The following was originally posted in 2011 and I'm reposting with some minor changes in time for the 2013 Monroe Cheese Festival which starts at 10am today -- Saturday September 7, 2013.  - - - - - - - - - - - - - -   Thanks to Julius Wettstein!!! In 1873, Julius started a cheese factory in Monroe, NY. The factory produced German, French and Swiss cheeses and Julius was very successful. However, his wife became ill and he packed up the family and sold his factory, training the new owners before he joined his family in Germany. The new owners, Messrs. Gross & Co., purchased the rights to the cheese, which was known at that time as "Fromage de Brie." These owners operated the company and then sold it a mere 6 years later in 1884. The new owners, Adolphe Tode and Ferninand Wolfe received,... 09/06/2013

As mentioned in last month's update, many recent reports about the national real estate market have claimed housing is now a seller’s market, with reduced inventory and increased sales prices. With fewer available homes, competition for each home is increasing, bidding wars are occurring, and prices are being driven up.At least that is what general reports have indicated about the national market, but real estate is very localized. Is this what is happening in Monroe, NY?The answer is yes, and no.The following chart reflects actual sales volume and sales prices for the last seven months in Monroe, NY.After years of declining average prices in the area, there is an upswing in pricing. Average sales prices of single family homes in Monroe NY were $234K in December, reaching $297K in June.... 07/16/2013

 Many recent reports about the national real estate market have claimed housing is now a seller’s market, with reduced inventory and increased sales prices. With fewer available homes, competition for each home is increasing, bidding wars are occurring, and prices are being driven up.At least that is what general reports have indicated about the national market, but real estate is very localized. Is this what is happening in Monroe, NY?The answer is yes, and no.The following chart reflects actual sales volume and sales prices for the last six months in Monroe, NY.  After years of declining average prices in the area, there is an upswing in pricing. Average sales prices of single family homes in Monroe NY were $234K in December, reaching $295K in May. In February and March, the prices we... 06/03/2013

Ramblers Rest Cinco De MayoOutdoor BBQ Party Sunday May 5, 2013 4:00 to 7:00 pm $30 per person   Three Hour Open Bar 4:00 to 7:00 Corona, Corona Light, Sangria and Margaritas   Buffet Dinner Served at 5:30 Pulled Pork, Smoked Chicken, Rice & Beans, Corn on the Cob & Roasted Potatoes Rambler’s Rest Pub Restaurant 590 Route 208 Monroe NY  10950 845-782-1345   05/02/2013

MUSEUM VILLAGE 2ND ANNUAL SPRING SOCIAL Tuesday May 7, 2013  6 p.m. to 9 p.m.     This is Museum Village’s premiere event to start off the 2013 season.  This fundraiser will benefit the Museum’s education programs.  Friends and associates will have the opportunity to mix and mingle with the area’s Chambers and Friends & Members of Museum Village.   This fabulous evening will include Hors D’Oeuvres, a hot buffet, dessert, cash bar and music. There will be a silent auction with items donated by area businesses.  Come on out for a great time! Tickets for this event are $45 in advance or $50 at the door.     Register Now!   F.E.A.S.T. at Round Hill 110 Round Hill Road Washingtonville NY   Driving Directions   MUSEUM VILLAGE 845-782-8247 Michael Sosler Managing Director il 04/13/2013

Homes for Sale in Monroe HV Home Team- Marty Remo & Colin Seitz (845) 476-8115   Marty Remo Jan 26, 2013  -   Mobile   -  Public       Check this site out! Monroe NY Real Estate - http://www.martyremo2.comDedicated to Homes for Sale in Monroe NY   02/27/2013

02/09/2013

A few days ago, I shared the 2012 Real Estate results for Monroe NY as they related to purchasing a single family home.  But you don’t need to be buying a home in order to enjoy a new home in Monroe, NY.  There are plenty of homes to rent, and this blog covers the 2012 results in terms of rental properties, for the town and the village of Monroe. There were 94 homes rented in 2012, ranging in size from 1 to 5 bedrooms, with rents ranging from $750 to $3,400 per month.  Most of the rentals were two or three bedrooms, with 74% of rentals falling in that category, and the average rental price was $1779 per month. Homes also fell into every category imaginable.  About 46% of the rentals were in single family homes, whether they were colonial, ranch, Cape Cod or other styles.  The remainder ... 01/04/2013

Yesterday, it was 25 degrees Fahrenheit at 1pm.  I was bundled up in silk long johns, silk socks, wool socks, warm sweat pants, a ski shirt, a sweatshirt, a down jacket, sheepskin gloves, a hat, and thermal hiking boots.  I am ALWAYS cold, even sitting in the house, so I was hoping this would be sufficient. You see, I had agreed to go for a hike. In the woods.  In the snow.  In the ice.  In the winter.   I wasn’t going to let any stinkin’ winter stop me, no sirree. So off we went.  I’ve shared pictures previously of Island Pond in the Harriman State Park although those were pictures in the midst of summer, when plants were flowering and trees were green and full, at a time when multi-colored mushrooms and small lizards were evident, and deer were frolicking.  Yesterday provided much dif... 01/02/2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  2013 is upon us!  What a great time to look back at 2012 to see where the real estate market has been going in the Monroe NY area. Multiple news reports from 2012 indicated that real estate sale prices increased in 2012, inventory of available homes decreased, and the real estate market is on its way to a sellers’ market.  This is great news for those who purchased homes in 2005-2007, have lost quite a bit of the equity in their home, and are waiting for the market to turn around before they sell.  It is also good news for those who just want more for their home than current market trends would get them. But real estate is very local.  Have we seen these national trends show up in the town and village of Monroe, NY yet?  Unfortunately, while there are some small signs o... 01/01/2013

Monroe, in Orange County, NY is ablaze with color during this penultimate weekend of October.  And while taking a car ride into the mountains or hills of the surrounding area will definitely enable one to see a gorgeous vista of reds, oranges, yellows and greens, I found just a walk down my street kept taking my breath away. This morning the area was covered in thick fog, so my normal first-thing-in-the-morning jog had to be put off for a few hours, and by the time I was ready to go, the sky was blue and the sun was strong.  I was quite distracted as I would come around a bend, and say, “Ohh, that’s even MORE beautiful.”  As soon as I returned home, I grabbed my camera and just snapped a few pictures from my part of the world. In another week or so, most of those leaves will be on the g... 10/20/2012

RealEstate.com’s recent article “Riding the Trillion-Dollar Real Estate Recovery Roller Coaster” indicated the recent housing crash took $70K on average out of every home-owning household. In other words, if you purchased your house at the start of the downward roller coaster cycle, somewhere around 2006-2007, the current price you could get for your home would be, on average, $70K less.    Real estate results, however, are very local, with sometimes significant differences between national averages and local results.  So the question I'm addressing here is, how does the Monroe, NY area in Orange County differ from the national average? Unfortunately, in my area of Monroe, NY, the reduction in average sale price of Single Family Homes since 2007 has been double that national average of ... 10/09/2012

I have no idea whether it's similar to the drought-related issues that are pushing black bears into our area, or whether it was just due to a particularly frisky bunch of older deer last Fall, but our area of Monroe, NY is full of deer. And what makes the deer somewhat unusual is there is no apparent fear of humans. We went for a hike in Harriman State Park last week and saw a 6-point buck that stopped in his walk from one side of the path to the other.  He stopped, we stopped, he looked at us, we looked at him, and then he slowly wandered further into the woods. Then perhaps a half mile or so further down the trail, another deer, also totally unworried about the hikers continued eating her dinner. But I haven't just seen deer while hiking in the woods.  This morning I went for my morni... 08/21/2012

The Town of Monroe, NY in Orange County contains three villages: Monroe and Kiryas Joel, as well as the majority of the Village of Harriman, which it shares with the Town of Woodbury. The town is also home to the original Velveeta Cheese factory, now tightly located next to Monroe 6 Cinemas in the village. It stands as a historic landmark as the small building that started the now highly popular "cheese food". The town was organized in 1799 as Chesekook (Cheesecock), named after the 1707 patent granted by Queen Anne , and was carved out of Cornwall . An act of Legislature passed in 1801 changed the name to Southfield , and in 1808 another act was passed giving the town it's current name, Monroe in honor of the fifth President, James Monroe. The first town meeting was held in the home o... 07/03/2012

OPENING DAY PANCAKE BREAKFAST SATURDAY APRIL 14, 2012 8 - 11 AM MUSEUM VILLAGE   Start your Saturday with Pancakes, Eggs, Sausage and Juice or Coffee tomorrow at Museum Village in Monroe, NY.   April 14th is Opening Day and the Grand Re-Opening of the New Farm Tools Exhibit. $7   13 years and up $5   Children 4 - 12 years No Charge   Children under 4   MUSEUM VILLAGE 1010 ROUTE 17M MONROE NY 10950 845-782-8248 04/13/2012

Museum Village, a quaint interpretation of 19th century rural life with thousands of artifacts on display, will be fully open to the public for its 62nd year on Saturday April 14, 2012.  Museum Village first opened their doors on July 1, 1950 and today is stronger than ever.  They welcome tour groups during the week by reservation, have re-enactments during the year, on-going workshops and handle parties or corporate events.  They are hosting their First Annual Winter WII Golf Tournament March 10 - March 31 with the final on April 1st.  Call 845-782-8247 for more information or to book your T-Times! Museum Village 1010 Route 17M Monroe  NY  10950 845-782-8247 03/08/2012

01/21/2012

The beginning of 2012 makes this a great time to review home sales in Monroe NY for the past year.  The following results are for the town and village of Monroe, NY.  During 2011, sales of single family homes and condos/townhomes sold at an average of 12 per month with the spring and late fall having the largest results.  At the same time, new inventory was added at an average of about 11 per month (with a big spike in June) so it is no surprise that the inventory in the town and village of Monroe remains relatively constant.  As of this writing, there are 151 single family homes, condos and townhomes available in Monroe. Another set of statistics that are worth reviewing are the prices the market is paying for single family homes in Monroe NY (this data does not include condos and town... 01/07/2012

In late August 2010, Hurricane Irene smashed through the New York area, dumping over 10 inches of rain.  The foot or so of rain hit our roof drop by drop by drop throughout the storm.  Eventually we noticed a consistent sound through the gale force winds.  It went something like this. Drip    Drip    Drip Yes, that's right, we had leaks in the ceiling/roof.  An inspection after the storm revealed we needed a roof replacement, so we asked around for referrals, obtained estimates, and made our selection.  I'm here to tell you that if you have roofing needs in Monroe, NY, you should definitely contact Douglas-Alexander Construction. We contacted Jeff Cline (845-978-9839).  He immediately responded to our call, and we set up an appointment to have him inspect the roof and provide an estimat... 01/03/2012

A friend and I attended Christmas in the Village at Museum Village in Monroe NY this weekend.  This is their first year of being open all year long. We heard carolers, saw a Punch and Judy puppet show, saw candle making and more.  Museum Village is truly a great place to take the kids! They now have classes and different workshops, events to attend on the different holidays and areas you may rent for events.  They have catalogued thousands and thousands of artifacts which are now on display.  You may purchase a membership to Museum Village for as little as $40 per year.  Museum Village 1010 Route 17M Monroe NY  10950 845-782-8247 12/05/2011