Archive for Dutchess


Houlihan Lawrence Helps Form Tri-State Alliance

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Tags: , , ,      Categories: Buying, Dutchess, Houlihan Lawrence News, Putnam, Uncategorized, Westchester

Top New York Metro Real Estate Firms Join Forces to Launch Tri-State Alliance To Better Serve Consumers. Four Brokerages share listings and data to create unique online experience

In an initiative aimed at streamlining the home buying and selling experience in the New York metro area, four top residential brokerage firms have joined forces to create the Tri-State Alliance, a partnership launched today to share exclusive property listings online. The brokerage firms include: Houlihan Lawrence serving Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties in New York; Halstead Property serving New York City, the Hamptons, Fairfield County in Connecticut, Hudson and Essex Counties in New Jersey and Columbia County in New York; Coach Realtors serving Nassau and Suffolk Counties of Long Island; and Turpin Realtors serving Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon, Essex and Union Counties in New Jersey. Each firm’s exclusive listings will be searchable across all four brokerage websites, which collectively receive millions of visitors annually. The Tri-State Alliance brings together 68 office locations, more than 2,900 sales agents and nearly 8,000 exclusive listings.

“By combining our considerable resources, we are increasing the visibility of our exclusive listings which will help both our sellers and buyers,” said Chris Meyers, a Principal of Houlihan Lawrence. “In addition, we are increasing the brand awareness of our individual firms in markets where we might not have a bricks and mortar presence. It’s an extremely smart, efficient and effective way to further promote our companies and showcase our talented agents.”

“This move is unprecedented in our industry, and we are extremely proud of all of our efforts to develop this alliance that will better benefit consumers in a one-stop experience. This unique sharing and collaboration among independently owned and non-franchised brokerages developed from the mutual friendship and respect each brokerage has for one another,” stated Diane Ramirez, President of Halstead Property.

The four owner/brokers of each firm began discussing this unique and forward-thinking collaboration in early 2011. Last August, the four company owners met in the New York City offices of Halstead Property to formally begin the process. “Months of planning and collaboration went into making this happen, each brokerage, technical and marketing departments worked closely towards a single goal,” stated Georgianna Finn, owner of Coach Realtors.

“We are excited to be a part of this wonderfully collaborative effort, the result of which is a comprehensive search tool that will prove invaluable to consumers in the tri-state region. In addition to providing high quality listing data from the various regions we cover, each of our websites offers valuable resources like community profiles, property videos and helpful tips for navigating today’s real estate market,” John Turpin, President of Turpin Realtors.

tristate 199x300 Houlihan Lawrence Helps Form Tri State Alliance

Front Row: Chris Meyers, Principal – Houlihan Lawrence, Georgianna Finn – Owner, Coach Realtors Back Row: John Turpin –President, Turpin Realtors, Diane Ramirez –President, Halstead Property

The Art of Staying Warm

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Tags: , , ,      Categories: Dutchess, Luxury Country Properties, Luxury market, Westchester

Nothing says the holidays better than a roaring fire.  The warmth and glow are the perfect antidote to the chilling temperatures and make for cozy winter nights at home. Many fireplaces transcend mere functionality to become an important architectural element of the house.

Here are a few of our favorites featured in a selection of our luxury homes for sale:

Maison Normande Fireplace 150x100 The Art of Staying Warm Francophiles will appreciate the Renaissance-style fireplace in the Great Room of Maison Normande 123 N Salem Rd Cross River, NY  - just one of the spectacular architectural appointments in this converted Barn that has been stunningly transformed into a charming French country house.

Troutbeck Fireplace 150x100 The Art of Staying Warm

If these walls could talk! Host to many illustrious guests over the years including Sinclair Lewis and Ernest Hemingway, we know that many stimulating conversations have taken place in front of the fireplaces of renowned Troutbeck Inn and Conference Center 1 Troutbeck Ln Amenia, NY . In fact, W.E.B. Dubois is believed to have launched his plans to create the NAACP right here and his friend Colonel Spingarn, the former owner of Troutbeck, went on to become the second president of that organization.

Sassafras Farm fireplace 150x100 The Art of Staying Warm

No matter what the season, the oak-paneled living room at Sassafras Farm 44 Boway Rd South Salem, NY displays an elegant ambiance thanks to its stately fireplace, one of the impressive enhancements made to this historic residence, once the homestead of Clark Mead, a member of South Salem’s founding family.

Mill House Fireplace 150x118 The Art of Staying Warm

What could be more relaxing than sitting by the fire while listening to the gentle music of a waterfall. It’s easy to do at the Mill House 665 Titicus Rd North Salem, NY, a magnificently restored 1840s mill house set aside the Titicus River.

For more information on these and other luxury homes for sale, please visit us at www.houlihanlawrence.com

Benefits to Listing Your Home During the Winter Season

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Red House Winter med1 150x112 Benefits to Listing Your Home During the Winter SeasonThe clocks have turned back, the sun sets earlier now and a Halloween weekend snow storm reminded all of us that winter is fast approaching. A widely accepted perception is that home sales drop off dramatically during the winter months and it is generally not a great time to list your home. Is this actually the case? If you are thinking of taking your home off the market to ride out the winter, or if you are considering waiting until spring, there are a few things to consider before making that decision.

There are benefits to listing your property throughout the winter:

1.     Interest rates are still at historic lows. Lenders can determine what interest rates are currently available to individual customers. Armed with that information, potential homebuyers can search for homes at HoulihanLawrence.com. Each listing features a detail page that includes a mortgage calculator that illustrates what the monthly payment will be. The current lower rates give buyers more spending power, which also may help to sell your home.

2.     It is true that there are fewer homes on the market in the winter months than in the summer. This can work to your advantage because less inventory can create more competition and potentially more buyers for your home. An analysis of the number of homes on the market in Westchester in winter versus summer showed that on average, there were 16% less homes on the market winter 2010 versus summer 2010, and 25% less homes on the market winter 2011 versus summer 2011.*

3.     It is interesting to note that while the number of listings on the market is lower in the winter months, the percentage of listings on the market vs. sales average 7% for both summer and winter seasons.*

4.     Whether you’re in Westchester, Putnam or Dutchess Counties, people need to buy homes all year long, not just in favorable weather. However, the winter months also bring out the most motivated and serious buyers.

An accurately priced property will sell at any time in any season, so here are some tips to consider when your property is listed during the winter season:

  • Keep sidewalks and driveways free of ice and snow.
  • Make sure rugs are near doorways to catch and snow and salt brought in from outside.
  • Curb appeal is still important, but with a snow-covered landscape the emphasis should be on the exterior front door. Make your entry look inviting by keeping it welcoming and clean.
  • Raise the thermostat to a comfortable level before buyers come to visit your home. They will spend more time looking around when they are warm than if they are uncomfortably chilled.
  • If you have a fireplace, show it off by keeping it clutter free. Consider lighting a fire as long as you plan to be around.
  • If you have a fabulous landscape, show it off by supplying photos of your exterior to prospective buyers so they can see what your property looks like during the growing seasons.

It can’t hurt to present a warm and inviting atmosphere when showing potential buyers your home in the winter. Providing them with a positive experience can only help you gain an advantage in any season of the year.

Read about a co-worker’s experience in selling her home during the Holidays here.

* Source: EAMLS, all properties on the market and sold, Winter 2010 vs. Summer 2010 and Winter 2011 vs. Summer 2011, Westchester County.

Starchitects of the Early 20th Century

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Dating back to the turn of the last century, many of the nation’s social and business elite commissioned the era’s celebrated architects to create their country homes in the Hudson Valley.  Less well known than Newport and its opulent “summer cottages”, the Hudson River Region nonetheless attracted many prominent New York families including the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Astors, Morgans and Harrimans who came to the area to establish their grand country estates.

Luckily,  many of these properties remained in private hands and the beauty of the original architecture has been preserved. Following is a sampling of our luxury homes for sale that were created by these legendary architects, whose artistry clearly demonstrates that good design never goes out of style.

Astor Courts1 150x92 Starchitects of the Early 20th Century

On the Hudson River, Astor Courts in Rhinebeck was designed by the great Stanford White in 1906. Part of John Jacob Astor’s vast estate, Ferncliff, the structure was originally designed as a sporting pavilion and boasts a stunning indoor pool and tennis court.

Edgewood 150x100 Starchitects of the Early 20th Century

Edgewood in Purchase was designed by Mott Schmidt, the father of American Georgian Classicism, who was also responsible for some of the region’s most distinguished residences. This grand brick Georgian sits on a rarely available 22 acres, only 35 minutes from Manhattan.

 La Paz 150x100 Starchitects of the Early 20th Century Overlooking the Hudson River, this circa 1917 stone manor in Scarborough was designed by Bertram Goodhue, known for many important buildings including St. Bart’s Church in New York City and the Chapel at West Point. The residence is set within a historic Hudson River enclave designed by renowned landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted.

For more information on these special offerings or any of our other luxury properties, please visit us at www.houlihanlawrence.com

 

Houlihan Lawrence’s Winter 2011 Gallery of Homes Magazines Has Arrived

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Houlihan Lawrence’s Winter 2011 Gallery of Homes Magazine has arrived in our offices and street box locations.
Click the cover to browse the latest edition of over 2,000 listings in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties.

Winter Gallery of Homes 231x300 Houlihan Lawrences Winter 2011 Gallery of Homes Magazines Has Arrived

Decorate your home for Halloween

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HL pumpkin 300x207 Decorate your home for Halloween

Halloween has grown to become a favorite holiday giving Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess homeowners an opportunity to show their creativity and have fun with family and friends.

There are many Internet destinations that you can visit to help make your home the scariest Halloween house in town. Here are a few that I found:

• Decorate with pumpkins…. Call ahead to be sure of what’s available!
For all of Southeast New York’s Pumpkin Patches and seasonal events visit pumpkinpatchesandmore.org. This is a fabulous directory provided by PickYourOwn.org-–a great resource for finding “pick-your-own” farms near you.

• Find inspiration for Indoor-halloween-decorations at Westchester resident Martha Stewart’s website for her latest Halloween crafts and creative baking ideas.

• If you’re handy and know how to use power tools, check out DIY’s webpage to see their 92 Top Halloween Projects for all kinds of creepy and spooky ideas and how-to videos

•  “Trick” out your front yard by making handmade tombstones. Directions can be found at found at HGTV’s Halloween Ideas

• Many area stores carry everything you need to decorate your home. If you have a Target near you, they have a dedicated Halloween department where you’ll find a lot of outdoor as well as indoor Halloween decorations for your home. Use their locator to find a store near you.

• YouTube has some great videos that can inspire any of your Halloween decorating fantasies. Go to their Halloween Outdoor Decorating Tips  web page for a wide variety of Halloween decorating videos that range from gory to cutesy.

• No outdoor Halloween display  is complete without some scary music. Visit your local Halloween headquarters for scary music CDs or order online. Social Media website, Mashable.comhas a list of five Halloween music playlists you can sign-up for. You can also go to iTunes. All kinds of Scary Halloween Music is available there to sample and purchase.

• On Facebook you can get fiendish recipes, decorations and craft ideas from friends at Facebook’s Happy Halloween Mag or go directly to the source by visiting Happy Halloween at Squidoo.com, where you’ll find information and videos of amazing inflatables and decorating ideas for your Halloween yard.

This is a very short, incomplete list. There are many places to go for ideas and inspiration to create the perfect “front yard” Halloween atmosphere. If you have any other great tips and resources you like to offer or any other good examples you know of in your town or online, please share them with us by leaving a reply below.  Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Real Estate Market Report Third Quarter 2011

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Tags: ,      Categories: Dutchess, Market Area, Market Conditions, Putnam, Westchester

Houlihan Lawrence Market Report 115x150 Real Estate Market Report Third Quarter 2011We have just released our 3rd Quarter 2011 Market Report. Our report offers a look into the local real estate markets in Westchester, Dutchess and Putnam Counties. The Third Quarter market is summed up in the report: “As the 3rd Quarter of 2011 draws to a close, world financial markets are being shaken by the ongoing European financial crisis and renewed fears of a global recession. For the moment, however, the local real estate market remains remarkably stable. Following the roller coaster ride of the past three years, the 2011 market looks and feels a lot like 2010 – both statistically and in practical terms. Homes priced for today’s market conditions are typically finding buyers within 2-3 months. On the other hand, homes priced optimistically – the ‘wishful pricing’ strategy – are left to linger, sometimes even after multiple price reductions.”

Our Market Report contains valuable information for sellers or buyers in our marketplace. Among the features in our new report are Supply/Demand Charts by County showing you the demand for homes in different price ranges. Also in our report are comparisons of Median Sale Price, Units Sold, Average Days on Market, and Sale Price to List Price for your local school district or town.

We hope you find Houlihan Lawrence’s 3rd Quarter Market Report a useful tool in understanding and evaluating the market. At houlihanlawrence.com, our Monthly Market Report provides additional information on each municipality.

Apple Picking in the Hudson Valley

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apples 150x112 Apple Picking in the Hudson Valley To me, Fall in New York’s Hudson Valley area means apple-picking. Last weekend, my husband, daughter and I, along with a friend went on our annual visit to Fishkill Farms in Fishkill, NY to pick apples. It turned out to be a sunny and warm day – perfect for tromping in the orchards looking for the best apples. We were armed with our own apple picker and were the envy of all the other visitors since the farm wasn’t giving out any for use. The one’s that were ready to pick were the Jonamac, Cortland, Spartan, Macoun and McIntosh. We found the best apples to be the Macoun and McIntosh and the supply was plentiful. We picked a full bushel of apples! Half went home with our daughter’s friend, the other half with us.

pie 150x112 Apple Picking in the Hudson Valley

My masterpiece!

Later that day I baked our fresh apple pie. It smelled so good when I took it out of the oven that we decided to forgo dinner and just have pie…a la mode of course! I don’t consider myself a baker in any way though I do love to bake pies in the Fall. To be honest, I use the Pillsbury ready made crusts. I even follow the apple pie recipe on the side of the box with a few slight variations. Using fresh apples and the other ingredients still makes it a homemade pie as far as I’m concerned. Here are a few places to pick your own apples throughout the Hudson Valley Area:

Wilkens Fruit Farm Yorktown

Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard North Salem

Salinger’s Farm Market Brewster

Fishkill Farms Fishkill

Barton Orchards Beekman

Where do you go to pick apples in the Hudson Valley and what is your favorite recipe for using the apples?

Gallery of Homes Fall 2011 Has Arrived

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The Houlihan Lawrence Fall 2011 Gallery of Homes magazine has just been published and is available in digital format. Over 2,000 Homes for Sale are featured in the latest edition. Click the cover below to browse our magazine.

FallGOH3 241x300 Gallery of Homes Fall 2011 Has Arrived

The Fair is Coming!

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Dutchess Fair 150x150 The Fair is Coming!The Dutchess County Fair opens today and runs through the 28th of August. I’ve been the last two years and hope I can squeeze it into my schedule this year. It’s always a lot of fun. Whether you enjoy the rides, the food, the games, the concerts, or the animals, there is truly something fun for everyone. They have a great line-up for their concert series this year including Country star Travis Tritt, REO Speedwagon, American Idol Alum Kellie Pickler, Uncle Kracker and Chubby Checker.

So grab your family and your friends and head up to Rhinebeck to experience this truly classic County fair. You won’t be disappointed! What’s your favorite thing to do at the Dutchess County Fair?