Hello and welcome to Five Figure Fridays!  I’ll be your faithful correspondent from the bargain basement of upstate real estate.  We’ll cover anything that gets your price of admission down below 100 large: a big wooded lot with an Airstream, a 3-season cabin, an off-grid retreat, or any of a wide array of handyman specials.

To kick off this new column, we have not one but 5 properties – all available for five figures.  Depending on your financing, that’s less than $500 a month (plus taxes, insurance, maintenance, travel, etc. etc.).

Details and more pictures of each are after the jump.  From highest to lowest:

Wurtsboro 4BR - $99k

First up, a rare bird: an affordable, presentable house within the 2-hour “golden circle” of driving time from NYC.  Specifically, Google maps claims you’ll make it to this one in 1:53 from Park Slope (ahem).    Nice woodwork, a cute front porch, a stainless steel fridge and a remarkably peach-colored whirlpool bath!  Just $99k.

2 Cottages Arkville - 2BR/1BR - $95k

Next comes a 2-cottage property, one with 2BR and one with 1BR, plus garage.  Backs right up on a pretty steep rise, so it doesn’t look like there’s much yard, but the stone around the patio is awfully cute.  At $95k for both, you can share with a friend for only $47,500 each!

Woodbourne 3BR - $74k

The Craigslist ad for this 3BR in Woodbourne called it “Arts & Crafts,” which might be stretching a bit, but this is a cute as a button cottage with some original woodwork and a fireplace.   Grey wall-to-wall and a wonderful 70s tulip light fixture in the kitchen (don’t worry about the ceiling tiles falling down – that’ll fix right up).  $74k.

Pine Hill House and Barn/Garage - 3BR - $69k

Downtown in Pine Hill (the town the Trailways bus line is named after!) is a 3BR/2BA with a barn (workshop/2-car garage).  Commercial zoning means an artist/craftsman could swing a live/work situation.  The interior has gone crazy with paneling, which as a child of the 70s I appreciate.  Just $69k.

Smallwood "Handyman" - 3BR - $29k

Finally, the bargain of the week for those who don’t scare easy.  A seasonal Smallwood cabin which, to put it gently, has some needs.  It also has 3 bedrooms, a somewhat scenic creek, and an existing well – which could mean it’s winterizable.  The realtor assures us that “Seller will consider all offers!” and will offer a $1k bonus if it’s sold by the end of the year – which brings the total to (drumroll) $28,900!

After the jump: links and stats for each, plus a big gallery with a bunch more photos.  Happy bargain hunting.

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Update: We posted this property a couple of weeks ago, with a key misunderstanding.  Our Bethel correspondent corrected the original post, which made claim that this cottage had lake views and was waterfront. Not so, she says. “Its on the end of my block and no where near a lake (although its about 3 blocks from a pond!” Well, perhaps you could get it for even less?

This tidy waterfront cottage  is big for Smallwood. While the lot, like most in the private lake community, is only half an acre, the cottage packs in 4 bedrooms, plus an office, and 2 baths.

The house has been in the same family for over thirty years. It’s not “vintage Smallwood”—this one was built in 1972, which helps to explain its slightly bigger dimensions—but there are updates throughout: bamboo floors, new roof, Anderson windows, and a working fireplace. It’s zoned for residential (rather than just seasonal) usage and owners would have access to the Smallwood lake and pool . I think the bedroom count and the handicapped access make this one really feel multi-generational.

Catskill Castles  GMAP

Asking Price: $199,000
Square feet: 1234
Beds: 4
Baths: 2
Land: .500 acres
Distance to NYC: 124 miles; 2 hours, 3 minutes

This tidy waterfront cottage  is big for Smallwood. While the lot, like most in the private lake community, is only half an acre, the cottage packs in 4 bedrooms, plus an office, and 2 baths.

The house has been in the same family for over thirty years. It’s not “vintage Smallwood”—this one was built in 1972, which helps to explain its slightly bigger dimensions—but there are updates throughout: bamboo floors, new roof, Anderson windows, and a working fireplace. It’s zoned for residential (rather than just seasonal) usage and owners would have access to the Smallwood lake and pool . I think the bedroom count and the handicapped access make this one really feel multi-generational.

Catskill Castles  GMAP

Asking Price: $199,000
Square feet: 1234
Beds: 4
Baths: 2
Land: .500 acres
Distance to NYC: 124 miles; 2 hours, 3 minutes

In response to our piece about Bethel earlier this week, Sullivan County buyers’ agent and blogger David Knudsen posted a detailed comment about the ins and outs of Smallwood, a Bethel hamlet and private lake community. David’s comment anticipates a lot of the questions a city buyer might have about Smallwood’s range of prices and seasonal vs. year-round housing, so we thought it worth highlighting:

We really appreciated David’s inside take, so we gave him a call to get more Smallwood info. (more…)

Taken out of context, I wouldn’t have guessed that this two bedroom log cabin in Bethel’s Smallwood community was built in 1936.  Given the size I might have thought “house trailer,” but like many of the homes in this Sullivan County lakeside hamlet, this little guy has some cute period details.  The stone fireplace is original and there’s a stone basement as well. The fenced-in lot is small and only semi-private, like most of the tiny lots in Smallwood, though it does claim a free-standing gazebo. There are two screened-in summer porches, including one off the back that looks spacious enough for snoring guests. Love the striped shutters!

The cottage is currently used for three seasons, so it would need to be winterized for year-round use. Some homes in Smallwood only have running water from October through April, but this house has its own well, which means all year water access.

The $90,000 asking price puts at the high-end of the middle range for Smallwood. You can pay less for a bungalow that would need more work or find something above $100,000 that’s fully updated and winterized. This cabin is in move-in condition, but I can also imagine doing an update and some decorating that would play up the 1930s bungalow vibe. Goodbye poker-playing puppies, hello waterfall furniture and lucite bowls?

Smallwood Cabin (Baer & McIntosh Real Estate) GMAP

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