Restaurant Openings in Sullivan County

It has been awhile since my last blog post, because I am as busy as I have ever been. People are looking for homes, and the phone is ringing. Couple that with a three and one year old, and finding a spare minute to write a blog post is difficult. I have had a few ideas for a blog post, but finding the time to seat and actually write it is the difficult part.

There have been quite a few culinary openings this spring in Sullivan County, which I think is a great sign. The two that have caught my eye are the Callicoon Brewery and The Local Table and Tap.

The Local Table and Tap opened in the space occupied by Luzon Station in Kauneonga Lake. The owners Kevin McElroy and Richard Watt both have strong culinary backgrounds, and have combined forces to create a pretty remarkable dining experience. The food is American fare with a twist. The ambiance is a simple, modern and has a cool Rhinebeck–or somewhere on the Hudson feel. The outdoor deck seats a bunch, and looks out on the water. You definitely have to have a meal and a pint here this summer.

The other is the Callicoon Brewery which opened in the old firehouse in Callicoon. I have not had a chance to eat here yet, but they did a great job with the exterior, and all the online reviews are good. It looks like another great place to grab a drink, and some grub.

These kinds of openings once again affirm that our area is changing for the better. I drove through downtown Callicoon the other day. From one end of main street to the other, we have new storefronts and business. The pizzeria has moved and expanded, Cafe Devine is open, there is a new bike shop, Ridgeback Sports. The library has expanded. The wine store is open and always busy. There are two new antique shops. Getting a parking spot is a pain in the ass. I love it.

As the Shadbush Blooms

It is getting to be that time of year again, where you will start to see the white blossoms dotting the landscape. It is the plant Amelanchier also known as the shadbush. It is nicknamed that, because its bloom corresponds roughly with the spawning run of the shad fish up the rivers of the Northeast.

The title of this post was “borrowed” from a children’s book. It is a book about the Lenni Lenape Indians who once inhabited this area of the Delaware River Valley three hundred plus years ago. It is a tale of family and culture and tradition. And it shows how the flowering of this plant foretells the coming of a more bountiful time of year. This book also made me realize how deeply I am rooted in this area. For the past thirty plus years, every time I see a flowering Amelanchier I know that soon the shad will start their run. Every year I vow to get a few evenings of fishing in–the kind I did as a kid. Some years I find an evening or two to sneak away, but most of the time (especially lately) life seems to get in the way.

The good thing about fishing for shad is the effort/reward ratio really leans towards reward. I never really got into fishing that much. My brother is an avid fly fisherman, and I suppose the idea of it is nice. Watching a good fly fisherman ply his trade really is something. The way they flick the wrist and make the line dance through the air until the tiny lure lands lightly on surface– simulating an irresistible snack for a giant patrolling trout. A good fisherman can make it look easy.

However it isn’t that easy at all. First of all there is a tremendous amount of equipment–all of which is pretty expensive. Second the fishing pole is immense, and a lot more cumbersome than it looks, and third the reel is quite a bit more complicated than you would think. Add that to the fact that trout are pretty picky about what they will bite, and it adds up to the distinct possibility of an evening spent with no results. (I believe the technical term is “getting skunked”)

When you fish for shad on the other hand, as long as you go while they are running, you have a decent shot at bringing home a fish or two. Conventional wisdom says that while the shad are here in the fresh waters, they do not eat. They are hell bent on the task at hand–returning to the spot where they were born to spawn. (However most Delaware River fisherman will tell you that is not true. Many a shad has been caught on a fly–or other type of lure that resembles food.)

At any rate the easiest thing to catch them on is a shad dart. It is a multi colored (mostly white and red) little lure that the shad will hit more out of reaction or anger than a need to eat. it is a crank–underwater lure that is pretty inexpensive, and simple to use. Couple it with a rod and closed reel, (the kind with the fool proof button for casting) and you are eliminating the potential (or in my case the inevitable) line tangle. Waders can be used, or you can fish from shore. If you are fishing from shore be sure to buy the heavier darts, if you are wading, go with the lighter ones. Bring at least a dozen, you are bound to lose a few. Go in the evening, after seven for best results.

There is a ton more information on shad and shad fishing here

So what do you do with a shad once you caught it? Shad fillets can be quite tasty if cooked correctly. I have found that they do need some seasonings, as it is a rather bland fish. However shad meat has almost twice as much omega-3 as salmon. So if you catch a buck shad, you can fillet it. (Shad meat is quite bony, so be prepared to pick through it gingerly.) However the real treat is the roe.

Shad roe has been eaten as a delicacy since back in the Lenni Lenape days, and the tradition has carried on through the last few hundred years. Legend has it that shad roe souffle was a favorite of George Washington. Henry David Thoreau wrote about the shad migration in “A Week on the Merrimack.” Cole Porter crooned about it in “Let’s Do It.” Years of over-fishing has made shad roe a bit more scarce, but you can still buy it at some of the better fish markets in NYC. (And up and down the east coast.)

There is a number of ways to cook it. You can pan fry it in a little butter or bacon grease, (Click here for a good recipe)– you can bake it in cakes like crab cakes, in a souffle the way George Washington preferred, or you can serve it cold with crackers like caviar. The cooking–or preparing of the roe is the easy part, removing it from the fish is the hard part. Click here for a video tutorial. (Set to the immortal words of Cole Porter.)

How terribly sophisticated and yet primeval to serve homemade caviar at a dinner party from a fish that you caught? How can that be outdone?

And on top of that, to spend an evening casting into the current under a shad bush the way the Lenape did over three centuries ago–I can’t think of a better way to herald in the spring.

Late for an Appointment

So in my never ending quest to try to understand the human race, and the behavior we exhibit, I have compartmentalized people into two categories. People who are late, and people who are early. I know genius right? but before you scoff at my simplicity, hear me out.

I have noticed that what ever a person does on the first appointment, whether early, or tardy, they will continue to do it throughout the remainder of the appointments. you can pretty much set your watch by it. “A ten minute late guy” will keep me waiting without fail. A “fifteen minute early couple” will be there, sitting in their car when I pull up every single time.

People who are late have always bothered me. I suppose it is because of the punctual conscious household I was raised in, but I subscribe to the theory that a habitually late person is passively telling you that their time is more important than yours. And in a lot of cases with the people I deal with, their time is more important. I don’t mind waiting a half hour, if the person I am dealing with is going to buy something. In my mind I am getting paid for that half hour. However the single show, never see you again, hour late person is the one that drives me crazy. But I digress, back to the reason for this post.

So because the total number of meetings will probably be between ten and twenty before the house is bought, punctuality becomes one the defining characteristics that I see as I get to know the clients. But other personality traits emerge as well. Like any relationship, as you get to know the person, actions and behaviors change your perception of that person. So I began to compare and contrast the other personality traits between the two “control groups” Now you would think that the tardy group would be a bit more easy gong. And perhaps the “early group would be the most type A. However I have found the opposite to be true. It is the late ones that tend to obsess over buried oil tanks or leaking septics They are the ones that pour over contracts, while the early group seem to be the laid back go with the flow type. Not that the early group isn’t fastidious, they just seem to be less suspicious.

Why? If I knew I’d be the next Tony Robbins. So what type are you?

Maybe Saint Joseph Can Sell Your Home

I got a new listing this week. It is another “seasoned seller.” He has been trying to sell his house for over two years. He is an older guy who just wants to move closer to his kids. There have been other agents, other offers, and other disappointments. He listened to the experts, dropped his price when told, fixed his porch when told and even thought about holding a mortgage. He is a good guy, keeps his house immaculate, disappears when there is a showing, eats his veggies and loves his grand kids. But the house sits on the market.

Well he is trying a new tactic. He is getting the Lord on his side. Some friends advised him that the thing he needed to do was to bury a statue of St. Joseph upside down in the front yard, and a sale would surely be forthcoming. Being as how I’m barely Catholic, this was news to me, so I looked it up online, which is pretty much how I start anything these days.

St. Joseph refers to Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus. If you will remember, he had a lot of housing issues. There was no room in the inn, so they took up residence in a stable. Then, they fled to Egypt, then they returned, but this time to blend into the quiet of Nazareth. So if you think about it, he should be plenty sympathetic to people with housing issues.

I researched online, and found that most authorities on this subject say that you should bury your statue of Joseph upside down in the front yard, with him facing your house, and in close proximity to the For Sale sign. If he faces the street, then the house across the street may sell instead of yours. However, if you have neighbors you don’t like, you might try burying a statue of St. Joseph upside down pointing toward their house, so that maybe St. Joseph will get them packing instead.

The origin of this practice is a little murky. Some say it dates back to the Middle Ages where a group of nuns buried a St. Joseph medal in order to procure some land for a convent. Others say it was much later, where in the mid 1800’s a priest in Montreal used a similar technique in his quest for an oratory. Apparently the mid ’90s is when it became all the rage, and now, happily for home sellers, kits containing small, easy-to-bury statues detail exactly how to deep six St. Joseph and pray for his assistance. Also the book, “St. Joseph My Real Estate Agent” apparently spells out the correct steps to ensure full St. Joseph participation. From the picture however I think “book” is generous. Perhaps pamphlet is more accurate. At any rate, the author is quoted as saying. “The distinction between superstition and devotion is created by the person doing it. In other words, if you simply bury St. Joseph and count on that to sell the house, then it’s superstition. If you do it as an act of faith, then it’s devotion.

So there you have it. For the moment I am going to remain skeptical. however should an offer come down the line pretty fast, I may have to buy some St. Joseph statues, and start digging some holes.

Accceptance

It seems to me sellers are finally coming to terms with the market that we are in. It took some time—almost two years. However more and more we are seeing new houses come on the market that are “priced right” or easily 25 to 30% lower than they would have been a few years ago. And you are also seeing some of the more stubborn listings that have been languishing, now with major price reductions and a few getting deals on them.

Back in 2010 I had a deal on a 1940’s Dutch colonial on 23 acres. We got an accepted offer, however the inspection uncovered things that spooked the buyers. They asked for a 10K allowance. The sellers said go pound salt. Twenty-six months later, it has finally gone into pending on the MLS. They had dropped the price 30K less than they would have walked with had they agreed to the inspection allowance. It will be interesting to see what the final price is.

There is another modular ranch that I had an offer on last summer. Seller responded via the listing agent, that they were “insulted” by the offer. It just sold for 10K less than the initial insulting offer.

I suppose it is the final step in the five stages of grief—acceptance. We had the denial, the anger and the bargaining. Now we have a collective national sigh.

But have you noticed the number of articles being written about when housing prices will start to recover and “real’ appreciation will start to kick in? It seems everywhere I turn someone is trying to “TALK” the housing market up. Have you been reading the same things?

Why… to get to those highs would mean that the economy would have to produce over 8 million new jobs (just to reclaim all those who lost their jobs) and then it would have to grow so that incomes increase to the point where higher priced homes could be afforded.

Remember, one of the contributing factors to the downturn was that home prices had outstripped the ability of buyers to afford them. That had become painfully obvious the last year of the bubble, where buyers simply could not afford the asking prices of even the most modest homes here in Sullivan County. And at last when every “creative finance” option had been exhausted—the house of cards collapsed. Just like I doubt we will see the Nasdaq at 5K again, the three bedroom ranch on one acre in Sullivan County will not be worth 225K again anytime soon.

Ten Tips When Selling Your Home

There are many lists just like this one all over the internet, but they are out there, because it is very important. Studies have shown that people can make up their minds about someone based on their appearance in less than 10 seconds. A home is no different. More often than not it is the small things that make a difference and make a buyer fall in love and make an offer.

1) Price. This is the most important (and obvious) tip. If your home is priced right, it will sell. Now if you have the chutzpah take off an additional ten to fifteen percent, and you will be inundated with buyers. Often you get a multiple offer situation and get a price that is where you were originally going to list it. And you sell it in half the time!

2) No clutter. I mean nothing. Bare minimum. Closets should be empty or almost empty so the buyer can imagine their stuff in them (and they always look bigger empty.) Basements, garages and storage areas should all be sparsely filled.

3) Let the sun in. The brighter the better. Pull back all curtains, and take down shades or blinds that cover any windows. People love natural light.

4) Hide the pets. A barking or sniffing dog can or a meowing friendly kitty can distract anyone. you do not want buyers to feel like guests. You want them to envision themselves living there. Other people’s pets are a big reminder that they are in someone else’s home. Also pets smell. Any sort of odor is bad. The family pet will forgive being banished for a short time during a showing.

5) Curb appeal. I spoke about it before–the importance of a first impression. Keep the lawn mowed, and the hedges trimmed. Get rid of dead branches and weeds. The brighter and cheerier the exterior of the home looks, the better chance to get someone in that positive frame of mind as they come inside.

6) Hire the right agent. Do they do this full time? You want an agent who can’t pay their mortgage or feed their kids if they don’t sell your house. You don’t want an agent who does this as a hobby. Also what is their marketing strategy? What is their advertising budget? Get a referral from someone you know. Getting a good agent is key to selling you home. Interview at least three agents before making a decision.

7) Paint if you have to. A good neutral color is key. IF your daughter’s room is pink, consider changing the color. Also small things like a shiny new faucet in the kitchen or getting rid of older curtains can really make the difference. I had a listing where the owner bought new area rugs and throw pillows and had two offers the next week, after months on the market? Coincidence? Perhaps, but it certainly can’t hurt.

8) Make your house easy to show. There is an old real estate saying, “If you can’t show it, you can’t sell it.” Having potential sellers tromp through your house is annoying, and an evasion of privacy of sorts. However many showings are last minute. Just remember it won’t last forever. Try to be gracious, and make your home as available as possible.

9) Price. See number one.

10) Do a pre-inspection. I see this more and more, and I recommend it strongly. Hire an inspector before you list. There are a number of reasons for this. First of all, you can fix whatever he finds. Second, you can let prospective sellers know that the home has a clean bill of health. And third, should the buyers find some “hidden” problem, you are armed with your own inspection report to refute this tactic.

Small things can really make a big difference when selling. The key is to avoid the problems before they start.

Echoes

I skipped a blog post last week—unfortunately. I have been very busy, and I just couldn’t seem to find the time. I doubt there was anyone out there waiting with baited breath, but if so I apologize. The sold info below will include both weeks.

I have been running all over Sullivan County, showing homes. It seems there is a late summer rush. People want to be in something by the holidays. Most of what I have been showing is older, turn of the century homes; with a few dating all the way back to civil war era. I love these kind of homes, they all have character, history, and I what I call “echoes.”

A customer of mine coined that phrase a few years ago when were out looking at older farmhouses, and I have stolen it, because I think it describes that feeling or “vibe” you get from these type of older homes. It is that indescribable feeling when you walk through the front door, and get a sense of all that has transpired in that space over many decades. For me it is not necessarily a hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck feeling, (although I have had a few of those) it is more of a wistful nostalgia. An empty dusty dining room evokes images of happy holiday gatherings around a carved turkey, or the faded wallpaper in a child’s bedroom the only clue to who may have grown up there. A pile of discarded books or newspapers makes you wonder who had leafed through them. Echoes from the past—it is a strange, cool feeling and only certain houses have it.

I think bigger, formerly busier spots give me this feeling more than others. The boarding house over the wooden bridge in North Branch had major echoes. (I have blogged about that house before, and it remains one of my favorites) More recently it happened with the former Griffin House in Jeffersonville—127 Maple Ave. This house was built in 1895, and was owned by the same family for 105 years. It was then a bed and breakfast for twenty years, before apparently through a series of misfortunes it was foreclosed on. Link to Griffin House site. It now sits vacant, a grand building waiting for the next chapter of its history. This really is a special property. The wood work is something I have never seen before, and the grounds could be beautiful once again. But more importantly, every room has echoes, and standing in the empty foyer by the fireplace, I don’t think it has ever been stronger. There is a lot of history in that old building, lots of memories–the narrative of a family unknown to me.

They may be able to get the wide plank floors or the field stone foundation exterior done right, but echoes are something a “new old house” will never be able to duplicate.

The Stay at Home Couple

Livingston Manor Farm

The forecast was for one to three inches, which I suppose is what we got. (Although now as I write this it is 50 and sunny. I was on my way back from looking at a new listing in Livingston Manor, when the sky got really dark and it started coming down hard. I took a snapshot of the barn at Faraway Farm, just outside of Callicoon Center.

I was previewing a house for a couple who I think fits into a new demographic in our society. I will call them the “stay at home couple.” They are simply a double income family, where both adults work from home. This couple is the second one that I have come in contact with this month.

In this case, it is a gay couple who currently rent in Brooklyn. The one guy has run an internet based business from home for years. His partner commuted into the city in a more traditional job, but as technology became more advanced, he started being able to spend more of his time working from home also. He commented to me, that he will still have to meet clients once or twice a week in Manhattan, but he feels a commute to the city once or twice a week is doable, where every day is just too far. They both have roots in the Metro area, but the job flexibility allows them to have a primary home ( and all the benefits that come with that) here in Sullivan County.

I believe as technology continues to advance, we will see more of these stay at home couples. In the nineties the term dinks (double income no kids) came into being. (of which I am still a member.) I suppose that will be to amended to wah dinks. Work at home double income no kids.

Cell Service in Sullivan County

As you come up over the hill on Route 97, about halfway between Callicoon and Hankins, a large cell tower has risen out on the Delaware River ridge. Upon some research, it turns out that it is an AT&T tower, however, “others can sign on.” Hopefully Verizon does. That is a notorious dead spot for cell service, and the way it is positioned, it looks like it will cover quite a large area.

Because of the mountains, cell service as always been a bit sketchy here in Sullivan County, and although it has gotten much better, it is still pretty hit or miss in some areas. If cell service is important to you, then obviously make sure you have a bar or two on your phone while in the houses you are viewing. Verizon is by far the most reliable around here, and even if you only have a very weak signal, all is not lost. Verizon makes network extenders or signal boosters that hook up to your internet and GPS. I have on in Callicoon, and it turns almost no signal into full bars.

Internet is another hurtle for buyers in Sullivan County. All the main roads have Time Warner Cable, and they have done a fairly good job in some of the more rural, secondary areas. However if it does not pay for them to hang the wires, they don’t. There are stories of people literally within a few hundred feet of the end of the cable line, who have been refused by the cable company unless they pay an astronomical fee. Unfortunately Time Warner Cable is the only game in town, and they act like it.

As far as television goes, the satellite companies are just as reliable if not better than cable, however the bug-a-boo is internet. Satellite companies offer a version of “high speed” internet, however the fees are high, and there are bandwidth restrictions and lag times that make certain activities impossible. If you are using it to check email and surf the web a bit then it is serviceable. For anything else, (Netflix, any sort of web chatting, or even YouTube) it is choppy and slow. Verizon has been promising upgrades so VIOS will come, however that has not happened yet.

So it is something to keep in mind while searching for that cabin on the stream. If you want to be totally un-plugged, then no worries. However for those of you who still need to conduct business and maintain a connection with the outside world, where the cable line ends or where the cell signal disappears could make a the difference in buying or not.

Hunter Lake Cabin

The dead of winter is not normally a robust time for people to be looking for lake front property, however I am fielding a few inquires, and I was out with a couple last weekend looking at a few properties. We looked at one on Hunter Lake. Some pictures and info are below.

I've always liked Hunter Lake. It has a different feel to it then a lot of other lakes here in Sullivan County. It has a nice mixture of Adirondack and blue collar. There is a really nice campground at one end of the lake, and a few beach areas where non lakefront owners can access the water. They do allow motorboats and jet skis, so during the day the lake is pretty livley, but they have wake restrictions in the evening.

It is the kind of lake where families have been going for generations, and an August weekend evening in 2012 is really not that different than one in 1973. Park Lane on the back side of the lake is a dirt road with smaller homes and cabins that dot either side of it. There are some newer houses there, but most are of the cabin variety. Cabins with screened in porches and picnic tables. On a summer weekend those porches host a variety of activites–from a quiet evening with a good book to a spirited game of Scrabble with the kids. Kids with summer tans and mosquito bites. I'm sure as evening falls over the lake, an observer would have a difficult time determining which decade it is. Timeless. And how apropos–because when you are there that is the one thing that you stop paying attention to. Time.

There are a few homes for sale on Hunter, but this one is a new favorite of mine. Now it is a seasonal. The plumbing under the house is exposed, making it unusable in the winter, but more importantly making it MUCH more difficult to finance. Banks are leary of seasonal homes. I know a few that will lend on them, but with more money down, and higher interest rates. However it is lakefront for under 150K. Even with the downturn this is rare. Hunter Lake Cabin Parksville NY

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