About Dutchess County, NY

Wordless Wednesday is a reminder to me to post a photo but I find it impossible to be completeley wordless so forgive me.

I have always found the sky moon amd stars fascinating, I remember as a child I would spend hours star gazing and daydreaming and I even loved the nights when it was pitch black except for the moon.

So it was not a surprie that I would want to capture this scene.

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

SEARCH FOR A HOME IN THE MID HUDSON VALLEY

Is there good news on the horizon for Dutchess County homeowners? Two mortgage representatives told me this week in separate conversations that the Dutchess County area is no longer deemed a declining market by the lenders they work for. One rep was specific to state that the term being used now to describe the local market is "soft."

I don't think we'll see any robust changes in the near future. Up until now Dutchess County had been considered a declining market for the last 18-24 months. It may remain soft for some time., but this is a little better than declining. Have we hit bottom? Will the market turn around? Nobody has a crystal ball to really know for sure.

All I can say is that I have the statistics to back up what I was told. Something is changing and I think it's for the good, at least for homeowners. and perhaps not so good news for buyers still sitting on the fence. Click here to take a look at the market summary I posted a few days ago. Poughkeepsie Area Market Overview .

Why Buy Property In Poughkeepsie, New York? Dutchess County

People wonder why I moved to New York City from California and now reside in Poughkeepsie, New York. 18 years ago I left California because of my infatuation with New York City.

I lived, worked and went to school in the City.

Until I met my husband from 'upstate New York" (Any place north of NYC is upstate). Although I have to say that after living 'upstate' I realize the term is a matter of geography because I'm still in the outer suburbs of NYC and to me, 'upstate' is North of Albany, which is an over an hour from Poughkeepsie.

Honestly, in seeking affordable housing and lifestyle, we stumbled on Poughkeepsie, and have been pleasantly surprised, The pricing is minimal compared to NYC or Westchester County. You can have find a starter home for under 200K with an acre.

http://dutchesspropertysearch.com/buyers/mls-search/

Since I've moved to Poughkeepsie, I've always missed NYC. It's just over an hour away but I miss the city life. I've lived 'upstate' for 12 years or so. I get to enjoy NYC about 6 to 8 times a year, depending on what is going on in my life. Poughkeepsie is close enough to NYC to take advantage of Broadway, Restaurants, world class hospitals, (my kids were born in NYC) and yes, I commuted there when I was pregnant for all my doctor appointments.

In Poughkeepsie we have access to many things you would find in NYC. We have the Bardavon Opera House from 1869 where Itzhak Perlman played a few years back. http://www.bardavon.org/ The Bardavon always hosts some of the best in the world. The Chance hosts great bands like Collective Soul among other billboard rock bands. At Vassar, the Francis Lehman Loeb Art center has approx. 15,000 works of various art.

Poughkeepsie is home to Vassar College, a top college in the country. I enjoy meeting friends at some of the hip, college town, restaurants in the area. I love how quaint the area is with a great New Age store, Juliet Cafe for playing pool, indian, chinese, vegan food all within a short block of Vassar.

10 minutes away on the Hudson River are some great attractions. The Samuel Morse Estate has some of the most beautiful trails I have ever been on.

Shadow's restaurant is a great place to hang out with its patio bar overlooking the Mid-Hudson Bridge and when they have weddings, there is a great firework show. Up the river is the Children's Museum which is a fun place for the kids to play and learn about the area including the Hudson River. Near the museum is a skateboard park and a dock where the Clearwater docks and a replica of the Half Moon during special events throughout the year.

We also now have the Walkway on the Hudson, which is the longest pedestrian bridge in the world.

Traveling North on route 9 parallel to the Hudson you pass Marist College and near Poughkeepsie is the world famous Culinary Institute of America which hosts five restaurants where you can enjoy different styles of cooking from the students. Cat Cora is one of the graduates of the CIA!

What I love about Poughkeepsie is the proximity to the city and the beautiful country living. It got its name from the native americans. According to information from Wikipedia, he name means "the reed covered lodge by the little-water place" Poughkeepsie sits right on the Hudson river.

I get to choose to have my horse live with me on my property or board him at a stable down the road.

We have many equestrian events and access to beautiful countryside riding.

Poughkeepsie has a lot to offer! If you are interested in Poughkeepsie, which is in Dutchess County, New York, please check out my website and log on to see housing available in the area. Search the outer areas too like Hyde Park, Fishkill, Hopewell Junction, Millbrook and many other great towns.

First, a little Kipling. This is one of my favorite poems:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream-and not make dreams your master,
If you can think-and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings-nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!

-Rudyard Kipling

Now, Max:

Let me tell you what tough is.

Tough is being a single mother and putting your son through Yale.

Tough is being an animal lover with multiple dogs, cats and a horse and having to lose 2 cats in 2 days.

Tough is being put in between a battle axe listing agent and demanding, New York City clients and getting the $400,000 battle axe listing to accept $350,000 in those 2 same days.

Tiffany represented a builder when I met her and I recruited her for a year before she joined the firm. She's a good team player, very protective of her clients, and firmly commmited to doing the right thing in business. She's also Max's godmother, having found him on German Sheperd rescue for me when she knew I was looking for a dog.

This has been a tough year for most of us, and she has had to endure a very rough week. One of those cats was 17. I've lost pets before. It sucks. A 17 year family member is truly family. You mourn. You are tempted to stay in bed.

Tough people, however, do what they have to do, and Tiffany gave a virtuoso real estate performance with difficult parties to please on both sides in the midst of grief and adversity. As Yankee fans would say, she hit one into the monuments.

I'm not surprised.

This is the kind of person I am proud to have on the team. We don't shuffle rolodexes around here. We make things happen in spite of circumstances, and Tiffany embodies that. If you are in Dutchess County, NY and you need a good agent, you need to add her to your short list.

This was inspired by my recent open house visit on Sylvan Lake. Sylvan Lake is located in the town of Beekman in Southern Dutchess County NY. The lake was once home to a mining quarry so parts of the lake are very deep. It is a great place to go swimming, scuba diving, and fishing.

The day of my visit was a bit overcast, however, I was entertained by the birds, beautiful swans and a flock of smaller birds.

Along Sylvan Lake can also be found a very popular camp site, a great location because of the many attractions within a few miles.

You will also find a housing complex known as Chelsea Cove. Residents of this complex have direct access to the lake. I just checked the mutliple listing service and there are properties available ranging from $139,000-250,000.

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

SEARCH FOR A HOME IN THE MID HUDSON VALLEY