As mentioned in my previous posts, the town of Monroe NY real estate market started showing signs of price improvement in 2014 and the first quarter of 2015 continued that positive trend. However, in April and May, Monroe price results dipped, with a return to first quarter levels in June. In January 2015, the median sales price was 15% higher than the same time period in 2014 and in February and March, the 2015 results were about 11% higher.  However, the April and May results indicated median sales price drops of ~30% from the March results, with April at 31% and May at 38% of 2014 results. What happened?  In both April and May, there were only about ten home sales and many of them were "tough" sales; for example, a very small starter home in a flood zone; a business zoned home that n... 07/14/2015

Let me introduce you to the deer family of Monroe, NY.  Actually, I can't do that because there are too many deer families in our area to get them all in one place.  What I can do is introduce you to the typical Monroe NY deer. The deer that show up in my neighborhood are the white tailed deer, which are so called because they have, well, you can figure that part out.  The deer are herbivores, and while they may snack on an occasional field mouse or bird, primarily they eat trees, shrubs, acorns and the like.  Needless to say, they can do a lot of damage to flowering plants and shrubs if the greenery is not sprayed with deer repellent or kept safe behind fences. That's one of the reasons many homeowners are not fans of the deer population. Although on a positive note, I understand they ... 06/21/2015

The Summer 2015 Better Homes & Gardens Rand Realty Events Guide is ready!   This guide provides information on things to do in the entire Hudson Valley area, including Orange County, Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, as well as the northern New Jersey area. Click on the picture below to read the entire guide, and if you'd like to get this automatically each quarter, just provide your email address and I will add you to my distribution. Enjoy!  06/15/2015

OK, the Beatles themselves are not coming to the village of Monroe, NY, but BackBeat, a Beatles tribute band, is. The Monroe summer concert series ("Music by the Millponds") will begin this Saturday May 30th.  At Crane Park (aka the MillPonds or GoosePonds), from 7pm to 8:30pm, BackBeat will be playing songs from the Beatles. The band also plays tunes by the Rolling Stones, Moody Blues, Byrds, Turtles, and much more. If you plan to attend the concert, feel free to bring your own chairs or blankets. While food and beverages are permitted, alcohol is not allowed in the park. In case of rain, the rain date is the following day, Sunday,May 31st.   If there is a threat of rain, check the village of Monroe website for more information. Enjoy!  05/27/2015

I have written about Reynolds Road in the past for historical reasons. However, this post is a notice about a road closure. Reynolds Road in Monroe NY is often used as a shortcut for those wishing to go from the Rye Hill / Mine Road area to Orange Turnpike.  Anyone who has driven this way in the past year has seen that work has been progressing on a new passthrough that starts directly across from the end of Mine Road, and exits at the middle of Reynolds Road.  The construction on the new road is nearing completion but in order to finish the work, Reynolds Road will be closed, starting today and continuing for a month or two. If you get to Reynolds Road and see the closure, you can continue north on Rye Hill Road to Stage Road and then either turn left towards the Gooseponds area or tur... 05/10/2015

As mentioned in my previous posts, the town of Monroe NY real estate market started showing signs of price improvement in 2014 and the first quarter of 2015 continued that positive trend. In January 2015, the median sales price was 15% higher than the same time period in 2014 and in February and March, the 2015 results were about 11% higher.  Not only that, but similar to last year, the February and March 2015 median showed an improvement over January, continuing to indicate a positive price trend in the Monroe, NY area. However, the April results are now in, and as indicated by the red bar in the nearby chart, the April 2015 median sales price dropped 28% from the March results, and are about 31% of the 2014 results. What happened?  Personally, I believe this is a temporary blip. There... 05/05/2015

As mentioned in my previous posts, the Monroe NY real estate market started showing signs of price improvement in 2014.  The first quarter of 2015 is starting off quite well, compared to 2014.   In January 2015, the median sales price was 15% higher than the same time period in 2014 and in February and March, the 2015 results were about 11% higher.  Not only that, but similar to last year, the February and March 2015 median showed an improvement over January, continuing to indicate a positive price trend in the Monroe, NY area.     So what does this mean?  I'm taking this data as a sign that Monroe, NY continues on the way out of the doldrums that impacted the local real estate market in the recent past.  Stay tuned as 2015 continues to see how the price trends change.     If you have a... 04/01/2015

As mentioned in my previous posts, in 2014, the Monroe NY real estate market started showing signs of price improvement.   So how is 2015 starting off, and how does 2015 compare to last year?   In January 2015, the median sales price was 15% higher than the same time period in 2014 and in February it was 11% higher.  Not only that, but similar to last year, the February 2015 median showed an improvement over January, continuing to indicate a positive price trend in the Monroe, NY area.   So what is behind these numbers that might be of interest to anyone thinking of buying or selling a home in the Monroe NY area?   House Style:  Homes that typically bring a higher price in the Monroe NY market are colonials and new construction, while bi-levels, ranches and cape cods tend to result in a... 02/28/2015

2014 Real Estate Results in Monroe NY 10950       What a year!  If paying attention to sales price trends is your thing, I'll bet 2015 helped make you a bit dizzy!  As can be seen in the above chart, which is based on sold single family homes, by August there had been a $75K increase in median sale prices in Monroe NY since January 2014.   As of the end of August, median prices continued to hover around the $315-320K mark, which was a large improvement over the beginning of the year.    And then came September.  The median sales price dropped to a level that hadn't been seen since 2013. As indicated in the September market report, there were some other data points that might have been helpful in understanding that drop.   And then came October.  The median sales price was on its way bac... 01/02/2015

Should I sell my Monroe, NY home in the winter?   Misconceptions exist about putting your home on the market in the December - February months.  First, rumor has it that no one buys homes in the winter.   This is simply not true.     Just under a quarter of all sales in Monroe NY during the past year occurred between December 2013 and February 2014 - that's 23% of annual sales.  In fact, the sales during the colder months are actually quite healthy.  And why is that?       So the answer is YES!!!!   If you want or need to sell your Monroe NY home, give me a call to get started.  There's no need to wait until spring!       12/01/2014

January- November 2014 Real Estate Results in Monroe NY 10950     What a year!  If paying attention to sales price trends is your thing, I'll bet you are getting dizzy by now.  As can be seen in the above chart, which is based on sold single family homes, by August there had been a $75K increase in median sale prices in Monroe NY since January 2014.   As of the end of August, median prices continued to hover around the $315-320K mark, which was a large improvement over the beginning of the year.    And then came September.  The median sales price dropped to a level that hasn't been seen since 2013. As indicated in the September market report, there were some other data points that might have been helpful in understanding that drop.   And then came October.  The median sales price was on... 11/30/2014

The Better Homes & Gardens Rand Realty Events guide for the 2014-2015 Winter is now available for your use!  This guide provides a listing of activities in Orange County, as well as Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, Westchester and Ulster.  This edition also includes a list of areas available all season for skiing, skating, sledding and otherwise enjoying the outdoors!   Click on the below image for full report, and enjoy! 11/27/2014

Update:  This has been rescheduled to Sunday December 7th.   On Saturday, December 6th, 2014, the Winter Festival and Holiday Float Parade will be held in Monroe NY.  The Winter Festival starts at 1pm at the Millponds in the center of town.  There will be hay rides, crafts for the kids, a bonfire, hot cocoa and holiday music provided by Sinister Steve.  Santa might also stop by with some candy canes!   At 5pm on Millpond Parkway, the Festival will be followed by the first Annual Float Parade. Prizes will be awarded for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place floats.    And if that isn't enough excitement for one day, the tree lighting will occur at the end of the parade - the tree lighting will be held on the island in the middle of the Millponds.   So come on over to Monroe NY and get into the holi... 11/24/2014

I recently reported on the Monroe NY October 2014 real estate market trends.   The Better Homes & Gardens Rand Realty report of trends for the 3rd quarter of 2014 is now available as well for the entire region (click on the following image for the full report).   This report provides an in-depth look at the 3rd quarter results in Westchester, Rockland and Orange Counties.  In summary, Orange County in general saw a sales price decrease (-5%) when comparing 3Q14 to 3Q13, while Monroe NY has seen a price increase throughout the 2014 year.     Feel free to read the entire report and contact me if you have questions about any specific Orange County area.  11/13/2014

I wrote the following post (some editing today) in 2011 about Phoebe Reynolds and her brave actions to save her family.  This home is now for sale!      On Reynolds Street in Monroe NY, a sign is displayed that states "Outlaws attacked and attempted to murder patriot Henry Reynolds, who was saved by the heroics of his daughter Pheobe, circa 1782."   On the surface, that sounds impressive.  A female saved her dad from outlaws in the late 1700's. When you hear what REALLY happened, you will agree, this was an incredibly impressive story.   Pheobe was one of many children who were residing in the Reynolds' Monroe NY home during the time when Claudius Smith's outlaws were wreaking havoc on that region of the country.  Claudius was a guerilla leader during the American Revolution.   One nigh... 11/09/2014

From time to time I think how amazing it is how well wildlife has acclimated itself to the human environment (which used to belong to the wild).  In an area of homes and cars and people and noise, there is still plenty of room for wildlife.   At some point this year, in Monroe NY, I have personally seen the following wildlife:   Fox: I think it was just the one, but the fox showed up in different areas around our neighborhood. It was much thinner and more bedraggled than I thought one would be (probably in need of food), but sure enough it was a fox.   Black Bear:  About once a year we would see a bear somewhere in the Monroe NY area, and last year a lone bear ran through the side of our property never to be seen again.  This year, a large black bear and four cubs wandered onto the edge... 11/04/2014

January to September 2014 Real Estate Market Results: Monroe NY 10950     As can be seen in the above chart, which is based on sold single family homes, as of August there had been a $75K increase in median sale prices in Monroe NY since January 2014.   As of the end of August, median prices continued to hover around the $315-320K mark, which was a large improvement over the beginning of the year.    And then came September.  The median sales price dropped to a level that hasn't been seen since 2013. What happened?   I don't have a simple answer to that, but I do have some additional data points to share.     The homes that made up the bottom half of the sales in September had been on the market for nearly 10 months on average, with one on the market over two years. These are homes that... 10/04/2014

January to August 2014 Real Estate Market Results: Monroe NY 10950       As can be seen in the above chart, which is based on sold single family homes, there has been a $75K increase in median sale prices in Monroe NY since January 2014.   The blip in May was due to two unique properties (an historical estate and a resort-like property) being sold that month which increased May results more than a changing market would have.  As of the end of August, median prices continue to hover around the $315-320K mark, which is a large improvement over the beginning of the year.   In terms of the number of sales, in July the number of sales of single family homes jumped slightly from an average of about 13 per month to 18.  Instead of resulting in a shrinking inventory, though, the sales of 18 wer... 09/02/2014

2014 Real Estate Results in Monroe NY     As can be seen in the above chart, which is based on sold single family homes, there has been a $60K increase in median sale prices since January 2014.   The blip in May was due to two unique properties being sold that month.  Both were much higher than the median sales price - one was a $750K historical estate, and one was a $555K resort-like property; these sales definitely increased the May results more than a changing market would have.     In terms of the number of sales, in July the number of sales of single family homes jumped slightly from an average of about 13 per month to 18.  This might suggest that inventory is decreasing, but the sales of 18 were more than offset by 24 new listings that were added to Monroe's inventory in July, obv... 07/31/2014

2014 continues to bring healthy real estate prices to Monroe NY in 2014!     As can be seen in the above chart, which is based on sold single family homes, there has been a $100K jump in average sale prices since January of 2014.     As I mentioned last month, while the amount of the jump is huge, some caution should be exercised when using these results. The actual number of homes sold in Monroe each month is relatively small (~13 per month), so any outliers in price can make a huge difference in the averages.  In May, for example, there were two homes that sold way over the median sales price of $319K.  One was a $750K historical estate, and one was a $555K resort-like property; these sales definitely increased the May results more than a changing market should have.  In June, the sal... 07/01/2014