Highland Park Diner Named One of America's Best Diners!

Highland Park Diner, located at the intersection of S. Goodman and S. Clinton, was just named as one of America's Best Diners by Travel and Leisure Magazine.  It's a popular spot for locals and tourist alike.

Emphasizing freshness, the menu features homemade mashed potatoes, hamburgers, soups, freshly squeezed orange juice and an award-winning apple pie.  The diner seats fifty-five, 19 at the counter and 36 at the booths.

He's a link to the story:  http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-diners/21

State of the Finger Lakes

Most people think we had a wind storm yesterday. Actually, it was me on a whirlwind tour of the Finger Lakes. I had clients yesterday from Costa Rica that love summers on the Finger Lakes and so we looked at property on five of the lakes. So this seems like an excellent time to give a market report.

Conesus Lake continues to offer some of the most reasonable waterfront property. Currently, there are only ten pieces of property on the market. We found everything from an adorable house on a tiny lot with with only 25 feet of frontage for less than $240,000 to a breathtaking lot with 130 feet of waterfront land and a so-so house for $370,000.

Honeoye Lake had the slimmest pickings with only one current listing, a 3 bedroom ranch for $269,000.

I had forgotten just how beautiful the southwestern tip of Canandaigua Lake is! Had I not had a car full of clients, I would probably still be sitting on the side of the road snapping photographs. The thing about Canandaigua Lake is it is easy to drop a cool million on a house with decent frontage. Currently, there are 16 homes listed, with a 5,000 sq foot beauty listed for $3.5 million as the most expensive home in the Eastern Finger Lakes (curious? click here for details www.RochestersBestHomes.com/720955 ) A less expensive way to own Canandaigua is to purchase property at Bristol Harbor or one of the other communities, but you will be sharing the lake frontage. A 2 bedroom home at Bristol Harbor is currently listed for $179,900.

Next, we visited Kueka Lake, where we learned an important lesson. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. From the photos, I thought we would be looking at an attractive waterfront home. The home was attractive, BUT it was a short hike to the lake and the waterfront was actually across the road. What do you expect for a mere $450,000? Thirty six properties are currently being offered on Kueka, ranging from $73,000 (a 1963 mobile home) to $1,098,000 for a 2005 built contemporary home with 3 bedroom and 4 baths (peek at www.RochestersBestHomes.com/726899 ) Average time on the market for the current listings is 144 days and average asking price is $515,000.

Our final stop yesterday was Seneca Lake. As we drove along the lake, the sun was low in the horizon and lake was bluer than blue. Simply gorgeous, even this time of the year! This was my first time to show property on this lake and so I'm not as familiar with it. I plan to explore the area more thoroughly this spring. Currently, there are 24 offerings on Seneca, with two listing in excess of $2.5 million. Current time on the market averages 126 days.

Without a doubt, it's early in the year for waterfront property shopping. Traditionally, inventory starts increasing between March and June. If you want to be kept up to date on Finger Lakes real estate offerings, drop me an e-mail or give me a call.
Mary Shelsby, ReMax First

My Buyer Was Offended!

I recently submitted an offer on behalf of a client for a vacation home on the Finger Lakes. In response, the seller countered our offer with a request for a letter from the bank that proved they didn't have to sell their existing home to qualify for the mortgage.

"I am so offended!" exclaimed my clients. "Why would we look at property we couldn't afford?"

When you are buying property, it pays to think like a seller. Ultimately, it is a business transaction and a seller knows next to nothing about the buyer. It is very reasonable for a seller to want to see in writing that the buyer is qualified for the purchase. There is nothing personal about it!

By thinking like a seller, my buyers were able to let go of the emotions and come back to the negotiation table to focus on the more important terms of the contract. As a result, they should have a very nice summer in 2008, full of boating and relaxing!

Market Report - Finger Lakes Water Front Property

For a 2008 market report, go to http://rochrealestate.blogspot.com/2008/01/state-of-finger-lakes.html .

According to today's Democrat and Chronicle, the demand for waterfront property is bigger than ever and prices on the Finger Lakes are going up. (See article http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070722/NEWS01/707220326/1002/NEWS ) I was on a couple of the Finger Lakes yesterday, and there seemed to be more 'for sale' signs than ever. So I dabbled in the MLS for a while this morning, and here is what I found:

Keuka Lake: Just three years ago, if something popped on the market, there was a mad dash to be the first to show it. Otherwise, it might be sold. Today, there are 66 properties on the market, with prices that range from $137,900 (actually not lake front - 3 feet of lake access and the private remarks note: Path to lake is a joyous adventure, good shoes and agility required!) to $1,650,000. To peak at current property on the market, go to : Customer Full Report

Canandaigua Lake: Here is where the D&C article was right on. They reported this was the most expensive waterfront property in the area. Current listings range from $182,500 (again, not true lake front) to a whopping $3,500,000 asking price that earns you the right to pay $41,000 per year in property taxes. There are currently 37 properties for sale on Canandaigua with and average asking price of $721,029. But are they selling? A quick check of the MLS shows 9 pending on Canandaigua Lake, with an average asking price of $511,000. To see current listings, check here: Customer Full Report

Conesus and Honeoye are much smaller lakes and much smaller price tags. Conesus currently has 27 properties that can be viewed here: Customer Full Report and Honeoye has only 6. They are provided here: Customer Full Report.

For more specific information about any of the properties or Finger Lakes real estate, don't hesitate to give me a call at 585-756-7457 or e-mail me at MShelsby@rochester.rr.com ,