Chautauqua Lake real estate by Rick & Julia McMahon of Real Estate Advantage. Lakefront, vacation and second homes, local market updates and community news. Serving buyers and sellers since 1992.
CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY, N.Y. (WIVB) — If you’re looking to kayak this
summer, you have five new options to launch your kayak in Chautauqua
County.
The new kayak launches, totaling $97,540, were made possible through a
$73,155 Environmental Protection Fund LWRP grant, Lake Erie Management
Commission (LECM), Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy and municipal funds.
The project was a New York State “Local Waterfront Revitalization Program” initiative.
The launches are American’s with Disabilities Act compliant and are
located at Cattaraugus Creek Boat Launch in Hanover, the Walnut Creek
boat launch in Silver Creek, Dunkirk Harbor in the City of Dunkirk,
Barcelona Harbor in Westfield and near the Route 394 Bridge in
Busti/North Harmony.
Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendell hopes projects like this
encourage people to visit Chautauqua County and maybe make it their
home.
“I know this has been an arduous project for the Planning Department
and others, and I would like to sincerely thank them for all of their
hard work. I would also like to extend my gratitude to our municipal
partners for collaborating with the County in order to bring this
project to fruition. Projects like this will encourage more people to
not only visit our beautiful county, but make it their home,” said
Wendell.
Patrick Ryan is a digital producer who has been part of the News 4 team since 2020. See more of his work here.
For More Information On Chautauqua Lake & County Real Estate and Living Visit: chautauqualakehomes.com
1. If I price it a little higher, I can always come down. While technically true, know that you're actually costing yourself more by taking this approach. A listing gets the most attention in the first 30 days. Overpricing your home leads to a series of price reductions -- which leads not only to a loss of initial momentum but also creates doubt in buyers' minds as to why the home has been on the market so long. Today's savvy buyers know what fair market value is. Price your home right from the start, and you'll have a listing so attractive that you may even cause a bidding war -- earning you more money in the long run.
2. I can make more by selling it on my own. While we certainly can appreciate wanting to save money, the truth is that the facts simply don't support this mindset. According to stats gleaned by the National Association of REALTORS®, the typical FSBO home sells for $184,000, compared with $230,000 for agentassisted home sales. Many consumers find that the time investment and lack of negotiating power leave them more frustrated than they ever imagined. Think of it this way: When your car needs repair, you take it to a professional. When you’re sick, you go to a professional. Even when your phone needs service, you take it to a professional. Shouldn't one of your biggest assets get the same professional attention?
3. I don't have to fix anything; I'll sell it as-is. The fact is, today's buyers are looking for move-in ready homes, and they're serious about subtracting potential repair costs from your bottom line. Those buyer-estimated costs are often far higher than what it would cost to have the repairs done beforehand. Little repairs left unchecked also raise questions about what big-ticket repairs may be required, leaving buyers uneasy about making an offer. You'll undoubtedly save time, money and frustration by repairing issues before listing your home.
4. I should get every dollar back from the improvements I've made. Unfortunately, what you deem as the perfect improvement may not work for the buyer. Over-improving your home in a market that simply won't bear up to comparable homes might leave you significantly upside-down on your investment.
"These are just four common mistakes sellers make. To discuss more and/or determine whether selling is right for you, please call or text me today. I'd be happy to sit with you one-on-one to share the smartest strategies for getting your home sold for the most money in the least amount of time.
Rick & Julia McMahon Associate Brokers and Partners in Real Estate Advantage
"There's never been a more important time to have resources you can count on when it comes to buying and selling a home. The real estate market and industry change at a rapid rate. It is my pleasure to make sure that you always have the current information you need to make the best decisions for you and your family. "
If you ever have a real estate question or need, or know someone who does, call today. I'm here to help! 716-665-8972 Rick and Julia McMahon
Summer
is just around the corner...thankfully. As you would expect, the
issues regarding the use and health of the lake are becoming more
focused as the summer season approaches. Here are some recent articles
from the Jamestown Post Journal regarding the issues at hand.
Herbicides
First
and foremost, herbicide treatment has been approved by the DEC. Not
nearly as many acres were approved as were requested, as usual. There
will be a herbicide application in mid-May for the curly-leaf pondweed
(that herbicide will be applied in Ellery, Lakewood, and Ellicott), and
then another herbicide will be applied the second week of June for
Eurasian Milfoil (in Busti and Ellery).
If
you have been to the lake recently, you will have noticed the low water
level in the lake. The upcoming warm weather and the low water levels
provide a perfect breeding ground for weeds, unfortunately. The
primary contributor to the low level is the lack of precipitation.
There
will be more information to share in the upcoming months as we get
closer to the summer season and the issues related to the health and use
of the lake.
Connect with CLP
Find us on Facebook at: Chautauqua Lake Partnership, Inc.
and Twitter at:
https://twitter.com/ChautLakePart
Beginning
May 10, herbicide applications will take place on Chautauqua Lake in
Ellery, Ellicott and Lakewood. The treatment was recently approved by
the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
P-J file photos
Herbicide applications on Chautauqua Lake will begin on May 10 in Ellery, Ellicott and Lakewood.
The state Department of Environmental
Conservation recently approved herbicide applications in those three
locations as well as in the town of Busti. Applications of Aquathol K
will be from May 10-21 in Ellery, Lakewood and Ellicott while
applications of ProcellaCor will take place June 7-18 in Busti and
Ellery.
Lakewood was approved to treat 58.1 acres of Chautauqua Lake with
Aquathol K in six zones of the lake within Lakewood’s borders.
“The New York state Department of
Environmental Conservation has reviewed the application submitted to the
department seeking permission to apply the aquatic herbicide Aquathol K
to control curly-leaf pondweed,” Robert Freese, DEC pesticide control specialist II wrote to Ellen Barnes, Lakewood deputy mayor. “The
department has found the application to be permittable based on
vegetation studies from the previous year and is issuing the permit as
requested.”
The other three permits saw the requested acreage for herbicide
applications trimmed by the DEC. All included guidance to update maps of
the treatment areas within the north basin of the lake to include the
boundaries of Midway State Park and Long Point State Park.
Busti
was permitted for 11 acres of ProcellaCOR EC to control eurasian
watermilfoil in the area from Lakewood Beach to the Chautauqua Lake
Yacht Club.
“This area was determined to have medium density of (eurasian watermilfoil),” Freese wrote. “The
other areas requested had trace or sparce densities of (eurasian
watermilfoil) or were considered critical fish habitat and are not
permitted at this time.”
Ellicott received a permit to apply Aquathol K and ProcellaCOR EC in
Burtis Bay within Ellicott and Celoron. Aquathol K was approved to treat
curly-leaf pondweed in 160 acres of the lake but not in three treatment
zones.
“As for the application to treat eurasian watermilfoil with ProcellaCor EC, DEC denies this application in full,” Freese wrote. “The
vegetation studies from 2020 indicate only trace to sparse amounts of
(eurasian watermilfoil) within the proposed treatment areas. The
department is also concerned about removing too much aquatic vegetation
from the same areas within a short period of time.”
Ellery, meanwhile, was approved for Aquathol K to control curly-leaf
pondweed in 100 acres of the town’s requested 127 acres and ProcellaCor
EC in 51 acres of the lake within Ellery’s borders to control eurasian
watermilfoil.
“DEC approves, in part, the application for
Aquathol K to treat curly-leaf pondweed in most of the requested areas
and is permitting approximately 100 acres of the requested 127 acres,” Freese wrote. “Areas
not permitted were determined to be critical fish habitat and will not
be permitted at this time. As for the application to treat eurasian
watermilfoil with ProcellaCor EC, the department is permitting treatment
of approximately 51 acres. The vegetation studies from 2020 indicate
only trace to sparce amounts of (eurasian watermilfoil) within most of
the proposed treatment areas. Critical fish habitat and a concern for
removing too much aquatic vegetation in the same areas within a short
period of time were also factors in our determination.”
The herbicides will be administered by Solitude Lake Management LLC,
the same company that has administered previous herbicide applications.
Before the treatments take place, property owners and users must be
notified and warning signs posted.
Areas treated with Aquathol K must be closed for swimming until the
day after the herbicides are applied and should not be used for drinking
water until water sampling shows endothall acid concentrations have
dissipated to safe levels.
Areas treated with ProcellaCor have no swimming restrictions, but
there are limitations on using ProcellaCor-treated water for
agricultural crop, greenhouse, nursery and hydroponic irrigation,
irrigation of landscape vegetation and livestock watering until
concentrations of the herbicide dissipate.
A Chautauqua Lake Association watercraft steward is pictured in Mayville.
The Chautauqua Lake Association’s Watercraft Steward AIS
Spread Prevention Program reports show a significant increase across the
board in total surveys, interactions and boats monitored by stewards in
2020.
From May through September 2020, stewards were active Friday through
Monday at public launches on Chautauqua Lake, Cassadaga Lake and at two
Lake Erie harbors.
There were 19,650 boats and 39,528 people seen by stewards in 2020,
an increase of 9,753 boats and 19,727 people from 2019. Long Point was
the busiest Chautauqua Lake launch in 2020 with 2,822 boats. Bemus and
Mayville followed close behind with 2,390 and 2,385 boats respectively.
The report shows that 85% of boaters took prevention measures and 99%
of boaters agreed to an inspection of their vessel. Additionally, 81%
had previous contact with a steward.
For More Information On Chautauqua Lake & County Real Estate and Living Visit: chautauqualakehomes.com
Over 60% of survey respondents are in favor of forming a Chautauqua Lake District. The Chautauqua Lake Protection and Rehabilitation Agency and the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development shared the results of a community survey at a meeting Tuesday. CCIDA Executive Director Mark Geise
said 15-hundred people responded to the survey. He said the Lake
Protection and Rehabilitation Agency will vote next month on moving
forward after reviewing the survey in more detail,
“If they choose to continue, then the next steps would be forming a
work plan, developing a work plan, but before we can even do that we’ve
got to figure out how much would it cost, where’s the money come from
and what’s the scope of the work for that work plan?”
Geise said there’s a lot to be determined in the work plan on how lake district fees could be used,
“We’re talking about, you know, weed harvesting, more studying of the
lake, understanding the science better, the use of herbicides,
preservation, all of those things that possibly that we’re talking about
and to improve the quality of the Lake.”
63% of the survey respondents support the charging of fees for boats
on the Lake if all legal impediments to such fees were resolved.
A full summary of the survey results can be found on the County Department of Planning and Development’s website at planningchautauqua.com.
For More Information On Chautauqua Lake & County Real Estate and Living Visit: chautauqualakehomes.com
Existing Home Sales
According
to the National Association of Realtors, existing home sales for
January increased by +.6% to an annualized rate of 6.69mln units.
Looking YoY, this is +23.7% higher vs. January 2020, and is the second
highest sales pace since April 2006. “Home sales are continuing to play a
part in propping up the economy,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist
for the NAR. “With additional stimulus likely to pass and several
vaccines now available, the housing outlook looks solid for this year.”
While looking solid on headline, inventory remains the biggest issue
ahead. There were 1.04mln homes for sale at the end of January, which is
a -26% drop from a year ago. At the current sales pace, there is now a
1.9-month supply, the lowest since 1982 when tracking began. With a lack
of supply and high demand, prices have continued to increase as well.
The median price of an existing home sold in January was $303,900, a
+14.1% increase from January 2020, and the highest January print in
history. “We need to build more homes,” said Yun. “Even though housing
starts show a decline, it is interesting that the housing permits, the
desire to build homes, remains at the highest in over a decade.” We also
see that activity was the slowest on the very low end of the market,
with sales of homes priced below $100,000 down -28% YoY, and sales of
million-dollar homes up +77%. In addition, the number of days on the
market continued to be very swift, with homes selling on average in 21
days, compared with last January at 43 days. Finally, the regional
breakouts showed declines in the West (-4.4% to 1.31mln) and Northeast
(-2.2% to 870k), with gains in the South (+3.2% to 2.94mln) and Midwest
(+1.9% to 1.57mln).
The bright orange tripod is placed on the frozen water near The Lawson Center in Bemus Point. Once the clock is set, the pick is monitored with video surveillance to accurately record the precise date and time the pick falls through the ice.
As a winter fundraiser for the CLA, the community is invited to share their predications on when the ice will thaw and the ice pick will drop.
To participate, predict the exact date and time the pick will fall through the ice. There will be a $5 donation per guess and predictions will be accepted through March 20.
The grand prize winner will receive $250 and the next five closest guesses will each receive $50. All remaining funds will benefit the Chautauqua Lake Association’s year round lake management efforts. Visit ChautauquaAssociation.org/events to download a mail-in form or submit a guess online.
The Chautauqua Lake Protection and Rehabilitation Agency launched an online community survey to gather input on a potential Chautauqua Lake District. The survey is intended to seek feedback from residents and property owners. The agency was appointed by the Chautauqua County Legislature in 2018 to explore forming a Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District in order to improve the health and use of the Lake. The Agency was tasked with evaluating lake protection and rehabilitation needs and making recommendations to the County Legislature regarding the creation and activities of a Chautauqua Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District. To date, the agency has developed a preliminary outline of key components that would be included in a District Plan, including potential boundaries, services to be provided, governance options, and possible fee structures. The community survey asks about these topics and seeks feedback about moving forward with the Lake District. The survey is available at SurveyMonkey.com/r/CHQlakedistrict and will be open until March 15.
Over 60% of survey respondents are in favor of forming a Chautauqua Lake District. The Chautauqua Lake Protection and Rehabilitation Agency and the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development shared the results of a community survey at a meeting Tuesday. CCIDA Executive Director Mark Geise
said 15-hundred people responded to the survey. He said the Lake
Protection and Rehabilitation Agency will vote next month on moving
forward after reviewing the survey in more detail,