If you could own a home anywhere in NEPA, where would it be and why???

[lialleycat]

Originally Posted by sheena12

My NEPA dream house: a large Victorian or late Victorian-Edwardian craftsman,with lots of original woodwork a generous front porch, walk up attic,serene mountain views, and not too much "reckless updating" that needs to be undone. I reeellly love a back staircase too!
I do not want a true "fixer-upper" - I want a home that I can tweak i.e. change the outside colors to ones that are historically correct.
While I have a deep appreciation for older homes I would need a 21st century kitchen - but I would be mindful of the region and time period of the home.
As a Long Island Girl I would have to day that a house is not a home without an inground pool so I would want a large back yard.
Even so I want "walk ability", diverse neighbors, friendly but not "in your face neighbors"
I would also want a garden - again one that is in-keeping with the style of the home.
So no spiral bushes or palm trees.
I want a house that says "welcome". Not a museum a home for my family, my companion animals, my friends - old and new alike!

Sounds good Sheena! Need a roommate? I can do minor repairs, build decks and am a good gardener! LOL!

I'm an LI girl too, about 30 minutes east of you. Was just in NEPA last weekend. It's so much more beautiful than LI - even on the highway!

I'm hoping to pull some funds from my HELOC on my LI home to get a weekend cabin/mobile in PA. It's not my dream home, but it's a foot in the door!

[BLUEDIAMOND64]

Originally Posted by W-B proud

Yes, for lake front property. There are side roads off of Harvey's Lake and non lake front properties, cabins ect. That aren't nearly as expensive, but the properties right on the lake are. I think you'd be hard pressed to find anything under $300,000 right on the lake, but most of the properties also have beautiful boat houses that are nicer then most houses in Wilkes-Barre or Scranton! If you could afford it, it's not a bad way to live.

thanks WB Proud.........sounds like a really nice place.

[Summering]

Originally Posted by cowboyxjon

I remember camping at a campground in Harvey's Lake with my grandparents when I was a kid. I don't know if it's even still there, but I remember it being next to an abandoned amusement park with an old white roller coaster that was falling apart. My cousins and I always had such a great time. Is the campground still there?

With that said, i'd love to have a log home somewhere in a wooded area, yet not too far from Scranton or Wilkes-Barre.

Well, that is gone ........yes.......But there are a few rentable Aframe type houses along the lake side. I think that would be fun for kids and families alike.

[sheena12]

Summ how do you find out about renting these lakeside A frames? I would love to spend a month in PA while looking for a house.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by TheHighHat

WB, is Harvey's Lake expensive?

Alas, she has been discovered by those "dreaded" transplants from NYC/NJ! (Oh no I didn't girlfriend!!)

In all seriousness though a lot of affluent newcomers in recent years have been buying up "cottages" (which in and of themselves are normally as large if not considerably larger than typical homes in Wilkes-Barre), tearing them down, and building large McMansions on the lots, driving up property values to the point where now, after reassessment, some long-time property owners are losing their homes because the now-retired owners can't afford the exorbitant tax bills.

[sheena12]

Who says I'm affluent???

[Summering]

Originally Posted by sheena12

Summ how do you find out about renting these lakeside A frames? I would love to spend a month in PA while looking for a house.

Pine Grove Apartments & Cttgs, Harveys Lake, PA : Reviews and maps - Yahoo! Local
You might try this......Pine Grove Apartments and Cottages.
Last year I saw a few pictures of them, this time around I can't come accross it. Some are Aframe is this is the right place.
If not that local realtor there should have the name.......You'll see that realtor crop up. The only one on the lake.
I did pay by these on the ride around the lake.......

[marchawg]

Personally, I find Harvey's Lake WAY overcrowded. The houses in spots just look ridiculous and cookie-cutter. I would love to live on a lake, but I'd say no thanks to HL.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by marchawg

Personally, I find Harvey's Lake WAY overcrowded. The houses in spots just look ridiculous and cookie-cutter. I would love to live on a lake, but I'd say no thanks to HL.

That's the way I feel about the Marina Pointe neighborhood at the entrance to the lake near Grotto. The facades are beautiful with stone work, but they face inward and AWAY from the roads, which means all people who are coming to the lake are seeing are big ugly neutral vinyl walls! Who was the idiot on the planning commission that thought this would be an aesthetically pleasing "gateway" to the lake?