Skaneateles Real Estate Update - The Holidays Edition

So it's been a while - specifically November 17th since I wrote an update.  The holidays - and all the preparation and recovery from the holidays - intervened.  Very little usually happens at this time of year. Houses that should close take forever to do so.  I had four December closings scheduled.  Two did close, but both were delayed a couple weeks and one was even cash!  Title issues abounded this past fall.  I don't know how properties got closed years ago, but they didn't seem to dot and cross their titles.  Check, check, check, if the attorneys will do the work ahead of time, because when everyone is ready finding issues two weeks before closing makes it tight.

There are currently only 84 active listings in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service.  Of these, 23 are in the Village and 12 are considered waterfront.  Seven new listings (as opposed to re-listings) came on between mid-November and today.  Two are in the Village and most are well under $260,000.

There are 18 properties with contracts, and I can only imagine that several have closed yesterday or are struggling to today.  Of these "under contract" homes, 6 were new, 2 are in the Village, and the vast majority that sold are over $200,000.

And now the great news!  We have 103 sold and closed single family homes year-to-date.  Wow!  Talk about a fast finish!  Sixteen closed (or were reported) in the past 6 weeks.  The top three were multi-million dollar homes and another two were well over $600,000.  The remainder were under 400K.  I will publish the information once I think the dust has settled and there are no more to report, most likely by the end of next week.

May the remaining holidays be bright, may the snow be always at your back, and remember:   "In the dark of December we are nearer to spring than we were in September."

Open House Alert! 4856 Onondaga Road

Please note the time:  1:00 to 2:30 on Sunday, December 14th

Also note the new price:  $104,900 (reduced by $8,000)

Look at all that gorgeous lawn that makes up a huge back yard!  Check out the gleaming almost new, hardly used, appliances.  This is a cape you can move right into and need to do very little.

I think of it as a ranch with a great attic, actually.  Two bedrooms on the first floor are both preferable to going upstairs because the full bath is on the main floor.  One is used now as laundry, but the laundry could go back into the basement.  That corner room could be a den, or office - the view is of the back yard and the floors are hardwood.

The basement is a walkout - you can see the door under the deck.  Ceilings are high enough to feel comfortable and both the electrical and plumbing have been updated.

The home is located on Onondaga Hill at the top of Seneca Turnpike.  This makes it easy to get into Syracuse or access I-81 by going through the Valley and up to Brighton Ave.  You could probably get to the airport in half an hour or less.  But if you only want Community General or OCC - walk!  Or walk over to Dunkin' Donuts (my favorite place) or Pita on the Hill.  Western Lights is a quick drive down Velasko Road.

So come and see what this home has to offer - as always, tell me you read about it here!  I love that!

New Listing - New Open House

I thought I'd grab your attention first with this photo of the pool....drink it in for a bit - could be yours by next summer.  I think of Christmas Vacation and Clark Griswold's belief that he will build this pool with his bonus...and the fantasy he has about it.

The property is in the Town of Sennett, on the eastern edge of Auburn: 16 Rockingham.  From there you can easily walk to Hoopes Park.  You also enjoy the lower Sennett taxes, but still retain the City of Auburn's amenities, like sewer, public water, and gas.

The home is a ranch, with a huge 3-car garage attached.  The pool is on the double lot side behind a privacy fence.  The whole yard is fairly private through, with mature evergreens lining the east side.

Inside you find a good-sized kitchen with eat-in space so you can look out onto the yard and the pool beyond.  The living room has a cathedral ceiling and windows across the front and on the side.  You also get to enjoy the gas fireplace, and a mounted television.  Down the hall are three bedrooms, a hall bath and master bath.

Downstairs is a whole other house, it feels like.  Again a large family area with another fireplace.  The second kitchen is below the first and opens to a room that would handle 20 guests (I may be exaggerating a bit, but maybe not) around a few tables for card-playing or just hanging out.  Add to that laundry and workshop areas, a room that you will need to find a use for, and another full bath!  So the almost 1800sf ranch has just expanded to an almost 3600sf home....or not!  It will be your home - and your pool!

I am going to hold it open Sunday, from 1:00 to 3:00.  There will be an ad in The Citizen and a sign at the corner of Rockingham and East Genesee.  Come take a look - though we won't have any swimming in the pool, I'm afraid.  But you can dream.....

For more photos:  ML#S323374 - and the price is $205,000.

The Fourth Twenty - sort of again!

Making up for the 19 closings we had last time, there are 21 here!

Because I haven't written this in a while, all of these listings were posted under the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service.  They are actually in different towns, or even counties, but because they have a connection with Skaneateles - school or lake - they are listed as Skaneateles.  Spafford is still Onondaga County, but Sennett and Niles are in Cayuga County.  A Village listing means sewer, public water, natural gas, Village electric and alas, Village taxes.

In no particular order, here they are:

2796 East Lake Road         Town of Skaneateles         $2,800,000

1549 Red Tail Lane            Town of Spafford               $580,000

2631 Rickard Road            Town of Spafford               $509,000

5 Onondaga Street              Village of Skaneateles         $425,000

935 Parker Lane                 Town of Skaneateles           $425,000

17 East Elizabeth Street       Village of Skaneateles          $293,550

2335 Bockes Road              Town of Spafford                $260,000

4699 Amerman Road           Town of Niles                      $225,000

3842 Highland Avenue          Town of Skaneateles           $250,000

1682 Amerman Road            Town of Niles                     $218,000

181 Hemlock Hollow            Town of Niles                      $190,000

18 Orchard Road                  Village of Skaneateles          $199,500

1907 Stump Road                 Town of Skaneateles            $194,000

43 Griffin Street                     Village of Skaneateles          $168,000

29 East Elizabeth Street         Village of Skaneateles           $185,000

3827 Clapp Road                  Town of Skaneateles             $48,000

1666 Buffs Bluff                     Town of Skaneateles            $380,000

40 Academy Street                 Village of Skaneateles          $340,000

5 East Street                            Village of Skaneateles          $315,000

4068 State Street Road           Town of Skaneateles            $322,000

1925 Amnaste Lane                 Town of Skaneateles            $315,000

Skaneateles Real Estate Update - Getting Colder

Not that our market is getting colder - just harder to get out and about.  The Buffalo area is under almost 6 feet of snow, as I write this, and we (so far) have very little.  But the cold is bone-chilling!

Currently there are 94 active listings in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service.  Of these, 23 are in the Village and 17 (brrrr...) are waterfront.  In the time period between the last update on October 23rd and now, there are have been 7 new listings.

Waiting to close with contracts written on them are 29 listings.  Of these, 8 are in the Village and 9 are waterfront - which makes sense - end of season, sold in the early fall....  Five are new contracts since the end of October.

Year-to-date there are 87 sold and closed properties!  Hooray!  Not phenomenal, but certainly we are closing in on the top years.  Eight are new, and they range in list price between $160,000 and $400,000. Two are Village and two are considered waterfront.

At this point it's a race to the finish.  An offer written today would most likely close after the new year.  But if all 29 properties that have contracts on them close - wow - almost a record breaking year!

So be the first to close in the new year - start us off right!

Open House Alert! - 4856 Onondaga Road

Yes - open Sunday from 12:00 to 2:00.  Please come!  ML#S322475

You can get there from Velasko Road off Seneca Turnpike in Onondaga Hill, under which it will be advertised in the Post-Standard.  Or come up South Ave or Seneca Turnpike out of Syrauce to that odd corner, and bear right past Bank of America.  The house is located next to the Middle School.

As I wrote in my last blog, it is immaculate and truly one of those rare homes where you can move right in. See if you agree - and the only way to do that is to come to the open house!!

New Listing - 4856 Onondaga Road

Every once in a while I run across a house that has been readied for sale from the first moment it was purchased.  In this case, the buyers a few years ago went through the house knowing that some day they would put it back on the market.  Until then, they wanted it in great shape and wanted the pleasure of having a "perfect" home.

To that end, they replaced all the appliances and even added a disposal and dishwasher.  They moved the new washer and dryer upstairs and created a virtual ranch.  The two bedrooms on the first floor became one plus the laundry, but they can go back to two now.  The upstairs of the cape was used as an attic - great storage space!  The deck had been reached through the garage, a couple steps down from the kitchen, then out the back door and up more steps.  A new door was put in in the kitchen so access to the deck was easy.  Great deck, too - views of the hills and nearer the deep back yard.

The mechanicals were updated and maintained in perfect condition.  The basement became just a basement although it is a walkout to that fantastic yard.

I go through homes with people who want ranches and they look at me oddly when I take them to a cape and say, "You know, the upstairs can just be for storage."  I honestly cannot work it out at times, especially when they see ranches and worry over lack of storage!

If you are in the market for first floor living, want to be close but not in Syracuse, near a library (Onondaga Free Library), a hospital (Community General) and schools (Onondaga Community College) and want to be able to walk to Dunkin' Donuts and a convenience store - try this home on for size.  Only $112,900.  With taxes, insurance, interest and principal you are most likely looking at payments of under $1,000 a month. You can change the color of the walls (oh yes, they also painted the interior.)  You can control the heat and air conditioning, which they have and for which they pay very little.

I will probably have it open on the 15th - but why wait?  Call my office at 685-4788, dial my extension of 637, and make an appointment today.  ML#S322475 for more info and more photos.