Untouched 1860 Delaware County Fixer-Upper, 29+ Acres, $334K

A REMINDER OF THE VAST SPACES and great bargains still available in bucolic Delaware County, this mid-19th century farmhouse, currently owned by an artist and writer, was once the centerpiece of a farm called “The Overlook,” and it does indeed sit on a hill above the hamlet of Meridale, N.Y. The 6-bedroom, 2-bath house is just one of a complex of buildings, including a massive barn and a charming old storefront, not to mention nearly 30 acres of pastureland. Taxes not bad either — under $5,000/year.

I can’t say it better than Lynne Resch of Two Stones Realty, who has the listing right here, where you’ll also find more photos to dream on. See below for Lynne’s words:

Not unlike the nearby Hanford Mills Museum, this charming homestead is “intact”. This is how folks lived in the 19th century. A complex of buildings servicing their needs in a cozy, contained environment. Very much, if not exactly as it was when it was the engine of “The Overlook” Farm. And the property does indeed ‘overlook’ the charming hamlet of Meridale.

Full disclosure… I am in love with the store… having passed it, and its enormous turn-of-the-century crock on the porch, hundreds of times on the way to Oneonta.

The immediate live/work complex with big red barn would be satisfying enough. But the nearly 30 acres includes pastures and long-range views that put this offering at the top of the list. Spectacular views and open meadows hosted the owner’s own wedding and could provide the ideal for weddings to come.

The location is perfect for work or play… for a Catskills entrepreneur to a NYC expat/escapee. Keep an eye on the store while rocking on the porch, toiling in the studio, negotiating that wedding party, or tending the flock and herd in the barns. The options satisfy a wide range of interests. Literally midway between two college towns… Delhi (15 mins) and Oneonta (15 mins) you will want for nothing. Mere walking distance to Greenane Farms’ bounty, their amazing CSA, The Dutch Deli for that quart of milk and the charming hamlet of Meridale’s Post Office.

Area attractions nearby include The Hanford Museum, The West Kortright Centre, Stone & Thistle with Fable Dining, Harmony Hill, and the entire Western Catskills. 3 hours from NYC, easy access to Delhi and Oneonta, area attractions from The Hudson Valley to the Glimmerglass Opera, Fenimore Art Museum, and not-to-be-missed Farmer’s Museum in Cooperstown, make “Wedding Hill” a base for any dream.

And yes, a Trailways bus stop, cell phone service, high-speed internet!… pinch me!

  

Upstate Oldies but Cheapies, 125-130K

A FRIEND ALERTED ME to these two Catskills listings, about 7 miles apart in Ulster County, near the historic Mohonk Mountain House. They both seem astoundingly inexpensive, or perhaps I’m just used to Long Island prices.

Both are 19th century farmhouses that have been degraded over the years (while their well-meaning owners thought they were improving, of course). Lots of brown paneling and linoleum. But there’s nothing easier or cheaper than ripping out paneling and linoleum (it’s what you may have to patch and repair underneath that’s the problem).

The first house, above, asking $130,000, has 2BR, 2 baths. It’s on half an acre in quiet Alligerville, near Accord, NY. The wraparound screened porch, right, looks lovely, and there’s a detached garage with workshop area.

For a whole lot more photos, including the interior, go here.

In High Falls, there’s this circa 1800 (take that with a grain of salt) farmhouse, below, on a 3-acre property with mature trees and old stone walls. Though it, too, has just two bedrooms, it measures 1,800 square feet. Asking price is 125K.

I’m not very familiar with the area, but I used to work with someone who lived in High Falls and commuted daily to Manhattan (not recommended).

You can see the full listing, with more photos, right here.

Bottom Fishing in Upstate New York

LIVING IN THE HAMPTONS, as I do part-time, I’m often floored by the low prices of real estate in breathtakingly beautiful upstate New York. Around here, mean little ’70s houses are often priced at upwards of half a mil (they may not sell, but that doesn’t stop their owners from trying).

The Catskills and Hudson Valley abound with opportunities to buy a vintage country place cheap. I mean cheap. Real cheap. Did I say cheap?

For $400/month, give or take, you can have a place to garden. A place to commune with nature. Hell, a place to go. And quite possibly a good investment.

The 1930s year-round cabin, top, is in a lake community near Bethel (the real Woodstock, so described when it was was featured recently on the ingenious blog Reclaimed Home). The price tag is a mere $54,900. I see nothing bad about it, inside or out. Go here for a dozen more pictures. You will be impressed.

Meanwhile, the blog Upstater has been getting down, with a new feature called “Five Figure Fridays.” Yep — every Friday, a selection of houses under the 100K mark.

Last week’s installment featured the c. 1900 Pine Hill house above, and a front-porch Victorian in Wurtsboro of similar vintage, below.

Today’s bottom-fishing expedition spotlights Sullivan County, with five properties starting at 39K. Most of them look quite workable to my see-potential-in-almost-anything eye.

We’re heading into the best house-hunting time of year: dead of winter, when the dilettantes stay in the city with a good book. That’s when prices go even lower, and negotiating with sellers is doing them a big favor.

Another thing you can be sure of: what looks unpromising under wintry skies, surrounded by bare trees, is going to be resplendent in June.

240 Catskills Acres + Farmhouse $1.2M

NEED A PLACE TO PARK SOME CASH? (I wish.) Don’t trust the stock market? Want to go back to the land in a big, big way?

Take a look at this gorgeous upstate New York property, finally on the market after 30 years. It’s a rare, unspoiled parcel at the end of a dead-end road in Bovina, N.Y.,  one of those towns “that time forgot,” in Delaware County.

Think of it as $5,000 per acre, and the house as free. It does need total renovation, according to the listing agent, but it doesn’t look half-bad in the pics.

Go here for a visual tour of the land at its wintry best, and read the well-written copy (I could probably be sold on a piece of real estate by an unusually literate listing). Among the main bullet points:

• Adjacent to 1,100 acres of protected, never-to-be-built-on New York State land

• Possibility of selling off 50 acres and still retaining complete and utter privacy

Split it with someone. A few people. There’s plenty to go around.

Please note: I am NOT a real-estate broker, and have no financial interest in the sale of this or any property mentioned on this blog. I just like spreading the word about unique properties and what I believe are solid investment opportunities.

Saugerties Village Victorian 230K

A READER, MARSHA FULTON, WRITES: “I have a 1903 Victorian house for sale on Main Street in Saugerties, N.Y. I wonder if you would list this property on your blog? My husband’s job required us to move to Montana right at the worst time in real estate.”

Sure, Marsha. I love Saugerties, and the 3BR house, on a .11 acre [note the point] corner lot, looks charming and in great shape. Saugerties, on the Catskills side of the Hudson River, is within a half hour’s drive of Rhinebeck, Hudson, Woodstock, and Kingston. Old-fashioned and relaxed, the town has funky antique stores and decent restaurants; I’ve enjoyed Miss Lucy’s Cafe and Cafe Tamayo.

Marsha and her husband used the house as a full-time residence for six years, renovating all the while. They stripped and stained the original staircase, fully remodeled 1-1/2 baths, and insulated and finished the attic. The kitchen got new appliances and other improvements, and they replaced the old oil furnace with a new, efficient gas furnace in 2006.

She also created a garden from scratch. “There wasn’t one plant of any kind in the back yard when we bought the house,” she says (why is that so often the case?) Her brother-in-law, an artist and teacher from Manchester, England, visited one summer and hand-built a fence from a design the two of them created together.

I think Martha puts her finger on something important when she writes that the house “has such a warm feeling.” It served them especially well at the holidays, when extended family would visit, with plenty of room for all. “I would make a huge Thanksgiving meal and then we would walk around the corner to see the Christmas lights in Seamon Park. At night, I had everyone I loved safe and secure under one roof.”

There’s more information and pictures on this well-loved, well-priced home, plus lots of gushy copy and exclamation points, here.