Burlington, VT was recently voted one of America’s Best Downtowns by Forbes online! If you’ve ever been to Burlington, chances are you’ve found yourself strolling along the pedestrian center known as The Church Street Marketplace. Here you can find shopping, local businesses, cultural events & festivals as well as some lively street performers! At night, enjoy dinner at one of the many diverse restaurants, enjoy world-class theater at the Flynn Center, or listen to live music at one of the many clubs. With anything you need in a three block radius, it’s a terrific place to shop, grab a cup of coffee, or wine and dine, and everyone from tourists to business folk to local residents regularly find themselves here!

Burlington, VT has also been voted as one of America’s Best Adventure Towns by National Geographic. With its pedestrian-friendly center, vibrant music scene, local breweries, and assortment of fine dining, it’s already deserving of recognition. But then there’s the assortment of attractions all within an hour’s ride from the city: multiple ski resorts (think Stowe, Smuggler’s Notch, Sugarbush), the Vermont Teddy Bear Co., and Shelburne Farms to name a few. And don’t forget hiking in the Green Mountains and all those miles of Lake Champlain shoreline to explore! There’s a little something for everyone here!

Northwest VT Real Estate Report: What Every Home Buyer & Seller Needs  to Know

Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman Realty released a real estate market report for Chittenden, Franklin, Grand Isle, and Addison counties reflecting home sales for the summer real estate season, May through August, as well as a year to date comparison. The report analyzes the data for each county, town, and within Chittenden County provides a unique analysis of by school district.

“Real estate data is often reported on a monthly or year to date basis, but not for a period of time that would represent a selling season – such as summer,” remarks Leslee MacKenzie, President/Owner of Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman Realty, “Our goal was to make some sense of the monthly, national reports we hear about and provide local data to give homebuyers and sellers relevant information to make informed decisions. Real estate is a local business, so trends can vary by town and within each community, with that in mind we are reporting the data in a similar way that a homebuyer may search for a home– by property type, location, or within a specific school district.”

The Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman Realty Market Report reveals sales volume across Chittenden, Franklin, Grand Isle and Addison counties rose 6.4% between May to August, or the summer real-estate season. For the year-to-date, however, sales rose just 3%, crimped by comparison against 2010 home sales boosted by the first-time homebuyer’s tax credit.  In addition to a break down by county and Chittenden County school district, the report summarizes trends in northwest Vermont’s luxury market, as well as multi-family investment properties.

Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman Realty is a locally owned company affiliated with one of the most nationally recognized names in real estate, Coldwell Banker.  The agency has set the bar for marketing and selling Vermont properties, as illustrated by its consistent ranking as the #1 Coldwell Banker Office in Vermont and as one of the top Coldwell Banker companies nationwide.

The complete report is currently available online only at www.VermontMarketReport.com

If you have any questions about this report or want to talk about specific property you may be interested in, please give me a call!

The Hickok & Boardman United Way of Chittenden County, VT Pace Setter Campaign wrapped up on August 25, 2011. With just over 130 employees, the Hickok & Boardman companies raised $90,745 in just four days! In addition to traditional pledge card donations, we had potluck lunches, a yard sale, silent auction, talent show, and an inflatable obstacle course with a guest visit by Champ! It was an outstanding effort! Thanks to everyone for their generosity and hard work to make it all happen! Click here to see the wrap-up video!

C.B. Hickok & Boardman Realty was voted the Seven Days Reader’s Choice for BEST REAL ESTATE AGENCY for the 3rd year in a row! I’m very proud of all that our Agents have accomplished!

Below, find my summary from 2nd Quarter data retrieved from the multiple listing service (MLS).

*Sales in Chittenden County, VT 2nd Quarter 2011 (*MLS statistics)

For properties listed over $750K, there were 5 sales: 2 in Charlotte, 2 in Shelburne and 1 in South Burlington. For properties under $750K, there were 372 sales across Chittenden County with most sales occurring in South Burlington (70 sales), Burlington (66 sales), Essex (57 sales), and Colchester (43 sales). Overall sales in Chittenden County declined slightly with 377 residential properties sold in the 2^nd Quarter of 2011 as compared to 475 sales in 2nd quarter of 2010. This is not surprising given the tax credits that were offered last Spring which were a large incentive for a great number of buyers, especially in the lower price brackets.

Burlington, VT Sales 2nd Quarter 2011

There were 66 sales in Burlington this past quarter with 2 sales over $500K. Both were luxury condominiums with Lake & Adirondack views. Click here to view current Burlington listings!

Burlington, VT Hill Section Sales 2nd Quarter 2011

There were 4 sales in the Hill Section this past quarter (one of which was my listing), and new listings have increased, as is common for this time of year. Click here to view current Hill Section listings!

Lake Champlain Waterfront Sales 2nd Quarter 2011

There were 4 waterfront sales over $500K in Chittenden County this past quarter with 3 in Shelburne and 1 in Colchester. The highest waterfront sale (which was my sale!) was for $1,780,000 in Shelburne. Click here to view current waterfront listings!

Charlotte, VT Sales 2nd Quarter 2011

There were 10 sales in Charlotte this past quarter with 5 sales over $500K (one of which was my listing which sold at $550K). The highest sale at just under $838K had waterfront access with dock & mooring rights. Click here to view current Charlotte listings!

Shelburne, VT Sales 2nd Quarter 2011

There were 26 sales in Shelburne this past quarter with 11 sales over $500K. The highest sale was the waterfront sale as listed above. Click here to view current Shelburne listings!

Condo Sales in Chittenden County 2nd Quarter 2011

There were 132 condominium sales in Chittenden County this past quarter with most sales occurring in South Burlington (34 sales), Burlington (32 sales), Essex (24 sales), and Colchester (16 sales). The 5 highest condo sales, ranging from $530K – $625K, were in Burlington (2), Shelburne (2) and South Burlington (1). Click here to view the most recent condo listings in Burlington and Chittenden County, VT!

Contact me for more information on any of the above information, or to start your property search today!

*Does not include For Sale By Owners, direct sales, transfers, etc. This information is from the multiple listing service of Northern Vermont.