My New Blog

Sat and Sun, July 26 and 27, 2008

  Meet the farmers who put the local in locally grown

Join the Rondout Valley Grower’s Association on July 26 and 27 for a weekend-long self-guiding tour of local farms. Enjoy spectacular scenery, sample farm-grown products, while learning about the rich agricultural heritage of this special region.

 Farms will provide workshops or demonstrations three times daily; tour guests receive a workshop schedule, informational brochure about each farm and coupons for local restaurants and bed & breakfasts.

Featuring classes or demonstrations all weekend long at:

§     Gill Corn Farms  Experience a real corn harvest from a hay wagon pulled alongside a modern day corn harvester.

§     Five Springs Farm  Learn about bees and the art of beekeeping.

§     Davenport Farms  Learn what goes into raising vegetables from farm to fork at this full-scale vegetable operation.

§     Westwind Organic Orchard  Discover the trials and tribulations of growing organic apples in the Rondout Valley.

§     Rusty Plough Farm  Learn about their unique CSA/buying club model, and how to grow healthy plants via healthy soils and management of the surrounding habitat.

§     Duchess Farm  Learn about making rich compost from horse manure mixed with topsoil for garden at this state of the art equestrian facility.

§     Country Flowers  A greenhouse tour and demonstration of bedding plant propagation.

§     Catskill Native Nursery  Become an ecological gardener and turn your property into a beautiful, bio-diverse haven for birds, butterflies, beneficial insects and small mammals.

§     Hasbrouck Farms  A large selection of antique farming equipment and hand tools along with the RVGA’s walk-through historical farming exhibit.

Stay with us the whole weekend and receive discounts at Baker’s Bed & Breakfast, The Lock Tender’s House, The Sheeley House Bed & Breakfast, Sparrow Hawk Bed & Breakfast, and 1712 House. 

Aroma Thyme Bistro, DePuy Canal House, Friends and Family ll Hillside Restaurant, High Falls Café, Northern Spy Cafe, and Oscar Restaurant use Rondout Valley products on their menu and offer discounts to all Farm Tour participants.

About the Rondout Valley Grower’s Association:

The Rondout Valley is a fertile floodplain stretching from Kingston to Ellenville that was in active agriculture since before the first European settlers arrived. As issues with food safety and costs of transporting food escalate, locally grown food becomes increasingly important.  RVGA’s richly diverse membership works to keep our community viable and profitable, protect open space, and encourage community awareness and education through programs and activities that reinforce the connections between people and agriculture, which nurture, inspire, and engage.

To purchase tickets or learn more, go wwww.rondoutvalleygrowers.org  

The Farm Tour was made possible by grants from The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Watershed Agricultural Council and NYC DEP. All monies raised from this event go directly to support the Rondout Valley Growers Association.

Link to purchase tickets: http://www.rondoutvalleygrowers.org/rondout_valley_growers_events.cfm

A common mistake when purchasing or redoing a vintage home is to needlessly replaced beautiful original wood windows. Keeping the original wood windows keeps the beauty and integrity of the home. I have been told it is very rare that the original wood windows are beyond restoration.

Think about it if you want a vintage home and all the original details are restored and/or intact and it has new vinyl or aluminum windows it would ruin the charm. It is also would be costly and time consuming to undo this blunder.

I hear that it will save on utility bills, too much cold air will get in, air conditioning will get out, warm air will get in, well with little restoration and storms these arguments are no longer valid. The price you would pay for replacements would take forever to recoup in utility bills.

So, on your vintage home if you are thinking about replacing those beautiful, old growth wood windows, JUST SAY NO!!

Got window stories to share?? Please do!

One of the best ways to update your home and ensure a good resale value is to adopt trends from the luxury home market. These cutting edge trends eventually find their way into the new construction market and become mainstream styles. While most households can’t afford in-home elevators or a custom wine cellar, here are a few of the affordable latest luxury home must-haves that are well on their way to new homes across the nation.

In the Kitchen

Multi-level islands — A raised portion of a kitchen island adds dimension, a comfortable eating surface and, if placed strategically, can mask the clutter around a sink or stovetop area.

Three-door refrigerator — Two French doors on the top and a large one-drawer freezer on the bottom make for easier access to the items you use most.

Food prep sink — An extra sink doesn’t need to take up a lot of precious counter space but in a large kitchen it can improve the work flow and even encourage others to participate in the food preparation.

In the Bath

Vertical spas — One of the hottest trends in today’s baths, these incorporate multiple showerheads, water diverters and sophisticated temperature control systems into your shower.

Heated tile floors — Add to the spa feeling with cozy radiant heat under tile flooring. If you’re considering new flooring, this is easy to install and a big selling point.

Towel warming drawers — This luxury trend started in the kitchen and is taking electric towel bars to a new level by warming up your robe and slippers.

Stone countertops — Granite, marble and soapstone come in natural colors that complement most bathroom cabinets. They’re also easier to keep clean compared to traditional tile.

In the Master Suite

Fireplace — Gas fireplaces are quickly becoming fixtures in luxury homes. Builders are maximizing their effect by constructing them into a wall adjacent to the master bathroom so they can be seen from both sides.

Walk-in closets — Walk-ins are almost required in new homes today, but the luxury market has taken them to a whole new level with the addition of extravagant cabinetry and center islands with storage drawers.

Outside

Outdoor kitchens — More and more homeowners are taking their cooking and entertaining out back with the addition of fully functional kitchens that include grills, custom cabinets and worktops, and even wood-fired ovens.

Heated patios — An emerging trend in cooler climates, radiant-heated patios and driveways melt snow and ice and keep walkways safe.

Whether you are thinking of selling soon, or simply want to enjoy the benefit of upgrading your home while you’re still living there, these affordable luxury trends are certain to hold their appeal for years to come.

Yesterday I was in the office saying how I just noticed the daffodils pushing up through the ground in my front yard and I couldn't wait for the smell and sight of the first beautiful glorious flowers to arrive. My clients arrived and I went out showing mostly commercial properties but they did want to see this one house in the Byrdcliffe area of Woodstock. We drove up to the house and went inside and decided to go out the side door to check out the gorgeous rock outcroppings and the stream and..... in the side garden there they were tons of the most welcomed little white snowdrops (and a little yellow flower that I have to find out what it is). I was ecstatic! I know this year I will be planting hundreds of those beautiful little snowdrops. I think I still have a long wait for my earliest daffodils. I will keep you posted

 The actives & Pending are as of March 21,2008 The Closed, Expireds, Days on Market, List Price & Sale Price are Stats for Jan 1, 2007 to Dec 31, 2007

I thought it would be interesting to do stats for my small town of Woodstock, NY and it was. After looking at some of the other stats of the larger community Woodstock is really charming and sweet with only 6 sales which is why I also service most of Ulster County, NY. When doing these numbers I remebered why! I pulled these from the Ulster County MLS

FEBRUARY 2008 COMPARED TO FEBRUARY 2007

FEBRUARY 2008                                    FEBRUARY 2007
CLOSED SALES                                   6                            6
MEDIAN PRICE                             $337,250                       $312,500
DAYS ON MARKET  AVERAGE            102                         268

WOODSTOCK HAD A LITTLE MORE THAN 7% INCREASE!!

ULSTER COUNTY STATS FOR FEBRUARY TO FOLLOW