US-Canadian Border Reopening

Canadians are a crucial part of the Ellicottville Real Estate market. Anecdotally, Canadians make up around half of all Ellicottville sales in a normal year and a high percentage of skiers, chalet guests and partiers! Of course, normal years have been in short supply recently. The land border has been closed since shortly after Covid hit in March 2020.

Currently, the border status is being reviewed on the 21st of every month and the closure extended for 30 days. The current closure runs until October 21st. Meanwhile, in the other direction, fully vaccinated Americans have been allowed to enter Canada since August of this year. Additionally, Canadians have been allowed to enter the US by air for most of the pandemic.

This has led to understandable confusion and annoyance on both sides of the border and especially amongst border communities. To get from Toronto to Buffalo for example is just over an hour and a half drive. To fly to Buffalo takes around 5 hours plus all the extra time getting to the airport, waiting to board and then getting to wherever you want to go from Buffalo airport. Door to door, it’s probably 8 hours. So to take that route to Ellicottville, it’s a 9 hour trip compared to around two and a half hours by car.

The US government is now coming under pressure from its own politicians from both sides of the political divide. The Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire, Jon Tester from Montana have voiced their opposition to the continued closure. So too has Angus King, the Independent Senator from Maine and Greg Gianforte, the Republican Governor of Montana.

Good News on the Horizon?

There’s nothing concrete, but maybe a few encouraging signs. While previous extensions of the border closure were for 30 days at a time, there has been some suggestion this time around that changes could be made before the next scheduled review date of October 21st. Additionally, fully vaccinated travellers from a host of other countries will be allowed in to the US starting in November. This may mark a general shift towards relaxing border regulations.

Another positive sign is that despite the 4th wave, the numbers of new Covid cases seems to be stabilising or even declining. Certainly, the decision to open the Canadian border to vaccinated Americans does not seem to have led to a surge in new Covid cases.

We will keep an eye on all the announcements and update you here in Blog 42. We hope to see you in Ellicottville soon!

Ellicottville Real Estate Review

When you decide whether to buy at 42 Degrees North, we understand that you will want to see how it compares to other chalets in Ellicottville. While you will obviously want to do your own due diligence, in the coming posts, we will look at properties that have sold in Ellicottville and compare them to the chalets for sale at 42 Degrees North.

6709 Upper Rd, Ellicottville

Ski Chalet at 6709 Upper Road, Ellicottville.

This 6 bedroom 3512 sq ft home overlooks the slopes of Holiday Valley. It sold for $705,000 on August 12th 2021. It is obviously a great chalet close to Ellicottville, but let’s see how it compares to a similar chalet at 42 Degrees North. The comparison we will use is the Elk Creek Model on Lot 2 which is currently for sale at $620,000.

Location

6709 Upper Road has a fabulous location. It isn’t ski in - ski out, but it is across the street from the slopes at Holiday Valley and it has views of the slopes. It’s a short drive down to Holiday Valley resort. According to Google Maps, it is 1.3 miles from Holiday Valley or a 3 minute drive. It is 3.9 miles from Holimont or an 8 minute drive. The Ellicottville Brewing Company is 2.5 miles or an 8 minute drive.

Lot 2 at 42 Degrees North also features views of the slopes albeit from a little further away. Holiday Valley is 3.8 miles away or a 7 minute drive. Holimont is 3.9 miles away or an 8 minute drive. The Ellicottville Brewing Company is 2.8 miles or a 6 minute drive. Again, this is all according to Google Maps.

So, 6709 Upper Road is definitely closer to Holiday Valley. The two chalets are exactly the same distance and driving time from Holimont. 42 Degrees North is slightly further from Ellicottville Brewing Company, but actually a shorter drive. It’s pretty close and some will certainly prefer the seclusion that 42 Degrees North offers, but for proximity to Holiday Valley, we’ll give 6709 Upper Road a slight edge.

The Chalets

These two Ellicottville ski chalets are quite similar in size. 6709 Upper Road is slightly bigger at approximately 3500 sq ft vs the Elk Creek which comes in at 3380 sq ft. 6709 Upper Road has 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms while the Elk Creek can be configured as either a 6 or 7 bedroom home and with 3 to 5 bathrooms.

Both chalets are well built and functional, but different in age. The Elk Creek is obviously a new build so you have a brand new home and one that can be somewhat customised to your needs and wants. The chalet at 6709 Upper Road is a little older so naturally it will show some wear and tear. The Elk Creek’s design style is a little more contemporary as you would expect from a newer home.

On balance, while both are lovely homes, we give the edge to the Elk Creek at 42 Degrees North

Lot Size

An easy comparison here with 6709 Upper Road having a decent 0.49 acre lot size, but lot 2 at 42 Degrees North prevailing with an extremely generous 5 acres. Advantage 42 Degrees North

Price

Always kind of important! With a list price of $620,000 vs 6709 Upper Road’s selling price of $705,000, the Elk Creek is the winner here.

The Verdict

Two amazing Ellicottville ski chalets. We gave the edge to the Elk Creek in three of the four categories, but everyone’s view is going to be different. You are welcome to add your thoughts in the comments below. We do moderate them, but all reasonable opinions welcomed (even if you don’t agree with us!)