In all the years I've been in real estate, the busiest season is the fall, from September through November. It's a time of change. People who have taken weekend jaunts in the summer, vacationed upstate, or rented a house here want to hold on to the pleasures of the country. Others may feel an unconscious nesting instinct, an urge to have a home for the holidays. They tell us, "We'd love to be in by Thanksgiving, but definitely by Christmas." At the same time, the fall typically brings an increase in inventory, as sellers, especially older folks who are relocating to the South, are ready to go after a final summer season.

A few years ago, during the height of the fall foliage, a couple from the Philadephia area was visiting Ulster County for the first time. They stayed at Mohonk and were so taken with the views they decided then and there to buy a house. We showed them a substantial home with breathtaking views in move-in condition in Raycliffe Estates, off West Saugerties Road near Woodstock. They bought it that very day.

Such impulse purchases are not unusual in this area. People have very strong, visceral reactions to the beauty they find here. And when potential homeowners review the financials and learn that houses in the area have appreciated at an average rate of 6 to 9 percent annually (over the past 25 years), they see that buying a house is not only a secure investment, it's a smart one.

Harris L. Safier, CRB, CRS, GRI, principal broker of Westwood Metes & Bounds Realty of West Hurley, Stone Ridge, Woodstock, and Kingston, has been selling real estate in the Hudson Valley for 25 years. In 1993 he was named Ulster County's Realtor of the Year.