New Real Estate Project in Olivebridge NY

After a year of planning board meetings and requirements, after spending more than $150,000 in engineering, legal and surveying fees, I received in May the final approval of 9 building lots in one of the most sought-after areas perhaps in the country.

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I liked the Town of Olive Planning Board. I think they overdid some things that had little benefit to anyone, from an engineering perspective, but overall, a true cross-section of the community, with a fairness commitment to both the applicant and the community.

This low inventory environment is so because of all the NYC’ers who never found a home during Covid when demand spiked, compounded by the true lack of inventory, and the idea that no one who still wants to live upstate wants to trade houses because for the most part a lot of families are locked in at low interest rates.  7% instead of 3% is real money.  There’s a $1000 a month difference between a 3% loan and a 7% loan on a $600k house with $120k down (loan of $480K).

But at the same time, $1000 a month isn’t really the problem for new sales - the problem is inventory, priced sanely.  And that’s what we intend to supply.  I’m sure it will be a hit. The bank appraisals for my financing for each home have eye-poppingly elevated - elevated isn't the right word since it infers 'artificial' - but just what the market will bear.

I’m reading Hammer of the Gods, a 70’s book about Led Zeppelin.  I read it before, way back, but I needed something easy to read since I was having trouble with reading books and making progress, which is something that doesn’t make me happy since I’ve always been a reader.  One thing that stuck out to me was the fact that the main-stream music press ignored, disdained, underplayed the size of the impact, the crowds, and the achievements of Led Zeppelin.  Just didn’t write about them, or panned their music, or just gave them less due then was due considering they were outselling the Rolling Stones and blew the Beatles off the charts.  Part of the reason is they didn’t court the press, they didn’t cowtow, kiss ass, etc…  They were bad boys who played loud music and were a bit of heathens with the women.  

Catskill Farms, or actually me, I’m a bit the same way (sans the heathen with women part).  Whether it be Escape Brooklyn, or NYT’s, or a dozen leading pubs, we get ignored.  Why, because we are quantifiably the best selling outfit around, and have done it outside the traditional confines of how that is typically done.  Escape Brooklyn, which is literally a magazine directly targeting our audiences, won’t let us advertise in their publications even though we have best in class stuff.

Ashokan Acres -

Used to bug me, not that long ago really, but it turns out a saying I read not that long ago makes sense - in fact, 2 of them resonate with me.

'You never find haters that are doing better than you.'

And

'I light my way by the bridges I burn.'

It’s just my way, and I guess Ill come into this world and go out of it without really changing too much.

Or as Waylon Jennings liked to sing - ‘being crazy kept me from going insane.’

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