The Second Twenty

Playing catch-up here....everything happened slowly and then exploded!  These sales go from April 19th to June 19th.

In the Village:

121 Jordan Street            $435,000

18 Goodspeed Place       $405,000

53 Onondaga                  $258,750

127 East Genesee St.      $256,900

80 West Elizabeth St.     $205,000

20 East Street                 $230,000

60 East Elizabeth           $235,000


In the Town

1034 Butters Farm Lane        $885,000

2605 East Lake Rd                $1,425,000

3221 East Lake Rd                $1,500,000

3064 East Lake Rd                $2,750,000

1340 Laxton Lane                  $550,000

3436 East Lake Road             $760,000

1661 New Seneca Tpke         $259,000

2428 West Lake Road           $259,900

3704 Fisher Road                  $279,900

4011 State Street Rd             $376,000

4920 Foster Road                  $238,000

3835 Sadler Road                 $245,000

4515 Jordan Road                 $32,000

Skaneateles Real Estate - The Rainy Day(s) Update

It has been wild, the last few weeks.  Except for the lots in Sennett on Calemad Drive - Skaneateles Schools! - my listings have sold or received offers and my buyers are (for the most part) settled.  I still need an adorable little (under 1600sf) home that needs very little work and lists for under $145,000.  Camillus preferred, but the market is so very strong there still that even though we get to houses the day they are listed, we have yet to find something.  There is little thinking time.

Rainy day - but better than the floods that have inundated the area.  The water came into camp on the 1st of July, but we mopped up - thank goodness we were there! - and went on with our weekend with the kids.  When we got up to the road we found everyone had been affected - not just older camps, like ours, but ones newly built.  The rain turned our hill into a river, bringing not just water but the proverbial flotsam and jetsam down into camps and front yards.  The lake has logs in it still; our docks are floating.

But in the midst of all the rain houses have been listed, sold and closed!  The last blog update was six-plus weeks ago.

Currently there are a measly 47 single family properties listed in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service.  Of these, 7 - only - are in the Village and 11 are considered waterfront.  (It is summer, a very good time to show and sell waterfront, after all!)  Fourteen are new listings, but in actuality only 10 are truly new.  Three are waterfront and only one is a Village home.

Under contract are 34 homes, just waiting to close!  Nine of those properties are new in the past 6 weeks - which isn't really a lot, but then there are very few to sell!

Here's where the action is - attorneys' offices!  Twenty-four homes (24!) have closed since the last update. That's HUGE!  We now have 58 sold and closed single family properties year-to-date.  And remember, there are 34 more going to attorneys.  Comparing the numbers to our past couple record years: 64 had closed by this time last year, and 56 in 2015.  That was a year - we ended up with 129 sold and closed homes.  We are right on track.

A couple other interesting facts have come out of this.  Going back and looking at the recent closings the median list price was $397,000.  The median list price for the whole year so far is $297,000, a significant difference.  It was truly a wild and prosperous time since the beginning of April for the sellers.  Let's hope the fall market does as well.

Skaneateles Real Estate - Heating Up!

Bittersweet Cottage - open this weekend, 9:00 to 4:00
2348 Brick Church Road - Weedsport

After the fourth soggiest May on record, it appears as if the market is taking off in Skaneateles. We've known that about the western suburbs, but Skaneateles still had a ways to go with about a six month supply of homes.  That has changed since the last update, a little over 3 weeks ago.

Currently there are 42 listings in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service, the lowest number of listings that I can remember.  Of these, 5 are in the Village and 12 are considered waterfront.  The median price is $415,000 - and that's high for all homes.  The lowest priced home in the Village is just under $400,000.  Again, quite high...but indicative of the historically low inventory.

Thirteen listings have come on the market in the past three weeks.  Only 6 are new.  One is a revised version of a listing, and the other 6 are re-lists, homes that haven't sold and are being refreshed.

Discussion is warranted here.  About a month ago the MLS notified everyone that changes were coming.  It has always been policy that listings must be displayed in the town in which the listing resides.  However, in order to get the listing seen by buyers, sometimes listing agents use a different town.  I've done that, most recently with 2474 Nunnery Road.  I listed it in Skaneateles because it is in the school district, has a 13152 address, and would not be seen as readily in Spafford. (Note: Realtor.com refers to Spafford as "Stafford," for whatever reason....sigh....)  I received a notification that I needed to change it to Spafford within a few days or be fined.  It was changed.  Other times I have done this for lakefront property.  I doubt out-of-staters search Sempronius for Skaneateles Lake listings!  Do you know where Sempronius is?  There's a lovely Berkshire Hathaway listing there now!  (S1053804)

The MLS is getting serious, however, and has stated it will REALLY fine everyone a lot of $$  and more rapidly.

This affects my statistics, going forth.  Monitor and adjust....I am adding a new category:  Skaneateles waterfront.  Although only 12 homes appear as waterfront under Skaneateles now,  there are actually 21 listed as waterfront irrespective of their Townships.  I think this will be more accurate. (I must note that it is interesting that 2 listings not in the Town of Skaneateles are still listed as such....so we are not 100% there yet with accuracy.)

Back to the update...

There are 47 properties in the under contract category.  WOW!  And 18 are new - almost one a day for the past three weeks! Four of these are Village homes.

Sold and closed?  Only 34 year-to-date, which is low...but with the backlog of under contract homes that number will soon be close to the past few years.  Nine of these closings are new, too.

Come see me on Sunday at 152 Greencastle Street - it's air conditioned!

ML#S1053924

Open House Alert! 152 Greencastle

I just love this drawing!  The artist sent this over yesterday and I keep going back to it, over and over. It captures the sweetness of the house, the charm of the area.

The home is 152 Greencastle in the Annesgrove community in Camillus.  It's a ranch with a partially finished basement.  The HOA maintains the green spaces and common areas, plows and mows for the residents.  The community was developed in the early 2000s and has grown up the hillside.  I've sold several homes in there, worked with a few couples to build, and leased this one out many times.  The owners now want to sell it.

I will hold it open on Sunday, June 18th from 12:00 to 2:00.  The price is $189,900.  Please come!
The MLS# is S1053924 to see more photos.

Over the years I've watched it change.  There are now pretty flowers in front, and a few years ago the owners put in an egress window (at a good cost) in the lower level (aka basement) so they could use it as a guest bedroom.  They had already carpeted it, and put in a second full bath.  Over the course of years the home had been rented while the owners went south to warmer climes and traveled the world.  Last year the downstairs was a child's play room and the smaller upstairs bedroom her nursery.

When Annesgrove first came into being I was smitten!  I was a new agent, and I brought my mother over with the thought that she could move in and be well-cared for in a smaller home, but still be able to walk her dog, Dulcinea.  She chose our home instead, but said she wished she had made the move to someplace like this ten years before after my father passed away.  It was the first time she'd ever said anything like that!  I think it paved the way for her eventual move, just seeing the possibilities.

We went out to California in the spring of 2003 when Alex was in Americorps in Sacramento.  Going up into the wine country, we stayed in Calistoga.  And there they were!  Homes and a village atmosphere, just like Annesgrove.

I will be sad to see this home sold, and I will certainly miss the owners.  I hope the new owners will love it too!

A Holiday from Real Estate

It's Memorial Day.  We walked Boss this morning in the misty rain and strong winds, then I settled into looking at new listings in the areas I follow.  There were 8.  That done, I started a wash, Bob went off to see a house that needs painting, and in the afternoon I plan to take Boss to Seneca Lake for a good walk in sunshine!   (I saw on my phone that it's expected to be there about 2:00 pm).

So it's time for a holiday.  Recently Bob has been on a roll with his choices for movies that we see through Netflix or Amazon on nights when we have no other plans.  If I choose, they are generally awful.  I fall asleep and he is left watching.  The past six times I have not only stayed awake, but felt totally encompassed by them.  Yes, there have been tears - but also laughter, and suspense.  I recommend these to you on a rainy Memorial Day!

Founder.  Michael Keaton as the founder of MacDonald's....what a great story!  I had no idea!

Hidden Figures.  We all "know" women can't do math....haha!  This is a great story of how - not so very long ago - women, especially women of color - were not allowed to be smart.  Thank goodness for their pursuit, and the people who believed in them!  Love the actresses, too!

The Prestige.  An older film (as in not recent - 2008?) about magicians and magic.  Hugh Jackman - how can it miss when he's not Wolverining?  Suspense, a period piece, and a mostly satisfying ending.

St. Ralph.  One of those grand stories that inspire me to get up the next day and do the impossible.

A Streetcat Named Bob.  My Bob had been waiting to see this, knowing that one day he would be able to talk me into taking a chance on it.  Such a good movie!  Probably my favorite of all these...have your handkerchief ready, please.  But worth it.

Bernie Madoff - the HBO film with Robert DeNiro.  Also Michelle Pfeiffer - she always looks gorgeous!  We love anything DeNiro, so it was an easy fit.  Expertly written, I think.  You think you know the story, but seeing it play out was riveting for me.


So thank you, Bob!  No pressure here on your next choice!

2474 Nunnery Road

This is the home in early spring.  

Summertime!

Late winter - with lake views from upstairs

These are photos to get you interested.  Please go to the listing S1035805 to see more pictures.

2474 Nunnery Road.....in Borodino which is about seven miles down East Lake Road, but in the Skaneateles School District and with a Skaneateles mailing address.  The price is $198,000.

Everyone who comes to the house expresses surprise and pleasure.  The house was superbly renovated in 2012, with a gorgeous kitchen, new bathrooms, beautiful hardwoods, and overall brightness.  Add to that a lovely well-lit pantry, sweet front porch, and a usable attic - a hidden treasure!  It's over 2000 square feet of living space with four bedrooms, two full baths upstairs and a half bath downstairs.  A fireplace is between the dining and living rooms.

The lake is also accessible.  Pull out your kayak, paddleboard or fishing boat and go about half a mile down Bockes Road to the Town of Spafford's launching site.  You are allowed as a resident!  And the property is L-shaped, so you actually have frontage on Bockes Road itself.  

Let's review:  renovated home for under $200,000, gorgeous interior space, Skaneateles School District which means those wonderful low taxes, access to the purest lake around, easy drive into the Village or into Syracuse.....

Come and buy it!

Skaneateles Real Estate - The Late Winter Early Summer Update

I always liked this picture of Otisco Lake.  It belongs with the listing I've had for Causeway Road over the years.  Causeway Road is going to close so by way of saying good-bye I thought I would open with this.

There are currently 50 listings in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service.  Of these, 8 are in the Village and 10 are considered waterfront.  They range in price from $50,000 to 4.3 million.....  Six are over one million and there are 6 listings under $200,000.  The median price is $370,000 overall, with $390,000 in the Village and 1.4M for waterfront.

Since I last wrote on April 20th there have been 14 new listings, 5 of which are actually re-lists.  I also ran across the fact that 8 of these are already under contract!

In the under contract status, there are 34 listings!  12 are from the Village, and 5 are waterfront.  The overall median is $339,000.  In the Village, however, the median is $429,000!  There were 24 listings placed under contract in the past month.  As I said in my last blog, we were busy!

Twenty-five homes have sold and closed so far this year.  Interestingly, the median price was under $300,000.  Even more interesting, the five new closures were all between $200,000 and $300,000.

In the past month the ten year anniversary of this blog went flying by.  Every day I would list the blog's anniversary post on my "to do" list, and every day it would be postponed.  Today I was determined to get a blog in.....and was foiled for a few hours by my new computer.  I love it, but I had grown accustomed to just finding my blog on it and going right in to write.  This time it took me to another page and frustration!  But I actually figured it out (after a bit of whining)..............

So please enjoy the blog as I have enjoyed writing it all these years.  We've both come a long way!