One of favorite blogs, Casa Cara, has a couple of cuties for sale, one near Accord and one in High Falls, two locations we heartily approve of. Cara’s Oldies but Cheapies are fixer-uppers under $130,000, waiting for a little love from new owners. “Both are 19th century farmhouses that have been degraded over the years (while their well-meaning owners thought they were improving, of course). Lots of brown paneling and linoleum. But there’s nothing easier or cheaper than ripping out paneling and linoleum (it’s what you may have to deal with underneath that’s the problem).” Check out her post for more info.

If you have been looking for that perfect move in ready modern weekend retreat, this may be it. Set on over 4 acres of wooded wonderland, this  home features high-end appliances in the open kitchen, an energy-efficient wood stove and a loft like grandiosity with repurposed steel beams from NYC, complimented by the 16 feet windows that allow all of nature to be your neighbors in this steel and glass tree house. It is hard to believe this home was built in 1994! There are over 2,000 square feet and 2 bedrooms/2 bathrooms. The listing has been on the market since 10/29/11.  For the full listing click here

Beds:2 Bed Baths:2 Bath House Size:2,133 Sq Ft Lot Size:4.30 Acres

High Falls may be small–population 600-ish–but it packs a lot of services, culture and good looking real estate into a tiny town. We stayed a few miles down the road recently and stocked up on provisions at the food co-op, which was so sweetly hippie-dippy that they had a free produce rack at the front for fruits and veggies on their last legs. Those free browning bananas went directly to my heart.

High Falls is also known for great restaurants, art galleries and gardening shops, and also has a beer brewing and tasting shop. Such businesses should give you a sense of folks who are drawn to the town–outdoors enthusiasts, latte-sippers, folks with second homes, artists, living amid the farmers. Make no mistake: it’s tiny, but cosmopolitan. It’s on my short list. Map on the jump. (more…)

Out of Town Townie's Antique Stop

My friends and I wandered into a High Falls shop called Dead Relatives this weekend–a vintage and antique place selling reasonably priced jadite bowls and such. We found the proprietress (an ex-Brooklynite who grew up on Bergen Street in a house her relatives paid under $20,000 for and is now worth $1.4 mill) being interviewed by a fellow blogger. Her blog, Out of Town Townie, chronicles vintage clothing spots, pottery stores, vineyards and antique shops in upstate New York, but it’s also about her shifting association with downstate versus upstate; the tagline is “Country girl in the city turned city girl in the country.” Seems like a great resource if you like drinking local vino and wearing grammy’s cast-offs.