Skaneateles Real Estate - The Early Fall Update

I've been doing the research required for the update over the past hour.  Several times I was interrupted by phone calls and notifications.  One of them was from Syracuse.com....WelchAllyn will get 100 new jobs! Hooray!  Another was from an old friend who is ready to move into the Village and enjoy life on a quiet street.  He needs a ranch, or at least a home with a master bedroom and bath on the first floor.... He had seen my 5 Orchard listed but knows now that places like that go quickly...as that has done...and are rare.

Currently there are 73 active listings in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service.  Thirty of these are in the Village, while only 15 are considered waterfront.  The median list price of all the listings is $400,000; fully a third of the homes in the Village are listed between $200,000 and $300,000.  Fifteen listings have come on in the past 6 weeks since the last update.

In the under contract category, 24 homes are waiting to close.  Of these, 12 are newly contracted.

To date, 83 single family properties are sold and closed.  Ten are new closures since I last wrote.  Another four had closed but had not been reported.  The median list price of the 83 closed homes is under the 400K mark but about the same as last year.  While we were on a whirlwind pace to meet or exceed last year's record, the pace has slowed.  We are 10 behind where we were in 2015.  Now if those WelchAllyn jobs would materialize quickly and everyone bought and closed before the end of the year.....that would be great!
It wouldn't be right to close without relaying that it's been a tough week for the real estate community.  Pat Snyder, who for so many years was a staple at Williams Realty and who had moved to RealtyUSA just recently, passed away.  Pat was the heart of the business, the laughter behind the goofball things that happen. She found joy in everything, certainly making me laugh all the time.  She told me years ago before Liam was born how wonderful grandparenting could be.  She said some day he would look up at me and say "I love you, Grandma..."  She called me Grandma, and always asked after the boys.  I will miss her so much.

Our Boo

This photo was taken in 2008, when he was only three years old.  What a handsome guy he was!  You can barely see his signature snaggle-tooth on the right side (his left).

We got him in May of 2005 from Wanderers Rest.  I was looking for a "black fuzzy puppy" because I had a "white fuzzy puppy" named Sebastian for 14 years.  There was no replacing him, so I wanted a different dog.  And Boo was.

We found out from his groomers at Von Skauton Kennel in Weedsport when he was about three that he was a black and tan English shepherd.  No AKC recognition, but if you go online you'll see others who look like him.  And their description fits him....laid back, loves to ride in cars and hates to get out of them.

After Bob had carried Sebbie up and down stairs for about a year and a half, we had wanted a smaller dog. Boo was supposed to be it - but he grew to be 90 pounds at his heaviest.

He was with us at all times.  For years he roamed the road at the lake with his pal Koko, my mother's dog. They visited the Browns daily for their treats.  Neither really liked the water, but they loved the deck where they could watch the goings on and invite other dogs to come up and visit.

But home was his favorite place...and especially the trails he traversed every day with Bob, and occasionally me.  They got to the point where the deer would note they were passing, but not run.  They stopped at "the treat tree" so he could get his mini treat.  Sheba and Charlie had gone there before, and made it an institution.

In the house Boo was "the sheriff."  He watched over the cats, keeping them in line.  Or thought he did.  Last September he failed to break up a huge fight and I knew something was horribly wrong.  I took him to Doc at Weedsport Animal Hospital and he was operated on successfully.  Another couple hours and we would have lost him.

As we did on Saturday.  He was slowing down the past few months, despite pain pills and our insistence (and his) to keep walking.  Another tumor most likely got him...

We miss him horribly.  He was so very much a part of our lives for over 11 years.  He went with us to the Adirondacks and North Carolina.  The last time the kids were here Liam walked him, and cuddled him. He was a favorite of anyone who met him or cared for him if we were out of town.  Intrepid Janet brought a mum, Cat and Barb sent cards. We have realized in the past few days how many people knew him and appreciated him, as big as he was.  Our days feel empty, and everywhere we turn there are reminders.

I have a friend who tells me she won't get a pet because the endings are so hard.  But the years before, to us, are precious.  We wouldn't have had it any other way.

Here and Away....

A couple came into the office this afternoon looking for a good place to eat.  We showed them the office first, and the gorgeous deck and took their breath away before sending them down to Bluewater so they could marvel more at this beautiful lake.  It never gets old.

I've been coming and going over the past couple weeks, and now I can hardly believe it's only been that long!  We went off to join the kids in Bethany Beach (Delaware) and drove 8 hours down and 8 hours back.  It's lovely - I personally know at least 6 families, the majority from this area, who were there that week.  You just can't get "ocean" in Central New York!  Each evening we had ice cream at a pretty little place...just the thing after a day on the beach!  (I especially loved the raspberry truffle...)

We got home in time to get ready for their visit.  The camp needed to be cleaned, the house set up for kids, the lawn mowed because it had finally rained a bit.  I mowed at the lake - until the bees found me and chased me away.  I heard they are "nasty" this year. 

Then they came, and we spent literally 48 hours with them.  Bob, Liam, Ollie and I walked out to the point on the lake, meeting our new neighbors in the cove.  The water was so low we could walk most of the way around the front.  I came back sooner with Ollie who wanted only to be in the direct way of Liam's casting. 

Back at the house, Liam worked on the mulch in our front yard and then later Bob's new shed.  He chose his pumpkin and walked Boo.  It has taken years for us to feel comfortable with Boo and Liam together, but finally we did.  I got a great shot of Liam with Boo lolling in his lap, quite content.  He got walked a lot.

On Friday night Alex found the SU game on Watch ESPN and we continued the tradition of SU football.  And they won!

Saturday was devoted to the Fair....hours and hours of the Fair!  We avoided the Paw Patrol and its long lines, opting instead for the kiddie midway.  The highlights only:  Liam took his first roller coaster ride and loved it; Alex won a prize - hooray!  Ollie "rode" a stationary car for about an hour.  People came and went, and when someone complained that it wasn't going anywhere, Ollie said "We're stuck on the bridge."  My NYC grandson!

Going away from here always reminds me about what we have....I paddled out this morning onto an absolutely still lake, then drove less than half an hour home.  Only one stop light at East Lake.  I am looking forward to new apples for a snack this afternoon before showing a sweet and affordable little house.  I can sit at my desk and type - the lake is in front of me, the Village behind me.  I'll have a local salad from Bailiwick tonight, perhaps, and finish with a bowl of raspberry truffle, their new ice cream flavor.  It's all here, except that ocean part.....  But I can rent that for a week every year, if I want.