'Magical’ oasis: On the market. (Meet Allison Bradley.)
PLUS: Channel 10's Billy Floyd opens up during his first 'Be Our Guest' Holiday Feast Week (and you might know his inspiring, famous grandpa!)
On the market: ‘special oasis’
Centuries old yet engineered for today, this 1800s farmhouse is a geothermal wonderland of artistic touches and stunning views.
“The perfect little farmhouse; I want it so badly!”
“Lovingly detailed; exquisite.”
“Spectacular!”
“My favorite listing of my entire career.”
Allison Bradley of Four Seasons Sotheby’s Realty — that last quote belongs to her — has fallen in love with this “magical” oasis of an 1800’s Victorian home that’s on the market about 30 minutes from Downtown. I casually mentioned this artsy blue gem at a party in Saratoga Friday night, and it seems everyone knew this house but me — see the other raving notes above — and have been keeping their eye on it.
The house’s current owner, Bronwen Eastman, first fell in love with the now-renovated farmhouse (5 bedrooms, 3 “spectacular spa-like baths”) during would become fateful drive-bys.
“We would pass it on our summer drives to the Battenkill Dairy for ice cream,” she says. “Maybe it was the mythically gigantic catalpa tree out front or the lovingly detailed gingerbread of the house itself, but I think it is the overall impression of it. The first time I walked down the wide slate stairs to the basement and toured the rooms with their fantastic molding and high ceilings it was clear that this is a house that has been loved well — and consistently.”
She calls the house a “rarity,” and this is no sales talk. The fine jewelry designer took the reputation of old houses as being inefficient with energy resources, and added insulation, an impressive array of solar panels, and geothermal heating and cooling.
“The geothermal requires no fossil fuels — only the electric that runs the heat pump and fans, and that comes from the solar,” Eastman says. “I like thinking of the house as an element of the fantastic natural landscape that surrounds it. It’s been there long enough that it truly is, and now the impact can be more positive and sustainable, even supporting the extraordinary variety of wildlife there.”
Adds Bradley, “The geothermal energy and solar panels make energy costs nearly zero for the next 20 years.”
“We carefully renovated to maintain its character while adding many handmade and natural details, such as terracotta and Zellige tiles, lime wash paint, and natural floor finishes,” Eastman says. “The house has been a special oasis for me, a magical and nurturing container of connection and transformation. I have loved it dearly and I’m excited for it to find its new people.”
For more information visit sothebysrealty.com/fourseasons and contact Allison Bradly via text at 518-339-7313 or email at Allison.bradley@sothebysrealty.com.
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High energy, local flavor (and a grandpa you may recognize!)
Pull up a chair: We sit down with News10’s new ‘Be Our Guest’ host Billy Floyd, whose first Holiday Feast Week is airing now on News10.
Capital Region foodies love their “Be Our Guest” restaurant deals that air Thursdays at 9 a.m. on News10. The program’s newest convert? Me! And it has a lot to do with the segment’s new host, Billy Floyd, whom I met via text on a recent rainy Sunday when I was preparing Saratoga culinary stars Zac Denham and Clark Gale for their turn on Floyd’s show.
Me: Giant slug mode. Billy: “Always have to bring the energy! I appreciate you!”
I was mesmerized.
An excellent writer who pens impressive TV copy in minutes, Floyd also has an innate knack for seamless TV — not always a simple task when the interviewees are small business owners who might have no experience on camera.
“The owners, managers and chefs work incredibly hard every day to make a positive difference in the community,” he says. “Being able to highlight what they’re doing means a lot to me.”
Q: When did you start hosting “Be Our Guest,” which lets customers buy gift cards to the restaurants on your show at 50 percent off?
A: The segment started in 2023 and was originally hosted by the incredible Samantha DiMascio. She left television this past September, which opened the door for me to take it over. She is a first-class reporter, host and personality, and she went above and beyond to help me prepare before she moved on. I was really grateful for her guidance, and the entire experience has been a blast.
Q: Are you from the Capital Region? What did you do before this?
A: I grew up in Guilderland. Right after graduating from Marist College, I moved to Casper, Wyoming, where I became the morning news anchor and host for Good Morning Wyoming. I produced and anchored both the morning and noon shows, and the mornings were filled with positive, community-based storytelling that felt very similar to what I get to do now on “Be Our Guest.”
From October 2020 to March 2021, I worked strictly in hard news, which is important, but not where my passion was. So I moved back home to Guilderland.
Back home in the Capital Region, I became the arena and stadium host for the Adirondack Thunder, Glens Falls Dragons, and Union men’s and women’s hockey. I also visit schools across the Capital Region to give positive presentations, which is still some of my favorite work.
Q: I was blown away by your ability to pump people up before the segment. How did you become such a leader in that way?
A: I was blessed with incredible role models. My grandfather, Ernie Anastos, is one of the most iconic personalities and storytellers in the history of television news. When I’d visit him as a kid, we’d walk through the mall, around the city, anywhere, and people would flock to him nonstop. No matter who they were, he treated every person like they were the most important one in the room. He showed me exactly how to treat people.
Nothing is more important than giving people that spark that helps them be their best. He also taught me that pressure is a privilege, having people rely on you is an honor, and being the person who shows up every time is an honor. If you live with that mindset, you can influence the world more than you realize.
To snap up some of these “Be Our Guest” Holiday Feast Week deals, visit news10.com.
Got a business to promote, story to tell or event to share? Respond to this email or reach Abby at abby@saratogadispatch.com.
ICYMI…
Back-to-back SPAC and one very long and cold night: Oh, what a (2) night(s) in Saratoga