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

Ouch, I don't think I've had such a delay between posts since like, well, since like forever - or at least since I started writing this blog back in old 2007 or something.

Things are busy, I mean like real busy.  We are a well-oiled machine and we are having a hard time just keeping all the inquiries straight.  Building a house seems simple when compared to reading, sorting, prioritizing all the folks interested in what we are doing.

Cooking with gas as they say.

Quick wrap up -

Mountain Biking in Moab Utah with some boys.

Lucas' first year of baseball.

Traded him two pieces of brocoli for a nerf machine gun.

got a sweet new farm dog and we named it lulu (if it turned out to be a boy, we figured LouLou would work).

Sold a few homes.

40 mile 5 Boro Bike Ride.

In the cold rain...

Threw a dinner party ...

ate a cupcake before the guests arrived.

Planned a European road trip this summer with Lucas.

Laid out a house in the woods with the Cunninghams in Gardiner.

This guy below, George Billard, is running around town telling every one the new gas infrastructure being built nearby will 'destroy our community and our way of life."

Said the same thing about the Dollar General Store that just opened.  Lucas and I were the first ones in when they opened.  Big news for a small town.  Bought our nerf machine gun there.

Country living.

Geese come back every year to start this years family.  This year they started with 7 and seemed to have finished with 7,

Friend of mine's bike.

friend of mines barn.

Biggest Facebook post ever, with 1400 post likes, 200 shares, and 200 comments, and pushed our page likes past 5300 (but who's counting such silly things).

ONward.

Barn 9 in Kerhonkson NY sold a couple of weeks ago.  We built it without a buyer lined up and had a lot of fun designing the whole thing in-house, a rare exercise these days.  Typically they get signed up for pretty quick.

Ikea kitchen.  I used to think these were a 'more affordable option', but with some simple bells and whistles, they get pricey quick.

Salvaged wood mudroom with red crossbuck door and stone on the floor.

Fireplace through the cable rail.

Basement build out.

Screened porch and back deck.

Site built custom stairs.

Famous duel barn door look.

Pretty fun house in a great area of upstate NY.  Something Mom would definitely proud to visit.

Farmhouse 36 - 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,790 square feet.

When I bought 130 acres in Kerhonkson NY, it was a bit of a risk to say the least.  Sort of tucked in South of the Ashokan, not in the prime time spots of Woodstock and Saugerties and Kingston and viewed a little by the real estate community as the step child of the real Ulster County.

Au Contraire, I must say once again.  Why Contrarian has to be my middle name, and why it has to consistently work so well for us, is hard to actually figure out?

Build new when others are fixing up that old house.  Build small in the area of McMansions.   Take money off the table when everyone else is doubling down.  Stay off the beaten path.

What I say about the Olivebridge and Kerhonkson area is that you are only 20-30 minutes from everything (Phoenicia, Woodstock, Saugerties, Kingston, High Falls, Rosendale, New Paltz, Stone Ridge) and don't have to worry about getting hit by a car the minute you get on your bicycle.   Also, the who Big Indian wilderness is just down the street.  From our experience, this is exactly what people are looking for.  Lower taxes, less density, more land.

This is a pretty awesome house with mountain views.  It was purchased completely finished by an European couple.  1800 sq ft.

The expansive mud room really defines this house.  Big natural light and plenty of room for the family to hop around taking off their boots at the same time.

Lots of salvaged wood, stained wood, and natural stone.

Cable rail and hand hewn beams.

Kitchen and tucked away dining nook.

Super great house sold 2 weeks ago.  Another one sells today.  Phase 1 of our first project in the wonderful area of kerhonkson sold out.

Here's a cool article about hotels in the Catskills.  Our friends and clients at the Hillside Schoolhouse are featured as well as Narrowsburg matron Anna Bern.


Fodors Rocks the Catskills


My Son's baseball team.  He top row, far right.