Sullivan County Real Estate

Flood Update - 6/29 3PM

Flood waters have receded overall. The evacuation of Jeffersonville was lifted this morning, and residents returned to that village. Route 52 remains closed between Jeffersonville and Youngsville.

The Peck's supermarkets in Livingston Manor, Jeffersonville and Callicoon remain closed as they clean out from the floods. Pecks Markets in Narrowsburg and Eldred are open. For those not very familiar with the area, there are Shoprite's in Liberty (Route 52 east of Route 17 Exit 100) and in Monticello at Exit 105 (Route 42 North, Kiamesha).

Damage in low lying creek or river areas has been pretty severe, but go a half mile "inland" and you'd never know anything happened (the weather up here today is really beautiful.)

A few people have emailed me asking if the Bethel Woods opening on Saturday evening is on. By all inidications, yes. I drove by the site today, and there's a lot of activity putting on the final touches. The weather report for Saturday evening looks pretty good --- just a slight chance of showers or thunderstorms, down from a 50% chance a few days ago.

Flood Update - 6/29 7AM

The NWS reported that the Delaware River crested last night about 9PM, and while the automated gauge at Callicoon stopped operating at about the 20 ft. level, the NWS reported that the peak was a couple of feet below the 25 ft. feared. (Major flood stage at Callicoon is 14.7 feet).

Last evening, Jeffersonville was evacuated about 7PM because of concerns about the Lake Jefferson dam. The Sullivan County Public Safety Commissioner ordered the evacuation after a "good sized chunk" was found missing from the dam. The evacuation was a precaution until the dam can be inspected by a Federal dam inspector today. At this time (7AM Thursday), Jeffersonville remains evacuated, and Route 52 through Jeffersonville remains closed. WJFF, who's studio is located at the dam, is broadcasting and just reported that the dam has not given way. (Photo is of the Lake Jeff dam on Wed. afternoon.)

Some roads around Sullivan County remain closed, and drivers today should expect possible detours, especially in west and north county. Route 17 is closed west of Livingston Manor all the way to Binghamton. Route 97 is closed somewhere south of Narrowsburg into Port Jervis (but I haven't been able to determine where the closure point is right now.)

Peck's Markets in Jeffersonville, Callicoon and Livingston Manor are closed due to flooding. Folks coming up for the weekend should pick up groceries in the city or in Liberty or Monticello. It is unlikely that the closed Peck's will be open over the weekend.

Narrowsburg Flood Photos

Tony Ritter just emailed me these photos from Narrowsburg. Sorry, I don't have times or locations.

Callicoon Flood Photos - 2PM Wed. 6/28

Here are 2 photos taken by Joe Freda today about 2PM. The 1st photo was taken from the railroad bridge over the Callicoon Creek, looking up Main Street. The bridge below (yes, there's a bridge there) crosses Callicoon Creek between Main Street and the Delaware Youth Center.

Callicoon Flood Photo - Noon

Here are 2 photos of the Delaware Youth Center in Callicoon taken today at noon. The 1st one is the main building, the 2nd one is of the picnic pavillion in the field near the basketball court/skate park. (Photos taken by Tess McBeath)

Flood Stage Tracking

The National Weather Service monitors the level of the Delaware River at both Callicoon and Barryville. The "major flood stage" for the Delaware at Callicoon is 14.9 feet. At 11:45 AM, the river stood at 19.79 ft. They are predicting that it will crest at 24.9 ft. tonight (Wed. June 28th) at 8PM.  Click here to check the most current information for the Delaware River at Callicoon.

At Barryville, the major flood stage is 26 ft. At 11AM on Wed., 6/28, the Delaware River at varryville was at 27.23 ft. The NWS predicts that the river will crest at Barryville at 35 feet at 2AM, Thurs. morning, 6/29. Click here to check the latest information for the Delaware River at Barryville.

Sullivan Hit By Devastating Floods - 6/28/06

I've been getting calls from city friends who are picking up snippets of news about flooding in Sullivan County, and wanted to post an update here on the situation.

As of 11AM Wed., 'downtown' Livingston Manor is pretty much underwater. There are some reports that some houses have been washed off their foundations. A number of LM residents have said that the flooding is the worst they've ever seen. Route 17 is closed from Exit 100 (Liberty) all the way through Delaware County.

Flooding is also extensive in Callicoon and Jeffersonville. I was just down in Callicoon, and the Callicoon Creek (which runs along Route 17B, and flows into the Delaware River at Callicoon) was over the bridge on Viaduct (Creamery) Road (the bridge that goes from Main Street across the creek to the Delaware Youth Center.) I was there with Marci Maclean, who's on the board of the youth center, and she said the water was higher than during either the 2004 or 2005 floods. During those floods, the water covered the playfields and rose in the Pavillion, but had never actually come into the main youth center building (which sits on a little knoll.) The water is now inside the main building --- and it looked, from where we stood on the railroad bridge above the creek, that it was up about a foot in the main building.

On Main Street in Callicoon, the water was up as far as Peck's Market and the laundromat, but not quite to Matthew's. The Peck's Market staff said that there was about 2 feet of water in the supermarket. The Callicoon Creek park and the Peck's Market parking lot are all underwater.

Reports are spotty from Jeffersonville, but the Callicoon Peck's manager said that they haven't been able to reach the Jeffersonville Peck's yet, but that it was also under a few feet of water. A bridge at the western end of Jeffersonville is reportedly washed out.

There is a rumor circulating that the Lake Jefferson dam has given way. I just talked with Christine Ahern, the manager of WJFF, whose studio is on the downside of the dam. She said the dam has NOT given way, and that they are still there. She said there's more water than she's ever seen, but that they have not been told to evacuate by the authorities.

Raods are closed throughout Sullivan County and a state of emergency has been declared. In addition to Route 17 west of Liberty, Route 52 is closed between Jeffersonville and White Sulphur Springs and Route 97 is closed south of Narrowsburg (as of noon Wed.)

Parts of Narrowsburg and Port Jervis are being evactuated.

A good source for information is the Times Herald Record at www.recordonline.com. They are working hard to get updates (and photos) posted as quickly as they can. Another source is www.midhudsonnews.com.

If you are planning to drive up to your house here, and you're in western or northern Sullivan County, you may want to pick up groceries in Monticello or Liberty, as it looks like our local Peck's Markets may be out of commission for a little while.

May National Existing Home Sales Data Released

The National Association of Realtors just released data on existing home sales for May 2006. The picture parallels what we've been seeing in Sullivan County, and shows surprising strength in a sector that many economists thought might go bust.

Sales of single family homes nationally were down 6.6% (on a seasonally adjusted basis) over May 2006, and fell 5.9% in the northeast. (Between April and May, 2006, sales dropped 1.5% nationally and 4.8% in the northeast.)

In the face of slowing sales, however, prices have shown tremendous resilience. Nationally, the median sales price of a single family home climbed 6.4% from May, 2005, with a 6.9% rise recorded in the northeast. The year-over-year rate of appreciation has been slipping for a few months, and unless there is a sudden price surge in the near term, the year-over-year appreciation rate will likely drop below 5% in the next few months (with prices relatively flat with their winter peaks.)

Overall, both nationally and regionally, the real estate picture is much rosier than many anticipated just 3 or 6 months ago. Sales are down, but very modestly and prices, while certainly not galloping upward like the past few years, are holding their own.

Sullivan County: Don't Ask Us

Barry Lewis, the Sullivan County editor for the local Times Herald Record, wrote a great (and funny) column for those of you who aren't familiar with the new Sullivan County who will be making your first trip up (or at least your first trip since you worked as a lifeguard at the Concord when you were in college) to experience our new Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. Check out Sullivan County: Don't Ask Us. You're sure to have a good chuckle.

$1.65M Sale Sets New Single Family Sale Record in Sullivan

Last Friday, the $1,650,000 paid for a a 7,019 sq. ft. contemporary home on 70 acres near Callicoon set a record for a single family home sold in Sullivan County through the Sullivan Multiple Listing Service. The house, in a stunning contemporary lodge style with incredible views, has 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths and an indoor pool. The house was listed by Freda Real Estate in Callicoon with an initial listing price of $2,500,000 and a final listing price of $1,950,000 before the sale at $1.65M.

In the past year, there has been only one other single family home sale recorded in the Sullivan MLS above $1M, for a 5,000 sq. ft. log home in the Beaverkill Valley that sold for $1.12M.