As a result, Ellenville is seeking to become a city in order to control its own destiny.  Village residents are not happy with property taxes that they feel are disproportionate and excessive due to ancient assessed values.

It will be an uphill battle for Ellenville to be granted status as a city since the last city that was incorporated in New York was Rye in 1942.  This is yet another occasion Ulster County where residents have struggled to keep pace with rising property taxes.

Recent economic figures and sold homes data point to a slowing Ulster County real estate market the end of this summer.  It is still a great time to purchase a home in Ulster County with record low interest rates, motivated sellers and generous price reductions.

Since these records are public, I’d love to see Ulster County make them available as a service to its citizens in an online format without a fee.  For Realtors who are not so close to Kingston and currently have to travel to the county building, having these important real estate documents available and easily accessible online would save them lot of time and expense.

So what does this report mean for Ulster County?  Following the national trend, there are certainly less new homes being bought and sold in Ulster County.  However, Ulster County does not have the oversupply of new homes that is symptomatic of over-exuberant building in areas like Florida, Arizona & Las Vegas.  Towns here are relatively conservative in approving subdivisions and require much more due process and due diligence to occur before building can begin.  Larger neighborhoods springing up overnight are certainly not the norm in Ulster.  Green building is a very popular trend in the area that has helped retain interest in new construction homes.  So while this Homebuilder report paints a pessimistic view of new construction homes at the national level, several factors insulate Ulster County from being as dramatically effected by tough national economic conditions.

As it pertains to real estate, property values are often impacted by the desirability of the school district where the property is located.  Strong schools make Ulster County an attractive place for families with school-aged children.  However, there is certainly a trade-off since higher spending can increase the school tax burden and make it particularly difficult for individuals on a fixed income.

I often get comments from clients that relocate from other parts of the country are impressed and very satisfied with the level of education their children get compared to their prior location.

The only drawback about the database is that is is a few months behind in Ulster County.  The most recent results are from the end of May.  Because of the lag in reporting the data, a Realtor® is still the best source for up-to-date statistics and more detailed information about properties that have sold.  Ulster MLS listings also capture a lot more data about the characteristics of the homes and properties sold.  Nonetheless, this is a tool that is worth using periodically to monitor transactions that might occur outside of the MLS.

You have to give credit to HVFCU for being aware of this potential loophole and fighting for savings it can potentially pass on to its members.  It will be interested to see what the outcome of their appeal is.

Although this extension will not be an enticement for Ulster County homebuyers that have just begun their search, it will be a strong incentive for those that are in contract to follow through on their commitments. Even slow developing transactions should close in the allowed timeframe without a problem.