Real Estate Blog - The Hudson Valley

Six Ways to Get Winter-Cozy at Home

As the days get shorter and the temperature drops, there are only so many outside activities you can do. Sooner or later, you need to warm up and get cozy in the comfort of your home. Some people have an admirable talent for enjoying the great indoors – but most of us can use a little help in the coziness department. Here are a few things you can do to indulge yourself in relaxed comfort and make your home enjoyably better at fending off winter’s harsh chill. 

Keep those home fires burning

The rugged Catskills climate was practically made for fireplaces, fire pits, wood stoves, but really, any fireplace makes for incredible coziness. Gazing silently at a crackling fire is a helluva lot healthier than being transfixed to a screen – and arguably…

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The Real Deal with Carmen Garcia of Hudson Valley Staffing Services

It's Friday afternoon and all you want to do is get in the car, drive upstate and step into your lovely home – the outside lights on, a bottle of wine on the counter, the house perfectly heated, and the refrigerator stocked for the weekend. While for most, this is a dream. Meet Carmen Garcia - she makes dreams like this come true every day. As the founder of Hudson Staffing - a singular solution for talent, Carmen has deep roots in the Hudson Valley, offering personal concierge services that range from a personal chauffeur, a nanny, private assistant, cleaning services, landscapers, private chefs and more.  

Lisa Halter: What inspired you to start your business and what is a typical day for you?  

Carmen: I have been working in Household…

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Skiing, Snowboarding, and Tubing in the Hudson Valley

One of the top winter activities in the picturesque Hudson Valley is a day on the slopes. Whether you’re into downhill skiing, cross-country, snowboarding, tubing, or night skiing – here are four of our favorite ski resorts.  Did you know that New York has more ski areas than any other state in the country #PowderOn!

Hunter Mountain: 64 Klein Avenue, Hunter NY / www.huntermtn.com


With 12 lifts and 58 trails, Hunter Mountain has it all. A base elevation of 1,600 feet, with a summit elevation of 3,200 feet and a vertical drop of 1,600 feet – the longest run is 2 miles and includes halfpipe, rails, jumps. Weekends get busy so if you can ski during the week – especially when we’re hit with a snow storm, you’ll be in heaven. They…

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The Best Fall Hiking in Upstate New York

Photo: Ryan Sapienza

There’s no better place to soak in the vibrant hues of autumn than the hiking trails of upstate New York! Whether you’re an experienced climber or more of an indoors type looking for some fresh air, NY State has a dazzling fall foliage season with literally thousands of trails to choose from. Lace up your boots, grab your camera, and head to one of these stunning spots:

Mohonk Preserve: Situated in the spectacular Shawangunk Mountains, the largest private nature preserve offers plenty of opportunities for climbing, hiking, and biking in its 8,000 acres of forests, fields, cliffs, ponds, and streams.

Lemon Squeeze: This unusual rock formation is not for the claustrophobic! Climb up, over, under and in between…

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The Real Deal with Victoria Coyne of Victoria Gardens

Black-eyed Susans, Day Lillies, Hydrangea and Dahlia's are just some of the plants you will see this time of year. If you've just purchased a home, it's never too late to start addressing your landscaping needs. With that said, we're happy to share our exclusive interview: The Real Deal with Victoria Coyne. Victoria has been designing, installing, and maintaining gardens in Ulster county for over 25 years. In 1986, she launched Victoria Gardens a nursery, garden center and gift shop located in Rosendale, NY that features a selection of trees, shrubs, and perennials that are chosen specifically for this area. Guided by addressing her customer’s most frequently voiced concerns: deer, dry soil, wet spots, and shady areas, you can rest assured…

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The Real Deal With Jason Jones of Ingrained Building Concepts

Today we get The Real Deal with Jason Jones of Ingrained Building Concepts. Having started out as an architectural student, Jason realized not only is great design a foundation for a successful project but understanding what goes into making that design a reality is equally important. He always takes the time to listen and guide clients through the decision-making process and applies proven best practices to every phase of a job. His goal is to provide a professional experience throughout the entire process from concept to completion.

Lisa Halter: What was your very first project?

Jason Jones: The first job as my own company was a mudroom for a client who trained dogs for a living. The mudroom was truly essential to corral her current dogs…

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A Romantic Valentine's Day - Hudson Valley Style

This year, Valentine’s Day falls on a Tuesday. But why settle for just one day when Cupid can fling arrows of love over a long weekend rendezvous? Great gift idea! Give your sweetie a card with an invitation to a weekend road trip. For those that live in the area, you probably know the wonderful options that lie before you. For those coming up from the city, we’d like to  suggest a road trip to the Hudson Valley-land of love, beauty, the fresh outdoors, and amazing food! 

ROMANTIC ROAD TRIP: Beacon NY > Kingston NY > Saugerties NY > Woodstock NY

FRIDAY: BEACON NY KINGSTON NY

BEACON NY:  After a short drive towards your destination- take a detour to Beacon NY for a delicious late lunch at  The Kitchen Sink - ranked “Best New Restaurant…

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The Real Deal With Sari A. Will of Uptown Interiors

Step into the world of interior designer Sari A. Will of Uptown Interiors. Based in Kingston NY and working throughout the Hudson Valley, Sari creates interior design from upholstery and color consulting, to custom furniture design, home styling, exquisite kitchen and bath design to personal transformational design and exterior curb appeal. With the belief that design is about ones personal style...Sari's mission is to bring the best of her client's style to life.

Lisa Halter: Tell us how you got started with interior design and what a typical day looks like.

Sari: I started interior design when I was about 7 and began asking my mother if I could rearrange my room, paint it a different color, change the color and fabric of my bedspread,…

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The Real Deal With Home Stager Gwen Snyder Siegal of The Nest Design

Welcome! Today we are excited to launch The Real Deal, a new series of exclusive interviews with people who work in the real estate space in the Hudson Valley. We'll share interviews with interior designers, home stagers, architects, landscapers, contractors, art dealers, owners of boutique stores -  and anyone that has a hand in making a property or home the best it could be. 

We launch our series with Gwen Snyder of The Nest Design offering professional, affordable and gorgeous Home Staging and Redesign services to The Hudson Valley, Central New York, NYC and beyond. Join us as Gwen takes us on her journey from one day asking, “Home Staging? What is that???” to building a sought after business as a stager composing harmonious spaces…

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Visit Beautiful, Historic Hurley and While We're At It - Let's House Shop!

Lined with enormous trees and perfectly preserved 300-year-old limestone houses, old Hurley’s Main Street is the center of this historic town. On the second Saturday of each July, many of these structures – all private homes – are open to the public for Stone House Day.

In addition to historic stone houses, you’ll find charming cottages and affordable ranch-style homes in Hurley, where you can cook up a meal with produce freshly picked that day at a farmers’ market. It’s the perfect place to get away from the stress of the city, but still be near enough to commute.

West of Kingston, NY, the town of Hurley is a nature-lovers dream. Situated in Ulster County, which boasts 350 miles of hiking trails, Hurley is inside the Catskill…

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