Hudson Valley Musing

This Tivoli, NY Condo Complex is called Tivoli Gardens and is one of the few found in Northern Dutchess county.  Most of the homes in the area are single family detached.

This complex was built in the 1980's and consists of 6 buildings.  There are 1 and 2 bedroom units with square footage ranging from 562 - 1075, and each unit comes with an assigned garage space. At this time the HOA is around $174.

The location of the condo is convenient- just a short walk to restaurants and nearby Clermont State Park.  These condos are also popular because of the price point: right now there are 2 units on the market one for  $89,434 and the othe $112,000.

Last year 6 units sold ranging from $91000-$144,000 with an average list price of $127,700 and an average sale price of $117,250.   Like in the residential detached homes prices here also have come down.

The demographic is mixed: retirees, families and students.  Because of the location, close to Bard College, some parents will purchase a unit while their child is in school and this usually makes the student happy as the village of Tivoli is a favorite of Bard students.

Tivoli Gardens is located in the town of Red Hook (village of Tivoli) and students attend the Red Hook Schools.

Other Tivoli Post.

How do you know when you are near Tivoli

Tivoli NY Street Painting Day

Search for homes for sale in Tivoli NY 12583 

**** zip code 12583 also covers some ares of Southern Columbia County

JFIVE HOMES REALTY LLC - 845-758-6842- jennifer@jfivehomes.com  and www.jfivehomes.com  

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 Copyright © by Jennifer Fivelsdal, all rights reserved- Tivoli NY- Tivoli Gardens One of the few Condo Complex in Northern Dutchess

I just read this informative post by Robert Hammerstein and I thought this was rather timely.  I wanted to share it with you especially since it is snowing here in Dutchess County NY and is expected to get extremely cold.

A new listing came on the market yesterday on Pitcher Lane in Red Hook, NY.  A classic 1850 farmhouse and I immediately sent the information out to a client looking for a property in that period.  Today the agent held the open house and I made sure to attend.  When I am out and about doing my real estate activities I also take a bit of time to look at things around and many times these items turn into a photo subject. When I left the open house I was passing by some antique equipment; I have always admired them but today I took a closer look.

Thankfully, this piece of antique equipment had a tag which provided the following information - Mid 1930's Dump Rake.  I have since discovered this was used to rake hay.

Other Equipment

Mullboard Plow

John Deere Sickle Bar Horse Drawn Mower

 RED HOOK HOMES FOR SALE

Jennifer Fivelsdal- Associate Broker- Keller Williams Realty Team - 845-758-6842- jennifer@jfivehomes.com  and www.jfivehomes.com  

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How surprised I was this morning to open my email and here was another offer of service, but this time it was different. I was  immediately drawn to a photo on the site- It was my shot and I can't remember giving any permission for commercial use of my photos.

The first thing that went through my mind was; I hope you are not expecting me to do business with you.  I also thought about all the times I had seen others bloggers writing about the unauthorized use of their content and photos.

It is not in my nature to publicly humiliate someone, so, I will not link to the photo or the website in question. However, I wanted to make this a teachable moment.

• Looking to form a business relationship? Unauthorized use of your potential client's photos will kill any chance of that happening.
• Writing a post and you see a picture you would like to use?  If the owner of the photo has not given prior permission, make contact to get the permission.
• When permission is given, please remember to link-back and give credit to the owner of the photo,
• Unauthorized use of photos could hit you in the pocketbook, after all, there is something called copyright infringement.
• There are tools on-line to see who is using your photos, such as,  Tinyeye
• Most of all, how embarrassing would it be to be called out publicly for doing this, especially on social networking sites.  This would damage your reputation and likely cost you business.

Here are two great blog posts written by Carolyn Tann-Starr and  John Briggs.  John recently discovered over  100 sites using his photos.  Carolyn gave a list of on-line tools you can use to protect yourself.

I love taking photographs and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  However, if you would like to use one of my photos just contact me. More than likely, permission will be granted.  I have already given limited permission for some of my photos on Flickr.

Locust Grove is one of the many wonderful historic sites to be found in the Hudson Valley.  This lovely estate is located in the town of Poughkeepsie, and sits high above the Hudson River.

This property was purchased in 1851 by Samuel F. B. Morse who was inventor of the Morse Code.  After purchasing the property Morse worked with renowned architect Alexander Jackson Davis to transform the house into an Italianate Villa.  The Tuscan Tower provided wonderful views of the Catskills and Hudson River as well as of the many beautiful gardens.

Locust Grove is listed on the National Historic Landmark, and today the site is open to the public for tours and a popular wedding destination.

Jennifer Fivelsdal- Associate Broker- Keller Williams Realty Team - 845-758-6842- jennifer@jfivehomes.com  and www.jfivehomes.com  

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Now more than ever, scholarship money is sought after.  Starting tomorrow January 21, 2010 the application for the Latino High School Scholarship Award will be available.  This applies to high school students in Dutchess, Orange and Ulster Counties. 

Please check with your Guidance Counselor,  or you can request an application by emailing Norma Ramirez at rmlsv236@aol.com

Ahora más que nunca, es dinero de la beca solicitada. A partir de mañana 21 de enero 2010 la solicitud de la Escuela Superior Latino Scholarship Award estarán disponibles. Esto se aplica a estudiantes de secundaria de Dutchess, Orange y los condados de Ulster.

Por favor, consulte con su consejero vocacional, o usted puede pedir una solicitud por correo electrónico a Norma Ramírez rmlsv236@aol.com

Jennifer Fivelsdal- Associate Broker- Keller Williams Realty Team - 845-758-6842- jennifer@jfivehomes.com  and www.jfivehomes.com  

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The Bear Mountain Bridge is yet another photo in my bridge series that I took from a moving train.  This is a suspension bridge over the Hudson River and was put into operation in 1924.

This bridge connects  Peeksill in Westchester county on the east side of the river,  to Orange County in the west. The area is very scenic and Bear Mountain Park is a popular recreational destination.

Many travel this Bridge to get too and from another well known national institution, West Point, which is located just about 20 minutes from the east side of the bridge.

Jennifer Fivelsdal- Associate Broker- Keller Williams Realty Team - 845-758-6842- jennifer@jfivehomes.com  and www.jfivehomes.com  

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This is the final report for Dutchess County real estate in 2009.  In this report I will provide you with the statistics for December but will then take you through a period of 5 years to show you how the market  performed.

 During the month of December '09 there were 144 single family detached homes sold- a 61.8% increase over same time last year.  Interestly, the average price was up 18.4% over last year which is an indication more higher priced properties sold. The median price, on the other hand, fell 5.4 % when compared to last year. As you can see from the chart below, the median price has continued to fall since 2006. Available inventory was also down 6.1%.  Absorption rate is 12.76 months; so there is a whole year of inventory available.

                                        SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED HOMES                 

                            AVG.                Median          # of Sales      DOM        Inventory

December 08     $294,005         $280,000             89              126             1957

November 09     $294,228         $255,000           153              108             1927

December 09     $347,997         $315,396           144              132             1838

                             AVG.                Median          # of Sales      DOM        Inventory

December 07     $402.267         $310,000            149             114            2118

December 06     $412,119         $349,900            175             115            1939

December 05    $383,022          $342,500            208              96             1675

                               SINGLE FAMILY ATTACHED- CONDOS/TOWNHOUSES  

 Single family attached home sales increased 21.9% over last year, same time.  Average price was down 12.5% but the median was up 3.3%.  Interestingly, the inventory level was up 55.7%.  The absorption rate for December was  8.46 months.         

                            AVG.                Median          # of Sales      DOM        Inventory

December 08     $209,566        $210,000            27             147            362

November 09     $179,037        $172,000            27             109            386

December 09     $188,403        $179,000            26             119            392

                             AVG.                Median        # of Sales      DOM        Inventory

December 07     $243,338         $205,000           20             116           356

December 06     $231,112        $225,000            39             103           330

December 05    $242,384         $218,000            32               80           212

Dutchess County is a great place to call home, and right now you have a variety of properties in all price ranges.

Jennifer Fivelsdal- Associate Broker- Keller Williams Realty Team - 845-758-6842- jennifer@jfivehomes.com  and www.jfivehomes.com  

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Do you see what I see? The Henry Hudson and Spuyten Duyvil Bridges.  On Wednesday I wrote about taking photographs from a moving  Metro-North Hudson Line train; here are a couple of shots from that trip.

I am really fascinated by various architectural structures and if you travel along the Hudson River you can't help admiring the bridge structures you pass along the way.

The Henry Hudson Bridge is so named after the explorer by the same name who ventured up the Hudson river in 1609.  This Bridge was constructed in 1935 and came into operation in 1936 to connect the Bronx/ Westchester area to Manhattan. The bridge is 2,209 feet long but the main span is about 840 feet.  When the bridge was first in use,  about 17,000 vehicles crossed over it daily. Today this number has increased to more than 77,000.   The bridge has toll booths but the MTA is presently experimenting with an all electronic system to help alleviate the traffic congestion when crossing over the Henry Hudson.

The smaller bridge is called the Spuyten Duyvil which as the story goes is a Dutch phrase for spite the devil.  This bridge runs from the Hudson River to the Harlem River

Jennifer Fivelsdal- Associate Broker- Keller Williams Realty Team - 845-758-6842- jennifer@jfivehomes.com  and www.jfivehomes.com  

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Most of the time we focus on the issues a home buyer might have.  On the other hand home sellers do have gripes and with good reason.

Here is a list of things that can really irritate a seller.

• Not leaving a card or signing the showing book
• Forgetting to lock the door and turn off the lights.
• Making an appointment yet failing to show and never calling.
• Parking cars on lawn
• Tracking dirt on to carpet
• Using toilet and failing to flush
• Agent showing up without an appointment
• Failure to give feedback on showing
• Agent not doing what was promised by failing to follow specific instructions.
• Letting the cat or dog out

Yes these things actually happen.  If the client asks to use the bathroom, do you check to make sure it was flushed before leaving?  Or, if you are running late, do you notify the listing office instead of just showing up two hours later?  This once happened to one of my sellers and she refused the agent's request to see the house.

So when showing a home make an effort to leave a good impression, today's home sellers already have enough to worry about.

Jennifer Fivelsdal- Associate Broker- Keller Williams Realty Team - 845-758-6842- jennifer@jfivehomes.com  and www.jfivehomes.com  

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