the show in record time, we came across Bill Finks and his upcycled doll art. Bill and his wife Marcia have a company called Primitive Twig. The website hasn’t been updated in a few years and there is no doll art on display, but it’s cool stuff anyway and has current contact info.

As a craftsperson at a decidedly unhip crafts show, I was curious to find out how Bill was doing. He said he had done well on Saturday! It was still early when I spoke to him on Sunday.

*Editor’s note: Sorry if I’m coming off as snobbish with my “unhip” nonsense. It’s the same country crafts, color animal photographs, dichroic glass jewelry, stoneware pottery and tie dyes I’ve been seeing since the 80’s. They’re a little dated. But then again, the show brings people in who go crazy for stuff like that, so who am I to complain?

Anyway, back the the Reclaimed Home approved vendor….

Bill was telling us that he has tons of the same antique porcelain doll head. They come from Germany and there are so many of them around because the doll maker would throw them out if there was a tiny flaw. They are still being dug up today.

He sometimes gets people dumping their old junk on him (which he gladly accepts) so he can bring new life to it.

Prices were fair. I believe they ranged from the mid fifties to $700 range.

Memorial Weekend Upstate Events

Memorial Weekend Upstate Events published on 1 Comment on Memorial Weekend Upstate Events

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East Side of the Hudson

Bannerman Castle Tours. We did the Bannerman kayak tour last year. It was great (except for the weather). You don’t have to kayak. There are larger vessel trips for the youngun’s and elders but there is some uphill walking involved and this is a hard hat trip.

Pow Wow on the Hudson, Wappingers. I see this advertised every year, but have never been. I’m worried it might be like the time I really, really wanted to go to the Renaissance Faire for a laugh but it was all WTF and not much fun.

Mario’s Biggest Yard Sale Evah! You’ve seen several Mario posts here before. The guy’s got the goods…and the prices are right. Flickr set.

Stormville Flea Market. Only happens a few times a year, usually on 3 day holiday weekends. Huge market for antiques dealers and some crap vendors. Huge.

Prisoner of Second Avenue at the Ghent Playhouse. Ooh, one of my favorite movies! Jack Lemmon, Anne Bancroft? Of course, this is a live performance of the Neil Simon play.

West Side of the Hudson

New Paltz Crafts Fair. An annual trip for me. Every year since we’ve lived upstate, the same Boston via Dublin friends come to stay with us for the weekend. Every year, this is what they want to do. I enjoyed it the first 2 years, but it’s the same country craftsy vendors every year. On the other hand, not a bad way to spend your day outdoors.

East Durham Irish Festival. Probably a thousand times goofier than the Pow Wow. I’m not allowed to go, what with 3 Dubliners in tow. I wouldn’t be able to sustain the complaints and sarcasm. And I’m a New Yorker!

Rip Lives Festival. Ok, so they’re a little Rip Van Winkle obsessed in parts of the Hudson Valley. That’s ok, he was a cool guy. Some Catskill towns will have local Rip-themed art on display for public viewing during the summer months. The outdoor exhibit ends with an auction in Tannersville on October 2nd.

Beacon House on MLS

Beacon House on MLS published on

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Yay! Finished kitchen!

‘Twas a few days late, but the Beacon house finally hit the market last week. It’s listed with JonCar Realty, the bloke who’s holding my real estate license. He’s the same guy I take all the pictures for. Don’t ask me why the photos look so pixelated on his website. I’ve been over that with him. Hrmph.

Anyway, the place is looking great. It got a few showing last weekend. People seemed to spend quite a bit of time there, but no offers yet. 🙁

MLS # 287341. Blog page here. Go buy it. Right now. Please?

This Is Not My Beautiful House

This Is Not My Beautiful House published on 3 Comments on This Is Not My Beautiful House

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After a grueling final week to get the Beacon home on the market, it’s finally listed on MLS. The house has never looked so good. Yesterday was the broker’s open house which had a really good turn out.

The open house was called for 12-2pm and so my schedule went something like this:

4:30am. Wake up. Cawfeeeee.

5:00am. Paint spot on kitchen wall that was spackled the day before. Paint some patches in the bathroom.

5:30am. Clean cat pee bathroom. Bleach the shit out of it.

6:30am. Shower.

7:00am. Oooh, I stink again! What can ya do?

7:15am. Clear tools and ladders from kitchen. Vacuum new white grout that was never sealed and will be gray grout by end of week.

8:00am. Take out screens and storm windows in preparation for the window cleaner.

8:30am. Cawfeeee break. Call broker to delegate refreshment duty to him.

9:00am. Window cleaner arrives. We discover that the top windows that are covered by the storm windows won’t open. He can only clean the bottoms.

9:30am. Discover the bathroom drain is leaking since I pushed the pedestal sink too hard while cleaning cat pee. Throw a sheet down and pray the contractor comes on time today.

10:00am. Clean the rest of the kitchen without water because it’s not hooked up.

10:30am. Ah, Dimas the contractor has arrived only a half hour late! Quick Dimas, leak! Backsplash! Shelf!

11:00am. Dust and clean the rest of the house with the help of Dimas and his assistant, John.

11:30am. Jon of JonCar Realty arrives with the desserts. Dunkin Donuts and Sam’s Club. Really?

12:05pm. Change out of painting clothes while the first realtor arrives. Must dress like an orthodox Jew on this hot day because I have paint all over my arms and haven’t shaved my legs in like a decade.

2:30pm. Discover a large pubic hair on white bathroom floor after last realtor leaves.

Flickr house photos

Thinking of Living in Beacon?

Thinking of Living in Beacon? published on 4 Comments on Thinking of Living in Beacon?

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It’s been a long time since I wrote one of these location posts, simply because I ran out of places to review. My original Beacon post was in 2007, so it’s time to update since I’m working on a web page for my house.

Obvious disclosure here: I have to remain positive about Beacon since I want to sell my house! But I’ll be truthful. I promise.

In fact, let’s start with the negatives. Why are we leaving after six years? I’m not sure this has anything to do with Beacon itself as much as the fact that we’re just crotchety old city folk and small town living really isn’t for us. Most people we’ve met in Beacon love it there! They are really happy, whereas we never felt 100% at home.

The following factors could be positives depending on what you want out of life, but we just found it depressing. It’s too quiet. You can walk down Main Street and not run into another person for a couple of blocks. On the other hand, you can encounter the same 5 people wherever you go. See what I mean? If it’s a quiet lifestyle you want, then Beacon is your place!

Wanna hear crickets and see stars at night? Go for it! I need the horns, sirens and rumbling subway to sleep at night.

Obviously, there are people and places I’ll miss. My dinner preparation has always consisted of going through menus and making a phone call. No such beast in Beacon. Ok, maybe 1 or 2 restaurants deliver. Beacon Natural has been my own personal chef. The deli counter has a great variety of daily specials made from local, organic produce. The chef is a Millenium alumni and the food is not that pricey. The menu is emailed to me daily and I even get a phone call if they think they’ll run out of my favorite dishes. Owner Kitty has been my health consultant for years since I’m scared of doctors and her husband LT has even helped us work on our house.

I’ll also miss the local wine shop, Artisan Wine. Ok, so food and drink mean more to me than anything else. Is there a problem with that? Tim and Mae are city transplants who moved upstate to open said shop. It’s really laid back and lacks the snobbery of some of the city places. There are tastings every Friday and Saturday for bottles less than $15.

Beacon is an awesome location for people who are attracted to the great outdoors. It’s right on The Hudson. There are riverside trails and kayak and sailing docks. Even a river pool. The town is also home to some fabulous mountains. Being sandwiched between the mountain and the river…can’t find a flaw with that! Mountain Tops offers some great hiking and kayaking trips.

And now I’m bored of writing. It’s time for some lists!

PROS

1. The River. The Mountain. See above.

2. Small town living.  Again, not for some people (like me). But most people find this charming and quaint. Yes, the town is charming and quaint. As charming and quaint as any small town can get. Plus, it’s got the hipness factor going for it.

3. Beacon is still moving forward. In the past 6 months, since we’ve made the decision to leave, a few new interesting places have popped up on Main Street. There’s a raw cafe and The School of Jellyfish, which…well, I really don’t know what it is, but they have good hot chocolate and vegan food.

4. Metro North. Makes Beacon commutable and leave-able when you need to get away.

5. DIA. Without DIA, none of you would know where Beacon is. Admit it. That’s all I get. Me: “I live in Beacon.” Everyone else: “Oh, I know where that is! I’ve been to DIA.”

6. The Art Scene. If you’re into “the scene”, it’s a pretty cool place to get your name out there and hang with like-minded artists.

7. Good for farmy, foodie types. There are plenty of farm shares and farmer’s markets around for those who like to cook. Although Beacon is known as a haven for artists, the nutritionists and greenie people are abundant.

CONS

1. Restaurants. As in, lack of. As in, the few that there are ain’t much to write home about.

2. Main Street shop owners are screwy! I wish they would take their businesses seriously and open up decent hours, 7 days per week. The hardware store closes at 3pm on Saturday and isn’t open on Sunday. Paint store: closed on Sunday. Hello, Home Depot and big box stores! Thankfully, they are less than 10 minutes away.

3. Sidewalks. It’s the weirdest thing. On some side streets, the sidewalk just ends. It reminds me that people don’t walk much here. Forget bike lanes.

4. Art scene. Ok, did you get from my “pros” that I’m not exactly thrilled with the art scene? As much as I love the artists that the galleries show, they need to mix it up a bit. Seeing the work of the same 5 artists at every show is a bit like masturbation.

5. Mellow energy. Again, many might see this as a positive. Do your yoga, have a stress free day. These days for me, I only feel alive when I’m arguing with cabbies.

LINKS

City of Beacon website

Wanna know what the citizens think?

Rent or own in Beacon? Use this Beacon realtor!

Leaving the City. Got What it Takes?

Leaving the City. Got What it Takes? published on 8 Comments on Leaving the City. Got What it Takes?

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Our moving sale was great! Thanks to everyone who showed up and helped us rid ourselves of worldly possessions. Most of the folks I conversed with were curious as to where we were moving. About 90% were surprised when I told them we’re heading back to Brooklyn. I was informed that we’re heading in the opposite direction of everyone else.

It seems there’s a mass migration to the Hudson Valley again and Beacon is hot at the moment. Good for us, since we want to sell our house. I say, bring it on!

We chose to move back to Brooklyn after six years away for many reasons. The main one is that Hubby has been working in Greenpoint for the past year + and stays in Brooklyn most nights while I live upstate. Just doesn’t make sense.

But just in case you’re thinking of leaving the city for greener pastures, I’ve compiled a list of questions to ask yourself before making the big move. These factors bothered me, but everyone is different.

1. Food delivery! My husband jokes “What does my wife make for dinner? A phone call.” I don’t cook, I don’t cook, I don’t cook. My mother isn’t much of a cook. I come from a “Let’s order in” family. I think there’s ONE place in Beacon that delivers.

2.  Restaurants. Again with the food. I’m a Jew. We like to eat. The restaurants around here are meh. IMO, there are finer dining establishments further north in weekender territory, but they are too far from Beacon.

3. Sidewalks and bike lanes. Ok, so maybe it’s not such a big deal, but some streets lack sidewalks. I’m sorry, I don’t like walking in the road or on someone’s grass. Although I don’t cycle, there are no bike lanes. Not really a reason not to move up here, but it just bothers me.

4. Everyone all up in your business. Small town life. How quaint. You see the same people. Everyone knows one another. For me, it was charming for 5 minutes. There’s something to be said about anonymous city life and that is “I miss it”.

5. Shop hours. Oh, this is a killer coming from “The City That Never Sleeps”. The Main Street store owners seem to come to work whenever they feel like it. I gave up on many of the mom and pop shops because they were never open when I needed something. Special thanks to Beacon Natural and Artisan Wine who open 7 days per week, normal hours.

6. Strip malls. It’s an inevitable part of suburban life. Face it. If the Main Street shops ain’t helping ya, that’s what’s left. Which brings me to….

7. It’s a car culture. OMG, I used to make fun of people who drive a few blocks. Now I’m one of them! Something you would never do in the city because of traffic and parking. Something I do here because the Main Street shops are so unreliable that I may end up driving to the strip mall.

All of the above being said, there are many pluses to living in the Hudson Valley. How about clean air and fabulous mountain views? Being near the Hudson so you can kayak or sail (We said we would, but hardly ever got around to it). No crowds. Better quality of life. Larger living space and back yard.

It’s really about everyone’s own choice. I grew up with the rat race. As much as I wanted a quieter lifestyle, I feel like a fish out of water here. Do I regret leaving the city? No, it was a lovely vacation. But now it’s time to go home.

2 Cool Hudson Valley Homes for Sale

2 Cool Hudson Valley Homes for Sale published on 1 Comment on 2 Cool Hudson Valley Homes for Sale

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I shot two impressive homes on Monday. What are the chances of that? A Spanish villa inspired (realtor says English) stone house in Beacon and a sweet Victorian in Poughkeepsie.

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The “Under the Beacon Sun” house needs some work, but it looks soooooo worth it! My jaw dropped when I walked in. But then I was like “No. More. Renovations!” It’s listed at $299k.

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The Poughkeepsie house is on a lovely block within walking distance to Main Street. The people living here have good taste, which doesn’t hurt. Don’t know the price yet, but last I heard, Poughkeepsie was less expensive than Beacon.

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