Brook Trail, Greenwood NY

Posted on by Thor

From the Greenwood Lake Episcopal Church I thought I could walk over to see an open house at a home worth almost $700,00. It was above my budget but I was meeting a broker there to show me the home I desperately wanted to see. On Google Maps it looked like it would be about a 1/4 mile hike.I started walking inn that direction rather than hiking back to my rental car.

A road winds all along the edge of the lake. As I hiked out of downtown I realized that any sidewalks disappeared. I had to hike on the shoulder of the road.

The road hooked left and there was a deadly blind spot where cars ripped into town at high speeds. Hedges forced me onto the road itself. I decided to take the chance and tun across the road to navigate the blind curve.

After that curve the rocks and high hillsides made the trek even more treacherous. I decided it was crazy to continue. I turned around and hiked back into town an then back to my rental car. Greenwood Lake is clearly not a walker friendly town.

The home was gorgeous and built for entertaining. From the living room which I would use as a studio the 3 large windows overlooked the lake. There were smaller homes across the street with viscous barking dogs, but the high vantage point allowed an unobstructed view. The owner had done so many renovations to the home. The front “lawn” must be a nightmare to take care of since it on such a steep slope. Luckily it had natural tall grasses and was covered with stone and some mulch.

After I finished this sketch, it started to rain, so I ran up the steep driveway and went inside. I had a hour to sit and talk to Zelma Rivera about properties in the area. She was the one broker on my trip who I felt comfortable with. Greenwood lake seems to have absolute mansions and then tiny homes. I have not seen a place that feels just right for a studio space yet. The big advantage of this little town is the one hour bus ride into New York City.

Now that America has gone to war with Iran, I am seeing American flags everywhere I sketch.

 

Church of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church

Posted on by Thor

When the real estate broker didn’t show up to the home I was considering buying in Greenwood Lake, New York, I walked through the little downtown area and decided to sketch the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd.

At first I sat on a stone wall but when it came time to add watercolor washes, I sat inside the churchyard and used the stone wall to lean against. Street side of the wall were four porto potties. They must have been left over from some street fair.

As the sketch neared completion, I stated making more phone calls to try and arrange to see the home I wanted to see. I refused to work with the broker who had given me the run around and didn’t communicate.

I was given a new broker to work with whose name was Zilma Rivera. She was having an pen house at a very expensive home up on a hill  that overlooked the lake. I am hoping Zilma will continue to help me as I continue my search. I will need to be local to the lower New York State area to continue the search, so I plan to find a rental in this area while I search.

At that property we had a nice relaxed talk since no one showed up to the open house other than me. Surprisingly she let me know that home prices were slowly dropping, which is great for me.

Greenwood Lake 1

Posted on by Thor

I fought tooth and nail all day long to see this property in Greenwood Lake, New York. Greenwood Lake is a large lake that cuts across the northern border of New Jersey into New York State.

My financial advisor had hooked me up with a firm that set up a pre-approvel form. In Florida that form hasn’t been needed. But in New York, the real estate brokers will not even talk to you until you send them the form.

I found the PDF among all my saved home buying documents and sent it to the broker who was going to show me this house. She didn’t get back to me for several days. Since I was only in New York State for a week, I called her back.

It turns out there is fine print on the bottom of the document that points out that the letter is only good for 3 months. It had expired. I then had my financial advisor write a letter that confirms that I have the funds needed. I thought the issue was settled so I drove the 135 miles to this home. The broker didn’t show up. When I called her she said she didn’t get the letter from my financial advisor. The form he sent was in my email inbox and needed my signature. I was tired of all the red tape.

After I finished this sketch, I wandered of and got a New York Style pizza and a pizza parlor around the block. It was a taco style pizza and it was delicious. After that I wandered through the downtown district and settled down to sketch a historic church. I insisted that another broker show me the home I had waited all day to see. Zulma Rivera let me know that she had an open house at a $700,000 house way up on a hill. That was more home than I need but I met her there. We had a long talk and literally no one showed up to the open house other than her husband and child.

We met back at this property and she showed me around. It tuns out the place was smaller that I needed. It took all day to see it but it was too small to be a working studio. I had to pass. Zulma was the only broker I met who was responsible and communicated. She might help me as I continue my search.