A cautionary tale for remodelers everywhere: choose your location wisely

3 Meadow Wood Drive, a property we’ve treated with loving derision here over the years as it slowly sank from $6.375 million to $3.495, has finally sold, for $3.4.

The sellers paid $3.425 for the house in 2006, gutted it and renovated from the studs out, and placed it back up for sale in June 2015, for $6.375. Sadly, despite that labor, and a number of tries at professionally filmed sales videos, no one stepped forward to take the place off their hands until this buyer, and he proved unwilling to pay for the improvements.

There’s nothing wrong with the house itself, and Belle Haven is usually a safe space to park your money, but this location, immediately next to the Thruway, made for a tough sell. Everyone loves songs about trucks; the entire library of recorded country-western songs would be reduced by half if truck songs were excluded, but not many people want to live next to them.

Especially not if they’re paying three-million-plus for the privilege.