Russell McCall is a great North Forker. Russ is an entrepreneuer at heart – started Atlanta Foods in 1967, but always remained a loyal North Forker: his Great Grandfather Russell Walker already maintained a fishing cabin at the South End of Downs Creek in Mattituck.

McCall, member of the President’s Council of  the Peconic Land Trust was instrumental in establishing the gift  to the Town of Southold of Fort Corchaug Preserve  , helping preserve one most precious ecologies in the Eastern US around Downs Creek in Mattituck. Anyone who has ever witnessed the Autumn and Spring Bird Migration along Downs Creek will agree. In 1999 McCall further helped the conservation of  the North Fork farming tradition by planting 20 acres of Pinot Noir and Merlot, starting McCall Vineyards.

McCall recently opened his winery – in a beautifully restored barn  "with woodworking skills as if the barn was a piece of furniture" in presence of a North Fork who’se who of friends and acquaintances who had been a part of Russ McCall’s entrepreneurial activities on the North Fork.

 Towering above the vineyard is another example of McCall’s forward thinking mindset-  a windmill, churning and producing green electricity for his farm – a project he started with Green Logic and LIPA. And along the way helping the Town of Southold set standards for windmills on the North Fork.

The "North Fork Sound Stage" where Russ and his son John did a jam session and thanked the crowd before digging into a Gaucho Style "Parrila" style barbeque – sorry if the image seems blurry – after a few glasses of Russ’s delicious Pinot Noir Rose.

McCall’s wines can be savoured at Adam Lovett and Tom Chaudel’s  "A MANO RESTAURANT"  one of my favourite spots in Mattituck to taste local wines and eat local foods and hang out or get to know some local North Forkers or visting Manhattanites alike – a really great crowd.. Don’t forget to try the individual pizza’s, Truffles and Mushrooms is my favorite.

Some vineyards and farms are still for sale on the North Fork – with current interest rates at historical lows an interesting investment opportunity. Call Town and Country Real Estate to discuss the possibilities of investing in the North Fork and learn about the sale of development rights to help make a farm purchase feasible for buyers and save farmland for the North Fork in perpetuity.

Some 1.5 hours outside of New York City, some 20 minutes from most of the Hamptons,  by car, by Hampton Jitney or by Long Island Railroad, you will find the North Fork…. a tiny peninsula accross the Peconic Bay from its famous South Fork, the Hamptons. (click for a Map of the North Fork) 

Many New Yorkers call the North Fork their best kept secret: a place to live while working in the City, or a place for a second home and enjoy the good things of life. The North Fork is surrounded by water, the Long Island Sound on the North, with spectacular homes overlooking the dunes and high bluffs towards Connecticut. To the South the North Fork encounters the Peconic Bay The Bay’s topography is characterized by many creeks and inlets allowing for many waterfront homes with their own (deep water) docks, with access to what many consider the world’s nicest fishing grounds for Sea Bass, Fluke and Bluefish; clams and lobsters are plentiful and the burgeoning oyster industry is famous on menues at the best restaurants not just locally, or in the City, but recently even worldwide. And through Shennecock you can reach the Atlantic’s best fishing grounds (The Canyon)  for sportsfishing and some of the most delicous Tuna – in itself a reason to come visit the North Fork if you like eating fish. To the South, the Bay between the Hamptons and the North Fork is called Peconic Bay, home to many charming and old whaling ports (Orient, Greenport)  with its charming whaling villages (Orient and Greenport), and the Tip of the North Fork point into the Atlantic Ocean. 

The Long Island Wine Council can provide you with information on all vineyards: lots off family fun atMartha Clara Vineyards, but certainly do not leave the Island without tasting some of the local Champagnes. 

I will be atSparkling Point this New Year’s eve… a great new vineyard at Hortons Lane and the North Road in Southold, and great members of the Community.And for a serious Beautiful local Merlot: try the Macari Bergen Road Merlot…

The North Fork has succeeded in maintaining its rural, agricultural character, with a life style many modern cisitzens of the World aspire to: eat and drink local foods and wine, and be connected to the soil! We have come far from the days of endless potato farms – the potatoes left are now the finest only! But Satur Farms and Sang Lee Farms show how specialty farming can succeed: they now are purveyors of the finest and most delicious and healthy produce served in top restaurants.

There’s lots to do on the North Fork. Check this blog out for current affairs and stuff to do in this great place:

For New Years Eve: The restaurants are providing a great wealth of quality places to be romantic or to see and be seen. The crew of "The Romantics" (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Murphy Brown’s Candice Bergen and Elijah Wood were seen hanging out in Greenport at FOB and the Frisky Oyster – for the celebrity watchers among you). And some local gossip: Dennis Mc Dermott sold his famous and successful restaurant and one of my favorite places to hang out: the Frisky Oyster in Greenport. New Year’s will be his last night, and we wish his chef success after taking over. And the FOB is sold to Noah, the chef of the Seafood Barge.  Change is good!

So come be a part of the North Fork and check things out. Stay a while, and let me and Nicholas at Town and Country help you find a place to stay more permanently if you like! We look forward to meeting you and introducing you to our local friends.

The island’s name provides the essence of this wonderful island get-away: Shelter.

Shelter from the elements historically, Shelter to practice religion for the Methodists in the late 19th century , but nowadays more importantly Shelter from the hassle of our daily life… The island has succeeded to escape the urbanization of the rest of Long Island, and, along with the North Fork, reflects more of the lifestyle of the New Englanders who settled the place, than of the typical Urban dwellers sprawlingly urbanizing the surrounds of New York City. Locals will frown upon divulging this secret in a blog. I am counting they are not online….

So how can you become a part of this special place? Let me divulge the secret of the state of the real estate market here later in this blog: its a great time to buy a piece of paradise…

Count on getting to know the 2250 or so locals who live on this 8000 Acre island, most of which is set aside as a Nature Conservancy Preserve (and Mashomack preserve), by name: if you do it right they will know your’s. Not to worry, New England privacy -maybe reservedness-  is respected and developed into an art on Shelter Island. The island, maybe for that reason, is home to many a quiet celebrity, enjoy the natural beauty of this spectacular place.

The Ferries from Shelter Island to and from either Sag Harbor or Greenport jealously guard the privacy of Shelter Island – the only way to get on or off , protecting the likes of this golden oldie victorian overlooking Deering Harbor.

Summer Rentals provide a great way for people not from the island to get to spend some time. A room at the Rams Head Inn with its great lawn makes you a part of a Merchant Ivory movie scene.

In Summer you will meet Itzhak Perlman who leads a summer camp master class for the world’s most talented musicians-to-be. You can attend practice picknicking at his lawn or attend one of many regional concerts.

"Vine Cafe" and hangout for beautiful people, "Sunset Beach" at gorgeous Crescent Beach overlooking Southold Bay will provide entertainment and people watching, not quite as ostentatious as in the Hamptons, but much more refined. But do not be surprised to meet Grandma’s bridge partners having lunch while movie stars engage in romance at a table in the back….away from it all, protected from the paparazzi, the newst Shelter this Island now provides.

The town fathers have enacted laws making it very difficult to find Real Estate for sale on Shelter Island; no for sale signs can be placed by Realtors. Saturday Mornings you may be lucky to find some temporary Open House signs providing you with a glimpse of what could be your’s…before its really Beach Time. Realtors are not listing their properties on MLS in general. Values have not suffered from these practices, until now.

I personally have not seen value such as today’s on the Island of Protection, Shelter Island. From small shacks to brand new homes, from multimillion dollar waterfronts to a piece of land overlooking small creeks, opportunity is knocking loudly……

So talk to someone who knows the Island to help unveil its secrets. Now this is enjoyable house hunting. And become a part of Shelter Island, live longer, let Town and Country help you, providing you with Concierge service!

Remember you learned about this great secret at Town & Country’s blog first: a leg up on all the people searching for fabulous real estate opportunities: one for the record books:

(And don’t forget about us when you become rich and famous…..) this is a bit of a long blog: the secret is at the end of the blog!  Shhhh don’t tell anyone…….

The charming and historic maritime village of Greenport, judged by the number and caliber of new business openings lately, this Town is booming. Without any exaggeration. Much of the news centers around the theme of what everybody loves on the North Fork: Fish(ing), Food (Agritourism) and Wine, and the places to go and stay to take it all in. Greenport is in the center of all that is happening in the North Fork, New York’s Wine Country.

Take for example the Greenport Harbor Brewing company opened this summer…just behind Front Street, next to what looks like a Wild West Jail building where Greenport’s mischievous would have been housed temporarily in the past, the hustle-bustle tourist part of the Town.

A bit further down Main Street, just past Frank Purita’s  D’Latte (where you will enjoy the best Italian Gelato West of Rome) Nello Balan, culinary celebrity in Manhattan and South Hampton, is re-opening the former "Isle de Beaute" restaurant as "Seaweed".  Construction is underway there, and ground was broken for the large scale renovation at the site just accross the street where Nello will open a Hotel

 One of my favorite restaurateur’s on the North Fork, Dennis McDermott (FOH) and Hank Tomashevski (who scored a 7 year hit with the Frisky Oyster Restaurant ) opened Frisky Oyster Bar on Front Street…. with dining "al fresco" finally on Front Street overlooking the Carroussel and Souhold Bay/Greenport Harbor.

Mayor Kapell oversaw years of redevelopment of the Greenport Waterfront resulting in a quite attractive and family friendly down town in this spectacular yet cozy Maritime Town.

Family style "This little Italian Place" opened this week on Front Street with Southold’s favourite Italian Son, Joe Pagano returning to cooking family style Italian food and again, finally al fresco dining! And all these great places from simple to expensive are all walking distance in a 3 or 4 block area of Greenport’s waterfront Down-town. And don’t forget the welcome additions from previous years: (without getting into the Starbucks love-it or hate-it discussion) : The Loft (& Harborfront Deli), Barbeque Bill’s,and if you didn’t bring something appropriate to wear -whatever that means on the North Fork- ladies: visit Mint Boutique!!!

So now the catch-all secret: Greenport Real Estate, with the most charming fixer uppers on quiet, tree-lined avenues looking for tender love and restoring care, galant Victorians entirely restored, or glorious waterfronts, Greenport real estate has never been more affordable, is basically "ON SALE".

Check out also the special incentives for First Time Home Buyers, which bring these fixer uppers entirely within financial reach – you may be very pleasantly surprised! Call Town and Country’s family of local Real Estate professionals for more information, or email me at jbischoff@1townandcountry.com.

Buy a home now in Greenport. You’ll be glad you did. Before anyone else finds out what’s been happening!

For all who follow my stats on contracts signed -most current, least delayed snapshot of the market on the North Fork- great news!

StatsContracts

April and May 2009 were better than April and May last year in number of homes going into contract.  May showed 4 remarkeable high end transactions on the North Fork. Yes: multiple offers are back when homes are priced right. But make no mistake – the market remains value sensitive: buyers are looking for value. And asking prices may show further adjustments down. That’s still all good news!

Overpriced homes remain on the market but priced-right properties sold quickly, days on market for contracts signed are dipping below 150 days! Overall, the damage to home prices remains very limited on the North Fork. Some of the sales over $1 Million were so quick and so good that it appears for special properties there is no recession.

But in my opinion, a lot of asking prices for inventory hanging around need to come down a bit further to be able to sell.

Buyers will come off the fence a lot easier now when a home is perceived as value as interest rates are starting to inch up. It helps that on Thursday, June 11, CNN at 10AM mentioned that it is now a great time to buy, followed by Channel 12. The market psychology is changing.

TIPS FOR SELLERS TO PROFIT FROM THIS REBOUNDING MARKET

Bidding wars again. Can you believe it? You’d better. Your home’s not selling, even now? Seller take notice:

Tip 1: when deciding on a selling price with your agent look at homes that actually sold, not at asking prices. Asking prices mean nothing. Price your home a bit -10% -below the most recent comparable sale. And I mean RECENT. Within weeks, not months. Remember what you paid for your house and do not look too much at high bank appraisals when you refinanced before September 08 for an indication of what your home is worth.You’ll be very pleasantly surprised how good your investment in real estate looks compared to any other investment over the past 5 years, even when you price it to sell. Do not be greedy in this market.

Tip 2: More important than ever now is a seller’s task to take away negatives: clean and well maintained homes sell, the discount expected by buyers even for slight imperfections and lack of maintenance is disproportionate. So give that wall a fresh coat of paint, make sure the lawn is at least mowed, and make it easy (and I mean EASY) to show the house. Rather than lower your price $20K, fix problem areas of the house for $5K if you can and take negatives away. Listen to your broker and bring in professionals where needed. Make sure your online pics are GREAT and show the special things why you bought the house originally. Same will attract today’s buyers.

Tip 3: The day of the protective broker who is not giving a home the needed exposure trying to keep the transaction in his own hands are gone. Although some agents have not yet gotten that message, they will have to. Sellers, make sure your home is all over the internet and MLS as soon as possible, and do not allow your agent to restrict exposure and/or showings. That is never in your seller’s interest.

Tip 4: Find a solution for cats and dogs so they do not impede showings. Leave your home when it is shown.  Always. Do not hang around. Your buyer will not be comfortable. Always have some fresh flowers -from the garden is fine, make sure the beds are made and laundry organized at all times for unexpected sudden showings. A bit of an effort with great profits.

Tip 5: 75% of consumers (Pew Research) say now’s a great time to buy. 85% when you add money and education to the respondents. Give the buyers what they want and are looking for, make it possible for them to buy your home. Counter aggressively and take EVERY offer seriously. Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate and be prepared to accept a lower bid than you ideally would have liked. One bird in the hand is better than ten in the sky. Be honest with your broker. Trust him or her. You will save money for every month you do not own your home anymore. Don’t ever consider offers "too far apart".  Stress the strengths of your home, but be reasonable and open-minded. Remember that if your home does not appraise, which it might not, the bank will not give the buyer money to conclude your deal.

Any further questions: call any local area specialist at Town and Country. Or email me at jbischoff@1townandcountry.com

We will help you sell your home.

image from www.OnlyinHolland.com

The Netherlands America Foundation (NAF) and the Henry Hudson 400 Foundation are preparing for a year of celebrations of Dutch American heritage, specifically surrounding the founding of Nieuw Amsterdam (AKA New York - Manhattan) by Henry Hudson for the West Indische Compagnie (WIC) from Amsterdam. As already mentioned by John Nickles (HANFRA President), the purchase of Manhattan by Peter Stuyvesant is truly one of these deals any Realtor ™ would have wanted to be a part of!

In September a visit by the the Prince of Orange, HRH Prince Willem Alexander of the Netherlands and his beautiful Argentine wife, Princess Maxima, and a flottilla with a copy of the Halve Maen, the ship commandeered by Henry Hudson in 1609, will be the crowning event for these celebrations, not to be missed.

The Dutch origins of New York,  as sometimes master paintings are also painted over other original works, still clearly show their contours in current day New York, no matter how much history has been re-writen by the English puritans of New England.

New York still stands for business, free trade, diversity, tolerance, and freedom. Just as did the original Netherlanders who founded Nieuw Amsterdam, after years of religious freedom wars against the Spanish inquisition. A great book about the early days of Manhattan and the still strongly felt Dutch influence on today’s Manhattan Island was written by Russell Shorto & my friend Charles Gehring "Manhattan, island at the center of the World" a must read for any New Yorker!

For any information call me at 631 765 0500 or email jbischoff@1townancountry.com

The Season’s of to a great start for the arts on the North Fork: the North Fork Community Theater is getting rave reviews for its new production of the Sound of Music; May 14-31st in Mattituck, for more infomation click below:

Get your first look at the new ownership of the Jedediah Hawkins Inn and Restaurant 

while visiting the opening of the art show of 30 brand new and never seen before works by Max Moran, one of the East End/North Fork’s most celebrated artists: Opening May 24th, 4-8pm, show ends July 5th, 2009, 400 South Jamesport Ave, Jamesport, NY 722 – 2900

For more information call Town And Country Real Estate or email jbischoff@1townandcountry.com

Newsflash: even a last remaining hurdle for the economy on the East End to thrive -not enough places to stay-  seems to lessen as the summer heat is about to arrive; a few great hospitality companies are now discovering the East End and North Fork Wine Country:

Bryan de Luca of the Atlantis Aquarium -co-founder of the new East End Tourism Alliance, bridging the North and South Forks, and its  East End Getaways website   told me that HYATT (appearing before the Riverhead planning board today for final approvals for parking requirements) is opening up next door to Atlantis Aquarium, giving the Riverhead Down Town a needed shot in the arm! Another part of this needed Down-Town development is a hall for expositions similar to South Street Seaport, certain to reinvigorate Down Town Riverhead, and to attract people to the East End alongside a fabulous plan to allow better access to the beautiful Riverhead river-water-frontage behind Main Street. Almost the only thing left would be the re-opening of the Riverhead theater!

The Atlanta based luxury hotel chain INDIGO is also planning a new Riverhead property coming soon. This all is added to the recent Best Western, Hilton Gardens (opening soon) and Holiday Inn Hotels in Riverhead. (see Long Island Business News)

The hotels that are coming will help enormously as part of the needed improvements in tourism infrastructure, necessary for an economy that can sustain our North Fork Wine Country, while maintaining the nature and character of our hamlets, and protecting a fragile environment of our waterfront communities. It is also important for everyone to know how much the families who brought these hotels to Riverhead have become a beneficial part of our communities, they have proven to be great corporate citizens for our towns and hamlets, contributing generously to our communities.

The implications for Real Estate on the North Fork are obvious: development is going to be carefully managed, increasing desirability of existing housing. The more people come to visit, te more people will experience that sad Sunday-night feeling of "gotta go". Renting for the summer, or a purchase of a second home are the solution to preventing that feeling -that’s how I ended up here myself- and : we can help you find a rental or home ideally suited for your needs and budgets: call Town and Country in Mattituck at 631 298 0600 or in Southold 631 765 0500, or email joan@1townandcountry.com