Marlboro Set for School Budget Vote

The Marlboro Central School District issued a proposed $52M budget for 2015-2016 that will be voted on next Tuesday. In its recent newsletter, the District states that the tax rate increase is anticipated to be 1.91 percent, with much of it eligible for reimbursement to taxpayers under the state's STAR program. For a home valued at $250,000 in Marlboro, for example, the District estimates an increase of $114.  More information can be found here.

Home Prices on Uptick Nationwide

News from the National Association of Realtors today shows average home prices in the U.S. inched up in first quarter 2015 compared to a year ago in the majority of metropolitan areas surveyed. The Northeast region of the U.S. saw home prices climb 2.4 percent – to $240,000 for an existing single-family home -- although overall sales were down. Nationwide, the median price for a one-bedroom condo was $190,600.

Lloyd's specials for Mother's Day 1976!

On the eve of Mother’s Day, here’s a special, multi-page Mother’s Day ad from the long-defunct Newburgh Evening News from Saturday, May 8, 1976. The store is Lloyds, which stood for years on the current Home Depot site on Union Avenue in the Town of Newburgh. Lloyd’s was the area’s first superstore – you could grocery shop, buy clothing, browse hardware and garden supplies and even eat a meal or get a haircut under one roof. Plus there was a goldfish pond in the lobby! Full of pennies that people threw in for good luck.  Just for comparison, a 20-gallon metal garbage can was $3.88 in 1976. Freshly baked sweet buns were six for 59 cents. Yum! A king-size box of Tide detergent was $1.79. Enjoy and Happy Mother’s Day to mom’s everywhere!

Billy Bergin Joins The Blumenthal Team of REMAX Benchmark Realty Group

RE/MAX Benchmark Realty today announced that William “Billy” Bergin has joined the firm as a licensed real estate sales person and the newest member of The Blumenthal Team.

A 2002 graduate of Newburgh Free Academy, Bergin served in Afghanistan in 2010 with 827^th Engineering Company, 204^th Battalion as a combat engineer. Currently a sergeant with Alpha Company Recruiting and Retention at the New York Armory, Bergin plans to focus his new career in real estate helping active-duty and reserve service personnel find affordable and timely housing.

“Military personnel have unique needs for housing,” Bergin said. “Aside from navigating the specialized VA Loan process, service members often have short time frames and constrained resources to devote to moving and relocating, which they are frequently called upon to do.”

Fully licensed to serve clients throughout New York,  Bergin lives in New Windsor with his wife Emily and new baby girl Brooklyn Grace. Thirty-one years old, he joins one of the most prolific sales teams in Hudson Valley real estate led by Lyra Blumenthal, a local expert with a multimillion-dollar record of homes sold over the past 20 years.

“Billy brings unique insight into the needs and requirements of our military servicemen and women,” Blumenthal said. “With West Point and Stewart Air National Guard base in the local area, Billy is positioned to help many of the military families who serve our country to relocate and find the readily available housing they need. I’m proud to have him as the newest member of The Blumenthal Team.”

An avid sportsman and golfer, Bergin coaches local hockey youth leagues at Ice Time in Town of Newburgh.

Billy Bergin can be reached directly at 845-825-4847; willjb15@gmail.com.

Multi-generational living in vogue again?

I have been noticing that more and more families seem interested in multi-generational living arrangements lately. In the “old days” it was more common for many generations of families to share a roof or at least live in close, walking proximity to one another. Today Newsweek is running a story that confirms the trend I’ve been observing locally – a record 57 million Americans live in some sort of multigenerational housing arrangement today. A number that’s doubled since 1980.

Extended families living in the same home can enjoy many benefits along with the obvious downsides that come with loss of some privacy, etc. My husband’s family is from Italy and his relatives there live in a small town. They’re all literally living on top of each other and it seems to work out well for them. When I visit, I notice that there is ample and readily available child care from aunts, uncles and grandparents. Alternately, the seniors are given as much in-family care as possible from relatives who live close enough to share the challenge of caring for the infirm elderly.

Perhaps the trend towards multiple generations sharing the same home is coming back in vogue here? Extended families of all types are indeed becoming more common, with more and more buyers looking for larger homes for parents or for combined family units

100% Financing Returns

It seems 100% financing is making a comeback in certain parts of the Hudson Valley.  Specific areas qualify for USDA loans. See my ad in The Chief Leader.