VINTAGE FARMHOUSE, check. Catskill views, check. Barn, ample grounds, big pond. Check, check, check. Two hours from NYC — check that, too.
What more do you want for 289K? To be set far back from the road? Sorry, that’s the one thing you cannot have.
But this new-to-market 1905 farmhouse in Livingston, N.Y., on a 4.4 acre hunk of land with stunning mountain vistas, has an awful lot going for it. At 1,500 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths, and reasonable taxes under $4,000/year, it drives home the point yet again that New York’s Hudson Valley offers some of the best real estate values around. From a Hamptons perspective, it’s an outrageous steal.
Good food for fantasy, too. Look at the space below, in the attic of the barn, one of several outbuildings on the property. What kind of workshop, painting or pottery studio, writer’s retreat, guest quarters could you make out of that?
A few more tantalizing details from the listing: there are wood floors, plaster walls, and original fixtures, yet the house’s innards, including the furnace and septic system, are new.
That’s not all: there’s an original smokehouse, chicken shed, garage and 3-seat outhouse. All have original clapboard siding (as does the house), and are set among lilacs and pear trees.
And you won’t even have to think up a name for the place. It’s known as Watercress Hill, for the wild watercress that thrives (even in January) in the year-round stream a few feet from the back deck of the house and the spring-fed pond.
For lots more photos of the interior and property, go here. Worth a look, wouldn’t you say?
casaCARA 
That is very fine. Who could resist the barn? But it sure seems out in the sticks. Do folks still farm here? Commute to where?
hi Terry, and happy new year to you! I wondered if you still checked out casaCARA from time to time. Yes, it’s in the sticks, and yes, there are still apple orchards (one right next to this property) and dairy farms in Columbia County. A fraction of the number there used to be, of course, but they’re making some progress halting the outbound flow and bringing in new agricultural businesses. Commute to nowhere, really, except Albany an hour away; NYC is about 2-1/4 hours, Boston a little longer. The nearest town for restaurants, bars, shops, etc. is Hudson, N.Y., about 15 minutes away, which is attractive and sophisticated.
I LOVE THIS…..IF ONLY I COULD DRIVE…WONDER IF THAT IS TOO LATE FOR ME??
YOU DO FIND GEMS!!! IS IT TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE???
HOW DID YOUR KITCHEN COUNTERS TURN OUT???
Kitchen counters turned out great, but my photos of them didn’t, so I’m not sure it’s worth a blog post!
In the sake of full diclosure, I am the listing broker & I live a few miles from this house. But if you think it’s isolated, know that these are just two of the destinations, just a stone’s throw away……..gourmet market/cafe/deli http://ottosmarket.com/ and the Frank Gehry Center @ Bard College http://fishercenter.bard.edu/about/.
I am directly across the river from Germantown (formally East Camp) in West Camp.
This is a great area and a great deal. I wish I was in the market. I’ll be doing a drive-by tomorrow.
What a great property! Someone could do quite a lot with this. Outbuildings are one of the best things about country properties.