Catskills - Sullivan County - Ulster County Real Estate -- Catskill Farms Journal

So, I get up at 6, fly to the office to pick a few things up, then head over to Thunder 102 cause they invited me to spend an hour talking about the DIY TV shows and my business - live. Then off the Center of Discovery to meet with the construction manager of Allison Devore in order to start a huge spray foam insulation job for one of the most cutting edge businesses up here. Then off to Cottage 25 for a final review, then off to Farmhouse 14 to check Alvin's painting progress on the front porch, then off to see Norm to lay out the house locations and driveway paths for Barn 3 and Cottage 30. Then off to see Dean at Ranch III, and check up on the guys at Cottage 28. Whew, then back to the office to pow wow with the James K, the bookkeeper and my assistant. Just got a call from a woman in Long Island who loved our stuff and asked a bunch of questions and couldn't help but comment that she thought the post about Cottage 2 was 'wierd' for someone just coming across the website. I couldn't agree more Kim. Although it's not me writing about that makes it weird. The fact on occasion a small group of homeowners have gone for this company's jugglar for years is what's weird, not me writing about. But in the end, like I have said for years, this blog is about how it really happens, not how I would like it to happen, or how I could make it appear to happen. In fact, in such a small community, the widely read blog becomes my best 'word of mouth' defense against a lot of bizarro behavior that is really detrimental to my efforts. What's odd is that anything that is deterimental to my efforts reduces the value of what I am building. I'm going on 400 posts, almost 3 years of tracking our progress. 150 readers a day. So that's cool. Also, I get a lot of email asking me why I'm such a 'pompous jerk' because the blog makes it seem like we do no wrong and have only victories day in and day out. Like I have said before, this blog is a marketing tool - and after reading Paul Downs self-pity blog in the NY Times Small Business section week after week, how annoying would it be if I tracked all the self-doubt, self-recriminations, second guessing and woe-is-me approach like he does? I hate the 'I'm a Victim' cry, and believe me, we've had plenty of occasions to play the victim.

We don't get many Catskill Farms resells - Gib McKean says the big resale point is after about 7 years of 2nd homeownership in the area, so a few of our homes are reaching that test age, remarkably. The owner of this Cottage was asking 20% more than what she bought it for, now I think it's 10% - but either way, pretty complimentary to our homes considering what has happened to the real estate market univerally over the past 2. I would think asking what you paid would aggressive, but who am I?

But most remarkably, this price appreciation is on a home that the homeowner constantly emails me (and copies the whole office as if the 'public humiliation ploy' by a few of my early homeowners wasn't so 2008) that she hopes my other buyers don't experience the level of problems she has had with this house - And yet still, it's worth more than she paid for it. Remarkable. It's only fair that if this is a house full of problems, buyers should know this, realtors should disclose all the problems, and it should be reflected in the appraisal. Otherwise, lawsuit for misrepresentation.

And now I hear she is accusing two of the best realtors in the region of conspiring with me to use her home as a model to upsell possible clients to my other cottages. I mean, how bizarro for many reasons, but oh, let me count a few of them (although it's always good when outsiders see what we are confronted with at times).

First, Bill, David and me are more ethical than that.

2nd - I don't rely or really even use realtors. We've been selling our own houses for years - and are much better at it than the local real estate companies, who we stopped using years ago when they couldn't sell more than 2 or 3 a year in a good year.

3rd - We haven't kicked as much ass in this world-changing recession and real estate crash because of black magic, sleight of hand or deviousness. We sell homes because the homes are great, and we spend $5000 a month marketing, positioning and branding our homes - probably more than most real estate companies up here spend in a year.

But, in the end, Thanks John for the great text after his family's first weekend - and I paraphrase - "Totally Unf%^&$*Kingbelieveable".

Touche.

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It's been a good couple of months (or should I say years, or should I say decade, which is fast becoming true). Here are some recent news profiles - Times Herald Record Web Cast about DIY project - And our organic spray foam insulation business we started at the height of the financial panic last February. We just received word from New York House magazine that EcoTech Spray Foam won a special mention in the region for Innovative Products. And then the Article in NY House was fun and flattering. And the Hudson Valley Biz Journal didn't hurt.

DIY's TV show we are working on is taking this boring old period ranch and trying to snaz it up a bit with a full on renovation. There are actually 6 shows being filmed at this house in Bethel NY, with 6 separate film and production crews, 6 different hosts/talent and 6 separate schedules. I'd never thought I'd say 'construction is easy compared to this', but without a doubt, construction is easy compared to this. We had 3 days to take the backyard of this ranch and make it pop. Final pics not allowed till the show airs, of course. It's funny - because of the production priorities and schedules, the master bed and bath are completely finished and furnished, and so is the back yard. Everything else is still early construction.

Then we just finished up Farmhouse 12, and the family is coming up for the first weekend. Here's Norm and the gang finishing the grade and planting the grass. He looks comfortable supervising, which is dangerous.

Then we got Cottage 25 rounding the home stretch for a mid june closing.

Floors looking good after being stained and polyed.

Cottage 28 moving right along, - the trim phase (doors, windows, crown) etc... happening next week.

And Ranch III with the radiant tubing in the slab, which was poured today.

And then sweet little Cottage 29 taking shape nicely.

Well, that's what we are up to. Great frickin' spring weather. We are able to fire on all cylinders with weather like this.

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