This turkey has been hanging around the woods of my yard for the past few weeks.  The other day I just happened to catch that she was standing in the woods when I saw the movement.  When she wasn't moving you would never have even noticed she was there because she blended in so well with her surroundings from far away. I grabbed the camera to get a shot; she stopped moving and for a minute I almost couldn't find her through the lens because she was hundreds of feet away and because she did blend so well.  If you are looking for a Realtor who stands out in her field and never looks to blend in I hope you will give me a call to help you with your Real Estate needs! 06/07/2013

In May Governor Cuomo introduced a game-changing plan -- Tax-Free NY -- that would revitalize our upstate economies by transforming our university centers into magnets for new businesses, start-ups and investment. This innovative plan is drawing statewide support from business leaders (click here to view) and local officials (click here to view). Additionally, newspapers across the state have praised the creative plan to boost the upstate economy: "Cuomo's tax-free zone can create needed jobs here," said the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, calling it a "huge boost for upstate." “Gov. Andrew Cuomo has come up with a creative and potentially game-changing partnership between the public and private sectors” to revitalize upstate New York’s ailing economy, said the New York Observer. “It’s ... 06/04/2013

In April Governor Cuomo announced federal approval of New York State's recovery action plan to help homeowners and businesses affected by Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.  This recovery action plan is supported with $1.7 billion in HUD CDBG-DR funds. After the Lee/Irene Declaration the State announced a federally supported mitigation program.  Affected counties and communities were given 3 opportunities to provide a letter of intent in 3 phases with the last one due on June 30, 2012.  These Letters of Intent delineated specific mitigation factors for the affected communities including buyouts. The 17 counties included are Albany, Broome, Chenango, Clinton, Delaware, Essex, Greene, Montgomery, Orange, Otsego, Rockland, Schenectady, Schoharie, Suffolk, Tioga, Ulst... 05/20/2013

Photos by Debra Walsh, Copyright © 2013 Debra Walsh. All Rights Reserved. These photos may not be reproduced, used or transmitted without the express, written permission of Debra Walsh of Keller Williams Realty in Highland Mills, New York. If you would like to use an image please contact me directly. Thank you for not plagiarizing.   05/07/2013

The Hudson Valley Renegades are a minor league baseball team that play at Dutchess Stadium in Wappinger Falls, NY which is in Dutchess County, NY.  The team is a member of the NY - Penn League which is a Class A Short Season League.  The team is affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays and moved to the Hudson Valley in 1994.  This is the perfect family activity.  In Dutchess Stadium every seat is an excellent seat to watch the game.  Season Tickets are extremely affordable and they have different "outing" nights.  Get your tickets today! 04/29/2013

Photos by Debra Walsh, Copyright © 2013 Debra Walsh. All Rights Reserved. These photos may not be reproduced, used or transmitted without the express, written permission of Debra Walsh of Keller Williams Realty in Highland Mills, New York. If you would like to use an image please contact me directly. Thank you for not plagiarizing. 04/28/2013

Last week I stopped by High Point State Park in New Jersey which is just over the Orange County, NY border.  High Point in Sussex County, NJ is the highest elevation in the state of New Jersey with a height of 1803 feet at its peak in the Kittatinny Mountains. There is a monument at the peak named for the park which can be seen for miles around.  It is a 220 foot obelisk that was built in 1930 as a monument to the war heroes of New Jersey.  When at the top of this very scenic peak and monument site you can see New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Entry fees are charged to the park from Memorial Day through Labor Day each year by the carload.  The land for this particular park was donated by Anthony and Susie Dryden Kuser of Bernardsville, NJ and was dedicated as a park in 1923.  The m... 04/24/2013

The other day I was on my way to a listing appointment when I went around a bend and saw a horse in the road.  The car that was ahead of me just swerved around the horse and kept going as if it were a deer.  This was definitely the last thing I ever expected to see in the road at this point in my day.  I pulled off the road and ran to the only house in that area and couldn't find anyone.  By the time I came back the horse had wandered further down the road and was now grazing on the side instead of still being in the middle thank goodness. I called to him/her and she came at me at a run.  aarrgghhh!  Now what?  What if she/he didn't stop?  Luckily there were no cars coming in either direction so I held my breath and just planted myself right in the horse's path and the horse stopped rig... 04/22/2013

  Photos by Debra Walsh, Copyright © 2013 Debra Walsh. All Rights Reserved. These photos may not be reproduced, used or transmitted without the express, written permission of Debra Walsh of Keller Williams Realty in Highland Mills, New York. If you would like to use an image please contact me directly. Thank you for not plagiarizing. 04/13/2013

Last week I sat in on the weekly Keller Williams webinar with Market Leader and was not surprised to hear that our own Bob Stewart was the guest speaker as he is periodically.  He was going over the analytics of our Keller William's websites; as I do sometimes I was multi-tasking while I listened.  Five minutes into the webinar he had my full attention.  He was discussing how to track how much activity our ads get, where our leads come from and so on.  I use these analytics regularly so I was not new to this but then he got even deeper into what our analytics can do for us.  As I pulled up information along with him I was shocked at where the majority of the clicks were coming from that brought people to my website.  Yes, you guessed it - Active Rain.  Now as for the reason I was shocke... 04/04/2013

This year’s budget agreement is good news for New York’s students. By funding key education reforms the 2013-14 budget ensures that New York State continues to lead the nation by creating a world-class education system that prepares students for the future. This year’s budget includes an increase of nearly $1 billion in education aid that continues to hold schools accountable for student achievement. Education reforms in the budget include: Full day pre-k: Recognizing that quality early education is critical for long-term success and that children who attend full-day pre-k often outperform their peers, the budget provides funding for full-day pre-k targeted toward higher need students. Extended School Day and School Year Programs: Our country lags behind in terms of how much time is spe... 04/02/2013

With a hip and a hop, kids don't want the Easter fun to ever stop! Finding the brightly colored Easter eggs carefully hidden and lain and eating all of the Easter goodies that Grandma has made! Wishing you, your family and friends a wonderfully fun and relaxing day!     03/30/2013

  Photos by Debra Walsh, Copyright © 2013 Debra Walsh. All Rights Reserved. These photos may not be reproduced, used or transmitted without the express, written permission of Debra Walsh of Keller Williams Realty in Highland Mills, NY. If you would like to use an image please contact me directly. Thank you for not plagiarizing. 03/19/2013

New York is one of the most beautiful states in the nation – from the mighty Niagara Falls to the Adirondacks, and everything in between.  New York's 178 state parks offer countless opportunities to explore your natural environment and experience exciting new adventures. As soon as the weather warms up, many will be planning a trip to one of New York’s stunning state parks. Imagine pitching a tent near well known Lake George or one of the state’s many other lakes or rivers, waking up surrounded by the magnificence of the woods, bicycling through the mountains, or cooking breakfast in a cabin overlooking the "Grand Canyon of the East." We are among the many lucky New Yorkers with spectacular scenery in our own backyard – the Catskills, which offers 8 different campgrounds that open to th... 03/18/2013

Yesterday, Governor Cuomo signed the NY SAFE (Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement) Act – groundbreaking legislation that will put in place the toughest gun laws in the nation to better protect residents from senseless gun violence, while respecting the rights of legal gun owners and sportsmen. The NY SAFE Act includes provisions to: Ban the sale of assault weapons Require mental health professionals to report to local mental health officials when they believe a patient is likely to engage in behavior that is dangerous to themselves or others Make New York the first state in the nation to ban any magazine that can hold more than seven rounds and run instant background checks on all ammunition purchases at the time of sale Track ammunition sales in real time to alert law enforcemen... 01/15/2013

Many times buyers will turn away from a home simply because the heating oil tank is underground.  They don't want the worry of whether or not it is leaking or will leak in the future.  But what if this home is your dream home or meets all of your criteria in what you are looking for in a home?  In the grand scheme of things oil tanks can be tested,,removed and/or replaced relatively inexpensively.  It should always be handled by a professional.  Tank management companies ensure that everything is properly handled and that there will be minimal risk to the environment should they discover any type of oil leakage.  Underground storage tanks can possibly develop leaks due to erosion of the tank itself over time and the material held inside the tank.  If such a leak does develop it can cont... 01/13/2013

Tank Specialists Plus, Great Oil Tank Removal/Installation Company One of my buyers is currently contracted to buy a home that had an in-ground oil tank.  They were not comfortable with buying the home without having the tank checked and removed prior to closing.   This is not an uncommon request with a tank that is over 40 years old.  I had referred my client as I usually do, to several reputable firms to undertake this particular job.  They had made some phone calls on their own as well and picked a company that they felt comfortable with because the office staff impressed them right away.  They were courteous and extremely responsive and very knowledgeable.  That alone can make or break a deal in today's market. Tank Specialists Plus was hired for the job and a date was set pending s... 01/10/2013

This picture was taken from a moving car so it is not the best but it made us crack up.  The restaurant you see has come to our area in the past year.  It has a menu of pretty fattening food and as we were going by we saw a vehicle from our popular exercise clubs.  For those of you who use these very popular clubs you probably recognize the color.  It just made us all laugh because that is the LAST vehicle we would have expected to see in this parking lot.  But then again if you are keeping up with your exercise regimen you can frequent these places without any worries!  LOL   01/06/2013

Yesterday when I went out to walk the dogs the sun was just going down.  I ran back inside for my phone which is a Droid Razr Maxx since I knew I wouldn't have time to get my regular camera out.  By the time I got back (10 seconds or so) the sun had already dropped almost too low for me to catch it.   I am not thrilled with the pictures my phone takes most times but I thought this didn't look half bad.      Photos by Debra Walsh, Copyright © 2013 Debra Walsh. All Rights Reserved. These photos may not be reproduced, used or transmitted without the express, written permission of Debra Walsh of Keller Williams Realty in Goshen, New York. If you would like to use an image please contact me directly. Thank you for not plagiarizing.   01/06/2013

FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO: In less than a year, there has been tremendous progress on the project to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge. Ending a decade of delay and dysfunction, we fast-tracked a new plan, including the passage of a Design-Build Law, published an environmental impact study for review, reached a labor agreement for construction, and received federal environmental approval of the plan for a new bridge. This month,  Brian Coneybeare, special adviser for the new Bridge, presented a public preview of three bridge design proposals at Governor Cuomo’s cabinet meeting, streamed live (click to watch), giving New Yorkers a chance to see the options before the Thruway Authority Board makes a final decision. Thanks to the Governor's design-build law passed last December,... 12/18/2012