I'm looking for a very a cheap, maybe a little charming cabin,
cottage, or carriage house with electricity and running water in the
country... with a yard for dog to play...near lake or ocean,
preferably near a college town or artists community, about two and a
half to three hours from new york city...

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Request for Question Clarification by websearcher-ga on 27 Jun 2002 10:26 PDT

Are you looking to buy or to rent? If rent, for how long and when?

---

Request for Question Clarification by inquisitive-ga on 27 Jun 2002 12:07 PDT

What price range are you looking for? And are you looking to rent or buy?

Dear veronika:

Thank you for your question! I am assuming that you are looking to buy
here, judging from your mention of cheap and your emphasis on location
and community. I have done a lot of researching on small waterfront
properties near the New York City area, and I believe I have one
offering that seems to be exactly just right for you.

The location is Smallwood, NY. The Catskills buyer's agency
(http://www.catskill4sale.com/smallwood.asp) offers small cabins that
start at just $30,000. According to the site's descriptions of the
area, their properties seem to be exactly what you are looking for.

#1. Cheap

"Smallwood is one of the best values in Sullivan County. Seasonal
cottages (which are not winterized for year round use) are typically
available between $30,000 and $50,000."

#2. Small

"The cottages in Smallwood are on pretty tiny lots — which is one
reason they're so inexpensive. The less expensive seasonal cottages
are sort of right on top of each other. But the trees and landscaping
are pretty mature, so many of the cottages do have a real sense of
privacy."

#3. Near Lake or Ocean

"Smallwood was developed starting in 1928 as a cozy family retreat,
with charming small summer cottages surrounding a lovely mountain
lake."

#4: Near College Town or Artist Community

"And a lot of people in the arts and design from the city are drawn to
the charm of the cottages and are bringing a new generation of energy
to this delightful spot."

"The area is also just a few miles from the new performing arts center
planned for the Woodstock site in Bethel, and slated to be the summer
home of the New York Philharmonic in 2004."

#5: 2:30 - 3:00 hours from New York City

"Smallwood, New York: Where you can get a little country getaway about
2 hours from New York City for as little as $30,000!"

All were taken from the following page:
http://www.catskill4sale.com/smallwood.asp

From the pictures, you can see that it is electricized as there are
electric lights. Although they don't list any actual properties on the
web site, you can call David Knudson at 845-887-5855 or email him at
davidk@apexmail.com. He promises to show you some cottages that "meet
your budgets and needs."


Google Search Strategy:

    "new york city" area real estate cottages OR cabins OR "carriage
houses"
    ://www.google.com/search?q=%22new+york+city%22+area+real+estate+cottages+OR+cabins+OR+%22carriage+houses%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF8&safe=off&start=10&sa=N


I hope this was the cottage of your dreams! If find that this does not
meet your needs for any reason, please don't hesitate to ask for a
clarification. I would be more than happy to assist you further on
your search.

Best Regards,
blader-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by veronika-ga on 28 Jun 2002 13:43 PDT

clarification of my request.

I am mostly looking to buy, but in the meantime, 
might be looking to rent,
in the case of a very good deal.  
I want to stay below 50,000, 
and am more interested in 20-30,000.

---

Clarification of Answer by blader-ga on 28 Jun 2002 14:19 PDT

Dear veronika: 

Thank you for your clarification request. The properties listed in my
answer is for purchase, and is in the price starting from $30,000.
This is the lowest price I could find for any properties fitting your
criteria. Would you like some more locations for rental as well?

Best Regards,
blader-ga

---

Request for Answer Clarification by veronika-ga on 29 Jun 2002 07:55 PDT

thank you blader-ga.  You are the best answerer yet, and I am looking
into Smallwood.  Yes, I would not mind some rentals, but again, am
much more interested in buying.  The only problem with Smallwood (home
of superman!) is possibly the size and disposition of lot.  I have a
dog and would like to have a fenced yard, even if it can't be too big.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by veronika-ga on 29 Jun 2002 09:27 PDT

blader-ga
very sad. it turned out that the smallwood cabins are more expensive
than listed.  I should add that I would also like it to be winterized
or winterizable.  I know all this is a tall order, but I feel certain
that my brilliant answerer to be is capable of it.

---

Clarification of Answer by blader-ga on 29 Jun 2002 23:40 PDT

Dear veronika:

Thank you for your clarification requests. I'm sorry it took me almost
a day to get back to you, and to hear that the Smallwood cabins did
not fit your needs.

I did have numerous other prospects that I thought might fit your
needs, but unfortunately, all of them are significantly higher in
price than the Smallwood cabins. After doing some more research, the
Smallwood cabins are the cheapest cabins that I could find that
remotely meets your requirements.

You also mentioned that you would like a fenced yard, and winterized
cabins as well. This too, will significantly increase the potential
price beyond that of even Smallwood's. I do not say this lightly, but
I sincerely do not believe that there is property available fulfilling
your requirements, at your price point.

I'm sorry if this sounds disappointing, especially for the generous
price you have placed on your question, but even a brilliant
researcher can't find what doesn't exist. However, I am more than
willing to invest as much as time as you need in the search, if you
could make your requirements a bit more flexible. Thanks for your
patience! =)

My apologies,
blader-ga

PS. Superman lives in Smallville. ^_^

---

Clarification of Answer by blader-ga on 03 Jul 2002 00:30 PDT

Dear veronika-ga:

Thank you very much for your patience! It was tough, but I think have
two prospects that you may be interested in. I had exhausted pretty
much all possibilities with in New York State, so I tried looking for
other properties that are with in 150 miles of New York City, and it
turns out that there are two possibilities in PA that you might be
interested in.

First prospect:

Hawley, PA: Lakeview Mobile
Price: $34,900
Description: A small two bedroom mobile home, with a lake view and
lake rights. Decently furnished, with a swing set on the outside.
Working utilities and central heating. Lots of open spaces. Also, it's
exactly 2:30 hours from NYC according to MapQuest:
http://www.mapquest.com/directions/main.adp?go=1&do=nw&ct=NA&1a=&1p=&1c=Hawley&1s=PA&1z=&1y=US&2a=&2p=&2c=New+York&2s=NY&2z=&2y=US&lr=2&x=83&y=5

Also, Hawley PA is the home of the Northeast Pennsylvania Audobon Arts
and Crafts Festival, so there does seem to be a significant artists
population there:
http://www.audubonfestival.com/

The link to the property page is here:
http://cisdata.net/bin/rea.php3?ZKEY=0&acnt=AR67856&action=HOME_SEARCH&hs_action=VIEW_DETAIL&listing_id=REAH1379762&yahoo=1

The only down side is, no fenced yard. =( But to tell you the truth, I
had a difficulty finding any properties at all with fenced yards in
rural areas. My guess is that no one figured any one would want a yard
when it's so far out of the way of other people's houses.

Prospect #2:
Moscow, PA: Cottage/Bungalow
Price: $49,900
Description: Small four room bungalow, with hardwood floors. 200 feet
from a big and small lake, and lake rights are included. Lots of open
spaces. Working utilities and combination heating. There is also a
nice patio, where you could put the dog, but unfortunately, again, no
fenced yard. It is slightly less than 2:30 hours to New York City:
http://www.mapquest.com/directions/main.adp?go=1&do=nw&ct=NA&1ah=&1a=&1p=&1c=Moscow&1s=PA&1z=&1y=US&2ah=&2a=&2p=&2c=New+York&2s=NY&2z=&2y=US&lr=2&x=71&y=13

There's not much information on artists in Moscow, but that's most
likely because of the small size of the community: 1600. There's more
information on the city here:
http://www.pe.net/~rksnow/pacountymoscow.htm

Finally, the listing for the property is here:
http://www.realteconesourcerealty.com/listing/9630617

I hope you find that one of these properties fit your needs. If you
are still not satisfied with my results, please don't hesitate to ask
for additional clarifications. I will always be happily on hand to
assist you further. Thank you once again for your patience!

Best Regards,
blader-ga

If you are interested in renting (might be a nice way to try out
places, even if you ARE looking to buy), there was an good series of
articles in this past Sunday's (June 21) Washington Post:

Maryland: Thoreau Never Had It So Good 
In a 'Luxury' Cabin, the Living Is Easy 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24450-2002Jun21.html

Virginia: Positively Primitive 
Heeding Nature's Calls in a Rustic Mountain Cabin 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24447-2002Jun21.html

Forest Gumption: Cabins in State and National Parks 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24451-2002Jun21.html

Finding Privately Owned Cabins 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24452-2002Jun21.html

Parts of Maryland are about a 3 hour drive from NYC.

***

Another site that might be helpful to you, especially if you're in the
market to buy:

A Place in the Woods:  Cool Cabins and Retreats Around the World for
Sale or Rent
http://www.teranrealty.com/woods/start1.htm

Some of the listings are already sold, but here is contact information
for the real estate agency.  The may have other leads or be able to
tell you who else you might contact:

CENTURY 21 Teran Realty
74 Mill Hill Road
Woodstock, NY 12498
(845) 679-3333
(800)-57-TERAN 

***

This is also another option:

Cabin Plans - Package Kits & Cottage Plan - Package Kits
http://www.wildernesscabin.com

***

New York Vacation Properties for Sale
http://www.cyberrentals.com/SALE/SALENY.html

In particular, this house looks charming (although I'm not sure how
far it is from NYC):
Charming Early 1900's Dutch Colonial on 8 Acres 4 Bedroom * 1 Bath *
Sleeps 6
Location: Fleischmanns, Belleayre Mtn, New York
http://www.cyberrentals.com/SALE/BresSCATSSALE.html

***

Locations you might continue your search include the Hudson River
Valley, Long Island (the North Fork is beautiful!), and Rhode Island. 
If you're willing to go a bit further away, there are many cottages on
Cape Cod that would fit most of your qualifications.

>Librarygopher

What I, Veronika, said in my response is that the cabins at Smallwood
are much more expensive than the website indicates;  the owner
apologized and says he needs to update the website.

In fact, I don't need it winterized, but I do need to be able to
winterize it myself.  At Smallwood, you can't do that for the cheaper
cabins (which, again, aren't as cheap as it says, and aren't available
anyway, because the pipes freeze. )

I think you are thumbs down for giving up with Smallwood!

I've already found a lot of sources myself by looking on the web and
asking around, and so I know it does exist, but haven't hit on the
right thing yet, so if you want to keep looking, please do so.

Dear veronika:

I certainly will continue to look! Hopefully, we'll find something for
you today. Hold on tight! =)

Best Regards,
blader-ga

thanks blader-ga.  I know it's not easy.

Dear veronika-ga:

Just checking in to let you know I'm still here, and I haven't gone
off and ran away. ;) I'm still working on your question, and I'm
making some progress. Please be rest assured that I'm putting all
other questions on hold until I make this answer satisfactory.

Best Regards,
blader-ga

wow! blader-ga.  thanks!

another note from veronika. perhaps the word cabin is limiting.
it could be a space capsule left by extra-terrestrials in the woods 
or a hermit's house with a stone fireplace (oooh wouldn't it be loverly!)

also could be closer to New York than 2 and half hours, and blader-ga,
take it easy.  don't lose your shirt over me, I'm very picky as you
can see, but still I think I think I do truly think we can do it.

An electrified space capsule with runnning water? ;) 

Still poring through real estate listings, will keep you updated.

Best Regards,
blader-ga