Licensed Real Estate Brokerage
Land & Camps Blog
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Posted at: 3/1/2023 12:00 PM
This blog post lists several tips for taking care of woods roads in spring and fall rainy seasons.
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7 Reasons to Tour Land in Winter
Posted at: 2/22/2021 12:00 PM
This blog post describes seven reasons why winter is a great time to tour land.
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Remembrances of the Blade Road
Posted at: 3/18/2019 12:00 PM
Every winter in late January, early February there’s a time when the last day’s sun shines a beam through the hardwood forest casting shadows that look like the long thin fingers of the lady of the woods. The sun casts a kind of peachy color where the sky meets the land and the breeze has a slight hint of spring. On these days working in the woods, cutting the trees and hauling logs off the ridges to the road reminds me of a long ago time on the hills of the Blade Road with an old timer named
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Posted at: 7/29/2018 12:00 PM
Something is changing today. It’s Sunday morning yet I am wide awake at 5:17am....”Hmmm, why?” I wonder. Then I feel a cool breeze blow through the window and I see the shadows of billowing clouds creeping across the meadow in the first minutes that my eyes come into focus. The light this morning is different. As I stumble my way to the coffee maker I see a big deer out my kitchen window. At first I strain to see velvet horns but then I see a fawn staring at its own reflection in the pond. Tha
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Posted at: 5/4/2017 12:00 PM
There's a few reasons we are the only true land company in New York state and the only company to have been in business for over 25 years. First of all, we treat you as a friend… we understand you pay us for the best land and camp we can find but also for a safe and easy process. We have our own legal staff making for a seamless comfortable process. We are always here for you…both before and during the closing process and most importantly - we never leave you if you need us. We are the on
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Posted at: 7/11/2016 12:00 PM
Every living creature requires a sanctuary. A true sanctuary provides immediate and temporary release. To some it may be a gym, pub, church, or the inside of one’s home. A sanctuary is a safe haven where you can unwind and recharge – where you can contemplate and revel in personal achieved successes and also lick the wounds that life inflicts. Nature provides vast opportunities for refuge and inspiration. Havens vary as much as the individuals that seek them. For some, a sanctuary is a place wh
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Posted at: 6/9/2016 12:00 PM
After 15 some years of selling rural properties here in the upstate New York area, I have been very fortunate to have seen so many incredible places and have been blessed to meet so many really fantastic people. Many of my past customers are now close friends. We have hunted and fished together, sat by crisp fall bonfires together, enjoyed steaming, home-cooked meals in their cozy cabins, and have enjoyed weddings and graduation parties in the back yards of their new homesteads. It all starts w
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Posted at: 5/16/2016 12:00 PM
It's been 35 or more years since my old pack arrived in the mail from LL Bean. Back then, life was simpler… you called a company on the telephone, ordered a small pack and two weeks later, a box arrived in the mail. Back then I was a forester in need of a small, light, durable pack to use at my day job, "working in the woods." Things were different then. Life was busy but under control. There were no cell phones, no texting, no email, no social media, no Internet, no 24 hour news cycle, no p
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Farewell to Our Dear Friend Jim Eatherly
Posted at: 8/11/2015 12:00 PM
It is with sadness and a very heavy heart that I announce to all our friends that our co-worker, brother and dear friend Jim Eatherly and his wife Tammy where tragically killed in a motorcycle accident last Sunday afternoon. Jim was not just our coworker and good friend - Jim was a part of our family - just like all the others in our company. We all work extremely hard - we stick together, we laugh and cry together and we never let each other down. Jim was all of that and much, much more. Jim
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Posted at: 6/10/2015 12:00 PM
I have a window in my office and I have a window in my camp; both very nice and both very different........ The window from my office looks out at where I want to be...and the window from my camp looks out at where I love to be. Today from my office window I’m looking at a rainy downpour - complete with thunder and lightning and the darkest skies, really cool, same as at camp, yet at camp I am so excited to see the flash, feel the cool breeze, and hear the rain off the metal roof. If you're
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Custom Cabins - Why No Two of Our Cabins Are Ever Alike
Posted at: 12/9/2014 12:00 PM
This is the story of how we build our land and camp packages and why we do them this way. Thirty years ago, Christmas & Associates began as strictly a land company. A few years into the business, we realized we were very good at taking a "diamond in the rough," so to speak, and turning it into a "gem." This process involves land planning, site clearing and construction of a rustic cabin on just the right spot. When we began getting involved in building camps, our company became “LANDANDCAMPS.
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Tips to Outfit Your Off-Grid Cabin
Posted at: 11/12/2014 12:00 PM
I have built many camp over the years that required alternative energy because the camp was located a great distance from a public utility. In fact, my own personal camp, located 7 miles by boat on Long Lake in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, falls into this category. Through trial and error, I've learned the best ways to set up your off-grid camp. Below are some tips I thought I would pass on to our customers. Off grid utilities require three basic elements for generating electricity: Powe
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So...How Much Are the Property Taxes?
Posted at: 11/3/2014 12:00 PM
One of the most commonly asked questions that we hear upfront about our land is: "WHAT ARE THE TAXES?" Unfortunately for us, New York State has a reputation for having high property taxes. Having acquired and sold over 4,000 properties, in at least 16 different counties over the last 30 years, we know a lot about New York taxes. And for the many who ask us, “But what are the taxes?” I’d like to explain why it's sometimes difficult to exactly quote the taxes when you initially contact us. Pr
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Posted at: 9/18/2014 12:00 PM
Working in the woods with my friends and family is a connection I've enjoyed my entire life beginning with my Dad and brothers. Even when it's tough or the weather is mean, and the task seems overwhelming, the bonds that are created and the memories shared are everlasting. Your brothers become your best friends, your best friends become your brothers, and your sons and daughters become the people you just can't live without. I am convinced these bonds happen in the woods, on the farm and in
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Guidelines for a Successful Land Sale Closing
Posted at: 4/14/2014 12:00 PM
Why does a land sale closing have to take so long and prove to be so difficult? Actually, it doesn’t… The following can help a land sale closing to occur quickly, accurately and safely for the real estate buyer: The real estate seller should provide the real estate buyer with a new, certified survey with wetlands depicted on the map. The seller should provide insurable title and offer title insurance to the purchaser. All necessary permits should be in place and transferable. All private ro
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Hey Dad - Why Do People Buy Land & Camps?
Posted at: 3/7/2014 12:00 PM
One of my younger sons recently asked the question," I don't really understand - why do so many people want to buy land from us?" The quick answer goes something like this.....People like a place to get away to, a place to go and be with family, away from their jobs and other stresses of life. Lots of folks who live in the country also go to camp. I think they go to putter on little projects in the woods. After thinking more about this question, thinking about my own desire to go to my camp,
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Hunting Season 2013..Over for Another Year
Posted at: 12/8/2013 12:00 PM
It's over.....yes it's over...the last day of hunting season has ended and another page is turned. Today started at 7:00am and ended at 5:00pm......a new hunter got to walk on his first drive, a young hunter saw his first "monster buck", an 80 year old hunter who can barely walk saw deer crossing one more time, a new son-in-law was in trouble for being late getting home...... A real good friend took a shot, the woods echoed with the laughter of an older brother, a younger brother made chili f
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Top 20 Questions for Land Buyers
Posted at: 10/9/2013 12:00 PM
Christmas & Associates has developed a list of twenty of the most important questions you should always have on hand when you are considering buying land. The next time you go out to look at land, we suggest you bring the following questions along: How long have you been in business? How long has the property been on the market and why is it for sale? Can I view information about this property on a web site or listing sheet? Can you provide references, including names and phone numbers of peo
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Christmas & Associates Sponsors Summer Music Festival
Posted at: 8/12/2013 12:00 PM
Summer Music Festival Brings Nationally-Known Bands to Camden, NY Proceeds from August Festival to Support Camden Business Development As part of a group of independent, local business people called Imagine Greater Camden (IGC), Christmas & Associates will help host a summer music festival called the Camden Summer Farm Festival. The fund-raising music festival, to be held Saturday, August 24th, 2013 at noon, will honor Camden's rich tradition of farming and music, while also raising money fo
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Almost August in Upstate New York
Posted at: 7/19/2013 12:00 PM
August is only two weeks away, and with it comes the first cool mornings that hint of fall. Thoughts turn from fishing, swimming and boating to "getting camp ready for fall." For families that hunt, this is when the annual ritual begins. August is the time we go to camp to put up firewood, cut out trails, sweep, clean and organize. Evenings at camp in August are when we reorganize and redecorate. A fresh coat of paint, a couple of new pictures on the wall and some new gear brought in. It's fun