Henry and Jill Burk have been buying property in Kerhonkson, N.Y., for years. But until last year, they had yet to find a home there.
In 2017, while the couple were living in Port Washington, N.Y., they bought a cottage and a cabin in the Ulster County hamlet and started a house-flipping business called Lotus Restoration & Design. They still own those properties, which they plan to renovate and rent eventually, as well as a third house they intend to flip. The endeavor gave the couple a foothold in Kerhonkson, just north of the Shawangunk Ridge.
In 2020, after Mr. Burk, now 52, retired from his job as the manager of a Manhattan printing plant, he and Ms. Burk, 49, got serious about finding a place in Kerhonkson to call home. Ms. Burk still works in Manhattan as a freelance photo stylist for clients like Tory Burch and Coach, but plans to focus entirely on Lotus when she turns 50 in August.
“We fell in love with the area,” said Mr. Burk, who began rock-climbing near the local lakes 15 years ago. “The views were beautiful, it was quiet and there were low taxes.”
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His retirement thrust the couple into a Hudson Valley house search just as a stream of New Yorkers fleeing the city created fierce competition. But while other Hudson Valley buyers were squaring off in bidding wars and offering tens of thousands of dollars over the asking price, the Burks focused on fixer-uppers they could renovate themselves.
Mr. Burk picked up construction skills while working for a plumber when he was in high school and later developed those skills by flipping houses, and Ms. Burk has a background in design. Their ability to do the work themselves meant they didn’t need to spend time and money finding and hiring the right contractor.
The couple wanted a house with enough storage space for Mr. Burk’s tools and a carpentry workshop, enough acreage to have separation from neighbors, and some natural beauty — a stream, or maybe mountain views. Other than that, they were flexible.
“We were always drawn to ugly-duckling houses,” Ms. Burk said. “We want the house that no one else wants.”
Their ability to work with “whatever the circumstances are” set them apart from typical buyers, said Deborah Hitz, the couple’s real estate agent, who owns Habitat Real Estate Group, in Stone Ridge, N.Y.
“Jill and Henry have a vision,” Ms. Hitz said. “They didn’t need a perfect house, and they’re not afraid to tackle a big renovation.”
Among their options:
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