The Hudson Valley Playbook
HV Realty Team of Briante Realty · Free worksheets
Hudson Valley Real Estate Academy · Free worksheets
The Hudson Valley Playbook
Eight worksheets for buying or selling in Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess and Ulster. Use the ones that fit where you are today — almost nobody fills in all eight.
01Needs vs. wants
Separate what you'd walk away over from what you'd celebrate.
Separate what you'd walk away over from what you'd celebrate.
05Find your town
Four questions that narrow the Valley to the corners that fit you.
Four questions that narrow the Valley to the corners that fit you.
02Budget & pre-approval
The real monthly number, taxes and utilities included.
The real monthly number, taxes and utilities included.
06City → country translator
Wells, septic, perc tests — the terms an apartment never needed.
Wells, septic, perc tests — the terms an apartment never needed.
03Home tour scorecard
Score five houses out of 50 before they blur together.
Score five houses out of 50 before they blur together.
07Seller's get-ready checklist
Six weeks of prep, worked backwards from your list date.
Six weeks of prep, worked backwards from your list date.
04Questions to ask at every showing
Water, heat, land and money — plus the red flags.
Water, heat, land and money — plus the red flags.
08Closing countdown
Contract to keys, with dates and your team's contacts.
Contract to keys, with dates and your team's contacts.
Where to start
Just beginning
01 and 02 — what you want, and what you can comfortably spend.
Touring soon
Bring 03 and 04 in the car. Everything else can wait.
Still choosing a town
05, and 06 if you're coming up from the city.
Selling or under contract
07 to get ready, 08 once you have an accepted offer.
There's no order and no deadline. Fill in what you know, leave the rest blank, and bring whatever you've got — even one half-finished page tells me more than an hour of questions would.
Richard Bishop
Licensed Real Estate Salesperson · Briante Realty Group
rbishop@hvrealtyteam.com · 914-204-2546
HV Realty Team
Worksheet 01 · Buyer's Guide
Define what you're looking for
Needs vs. wants
A need is something you'd walk away over. A want is something you'd celebrate. Most buyers list eleven needs and two wants — be honest, and the search gets a lot shorter.
Must have — non-negotiable
Nice to have — would love it
Deal-breakers — I'd pass, no matter how nice
Common Hudson Valley needs
Commute under 90 minutes · Metro-North walkable · Town water & sewer (not well/septic) · Level yard · Central air · Home office · Single-story living · Specific school district · Garage · Under $X in taxes
If I could only have three of the above, they would be…
HV Realty Team
Worksheet 02 · Buyer's Guide
Before you tour a single house
Budget & pre-approval
Fill this in before you shop. A pre-approval letter is what turns your offer from a hope into a contender — and Hudson Valley taxes are the number most out-of-area buyers underestimate.
Cash available for down payment
Down payment assistance I qualify for
Closing costs set aside (est. 3–5%)
Reserve after closing (moving, repairs)
What I can comfortably pay each month
Principal & interest
Property taxes (ask me for the real figure by town)
Homeowners insurance
Heat, electric, water/well, internet
HOA / road association, if any
My comfortable monthly total
Pre-approval checklist
Two years of tax returns and W-2s
Two most recent pay stubs
Two months of bank and asset statements
Photo ID and Social Security number
Explanation for any large recent deposit
Written pre-approval letter in hand
Don't skip this
There are 2,000+ down payment assistance programs nationwide, and Hudson Valley buyers qualify for more of them than they expect. Ask me to run the Down Payment Resource report before you decide what you can afford.
HV Realty Team
Worksheet 03 · Buyer's Guide
One sheet per tour day
Home tour scorecard
By the fourth house they blur together. Score each one out of five while you're standing in the driveway — not that night.
Score each 1–5
House A
House B
House C
House D
House E
Address & asking price
Curb appeal & setting
Layout & flow
Kitchen
Bedrooms & baths
Storage & basement
Yard, grade & drainage
Roof, windows, mechanicals
Commute & drive to town
Noise, road, neighbours
Work it needs (est. $)
Total out of 50
The one thing I'd change about my favourite
What I want Richard to find out
HV Realty Team
Worksheet 04 · Buyer's Guide
Due diligence starts at the showing
Questions to ask at every showing
Water & waste
Town water or a private well? How deep, what yield?
Sewer or septic? When was the tank last pumped?
Any water treatment — softener, UV, radon in water?
Has the basement ever taken water?
Heat & systems
Oil, propane, gas or electric? Tank buried or above ground?
Age of furnace/boiler, water heater, roof, windows
What are the winter heating bills, honestly?
Generator, and does it cover the well pump?
Land & access
Is the road town-maintained or private? Who plows?
Any easements, rights of way or shared driveway?
Wetlands, flood zone or steep-slope restrictions?
Is there a recent survey?
Money & history
Current taxes, and are they being grieved?
How long has it been listed? Any price drops?
Were permits pulled and closed for past work?
Why is the seller moving, and when do they need to close?
Red flags
Repairs beyond your budget · unclear title ownership or an unresolved lien · overstated rental income or undisclosed expenses · work done without permits · a seller who won't allow a full inspection.
Notes & answers
HV Realty Team
Worksheet 05 · Find your town
Four questions, zero pressure
Find your Hudson Valley town
Answer honestly and I'll match you with the corners of the Valley that fit how you actually live — from Beacon's galleries to Lake Carmel's beaches.
1. On a free Saturday, I'd rather…
Walk to coffee, galleries, a bookshop
Hike a ridge or paddle a lake
Work on the house and the land
Be back in the city by lunch
2. My commute, realistically
Metro-North most days — walkable station matters
Two or three days in, drive to the train
Fully remote
Local job in the Valley
3. What has to be within ten minutes?
Elementary school
Hospital or urgent care
Real grocery store
Trailhead or water access
Highway on-ramp
4. My ideal lot
In-town, small yard, sidewalks
Half an acre, neighbours in sight
Two to five acres, some privacy
As much land as I can get
Towns I want to see first
Towns we cover
Beacon · Carmel & Mahopac · Cold Spring · Fishkill · Wappingers Falls · Poughkeepsie — and the rest of Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess & Ulster.
HV Realty Team
Worksheet 06 · City → Country
Leaving NYC for the Valley
City → country translator
The terms you never needed in an apartment. Tick the ones you've now got answers for. Always confirm legal definitions with your attorney.
Term
What it actually means for you
✓
Private well
Your water comes from the ground, not the town. Test it, know the depth and yield, and remember it stops in a power cut without a generator.
Septic system
Your own waste treatment in the yard. Pump every 3–5 years; no wipes, ever. Size limits how many bedrooms you can legally add.
Perc test
A soil test proving the ground drains well enough for a septic field. Essential on vacant land before you buy.
Oil / propane heat
Fuel gets delivered and you pay by the tank, not the month. Budget for the winter fill, and ask whether the tank is buried.
Right of way / easement
Someone else may legally cross your land — a neighbour's driveway, a utility, a trail. It shows on the survey, not in the photos.
Private road
The town doesn't plow, pave or light it. Neighbours share the cost — find out how much and whether it's in writing.
STAR exemption
New York's school-tax relief for owner-occupants. You have to register — it doesn't follow the previous owner to you.
Certificate of occupancy
Proof the town signed off on the house and its additions. Missing permits become your problem at resale.
Attorney review
In New York your attorney — not the agent — writes and negotiates the contract. Line one up before you make an offer.
Terms I still want explained
HV Realty Team
Worksheet 07 · Seller's Guide
Six weeks to list
Seller's get-ready checklist
Work backwards from your list date. The cheap fixes done early are worth more than the expensive ones done in a hurry.
6 weeks out — paperwork
Find the survey, C of O and permit records
Gather utility bills and tax bills for buyers
Retain a real estate attorney
Pump the septic; service the boiler
Review the comps with Richard and set a price
4 weeks out — repairs
Fix every dripping tap and sticking door
Touch up trim, patch and paint scuffs
Replace dead bulbs — every room, same colour
Clean gutters, power-wash the walk
Deal with the smell you stopped noticing
2 weeks out — staging
Clear a third of what's in every closet
Pack away photos, mail and medications
Pull furniture off the walls; open sightlines
Mow, edge, mulch, and stage the porch
Deep clean — windows included
Photo day & launch
Cars off the driveway, bins out of frame
Every light on, every blind up
Counters clear; toilet lids down
Book the Aspire-Above drone session
Agree the showing plan and pet routine
My target list date & move-out date
The jobs I need help with — and who's doing them
What I'm taking, and what stays with the house
Price it right the first time
The first two weeks bring the most qualified buyers you will ever see. A home priced above the comps trains those buyers to wait for a reduction — and the reduction usually lands below where you started.
HV Realty Team
Worksheet 08 · Closing
Contract to keys
Closing countdown
When
Step
Date
✓
Day 0
Offer accepted — attorneys exchange contracts
Days 1–10
Home inspection, plus well, septic, radon and termite
Days 5–15
Negotiate repairs or credits; sign the contract
Day 15
Full mortgage application; lock your rate
Days 20–35
Appraisal, title search and survey
Days 35–45
Clear conditions; bind homeowners insurance
Day 45
Clear to close — review the closing disclosure
Day before
Final walkthrough; confirm wired funds and utilities
Closing day
Sign, transfer, and take the keys
My team
Attorney
Lender / loan officer
Home inspector
Insurance agent
Mover
Need any of these? Ask me for a personal introduction — I've worked with all of them across the Valley.
Ready when you are
Let's talk about your Hudson Valley move.
Whether you're three years out or three weeks out — no pressure, just a plan.
Richard Bishop
rbishop@hvrealtyteam.com · 914-204-2546