real estate Archives - Page 5 of 5

Garage Face Lift

August 30, 2010 RH

So, the Beacon house has been on the market for nearly four months now and we are freaking out, man! We’ve decided to give it one more month (maybe two) since the summer was sort of a dead zone and then we’ll have to think about renting it out until the market picks up again. That being said, just when we’re about to give up, it looks as if we may have a few interested parties. Fingers crossed!

The plan over the weekend was to go up to Beacon and ready the exterior for winter, should we end up keeping it or should the new owner take over during the cold months. The front of the house was painted when the new porch was put in, but the rest of the house is screaming for a paint job. (BTW, what ever happened to people who think it’s romantic to work on an old home? Are we the only ones left?) No, the two of us didn’t repaint our entire house over the weekend. We did scrape and touch up the worst bits. Now it just looks patchy but maintained, instead of neglected. At least this way, if it doesn’t get painted until next Spring, the clapboard isn’t rotting away.

The garage face lift was just that. Like an aged has-been getting her face pulled tight when her neck remains wrinkled and saggy, the garage now looks better at first glance. We’re not trying to fool anyone. The structure needs complete rehabilitation at best or needs to be torn down and rebuilt. The waste of half a day and the leftover paint was decided upon when we realized that this is the first thing people see when they pull into the driveway. So, now at least it looks like a charming dilapidated shed instead of a total eyesore. Smoke and mirrors. Curb appeal. Whatev.

My Beacon Victorian: Open House Sunday!

August 6, 2010 RH

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

Buy This House (So They Can Buy Ours)

June 21, 2010 RH 3 Comments

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.

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.

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.

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.

Brooklyn Apartments Under $1200

June 16, 2010 RH

It’s been a long time since I did an affordable housing post. Let’s see what kind of rentals are available in our fine boro of Brooklyn, shall we?

Clinton Hill Studio $980

The marble fireplace, the wide plank floors! It’s clean too, which for this price is difficult to find. The drawback? It’s the G train. Ugh.

Prospect Park South $1000

Meh apartment but location, location, location. Q/B train at Church? Not too shabby.

Crown Heights $995

A pre-war 1 BR along the #3 line. Yeah ok, I can deal with that.

Bed Stuy $1110

Brownstone 1 BR with what seems to be a back yard. They don’t SAY that, but why else would they take picture of it? Address is listed as Decatur at Macdonough. No clue where this is, since they run parallel.

Open House on Sunday!

June 4, 2010 RH

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! 🙂

Beacon House on MLS

May 11, 2010 RH

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?

Thinking of Living in Beacon?

April 27, 2010 RH 4 Comments

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!

They Said It Couldn’t Be Done

April 19, 2010 RH 4 Comments

Four months ago we embarked on a major renovation to get our Beacon house on the market by Spring. April 30th is the target date. We went over room by room, taking up some floors and taking down some walls. Nobody thought we would be ready in time, including (especially) the broker.

“That’s a tall order!” “April?! Good luck!” “That’s impossible.”

Ha! They don’t know who they’re dealing with. We are rocking this house and kicking it’s gorgeous ass into shape! So much so, that we have to get out of here quick because it’s so museum-like that’s it’s no longer habitable by slobs like us.

Behold the three downstairs rooms that are totally finished. Yeah, I know you’ve seen them, but I changed stuff around and took new pictures. All but one of the upstairs rooms will be finished today. It’s just a matter of me cleaning them up enough to take pictures.

Yes, we moved the dining area to the room just off the kitchen. Makes more sense than the way we had it.

Go ahead, tell us how great we are. Pat us on the back.

Oh, and PS: Dimas the contractor? Ever since he and his assistant John read my blog post about how slow as shit he is….they picked up the pace!!

2 Cool Hudson Valley Homes for Sale

April 7, 2010 RH 1 Comment

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.

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.

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.

Dining Room Done

March 18, 2010 RH 7 Comments

The dining room renovation was finished about two weeks ago, but I just grabbed some snappies of it yesterday. Last you checked in, the restoration looked something like this. And before that, even worse.

It’s kind of a non-event since we didn’t change anything drastically. It just needed a lot of repairs. The plaster. The wood. Even the light fixture needed to be rewired. We lived with all that for five years and only finished it for someone else.

The adjoining living room has been finished for quite some time, but the wood still needs sprucing up.

There is still something to do in every single room, but we’re getting there! We finally have more help. This weekend there will be 7 different people working on our house. Woo-hoo!

Covet Thy Turret

March 12, 2010 RH 7 Comments

So, the broker finally came over to look at our Beacon house and tell us how much we stand to lose in this God awful market. Looks like we’ll list it at $399k even though we paid $385k and put (still putting) a shitload of work into it. What are ya gonna do? We’re motivated.

Everyone thinks their house is special and worth more than the realtor tells them. But we KNOW our house is special because it has a turret! That didn’t impress the broker all that much. He said the home has some nice period details, but the turret isn’t a major selling point.

Well, excuse me, but I beg to differ. Why? Because there’s an old home sucker born every minute. Take us, for instance. We looked at several houses before seeing this one. When we pulled into the driveway, my eyes teared up because it had a turret (We didn’t see any pictures beforehand as it wasn’t listed yet). We knew we were going to buy the house before we went inside. We toured around in a matter of minutes so we could quickly put in an offer. Did I mention we had been looking for months? I think six months, to be exact.

We overpaid. It didn’t appraise out. But we love our house. We think there are other folks out there who are jonesing for turrets just like we were.

$399k is not what we wanted, but it’s a fair price for the house. I’m really hoping buyers won’t try to get us down to much or I might cry again.

Old House Web

March 10, 2010 RH 1 Comment

Hey, dy’all know about Old House Web? It’s a mega website that has just about any information you need to find on older homes.

Although some of it is paid advertising (no problem with that-they have to make money), there are blog posts and diy tips that are pretty handy.

My favorite section of the site is the forum. It looks like lots of people use it, which always makes for a good forum. There are pre and post 1900 house categories with topics ranging from wallpaper to countertops to foundations.

Such a shame I actually have to do physical work on my house today or I’d be on Old House Web all day dreaming up some crazy new restoration scheme.

Reclaim Home Value. Add Curb Appeal. Add A Cupola.

February 23, 2010 RH

Still bummed about being buried under a foot of snow? If so, then you’re probably already dreaming about the middle of April. You know, that strange time of the year when weeks of windy, overcast days in the mid 40’s magically turn into sunny days in the mid 60’s? Personally, I’m counting down the days until warm weather arrives while I spend long February days staring out the window debating the merits of shoveling my sidewalk against the challenge 14-inches of snow pose to my mail carrier. Anyway, eventually the weather is going to improve, and I’m going to need to get out there and do some overdue maintenance on my tiny piece of suburban splendor.

So what the heck should I do to jump start my spring home improvements? Standard landscaping and up keep aside, I’m thinking about taking some time to improve the exterior appearance of my home. My wife already is doing a great job of maintaining the inside of our home. After taking the beating of holding all that snow this winter, I’m thinking (like I imagine most people are) that the condition of my roof is probably going to need some attention.

Assuming that the roof is where I’m going to focus my time and energy, where the heck do I begin? Shingles are important, but no one is just going to notice that I got new shingles. I’m trying to do something that will make that group of old guys who stand at the edge of their driveway with beers in hand (yeah, just like King of the Hill) take notice of my improvements.

To that end, I’m considering buying a cupola for my crib.

What the heck is a cupola?

A cupola is one of those windowed boxes with a roof that typically sit atop barns, gazebos, and houses. City dwellers will most often recognize cupolas as the dome structures located on top of a old building, like a church or government building.

Now that the real estate market has some life in it once again, I have a feeling many people are going to be working on reclaiming their homes… and, to a certain degree, the value of their home. Cupolas not only provide a classic look to a house, they also improve curb appeal – which, in turn, improves the value of a home on the market.

So, if you wanna follow my lead and shop around for some cupolas as that snow works on melting away over the next couple weeks, here’s a few things to keep in mind as you’re window shopping:

– Weather-resistance. Weather resistance is a lot less important to your grandparents who retired to Arizona than it is to those of us who still experience four seasons. Make sure the cupola you pick and the roofing material you select can handle all our different types of weather. Vinyl PVC board and copper sheeting tend to hold up best against the elements.

– Styling. Almost every cupola has a window and some decoration. The more complex the decoration, the more $ needed to purchase. The most common cupolas in our area come with louvres, which allow for air flow but shed against the elements. Copper sheeting is recommended for the roof of a cupola, but roof designs can be bell-shaped, concave, or crown molded. Pro designers typically lean towards selecting one that closely matches your home roof. Oh, and if you want to top off your cupola with a weathervane or finial, make sure the cupola includes an interior mount.

– Roof pitch. Click here for a handy, web-based roof pitch calculator. Roofs come at a variety of angles. Cupolas need to fit properly on roofs. I don’t think I need to go into much detail here, but make sure you know the pitch of your roof before you buy a cupola.

*Guest post by Jonathan Bentz

Buying Your First Home

October 10, 2007 RH 5 Comments

We’re not going to get into whether or not this is a good time to buy. It’s obvious which side of the fence we’re on. We can never go back to renting again (mostly because of our pets). As long as you don’t have plans to flip the home within the next few years, why put it off?Continue reading Buying Your First Home

Staging Your House To Sell

September 12, 2007 RH 1 Comment

As an ole’ house buying pro, I can walk into any wreck and visualize it’s potential. Not everyone looking to buy a home has such foresight. In fact, some people are completely imagination impaired. If the home is a bit dirty or has the wrong color paint, they may just walk out. Staging is important if you want to get your price!

First, clear away the clutter! Remove family photos, dusty tschotskes, piles of laundry and anything that doesn’t belong.

Clean! No dirty dishes, smelly cat litter or unmade beds. Wipe down dirty walls, switch plates and cabinets. Paint, if necessary.

Curb Appeal. Make sure the house looks good from the front. Tidy garbage, sweep, mow or weed.

Light Makes Right! Open window shades. Turn on lights for showings. Change burnt out bulbs. Clean windows. Nobody likes a dark house unless they have photophobia.

Delight All Senses. You’ve made it visually stimulating, but how does it smell? Fresh flowers or natural scents are always more pleasing than artificial deodorizers. When showing, turn on calming background music. Classical is always suitable. Make sure the room temperature is at a comfortable level. Offer some refreshments to buyers schlepping around all day.

These are the no cost basics. You’ll probably want to take it up a notch if it’s a high priced property. Other items to consider: whole house paint job, take up carpeting, finish wood floors, rent proper furniture.

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