THIS MONTH’S FEATURED REAL ESTATE ARTICLE

Many thanks to all of those who have shared their experience with dirt roads for this article including real estate agents, people who live on dirt roads, highway superintendents, town supervisors, first selectmen, and scientists. As usual, what I thought might be a clear conclusion about the impact of a dirt roads on real estate values, turned out to be more complex and interesting.

In the beginning

There were paved roads 4,000 years ago when stone-cutting tools were invented. As early impressive example is the 31-mile road […]

I thought some guidelines existed to estimate the dollar value of wetland properties when I began to research the impact of swampy land on real estate values for this April’s environmental issue. After talking to assessors, buyers of wetlands, owners of wetlands, environmental regulators, appraisers, land trusts, and realtors in Columbia, Dutchess, and Litchfield counties, I discovered that nothing is simple or consistent when it comes to wetlands – except their importance.

What are wetlands?

Wetlands are not exactly like pornography. You don’t necessarily know it when […]

The real estate market isn’t the only home-related business that is currently exploding. With the pet industry nearing 50 billion dollars, homeowners are always looking for a way to make their pets more comfortable. For their part, dog owners are willing to go the extra mile to protect man’s best friend from the backyard’s outdoor elements. As a result, the market for expertly-crafted dog houses continues to increase with each passing year and in rural areas demand is on the rise. For the building-inclined, dog […]

Tudor Revival-style houses capture the imagination. They are dramatic whether it’s a Snow White cottage, or Jay Gatsby’s mansion. These picturesque buildings with a distinctive architectural style stand out amongst the colonial, federal, Victorian, split levels, and farmhouses that crowd our region’s villages and roads. “Tudor” commands our attention and for this Main Street issue we look at the origins and characteristics of this unique architectural style.

The Tudor reign

Why did “Tudor” houses, based on a very American idea of English country life, become the preferred […]

Real estate buyers frequently tell me that the house that fits their every need is “just too close to the road, too noisy, not private.” In Main Street’s May 2017 issue, I asked other realtors about the “road” discount on a home’s price. Experienced brokers estimated a discount between 5% to 30% with double the time on the market. Road proximity can be particularly true of antique houses which were purposely built close to the road for easy access. This made me wonder why more […]