http://www.catskillhouse.us/blog Home improvement with an eye toward sustainability Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:15:18 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I feel like I've been robbed.  You know how real estate prices have been dropping, the bubble has burst, etc.  Apparently the tax assessor missed that memo, our value went up by nearly $30K.    Frankly, I'd like to see the rational for it. If it is the solar systems, then they ... http://www.catskillhouse.us/blog/the-town-tax-assessor-came-round-the-other-day/ We bought this house.  Unbeknownst to us, we got much more than we bargained for, in the bad department.  It was a fixer upper, that much we knew.  In 2004, the home inspection business was not regulated in NY state.  We hired a "home inspector" on the recommendation of the ... http://www.catskillhouse.us/blog/six-years-ago/ I was in Kingston, NY this afternoon on business. Kingston is the County seat for Ulster County, and as such the County Court House and County Clerk's office where the land records are kept. Since I had an hour or so for lunch, I decided to go and ... http://www.catskillhouse.us/blog/who-lived-here-before-we-did/ In this country, we treat our houses as more than just a place to live. It is that, but it is also an investment, a tax shelter of sorts, a tangible asset which can be borrowed against as well as a source of pride. I have been reading (and listening) ... http://www.catskillhouse.us/blog/real-estate-bubbles-mortgages-and-stock-markets/