Monday, March 15, 2021 / by Vanessa Saunders
By Vanessa Saunders, MBA, MIMC , Broker Owner, Global Property Systems Real Estate.
Does life in the United States ever get so (insert your own adjective here - boring, irritating, complicated, expensive, whatever bugs you,) that you think about just cashing it all in and moving to another country? You can, but be prepared for some unexpected costs of living. When you discover that many of the things we take for granted here in the good old U.S. of A are either more expensive, heavily taxed or totally unheard of in the States, you may just decide that the "Ex" in Ex-Pat stands for "Expensive."
Car insurance and healthcare
Compared to many countries, U.S. car insurance is relatively inexpensive. Not so in other parts of the world. But don’t scrimp on coverage. Be sure you have the insurance you need for anything that might happen on the road. And if you plan to avail yourself of your new country’s legendary free health care system, think again. Unless you’re a cit ...
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hudson valley property, 'urb to 'burb, vacation property, retirement, global investment properties, international properties, international real estate, foreign citizenship, foreign residency, golden visas, pet safety
Tuesday, January 19, 2021 / by Vanessa Saunders
The town of Bethel is situated 90 mi (144 km) from New York City In Sullivan County, and extends to the hamlets of White Lake, Kauneonga Lake, Smallwood, Hurd Settlement, Bushville, Briscoe and Bethel. It's claim to fame is that of being the host for the first Woodstock Music Festival held from August 15 through 18, 1969 which featured legendary artists like Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Crosby Stills and Nash and what would turn out to be an A-list of 1970s musicians, performing before an unexpected audience of 500,000.
A century before being the official capital of the Woodstock Nation, Sullivan County became famous for its large number of premium hotels in the “Borscht Belt'' of the 20th century. It was also heavily promoted as a 19th century sportsman’s destination. The opening of the Monticello and Port Jervis Railroad in 1870 made the area accessible by a direct two hour trip from New York City. The line ran from Piermont, NY, through Port Jervis and on to Lake Erie ...
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hudson valley real estate, hudson valley property, hudson valley home, 'urb to 'burb, sullivan county, hudson valley living, upstate ny, vacation property, things to do in upstate new york
Friday, January 15, 2021 / by Vanessa Saunders
The village of Piermont on the Hudson River’s west side seems to always be in the right place at the right time. For people still wishing to live within a short commute to the City, this very livable village is only 20 minutes from the George Washington Bridge. For those now working from home, the village is a charming place to live, with plenty of upscale restaurants to graze, forests to explore and easy-to find amenities to enjoy.
Shaped like the letter Y, Piermont hugs the face of the northern Palisades, with views of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo (nee Tappan Zee) Bridge. Piermont was originally incorporated under the name of Tappan Slote or Tappan Landing. It was renamed in 1839 for its two prominent features: its newly built pier and the mountains embracing the town. Sparkill Creek, a Hudson River tributary, winds through Piermont Marsh, the river’s only salt marsh, popular with bird watchers who visit to twitch its copious bird life. The river town long ago converted. ...
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hudson valley real estate, hudson valley property, hudson valley home, 'urb to 'burb, buying a home, rockland county, hudson valley house, upstate ny, vacation property
Tuesday, January 12, 2021 / by Vanessa Saunders
By Vanessa Saunders, MBA, MIMC , Broker Owner, Global Property Systems Real Estate.
If you have any plans of selling your house in the upcoming year, there are two very compelling reasons to do it sooner rather than later:
1. Right now, Hudson Valley real estate is in a phenomenally strong seller's market.
2. This thing won’t last forever.
There. That’s your warning.
The reasons this unusual situation exists are many, and we’ve discussed them here many times. If you’re a seller, you don’t need to know the reasons. Just get your house on the market. NOW.
Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors wrote recently about how quickly homes are selling right now, further confirming the benefits to sellers: Yun says, “The market is incredibly swift this winter with the listed homes going under contract on average at less than a month due to a backlog of buyers wanting to take advantage of record-low mortgage rates.” ...
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hudson valley real estate, hudson valley home, 'urb to 'burb, buying a home, home investment, housing sales inventory, first time home buyer, pandemic, vacation property, forbearance, forclosure, finding forclosurehomes
Tuesday, December 1, 2020 / by Vanessa Saunders
After a while, pandemic sheltering at home is like the lyrics in Hotel California, the Eagle’s iconic song. “You can check out any time you like, But you can never leave."
Actually, if you want to leave, you can. Consider moving to Belize.
Formerly known as British Honduras, Belize has long been known as a tropical tourist destination, for its world-class diving, fishing, and snorkeling, lush jungles, ancient Mayan temples and miles of white sand beaches, Currently, Belize is in the middle of a building boom, with investors building both residential and hotel properties.
For Americans interested in moving to the Caribbean or owning a tropical island rental, Belize offers several advantages. It is the only Central American country where English is the official language, with Spanish, Mayan and Creole also spoken. It is politically and economically stable. 1991, the ODECA countries (Spanish: Organización de Estados Centroamericanos) signed the Protocol of Tegucigalp ...
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buying a home, 'urb to 'burb, home investment, pandemic, executive homes, vacation property, global investment properties, international properties
