Filming in Central New York

Ron Perlman wants to make films here.  So says the Post-Standard as reported by Teri Weaver on the front page of today's edition.

Ron Perlman.  I said "Beauty and the Beast" and Bob said "Sons of Anarchy."

He is here because of Governor Cuomo's Start-up NY Program.  And the nano hub in Dewitt.  He plans to do most of his post-production there and film around the area as much as possible.

The first movie will start filming July 21st.  In a few days scouting will begin for scenes to be shot around Skaneateles.

The movie, "Wooden Lake," will be about a family coming together for a wedding.  Jacki Weaver ("Silver Linings Playbook") will star.

Now where could that wedding be filmed?

Adam Weitsman's house on West Lake perhaps?  Would he allow it?

Mirbeau!

How about The Sherwood Inn where Alex and Rachel were married?

Or high atop the land for sale on East Lake Road?  That's a pretty spot.  Maybe in a vineyard somewhere....think Anyela's.

The rehearsal dinner....Rosalie's, with Gary Robinson presiding, and the violinist serenading.

They will hire 200 people for the company..... Perlman would rather keep the jobs here.

So keep your eyes and ears open this summer.  Show the film crew that you welcome them and their business.  Skaneateles is about to get the star treatment as it has always deserved!

Skaneateles Real Estate - Getting Back on Track Update

Last week a few things happened that have resulted in this blog and other blogs going forward.  I heard from an old fan of the blog who mentioned that he was glad to see it reactivated.  He also gave me a lovely referral!  I had started writing again because I do enjoy it so much, and also because it keeps me grounded in the business.  More importantly it makes me stop and think.  I gave up rushing years ago but I forget to take time for myself.  I count the blog as "me-time," just as necessary as my daily walk.

So thank you, old friend!

There are currently 88 active listings in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service.  Of these, 22 are in the Village and 13 are considered waterfront.  Nine "new" listings came on this week, but 4 were re-lists. People take properties off the market to freshen their listing, ensuring that as Realtors check the hotsheet it will be seen anew.  I usually print out histories for my buyers, to let them know that this is not a new listing they are viewing but one that was on the market for a length of time previously.  Also there may be changes - new pictures of updated work that was done, a change of brokerage, new price.

Only one property was added to the "under contract" list.  It was just listed in the past 10 days and has "sold" already.  Pricing is everything!  List a home under the market value as determined by comparable sales and it will go quickly.  There the debate rages - too low and "money was left on the table."  Maybe...but also taxes weren't paid for months, insurance, mortgage costs...and there is a stress factor to selling a house that is costly, too.

No closings were reported in the past 10 days.  I did write a "First Twenty" blog, so please check if you missed it.  In 2014 by this date there were only 20 houses sold and closed.  As I noted, that was a very slow year!  In 2013 there were 25 - about 20% of the total number that year.

Since I will write more regularly I thought I would include another area (perhaps) on a regular basis.  This week I chose Marcellus.  I have four listings there now, so it is meaningful to me.  Currently there are 28 active listings of which 7 are in the Village and one is waterfront on Otisco Lake.  Five are under contract, and 12 have sold so far this year.  Last year 15 had sold - they weren't slowed by the lengthy winter!  In some ways their market is healthier....at this pace they will exhaust their inventory more rapidly than Skaneateles.

                                                4605 Limeledge Road - Town of Marcellus 

               $199,888             

One reason is their median price: $219,000 for the active listings, and $134,500 for the sold and closed properties.  More people can buy in this range, and as noted it is the lower-priced properties that have sold. By contrast, Skaneateles' active median price is $379,000 and their closed price is $339,000.

Whatever the price, the market is moving.  Get out to open houses, check daily on Realtor.com, REMAX.com, or CNYHomes.com for listings.  These are tied to the MLS system we use and will be the most accurate.  But that's another discussion.....

Central New York Springtime

Earlier this week I bought this planter of pansies at the Elbridge Tops.  They were so colorful!  Usually I buy the blues and purples for my flower boxes at the lake, but I splurged on diversity.  There are white, yellow and even orange blossoms in there.

Then it snowed.  Just a half inch or so, but there they are in snow.  During the day the sun comes out and they recover joyously.  When I wash the dishes I can see them on the table on the deck.  Sign of what will come.  Eventually.

I remember years ago when Bob had his own house in Syracuse on the east side.  He had planted pansies and they made it through the winter even.  Hardy flowers...just like Central New Yorkers!

This week in the news there were reports once again of the toll the drought is taking on the West.  The volcano in Chile exploded, bringing back vivid memories of Mt. St. Helen when we lived in Seattle.  My cousins in Alabama are in that tenuous part of the country that gets tornadoes and hurricanes.

Our hardiness is the day to day stuff.  We have had the derechos, as in the storms of 1998 and 1999.  We have blizzards, or what passes for blizzards here.  The prairies get the real thing, I think.  We just get dumped on with snow.  Last fall was amazing - warm and so beautiful in the hills!  We've had hot summers lately, too...well into the 90s for days.  But not the humidity of places like Baltimore.

We put up with the long winters, or at least most of us do.  I feel like I am losing friends to Florida's mild winters.  Houses are selling here, though, because it is a solid place to live.  Yes, there are pansies in the snow, but such beauty surrounds us!  And unlike Manhattan or other incredible cities, you can see the night sky here.  It doesn't threaten with winds or floods so much....but promises clear days ahead.

Yes, you need to be hardy here, but it is worth it.

Open House Alert! 2345 Olanco Road

I love this view of Otisco Lake!  The shot was taken from the lake access that is deeded with the camp, looking across the southern neighbor's deck.  The bits of white you see are most likely ice, still on the lake in early April.  But there in the distance is that bluff on the western (right) side.

Sunday, April 26th from 1:00 to 3:00 I will be there enjoying the view from the deck and hopefully speaking with a lot of people who have come out for the open house.  The price is now $125,000.  Really?  Yes, really!  For a three bedroom home with new bath, first floor laundry, many many upgrades.  Add to that Marcellus Schools and the access to the lake.  (ML#S328023)

Our lake - I virtually grew up on it in the summer - is changing.  The homes along the northwestern roads - Olanco and Glen Cove - are moving from small camps to incredible three-story year-round homes.  My friends are selling their city and suburban houses and moving into one house on the lake.  They winter in Florida - some - or commute to their jobs in Syracuse.  Some work elsewhere - D.C, Connecticut - but come home to the lake.

A few of us are holdouts for the old way of life, and this place on Olanco combines the best of both worlds. It is a camp - woodstove (but with a furnace too), huge deck (and also a usable back yard), garage (under the house) and gardens (mostly flowers).  The fire pit is set up way in the back for privacy and the view.  It's small - really around 1300sf for the main floor with another 800sf in the lower level.  The new homes are easily around 3000sf when all levels are counted.  Ours is a paltry 1,000sf.  And that's fine!

So come and say hello - share a healthy snack - hang out on the deck.  It's camp, after all!

The First Twenty - 2015

In no particular order, these are the homes that closed in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service between the first of the year and March 29th.  With 60 days to closing, most likely the majority were sold during that time period too.  Not bad for such a difficult winter!


2146 West Lake Road       Town of Skaneateles     $245,000

40 Onondaga Street           Village of Skaneateles    $249,000

163 East Genesee Street     Village of Skaneateles    $267,000

53 East Street                     Village of Skaneateles    $211,500

1695 Buffs Bluff                  Town of Skaneateles     $193,000

11 West Elizabeth St.          Village of Skaneateles    $200,000

3076 East Lake Road          Town of Skaneateles     $139,000

860 Crow Hill Road             Mottville                       $141,000

4179 NW Townline Rd.      Town of Skaneateles     $143,000

1456 Lacy Road                 Town of Skaneateles       $50,000

8A Gayle Road                   Village of Skaneateles    $2,772,000

3179 East Lake Rd             Town of Skaneateles     $1,550,000

3265 Lanning Rd.                Town of Spafford          $730,000

42 Academy Street              Village of Skaneateles    $675,000

1351 Cherry Valley Tpke     Town of Skaneateles     $575,000

34 State Street                     Village of Skaneateles    $525,000

3339 West Lake Road         Town of Skaneateles     $495,000

7032 N. Glen Haven Rd       Town of Sempronius    $350,000

104 West Lake Street           Village of Skaneateles   $355,000

1007 Butters Farm Lane       Town of Skaneateles    $366,865

Open House Alert! 4605 Limeledge Road

My Marcellus listing at 4605 Limeledge Road will be open tomorrow - Sunday, April 19th - from 2:00 until 4:00. Amber Spain from our office will be your host.

I chose the photo above to represent the home because it shows off some of the features that are important. First off, the hardwood floors gleam on the second floor.  This is the living room - or it could be called the family room.  The fireplace burns real wood but the "woodstove" on the first floor in the family/living room is actually a natural gas stove.  To the right are three windows, looking out over open fields to the hills beyond. To the left is the kitchen with new stainless steel appliances.  As you can see from the photo, there are many recessed lights.  The home glows with light, both at night and during the day.

There are four bedrooms, three upstairs and one down.  A full bath with tub and shower is upstairs and doubles as the hall bathroom and the master bath.  The full bath down has a step-in shower and could also be used as a more traditional half bath for visiting guests.

You will see if you drive by a full front lawn, a huge two-car garage with storage, and the windows.  You won't see unless you come inside the large back yard, partially fenced for dogs, the giant pines, a shed and the deck coming off the upstairs dining room.

All this, and a quick drive into the Village of Marcellus (Marcellus Schools of course) or an easy drive to Skaneateles, just over the hill via Old Seneca Turnpike.

Priced under $200,000 ($199,888 to be exact) with almost 2500 square feet and .72 acres - and ready to go!  The sellers have worked hard to make it so - check the list of the many updates.  Come see - tell Amber you saw it on my blog - please!

Skaneateles Real Estate - The "Oh So Busy" Update

It's been about six weeks since I wrote last....oh my!  During that time my clients listed property, sold property, closed on property and we got rid of the snow!  What a difference from last year, when everyone waited until the snow melted.  This year the rush came on during the Ides of March and is only just slowing.

Without further adieu, I will try to summarize.  Currently there are 82 single family homes on the market in Skaneateles.  Of these, 19 are in the Village and 11 are considered waterfront.

Since the beginning of March, 26 properties have come on the market.  Eight of these are Village homes and also eight are re-lists.  None - hard to believe, but I checked it - were waterfront.  (Will this be a trend this year?)  

In the "under contract" category there are 19 listings.  Five of these came on the market since the last blog post, and are already waiting to close.  Eleven properties "sold" during this time - hence the busy-ness.  Five were in the Village and 6 in the town.

But now we come to the exciting part!  There are 29 sold and closed listings since the beginning of the year! In the past 6 weeks, 18 - count them! - homes closed.  Wow!  Five were Village homes and one was waterfront (there's that trend again!)  This means I will write out The First Twenty in the next week so you can see what closed and what price was paid.  You might be surprised....really! Hint....hint....

But get outside - go enjoy these lovely days!  I always say no one appreciates spring like Central New Yorkers....