When city dwellers search for a second home in the Hudson River Valley or the Catskills, real estate agents say everyone starts out looking for the same ideal: an old house with character that’s in move-in condition, on a quiet property set back from the road and at some distance from the neighbors, preferably near a lake, river or creek, not to mention near a cute town that’s no more than two and a half hours from New York City — and it definitely has to have a stunning view.

“It doesn’t matter if they have $100,000 to spend or a million,” said Bert Freed, president of the Kinderhook Group (thekinderhookgroup.com), a real estate agency in Chatham, N.Y. “They all want the same thing.”

The good news for buyers is that throughout the Hudson Valley, there are a lot more homes on the market than there have been in recent years, and sellers are starting to price their properties more realistically, brokers say. The bad news is that even buyers with a million dollars to spend often have to make compromises on the country home of their dreams, since the Dutch settlers who built those 18th-century farmhouses tended to place them close to the road, or did not design their layouts with 21st-century tastes, like an open floor plan, in mind.

But with so many more homes to look at — in some areas, nearly double the number of listings on the market compared with 18 months ago — buyers are more likely to have most of their criteria met, and can take their time looking without worrying that prices will increase or a good house will be snapped up in days.

“Right now, it’s taking four to six months to sell,” Mr. Freed said. “Two years ago, if you had a very good house priced to sell, you might get two or three offers within a couple weeks.”

Price Trends

Most agents shy away from saying that prices have gone down in the past year, instead saying they have “stabilized” or “plateaued,” but if you look at the fliers in agency windows, there are a fair number of listings with a bold caption announcing “price reduced.”

According to Roderic H. Blackburn, owner of the real estate agency R. H. Blackburn & Associates (b6.com) in Hudson, N.Y., it is more that asking prices have declined; the median sales price for Columbia County increased 9 percent from April 2005 to April 2006. What is telling is the gap between the average sales price in that time period, $300,000, and the average asking price, $460,000, Mr. Blackburn said.

Throughout the Hudson Valley, there are a lot more homes available in the $250,000 to $350,000 range that meet many second-home buyers’ basic criteria, agents say, particularly if you are willing to drive two and a half to three hours from New York City (as opposed to capping your commute at a two-hour limit). For $350,000 to $500,000, you can get more property (say, 5 to 10 acres), a bigger or better house and, most likely, a view.

From $500,000 to $1 million or more, you can get pretty close to that ideal country estate, either an old farmhouse that has already been renovated or a newer house designed to look colonial while meeting current desires for things like tall ceilings, a big kitchen and a first-floor master bedroom and bath. And buyers on a budget will be pleased to discover it is possible to find a modest second home for $150,000 to $250,000, particularly if you are willing to explore areas like Sullivan, Delaware and Greene Counties.

East vs. West of the Hudson

What is considered the Hudson River Valley, and how far it extends east or west, is to some degree a matter of debate. But from a real estate perspective, second-home buyers shopping on the west side of the river are heading farther into the Catskills, exploring Sullivan County on the Pennsylvania border, Delaware County farther northwest, and Greene County, which sits alongside the river north of Ulster County, the heart of the Hudson’s west side.

On the east side of the river, the second-home market is mostly concentrated in Dutchess County, whose southern flank is increasingly inhabited by commuters and suburbanites, and in Columbia County farther north. “As you go south from Columbia County to Dutchess County, the average price jumps by $150,000,” Mr. Blackburn said. “That’s how much more you’ve got to spend because you’re closer to New York City.”

The railroad runs along the east side of the river, making it easier to get to places like Rhinebeck (in Dutchess County) and Hudson (in Columbia County) if you would rather leave your car upstate. But those train tracks also dominate the waterfront, so there are more picturesque towns along the river on the west side, like Saugerties or Catskill. Another distinction is topography: the east side is flatter, with more farmland, while the hills and mountains west of the Hudson attract a more outdoorsy set.

But to break it down to the prevailing stereotype, which may have outlived its accuracy, the east side is considered more upscale, the west side more casual.

“There’s a long tradition that the east side of the river is more classy,” Mr. Blackburn acknowledged. “I think that goes back to the 17th century because the east side of the river was carved up into big manors by wealthy families.” Yet he and other agents say that attitude is changing, particularly as Dutchess County, once characterized by horse farms, has become more developed.

As Mary Collins, owner of Mary Collins Real Estate (marycollinsrealestate.com) in High Falls, N.Y., put it: “We don’t have any plastic here, meaning there’s no Stewart’s, no McDonald’s, no Kentucky Fried Chicken. We don’t have any of that.” Although that statement may not apply to the whole of Ulster County (you can in fact get a Big Mac in the area), it is true that you are more likely to pass a diner by the side of the road rather than a fast-food outlet.

Here is a county-by-county overview of the primary second-home destinations in the Hudson River Valley and the Catskills, focusing on what is available at different prices and on general market trends.

Susan Stellin is the author of “How to Travel Practically Anywhere” (www.travelpractically.com), a guide to planning, booking and troubleshooting travel.