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I have been looking to move from L.I. for several years now, and have been concentrating my interest in the Woodstock area. I've yet to find a home as my seemingly reasonably $500k range is not quite enough to garnish a large clean home with ample room and storage..(yeah. they all have basements but they reek from damp. the agent says they're dry but then is dumb founded when we point out the pallets) as an aside I will tell you $700k can buy you something lovely, but I'm told agents and sellers alike are trying to squeeze out every last dollar from the "outsider" coming in and the area just doesn't warrant that kind of money. (right?? fill in this blank...)
Another fill in the blank query is this:
My current (and all) real estate agent(s) tell me homes are flying in this area and that families are moving in. if this is so why haven't I met 1 family with a child? I get so excited when I see a mom,dad, and school-aged kid at the pizza place only to learn they're just visiting. I've been all around the area in all seasons and NO ONE has yet to say , "yes, i live here fulltime with my family".Not in the library, the schoolyard, the local synagogue (where they tell me most of their congregation sends their kids to the private school. Should I be worried??)
I wonder...WHO LIVES FULL TIME IN WOODSTOCK?? The bearded man with tattered clothes who walks the green? the high schoolers in goth clothing who have pierced every body part they're allowed to? (also walking town)
Am i going to be able to meet anyone like myself?--A Long Islander, born and raised who has that little bit of edge that my upbringing gave me (whether i like it or not). I want diversity, clean air, that rural wholesome look and feel of a place. I'm wanting a slower pace (with better drivers!!) and to mix with people with good values (lose the kids who scream I NEEEEEEEEED, i WAAAAAAAANT!!). In choosing Woodstock am I destined to walk the glorious acreage of my property all alone never having to run in to the house to grab the phone because it's not ringing?? I'm married, but I'm REALLY REALLY gonna want a friend. Can you fill in the blank on this??
ALLLLLLLLLLL this said,
Whaddya know about Rhinebeck?
Thanks in advance (I hope) for your time.
Creative1 - I read your post and thought I was listening to myself. Like you, my family is considering a move to Woodstock, and have been doing so for the past year, but have been grappling with the same questions you are asking. We currently live in Manhattan (UWS, small apt.), have a 1 yr. old and a 3yr. old and are looking to live somewhere with less pressures (work, resources, cost, material items, schools, etc). I am jewish, my husband is not, we are of the liberal persuasion and are seeking a healthy environment to raise our kids. We too love Woodstock but can't seem to get a grasp on whether or not there are full-time family residents living there who would be like-minded. The schools seem okay, but even there I wonder and worry. If I'm going to sacrifice my children's education I can do that in the city. We have been working with a realtor who has told us the same thing they told you - lots of families are moving in and homes are flying off the market - but we haven't seen the evidence. Housing prices seem a bit inflated and I wonder if they're not going to come down a bit. I know I'm not providing you with any answers but would love to talk to you more about it - either online or off - as were both in the same predicament.
Woodstock is pretty remote and I don't know where the realtor gets off telling you that you need 700K for a home.
Homes are flying in Woodstock??? BS! Noone is moving to Woodstock.
I would recommend finding property and a builder if you are bent on moving to Woodstock. Someone is playing you - and it sounds like your realtor. They know you are from LI and that to you 700K for a house might sound reasonable. They probably think that you have a house to sell down there or are rich for living there. That is upstate people's general mentality regarding southern NYers I am sorry to say.
For 700k you could live like a KING down here in Orange and Orange is a much more sought after area than N. Ulster!
Woodstock is a hippie town. Many people still drawn to visit there by that concert way back when- I don't know why. It is also a farming town. Sad to hear that the hippies are winning
Don't know about Rhinebeck, sorry. Never heard anything negative about the area, but have never been, don't know anyone there. I know it is an expensive area, and right across the river from Kingston, that is about it. And having driven through the east part of N. Dutchess on the Taconic, I would bet that it is a very pretty area too. It has a reputation of being a well to do town, lots of educated people there, but again, that is just what I have HEARD, not what I have seen for myself.
Here is a house listed in Rhinebeck:
Rhinebeck, NY 12572 $499,900
3 Bed, 2.5 Bath
3,874 Sq. Ft.
3.76 Acres
Year Built: 2006
For 500K (that is your budget right?) you could find one heck of a home down in Orange, Southern Ulster with far more people that you would fit in well with. The places I mentioned to you in the last thread were pretty freak unfriendly places.
Again, I would seriously recommend to you talking a drive to Wallkill and around the Shawangunk Mountains. It is a really nice area, people will be more to your liking, and the scenery- especially in fall- is just georgeous. Lots more for the kids than N. Ulster too.
I lived in, and owned real estate in the area(s) you mentioned. I have no ulterior motives to steer anyone anywhere. I am a very opinionated person however. I sold a home just outside Woodstock to a couple from Merrick. Although I no longer live in Ulster County, I can help you with your questions. email me if you want my take on Ulster County, and/or Rhinebeck and Dutchess County.
Hi- I'm from Orange and have travelled extensively. Other than 5 years in Manhattan, I've lived in Ulster for more than half of my life.
I live in Kingston now and love it. I initially was using private schools, but I researched Kingston's public schools and realized the opportunities for my kids could not be beat.
I know many kidful families in and around Woodstock. One of the things you learn to do in a beautiful, tourist attracting region is to go out with your kids on off peak days, read- NOT WEEKENDS, which may be why most of the people you meet with kids aren't from Woodstock.
House inventory in Woodstock is not that high, but when something comes on the market, it flies. It is a great place to live, so turnover is not that fast.
does anyone know about the public schoos in woodstock? or saugerties? i am into the arts and progressive education. I too am drawn to moving up there because I think there will be like minded people. My husband and I are artists and I teach yoga. We want to be closer to nature but not isolated. Rosendale and High Falls are interesting too. I just don't know anyone in these places and want to make sure the schools are good without being conservative. Any info is appreciated.
Last edited by bluepearl; 11-14-2006 at 09:55 PM..
New Paltz would fit your bill nicely. As would many of the towns in the southern Ulster/orange area. They are close to a lot of natural beauty (hudson river, shawangunk mountains, catskills, countless lakes and rivers) and have a lot of artsy towns, yoga classes would do well there, not so well IMO in Woodstock.
Woodstock is pretty isolated. I have not heard negatives about either school district you mention, but I will say that there is a nice mixture of good schools, low crime and people who like culture and alternative thinking (herbal therapy, yoga, sushi bars and the like) further south.
New Paltz is nice, Wallkill, Montgomery, Rosendale, Washingtonville, Walden (look for outskirts) are all towns you should look into. Even minnewaska lake area, kerhonkson..it is really pretty up that way. Town of Shawangunk (which encompasses a very large area, and includes Wallkill) is a beautiful area with wineries, stables and scenery. Very nice! And housing prices have fallen a bit since their rediculous highs a couple years ago.
My wife and I went through a similar process, but since we don't have children schools weren't quite as important. Though we own land about 4 miles from Woodstock, we ended up buying a spec house in Palenville, which is about 9 miles above Woodstock. It's more remote but very beautiful and peaceful. And as working artists, we are pretty much self contained. The road from Woodstock to Palenville is one of the prettiest drives I've come across in the U.S!
Woodstock has it's charms and nice people though the shops with $65 tie-dye teeshirts can get a bit tiring. There are many artists and cultural events centered in the town and outlying areas.
About houses "flying off the market." We were there about six weeks ago and that was hardly our experience. Sellers were dealing and anxious. It sounds like you've met some agents who aren't being straight with you (imagine that). If you email me privately, I'll give you a trusted realtor's contact info. We purchased the land through him several years ago and he has since become a friend there in Woodstock. And no, we don't get a kick-back. ;^)
We looked at numerous houses in Woodstock that were under $500k so you should be able to find what you need. Newer homes "should" have dry basements if the construction was done properly (French drains, etc). Our basement is 1,700 sq. ft. and we plan on using it for our studio as well as storage.
Best of luck in your search and I hope you become a neighbor!
public schools in High Falls, Rosendale, Stone Ridge?
Thank you both for responding.
The other areas of interest but don't seem to have as many amenities as woodstock/saugerties are High Falls, Rosendale, Stone Ridge. Does anyone know how the public schools rate over there?
Hello bluepearl
What school grade level are you looking to head into? It's my understanding Woodstock ES is pretty good. it looks artsy to me and it is where my son will go should we move up there. I'm certain that I want to be in the Onteora School district (vs. Kingston). I'd prefer my son be more insulated than exposed to a city school and all that that brings with it.
In my travels there I've heard some say a lot of kids go to the private WOODSTOCK SCHOOL. That's a bill my family does not want to nor can afford to pay.
I too am an artist and Woodstock sings to me. The thing holding me back from the big move is that I'm not certain it's a good place for a child (ie Is there really that much there for him to do?) My 7 year old has a soul way beyond his years and he's a bit of an outsider here on L.I.His peers don't "get" him. I am hoping the Ulster environs will embrace him. But hoping is one thing, knowing is another.
Perhaps one day we'll be neighbors.
Wouldn't that be nice!!
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It is also a farming town. Sad to hear that the hippies are winning
Love Woodstock, have kids, know other kids,
public schools in High Falls, Rosendale, Stone Ridge?
