Mid-summer, dog days and mosquitoes, and I can't quite get excited about the Fair coming up or the opening day for SU football. I still want summer - those hot days and so warm evenings, looking at the stars and watching the moon rise without a sweatshirt in sight!
There are currently 144 active listings in the Skaneateles area as defined by the multiple listing service. Three new ones came on this past week. One is a re-list of a home with a different agency, but remaining at the same price. Another is one of those smaller homes with smaller prices that have popped up recently, a very pretty little thing for $75,000 not far outside of the village. The third is a gorgeous home - well over 1 million - with a few feet of lakefront to boot.
Sorry - no new pendings and no new contingent sales. In fact, the contingent sale from last week returned to the market. Sigh.
We do have three - hooray! - closings and a very mixed bag at that. In the village a fixer-upper closed well under $300,000 which put it at about 85% of its original list price. A little one in the town, under $100,000, closed within the 10% of its list price. The third was waterfront, again within the 10% under list price. Two of these were listed this summer and now have closed this summer.
I received a comment this week about new construction, so I thought I'd give a cursory look at it. We have generally four main developments being sold as "to be built" homes. There are other ones out there, most notably Parkside off West Elizabeth in the village, that have now gone for sale as lots. Single lots are also for sale, dotting the town and in older subdivisions.
Primarily Parcell Woods, Butters Farm, Whitegate and The Enclave are within the Skaneateles Schools and advertised as Skaneateles, even if the first one is actually in Cayuga County. I've been playing a lot of Monopoly lately in the evenings at the lake, so if I may be so bold.....
Parcell Woods - aka Calemad, the name of the road running through it - could be likened to the red cards (Illionois, Indiana and Kentucky). These are mid-range new homes, under $500,000, built for families who like a bit of privacy and acreage to roam. Not too far out of the village, but not walkable.
Butters Farm is very close in (think the green cards) with views and an easy walk to the village. Once completed, this community will be lovely with its emphasis on landscaping. It did not realize its original concept of million dollar homes, but proximity to the village will drive its sales in the $500,000 range.
Whitegate is in the village but off West Lake Road. You can cut down through Prentiss (across the street) on the path to get to West Lake Street and the village. These are smaller, mostly ranch homes with fantastic interiors and larger than they look from the outside. Probably the orange cards...? New York, Tennessee...?
The Enclave was/is a marvelous concept off Rickard Road to the east of Skaneateles. You can see the primary home from Route 20 - you really can't miss it, actually. These homes were designed originally to be like castles with a price tag that reflected the architecture. Thanks to the economy and whatever other factors, it has not become the private showplace that it easily, in better times, could have been and may yet be. Currently there's a semi-completed home that could be finished for upwards of a million dollars. Broadway and Park Place!
Only a few years ago Skaneateles had very few choices for new homes. You, buyers of property, generally bought what was there, fixed it up, or not, and enjoyed the village and town lifestyle. Developments were fought, especially Parkside, and costs went up waiting for approvals. In 2009, we have many options to build in the Skaneateles School district, and I would imagine many builders eager to accommodate buyers. Now would be a very good time to look over one of the 13 listings and roll the dice!
