About six years ago, I left Brooklyn behind for the greener pastures of the Hudson Valley, in a move that couldn't have come at a better moment. A city kid at heart, I had scant notion of what I was getting into or even how or where to begin, but I was fortunate enough to have been connected with a local real estate agent who not only helped guide me through the process of searching for and buying a house, but who was also instrumental in connect...