Here We Go Again!

I wrote a while ago about properties that are not what they appear. One had a four foot deeded piece of land taken out of the middle which then belonged to someone else; my buyer walked away. Another didn't really own the entire driveway, a fact discovered only after the buyers closed.

And here's another example. My husband was going to buy a lot which would then have been marketed by me as a building lot for a contractor. A win-win. He would make money, I would get the listing and the sale eventually, and my contractor would build the house. Not so! my marvelous attorney persisted and insisted that all avenues be explored, as she should. After months of investigation, it appears that part of the property is owned by a long-lost relative.

Although the chances of this person - or his heirs - returning to claim the portion of the land that was not fully conveyed legally was slim, still it seemed prudent at least that title insurance be paid to back the claim of ownership. The sellers refused the $300 it would cost, but that didn't matter. My husband chose not to pursue the deal.

Imagine that the lot is bought, the home is built and then by golly the gentleman in question shows up! I can see several months if not years of litigation - who could sleep? Certainly not the people who bought the lot and built the house! But then, that's assuming anyone would take that chance.

So here's the question: does that make the land worthless? There are other ways, ways other than what the owners chose to ameliorate the situation. They could continue down that path, and not just do the cheap thing. A family could buy it and the title insurance and take the chance. If they are going to be there for years - sure, why not? If their mortgage company is satisfied and they can sleep - fine!

Again, though: the lesson is to always have an attorney check carefully, assiduously, all the records PRIOR to closing!


I stand corrected: Recently I wrote that Coach Robinson at SU makes over a million dollars and Jim Boeheim, the SU basketball coach made much less. In fact, Boeheim now makes more. It's the Chancellor and Athletic Director who make roughly half as much (as well as Penn State's legendary football coach Joe Paterno).

Wild Boar Alert!

Opening the Post-Standard the other day I was amazed to find an article about the wild boars of New York. Yeah, sure, I thought. Where are they? The Adirondacks?

No, it turns out, they are here. They walk - or charge and pillage - among us.

The article spoke about hunters at the South end of Skaneateles Lake - check it out! - who were hunting deer and instead found boars. Four of them they killed - the other 6 or so got away.

Yeah, sure. Five hundred pound wild boars rooting and snuffling in the leaves at the south end of the lake. Where I was on Monday with a client. In the trees, by the water where they would come to drink. Hmmmm.....

Worse is yet to come! They migrate, those boars do...right up the lake on the east side, out of Cortland County and the Town of Scott up to Spafford even and East Lake Road. Forget deer! I rumbled through there in the fog and rain at 6o miles per hour watching for deer. A five hundred pound wild boar would do real damage to the Scion.

And more! These notorious wild boar have actually made it to the Town of Skaneateles - whoa, Nellie!

And it looks like they are here to stay. My research shows (ask some friendly construction/hunter guys) that wild boar - honest to goodness - double in population every year! Every year! We will be overrun by 2010!

Picture it now: that lovely home down off East Lake Road with the huge perennial garden by the water, the decks covered in vines. You pull in from a lazy afternoon out sailing and there in the decking is - a pig's snout? In the rhododendrons? Can it be - yes! And one is sunning herself - quite pregnant, too - in your favorite lounge!

Be careful out there!

Mechanic & Main

One of my favorite things to do in real estate is to purchase closing gifts. I try very hard to make them personal, to say something about the home my people buy or their lives. I also like to make them fun.

For the next few weeks I will have a closing a week. This gives me a great opportunity to run around and look for gifts. I was doing just that on Thursday when I found a wonderful little shop in the village of Camillus.

Camillus is about ten minutes from Skaneateles on the way to Syracuse. Nine Mile Creek runs through it and the principal industry was the world-famous Camillus Cutlery. This huge enterprise dominated the little village - four acres and 100,000 square feet of building right on the Creek. Closed now, it has been rumored for the past couple years that it will be/was/has been bought and condos and retail centers will pop up there. Unfortunately, none of the above: it will be sold by auction next Wednesday, December 5th, bids starting at $1. We'll know better then what will happen.

But among the stores in the village currently is Mechanic & Main, a store featuring handmade gifts from all over the world. I started to look out of need and curiosity, and remained for over an hour fascinated by what it contained. The owner and his greyhound were also draws - both very sweet and patient with me.

I settled on a "witches' ball," suggested by the owner. This glass ball has fibers inside to catch the evil and keep the home safe. It was lovely and perfect for the young couple buying their first - and perhaps only ever - newly constructed home. Unknown to me, the woman's mother had a witches' ball in her house! And it has kept bad things away - she swears!

I love little shops like Mechanic & Main and I want them to flourish. A year from now I hope the Cutlery has found new life and I can return again to by more closing presents.

Respect

I've tried all day to avoid this, but it must come out. Maybe it's not about real estate, but it's about my state of mind.

Greg Robinson has been retained as the coach of the Syracuse University football team for his fourth season despite absolutely dismal (three) previous seasons and a win-loss record of 7 and 28. Nice round numbers, those - he has won only 20% of his games.

He took over when the fans and alumni were screaming for a better, more exciting football team. The new Chancellor, Nancy Cantor, and the new Athletic Director, Darryl Gross, agreed and hired Coach Robinson to bring a national championship back to SU.

Coach Robinson had never been a head coach anywhere. He had several jobs prior to coming to SU, mostly in the NFL and had left them unceremoniously. He was in his 50s, and while this may seem odd to say, he was old for his new position.

He was also paid 1.2 million dollars each year. Coach Boeheim of SU basketball fame and with a national championship under his belt makes much less - high 600s or so.

So here we are. Over the course of this year - our record was 2 and 10 - SU rounded out the bottom of the stats for NCAA football. Many SU records were set - of the "worst" variety. The guys who sat behind us cheered enthusiastically: "We're number One....seventeen!" This is out of 120 teams in Division One.

So Coach stays and I am sad. I am sad for the players who came and bought into his (their)vision and spent their collegiate years on a dismal squad. I am sad for the former players, like Larry Csonka and others, who were recognized at halftime at home games for their legendary prowess on the SU campus. The day Csonka was there, SU managed a total of 19 yards rushing.

They say it was money that kept Coach here. He would have to be bought out at about 2 million dollars and then they still would have to pay his successor. And his assistants would have to be let go, because the new coach wouldn't want them.

But the numbers don't seem to make sense. The Carrier Dome was not filled. Tickets were going so cheaply this third season that they were about the same as prices 15 years ago, in some sections. Still the fans didn't come to watch SU lose. I took pictures of the empty stands at game time. My in-laws run a booth for SU and they were called several times to say, "Don't bother to come - not enough people." How much will SU lose next year?

And then there's the respect factor. I know this is education, and supposedly not business, but then what is SU teaching their students? If you negotiate a large enough contract with a high enough penalty, you can keep your job despite being a failure. "Good enough" has become okay.

I do not begin to think that Coach Robinson is counting his money and not giving it his all. But he's not succeeding - and where is the pride in that?

I came to the last game on Saturday with my son. We sat with all the lovable crazies in the touchdown zone in our cheap seats and of course we rooted loudly for SU. But what will indelibly remain for me as the summation of the game and the year occurred early on, during the playing of the Alma Mater. Drs. Kantor and Gross stood in the endzone below us, and while our section rose and took off their hats (and wigs), and stood silently while the band played, Drs. Cantor and Gross laughed and talked throughout it, seemingly oblivious to the import of the song.

Land For Sale

I don't generally write about my listings, but this little bit of land has gotten to me and I want to share it with my readers. Specifically, those of you who live outside of upstate New York.

Picture this: 5 corner acres, wetlands on the road side, over 1000 feet of frontage on one road and 200 on the other, and filled with trees! Huge trees, one with a diameter over 6 feet according to the owner. Wander into the trees and you are lost in the woods.

List price: $5,000.

Now the owners live outside Seattle and found me through the RE/MAX network. Imagine, if you can, what $5,000 would buy you in Seattle these days. And here, in lowly Cayuga County, you can own five acres for less than the price of a used car.

I've advertised it a couple times and received overwhelming response. People call, they ask where it is - Hunter and Baker Roads in Cato - they drive out and see it. They call back and say they like it. They don't buy it.

One man had to take his wife out there before he bought it. After days of calling and talking he drove her there and now doesn't return my calls. I think it's a man thing, this desire to own land. Women - not to stereotype TOO much - want homes, while men want land.

I still believe that someone will fall in love with it and buy it just to sit on it, or in it. He - or she - will build a little cabin and bring a dog or two. He - or she - will fell a tree and craft a rocking chair for the porch. And he - or she - will take pride in owning this pretty piece of land.

Dickens

Ah, it's that time of year! "Dickens" started Friday in Skaneateles for the holiday season.

We drove through the village today around 12:30 just to see what was happening. Cars were already parked up Genesee Street to the churches even though the day was cold - quite cold! - and it was still early.

At the intersection of Genesee and Jordan there seemed to be too much happening. On one corner there was a small group of carolers, on another a few musicians playing their own tunes. Across the street on lakeside there were others doing something, but we couldn't hear what. It was fun, though, festive, and everyone was smiling.

I loved the costumes up and down the street, and frankly I was envious. The big skirts, petticoats, muffs, hats with riboons drawn over cold ears, and the package wrapped by a shawl appeared quite warm, certainly warmer than my jeans!

While I dislike the early Christmas festivities, the early snow has helped ameliorate this feeling and how can you fault Dickens?

For more information, check out www.skaneateles.com.

Coming Home

My son is home for the holiday weekend. He took the train up from Manhattan, a five or so hour journey. It was cheaper, almost as quick as flying, and available at the last minute.

I picked him up at the station by Carousel Mall. Buses pulled in and out, depositing SU students and picking up others coming back to Syracuse. It seemed like one giant dance - everyone on this side move to that side and cause a happy confusion in the middle.

Tonight, after a day of shopping and cooking and baking he's off to visit friends in the village. They're meeting at the Sherwood Inn for dinner and then on to The Cedar House to hear Dusty. They might end up at Morris's or Bluewater. He wants to find a spot to keep an eye on the SU-Ohio State NIT game at 9:30.

Not much has changed in the past 30 or so years. I would ride home from college or yes, take the train. We'd meet friends at someone's house and then go out to TC on the east side. I have no idea if young people around the university area still do this, but I bet they do.

Skaneateles has been described as the perfect 50's community. Beaver would fit in quite well - as well as he ever did in Mayfield. Wally would though and I know an Eddie Haskell. And that's all a good thing, and something precious to be thankful for this weekend.

First Snow

We awakened to find the ground covered with a light snow, the first of the season. I took the dogs out and Boo, the big Bernweiler, put his nose into the snow and flipped it into the air while running full tilt down the paths. I was glad I had elected to go out into the cold sunshine.

I drove into Syracuse for a 9:00 o'clock appointment, filled with the beauty of the hills and looking forward to this blog to tell about how lovely it is here at this time of year. I smiled at the snowplow pulling out onto Route 5 before the turn to 695. There was nothing to plow - the roads were bare past my driveway.

I took the turn and found I was suddenly in the midst of a swirling snowstorm. Traffic slowed to a crawl on 690, cars were off the road or involved in accidents. Some how Syracusans forget how to drive in snow between April and November. Happens every year.

I also remember arriving here in 1990, having been away in the winter for 17 years. I worried aloud that I'd have trouble with the drive into Syracuse from Skaneateles every morning, but was told by an old-timer "There's less snow here than there." He went on to quote statistics - 120 inches average for Syracuse, 75 inches for Skaneateles. I was skeptical; it's less than 25 miles.

Over the years I've realized he was absolutely right, if not perfect with his numbers (more like Cayuga County with the 75 inches...). And here it was again - gorgeous sunshine in Skaneateles and blinding snow in Syracuse.

Welcome, winter!

A November Day

I feel as if this were the quintessential November day in Skaneateles.

I got into the village and the office by 10:00 to wait for a client to come and finish her paperwork for a rental we'd been able to find for her in Marcellus. I ran out quickly to Pomodoro Too (just next door) to get a key chain and then back to do paperwork while I waited for her. She arrived with flowers - gorgeous red gerbera daisies and gold wax flowers that I love because they last so long. Very sweet, and much appreciated on this rainy day that could have been gloomy.

I walked over to another real estate company to deliver papers and stopped to admire the wreaths - now 25% off! - at Fleur-De-Lis on East Genesee Street. Just lovely, and the colors of autumn. The windows up and down the street reflected Thanksgiving preparations -

Pardon this, but it is my soapbox: seasons need to stay within their bounds. I am not ready for Christmas, and I recognize that shop owners do most of their sales for Christmas, but I want one season at a time, please. No decorations for Christmas before Advent, no compulsion to lump it all together. Eat the turkey and the cranberry sauce but don't mix in the cookies, please!

- and I thought how lovely the colors were, reflecting the leaves covering the ground. I stopped in to pick up a signed keepsake from Pomodoro and loved the display of turkeys and candles and wreaths. I got a call from a friend, inviting me in to lunch in the city - only 20 minutes away.

After lunch I drove home the long way to turn in some checks to another company and then came home. I started a fire in the fireplace to reduce the chill and spent the afternoon sending Thanksgiving cards and drinking tea, taking the occasional phone call. I look forward to an evening by the fire with my book, the dogs and cats, and then the debate. I've heard that snow is promised for tomorrow.....

We are so very lucky here to have so much!

Smiling and Thankful

Having just been out buying Thanksgiving cards and small gifts, I was reminded all day that there is so much in my life that makes me smile.

At the post office, in Elbridge, the postmaster is Jim and he always has a comment for everyone who comes in. Sometimes it's caustic - people walk out shaking their heads, but with smiles on their faces. Often it's just a notice that you exist and came into his world. Yesterday, as I bought stamps, he was "in a mood" because the computer had gone down. The line was long, and as I waited I yawned, and immediately he shouted out "Meg, there's no yawning in line!" Everyone laughed.

Maureen at Essentially Bread makes me smile, too. Not really because of what she says - I think she'd admit that "people skills" are not her forte, but because she creates the most wonderful breads and pastries. Try the raspberry torte and try not to smile!

Karen in our office creates amazing moments. I sent out a postcard today and we worried over it a few days. I walked in yesterday and there it was - better than I could have dreamed. Today she left me a message, and when I called her back she just said "And I put a pen in there, too," reading my mind as usual.

The red flame bushes at the corner of Leitch and East Genesee in the village make me happy. They glow. I saw more in Dewitt, an eastern suburb, and they didn't have that incandescence. Must be the water.

I am thankful for so much - the cat purring on my computer table, the warm day, the magnificent view of the lake from the village. And all those people out there who make me smile!

Closing Up

I played hooky this afternoon, knowing that tonight I would pull together a mailing and be up late. I went out to the lake to close up camp with the dogs.

I hadn't been there in a while. The season had changed, and it was colder inside than outside. Even though there was gorgeous sun it was in the process of disappearing over the hill when I arrived around 1:00.

I cleaned out the fridge, pleased that I had done a good job of getting rid of things earlier in the fall. There was still a bag of garbage and things that needed emptying, like cider, that were past their due dates. But all in all it was easy. Not like in the old days when I would dig at the ice in the freezer for a day.

We had had a marvelous summer there. For the first time since we renovated it in 2004 we had been able to stay there consistently. We opened in May and here it was mid-November.

After I was done - the electricity turned off, the refrigerator doors propped open with towels, the garbage and recyclables hauled up to the car - we took a walk down the front by the lake. We moseyed past the camps until I realized that there was enough beach in front of the seawalls to walk on and jumped down.

I remembered walking the length of the lake - almost 5 miles probably (this is Otisco) - with my son and two of his friends when they were little. We just started and kept on, fascinated by the deserted camps and our ability to walk on the shoreline. At the south end we called back to camp to get a ride. The kids were tired that night!

Today my feet and the dogs' crunched dried zebra mussels, something we didn't have back then. They've invaded the lakes, making them cleaner but deadly on the feet. Shoes are necessary in some spots in the summer., but harmless now.

Done with our short walk we went back up to camp and left, but found once we were on the road that the propane truck was ahead of us filling tanks. Several people now live on the road year-round, whole families have been raised there.

Not for me. I like the openings in the spring and the closings in the fall.

Saying Good-bye

A client - now a friend - e-mailed me that she would forever miss her lakefront home.

I was reminded of my mother, who left her home in 2002 because she was unable to stay there any longer for health reasons. I remember seeing her look up at it as we stood on the sidewalk, and I can only imagine what she was thinking and feeling.

She had come to that home as a 26 year old bride. The house must have seemed huge to her - 3 bedrooms on Thornden Park in Syracuse by the university. I'm sure she took the hardwoods for granted, but not the fireplace and the French doors. Over the next 56 years she enjoyed the screened in front porch and the back yard, especially the back yard bordering the park.

A series of dogs and cats lived in the house; the dogs were always walked at least twice a day in the park, rain, shine or snow. Cherry trees and apple trees blossomed by the peonies and the daisies she tended. Birds and squirrels fed from her feeders. Lilac trees in May blooming in the park gave her two weeks of incredible joy.

The house she loved in the end turned on her: one bathroom upstairs was not conducive to arthritic knees. The basement laundry became too much. When changes were suggested she refused them, saying it wasn't right to hurt the house because of her needs.

She looked at that house the last day and then turned away, never to even drive down the street again during the last four years of her life. She missed it, I know, as she missed her sister and her mother. It was as tangible as a person, as well-loved. She didn't denigrate her new situation - one-floor living, 13 acres of "park-like setting." The dog still got walked, she used a park bench to rest, new birds were well-fed. But I know she missed that house forever.

Beware of Easements!

It used to be a handshake changed properties. That and a coin or two. But problems arise when that handshake agreement gets recorded.

I am selling a waterfront property. This is a great property, one that my buyers would love to own. For months the attorneys and abstract and title companies have poured over the deeds and the abstract to sort out who owns what. In the end, my buyers' attorney has discovered that the sellers of the property's ancestors sold strips of land (!) to their neighbors right in the middle of their property. These are four foot paths, easements, rights of way - but they are actually owned by the neighbors. If they want to cut down trees and put in a waterfall, they may! If they want to park cars on the property, they may! Oh my!

Current status: trying to find a way to make it all work

This reminded me of another mess. People bought property and were told by their lawyer to close even though the survey and deeds hadn't been sorted out. "It will be okay," he said. Well, no! They returned to their new home a couple days later to find a stake in the driveway. They owned half, not all. That acre they bought? Not really - only half - and the neighbors owned the other half. Too late - they had closed!

Current status: the neighbors were paid for their land (on top of the original price) to make it the full one acre

These are both cautionary tales. So when the lawyers want to take weeks going through abstracts and deeds - let them!

Initial Thanks

Way back in April I attended a conference in Syracuse. It was sponsored by WISE - Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship. I had gone to hear Patience Brewster (www.patiencebrewster.com) speak about how she had started her business of cards and ornaments. Although I knew the story well - she's from Skaneateles and my son has been part of the company from the beginning - I hadn't heard her speak. One of my clients was starting her own card line and I wanted to see if I could pick up some ideas.

Long introduction to this, but.....As things happen I found more than I had expected. In a breakout session I began speaking with a woman who was busily working on her laptop. By way of conversation I asked what she did, how she happened to be there, the usual stuff. She told me that her company was working on digitization. I was certain I didn't know that, but she added that she was blogging and of that I had at least a passing awareness.

Now the story gets shorter. She gave me her card, Jill Hurst-Wahl of Hurst Associates, and assured me that with a bit of help I could add blogging to my real estate strategy. Moreover, I would like it! We met a few weeks later at Panera Bread and over lunch she launched me and my blog. It was that simple.

I want to thank her immensely and publicly for giving me this blog. I still need to know more about how to expand it, but I am thrilled to have joined the millions of bloggers out there. If you want to see a fully developed blog, try hers: hurstassociates.blogspot.com.

Again, thanks, Jill! You ignited me!

Many Thanks plus Notes

I am thankful for dentists who leave time open on Mondays for emergencies that arose over the weekend.

I am thankful for nitrous oxide which smoothes the pain of extractions without anasthesia!

I am thankful for movies like "The Pursuit of Happyness" which inspire and challenge.

I am thankful for other agents who work not from the standpoint of greed, but for what is best for everyone.

I am thankful for the first bit of snow we got today - makes it feel more like November.

I am thankful for Mirbeau, the magnificent spa and hotel in Skaneateles that is truly a gift to the area. I will spend an evening there soon, so look for a future blog.

Note #1: The candidate with the wonderful signs did not win the election yesterday.

Note #2: I also received an e-mail reminding me that Hillary Clinton is not from New York, we are just her chosen state from which she can launch her presidential campaign and represent us in the Senate. I remember not understanding why Robert Kennedy should represent New York, either....

Signs, Signs, Everywhere There're Signs!

It's election day so all the signs will be gone - one hopes - tomorrow.

One candidate's signage stood out this year in our area. Karen Hanford was running for Onondaga County legislator opposing former Skaneateles mayor, now county legislator, Jim Rhinehart.

Ms. Hanford borrowed from the old Burma Shave signs and at each site placed four signs reading various composite messages. She "talked" about the taxes we face, the trucks that forge their ways down the country roads, global warming. Instead of just her name, she got her message out there. It was truly amazing - no two signs were alike, each phrase was unique. I have to admit her presentation was incredibly effective, at least for this Realtor.

The only response that counts is the electoral vote. We'll know later tonight if her strategy worked and her message was well-received.

We may also have the first female County Executive. Joanie Mahoney, a stay-at-home mother for the past 10 years and former prosecutor, appears to be winning against Bill Magnarelli, a state assemblyman. I'll post the results.

Next year the Presidential election! At this point it looks as if the winner will be someone from New York. But a year is a very long time!

It's Gone!

I just walked into the office for an appointment and looked up as I have been doing all this year at the Old Stone Mill. The little top - what was it used for? - on the roof that was probably some sort of ventilation/cupola is gone.


The Old Stone Mill which to me was the center of Skaneateles is being renovated. It will eventually be condos and some kind of retail, I think. I've always thought it would make a good village center for boutiques and candy stores and a coffee house, a small restaurant looking out over the lake. It will certainly be beautiful, I am sure, in its new incarnation.


I remember trying to entice a friend years ago to create a coffee and book shop in it. He disagreed, saying it would never go, that it needed to be on Genesee Street. Ah well! (Creekside Coffee and Books down Fennell Street has proved him wrong - but then I broached my idea 15 years ago.)


Back to the Old Stone Mill: For years it housed Under the Stone, the place where we went as young adults to drink and eat and talk. The restaurant above closed on New Year's Eve, 2001, I believe, never to open again. I showed the building in the fall of 2002, and there were the place settings, the ketchup still on the tables, the still-decorated Christmas trees drying in the hallways. I felt it was like the Titanic and the people had just disappeared.

But it will reopen with a new roof that it badly needed, much, much scraping and cleaning, a whole new interior and additional exterior, with just the outer stones remaining to remind the world that it once proudly served Skaneateles as an old stone mill.

November

November is the time of harvest and Thanksgiving for that harvest. From time to time this month I want to share some things that make me grateful.

My first Thanksgiving message is for my clients, the people who have helped me build my business and without whom I would be lost. Not only do they bring me business, but they trust me to see it through. I have entire families for whom I am grateful, people who count me as their only Realtor. They give me their in-laws and cousins, friends and acquaintances.

But it's not just all business for which I am blessed with these clients. They treat me wonderfully! They never ever - and I may be the only Realtor out there who can say this - impinge on my time. They are courteous and kind, offering to help me out whenever they can. "When would be good for you?" they ask. It's like that Verizon commercial, with "The Network" standing behind the client, ready to be there at a moment's notice. I feel that from my clients, strangely enough.

Over the past six years I've seen many marriages, many children born, a few deaths and much heartache. It touches me that people bring me into their lives and even if it's only for a few short months while we buy and sell, there's a connection made. It is civilization at its finest.

I look forward to staying in this field for many more years and watching an entire generation grow up. I am truly blessed to have found this career, and I am most especially blessed to have my clients.


Note: Yesterday's blog about Halloween needs correcting. The haunted home with the children's toys was in Lyons, New York, not Seneca Falls as I mistakenly thought.

Halloween

The morning paper reminded me that we don't need "Lonely Joe," the fictional character because Elbridge has its own ghost at the old Wayside Inn at the four corners (South, North and Main Streets). Very well-known, this ghost has been seen many times in the past - a lonely girl haunting the third story...But now there is also the tale of the playful ghost, recently christened "Harry" by the new owners. He has tapped them on the shoulder, run around upstairs, and misplaced things. Being local people - Conroys and Spains - they certainly knew about the ghosts when they bought the building.

Not always so! When I was first taking classes we heard about a house out towards Buffalo which was purchased by a family. The resident ghost was not disclosed. Soon after closing and moving in, the family moved out and sued. The result was the return of their money, amazingly enough, by the courts.

Then there's the haunted house in Seneca Falls, I believe. The manager of Gallinger told us at a staff meeting one day about the house, and how difficult it was to show it. Although totally vacant, children's toys appeared and disappeared as clients toured. Imagine a Victorian home and after you've seen the absolutely empty front bedroom returning to find a red ball in the corner!

Fascinating all this talk! There's more out there than we know - For more stories try http://blog.syracuse.com/strangecny posted by Frederic Pierce of the Post Standard in Syracuse.

And be careful out there....

Saratoga

I drove out to Saratoga yesterday, just for the day, to visit a friend. I love the fact that Saratoga exists within three hours of Skaneateles. It's a similar town, somehow - wealthy, expanding rapidly, filled with history (think Edna Ferber's Saratoga Trunk) and truly lovely. Of course the track and Skidmore make it different, just as the lake qualifies Skaneateles.

But you can walk, and we did with my little dog, Koko. My friend took me down streets I should have known from having lived there between 1983 and 1990, but I didn't. Instead of older homes and storefronts in disrepair, there were huge (for Saratoga) buildings of apartments. "Condos," she said. "Selling for over $800,000, I heard."

"Why? Even in Skaneateles with lakefront views and 1800 square feet and granite getting 800K was a stretch."

"Stockbrokers. People from The City. They work at home a lot - computers - and go down a couple times a week by the train from Rensselaer - only a couple hours commute. Ah," she sighed, "young people."

What a deal, I thought! A great little city, virtually no crime, "good" prices compared to The City, easy access to Montreal, the Adirondacks, and yes, my Finger Lakes. A steal!

"But," she went on, "look around. You see no young mothers with their babies. It's too expensive to live here now for young couples. The houses are too high."

And as we walked I noticed she was right. On such a beautiful fall day in Skaneateles every other person would have a young child in tow, whether they were parents or grandparents. In Saratoga there were students, and street people even, but not the plethora of strollers.

An unscientific study at best - but telling, I think, even so.

"Stay Off the Tracks!"

The past couple weeks as I've been coming home I've run into signs for "Lonely Joe Film Production." For a few days they were on Route 5 in Elbridge, filming at a lovely old farmhouse. I remember thinking it was a great location - the quintessential farmhouse, white and gabled, set back from the road, good porch, some pretty gingerbread trim.

I wondered vaguely if these were the same local people who had filmed in Port Byron a couple years ago, creating a soft horror film which premiered at the high school.

But when I turned the corner on my road and was stopped by the crew set up in the orchard, this took a new turn. Filming on my road! Wow!

As the day went on - an absolutely gorgeous October's bright blue weather day - I watched them do make-up on the side lawn, set up lights and eat the catered food. A police car appeared in the driveway, clearly there for the filming.

I called my friendly Post Standard reporter, Matt Michael, and he informed me that it was local people and NYC people, not the same ones as the Port Byron film. Lonely Joe would be their first film.

The second day of filming it rained and rained. Hope they needed a rainy day....

The owner of the orchard told me later the crew drank 20 gallons of his cider and pronounced it the "best they'd ever tasted!" He also said they left things behind - a director's chair, lights and electrical equipment, even a laptop. But he had enjoyed his moment in the sun!

You can read more about the premise for Lonely Joe and the production on their website: http://www.knowlonelyjoe.com.

How We Have Grown!

Rumor has it that a new clothing store has opened in the village, down the street on Jordan, about half a block from our office. Change.

I remember when Cooney's and MacLaughlin's were the only clothing stores in the village - or at least how I remember them. MacLaughlin's just closed and is now an artisan co-op. Cooney's - dear, dear Cooney's - left quite a few years ago. I have kept the last sweater (a celery green cotton turtleneck) I bought there just because it came from there.

Cate and Sally came to the village by way of Cazenovia and have found a great home on Genesee Street with a view of the lake out the back window, the way Cooney's was positioned, too. Bella Blue took their old store in the Sherwood House next to the Inn, but experienced "too far out" blues. Robin, the young owner of Bella Blue, is now in the new building on the opposite side of Doug's. I bought the most luscious autumn sweater there the other day!

And there's the Country Ewe, upstairs from Danny White's antiques and taking his old storefront. I miss his white little dog who used to lounge on an assortment of sofas in the window and terrorize my two old dogs by pretending to be stuffed, then popping up and barking at them.

So much lovely village history here - I wonder how much that will change as we move out of the center?

Syracuse is Selling!

Time to make a note about our market here.

Today in the Post Standard there was an article on the real estate page about how Syracuse is still doing well despite the national housing crisis. To quote Jeff Roney, President of our local board, by way of Tim Knauss, the average length of time a home is on the market in the Syracuse area is 54 days. Our percentage of decrease of sales is just 1%! That's across the board, from the city multi-families to the high end homes.

My own perspective bears that out. My homes sell within that period, well within, except for commercial properties. They sit longer, much longer, as do the waterfront properties. And mine are fairly representative of the market as a whole.

The investors come looking for bargains, especially in the city. My multi-family in Strathmore had seven - count them! - seven showings in a two day period and yes, we have an offer now. Contrast that to the outside of the city multi-families and they get only looks, not active pursuit. I spoke with an agent this week who had priced a suburban three-family home well under its worth and still it took two months and low offers to get it sold.

And why wouldn't the investors come? I sent out 110 listings of multi-families to an investor and that was only a third of the city's listings. Destiny, a reconfigured Carousel Mall, is actually being built and the workers will need at least temporary housing until our big boom comes. Prices are right - all the listings were under 200K.

But we are doing well, here, overall. The rates are still down - 6.25% and with at least one builder a 5.95% incentive - and this is the time to buy in Syracuse.

Westcott Cinema

Growing up on the east side of Syracuse my neighborhood was dominated by the shopping district known as Westcott Street. The grocery store (A&P) was there, also a 5 and dime, a pharmacy, and the Westcott Cinema.

On Saturdays at 1:00 there was always a monster movie matinee. I would walk the few blocks over to the alley by the A&P parking lot and cut through to Westcott, emerging just by the theater. I'd be with or find the neighborhood kids - Russ Steenberg, Linda Baker, Priscilla Seimer - and we'd stand in line until it was time to go in. The owner took our quarters, we bought popcorn, and Fifi, the owner's wife, with the diamond glasses and very mature figure would yell at us for putting our feet on the backs of the seats ahead of us. We saw The Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Fly many times there.

In junior high I'd come with my parents to see movies on Saturday nights. Double features usually. I remember coming in at the end of "Night of the Iguana" with Ava Gardner, Sue Lyon and Richard Burton and being riveted by the last few minutes of the movie. My best friend, Annie, closed her eyes. The film wasn't approved by the Church. But the "Unsinkable Molly Brown" was and that was what we'd come to see.

I saw "Gone With the Wind" with my mother and Beverly, a friend who chided me for crying during the opening credits but I had read the book and was SO excited to be finally seeing the movie I broke down in tears.

Later I saw "A Man and a Woman" on a date and spent years afterward playing and replaying the score, learning rudimentary Portuguese so I could sing the words.

I was away for a long time, and when I returned to the area Westcott had become "The Westcott Nation," with head shops and bookstores and more recently wonderful restaurants. As always the theater remained, although Fifi was gone. It had become an art cinema, playing the sort of movies that weren't shown in the malls. I remember David Mamet films, in particular. Thought-provoking films.

It was always a good night, especially in summer. Dinner at Munjed's, then the show at 8:00, sticking to the floor in the restroom upstairs, but enjoying the peace of a not jam-packed theater. Walking back to the car on the side streets I used to roam as a kid, though not through the alley any more.

The Westcott Cinema closed today.

Trump

I just finished watching a CNBC show with "The Donald." He spoke and answered questions for an hour about how he became a success and some key insights.

One of them was not losing focus. He said he felt early on in his career that he had reached success very easily and could do no wrong, so he stopped working at it. Soon he was no longer the incredible entrepreneur, but he regained his focus, and went on to where he is today.

I am afraid I lost my focus, at least with blogging. It made good sense to start, I sincerely enjoyed it, but like a diet, after a time I let it slip. Trump has brought me back.

So now to tie the show and the blog into Skaneateles real estate - focus! - I was fascinated by what Trump said about selling real estate. He spoke about two different developers with different philosophies: one preferred to price high and sell slowly while another priced lower for quicker sales. Both were successful in the same market.

I have recently had opportunities to list properties in the Skaneateles market. I realize that my "price it right and they will come" philosophy works well. If I don't get the listing because of the price, I don't really take it to heart. I know that I would be frustrated ("It should have sold already!") and my seller would feel the same way by extension. It becomes a meeting of the minds: the philosophy of the seller must match the agent's philosophy.

And why price it right? Why not "try it high, because you can always go down..." I hate waiting, I have no patience, I want to see the end in sight and make the buyer and the seller feel like they got a good deal - no one has "sold out." I want open houses filled with people, showings every day. I love making people happy.

I must add this post script. I've never been one for awards - I never attended a single awards banquet with Gallinger, and when I was with them I earned many awards. But recently I received notice that I am the #2 RE/MAX agent in the entire region for gross commissions in the first six months. I am having my best year ever, my clients are happy, and I feel as if my philosophy is, quite literally, paying off.

Sights and Sounds

I was awakened this morning by brilliant sunshine flooding in through the windows at the lake. No sound of anyone swimming, which usually gets the dogs riled up, so we slept in until well past 8:00.

Coming back home, I passed a man in a cart pulled by a matched pair of gray horses, his heavyset, light goldie leaning out the side by his feet. Down a country road, not a care in the world!

The Village is more deserted these days, easier to find parking, but still bustling compared to other places. People take their time, walk on the sunny side of the street, browse in the shops. I sat in the park with a friend last week - the first time I've done that since May!

The hills are just beginning to change color - very light dustings of reds and oranges, despite chilly nights. We have been blessed with enough water to keep the leaves green a bit longer than usual.

Other sounds: geese in the evening, landing on the lake. The sounds of paddles sliding through still waters. Cheering for the Doubledays who won the championship in Brooklyn on Friday; shaking heads over SU football makes no sound. People packing up to leave for their winter homes, cars starting, good-byes being said.

Early fall/late summer in central New York.....

Time Out

I warned early on that at some point Life would interfere with real estate and I would want the option of writing about something else. This is such a moment.

Last night we put on our warm clothes and headed to the ballpark. The Doubledays were playing for the championship of the New York-Penn League at Falcon Park in Auburn and it promised to be a great game. It was also the last home game - the championship is a 2/3 series and the next two games (if necessary) would be in New York at the Brooklyn Cyclones home field.

It was an amazing night: packed stands, packed parking, raucous die-hard fans. All the box seats had been sold. We missed the National Anthem but still got seats five rows up on the first base line. Not a bad seat in the house!

And it was a great game! The Doubledays were behind from the start, and looked like they would never catch up - their pitcher crumbled early, and only great defense kept the score at 1-0. Then the rally started in the 6th - men on base, stolen bases, a home run, missed balls at the plate, a diving catch by the 2nd baseman. Wow! The Doubledays won, 8 to 1, and are going to Brooklyn tonight. No TV - 99.3 FM.

The joy of winning! Almost 2,500 fans who stayed until the end, screaming the players' names, pounding their feet, smiling!

And here's the reason for the time out - the juxtaposition of the Doubledays' victory to the disaster that is currently Syracuse University football, which may be aptly demonstrated tomorrow at the Carrier Dome. "Here We Go Again," read the headline after the first loss.

I grew up with SU football, I played pretend cheerleader on Thornden Park's big hill, listening to the sounds from the old stadium, I went to games featuring Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, Floyd Little and yes, Ernie Davis.

Next year "The Express" will premier, a film about Ernie Davis. What will football be like? Will SU be a "Pluto" or once again a powerhouse?

I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed winning. Maybe not the actual winning (well, yes, but...) the desire, the striving, the "we're all in this together...."

It doesn't have to be HUGE as the Doubledays showed. Just fun.

Courtside

The Situation: My client listed her house through me and we received an offer from the client of another agent. With the offer was a pre-approval letter from a mortgage company - a MUST in this business. Everyone was thrilled.

The Initial Problem: When it came time for the commitment, the mortgage company said she was not eligible, not for any changes, just that they were not approving her.

The Initial Solution: As the listing agent, I was furious with the company. This had happened only once before in my career, and then I knew (afterwards) that the client had lied (not a good thing) on the application. I called the manager of another branch of the company to complain and he took on the problem, personally paying for a new appraisal because his company had promised that she could get a mortgage. The mortgage agent took another position in a local bank.

The Wait: All this took time, but we all stayed with the buyer, and she spoke with tenants and told them how great it would be when she was the landlord.

The Closing: Sort of. Two days before closing the insurance company she had chosen declined to insure the property, saying that it did not meet their standards. She refused to close, and asked for her $1,000 deposit to be returned.

The Solution: Small claims court. A year later, after the claim was brought by the buyer, her case was heard. The house had sold for less than her offer, the seller had to pay taxes and insurance for another three months, and the contract specifically stated that if the buyer did not follow through then the deposit would revert to the seller. The judge felt that splitting the deposit, as the seller had offered initially, was the best solution.

The Lessons: 1 - A contract to purchase a property is just that - a contract.
2 - Nothing is sold until the deed is recorded.
3 - Small claims court does settle disputes, and provides a sense of "being heard."

Labor Day

Sunday afternoon of Labor Day weekend. I'm in the office with the door open, of course, writing at my desk which is about 10 feet from the sunshine. I had an open house on Carlton's Cliff and spent the early afternoon sitting in the sun under brilliant blue skies.

"It's over," some people say. "Labor Day. Take in the docks, shrink-wrap the boats, go home to the real world and work for another nine months."

You wouldn't know it by this village. The streets are alive with people, some here for the end of the Skaneateles Festival last night at Brook Farm, some for the amusments at the park, others for the shopping and eating at Rosalie's or Mirbeau or The Glen Haven down the lake.

I printed out 15 booklets at 11:00 AM of property listings by the seven of us in this office - all gone when I returned, so I printed another 20 to carry through the evening. People stop and tap the window, comment on prices and shake their heads, or are pleasantly surprised. The Post Standard says the mortgage crunch passed Syracuse and the area. Certainly Skaneateles - the overall price of homes climbed 12% in the past year. And still there are the 20-some homes over one million to be sold and closed.

It doesn't matter. The day is waning but not the summer fun. I smell Doug's Fish Fry wafting through the door - they don't close until January! A client turned recent resident stuck his head in the door earlier, delighted to be going to the firemen's exhibition on the lake, walking from his new home. It doesn't get much better than this!

Another Camp

Night and day, from yesterday's tiny cottage. But this one beats everything else for character, says the owner, and I agree.


South end of Skaneateles Lake. It's noon, and the steamship from the village is slowly progressing down the lake to Glen Haven with a cargo of merry-makers from New York City. They took the train up for a weekend in the Finger Lakes. Tonight they'll dance and feast at the hotel, then climb aboard the steamship and make their way home again.

The ladies wear crinolin, the gentlemen wear boaters. They pull up at the Shady Beach Marina to disembark. Some go off to the little store on the corner, others wind their way to the hotel. Some look back up the lake and there, on the western shore, is a house going up.

Three stories high, built into the hillside, it rises from the stony beach. Inside the hardwoods are lovingly laid, the stone fireplace being built to warm the seasonal home on the cold nights of summer. Seven bedrooms for sleeping or dallying, all with windows toward the lake. The center is open so that from the hallway above the fireplace and massive dining room table can be seen, shouts can be exchanged. Oil lamps swing out from the walls in the long evenings, casting shadows on the heavy furniture.

The revelers leave tired and late and as the steamship chugs past they see the new Camp - hardly a cottage - rising up from the mist on the lake. Someday, they think, someday I will have a place like that.....

Camp

I was looking for inexpensive camps with a client a couple weeks ago and ran across a very sweet little place on Cross Lake. It was too tiny for my client, who wanted to live in it year-round and had visiting grandchildren, but we both admired it.

The entrance was off a small wrap-around deck into the one room that serves as kitchen, living room and main bedroom. The cabinets were old - the white metal kind I had in my camp prior to renovation. In fact, this camp was built about the same time, late 1940s.

The living/family/bedroom was dominated by a huge stone fireplace which would heat the place easily - maybe too easily! Hardwood floors, beamed ceiling, and a dear bathroom with circular shower in the rear completed the "main" house. The owners had added a carved orange sofa facing the fireplace - all the comforts of home!

The front porch added another "room." Currently it has a king size bed and a small table set for two overlooking the deck and the lake.

My description doesn't do it justice, I'm afraid. It's only 550 or so square feet - but every inch is filled with memories and the promise of hot days and warm nights on the lake. And the price? $54,900 - a steal!

Fall is in the Air!

It's chilly outside, relatively so. We've had a wonderful summer, filled with warm days and nights, an occasional storm or two, rainbows and gorgeous sunsets. Homes have been flying despite the dire warnings. Rates are still low, people are still looking, and life is generally Good.

Last night we had the first fire of the season at camp. The smell of burning wood was intoxicating. We needed it for warmth, not just ambiance. And the insulation placed in there when we renovated seems to work quite well - "warm as toast," came to mind.

I say "camp," but it's really a lakehouse or beachhouse. Wide open with the beams showing high above. There are no cross beams for support - the roof was engineered to not need them, and with the newly painted walls the effect is quite stunning.

I've seen two other camps - real camps - which make our lakehouse not a camp in the true Finger Lakes sense of the word. Two more blogs for the future.

But for now this will stand as another beginning. I've been embarrassed - friends have told me they read my blog but it's been a month since I've written. I apologize! The days have been long and blogging is so personal, so much fun, that I feel as if it's too selfish to do when there's either real estate to be managed or houses and people who require my attention.

But the reflection is necessary....and having this space to do it is wonderful!

My Father's Birthday

Today is the 100th anniversary of my father's birth. I had wanted to have a party, but a neighbor out at the lake who just turned 95 had a party on Sunday and it seemed anti-climactic.

My father died in 1979, a few months after the birth of my son. He held him in his arms as he knew he was dying and said "The joys of heaven."

I've been wondering what this area was like 100 years ago. What did he come into? He was born in Auburn which was a much different thriving metropolis then. His parents were considered wealthy and had a cottage on Owasco Lake where he spent the summers.

I looked up the year in Wikipedia, expecting to see some kind of discussion to enlighten me. Instead I found an extraordinary list of people who were born that year: Ray Milland (who always reminded me of my father), John Wayne (who died in '79 also), Barbara Stanwyck, Laurence Olivier, Daphne Du Maurier, Frida Kahlo, Gene Autry, Robert Young, Burgess Meredith, Rachel Carson, Buster Crabbe, Pinky Lee, Fay Wray and my favorite, Kate Hepburn, who outlived them all.

So today I honor my father and thank him heartily for giving me the lake. And if you read this from up there, yes, Dada, we do know that you were born in 1907 not 1909 as you told my mother when you courted her. She kept your secret.

Slowing Down

I have not been blogging because there simply hasn't been time to do anything except real estate. The markets are different elsewhere, I know that, but here...!

Skaneateles is a boomtown, with so much to offer to so many investors and just plain people. The village homes that have come on are for the most part in excellent shape. The lakefront homes are magnificent, especially the higher end (in the millions) . The mid-range town and lake homes offer excellent opportunities to people who want to get into the market and make their own mark.

But so many homes, so little time! I am looking forward to showing investors coming in later this monthy f0r the Antique Boat Show a strong selection of properties, not just the three or four that typically come on in the summer months. This year there are well over thirty, ranging in price from $250,000 to several million. Land is available too, which is vastly different from other years. There are four multi-acre parcels down to waterfront on the west side, each promising a different aspect of the lake.

But it's slowing down, at least the frenetic pace I've been on. I look forward this evening to mowing my own acreage, eating at a reasonable hour, and knowing that all my people with whom I've worked so hard to find homes are mostly all situated.

Summertime!

The solstice has come and gone - summer is here!

We had the door wide open in the office today despite the 63 degree temperature. People wandered in and out; as Realtors, we are expected to know what is happening in the village. Our office is on a side street, but next to Doug's Fish Fry which has lines down the street and past the office every Friday night. Personally, I prefer his salmon, available only Tuesday through Thursday.

There are odd requests, sometimes. After the usual - "Where can we eat?" to "Is there a public restroom?" and the always present "Are there lakefront rentals?" we have encountered less easily answered questions. Last evening a woman looked for pet care for her two 13-year-old chihuahuas. I knew someone and hopefully helped her a bit. Today a woman wanted a garden center, which actually Skaneateles proper doesn't have, but neighboring towns do. She had come from Rochester for her one day of vacation and was headed home.

The streets were filled today despite the breezy, cool weather. The office is on a corner, so we watch merging traffic and listen to sirens when the fire department is called. The fire department will move up to West Lake Road (Kane Avenue) and Route 20 (West Genesee Street) soon, but I've heard the siren will remain in the center of the village. Our corner, however, will not be treated to the sight of fire engines screaming through gridlocked traffic much longer.

I took a break and went to a clothing store to buy a pair of pants I'd admired earlier in the week. The talk was about all the homes for sale, a seemingly inordinate amount. There are more signs than usual, but I also remember as a child being driven along East Lake Road and marveling at the for sale signs.

I'm doing my part to dismiss them. Two listings sold this week and two buyers buying. And the weekend promises more good news.

The Art of the Deal

My husband, having listened to my recounting of yesterday's blog, reminded me that when I started real estate he had found me reading The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump. He thought this was strange, that Realtors wouldn't generally have that much to do with a sale: people listed houses, people bought houses. The Realtor was the facilitator of the transaction, and that was all.

He has learned differently. Last night an agent and I put together a deal, and we both acknowledged that we were instrumental in the actual sale. It wasn't what we did, but how we brought the parties together so they could come to their own terms. No one lied, no one used coercion, no one exasperated anyone. We simply couched the offer and counter-offer in a manner that brought everyone to a common understanding. The owner sold, the buyer bought.

We did this, I believe, by listening carefully to our respective clients. We found a way for them to explain their positions and move through their objections. We knew their goals - not necessarily monetary - and helped them to reach it.

All this sounds a bit high-falutin' and self-congratulatory - but it's rare that the issues are so clear and the path so certain on both sides. We're not done yet - there's still a home inspection, radon test, financing, and other trials to ride out and work through. But I'm pleased that we could help this happen for everyone.

To Buy or Not to Buy, That is the Question

I have clients who are looking for the perfect home for their young family. The specifics aren't important, the fact that after months and months of searches they have come close but were never able to finalize a deal. The over-riding factor in all cases was money. What they wanted existed, but not without an added $35,000 from the place they wanted to be - either for cosmetics or to be competitive with another offer.

So here we are. Their year's lease on a house is up and they must move out. They have found another home they like, but again it needs that 35K adjustment.

I did the math. If they rent for another year, they will certainly pay more than last year for comparable housing: approximately $12,000. That money goes away, right into the pocket of their landlord. They build no equity, and yet again they must search for a home.

In a rental, they must take what they get for mechanicals: electric hot water heater, perhaps, less efficient furnace, poorer grade insulation.....the bills may (or may not) mount. They have no real power to change them.

The tax benefits are nil. Interest and real estate taxes come off gross income - if they bought a house in their price range this could be about a $25,000 adjustment.

But beyond the money, their children are growing. The neighborhood children they play with this year will not be the ones they play with the next, or the year after that. In their quest for the perfect formula, their family is put on hold. The question is.....what is the real price of waiting?

Granny Flats

Years ago I applauded the concept: put up temporary housing on your property for "Granny" so she can have some independence but still be close by. Use hook-ups to sewer and water lines and she can stay until it's time to move on, then the "flat" permit expires too.

Our Granny flat turned out to be an in-law apartment for my mother. Totally handicapped accessible, she had a large sitting room, bathroom (the shower alone was 6 ft by 8 ft) and bedroom. She had access to the deck and we could keep an eye on her, but she was as independent as she could be.


Now the concept has a new twist, in part thanks to Katrina. The June 16, 2007 issue of the New York Times [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/14/garden/14park.html] lauds the park model in the article entitled "A Resort Cottage to Go." It is truly a little house on wheels, but not the trailer we know or the larger mobile home. Think cute little beach house, or Adirondack rustic motel, or English cottage. These are priced within reach - $20,000 to $80,000 - and are not taxed as homes, but as vehicles.


As a Boomer, I can see it now - the hillsides dotted with these miniature homes, the owners once again sharing a communal life as they might have during the 60s. Mobile, but stylish. Let the children pay for the 3600 sf house with huge utility bills and taxes. Granny's on the go!

The Paper Crunch

I'm embarrassed to see that it's been so long since I wrote. A sign of the times, I'm afraid!

I am sitting in the office (it's 7:20 pm), having spent the day writing an offer, presenting it, and now waiting for the response. I wish they were all this easily decided and written.

I also worked on paperwork, making sure that everything is as up to date as possible before new listings come on hopefully later this week. There is so much paperwork - forms upon forms, most resulting from some litigation. The latest is a "Theft" form - new buyers state whether they will occupy the property as their primary residences. If not, then the seller needs to be aware of this so as not to be coerced into the contract to ward off foreclosure.

Some are important, not to say this one isn't. Property disclosures require the seller to sign his name to the condition of the house. I had a friend who bought a house years ago and was never told there had been a fire in it - a huge fire! The agent (who always worked for the seller then)was cautioned to say nothing, the inspector didn't catch it, and it wasn't until the welcoming party when he was told "Nice job they did on the house since the fire!" We now have disclosure laws, and agents MUST disclose all material defects. (In court my friend ultimately lost - he should have contacted the local fire department, he was told by the last judge who heard the case.)

So I do paperwork, on a warm night in a beautiful village with the door open wide. There are worse things to do, worse places to be.

A True Story

My clients bought a camp on the lake last fall. They rebuilt it and moved in this spring. For several reasons they decided to establish a land line phone. However, when they called the phone company they were told they would not be allowed to do so.

After much discussion, the answer emerged: there was already phone service established to the residence. This was difficult to believe - the outhouse had left over two years ago, the cottage itself carted away. But still the phone company insisted that the bills were all paid in full and had been for years.

Further investigation: the owner of this well-paid phone service hadn't lived there for years; in fact, he had been in a nursing home for over a decade. Still the company insisted it wasn't their problem - the bills were paid, the service delivered. To where? To the address on the lake, of course.

As it stands now, the new owners can't have a phone until the other is terminated.

While I worked our phones to try to clear this up, a woman came into the office and we told her this rather fantastic story. She believed it totally - she was currently embroiled in a similar situation with her new home! The previous owners left eight months ago and never rescinded their service.

It will all be worked out, with the questions anwered tomorrow, I hope, but in the meantime - when you leave your home, stop the phone please!

How to Choose an Agent

Recently a friend who lives across the state called to ask how she should choose an agent. She knew two women, one who had worked for her in another field and a second who came highly recommended.

She had invited both of them in to see the house and give an estimate on price and explain their marketing.

The acquaintance came in about $50,000 in price over the other Realtor, and my friend was puzzled. While she wanted to believe in the higher estimate, she was leary of it. The second woman explained her pricing: "I would love to tell you that the house was worth more, but the comparables just don't support it. I want to sell your house, not just list it.

The acquaintance suggested that they could "start at the higher price, and if nothing happened they could always reduce it. It was taking 6 to 9 months in the area for a house to sell anyway."

While pricing is one indication of which Realtor to choose, it speaks volumes about motivation. The first woman wanted to please her clients, the second one wanted to get the job done, and therefore please the clients.

A while back in Skaneateles I went up against every broker in town, it seemed, for a comparably priced house. I came in low, actually the lowest. The owner chose me to list his house because he had read somewhere that the agent who prices the home the lowest (reasonably) actually wants to sell it. This was exactly what played out here with my friend.

Unfortunately, the "buying" of a listing happens very frequently. Just to have a house listed, especially in a higher price range, is perceived as a good thing for a Realtor's career and prestige. The owners want to believe the inflated price and the Realtor is complicit in this desire. The result is usually that the house sits and sits, then sells for less than it would have if priced according to the market.

My friend's home is listed now - I'll add a footnote when it sells.

Overheard

One of my clients today told me that he had heard from a colleague that the Syracuse area was listed by Forbes magazine as one of the hottest in the country, and the one most likely to show exceptional profit for investors over the next five years.

I went to Forbes and couldn't find the reference, but I did find what they listed as hot markets. Reading through them I saw growth in the neighborhood of 6% to 7%.

So I checked the Syracuse area. Skaneateles' average price of a home in the past 12 months is $476,000. Last year at this time it was $437,000. More homes were sold last year than this - 40 vs. only 30.

By comparison the city homes are hovering around the $100,000 mark. Or less, much less, in certain areas. Dayton, Ohio, considered a hot market, has homes averaging in the mid-70s.

But we are talking about growth and profit for investors. As I look at my waterfront clients and realize what they bought their homes for within the last five years there is a great deal of profit to be made. And always, always, we said at the time - "I can't believe it sold for that much!" Yet with an eye to the future my clients have been proven right.

Transformation

Real estate can be a transforming experience. Today was one of those days that demonstrated this principle.

It is often heard in the business that one of the five most stressful events in a person's life is buying or selling a home. This, of course, comes about usually because of one of the other four stressors - marriage/divorce, death, relocation, family expansion/change.

My first appointment was with a man who, at the age of 50, decided to re-envision his life and create, in this case, homes. He put away his identity as an owner of leased property and is in the process of reinventing himself. The process feels right to him and I am there to help.

Another couple is spinning the wheel of fortune, selling off properties and letting that determine their lifestyle. Chance - fate - easier by far than trying to work out what is best in the unknowable future.

The last family is saying good-bye to an old way of life and embracing Skaneateles. They will arrive with open arms, eager to set aside the past and plunge into the future. The unknown...but what a lovely place to do it in!

In each case real estate is key. Will home-building transform his life, will the couple be content with what fate brings, will the family be happy a year from now? How wonderful to be part of these processes!

Busy

This past Memorial Day weekend was the busiest time I think I have ever had. I started out at 8:00 (or before!) every day and returned home every night late (10:30 once). And every minute was dedicated to real estate.

What brought this on? The market is hot now in the Finger Lakes. I'm not alone. Every agent I spoke with seemed highly incredulous, and several mentioned that they were extremely busy without my saying anything myself.

Over the weekend I had one multiple offer, several showings - some were return visits to homes - and two listing appointments. I wrote one offer that was accepted, another that lost in the multiple offer, and I am expecting a third offer to come as a result of the weekend, if not a fourth, this week.

People literally walked in off the street, which happens a great deal in Skaneateles. We have such a lovely town that when people visit they want to know if it's possible to live here. Some complain about the high prices ("$600,000 for that small place?"), some are unused to New York State taxes, but it seems as if all are curious. We ran out of free brochures by Saturday night.

So when the nation is having a slowdown in real estate, we are not. Our lake prices compared to the rest of the country are very good, our homes in this unique village are not outrageously priced.

Our Realtors, however, are tired!

Waterfront Pricing

Sixty years ago waterfront on Skaneateles Lake was sold for $5.00 a foot. Farmers sold it off because they really didn't want it. It served no purpose for their cattle or crops. If anything, it was a detriment for their land values.

Some of the value for the various properties is, of course, dependent on what is built on the lots. A huge home, newly built by one of the local builders, David Lee, or designed by an architect, Andy Ramsgard or Bob Eggleston or Steve Busa, can easily reach into the millions, almost (but not quite) regardless of the shoreline. Smaller "camps," as we call them here in the Finger Lakes, take their value from the waterfront but more importantly their footprint.

The towns have begun to limit structures, so the concept of footprint becomes essential. In Skaneateles, you may use the existing structure but not exceed its imprint. There is also a limit on non-permeable surfaces - no more than 10% of the ground may be covered. This means an acre lot at 42,000 sf may only be covered by 4,200 sf. While it sounds like a lot, decrease the lot size to half an acre and remember that driveways and paths are non-permeable and the house will shrink, too.

So waterfront pricing is a formula: land plus structure (real and potential) plus length of shoreline = price. Simple, really. No.

The price of all waterfront (and all homes, but especially waterfront) is what the seller will let it go for. My camp? Priceless!

Trees in Manhattan

The trees make the City (capital C). The leaves had just come out at home when I went down and therefore were still a novelty to me. And since it's always windy I noticed them even more.

Beautiful trees. Fully developed, mature trees. Growing where they had no right to grow, through the pavement and the iron grills.

So here we are in the country and developers go through and knock down the trees for economic reasons. Some require their new buyers to plant a tree or purchase a landscaping package, to replace the trees they've taken down. Then the listings show the "to be built" home surrounded by lovely trees, when in reality it won't look like that for years and years.

We need to learn from Manhattan. Much is forgiven when there's a tree nearby.

Manhattan

Usually I have an idea floating around that sweeps me up around blogging time. Not today. I've been swept up though by a mini-vacation to "The City That Never Sleeps."

I visited my son who lives in Manhattan over a long weekend. Ostensibly I was there to help a friend who was starting a line of greeting cards and exhibiting at the stationery show in the Javits Center. While I helped her - see www.annasoltyk.com - I got to see my Alex who also works for a greeting card company, Patience Brewster Cards (www.patiencebrewster.com.)

There's a Skaneateles connection here: we all worked, lived, owned property, or went to school there and now this diverse crew found itself in the Javits Center. Small world, yes, but that's what New York is all about somehow.

When I lived in Seattle I'd go down to the market on Saturdays and always, always, run into someone I knew. When I returned to the Finger Lakes where I grew up I would go weeks without seeing someone from the old days. I couldn't understand this.

But after a few days in Manhattan I might have a clue. I think it's about being out there. We walked and walked - East Village, West Village, Union Square, west side, upper East side, walking and talking and eating out. I moved constantly, and with that movement there was the chance of meeting people.

I flew home and went to work today, driving to the village, parking and walking the two blocks from a free lot to the office. I saw a few houses on brokers' open, talked to some Realtors, but the opportunity to meet and greet hundreds, thousands of people as I had on the train or on the streets wasn't there. And that's okay - certainly less exhausting - but different.

To be continued.....

Client Base

Early on I learned that having a solid base of clients was preferential to making cold calls. Who wants to call strangers and ask if they want to list their home? I've done it, but it makes me uncomfortable. If salespeople call me, I politely decline and hang up on them. I have to admit no one hung up on me, amazingly, and I did get some listings. Still, never having to call is better.

I met a young couple and their premature baby when they first came to Skaneateles, looking for a home or a rental. They were squeezed into a small apartment while they looked, the baby only a few weeks old and cared for by the mother, grandmother, and a teen-age foster child.

We worked together to find a home, finally building one in Camillus in a new development. They moved into it in the fall, earlier than they had expected. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

Through the process we became friends. I became protective of the young mother and we spent extra time together. She wasn't from here, and the challenge of her baby and the new life away from family and friends was difficult. On Christmas they would come calling on us, and in the summer join us for our July 3rd (more on this later) celebration.

I wasn't surprised when they announced in 2005 they were planning to move south, back home. I helped them sell their home and sent them on their way, but we stayed in touch.

On Monday they surprised me with a visit. I saw the baby, now a very active 4 year old, climb up the steps to the office. I was speechless with pleasure.

Last night they came over to the house for dinner and a walk on our property. The little boy ran and yelled, picked flowers and let our dogs lick his face while he giggled. He had had open heart surgery since we last saw him and the change was dramatic.

Client base? I wouldn't call it that. For some people it is a business transaction with boundaries. Others have become my extended family, and for that I am most grateful.

Coming Home

I heard an interesting fact today. Cayuga County has 48 of the 50 states represented in the summer on the lake.

Skaneateles Lake is divided principally by two counties: Onondaga (think Syracuse) and Cayuga (Auburn). The northern end is in Onondaga and the southwestern part is in Cayuga. Several towns have lake frontage: Skaneateles (village and town), Spafford, and Niles are the largest. The Skaneateles School District runs about 13 miles down the east side and 11 miles on the west, right into Cayuga County.

So the people who live in Niles represent the states, and I would also wonder about different countries. I know of a family (having sold the house) who come from Uganda every year to spend a month on the lake. They come as the others do, I am sure, for family and tradition.

I spent the afternoon with people who live now in Tennessee. They have retired there, if owning a cattle ranch is actually retirement. They come for the children who remain here and just because. Because it is summer on the lake, because the hummingbirds expect their red flowers, because if you look out from their cliff you can look down on ducks and crows flying below, see wind whipping across the water, watch new homes being built and remember old friends. Besides, the cats like to spread out on the railings in the sun, the landscaping long dreamt about over the winter needs reworking, a new set of French doors could replace the picture window and give that lower room a new purpose. Because it's summer on the lake.

The Views

I grew up in the Finger Lakes and always thought that every state had wonderful lakes like Central New York. When I went away to college I discovered differently. I seemed to end up where there were lakes, anyway - the Lake District in England, Seattle, Saratoga.

Now as a Realtor part of my job is to show people the area, and of course that means Skaneateles Lake. Today was a prime example, and I traveled down the west side and then through the village to the east side.

My companion called the views mesmerising and I concurred, as usual marveling at the idea that I never get tired of the scenery. I appreciate it no matter how many times I see the same vista across the lake, the farmers' fields newly plowed, the sun sparkling off a distant pond, the tiny cars curving up hillsides. My home.

After I left him I went off on a listing appointment. For land with a view, no less. I stood speaking with the owners in the late afternoon and found myself mesmerised by the view. I simply could not take my eyes off it, even missing a few words because I was lost in the landscape.

I hope I get the listing - I want to share that view with others, watch others lose themselves in it, and eventually see new owners building a home that will always be remarkable for the view.
Mesmerised.

Mothers' Day

As I pulled my open house signs this afternoon an old friend shouted to me from his bike. We met years ago when he was looking for a home that would be conducive for him and his wife as well as his mother-in-law. They were cramped and everyone needed privacy.

I had such a space for my own mother, and knew what he was looking for. Unfortunately his wife's mother passed away before they found anything.

The house I had open today also had in-law potential, as they say; living areas upstairs for the primary family and a first floor bedroom, sitting room, full bath and possible kitchen all on a large private lot only a mile from the village of Marcellus. A couple saw it and realized that it would work well for their situation and brought the wife's mother over to see it. She was thrilled.

Deal? Not yet, but hopeful.

As I run into this situation more and more, I wonder what makes people wait. The comfort of family warmth, safety and privacy as our lives become more tenuous and our abilities wane is priceless. The families that make that leap and take on the remaining years of a loved one's life are to be congratulated for their compassion and courage.

It's not an easy decision, but such a good one to be made on Mother's Day!

The Multiple Offer

Multiple offers - you either love them or hate them. When I first started my business, it seemed as if that was all I had and so I learned how to frame my offers early.

Multiple offers arise for several reasons. Usually a property comes on the market that everyone wants, whether for price, condition or location. Agents scurry around and try to get their buyers to see it quickly, knowing it won't last. After a day or two offers come in, and then it is up to the listing agent to sort things out. Another reason for mulitple offers is harder to explain: after months of a property sitting out there suddenly it's discovered and two or more offers come in within 24 hours of each other.

The general rule for multiple offers is "highest and best." The sellers will take the highest price with the cleanest ("best") deal. The fewer the contingencies, the cleaner the offer. Cash beats a mortgage, no home inspection beats waiting for a home inspector to come through and possible negotiations.

Today I presented in a multiple offer situation. My clients saw the home three days after it was listed, but already nine other agents had brought their clients. An offer was in, another was expected, two other showings were scheduled. We had to be fast and high, clean as a whistle.

We found a good number above the asking price, cash, 30 days to close, and absolutely no contingencies except the mandatory attorney approval on both sides. I handed the pen to the seller and he signed on the spot. My clients own their first home!

Hopefully the offer survives the attorney approval phase here in New York. He/she can simply nullify the offer and might if something so much better comes in. This is rarely done, but...stay tuned.

Technology

A few years ago I met a Realtor in Alabama who told me about the old days. Listings were not shared and were the sole property of the brokerage. If you took a listing the photo was displayed in the window of your office and you controlled the information and access. I suppose Polaroids would have been considered the new technology. (The agents also earned 10% commissions, with emphasis on the "earned," I presume.)

After spending a couple days wrestling with my new smartphone I was reminded time and again that the technology is only as good as the people who use it or interpret it. I am not literate in the ways of computers, being dragged kicking and scratching into the 1990's. Once there, I'm fine - writing on computers gave me my "voice," as I've often said, because I could type as quickly as I thought. It was also more legible. Now here's the smartphone, ready to free me from the confines of the office so I can work anywhere, but I'm still trapped by the human element, primarily me.

But I made it through the gates, I think! This afternoon I drove out to some land and took a photo with my phone which I sent to my client, who e-mailed me to thank me. I checked the listings after a cell phone call and will show property my clients called in to see tomorrow. I'll be able to get into the house with the same phone, and the agent will see that I went there and read my review.

And while I was in technology hell, as I call it, aka the installation process, our administrative assistant stood by me with helpful ideas, another agent yelled "Call for support!" until I did and they found the glitsch.

We will always need people - to invent and screw up and repair and use what they invented.

Loyalty

Last night I was considering the concept of loyalty. I am loyal to my clients. Once they buy or sell with me, I stay with them and honor their wishes and promote them.

Yesterday I went the extra mile, literally, for a client and felt quite good about it. As I was thinking how it felt to make the extra effort, a voicemail was left for me. A woman whose house I had viewed years ago called to say she was finally ready to list it and would only list with me. She told me she had promised me those many years ago because I took time with her.

I was overwhelmed with gratitude and a sense of wonder. It made my day, my week....and acts like that make my career incredibly rewarding.

So if you want excellent lake rights and a gorgeous flowered and treed lot with a house that has almost new everything mechanical, you'll have to wait a couple weeks to see it (not ready for showtime!), but it just might be worth the wait. This experience was worth the wait for me.

The Athenaeum of Skaneateles

Yesterday I went through this grand home built in 1850. A huge Victorian, it's within easy walking distance of the village center and commands a view of the lake over rooftops.

It was on the market a couple years ago and I spent a few hours in it with clients and a home inspector. It needed a lot of work, but the hardwood floors, turrets, nooks and crannies as well as a long history in the village had charmed my buyers as well as me. Unfortunately we were unable to complete the sale and the Peregrine Health Management Company purchased it.

They have created what they term the "Premier Living Concept for Seniors on the East Coast," a classy name for a senior residence. Those nooks and crannies made interesting bedrooms, the turrets are sitting rooms and meeting rooms, the hardwoods are polished. Each bright room will be luxuriously furnished, each bathroom large and handicapped accessible. A salon is on the lowest floor, a chef is in the kitchen, an elevator glides up the four floors.

I met some people from town there and we checked it out together. We kept stopping at the windows with views of the street or views of the lake. We agreed basically that when we needed space like this, it could be charming with the views and the village. It would be a gentler way of life.

To see pictures and learn more: www.the-athenaeum-of-skaneateles.com

My own thoughts - I wish it could have stayed a 9,000 square foot single family home. I wish the doors could have been thrown open for summer balls, winter sleighing parties, family reunions. I wish extended family were able to be made at home and comfortable. I know it's unrealistic, and I am very grateful that the home was preserved, but I can still hear the music.

Brokers' Open

On Tuesdays in Skaneateles and the communities west of Syracuse (Marcellus, Camillus and Elbridge) Realtors open their new listings for other Realtors to see. The more people who come in, it's assumed, the greater the chance of selling the property.

Note: Agents still are the primary reason homes sell! The internet is ready to overtake them, but it's still necessary to see a house. Newsprint ads and other marketing tools lag far behind these main categories.

Since it was a gloriously warm and sunny day, everyone went to see the listings. The Athenaeum, a new concept in care, was open from 10:00 until 12:00 (more about this tomorrow) and it drew out the crowds, both agents and townspeople. I went next to a cottage - an adorable cottage, I might add - on Genesee Street, the main thoroughfare also known as Route 20. Then off down the west side of the lake to see a home that had lost a jacuzzi but gained a den. The view was still spectacular!

My aim was to see some waterfront homes in the area in which I sold last year, about 10 miles down the lake. The first was open - the agent served a barbecue picnic on the deck. Then I picked up an old friend and we saw a lovely retreat on 18 acres, high above the water. After that was a tiny cabin on 100 feet of waterfront (think cliff down this end of the lake.) The outhouse was still there, but the setting was private.

Skaneateles on a day like this - in my convertible - there is no place better!

The Beginning

I came to Skaneateles in 1990, fresh from Saratoga and Seattle. I had owned a house in Seattle with my then-husband, but as a single parent I couldn't afford anything but rent.

Skaneateles made me a home-owner in my own right. Unbelievably I was able to purchase a small cottage on two acres a mile from the village. I felt I had arrived!

Since then I've changed careers, attempted to start my own school, and found a home in real estate, in the town I've grown to love. I want to share that village and my experiences with readers through this blog.

To that end:

• I promise you "News and Views" of real estate in and around Skaneateles on a mostly daily basis.
• I promise you information you might not find elsewhere, certainly my own opinions.
• I promise short blogs and pithy comments.
• I promise a 90% focus on the topic, but I ask you to recognize that I am a real person as well and Life interferes sometimes with focus.
• I promise I will always be grateful to you for reading my blog.