This and That

Snowy day in Skaneateles.  I was going to give it up and go home from the office, but I ran down to Green Mountain, saw Kay, and revved myself up with coffee and a salted caramel.  There is a storm warning out there, so I could be forgiven for leaving.  But it is Central New York after all.  Boss is at school, playing with Moxie and Pepper, so he's probably glad I haven't picked him up.

First of all, I will tell you a bit about the poster below:

Last year I enjoyed this wonderful tea at the Skaneateles Historical Society's Creamery.  We learned a great deal about the etiquette of the day, and some facts which I have used over the past year.  Do you know the difference between low and high tea?  It's a fun afternoon....

On a more serious note, CNN broke down what we can expect from climate change in the next few decades.  The Northeast gets off comparatively easily - more incredibly awful storms and events, like Superstorm Sandy.  We will lose fishing off the coast - no more  Doug's Fish Fry as it is now.  The lakes will be more susceptible to toxins.  It becomes real when I think of our grandsons, and what they will face before they are 50.

The immigration disaster was also brought home to me on Sunday.  We saw a report about children who were removed from their parents, often with no warning.  We had spent a couple days with the boys, and Bob told me that when Liam was getting ready to sleep he reached under his pillow and retrieved three little bears he could cuddle.  His nightly routine.  I thought about the other children
taken from their parents, and taken from all things normal.  They wouldn't even have a tiny bear that was familiar.

I know in Dickens' and Queen Victoria's day there were children on the streets, children without comfort and warmth.  No tea, no scones.  But haven't we come farther than this?

"Syracuse Had a Bad Week"

So says my good friend who has shared sports with me since the 7th grade.  We've gone to SU football and basketball games together since then.  I'd get a ride to her house and we'd walk over to the stadium, Dome or Manley Field House.  We were rabid Green Bay fans as well.  We had a falling out when our lives diverged, but she always sent my mother a Christmas card - something I learned when I came back East as a Seahawks fan.  We started going to games again at the Dome.

I record the SU games we don't attend and watch them over Mike's or Dmitri's pizza.  She listens to them if she can, and if the aerial is pointed just right she can sometimes get them out towards Rochester in the country.

So "Syracuse had a bad week" was all she needed to write me when we played our daily Words with Friends.

The men's basketball team lost inexplicably two games in a row.  The broadcast that started with a look back at Devendorf jumping on to the table when he thought the marathon game versus UConn was over ended in a chant of "Let's go, Huskies," not Orange.  The next night Oregon made it worse.

At Yankee Stadium QB Dungey was injured less than 9 minutes into the game.  Again he was injured.  Again he was taken off the field possibly never to return wearing orange.  Just like in the other three seasons. And the game got worse, if that was possible.  Symbolically the phenom Szmyt finally got to attempt a field goal and it hit the uprights and bounced back.

That was Saturday.

On Sunday, on 60 Minutes, Tim Green courageously talked with Steve Kroft about his ALS  diagnosis.  They looked at photos of him taking down quarterbacks, celebrating by bumping helmets with teammates.  They talked numbers of players who had the same diagnosis, and others with CTE.  This man who had spoken so eloquently at Alex's sports banquet years ago had difficulty forming words.  The man who wrote the books I read voraciously was now writing with a sensor.  This man who shared his search for his birthmother and touched a chord in me sat with his kids and wife contemplating a bleak future.  And then he said he would do it all again....no regrets.  There was something so magical about hearing stadiums erupt that he was willing to endure his current pain because of that memory.

I don't get it.  And he said he knew people who hadn't experienced it wouldn't get it.

He and Steve Kroft were seen walking in the Village, past our office where I am writing this blog now.  They got out on the boat and drove past our iconic - but ever-changing - shoreline.  "What a beautiful place to live," the world watching the show must have thought.

How sad to leave it behind.

"Syracuse had a bad week."


Go to www.tackleals.com to donate to Tim's team.

The Fourth Twenty

Without further ado.....

The Village

5 Teasel Lane                $387,750

100 State Street             $150,000

100 Orchard Road         $650,000

103 East Lake Road      $405,000

54 Jordan Street             $188,700

5 Highland Street          $225,000

190 East Genesee St.     $299,900

36 West Elizabeth St.    $180,000

2 East Street                  $510,000



The Town

4740 State Route 41A       $880,000

1300 Sailboat                     $310,000

4636 Phillips Road            $285,000

935 Parker Lane                $499,900

3424 East Lake Road         $260,000

3217 East Lake Road         $3,825,000

3109 East Lake Road         $3,600,000

2664 East Lake Road           $779,000

2401 East Lake Road           $439,000

2097 West Lake Road          $345,000

A Manhattan Halloween

Catching up, slowly.  We have the first real snow of the season, and I've surprised myself by not dreading it.  I also want my holidays in their proper order, and I will not skip ahead.  That said, this year has been a bit different.

I spent Halloween in New York City.  I had no idea what I was in for.  The day was gorgeous, the drive down smooth and easy until the usual chaos before the George Washington Bridge.  I waited for the kids to get out of school by walking in Carl Schurz Park and catching the sun on a 65 degree day. I met Rachel at the boys' school and was slightly disappointed that they weren't in costume.  They changed in the apartment and we were off!  Cat Boy and an unnamed Chicago Bears football player ( last year was a Seahawks' player) ran off to get goodies from all the stores in their neighborhood.  We picked up Alex on Second and got to the townhouses on 91st before they were overrun.  It was wonderful!  Magical!  Owners out on their steps, decorations and costumed trick or treaters in the closed-off block.

On the way back the boys stopped in every store.  And the vast majority of stores had candy for them, just waiting.  Doormen opened doors, waiters waved them in.  We went looking for a friend who lived on the 20th floor of a building.  He was gone, but they had left candy outside their door.  As did other residents on each of the 20 floors we proceeded to go down.

As we ate pizza from Luigi's, separated the candy - no nuts! - and watched the SU game I checked my phone to see how far we had walked.  Five miles, it turned out.  What a city experience!

The Third Twenty

Nothing like snow to keep me home near the fireplace and on the computer. 

Last night I heard Dan Abrams, Chief Legal Analyst for ABC News, discuss his new book, Lincoln's Last Trial: The Murder Case that Propelled Him to the Presidency.  He was the Elsa Soderberg Distinguished Speaker, and had been re-scheduled from earlier when he "was called back to Washington to cover the Kavanaugh hearing."   After he spoke about the book with many anecdotes about Lincoln, it was grand to hear civil discourse in the question and answer period that followed.  The event benefited the Seward House and I enjoyed thinking about him going through the mansion having studied Seward so thoroughly.

But there is more real estate to speak of in nearby Skaneateles.  Without further ado, this is the list of the Third Twenty single family properties that have sold and closed.  (Plus one!)


The Village

54 Jordan Street                  $188,700

71 West Genesee Street      $215,000

5 Highland Street                $225,000

20 East Lake Street             $262,000

17 West Elizabeth Street     $299,900

33 State Street                     $325,000

26 East Lake Street            $370,000

8 Goodspeed Place             $390,000

8 Lakeview Circle              $505,000

2 East Street                       $510,000

20 Academy Street             $510,000

102 Packwood Place          $650,000

24 East Street                     $1,275,000


The Town

2637 East Lake Road         $2,327,000

3415-D East Lake Road     $715,000

710 South Tamarack  Ln    $625,000

2525 East Lake Rd              $547,500

3330 County Line Rd          $468,650

2125 Terrace Lane S            $446,000

3076 East Lake Rd              $268,500

873 Church Street                $50,000

Skaneateles Real Estate - The Election Day Update

I often wonder why I can't seem to get a blog written.  I've been busy - so very busy - with sales and then the resultant closings.  Nothing is easy these days.  Rules and regs have become more stringent and everyone is taking great care to "get it done right this time."

Phones keep ringing, texts continue to come.   I have started this blog several times - but I see a half hour without interruption!

There are currently (still) only 55 active single family listings in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service.  Of these, 12 are in the Village and 18 are considered waterfront.  That number has been consistent for a while.  Looking at the school district rather than the town, there are 66 active listings.  The median asking price of the Town listings is $405,000....much higher than it has been in the past.  Supply and demand, as always.

There are 13 properties under contract in the Town.  A few weeks ago there were 22, but I didn't get around to writing the blog to tell you that!

The absolute good news?  There are 82 sold and closed properties so far this year.  The blog that didn't get written showed only 71, and that was three weeks ago.  I thought we are on to another banner year, despite the low inventory.  But I checked it against last year at this time and found we are 25 home sales behind.  We won't make it spectacular, but we will have a good showing.  And I can't wait to see what the prices look like when compared to previous years.

To that end, I owe you the Third and Fourth Twenty sales.  The final analysis will come in January.

Election day feels like a new beginning.

The Second Twenty

No wonder everything is moving so swiftly here!  There just aren't a lot of listings and therefore not a lot of closings.  I keep thinking I need to do updates, but with so few houses coming on the market and therefore few closings.....and I am extremely busy!  The real estate world has slowed down a bit, but getting the properties closed has been my world of late.  Water and septic tests, attorneys, lenders, inspectors....the list goes on!  Coordination and communication are key, but it is made more difficult by everyone being so busy.  And around we go again.....

These are the closings in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service.


Village

26 Griffin Street                  $386,000

7 Orchard Road                   $350,000

93 West Elizabeth Street     $282,000

71 West Elizabeth Street     $215,000

50 East Lake Street             $390,000


Town

3736 Rickard Road              $85,000

1721 Lancelot Lane             $209,000

2782 East Lake Road           $219,000

3750 Highland Avenue        $225,559

819 Franklin Street               $249,000

1545-1547 E. Genesee St.    $267,500

3076 East Lake Road            $268,500

1002 Mistletoe Drive            $283,500

2054 Coon Hill Road            $325,000

2432 West Lake Road          $332,000

4549 Vinegar Hill Road        $339,000

3542 Lost Hollow Road        $360,000

1390 Thornton Heights          $370,000

1383 Foxfield Drive              $416,000

3189A East Lake Road         $1,318,000

Skaneateles Real Estate - Where Did the Time Go Update

I do know where it went, at least in my experience.  It went to multiple offers and lost multiple offers, to listings that took off and flew, to long days and nights of attorney approvals and non-approvals, to mortgages and proofs of funds...  and along the way deals came together.

So this is the first update blog since waaaay back in early May.  I compiled statistics towards the end of June but never found the time to write and publish it.  The weather didn't help - so hot!  Add a mix of family issues, visits from our grandsons, visits to see our grandsons, and the blog did not happen.  Until now, a rain-filled day in late July.

Onwards and upwards....There are currently 55 active listings in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service.  Of these, only 13 are in the Village and 17 are considered waterfront.  In the Skaneateles School District as a whole there are 70 listings.

I also checked on listings that have entered Skaneateles Lake in their listing information.  There are 44 included in this category, although as I went through them several were lake access, and one offered membership in the country club as the rationale for adding the name.  Whatever gets you on the lake - it's a beneficial criterion.  I prefer the simple truth of 100 feet of waterfront really right on the lake as in my listing at 82 Lakewoood Lane.  (Shameless advertising!)

We have 19 single family properties under contract, waiting to close. 

When I was so busy it was definitely a sellers' market.  A home would come on the market and it would be shown the first couple days then receive multiple offers.  If an agent blinked or didn't check daily for his/her buyers, an opportunity would be missed.  Offers came in as cash, so no appraisal was necessary and inspection contingencies were dropped.  A wild time!

To make it even wilder, agents are now using escalation clauses.  Buyers write in a price they will pay, but add a clause that states they will go x-amount of dollars higher (up to a limit) over the highest offer.  I've used it and my sellers have enjoyed its benefits. 

The sellers' market is dropping off now.  I think people got excited and decided to "try" a higher price for their house, and now the market is suggesting that it's not a foregone conclusion that the seller will get his/her price.  We will see...it may just be the relentless heat and now the rain.

There are 40 sold and closed homes year-to-date.  (Of these, 14 have "Skaneateles Lake" in their listing.)  This is under the production of the last few years...inventory is low, another reason for the sellers' market we experienced.

Still - it is always a great time to buy in our area!  Enjoy the boat show this weekend!

The First Twenty

These are the First Twenty single family properties to have closed in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service. It's been a slow year, but now with more properties coming on the market and selling it will certainly pick up.  I believe.  And hope.

The Village:

18 State Street                $245,000

28 Academy Street         $175,100

10 Hawthorne Woods     $328,000

106 Sinclair Street          $599,000

61 West Lake Street        $2,500,000

The Town:

1893 Stump Road               $42,000

4142 Jordan Road               $162,000

1870 West Lake Road         $3,151,500

3189a Wast Lake Road       $1,318,000

998 Stump Road                  $149,000

2432 West Lake Road         $332,000

3124 County Line Rd.        $437,400

819 Franklin Street             $249,000

1642 New Seneca Tpke      $310,000

878 Franklin Street             $234,900

2230 West lake Road          $180,000

1012 Butters Farm Lane     $690,000

859 Old Seneca Tpke         $132,976

2844 East Lake Road         $425,000

948 Old Seneca Tpke         $275,000

Relationships

I visited a friend last week, a woman I hadn't seen since she moved to an assisted living place.  I brought her the flowers below (from Fleur de Lis in the Village), a box from Chocolate Pizza (chocolatepizza.com) and also Boss.  I think she enjoyed Boss the most.

I had come to know her through real estate.  Her home for almost 40 years had been an apartment in a beautiful old house in Marcellus.  I was brought in to sell it, which I did after several years, but the deal fell apart,  I got to know her and the other tenants by calling for appointments and then always being there for showings as I had promised from the first day.  I had no idea I would do it so often and for so long!  And they were wonderful, responding quickly and if possible allowing the showings.  The woman with whom I visited would have stayed forever, but eventually the stairs caught up with her.  I am glad she is safe and cared for now.

Real estate is not just a job or career for me.  Sometimes it's all about the deal, but this is less and less common.  My clients are friends, and I always enjoy renewing friendships.  Finding a home can be a long process.  In that time we learn about each other, share our concerns and families, talk and meet often.  Once the home is found and purchased I like to stay in touch, but that can fade.  When I am called in to sell the gorgeous home they had enjoyed it is always bittersweet.  

Lately - most likely due to the length of time I've been in real estate (almost 18 years!) - I have had several of these sales.  Those 18 years mean that toddlers have grown up and gone to college, incredible careers have wound down, teenage children of clients have become adults and then parents.  But as the stages progress their needs change.  Some buy huge homes, others down-size or leave the state.  It's a joyful process mostly, but I find that when sellers leave homes they loved there is always a sadness.  The new place brings new challenges, new excitement.  

Homes are important to me.  I've had several in different cities, and I can't see myself moving out of this one in the near future.  As many of my sellers can't either....but then they do move.  So I will too, some day.  And every time I sell a home that meant so much to the owner, a bit of me goes with it.  

In the end, I am glad they have enjoyed their homes, loved the land, appreciated the seasons.  I know they will take the memories with them, too.

Open House Alert! 1789 East Lake Road - Skaneateles 13152

I love this photo!  It's so dramatic, evocative of this home and the 70 (possible) acres you can buy!
Please thank Gianna Giacondo for her photos as we go through the listing.

Open Sunday, May 6th, from 12:00 to 2:00.  Please come and bring your walking shoes so you can go down the lane or up into the hills for the best lake views.

The property is being offered in two ways:

1 - Main house, classic barn, newer pole barn and 20 acres for $419,000

2 - Main house, classic barn, pole barn, smaller house and 70 acres for $800,000

The property has been divided into five lots, but the seller wants only the two possibilities above to be played out.  He sees the value in the land, and would keep it if the entire acreage isn't sold.

The home is over 5000 square feet and basically divided into two parts.  The above is an attempt to show the size of the kitchen in the more modern part of the home.  Three sinks, long island, fireplace, hardwoods, a myriad of recessed lighting, and views of the lake.  But you really have to see it!

This is the original charming area - the living room (above), a front parlor, dining room and upstairs three bedrooms with a full bath.  And everywhere the views.  Savvy Staging is responsible for the added furniture, rugs and lighting that highlight the home's inherent elegance.

There's no way I can easily tell you about it all.  Really, come on Sunday, 12:00 to 2:00, or make a private appointment with your Realtor or me.  The MLS numbers are: S1110719 and S1110418.
It's located just south of Borodino on East Lake Road, Town of Spafford, but has a Skaneateles mailing address and the school district is also Skaneateles.

Skaneateles Real Estate - The Two Month Update Version

It's been slow, yes, except when homes go on the market and then they go very quickly.  My last blog was in March about 26 Griffin Street in Skaneateles.  We listed it on Friday, pictures were taken and inputted on Saturday, it appeared in the MLS on Sunday with a delayed showing date of Tuesday.  At the brokers' open I had buyers and agents clamoring to get in ahead of time.  By Wednesday evening we had three offers and had chosen one.  Phew!  That's fast!

Why?  The house was in great shape, the sellers had staged it themselves beautifully, agents had prepped their buyers to be ready for anything that came on the market in the Village, and the price was definitely right.  Badda-bing, bada-boom, as they say...

I also listed and sold another house in Westvale that went almost as readily.  It's not just Skaneateles.  Buyers are out there actively looking. 

Currently there are 34 active listings in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service.  Of these, 8 are in the Village and 8 are listed as waterfront.  Overall in the Skaneateles School District there are 44 active listings.  Town prices range from $100,000 to 3.9M;  Village prices go from $150,000 to 1.4M. 

The waterfront listings include three that are actually lake rights, not on the water, so really there are only 5 in this category.  I decided to look at the lake as a whole and found 19 listings (4 as lake rights) on the whole lake.  These include the towns of Skaneateles, Spafford, Homer, Sempronius, and Niles.  I think this makes more sense.  The lowest-priced true waterfront listings are in Niles; one is listed as $425,000 and my newly-reactivated Lakewood Lane is $450,000.

There have been 13 new listings since early March and 23 in the School District.  Fifteen listings are considered under contract.  Interestingly, only two of the waterfront (1 lake rights, 1 actual waterfront) are waiting to close.

BUT! There are 20 sold and closed single family properties as of this date.  In 2017 there were 26, and in 2016 the number was 38.  The latter was higher because at that time agents used Skaneateles generically, and included homes in Spafford and other towns in this category.  Overall though, we are a bit on the low side for closings.

It's not because of the homes, just the lack of them!  So please, if you are considering selling, there are buyers out there waiting breathlessly for your house to go on the market.

Stay tuned:  The First Twenty sold and closed homes blog will appear soon!  I promise!

New Village Listing - 26 Griffin Street

I've been in love with this home since the first time I saw it about four years ago.  The eventual buyers of it had searched with me almost every weekend for months to find a home in the area.  And then we did.  Lovely 26 Griffin came on the market and we were there!  They still had to fend off a multiple offer and sell their existing house.  I remember getting the call that they had won the bid.  It was incredibly exciting!

Now they are selling this home they worked on with joy and pride.  They are sad to leave it and would love to take it with them.  Unfortunately that is not possible.

These are some of my favorite photos....the home is rich with gorgeous hues, marvelous detail.  The seller tells me a story about someone who said "This house reaches out and hugs you!"

It's a Village home which means low Village electric bills, sewer and public water.  You can walk to Tops, the Post Office and all the shops and restaurants.  Once it gets warm, get an ice cream and wander down to the lake.  Walk a couple blocks over to the Creamery for their evening programs once a month.

Basics:  3-4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a 2-sided fireplace with one side in the kitchen and the other in the living room.  Other stuff that's important - new pex plumbing, low utilities, low taxes.  Those porches are divine!  The 4th bedroom could come by using the den in the rear of the home, combine it with the library and side porch plus the laundry/half bath and make an in-law suite, tucked away overlooking the fenced back yard.  Other things I love: the rear staircase, angles and nooks and crannies, charm!

There will be no open houses and there is no sign.  You can contact me or your agent to see it by appointment only starting tomorrow, Tuesday the 20th.  Gather your pennies - $379,000 - and make the call.  It is worth it, well worth it!  

For more photos, and a more objective description, please see the listing:  ML#S1104875.  

Skaneateles Real Estate - Not a Lot Happening Update

It's been about six weeks since the last update.  Frankly there hasn't been a lot going on in Skaneateles.  At first glance, that is.

Currently there are 17 - I have never, ever, seen it this low! - active single family listings in the Town of Skaneateles.  Three of these are in the Village, and four are considered waterfront.  Only one is new since the last report.  Looking at it from the Skaneateles Schools aspect which would include towns like Spafford and Owasco, there are 25 active listings.  Whoop-di-do!

We only have 9 homes under contract, waiting to close.

But then there are the sold and closed homes.  I thought I had read it wrong - 11 properties?  I went back and checked each and every one.  Yup - 11 in all since the beginning of the year.  Last year we had 10 by this time.  There were five in the Village last year and four this year.

So if you are thinking about listing, now is the time!  Your competition is low and certainly people are buying!  And oh yes - if you can't find the house of your dreams, please consider building.  I have 10 very beautiful lots left in Parcell Woods....all Skaneateles Schools and all over 2 acres.  Cable, gas and wonderful neighbors!  Town of Sennett - only four miles west of the Village.  Call soon - they are getting good looks from prospective buyers - and builders, too!

The Final 2017 Closings

Let's get this all done!

There were 9 final closed single family homes in the Skaneateles area but here are the final 10 to make sure I got them all.  The final number for the year was 109 sold and closed homes.


In the Village:


23 Onondaga Street         $120,000


110 Orchard                     $610,000


86 East Lake Road          $200,000


51 Fennell Street             $180,000




In the Town:


3817 Gully Road              $43,000


3083 East Lake Road       $2,550,000


1300 Hencoop                  $500,000


600 Irish Road                  $200,000


720 Crow Hill Road         $132,500


665 School Street             $127,200




On to a new year!

Skaneateles Historical Society Meeting

Last evening I attended the monthly meeting of the Skaneateles Historical Society.  The topic was about the renovations that created the Creamery as a home for the Historical Society.  Jorge Batlle gave the presentation which was concise and well-documented with photos he had taken over the years.

The building was, indeed, a creamery for years and years in the Village.  In the early 1900s it was the center for processing milk brought in by dozens of local farms.  In a day it could put out 575 lbs of butter, which seemed like a tremendous amount to me!  Jorge said a lot of the butter actually went to New York City.  (Today I know of trucks that do the daily run with milk tankers to the City.)  Several companies, including Borden, over the years owned the creamery until it stopped processing milk.

Jorge regaled us with a description of the building's floors being washed down, and the refuse allowed to drain into the creek, so much so that it actually turned white at times!

Bobbett Implement and Tractor Company bought the building and used it as storage from about the mid-50s on.  In 1990 when it was offered to the Village, a hardy group of volunteers and visionaries who kept the museum in rented space requested to "buy" the building by cleaning it up and refurbishing it to house the artifacts.  One of this group was Bob Eggleston, a local architect, who saw the potential in the "most derelict building in the Village" as it was described.  Together they all pitched in and the work was on!

They were smart about what they were doing.  They spoke with other museums and historical organizations about how to reclaim the building.  They saved bricks and re-used them.  They put in radiant heat.  They moved anything related to water to one side of the building so broken pipes would not affect the artifacts.  They painted in dark colors so the acquisitions would have center stage.  They made it handicapped accessible throughout the first floor.  A meeting room (see below) was planned to hold about 50 people.  In October of 1991 they opened it for a preliminary showing.  Over 800 people toured that week.

Although Jorge called up Beth Spain, his wife Beth Batlle, and Bob Eggleston at the end of his presentation for a well-earned round of applause, he emphasized that the Creamery was indeed a community project and owed a lot to all the citizens of Skaneateles and surrounding areas for their support.  It is truly a beautiful building that pays tribute to its own history.  Find it at the corner of Hannum and Kelley, just a block from the lake and The Sherwood Inn.

Please see the Creamery photos and learn about the Historical Society: http://SkaneatelesHistoricalSociety.org.


While I am sending you links....from yesterday's blog:
https://stageitwithLorrie.shutterfly.com

Open House Alert Update

First, Lorrie White, our stager extraordinaire, commented on the blog about 111 Shire Way:

How exciting!  Thank you very much, Meg, for so kindly mentioning me and my staging services in this fantastic blog post.  It was such a pleasure wrapping my creative arms around this fantastic listing.  It truly has so much to offer and the neighborhood is just lovely!  I now look forward to this home receiving a new family to love and enjoy it for many years to come.  The stage has been set and it's time to get this beauty SOLD..."Go Team"!!!

Second, I can report that there is an offer - now signed - on this home.  One of the groups that came through the first open when it was only 10 degrees outside returned with their agent.  We also had a second offer and the sellers have taken the first.

Now, be advised, it is a long way from receiving and accepting an offer to closing: 

• Attorneys review the actual wording and have three days after receipt of the purchase offer in which to do this. 
• Then inspections take place, usually within 5 to 10 days.  The major inspection is the home inspection which even in a newer house like this can take three hours. 
• A radon test is often ordered by the buyers even if the house has a working radon mitigation system.  Most tests take 48 hours - others can take a week from start to finish.
• A survey needs to be done.
• The abstract (the history of the house) needs to be updated.
• If the seller is getting a mortgage all that financial paperwork must be in to the company and checked. 
• An appraisal of the house is ordered. 
• Only when everything is in place do the attorneys schedule the closing.  Phew!

So thank you, Lorrie, for helping to get this ball rolling!

OPEN HOUSE ALERT! 111 Shire Way

This Sunday, January 21st, I will hold an open house at 111 Shire Way in Camillus, about 15 minutes from Syracuse.  Time: 12:00 to 2:00.  This will be the second open, and won't be found in the Post-Standard, but is online.  The first open was last Sunday - I came prepared with something to read, a lot of "Words with Friends" games to play....and then didn't have a minute to even put on my glasses!  It was lovely!  Despite the 10 degree weather, people were motivated to come out and see this home.

It had been on the market since October with some fits and starts due to the tenants.  I put it out there because of the mad rush for homes, and thought it would be much harder to show once they left in late December.  They were gracious enough to allow it, so I tried.  Not a good idea, as it turned out!

The house just didn't show or photograph well with people and a HUGE (but sweet) dog in attendance for every showing.  It needed work, too.  The sellers had been leasing it out for 5 years and while it garnered $2,000 per month in rent, it needed some "love," as they say.

We made a plan and were ready to go.  The tenants left earlier than expected so we put it all in gear.  The interior was painted (Bob Chestnut - Decorative Painting) a beautiful color as you will see from the photos below.  The rugs were chosen to compliment the walls, an 8-lb. pad was added and the home felt warm and cozy for the first time.  This was done under the supervision of Lorrie White (aka The Secret Weapon) who is the greatest cheerleader for this home.  She not only led the charge, she staged it beautifully.  Comments from last Sunday's open included "All you have to do is move in!"  "I saw it online before and wouldn't even look -"  The photos for the "new" look were taken professionally by Gianna Giocondo.

I am a believer now.  Lorrie leaves the curtains so when you walk in at closing the home retains that look.  She added beds to the three bedrooms to demonstrate how queen-sized beds fit.  The master is expanded and people liked her idea of a dressing area. The bathrooms are luxurious and colorful.

The basics:  1774sf in Westshire
                    HOA - plows. mows ands takes care of the green areas
                    $229,000
                    ML#S1093240

Come Sunday!  And as always please tell me you saw this blog!

Skaneateles Real Estate - The Much-Delayed Update

Oh my!  Has it been that long?  Since Thanksgiving?  I have no excuse, but here's a personal update of what has happened since then:

In early December Alex and I traveled to Austin to see his brother and stepmother.  His brother - Connor Barr - remember that name! - was starring in The Drowsy Chaperone for the final production of the University of Texas' musical theater program.  We had never seen him in a play so I was determined to get there.  And of course, he was amazing!  On to NYC next year!

We brought with us snow.  Actual white-out conditions.  Honest.  More snow on the ground there than there was here.  Then.

As soon as we returned home I was caught up in the whirlwind of the holidays.  I save shopping because it's fun in the snow.  I love to bake so I baked.  The kids came and we went skating in Clinton Square, opened presents and built a snowman.... seems like forever ago.

After they left the cold came in and brought a lot of nasty colds that turned to flu and were sprinkled with other flus that will not be named here.  But today we got the Fiat out of the ice, I am in the office (as the snow comes down), and I know it will be warm when I get home this evening.  So now I can think about blogging.

As you will see, not much has happened. 

There are currently only 21 (!) single family homes listed in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service.  If I look at the School District I see only 27 active listings.  The Village only has one home on the market!  There are 7 waterfront properties, however.

Since the 28th of November only 15 new listings have come on in the Town and only 4 more in the District.  Twelve are under contract - and only 5 were sold in these past 7 weeks.

To finish out 2017:  121 single family homes closed altogether.  Of these, 82 were in the Town and a whopping 39 were in the village.  Fourteen were considered waterfront.  The price range in the Town was $32,000 to 2.7 million.  In the Village the median was $335,000  and the range was $175,000 to 4 million.  Looking at waterfront through the District (including the Towns around the lake), the median was 1.4 million from 18 sales.  The total number of homes in the District that sold was 153.

The majority of the closed homes came from Spafford (24).  Sennett contributed 6, Owasco, Niles and Marcellus made up the other 7.

The new year has begun - we're halfway through January!  So far, there has not been a single closing.  I wonder what this year will bring?  I know my buyers are having difficulty finding homes and a couple are seriously looking at building instead.  Might actually be quicker in these strange times!

I hope your New Year is filled with promise!  Thanks for your patience!