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Hamburg, NJ

$15,000 Price Drop on Grand Cascades Lodge hotel condo for sale

Irene Kennedy Realtor® in Northwestern NJ: Real Estate Agent in Lopatcong, NJ

Another $10,000 reduction on June 30 - now only $175,000

$15,000 Price Drop on Grand Cascades Lodge hotel condo for sale

A lovely, furnished studio for sale in the Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs NJ is now an even better deal! Roughly 50 miles outside New York City, this resort is golf heaven and very close to the Mountain Creek ski resorts. With its new low price, Grand Cascades Lodge, 3 Wild Turkey Way Unit 267, Hardyston NJ 07419 may just be the opportunity for which you've been waiting!

NJ Hotel Condos for Sale - Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs, just 50 miles from New York City

Copyright © 2011, Irene Kennedy, all rights reserved. This blog post represents Irene's personal musings.

Considering selling a home or looking to buy a house in Northwestern NJ? I serve the Route 78 corridor of Warren County & Hunterdon County. Benefit from creative marketing, top negotiating skills and vast real estate knowledge by calling or texting Irene’s cell at 973-493-8216.

Irene Kennedy, who is a NJ real estate agent with Weichert, Realtors, lives in Warren County NJ & works from the Phillipsburg office. She also services adjacent areas of Hunterdon and Sussex.

NJ Hotel Condos for Sale - Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs, just 50 miles from New York City

Irene Kennedy Realtor® in Northwestern NJ: Real Estate Agent in Lopatcong, NJ

NJ Hotel Condos for Sale - Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs, just 50 miles from New York City

$15,000 Price Drop on Grand Cascades Lodge hotel condo for sale - May 25, 2011

Update July 1 - Down again to just $175,000.

Grand Cascades Lodge - Studio Hotel Condo for sale at luxury resort in Crystal Springs NJ

The popularity of the Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs has soared in the last 6 months. Hotel bookings are very high and demand for the few available condos for sale has been staggering. Yes, this means that prices are on the rise but you're not yet shut out from owning your own place at this fabulous and swank resort - a mere 50 miles from New York City according to Mapquest. With golf season in full swing and swimming not too far off, now is the time to grab your condo!

I'm honored to list a lovely studio for sale at Grand Cascades Lodge, Unit 267. This condo is "gently used" because it has never been part of the optional, income producing hotel rental pool. Located on the second floor of the resort, well away from the bustling lobby, the balcony overlooks the putting green with the mountains not far off. In addition to being "golf heaven," the Lodge runs seasonal shuttles to the Mountain Creek ski slopes just 5 minutes away. The Biosphere pool complex is a sight for sore eyes and achy muscles; you can also enjoy an outdoor pool in the summer. An extra special splurge would be a treatment at Reflections Spa! Then enjoy a fire in your own luxury studio before exploring an award-winning wine cellar or Restaurant Latour 4-star gourmet meal.

Hotel Condos for Sale – Considering buying at the Appalachian Hotel, Minerals Resort, Black Creek Sanctuary or Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs?

Rental Income at Hotel Condos in NJ Vacation Areas: the Appalachian Hotel, Minerals Resort, Black Creek Sanctuary or Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs

FINANCING for Hotel Condos - Alpha Funding Solutions, Mortgages for the Appalachian Hotel, Minerals Resort, Black Creek Sanctuary or Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs

Irene Kennedy Realtor® in Northwestern NJ: Real Estate Agent in Lopatcong, NJ

FINANCING for Hotel Condos - Alpha Funding Solutions, LLC

Mortgages for the Appalachian Hotel, Minerals Resort, Black Creek Sanctuary or Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs

My 3 recent posts about hotel condos for sale around the Mountain Creek ski slopes in Sussex NJ have resulted in many calls about financing for these units. As I indicated in my posts, many banks and mortgage companies will not finance (or refinance) condos at the Appalachian Hotel, Minerals Resort, Black Creek Sanctuary or Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs. Alpha Funding Solutions, LLC will consider loans in all these NJ hotel condos.

Grand Cascades Lodge - Irene Kennedy just sold Unit 124

Your contact at Alpha Funding Solutions, LLC is Veronica Cole, 732-996-2102. Please direct all your questions about financing or refinancing hotel condos to Veronica. I am simply reporting one source of mortgage financing for this type of property. (I have no further details for you, am I not recommending any particular action and am not associated with Alpha.)

And here are the recent posts about hotel condos for sale that have generated all the financing questions with which folks have been calling or emailing me:

1. Sold - Grand Cascades Lodge Unit 124, Crystal Springs Hotel Condo in Hamburg - Hardyston NJ

2. Hotel Condos for Sale – Considering buying at the Appalachian Hotel, Minerals Resort, Black Creek Sanctuary or Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs?

3. Rental Income at Hotel Condos in NJ Vacation Areas: the Appalachian Hotel, Minerals Resort, Black Creek Sanctuary or Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs

Copyright © 2011, Irene Kennedy, all rights reserved. This blog post represents Irene's personal musings.

Considering selling a home or looking to buy a house in Northwestern NJ? I serve the Route 78 corridor of Warren County & Hunterdon County. Benefit from creative marketing, top negotiating skills and vast real estate knowledge by calling or texting Irene’s cell at 973-493-8216.

Irene Kennedy, who is a NJ real estate agent with Weichert, Realtors, lives in Warren County NJ & works from the Phillipsburg office. She also services adjacent areas of Hunterdon and Sussex.

Rental Income at Hotel Condos in NJ Vacation Areas: the Appalachian Hotel, Minerals Resort, Black Creek Sanctuary or Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs

Irene Kennedy Realtor® in Northwestern NJ: Real Estate Agent in Lopatcong, NJ

Rental Income at Hotel Condos in NJ Vacation Areas: the Appalachian Hotel, Minerals Resort, Black Creek Sanctuary or Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs

For many wanting to buy a vacation condo about 50 miles from New York City, Sussex County NJ hotel condos are popular. Golf courses, Mountain Creek Ski slopes, mountain lakes, and spas can be found right near the Appalachian Hotel, Minerals Resort, Black Creek Sanctuary or Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs. Over and over, I’m asked about rental income from these condos, so will focus on that.

Its a Bumpy Road, Zach Dischner, Flickr Creative Commons license

(For non-rental income considerations, see Hotel Condos for Sale – Considering buying at the Appalachian Hotel, Minerals Resort, Black Creek Sanctuary or Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs?)

Owners can join the optional rental pools so that the condo can be rented to hotel guests. This can be a wonderful way to generate some income when you are not using your condo. Hotel-condo rental pool income will defray your costs for a vacation condo – not make you rich!

NJ Hotel Condos for Sale - Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs, just 50 miles from New York City

During a year with an extra-long Mountain Creek ski season and very hot summer, I documented 1 year where 1 of my Minerals Resort seller’s portion of rental-pool income fully covered his taxes, monthly maintenance fees and insurance. Period. No additional profit. He, however, had never used the condo himself, so it was available 365 days. Most owners will not cover those fixed costs for the year. And if there isn’t snow before New Year’s Eve or it is a very rainy summer, hotel bookings naturally will be lower across the board….

Appalachian Hotel pool with Mountain Creek ski lift - Irene Kennedy

Are you (legitimately, openly) able to rent your hotel condo yourself without using the formal program in place? Perhaps not! You need to carefully review all Condo Association documents and also make certain you have appropriate insurance coverage.

If considering the rental pool offered by the condo hotel management, learn about:

House - Owner Split - Generally 50-50 but there often are other fees that diminish the net to owner. Also remember that all hotels adjust nightly rates based on season, length of stay, vacancies, group bookings, etc.

Actual Rental History – Say you plan to purchase a ski-in/ski-out Appalachian Hotel condo. You, family or friends will use it all winter, so it won’t be in the rental pool during high season. Take a really careful look at how much rental traffic you have other times, such as when the Mountain Creek water park is open. Insist on seeing the monthly statements.

Ballyowen, 1 of the Crystal Springs courses - Irene Kennedy

“Owner use” – Think you’ll just shoot up to ski Mountain Creek the next time it snows and stay in your hotel condo? There will be a great likelihood that the hotel has already booked your condo for a paying hotel guest. You need to understand the rental-pool policies for owner bookings.

Fees when owners stay – Maid service is provided daily for paying hotel guests, which owners aren’t. An owner could opt to pay a “towel freshening fee” for clean linens or for daily maid service. To return your condo to rental-ready standards when you leave, a hotel will send in the cleaning staff and bill you accordingly.

Leaving items in your hotel condo – Some units may have a locked closet where the owner can permanently leave personal items, skis for example. Otherwise, just as with any hotel room, you need to take it with you when you depart.

So, is a rental income from hotel condo at the Appalachian Hotel, Minerals Resort, Black Creek Sanctuary or Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs going to pay for itself? Based on actual documentation I’ve seen to date, not by a long shot. What rentals can do is lower your costs to own a vacation condo that you use and enjoy.

Hotel-Condo Vacation Homes for Sale in Sussex County NJ - Ski resorts, Spas, Swimming and Golf Courses

Sold - Grand Cascades Lodge Unit 124, Crystal Springs Hotel Condo in Hamburg - Hardyston N

Minerals Resort Hotel and Spa - Vacation Ski Condos for Sale, Vernon NJ

SOLD - Short Sale - Minerals Resort Hotel and Spa - Vernon Vacation or Ski Condo - Income-Producing Sussex County NJ real estate for sale

Sussex County NJ Golf Real Estate - Crystal Springs & other Golf Course Communities

Copyright © 2011, Irene Kennedy, all rights reserved. This blog post represents Irene's personal musings.

Considering selling a home or looking to buy a house in Northwestern NJ? I serve the Route 78 corridor of Warren County & Hunterdon County. Benefit from creative marketing, top negotiating skills and vast real estate knowledge by calling or texting Irene’s cell at 973-493-8216.

Irene Kennedy, who is a NJ real estate agent with Weichert, Realtors, lives in Warren County NJ & works from the Phillipsburg office. She also services adjacent areas of Hunterdon and Sussex.

Sold - Grand Cascades Lodge Unit 124, Crystal Springs Hotel Condo in Hamburg - Hardyston NJ

Irene Kennedy Realtor® in Northwestern NJ: Real Estate Agent in Lopatcong, NJ

Sold - Grand Cascades Lodge Unit 124, Crystal Springs Hotel Condo in Hamburg - Hardyston NJ

Grand Cascades Lodge - Irene Kennedy just sold Unit 124Yesterday my buyers closed on a beautiful one bedroom, fully-furnished suite in the Grand Cascades Lodge in Crystal Springs. For just $125,000, they now own a lovely vacation condo in a luxurious hotel in golf heaven and near Mountain Creek Ski slopes. It was a short sale and took far longer to close than any of us would have liked. In fact, I had been trying to get these buyers the right Grand Cascades Lodge condo at the right price for over 1 year!

Hamburg and Hardyton share the 07419 zip code, so some sites list Crystal Springs in one town, some the other. Grand Cascades Lodge is in Hardyston.

Now that we've closed, I can admit that I was very worried that this Short Sale was not going to be approved at $125,000. Grand Cascade Lodge units have soared in popularity since these folks began looking. Prices actually paid for these condos have risen greatly in the last few months. Chicken or egg? Dwindling inventory or increased interest? I really believe that this will be the last one-bedroom sold for anything like $125K. (Hope I'm wrong because I already have other buyers who would like such a deal!)

It is NOT too late for you to get one of the few remaining units and enjoy the Grand Cascades Lodge lifestyle: NJ Hotel Condos for Sale - Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs, just 50 miles from New York City

Grand Cascades Lodge, entrance to Reflections SpaAs for my happy buyers, I'm hoping that today they are getting massages at the Reflections Spa within the Grand Cascades Lodge and enjoying their weekend vacation!

Hotel Condos for Sale – Considering buying at the Appalachian Hotel, Minerals Resort, Black Creek Sanctuary or Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs?

Rental Income at Hotel Condos in NJ Vacation Areas: the Appalachian Hotel, Minerals Resort, Black Creek Sanctuary or Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs


Copyright © 2011, Irene Kennedy, all rights reserved. This blog post represents Irene's personal musings.

Considering selling a home or looking to buy a house in Northwestern NJ? I serve the Route 78 corridor of Warren County & Hunterdon County. Benefit from creative marketing, top negotiating skills and vast real estate knowledge by calling or texting Irene’s cell at 973-493-8216.

Irene Kennedy, who is a NJ real estate agent with Weichert, Realtors, lives in Warren County NJ & works from the Phillipsburg office. She also services adjacent areas of Hunterdon and Sussex.