For John Casey and Sarah Buscher, the Hudson Valley always had a special pull. The siblings, who were raised in Beacon, N.Y., grew up swimming at Little Stony Point, catching glimpses of the Bannerman Castle as they drove on Route 9D, and spotting Pete Seeger at the Clearwater Festival in Croton-on-Hudson.
“Everyone has a geography that resonates with them, where you get there and you just feel your breathing open up,” said Ms. Buscher, now 59. “That’s been the Hudson Valley for us.”
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Life’s currents took them in different directions. Mr. Casey, 57, eventually moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., where he works as a barber. Ms. Buscher moved to Washington, D.C., where she works as an elementary school teacher and adjunct professor, and raised four children with her husband. But the pull was always there.
“It’s been kind of a pipe dream for both of us to get a place together in the Hudson Valley,” said Mr. Casey.
Last August, the siblings took a trip to Saugerties, N.Y., a historic Hudson River town in Ulster County, to watch the Perseids meteor shower. They used the opportunity to swing by an open house that Ms. Buscher was interested in.
Mr. Casey discovered that the listing agent was an old friend from Brooklyn, Amy Crossfield, with Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty.
Though Ms. Crossfield was battling cancer, she was determined to help her friends find a home. The idea was that Mr. Casey would live there full-time, while Ms. Buscher and her family would use it as a weekend retreat.
The siblings decided to pool their resources — Mr. Casey with savings and Ms. Buscher with a home equity line of credit — for a total budget of $600,000.
“The thing about Ulster County is that we have such a range of pricing,” said Leslie Foti-Drayer, an agent at Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty. “There are two-bedroom houses that sell for over $1 million. There are three-bedroom houses that sell for $300,000. So $600,000 is a really nice budget.”
The siblings wanted a house with at least three bedrooms, a decent chunk of land so Ms. Buscher could exercise her green thumb, and plenty of entertaining space to host family gatherings. They also hoped the property could accommodate short-term rentals as an additional income stream.
As their search widened, they realized they also had a chance to provide a new home for their mother, Eleanor Buscher, who was living in an assisted-living facility in New Jersey. She had glowing memories of raising her family in Beacon and performing in an Irish folk band there.
“I began to get a sense that I was getting older and needed a safe place to live,” Mrs. Buscher, 84, said.
This four-bedroom, three-bath house from 1813 had nearly 3,000 square feet and exuded charm with its welcoming front porch, sage-green shutters and demilune window. Original features included the wood floors, fireplaces and brick walls, and it had been restored with stainless steel appliances and updated bathrooms. The spacious dining room was a plus, as was the primary bedroom, which had a full bath, living room and kitchenette. There were some red flags, like a damp basement, but the 2.4-acre property, about 10 minutes south of Saugerties, offered plenty of space for gardening and entertaining. The asking price was $589,900, with about $14,000 a year in taxes.
This three-bedroom, two-bath, Cape Cod-style house from 1883 sat on the fringes of the city of Kingston. The 0.16-acre property, which backed onto a wildlife-filled wetland and a Hudson River view, was on the petite side, but the 2,000-square-foot house had been tastefully renovated, with exposed beams, oak floors, quartz countertops and marble bathroom tiles. It also had a new roof, new plumbing and updated electricals.The first-floor en suite bedroom would be convenient for Mrs. Buscher, while the basement, though unfinished, had potential for additional sleeping quarters. The price was $520,000, reduced from $565,000, with about $5,000 a year in taxes.
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