Aerial view of the hamlet of Narrowsburg, picturesquely set on the Delaware River. The Narrowsburg–Darbytown Bridge connects to Pennsylvania. Photo: Erik Freeland Named after a narrowing of the Delaware River where two cliffs squeeze the river and form a deep eddy, Narrowsburg is a dynamic riverside town with an active business and arts community. Whether you're a local, first-time or repeat visitor, there's always something new to discover, from eateries with enchanting waterfront views, to fun shops that will tickle your retail urges. Here's a guide to some of the town's must-visit spots an ..read more

BY JENNIFER GRIMES Getting the keys to your dream home involves more than just coming up with the down payment. Here are the most common costs home buyers in The Catskills and Hudson Valley will encounter, including specific dollar amounts. These reflect actual expenses from recent transactions, but please note, each deal is different and your experience may vary. I’ve excluded mortgage-related fees which we’ll cover in a separate post. Top 6 Homebuyer Costs: Home Inspection (including radon and water tests): This will run from about $800 - $1,000, but of course the size and type of house ..read more

By JENNIFER GRIMES Straddling Sullivan and Ulster Counties, Claryville is a bit of a unicorn with its rare combination of stunning natural scenery and minimal development. The main road meanders through the valley, with the Neversink River appearing and disappearing as you go, while the road narrows periodically before terminating at a trailhead for New York State hiking trails up Slide Mountain (the highest peak in the Catskills). For those seeking a peaceful setting with an emphasis on outdoor activities, who don’t mind having to leave town for more practical amenities, Claryville is a piec ..read more

How to navigate a schizophrenic marketplace By JENNIFER GRIMES In To Wait or Not to Wait, Part 1, I took a look at buyer sentiment in a real estate market we describe as “fragmented” given the wave of price reductions and the frequent multiple bid situations, taking place side by side. Some buyers are anticipating steep price reductions and pressing pause on their Upstate home purchase, with the doom and gloom of national headlines on the topic of real estate justifying this outlook. But so far prices have largely held in, thanks to fundamental underpinnings to The Catskills and Hudson Valle ..read more

UPDATE: New Andersen windows installed, trim in the works. Decided to add 3 windows up in the gable, and that was the difference between wonderful and dramatic. I covered the financing side of this project in my last post, but the hands-on renovation has been going for about 4 weeks now, and a huge amount has been accomplished. I’ll start with a chronology of the tasks from beginning to completion, and will dive into my experience with the first item on that list, choosing windows and what my considerations were. Here is the approximate order of events in this cabin-to-cottage reno: • Choose ..read more

The cabin, which over the summer of 2019 will morph into Blue Quill Cottage. Follow the progress at @bluequillcabin or on Facebook. I write this still giddy with excitement at my own real estate purchase a week ago, and am looking forward to using my upcoming experiences with the renovation and grounds improvement as a way to provide insight to prospective, or even current, homeowners about how stuff works…or doesn’t. This rustic cabin will undergo a pretty rigorous transformation, becoming “Blue Quill Cottage”. But today focuses on the first question I had to answer when I knew I wanted the ..read more

As with our neighbors the bears, spring also stirs increased activity from second home buyers. So if you’re emerging from hibernation and contemplating an Upstate house buy, here are some things we’d recommend you address to make your search the most pleasant and efficient. There is also a bit of strategy advice related to sales prices and bank appraisals that we think could make the difference in your walking away with the keys. UNDERSTANDING THE AREAS I’d highly recommend logging a few weekends “researching” the hubs to get a feel for what’s on offer beyond the houses in different parts of ..read more

It's a rite of spring: waiting for new inventory to hit the market. But this year feels like none in my memory as a real estate agent, which stretches ten years. My list of buyers (almost exclusively second home buyers) is extensive, with a lot of overlap, while the supply of quality, second home inventory is woefully thin. Other agents are in the same position. This means that the most responsive and prepared buyers will walk away with the most desirable properties. "...what Economics 101 tells us, is that when demand exceeds supply, prices go up." Buyers vying for similar properti ..read more

Crawling out from under the two themes that have dominated coverage of The Catskills for decades: "Former Borscht Belt" and "Quest for a casino," it appears the area may have reached a tipping point, and is now in the good graces of the travel media. Judging by the somewhat sudden, rising tide of articles and top rankings that The Catskills has received over the last couple of months, and from top-tier publications, no less,  Sullivan and Ulster Counties are in for a fun ride. There are a number of hot new boutique hotels, including Phoenicia’s Graham & Co., that are receiving consist ..read more

A digital rendering of the 391 room, 18 story Montreign casino and hotel, coming to Monticello in 2017. It was a huge week in the history of Sullivan County. After a forty year quest for a casino meant to jump-start the economy of one of New York's most ailing counties, the area was delivered an early Christmas gift with the recommendation by the Gaming Commission Location Board that Sullivan be granted a license, and equally importantly, that Orange County not be granted any. As previously mentioned here, that possibility would have likely scuppered the potential for success of a Catskills c ..read more