Two Spring Glen Bungalows, $6,000 each

  |  September 1, 2011
Two Spring Glen Bungalows, $6,000 each
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Update: Word from the colony-dwellers, post-Irene. “I just got word that though Old 209 in Spring Glen now has some issues, our colony was not flooded and I think Spring Glen as a whole faired pretty well. We are still without power and we had a couple of downed trees, but not an abundance of water. Apparently there are some dry (and sunny) patches in this region.”

Folks have been writing to us pretty steadily, telling us about their lovely and undiscovered little upstate New York bungalow colonies–as our frequent readers know, a longstanding obsession of mine. Pretty soon, we’ll be having a listings feature on Upstater, where you can add your own properties for rent or sale. In the meantime, I thought these Spring Glen bungalows were worth a mention, entirely because of the pricetag: yep, six-thousand-bucks for a country house, perhaps the most affordable country house in upstate New York. The yearly fees come to less than $1,800.

Sadly, we don’t have pictures of the insides. These photos were sent by fellow colony-ers who are handling the sale for their former neighbors and have an interest in finding like-minded, community-oriented folk to inhabit them. The colony is called Sunrise Cottages (one we didn’t know about back when we made our initial list of rentable and buyable bungalows in colonies). It has 16 units altogether in Spring Glen, a small, rural town in the western part of Ulster County, which houses a bunch of other bungalow colonies, too. This one has a pool and four acres. On the jump, you’ll find a complete write up from the folks handling the sale; you can email them here if you’re interested in taking a look. I’m personally holding out for one of the larger colonies that has a day camp for the kiddos, but I’d love to hear if anyone goes to see these. Let us know.

From the colony-folk: The first unit stands alone and has no stairs. The screen porch is enormous  There is a large eat-in kitchen, a single full bathroom with shower & tub, an enormous closet and two large built-ins and a single large living/bedroom.  Formerly, the people had large card games and parties in the screen porch and had roll-aways in the kitchen and porch when needed.  The house comes with furniture, pots & pans, dishes and this unit was loved and well kept. Additionally, there is already a spot on the property adjacent to the house set aside for a shed.
The second has a few steps up to large screen porch.  You walk directly into the kitchen that has plenty of room for seating.  The bedroom is off to one side and a large full bathroom and closet to the other.  The wood panel walls were never painted or papered as most of us have done in other units, so it can be a bit jarring.  Nothing a good primer and can of paint couldn’t fix.  This unit is semi-attached on one side to another large unit.  It comes with a bedroom set and a few more pieces of furniture.  There is a semi-excavated basement with an oil heater (I can’t testify if it’s working).  This unit has the potential to be partially winterized as the neighboring unit has another well beneath the house.  I could discuss that further with someone if they so desire.
Both of the units were full time residences for 6 months of the years for FL snow birds up until a couple of years ago.  After decades in the community, both of the respective owners had a spouse fall ill and could no longer come up.  I have been in both of the units recently, though they both definitely could use some small repairs and updating, they’re biggest ill is some questionable dated taste and maybe a little muskiness.  You can do whatever you like with the house, and most have their own gardens around the house. Some people have purchased adjoining units and combined them. You just need to consult with the community if you are looking to expand beyond your footprint, people have added rooms, decks, screen porches, sheds and fire pits in the past.
The colony has 16 units total.  Most of the units have only had 1-3 owners as it has always been a fairly quiet and private community that sold between family and friends.  Now it is very diverse, a couple in their twenties, a couple in their early 60’s, a young family, a single guy, to give a few examples.  We have a common pool, casino, laundry shack and garage on a few acres.  There is a stream across the street that many people use as a watering hole.
We put in a new well-water chlorination system a couple years ago and put in a brand new hot water heater (after over 30 years) this year.  For the most part expenses stay stable at ~$1,800/year, which can be paid in 3 installments.  That includes taxes, electricity, water, maintenance, basic repairs, landscaping & garbage service.  The insurance is unsually around $150/year and many of us have additional insurance for the contents of our homes which is a couple hundred dollars. The price is firm at $6,000 each and if multiple offers come in we would probably accept the highest one.

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