The Lofts at Beacon Falls - Gorgeous Apartments in the Heart of Beacon in a Historic District (Sponsored)

The very first pioneers to The Lofts at Beacon Falls, the new apartment complex located in Beacon's Historic District at 50, 52, and 54 Leonard Street (between Grove and Amity), were true out-of-towners: Many of them were parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, of couples who had moved to Beacon with their young families to start their new lives as Beaconites. The Lofts at Beacon Falls are located on the mountain side of Fishkill Creek, just up the road from Dogwood and The Roundhouse. If you sit on the benches across from Wickham Solid Wood Studio and what used to be The Hop, you are looking right at them, though they are hidden behind trees (see the picture below). Current residents moved from Florida, Michigan, North Carolina and other far-off states to settle in here and live within walking distance of Beacon's businesses. Small city living has a strong appeal, and The Lofts at Beacon Falls are delivering on that.

The Historic District

Because the Lofts at Beacon Falls are nestled into Beacon's Historic District, the newly designed buildings needed to conform to certain standards to keep with a historic look. You'll notice similarities between The Roundhouse complex and The Lofts at Beacon Falls on Leonard Street, with the gray-brown coloring, brick and black trim on the exterior. According to Bob Murphy of the Beacon Historical Society, the property was part of the Matteawan Manufacturing Company; by the mid-1930s, it was the Braendly Dye Works.

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Insider Tip: If you sit on the benches across from Wickham Studio or the former Hop to reflect on things on the Fishkill Creek, you can see parts of The Lofts at Beacon Falls through the trees.

Another Insider Tip: Leonard Street is one-way if you are driving towards the Lofts at Beacon Falls, so you'll need to take a right on Amity to drive around the block to come into the entrance down Grove Street, which turns into Leonard Street.

Modern Apartment Life in Beacon's Historic District

Inside, you'll find modern design and amenities of apartment living. Designer kitchens and open floor plans make for a spacious feel in the one- and two-bedroom apartments, trimmed with granite counters, laminate wood floors, and Edison-style lighting. A washer and dryer come with each unit, making it super convenient to plan a cozy day of laundry, tucked inside an apartment surrounded by the wooded landscape of the Fishkill Creek.

Walk outside of the apartment complex and follow East Main down to Main Street at Beacon's famed Dummy Light, and you're just about at Beacon's East End, an area dominated by more former factory buildings with renovations under way, making room for more art galleries, boutiques and eateries to frequent. Numerous boutiques, including Style Storehouse, Kaight, King + Curated, Lambs Hill Boutique, and more, cater to a variety of personal styles. Need something as specific as a brow wax? Find it at The Blushery, at the T where Main Street meets the end of East Main - just one of the niche storefronts available to Beaconites.

The Perks

A full workout center is located in the heart of the apartment community for anyone who needs easy access to a quickie workout on the machines. Residents may even bring in their personal trainer for a guided workout. Staying fit is certainly do-able from this location, with access to trailheads on Mount Beacon, as well as nearby fitness centers on Main Street like Zoned Fitness (formerly Hudson Valley Fitness), and the Shambhala Wellness Center and Live Your Life Gear.

The planners at The Lofts at Beacon Falls made certain to build pet-friendliness into their offerings, allowing animals as residents for an additional fee. No one's circling the neighborhood looking for parking, because one spot is allotted to each unit, and additional parking spots are available. Security is of top importance, so there is surveillance inside and outside, as well as keyless entry that can even work from a smartphone. The full list of what's included can be found here on their Amenities page.

Pricing for 1- & 2-Bedroom Apartments

There are 78 apartments available at The Lofts at Beacon Falls. The community of already-established residents is waiting to grow. Monthly rental prices range from $1,800 to $2,700, with spaces ranging from 800 to 1,400 square feet. Some apartments boast an office, a feature that has attracted people who work from home as well as commuters who want to set up a workspace in their home.

About the Developer, James M. Bello

James founded James M. Bello and Associates, his family-run business, in 1985. In the decades since, he has employed several hundred subcontractors to design and build homes, renovations, and light commercial projects. A native of Brooklyn, James and his wife have lived in Dutchess County for the last 18 years, and currently reside in Hopewell Junction. Says James: "We noticed a big change in Beacon and we wanted to be part of it. We want to offer value to some of the people who live in Beacon, or are moving here."

Looking to Move? View an Apartment

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT
Dorothy Bizzoco
Call: (845) 765-8044
Email: Dorothy@loftsatbeaconfalls.com

You can view the apartments any time, just contact Dorothy Bizzoco, who would love to show you around. Who knows, maybe you'll be moved in in time for their Christmas Party this December. Bring the eggnog from your kitchen down to the party!

Publisher's Note: This has article has been produced as Branded Content, and was written in partnership as an advertisement for The Lofts At Beacon Falls. It is through sponsorships like this one that A Little Beacon Blog can continue to bring you coverage of Beacon and beyond. Please see our Editorial Policy for more information. Thank you for supporting businesses who support us!

Condo Insurance or Homeowners Insurance? A First Time Homebuyer's Experience

After spending my entire life living in rented apartments, 2017 was the year that I became a homeowner! Back in the spring, I went to an open house for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom condominium that was move-in ready. I made an offer two days later. With all the excitement that surrounds buying a new home, there were some things I overlooked - like insurance. Oh yeah, I need that, don’t I? When you rent an apartment, you could have renters insurance, but it’s not required. I never had renters insurance, but now that I’m buying a home, this is necessary. I've seen so many commercials on TV - with the little green guy, with Flo, and with the guy who played Jay Jonah Jameson in the Spiderman movies - but how do I know which insurance to go with?? Where do I even start?

Wait - Homeowners Insurance for a Condo?

And then I remembered our friends at Antalek & Moore! Through them, I learned that I don’t need homeowners insurance, I need condo insurance - there is a difference. Like homeowners policies, condo policies typically provide structural coverage for a condo’s structure, personal property, and liability. The structural coverage they offer, however, is usually different from that provided by homeowners policies, because condo owners don’t own freestanding houses.

Condo Insurance Varies and is Good for Non-FreeStanding Structures

The protections that condo insurance policies provide for condos’ structures vary. Some policies don’t include much protection for a condo’s structure, while other policies afford a lot of coverage for cabinets, appliances, plumbing, wiring, flooring, and similar items. Whatever isn’t covered by a condo association’s master policy ought to be insured with a condo policy. Thus, a condo owner normally needs to purchase much less coverage if their condo association has an all-in master policy than if the association maintains a bare walls-in master policy.

The Insurance Bundling Effect

I connected with Terry Williams from Antalek & Moore and suggested that I bundle condo insurance with our current auto policy (I was purchasing the condo with my boyfriend). Not only was Terry easily available by phone and email to answer any questions we had, she was involved in the closing process. She was able to negotiate an even better annual rate than what was originally quoted to us. She was even okay with me dropping into their office for a quick “Hello!” just so I could meet the face behind the emails and phone calls. After we closed, she was still involved with making sure we were getting the best coverage possible, while dropping other coverage we were paying for that we didn't need. 

Choosing to go with Antalek & Moore when buying my first home was a great decision and I’m happy to have someone like Terry working with me and looking out for our best interests.

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Antalek & Moore is a sponsor of A Little Beacon Blog, and this article was created with them as part of our Sponsor Spotlight program. It is with the support of businesses like this, that A Little Beacon Blog can bring you coverage of news, local happenings and events. Thank you for supporting businesses who support us! If you would like to become a Sponsor or Community Partner, please click here for more information.

Tax Assessment Grievance Day Is May 24, 2017 - Bring Your Comps!

Your tax assessment letter may have just come in the mail, letting you know how the City of Beacon values your property, and if that value went up or down. Maybe it's higher than Zillow's estimate, maybe it's lower. Whatever it is, if you disagree with it, you can dispute it on Beacon's Tax Assessment Grievance Day on May 24, 2017 at 1 Municipal Plaza (City Hall - Lower Level) at 2 pm (oh joy). The City advises that you bring your "comps" in order to aid in your argument. What are comps, you ask? They're the recent sales prices of homes similar (comparable) to your house in the same area.

This real-life Monopoly card could be a real bummer, or nothing at all. "Be aware that if you put the property on the market via MLS, the tax assessor will value the property at what you value it, namely the sales price that you've put on the property. They actually check MLS!" advises local realtor, Daniel Aubry. "I had that happen to me. I put a highly optimistic price on a house that I owned to test the market. The assessor used that price for the following year's assessment, significantly raising my taxes. I've been stuck with that price ever since!"

Can a high assessment ever be useful? "Any savvy buyer knows that the assessment bears very little relationship with the actual market value. So it can't be counted on for establishing a realistic valuation," says Daniel.

[EDITED 5/21/17] From this writer's limited real estate experience, if the bank appraisal value comes in low when you're ready to sell the home to a buyer who wants to pay more than the appraised price (a different valuation than the City's assessment), the bank will only loan as much as the appraised number, putting the responsibility on your buyer to come up with more cash - or for you to lower the house price.

The Agent Who Brokered In A New Era Onto Main Street's West Side - Daniel Aubry's 20-Parcel Deal (Sponsored)

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Daniel Aubry first traveled the world as a professional photographer, visiting over 130 countries on assignment before he chose Beacon, NY, to put roots down in his companion profession as a real estate agent. Quietly located on Beacon's East End of town in an office to the right of the once-derelict Beacon Hotel (which has completed its first major round of renovations), Daniel has recently made a significant impact over on the West End of town, where he closed a deal early in 2017 that transferred 20 units owned by longtime property owners, the Piccone Family, to a new Hudson Valley-based family.

You may remember the Piccones from when they hung the banner above Mr. Bell's salon last year. When we wrote an article congratulating Mr. Bell on 25 years of business success, Lucy Malone told us: “Mr. Bell would come on the first of each month to pay the rent. I always asked him how he was. After we said hi, his answer for all the years I was there was 'Excellent.' That is how we started our conversation each month. It always made me smile. Mr. Bell is always smiling. Mr. Bell was an old Nabisco friend to Mr. [Frank] Piccone (his landlord’s father) and he spoke very highly of the Piccone men: Frank, Ron and Jamie, as he knew them all." 

One Building To 20 Parcels Changing Hands

This real estate deal is a unique one, in that Daniel Aubry represented both the buyer and the seller. Early one evening during an event hosted by Scenic Hudson at Long Dock, Daniel planted the seed of the sale with the buyer, who already owned properties in New York and had recently sold one. Daniel, being highly conscientious of taxes associated with the sale of a property, suggested that this new family consider the Piccones' property - before it was even on the market. The building already had a positive cash flow coming in, otherwise known as a "cap rate," or an existing income-generating property that needed ongoing management. 

The intent originated with the purchase of one building on Main Street, and resulted in 20 parcels being sold to the new owners, who also recently purchased the River Winds Gallery building (not the business, but the building that houses it) in a separate sale. The Daniel Aubry property sale consisted of business storefronts where Mountain Tops and Miss Vickie's Music are located, residential apartments and houses with Section 8 classification, as well as several empty lots. Sixteen of those parcels are on or are adjoining Main Street. Says Daniel: "The deal grew like Topsy. It is possibly one of the largest real estate deals involving simultaneous property ever done in Beacon.”

Dual Representation & A Business Lesson 

This real estate deal is a unique one, in that Daniel Aubry represented both the buyer and the seller. How does one ensure fairness, you ask? "It was a very organic process," recalls Daniel. "Both parties need to feel that you are representing their best interest. For that, you need to be very clear what the needs and the expectations are of each part of the deal. Because the Piccones were a client before, they had some trust already."

Throughout his decades in business, first as a photographer, an industry he left "before it left me" (due to the disruption by the iPhone of the camera market), Daniel has learned to follow his instinct. How did he know that the two parties would work well and maintain trust in this situation? "Chemistry. There are people in life, I have learned, [who] you can’t do business with. Either they think they are too smart, or something else. There may be a chance to make money, but I’m at a stage in my life where my quality of life is more important to me than making money."

What May Be Next For Buildings On The West End Of Main Street

"These properties were purchased at time when Beacon was like Newburgh, down in the dumps - though Newburgh is now rising," explains Daniel. "The landlords did the best with what they had. They maintained from an infrastructure standpoint, but not a cosmetic standpoint." The Piccones had two full-time staff members to maintain the properties. Those two people have been hired by the new owners, who have also retained a property management company that specializes in Section 8 housing.

Some of the properties are close to the train station, and several are single-family homes. Where the most impact may be seen is on several vacant lots, where the new owners may do “in-fill development,” creating additional housing. "The new owners are wonderful people and have the best interest of Beacon at heart. I think it is good for Beacon. They tend to move very thoughtfully," says Daniel.

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Editorial Note: This has been a sponsored article by Daniel Aubry Realty that A Little Beacon Blog's editorial team approved of to write and research, as part of our Sponsor Spotlight series. To see more of Daniel's listings, and to see what else he knows of that is not on the market yet, see www.danielaubry.com for listings and contact information.