{"id":57702,"date":"2016-06-01T01:05:30","date_gmt":"2016-06-01T05:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/upstater.com\/?p=57702"},"modified":"2016-05-26T13:18:45","modified_gmt":"2016-05-26T17:18:45","slug":"great-setting-fresh-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/upstater.com\/great-setting-fresh-start\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Setting for a Fresh Start"},"content":{"rendered":"

A fresh start isn\u2019t necessarily what comes to mind when one thinks of the Westchester riverside village of Ossining. However, Ossining resident Gregory Perry might have something to say about that. Perry relocated there with his family for what could be considered the second act of his life, one that involves family, community, and creativity.<\/p>\n

Hailing from the Lake George area (the \u201creal upstate New York,\u201d he jokes), Perry graduated in 1992 from Pace University, focusing on economics and English. He went on to earn an MBA from Cornell University in 2002, after which he moved to Manhattan to work in investment banking. Before relocating with his wife, Kim, and their 10-year-old son Nicholas to Ossining in 2014, Perry was otherwise enjoying all of the perks of metropolitan living.<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciated the finer things,\u201d he says of his time in Manhattan. \u201cThe culture, the museums, the entertainment, and the arts.\u201d But then everything changed for Perry in a literal heartbeat: \u201cI had a heart attack back in January of 2010 and wound up in the hospital down in Brooklyn,\u201d he explains. \u201cI\u2019m totally fine now, but it was almost like a sign to me that said, you know, I should be doing something different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, Perry gave up his career in finance and became a photographer, specializing in portraiture.<\/a> Today, he spends his days taking photographs from his home studio, spending time with friends, and being involved at his son\u2019s school, Roosevelt Elementary School in Ossining. He is also a member of the Ossining Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n

After living in nearby Briarcliff Manor for over a decade, Perry and his family moved to Ossining for several reasons, the foremost among them being Ossining\u2019s tight-knit and diverse community. \u201cWhat was important to us was being involved in a community that was very community focused \u2026 but also has a high level of diversity, different backgrounds, careers, ethnicities, all that,\u201d he says. \u201cMy wife is Korean-American, so we are a biracial family to start with. We\u2019ve always been open-minded to lots of different types of friends, and this community really called out to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The affordability of housing stock within the Ossining zip code also called out to him. In 2014, Perry and his wife purchased a 1960s ranch house that he considers halfway between a fixer-upper and turnkey. \u201cIt needs a little bit of work on it but has good bones to it,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s got a good, wide-open entertaining space.\u201d It doesn\u2019t hurt that Perry is now paying less in taxes in Ossining than he was in Briarcliff Manor. \u201cI love Briarcliff Manor\u2014it\u2019s like a sister town of ours,\u201d he says. \u201cBut the amount of taxes that we paid for a quarter of an acre there\u2014I pay half the amount of taxes and I have 10 times the amount of land here. I got a lot more for my money.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the pace of Perry\u2019s life has slowed down over the past couple of years, he still enjoys heading out of Ossining to dine in Port Chester, sip craft beer at Peekskill Brewing Company<\/a>, and catch live entertainment at Tarrytown Music Hall<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m happy that there\u2019s starting to be more stuff here,\u201d he says. \u201cI don\u2019t go through withdrawals not being in the city every day. There\u2019s a lot to offer here in the community.”<\/p>\n

\n

\"FullAs a Hudson River town, Ossining has seen some dramatic real estate market changes. \u201cThe sales numbers have doubled since last year,\u201d notes Suzanne Welch, an associate real estate broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Westchester County. She says Ossining\u2019s single-family homes are up 12 percent from last year, with 24 homes having already sold this year to date compared to 18 for the same period last year. The average number of days a house spends on the market is significantly less, \u201cwith 215 days in 2015 and 133 so far this year. \u201cIt\u2019s quite telling and supports that the market is getting attention and is stronger,\u201d says Welch. Buyers, however, can still get an affordable home for less than $500,000.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s snapping up all those deals? \u201cPeople that are first-time buyers, people from down-county, as well as Brooklyn,\u201d says Welch. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen a lot of Brooklyn people come up here.\u201d But it isn\u2019t only the affordable home prices that are attracting buyers to Ossining. Newcomers are \u201clooking for diversity and multicultural areas\u2014Ossining has that,\u201d Welch says. It also helps that Ossining is the site of a multitude of express trains to Grand Central Station, making commuting about as easy as it gets.<\/p>\n

People like Ossining, says Welch, for its walkable village; riverfront location; outdoor amenities like Louis Engel Waterfront Park; historic architecture; and community bonds created by organizations like Grow Ossining, which aims to renovate the Olive Opera House on Central Avenue into a restaurant and performance space. Plus, says Welch, Ossining\u2019s Main Street, though small, has \u201csome neat niche stores and a handful of fun restaurants,\u201d as well as the Down to Earth Farmers Market.<\/p>\n

Families are flocking to Ossining for its highly rated public schools and science-based curriculum that includes a sixth-grade robotics program and a high school engineering course.<\/p>\n

Most home buyers are looking for turnkey properties and a no-fuss, no-muss move. \u201cThat\u2019s where sellers need to soften up because people don\u2019t have the time or the energy,\u201d says Welch. \u201cThey want to buy a home and move right in.\u201d Welch says her clients are a mix of second-home seekers and people looking to make Ossining their full-time address. \u201cThe people who are coming up here looking for second homes are looking more in the Teatown area, about a 10-minute drive north of Ossining,\u201d she says. \u201cMost people there are looking for more privacy, and a nice little second home only 40 minutes from Manhattan.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A fresh start isn\u2019t necessarily what comes to mind when one thinks of the Westchester riverside village of Ossining. However, Ossining resident Gregory Perry might have something to say about that. Perry relocated there with his family for what could be considered the second act of his life, one that involves family, community, and creativity. 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