Wordless Wednesday-Something Cheery after a wet cold windy day in Red Hook NY I don't know about you but any day the sun fails to show it's face is  truly a down day. Add cold wet and windy and I feel like I should go back to bed. Today was that type of a day but I had no time to let the day get me down as I had an appointment with a potential seller at 8:00 AM. So, off I went. It was wonderful getting back to the comfort of my office from which I could watch the trees sway and the raindrops hit the window.  I'm glad my office is a cheery yellow. When the sun goes missing I think of colors. Therefore, these photos  caught my fancy today.     Jennifer Fivelsdal - JFIVE HOMES REALTY LLC - 845-758-6842- jennifer@jfivehomes.com  www.jfivehomes.com  or www.midhudsonhomevalue.com   Flickr | F... 12/01/2010

  Friday Foto-Letting go off my leaves is so hard to do   You would think all the leave would be off the trees by now, I mean here in the Northeast.  That is not the case; just the other day I saw this tree which really stood out because it was covered with bright yellow leaves while the others trees with the exception of the evergreens laid bare. Jennifer Fivelsdal - JFIVE HOMES REALTY LLC - 845-758-6842- jennifer@jfivehomes.com  www.jfivehomes.com  or www.midhudsonhomevalue.com   Flickr | Facebook | Linked-in |Twitter |subscribe to Blog    Copyright © by Jennifer Fivelsdal, all rights reserved-Fhoto Friday-Letting go off my leaves is so hard to do 11/26/2010

 If I had $220 in savings on ink  I would donate the money to the food pantry of The Dutchess County Community Action Agency This has been a difficult year for many families; some lost their jobs, maybe even their home which meant that there was less money to put food on the table. In the Mid Hudson Valley many worked in the construction trade, but, since new construction is now almost nonexistent many have been out of work.  It is not just the construction workers but all the other small businesses these workers supported that have also struggled or gone out of business. Throughout the year I have heard of food pantries going bare in many parts of the country. Here many who are concerned about their neighbors have participated by supporting food drives.  However, this is going to be an... 11/23/2010

Red Hook NY Winter Market is back! Over the the last two years the Red Hook Community has operated a very successful Winter Market.  It was so successful that several surrounding towns will now be holding their own events. I personally knew what a hit this event was because of the inquiries I received from other communities wanting to know how they could get a Winter Market started. If you are not familar with the Winter Market I guess I should tell you what it is. This market was started mainly to support the local farms and I must say we are fortunate to be able to get locally grown vegetables, fruits and meats. Are there other products sold besides fresh produce and meats? Yes there are;  you could purchase wool, specialty bags, specialty cheeses, wine, jams, homemade desserts, pasta... 11/19/2010

In Red Hook New York during the month of October there were 3 homes sold according to the data from the Mid Hudson Multiple listing Services; 4 less sales than last year as shown in the real estate market report for October 2009.  The sale price ranged from $185,000-$309,000. Good to see some movement in the high end portion of the market; there is a property listed at over 1.6 million dollars with an offer and another over 3 million dollars in contract. The overall inventory level in Red Hook is still high, however, I see some sellers are making price reductions and with low interest rates there are opportunities to purchase a home that you might not have been able to purchase just a few years ago. Below you will find the breakdown of the market report for October 2010.  OCTOBER 2010 M... 11/16/2010

  Oh, no. I forgot the flour! Just another day in the life of a real estate agent Last night, I planned to make brownies for my open house today.  This did not happen as I insteaddecided to take a short nap and did not wake up. My schedule today was tight; a trip to the dentist first thing in the morning.  Then, just enough time to get done all of the things I should have addressed last night and of course to make the brownies.  However, the phone kept ringing and I felt obligated to answer. I cracked a few eggs, added some sugar and creamed the mixture, melted chocolate and butter.  Next, I need to add that chocolate to the egg mixture, but, the phone rang again and I just had to answer it.  After a somewhat lengthy conversation I thought the mixture was ready for the oven.  Thirty min... 11/10/2010

Okay, the fall foliage is now history. So, you think you can kick back and relax?  Not a chance, here comes the fall cleanup. If you have lots of trees then this time of year could be hard work.  So, how do get rid of the leaves? Maybe run over them with a mower Rake Hope wind the will blow them away Or maybe just ignore them In my case, I do a lot of raking.  Besides getting the leaves up, this gives me a chance to see what is going on with the lawn. So, I have the leaves all raked up. How do I get rid of them now?  If you live in the village, the village trucks will come by and suck the leaves up; the rest of us are on our own. Over the years I have tried many different type of contraptions to pull the leaves into the woods.  Over the last two seasons, I decided a garbage can worked b... 11/03/2010

  The Red Hook Senior Services Committee is sponsoring a medicare session on November 16th at the Red Hook Town Hall. This session is very timely since it is getting close to when seniors have to take a look at their present coverage. Nina Lynch, an Informational Specialist from the Dutchess County office for the Aging will be the presenter. The audience for this event are seniors presently enrolled in the medicare program. So is this event just for the residents of Red Hook? No, seniors from surrounding towns are welcome. What will this presentation cover? It will explain medicare, that is, what it is, what it covers and current changes.  When:  November 16th                              Time   6:30 PM -8:00 PM Where: Red Hook Town Hall              7340 South Broadway            Red ... 11/02/2010

Flatiron restaurant is located right in the heart of the village of Red Hook NY at the intersection of Market Street and Broadway, the location of what was once the only traffic light in town. Location is extremely important for any business and in the case of Flatiron the location is very visible.  The restaurant is the conception of chef Craig Stafford and his wife Jessica Stingo; both gained culinary experience from their days in the restaurant business in New York City.  They decided on relocating to the bucolic Mid Hudson Valley and opened Flatiron in 2008. Why Flatiron?  I suppose, because they originally worked in the Flatiron district in New York.   Their signature dish is also the Flatiron steak. In this area we have many farms, so, it is possible to get locally grown organic m... 10/21/2010

Red Hook New York  Real Estate Market Report for September  2010  During September there were 13 new properties added to the inventory ranging from 262,500-$1,250,000. At the end of the month there was 1 house on Woods Road listed for $3,100,000 with an offer. There were 2 homes in contract in the $100,000-$300,000 price range. September saw 7 sales in the town of Red Hook ranging from $160,000-$792,000. The total inventory of homes in Red Hook at this time is 87 single family homes with a price range of $154,975-$2,300,000. In September 2009 there were 2 sales in the town of Red Hook and 1 in the village. Single family detached homes in Red Hook NY during September 2010   Active  13 Offer  1 Average List  $513,992 Average List  $3.100.000 Average DOM  21 Average DOM  88 Average SQFT  ... 10/11/2010

Will you be part of the Red Hook 10% Challenge on 10-10? A few days ago I ran into Sue Crane, the Red Hook NY Town Supervisor, at the Business Expo at Bard College.  Sue was enthusiastic about getting residents to sign up for the 10% challenge. What is this challenge anyway? This is how it is defined on the website:  It is a call to reduce our town's energy use by ten percent over the next year and to get 10% of our co-workers, citizens, or social network involved. Here are 10 ways you can get involved: Compost it Walk it off Lead the way Efficiency measures Changing Transportation Ramp up Recycling Grow it Reuse it Shop Locally Discover Renewables Kickoff tomorrow will be at the Linden Ave School.   The event will run from 10AM-4PM To see a complete  list of events go to  Red Hook Chal... 10/09/2010

Hardscrabble Day is one of Red Hook's Yearly Fun Days Picture this,  you are walking down the main street in the Village of Red Hook, you hear music and the smell of kettle corn and hot dogs is in the air.  You look around and there are all types of vendors lining both sides of the street.  The regular merchants have brought their wares out in front of their stores. Oh look! there are horses and goats and children with painted faces displaying big grins. All heads suddenly turn. What was that big bang?  It is another historical reenactment of times past.   Look! I see someone weaving and some children have gathered around. They are  fascinated by this craft. Everyone seem to have a sunny disposition eating and shopping while children listen to story time. There's a great band playing, a... 09/20/2010

Is your library relevant in this technology crazy world? Red Hook is Today because most people have access to the Internet many feel libraries are not that relevant anymore, but I disagree.  Libraries are an important asset to a community. To prove my point I will show you what Red Hook Library in Red Hook NY means to the community. At the library there are many programs available and here are just a few: Book Club Knitting Club Whether you are taking the GED, SAT, Civil Service exam or graduate exams did you know if you are a member of the library there are practice exams available on-line that you can access as long as you have a library card? Looking for a job? If you are not I am sure you know someone who is.  The Red Hook Library has tools to help make the job search more productiv... 09/18/2010

 Red Hook New York Real Estate Market Report for August 2010                                                          During August the new listings to the market in Red Hook ranged from $210,000-$2,300,000.  Of the 4 homes sold, prices ranged from $118,000-$322,900.  The house for $118,000 on Spring Lake Road was a bank owned property. As you can see, the properties being sold in Red Hook NY are below $400,000. This means that sellers in the higher price ranges will have to be more creative in their marketing.  I recently asked the question "What does the end of summer mean to you?" In that blog I outlined some things sellers might do if they want to sell before year-end.                                                                                                   A home on the mar... 09/10/2010

I took labor Day literally and although it was a bad allergy day, I grabbed my hedge trimmer, rakes and other outdoor tools and went to work. After hours of trimming, mowing, and raking it was time to pull the debris into the woods.  I grabbed the wheel barrow and headed down the hill towards the woods.  The path to my compost heap was a bit overgrown and the needles on some of this branches made me stop and pulled out a trimmer to clear the path.  While doing that I ran across this white caterpillar, so of course I ran back to the house for the camera. He seemed so confident and I think he said to the leaves Aha! I took a bite out of you. I guess it was a labor day for him too. www.jfivehomes.com  or www.midhudsonhomevalue.com   Flickr | Facebook | Linked-in |Twitter |subscribe to Blo... 09/08/2010

Art Studio Views In Northern Dutchess NY It is still not too late to take the self guided art studio views tour in Northern Dutchess NY.  Today the weather here was beautiful so I am sure many made use of this opportunity to look at the work of the various artists in the region.  I suspect artists are attracted to this area because of the beautiful surroundings.  Some of these artists might have also taken advantage of programs offered at Bard College since it is well known for arts education. Viewing starts on Sunday at 11:00AM-5:00PM and this is free to the public. You can download the Art Studio brochure which will provide information on the artists as well as their locations.  Speaking of location, the tour extends from Tivoli to Hyde Park. So, after downloading the brochure you can... 09/04/2010

It is not uncommon to see wild turkeys in the Mid-Hudson Valley.  I have had several occasions where I had to stop to allow them to cross the road.  Have you ever encountered a flying turkey? What an awkward sight,  I thought that at any minute it was going to make contact with my car and I ducked. Not a great reaction when driving. There is actually a turkey hunting season to help mange the population.  Once I had a listing of a large parcel of land and while I was walking it with a potential buyer I came across several camouflaged hunters who really scared me. What if I had been mistaken for a turkey? Not a pleasant thought. A month ago I saw a large flock of turkey and there were about 24 babies, I thought this might be a great photo opportunity. The mother noticed me and began to fr... 08/22/2010

O'Leary's a new restaurant in Red Hook NY A  few weeks ago we decided to try the newest restaurant in Red Hook, O'Leary's.  For several months we had watched the renovation.  This building had been home to several restaurants over the years.  When we stepped inside O'Leary's there was no reminder of the past.  The transformation was terrific. I found myself thinking, "I never thought the place had this potential." We were greeted by a friendly and efficient staff.  Our table was beside an old fireplace and Deanna was our waitress for the night. The menu offered a nice variety of pasta, steak and seafood dishes.  Since there were three of us dining we tried something from each category. The service provided by the staff, as well as the appealing decor and the delicious food made our expe... 08/16/2010

 Speechless Sunday-Dusk at Poet's Walk in Red Hook NY Yesterday the weather was great, so after dining we decided to go for a walk at nearby Poet's Walk.  On the trails we saw may who had similar ideas. Poet's Walk is one of the many parks along the Hudson River operated by Scenic Hudson.  This is a park where your appreciation for the natural environment can grow.  A place where you will never grow tired of taking photographs. We enjoyed the walk and loved seeing the Kingston Rhinecliff Bridge, the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains at dusk. It would have been great to just forget about time however the park closes promptly at 8:30 and your car would be locked in.  You should see everyone hurrying back along the trail hoping to make it before 8:30.  We did, and then decided to go to t... 08/15/2010

                                                                         Red Hook New York Real Estate Market Report for July 2010                                                           July was a bit of a slow month in the real estate market in Dutchess County and the Red Hook area was no exception. During July the new listings to the market ranged from $179,900-$3,100,000 and of the 4 homes sold, price ranged from $152,00-$310,000.  Below you will find more detail information about the market.    Single family detached homes in Red Hook NY during July 2010   Active  14 Offer  2 Average List  $613,894 Average List  $349,500 Average DOM  23 Average DOM  152 Average SQFT  2368 Average SQFT  2130 Average $/SQFT  $259 Average $/SQFT  $164                   Offer CS  3 Contract  1 Averag... 08/14/2010