Modern cottage in legendary Lily Dale
Houses for Sublet
I have renovated my family's charming one-bedroom, one-bath cottage in Lily Dale with all the modern conveniences: dishwasher, laundry, solar, car charger, driveway for two cars, heated bathroom floors, bidet, induction stove, instant hot water, small home gym, home office, high-speed internet, water purification system, room-by-room heating & AC, plus a gas fireplace for vibes.
It has some of the historic aspects left, too: steep stairs to the bedroom/office/gym, a huge farmhouse sink, photos on the walls of five generations of my family who have stayed here, and an old Wurlitzer.
I oscillate between cooking all my meals and ordering from services like CookUnity. There are not many food options close by in the off-season. The kitchen is compact but well-appointed, with multiple ways to make coffee and way too many kinds of tea. All-clad cookware. KitchenAid, air fryer/microwave combo, Instapot, Sodastream.
Lily Dale is a quaint, historic village of people who talk to the dead but are otherwise fairly regular Upstate NY folks. It is surrounded by a small lake and old-growth forests. Come spend the winter & spring here, ski out your front door, watch the flowers bloom, get some peace and quiet, feel inspired.
- 12 minutes to town with a grocery store/restaurants/SUNY Fredonia
- 35 minutes to Wegman's & Target
- 1 hour to the Buffalo airport
- 7 hour drive to NYC
Lily Dale is fully walkable, but a car is pretty important to do much else. The village stays pretty sleepy til April or May.
The house is furnished with hardwood floors, a small fenced yard with a hammock, and a front porch. It is nestled between the Lily Dale Museum and the Medium's League octagon building. Rent includes utilities (electric, gas, wifi, water, garbage) and monthly cleaning to keep the new appliances, fixtures, paint, floors, etc., all sparkling.
The front porch has three steps up from the road. From there, the front door opens into the open living/dining room. The kitchen is on the far side with the bathroom and laundry contained within it. There's a side exit to the fenced yard at the foot of the stairs from the dining room, which lead up to the open gym/office/bedroom. Curtains separate the gym and office from the bedroom. There is a dresser and a small closet, plus storage space under the bed.
About This Lister
I'm a writer and technologist who has lived in Lily Dale since I took over the house in 2018. It had been empty for 20 years at that point, and I have made it my dream house, with everything I need to thrive in a rural place while surrounded by community. But I need some city time now, so I'm renting the place out for the first half of 2025.
Lister's Relationship to the Space
Owner
Rental requirements
The house is ideal for one person or a couple. It has a ton of history for my family so I need someone who can respect the space. Lily Dale is also a gated, private community with a lot of retirees and requires a level of repose.
We can do a virtual tour if you aren't in the area so we can meet each other and you can see the space. I require an application, one month's rent, and a security deposit upfront. We will have a mutually signed lease agreement.
Dates are flexible. I might be open to a house swap.
Pets Policy
There's a pet door to the yard, and both my animals are indoor/outdoor. So I don't have a litter box. I would like to keep it that way. If you want some company and LOVE cats, Sylvester might be willing to stay with you. Or I might consider a single, well-behaved pet with a pet fee under the right circumstances. There is a dog park just down the street!
