A couple of months ago, I was approached by the Editors at SmartMoney Magazine to have staff reporter, Alyssa Abkowitz, shadow myself and several other staff in my company for an article on real estate agents working in today’s market. Alyssa  earned her real estate license in Vermont, and was then allowed to accompany me on several showings of property, to meetings with clients upon listing their properties, and even to a closing or two!  Click here to read the article in full.

I recently had the opportunity to share my opinion on the quality of life in the Lake Champlain region of Vermont.  The natural beauty of the region attracts many visitors, while the carefully monitored growth preserves this beauty for generations to come and for those fotunate enough to live here.

You can view the original article online by clicking here or click below to view and download a pdf version:
 Robb Report’s Exceptional Properties Magazine Article

Even in the rain, Burlington's Church Street Marketplace is beautiful

Burlington Vermont makes it to the ultimate bucket list: Forbes.com’s America’s Prettiest Towns. Judged on natural beauty (think Lake Champlain and Camels Hump) and unique identity (think UVM, Ben & Jerry’s and Jim Jeffords), Burlington takes the cake with a generous helping of both.

According to Sarah Tuff Dunn (co-author of 101 Best Outdoor Towns) in her interview with Forbes, “Burlington has it all”. Beauty and uniqueness all centered on the pedestrian mall, the  Church Street Marketplace.

Burlington has a great Walkable Score

Once the supreme place for high school kids in convertibles to “see and be seen”, Church Street was converted into a beautiful pedestrian marketplace more than 27 years ago. The combination of historic buildings and penultimate boutique shopping changed not only the landscape, but the perception of Burlington.

Vermont’s biggest City became a place where families and friends could enjoy themselves outdoors and walk to everything they need. As “Walkability” becomes part of the home-buying consciousness, this pedestrian friendliness is part of the attraction of downtown Burlington real estate.

Stage your property like a pro. Martha Stewart can even make the Laundry Room look good.

We know that you have to keep living your life even while you are trying to sell your property. Here in Burlington we face a unique real estate staging challenge: Mud Season.

Take a look at your home in bright morning sunshine and take note of what you see and where. Have the dust bunnies become dust buffaloes? Are the windows a myth of fingerprints?

Here are Five Things that can make a difference in the sale of your property:

1. Leave your shoes outside. The mud room is a uniquely New England part of the home. Use it.

2. De-clutter. Schedule regular de-clutter sessions. Clutter doesn’t happen over night; eliminating it takes time, too. If you have kids, introduce them to the Saturday box. The Saturday box is emptied every week, on, you guessed it, Saturdays. Throw anything your kids leave lying around into the Saturday box. Anything left in the box at week’s end gets tossed. Read the rest of this entry »

Some Vermont home buyers are worried that there isn’t enough time to get deals done before the deadline, but Realtors disagree. If you are diligent and able to make good decisions fast, agreements can be reached fairly quickly.

While the tax credit alone is not reason enough to buy, combine it with great interest rates, and you’ll see why homes in the Burlington Area are on the move. The motivated sellers behind these Vermont homes make the prospects even better:

Get motivated in Huntington: Tax Credit, Motivated Seller, Incredible Views...

Get motivated in Shelburne: Tax Credit, Motivated Seller, Location, Location, Location...

Get motivated In South Burlington: Tax Credit, Motivated Seller, Dorset Farms neighborhood...

In November, the tax credit was extended to April 2010. To get the credit, the taxpayer has to enter a binding agreement to buy a residence by April 30th 2010, and close by June 30th.

From the IRS website:

Under the new law, an eligible taxpayer must buy, or enter into a binding contract to buy, a principal residence on or before April 30, 2010 and close on the home by June 30, 2010. For qualifying purchases in 2010, taxpayers have the option of claiming the credit on either their 2009 or 2010 return.

Many a Vermonter's favorite flower, the crocus is often the first to bravely poke through the snow

At a Burlington grocery store yesterday I noticed green buds springing up in the store’s landscaping. It made me wonder if Shelburne homes on lake Champlain will see buds earlier or later than Burlington Homes.

I wont have time to check before this post, but I’ll bet that these Shelburne properties with good southern exposure will be the first to see the crocuses.

It’s the time of year in Vermont when we avidly seek signs of spring. Vermont Public Radio even has a series called Signs of Spring. These signs include everything from maple sugaring to the return of the red-winged black birds to the sight of a guy standing in a snow bank practicing his fly fishing casts.

Shelburne home on Simmons Drive - MLS 2913062	Shelburne home on Harbor Road - MLS 21001399
The MLS property description gives these highlights: Custom built Shelburne home, Country setting with privacy, great eastern and southern exposure for great natural light. Perfect family home with large mudroom (ah, yes mud season!), first floor laundry, room over garage and walk-out lower level ready to be finished.	Property highlights: Complete southern exposure, 4 levels of living space on Shelburne Bay, first level open floor plan, slate patio with large hot tub. Green Mountain views, Shelburne Bay views, private dock, private beach, and  575 ft. of waterfront.

If you are like most of today’s potential home-buyers, not only are you on the lookout for the perfect home, but also for the perfect rate. Surrounding you are advertisements for rates you wouldn’t have dreamed of a few years ago, but how long are these low rates here to stay? A little research will show you that forecasters are predicting that the trend will be an upward one. The following graph reflects the trends we saw in rate movement for 2009:

Click graph for larger image. Reproduced with the permission of Mortgage-X.com

As you can see, the end of 2009 has us in an up-swing. I had the opportunity to sit in on a lecture given earlier this month by Dr. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors. His prediction was that interest rates could very well rise between 6 and 6.500% by the end of 2010.

Of course, this is just one prediction amongst many, but also a prediction heavily weighed on the facts we do see before us at present time. The Fed is gearing up to gear down their assistance with keeping rates low but ending their purchase of mortgage-backed securities. The hope is that the market is strong enough to sustain itself without this specific assistance.

The bright side is that that even if we hit 6.500%, this is still lower than the rates we had available to us just a few short years ago. Low rates now coupled with great home prices and tax incentives make this a true buyer’s market and a great time to consider your own home purchase!

Heather D. Myott,
Mortgage Advisor
Tel (802) 238-1704
Fax (856) 917-2188
Heather.Myott@mortgagefamily.com
Licensed in Vermont #6038

Specializing in FHA, VA, Conventional and Jumbo Mortgage Financing

Neal Charnoff of Vermont Public Radio interviews Leslee MacKenzie, President of the Vermont Association of Realtors and President/Owner of Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman Realty about the Vermont housing market. A reflection of 2009 and what’s in store for 2010.

The National Association of Realtors released figures this week that indicate a slowing pace of home sales.

The report shows that the number of houses under contract fell sharply in November and market analysts say this could foreshadow another downturn in real estate.

Listen to the interview here

As a real estate agent in Burlington Vermont, much of my carbon footprint comes from my car. I drive thousands of miles each year showing properties in and around the Champlain Valley. Those miles started to wear on my conscience, so I recently traded in my gas-guzzling SUV for a used 2007 Lexus Hybrid SUV and haven’t looked back.

I launched the “Realtors Driving Hybrids” Initiative as a challenge to my fellow real estate agents to consider a more environmentally friendly alternative to their traditional vehicles. Initially this initiative was for Coldwell Banker agents, but this year, we’re opening it up to real estate agents across the country.

If you’re a real estate agent and you drive a hybrid, please send me an email, or register on site and I will be sure to add you to the growing list of agents on this site.

If you have not heard, the government announced that it extended and expanded the tax credit for home purchases.  This means that First-time home buyers in Burlington and all across the country may yet be eligible to receive a credit of up to $8,000 and those moving who have owned for at least five out of the last eight years may qualify for up to $6,500.

What’s the catch?

• You must be under contract to purchase no later than April 30, 2010.
• You must close on that purchase no later than June 30, 2010.
• There are some income restrictions
• Purchase price on a home is capped at $800,000

Visit the national federal tax credit web site for more information. Or call me for the local response to the Federal Tax Credit at (802) 238-1704 for more info. I have yet to meet a person who didn’t like free money – take advantage and claim yours now!

Heather D. Myott
Mortgage Advisor
Coldwell Banker