Catskills - Sullivan County - Ulster County Real Estate -- Catskill Farms Journal

I've (Charles L Petersheim) been writing most of my life, studied journalism at U of Pittsburgh, wrote an unpublished novel, thousands of letters, hundreds of letters to the editors, dozens of newspaper articles, and the marketing copy for Catskill Farms, and all related entities for twenty years.  And I used to keep this blog very updated.  It was scandalous in its day, tracking my ups, downs, wins, losses, defeats, paybacks, etc..., all written well and on point.

Now that life has stabilized a bit on this entrepreneurial journey, it seems the need to express is less, less to confess, less to offer and less to reveal.  The blog was never like social media, where only the prettiest picture is painted of pretty beaches, athletic kids, all short and filtered.  The Blog was never filtered, and never 120 words or less and never painted with pretty pastels.  It was a mainline into my thinking, strategy, emotions, a counterintuitive way to market expensive homes for sure.

But, for better or worse, it set us apart as authentic and real, not glossy and overproduced.

But those days are over, those perilous over-leveraged, under-experienced days that produced an unlikely success story.  Now I struggle to be inspired by the daily outrages I encounter, struggle to be inspired by the wrongs hoisted on me - now we just call someone and solve the problem.  We may even yet fail, or achieve less over the next 20 years than we did in the previous, but that denouement would be more methodical and controlled than the wild stallion of the ride over the last 20 years and 200 homes, where every day brought some insurmountable issue that required cash we didn't have and experience we didn't possess.  Now I'm surrounded by professionals of all sorts, at all levels, and our cash flow is strong, our sales consistent, and our brand pronounced.

Had to head down to Miami to scout locations for my 50th birthday party, which will be attend by 20+ family and friends for 3 days of relaxation.

One of our favorite farmhouses that Catskill Farms built a few years back in Olivebridge NY is being sold and we are honored to represent it through our real estate company, Lazy Meadows Realty.

The youth football league I coached - 8-10 year olds - went 8-0 including winning the championship.  Lucas, my son, was the QB so that was neat.  He can be a bit ornery when it comes to Dad-coaching, so I'm glad and relieved to report that we pulled it off, relationship intact, trophy in hand.  GREAT group of kids.

Fun group of kids over for Lucas' 11 birthday party.  Fit all 9 in my car for a short drive.

Continue to improve my residence in Milford PA, this fall concentrating on the front hillside that was overgrown and untamed.  May Landscaping did a great job reclaiming the hill, carving a small path, and planting a bunch of wildflowers.  Next spring should be spectacular.

Having a large stone wall built.

And this past September did long road trip from Santa Rosa to Seattle with 2 college friends and one of their friends.

And even remembered to buy a card for my Ex for her birthday.

That's a small sampling of the events in the Life of Charles Petersheim. All is good, even for a 'restless and jealous mind' (John Prine lyric).

Sales continue to be brisk in this 19th year of business.  We are closing on a new home every 3 weeks or so, throughout real estate in the Catskills, recently Bethel, Olivebridge and Narrowsburg.

In Sullivan County, we just finished and sold Ranch 33 and Barn 31 in the small Birches subdivision in Bethel NY.

The Ranch, on Lot 19, has calming tree house feel to it and The Barn sits on a bluff above a pretty pond and open field.

These are our 8th and 9th home in this project that lay dormant for 12 years until we arrived on the scene.

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Barn 31 - Sullivan County Real Estate

Ranch 33, Sullivan County Real Estate

Then our mini-ranch in Narrowsburg was a big hit at 820 sq ft, sporting 7 acres and 2 bedrooms.  

Ranch 34 - Sullivan County Real Estate

We have this first of its kind American Four Square in Olivebridge NY

‍Farmhouse 53‍

Adding to our Ulster County NY real estate portfolio.

Ranch 28, Ulster County Real Estate

‍Also located in Olivebridge NY.

Well water is fantastic and refreshing, and water from your catskills real estate can be fresh as the day is long.  But still, when something is drawn from 400' in the ground and then runs through a bunch of plastic, holding tanks and faucets, it's not hard to see how purity can be impacted (and fortunately, somewhat easily corrected).

Testing your water once a year by an area professional is never a bad idea.  They can test for 'potability', meaning safety (bacteria) as well as for hardness, softness, iron, sulphur, etc....

We like Titan Wells and Water Treatment out of Arkville for those who live in Ulster County, but there are others that probably do a fine job too, like Aqua Check (http://www.aquacheckllc.com/).   Valley Water (https://valley-water.com/) is a fine company for those with real estate in Sullivan County.

Anyone's who has been up here for any length of time, knows it's too late to order dry and cured firewood.  But everything else is still on the table.

Furnaces - regardless of the age or type - should be maintenanced each year.  The filters should be changed and the calibration and efficiency tested.  The cost savings of a good running furnace can't be understated, plus it's probably creating healthier air as well as prolonging the life of the furnace.

Radiators - for those who own our pre-2013 homes, you might have radiators.  If you do, these should be 'bled', which purges air and allows maximum water capacity and circulation.

Exterior faucet - unhook the hose to prevent freeze-ups that show up inside the home.

Low Heat Alarm - whether it be through one of our alarm systems or one installed post sale, they are a great insurance policy.  And don't neglect the 1-800# call when they phone if you do have a problem.

Turn off the water - when you leave for the weekend, turn off the electrical breaker for the well pump.  Doing this prevents any additional water than what is in the pipes (very little) from entering the home if a freeze up would occur.  This is actually a great thing to do year round, since it would protect against a burst fixture, leak, etc... in any season.

Plow and Sand - don't forget to renew that relationship before the first storm.