5 New Years Resolutions

(That Can Only Be Completed In Upstate NY!)

How was your 2020? I know, let’s not talk about it, right?! Instead, let’s look forward with real excitement to 2021 and all we can accomplish! I’m really inspired to move on and get busy enjoying a new year.

Of course, I have the standard New Year’s resolutions: Workout every day, stop eating sugar, good old standards like that. But along with the ordinary goals I set myself the task of making a few resolutions that befit a "Local Expert" in the Hudson Valley and Catskills Real Estate. Goals that can only be accomplished right here in Upstate, NY. These goals will help me root myself even deeper in the Catskills and Hudson Valley in new ways, and they're fun!

Mari Lyons: From The Garden

October 31, 2020 - January 30, 2021

Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty: 268 Fair St, Kingston, NY 12401

Open 9-5 Daily | 845-331-5357 

Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty’s Kingston Office is proud to present the art of Mari Lyons in an exhibition titled “From the Garden” running from October 31, 2020 – January 30, 2021 as part of our "Gallery At Work" series. 

Mari painted from her home in Woodstock looking out to a hillside on one side and her gardens on the other. Her love of flowers and her unique collection of vases and sculptural objects always inspired Mari to create her bold and colorful paintings. The flowers span three seasons and the color wheel in striking strokes of oil paint. Mari’s

Photo by Ariel Camilo Photography

Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty Partnership with The Kingston Design Connection

The 2020 Kingston Design Showhouse

This week I chatted with Maryline Damour, the creative inspiration behind the 2020 Kingston Design Showhouse and a partner at Damour Drake, a design and construction company based in the Hudson Valley. We talked about, amongst other things, pulling together the showhouse in the time of COVID, Maryline’s efforts to keep Hudson Valley interior design in front of the media and the exciting 3D Matterport tour created for the Kingston Design Connection by Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty’s on-staff videographer so anyone can virtually walk through the showhouse online.

View The

9/14/20 - Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty is proud to announce and welcome Guy Barretta as the company’s Chief Operating Officer. In this newly created role, Barretta will join partner Principal Brokers Candida Ellis and Joan Lonergan at the helm of the top-selling 28 year-old brokerage - a Coldwell Banker affiliate*. Barretta will be responsible for guiding Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty’s growth.

Guy Barretta joins Village Green Realty from Coldwell Banker Corporate in Madison, NJ where he was Senior Director for Strategic Growth for the Coldwell Banker brand. During his tenure with the Coldwell Banker brand he was responsible for the renewal of Coldwell Banker affiliates which put him in contact with hundreds of affiliates nationwide,

From Cheese to Pie - Oysters To Bourbon

This year, Thanksgiving is going to be a local affair. That's ok! That's how the tradition started - neighbors sharing the fruits of their labor in thanksgiving for surviving a really rough year. Sound familiar? Staying close to home this year has an upside. Forgoing the car ride to your relatives will allow you the time to seek out local treasures and give them a try. We put together this list of local providers to share with you. Each one of these local businesses has the stamp of approval from a "Local Expert". 

General Provisions

While it's easy to head to the supermarket to buy a bag of carrots and a case of paper towels, we are lucky enough to have other options. There are farmers markets

To some of us the Catskills and Hudson Valley may seem a little crowded right now. Downstate has discovered Upstate and while we don't mind sharing, some days we long for the quiet the region promised. Our "Local Experts" put together a list of rarely frequented walks and hikes in the area that won't be treacherous in winter weather. These are not the same hikes and walks you'll find in the newspaper articles about discovering the Hudson Valley and the hiking manuals on the Catskills. These are spots that are off the beaten path, frequented by locals and not too busy. One of the most wonderful things about the region is the amount of protected land that quietly sits at so many bends in our country roads. Dress warmly, wear the right kind of footwear

Ski Homes For Sale in Ulster & Greene Counties

      "Winter is Coming." The ominous and oft-repeated line from
       Game of Thrones is meant to make us all deeply nervous. For
       many it does just that! We're looking down the barrel at a winter
       the Farmer's Almanac promises will bring a "snow comeback"
       to the Northeast - at a time when being outdoors is considered
       the safest place to socialize. For some, this will seem like a real
       bummer of a combo - lots of the white stuff and a need to be
       out in it. BUT, for those who love downhill skiing, snowshoeing,
       cross-country skiing, tubing and bundling up for a s'mores roast 
       hearing "Winter is coming" brings a tingle of anticipation and a yen
   

Change Your Life - Start a Business Upstate

2020 has been the strangest of years. Admittedly there have been some very dark moments, but in some cases those dark moments have lead people to change their lives in ways they only allowed themselves to daydream about before 2020. Some have used this time to learn new skills, some have used it to spend more time with their families - keeping their circle close, and some have decided to finally take the leap to launch the small business they've been thinking about but never could quite find the time or energy for before. Most businesses need the right space and the right location. With so many people moving to the Catskills and Hudson Valley there's an opportunity to start a business in an area that's

Living Kingston Magazine

Joan Lonergan: Family, Business, Advocacy

Joan Lonergan, Principal Broker/Owner and founder of Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty was featured in the October 2020 issue of Kingston Living Magazine. 

By Vincent Nugent, Photo credit: SharpImagesPhotographic.com.

Joan Lonergan, founding partner, principal broker and owner of Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty, considers herself an eternal optimist. At the time she opened her business, after she had spent only one year in sales, IBM had just closed its doors in Kingston, laying off nearly 6,000 workers. Yet, despite the fact that the area's real estate market was drying up, Joan persisted, as she explained. " It could be said that I had more nerves than brains ...

Events in The Catskills & Hudson Valley

Our calendar isn't nearly as packed as it normally is this time of year, but that makes each event a bit more exciting! 

 Phoenicia Festival Of The Voice | Kingston, NY | August 29th

The Phoenicia Festival of the Voice is usually a several day celebration of songs of all types. This year, the organizers wisely retooled the event to a single big production of Puccini's Tosca, done drive-in style. Way to be creative and combine high brow opera with down-home nostalgia! The event has been moved to Kingston's Tech City campus which can accommodate up to 600 cars filled with opera lovers. Super fun - Super safe!

 A Mid-Summer Night's Dream | Rhinebeck | July 7th-18th

It just wouldn't