Creekside Bungalow with Two Studios, $229,000

  |  June 23, 2011

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I could almost get excited about this house for sale in Boiceville, N.Y. First, I’m crazy for bungalows. Second: waterfront property in the Catksills (okay, yeah, the water is a creek, but that’s good enough for me!). Third: two studios with electricity, for novel-writing and for stashing visitors! Plus, a wrap-around screened in porch big enough for a ping-pong table! My beef with upstate listings, as opposed to NYC listings, is that they rarely include floorplans or maps, two things that would greatly influence whether or not I want to go the next step and actually make the schlep to see this place.

I talked to some folks at FreeStyle Realty, based in Phoenicia, N.Y., who pointed out many of the property’s attributes: it’s had only two owners, and much of the original furniture remains in the house and will be for sale–separately–as well. It has a two-car garage and three-and-a-half acres of property. It has a stone fireplace and sits 1/10 of a mile from tennis courts, also plusses.The listing has few interior pictures, which raises my suspicion, and the word “charming” can mean “needs renovation” in real estate speak. The MLS listing notes the condition of the place as “very good,” so nothing structural, but we can assume the kitchen is vintage–and not necessarily in a cute, kitchy way.

A minus: The road that runs along the Esopus Creek is Route 28, a highway that cuts west from the Interstate deep into the western Catskills. The broker says a row of trees separates the property from the road, and you can’t see the property from the street, so that’s good. Another minus: the one bathroom… although perhaps one of those studios could be turned into a freestanding bathroom!

So what’s the vote, folks? Is this one worth a look? At current mortgage rates, with 10% down, that’s about $1400 a month with taxes, an amount that might be recoup-able with weekly rentals.


Enchanted Getaway on the Creek GMAP
Asking Price: $229,000
Square feet: 1466
Beds: 3
Baths: 1
Land: 3.5 acres
Distance to NYC: 115 miles; 2 hours, 15 minutes
Transportation: Bus to Phoenicia

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