The improvements were an absolute necessity & expensive, especially the windows. The house still had the original windows from when it was built in 1973. They leaked so much air in winter you could watch the curtains waft in the breeze when the windows were shut.

New York State's high taxes kill the value of homes in our area. Even when you pay off your mortgage you're still paying hundreds of dollars a month in school & property taxes for the priviledge to live in the Vampire State.