The Upstater: Country Houses in Town

Every Friday at 11:00, the Upstater website brings you a selection of properties for rent and sale within three hours north (and a little bit east and/or west) of New York City. This week: houses in village centers.

This one‘s a beauty: previously for rent for $2,500/month, this restored Italianate in the adorable village of Athens (just across the Hudson River from hip Hudson, and there’s even ferry service to get you over the water) is now for sale for $409,000.

Though that seemed pricey to us at first for an in-town house, no matter how lovely, turns out it’s about $30 less per square foot than the current average, $168. Athens has a very sweet downtown and incredible Hudson River-front, though town is at best sleepy and, at worst, a bit depressed. Full of potential, though, and more affordable than its hipified neighbor across the water.

This house is 2,950 square feet, with a garage, six beds, four baths. A small village lot, of .3 acres, but we love what they’ve done with it. The owners bought the pad as a weekend getaway from NYC. Then they moved up there full time. Now they’re relocating to Austin, leaving behind their dream home.
44 North Franklin Street, Athens. $409,000. GMAP.

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Here’s another looker, this one across the river in the really lovely village of Millerton, east of the Taconic and close to Connecticut. Millerton has a couple of great restaurants and a movie theater, and is 12 miles from the Wassaic MetroNorth station — it’s a place Upstater adores.

The price of this Millerton house is pretty nifty: reduced to $235K. It’s 2,000 square feet, with four beds, two baths, built in 1900.

Looks like it has great light, nice wide plank floors, and plenty to recommend it. We’d love to see a little update in the kitchen, but nothing major.
56 Simmons Street, Millerton, NY. $235,000. GMAP.