PANDA Community Access Channel 23 for Rhinebeck,Red Hook,Tivoli NY I want to spread the word re:The Revival of PANDAMy hope for the New Year is that after you read The Revival of PANDA by Cynthia Owen Philip in Abouttown you will join me and participate in our community dedication.The article begins:I've got to be right up front about PANDA. To me it's the best thing since apple pie, living in Rhinecliff and tennis. The PANDA I'm so gung-ho about isn't the cuddly bear, although long ago some wry animal lover may have made the connection. Rather it's the acronym for Public Access Northern Dutchess Area television. Channel 23's mission is to bring broadcasts of town and village public meetings and school events as well as talks offered by such organizations as the historical societies an... 01/09/2008

Dutchess County EMS and Fire Departments When moving to a new area it is also important to checkout the emergency medical services in place and the location of the fire departments. These days, before you can even close on a house the insurance company is also interested in knowing where your new home will be located in relationship to the fire house.    The closer you are the cheaper your insurance will be.   Some of us who want a more quiet life will be willing to fork over a few extra dollars just to be further away. Dutchess County provides many useful resources to its citizens and one such resource is a list of the location of EMS  and fire departments throughout the county.  Make sure to familiarize yourself with the ones closest to you.   Rhinebeck Fire Department Red Hook Fire C... 01/06/2008

Three valuable observations in real estate that I would like you consider, if you are looking at homes in the Rhinebeck, Red Hook, and Millbrook NY vicinity.  One is to start your search with homes which are listed slightly over your price point. Why, simply the majority of the homes are negotiable. Now I am not saying spend more money, I am saying if you do your homework and know the top dollar that you are able to spend including taxes, renovation, utility, and maintence  costs - look at homes giving you a 15% margin for negotiation. If you walk into a home which may be the perfect home for you, do not walk away thinking the owner will not accept my offer. Two is the due diligence function that must be performed by you, the buyer regarding what the final cost of the home will be after... 12/16/2007

  Currently, as of November 30, 2007 in the Town and Village of Rhinebeck New York there are 81 single family homes for sale.  56 homes for sale are located in the Town of Rhinebeck and 25 homes for sale are located in the Village of Rhinebeck.  Prices range from $215,000 to $4,200,000 so there is something for everyone!   During the month of November the number of homes sold (closed transactions) is as follows: Town of Rhinebeck - 3 Village of Rhinebeck - 0   There are currently 5 homes with accepted offers in the Town of Rhinebeck and 4 homes with accepted offers in the Village of Rhinebeck.   Of the 81 homes for sale, 40 homes (50%) are priced under $500,000.   26 of the homes (32%) are priced between $500,000 and $1,000,000 and 13 homes (16%) are priced over $1,000,000.    The aver... 12/10/2007

When my husband and I decided to move to Rhinebeck in 2002, we had grand plans of finding a sizeable piece of land (10-20 acres) and building our dream home.  Even though I'm a real estate broker, we hired a local agent to help us find what we wanted, who had access to the MLS.  I wanted first class service, immediate knowledge of new listings and I was willing to pay for it.  Over a few months, we considered several properties, but none of them worked out.  Finally, we decided it was more important to move than it was to build and we started looking for houses in earnest.  We wouldn't consider anything under 3 acres and we wanted to be moved in by the time school started again in September. What we ended up buying was a village home on .85 acres along a busy road!  Completely the oppos... 11/27/2007

It was a beautiful fall day here in the Mid Hudson Valley and I took time to have lunch with two dear friends that I had not seen in about a year and a half.  We decided to have lunch at the Beekman Arms Inn, located in the Village of Rhinebeck, NY which is reputed to be the oldest inn in America.  I have lived here 30 years and have only been to "The Beek" as the locals call it maybe half a dozen times.  Why is that?  This is what I think. As locals, we tend to avoid the places that seem to be frequented mostly by tourists.  We probably unfairly think the prices are high and the service is poor.  You often hear people refer to places as "tourist traps."  Not the case on Monday at the Beekman Arms.  The food was very reasonably priced, the service was excellent and the ambiance was perf... 11/14/2007

Movies in New York City will increase to $11.75 and $ 12.00 a ticket. When you purchase your second home in Rhinebeck NY you can go to the movies for half the price and do not need to wait on line, an added bonus to the coming to lovely area. If you are considering a home in Rhinebeck, Red Hook, Millbrook NY communities before the NYC movie prices go up again, treat yourself to a pre-approved mortgage application and lock in the rate. This will work in your favor as a home buyer in many ways. It does require a little time but it usually does not cost you money. More importantly it saves you money. A pre-approved mortgage is not the same as a pre-qualified or pre-approved letter. The differences can affect your home buying transaction. . While it's helpful to be pre-qualified or pre-appr... 11/09/2007

Today is a great cool fall day terrific for stacking firewood . It is starting to get to be a good time too to view this area, since the leaves are beginning to fall. You can actually see the land you are thinking of buying. You can see if there is a house nearby that might block your beautiful view of the sunset. This is a good time to learn about buying real estate too. Taking time to educate yourself about buying real estate whether a home or land and doing your homework regarding the area you choose ,will be invaluable savings of time and money in the long run for you. It enhances your search to find the home that you desire meeting your specific needs. I suggest to perspective clients who are interested in buying property in Rhinebeck, Red Hook & Tivoli, NY to start in their home s... 10/29/2007

  SHEEP EXHIBIT AT THE DUTCHESS COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS IN THE SUMMER.  I recently wrote about Rhinebeck as the place to be on the weekend.  Are you looking for something to do this weekend?  Well the NYS Wool and Sheep Festival will be held at the Dutchess  County-Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck. With winter approaching it is a great time to stock up on all the useful wool items.  There will be over 350 vendors, so there is something for everyone. Don't leave the children behind.  I am sure they will be fascinated watching the sheep get sheared, and there is even an opportunity to pet the animals. More and more people have turn to knitting.  It is a relaxing activity for many, and even the Hollywood crowd has gotten into the act.  So I am sure the attendance will be good! LOCATION:  Dutchess Coun... 10/18/2007

We are now more than three quarters into 2007 and the Rhinebeck area still has a good amount of active listings.The lowest price listing is: $37,000The highest price listing is: $4,200,000There are 12 accepted offers, 8 properties in contract,25 properties were sold.Lowest:$ 68,000Highest:$ 2,685,000Most of the sold properties were sold for less than the listing price.  Only one property was sold at listing price, and one above listing price.There was one new construction that was reduced to almost half; a drop of $585,650. This is not typical, so, buyers should not expect to find bargains like this.  Village of RhinebeckActive listings: 27 Lowest Price: $290,000 Highest Price:$1,400,000 Accepted Offer: 1 Sold: 18 Lowest Price: $255,000 Highest Price: $995,000Rhinebeck is a favorite des... 10/17/2007

 "We are family" Rhinebeck, NY has some talented individuals. There are three who come to mind Nadine Robbins, (http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071004/ENT01/710050301&SearchID=73295659309793) Robert Stone has his film,"Oswald's Ghost" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWbuw05cGlg)which is debuting at the2007 Woodstock Film Festival(http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com/), the venue is Upstate Films ( http://www.upstatefilms.org/index.php )and Jonathan Burkhart who is producing In Search Of Cleo (http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/11630) . Jonathan is also involved with Project ALS  (http://www.projectals.org/events/content.shtml?type=5). Their works can be seen beginning this week in & around Rhinebeck, NY. We have known Nadine and her hu... 10/08/2007

Although Summer is over there are still many events to participate in.  Here in the Hudson Valley there are many activities; one such is the Rhinebeck Antiques Fair scheduled for October 13th & 14th at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck NY.It is hard to believe that this Fair has been in operation for 30 years.  This year already  two shows were held, one  in the spring and the other in the summer.  There will be many exhibitors featuring decorative items, furniture, and folk art, to name a few.Keep in mind that now is the time to see the fall foliage, so, make a weekend of it. Buy antiques, take in the foliage, or maybe take a cruise on the Hudson river and there is always tea tasting in Millerton. Jennifer Fivelsdal 845-758-6842 10/06/2007

Today a woman called me at my office, Dirt Road Realty LLC inquiring about purchasing property in Rhinebeck, NY. She asked which train I used when I travel to New York City? This is a frequent real estate question. I explained there were two train options Metro- North (www.mta.info ) and Amtrak (www.amtrak.com )  each with their specific features.Metro- North is a commuter line departing from Poughkeepsie, NY with a more frequent and on time record than Amtrak departing from Rhinecliff. There are cost and parking differences which need to be evaluated for your specific requirements. When asking re: ticket prices each has their own options/terms and their own definition of Senior Citizen too. Some find the free parking at Rhinecliff Station to be a plus. For my self, especially since I n... 10/05/2007

 My question is not asked from a political perspective either Republican or Democrat.  My question is simply - Is there a monitoring system in place whether computerized or manual that oversees expenditures and operations in the municipalities?  They might be covering for example- three competitive sealed quotes on a bid or an operational review of the justification of the expenditure or an ongoing operational and financial critique of a contract. I am not talking about pens, paper or paper clips.  Using the example what has been reported that has happened re: PANDA. Whose function in each of the municipalities of Rhinebeck, Red Hook and Tivoli has it been, to be responsible of the contract of these municipalities and Time Warner dating back approximately ten years ago? Questions as who... 09/25/2007

 The PANDA sighting this summer by me in Rhinebeck, Red Hook and Tivoli NY was not totally figurative in nature.The PANDA of Rhinebeck, Red Hook and Tivoli is not a bear, nor an Ailuropoda melanoleuca, but an acronym for Public Access Northern Dutchess Area (PANDA) TV channel. You might ask so why is this sighting so important to me, besides another opportunity for me to bang pots? Yes, again banging pots, but this time not to ward off a black bear. I am a retired NBC executive. Now I want to make noise to attract attention to the tremendous possibilities that a public access TV station can give to a community. I am a volunteer working with a great group of other committed volunteers who are all professionals that have expertise in Media. We are the sub - committee formed by the Rhinebe... 08/29/2007

PANDA is entering a new phase of reengineering and management so that it can continue to manage and maintain Channel 23 as a Community Access Channel.   A new Studio and offices in Tivoli and new equipment, the mission set forth by PANDA can truly be achieved for the towns of Rhinebeck, Red Hook, and Tivoli NY.  By securing the funds needed for a new studio and equipment, PANDA can grow to a functionality never before seen with simply, but state of the art digital equipment including, programming software, editing systems, cameras, and all necessary support equipment.  Once in place, PANDA's ability to engage the public to produce new programs will be immediate.  Educational and television production training will result in many more hours of programming for the Northern Dutchess Commun... 08/29/2007

Why is this of interest to you if you are buying in Rhinebeck, Red Hook, Millbrook NY. Dirt Road Realty LLC is the first & only real estate agency located in Dutchess County which is designed exclusively for the buyer of real estate. The right real estate agent - or the wrong one - can have a great deal of impact on not only the outcome, but the entire process.In the real estate business, the Law of Agency has a serious, practical impact. It is important to know who is representing who.Traditionally, real estate firms represent and work for the best interest of the seller. When you call an agency about an advertised property, you will be speaking with a seller's agent. A seller's agent can drive you around, show you property, and moves the sales process along by providing you with helpf... 08/26/2007

The 162nd Dutchess County fair began on Tuesday August 21st.   The first day was not so great because of bad weather but since then it has gotten progressively better. I had not gone to the Fair in years but decided to go with my son today, and we certainly had a great time.  In the past we always attended on the weekend because of work schedule, now I realise we would have had a much better time going during the week since it is less crowded then. There was so much to see and I made sure to see as much as possible in 3 hours.  First we had lunch, there was so much to choose from but we both decided on Gyros.  Next we moved over to the machines exhibition.  Here we saw some live demonstration.  The man on the crusher seem to have been a favorite of the crowd maybe it was the blue jean o... 08/23/2007

 I have written in the past about the need for all types of senior facilities in my marketplace, as well as around the country because of the aging population.  So, I was delighted to hear recently that the Northern Dutchess hospital in Rhinebeck New York, one of the 3 hospitals operated by the Health Quest corporation, was exploring the idea of getting into the senior housing market.  Finding out that the company they will probably team up with was The Eddy was also comforting.  I know of the Eddy because of  my former telecommunications position.  I visited a couple of their  locations back in the nineties.  I was especially impressed with the Beverwyck. You see, my former exposure to senior facilities was in  buildings I considered dingy and depressing.  The Beverwyck on the other ha... 08/15/2007

Scene from 2006 Hudson Valley Food & Wine Festival In recent years the Hudson Valley Food & Wine Festival was held at the Grieg's Farm In Red Hook Dutchess County.  This year it will be at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck. This festival provides lots of fun for the entire family. You can enjoy the food tasting while watching a chef demonstrating how to cook with chocolate or the best way to enjoy wines.  It is a change to stock up on sauces and jellies.  Then the hayrides and balloon rides are also big hits with both children and adults. I suspect the adults are mostly interested in the wine.  I was impressed last year when I heard the people selling tickets for the wine tasting asking who was going to be the designated driver. This is a great time for the wineries in Dutch... 07/28/2007