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!

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!

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.

The Burlington, VT metro-area ranked as the happiest city (among cities with a population under 300,000) in a recent Gallup poll survey. Contributing factors included exercise, healthy diet and access to numerous outdoor recreational activities. When you can walk along a beautiful waterfront in the morning, go for a mountain hike in the afternoon, and still enjoy an evening out for dinner and theater all in the same day, it’s no wonder so many Burlington-area residents are happy!

Burlington, VT has been selected as the 2010 winner of the The Home Depot Foundation’s Awards of Excellence for Sustainable Community Development (small city category). As described on the Home Deport Foundation website, this award “recognizes public-private partnerships that have successfully developed projects and/or initiatives that promote and exemplify a more sustainable community.” Click here to see the video filmed in Burlington, VT. The driving force behind this award, Burlington’s Legacy Project (first developed in 1999), was developed based on thousands of resident’s input and serves as a guide to Burlington’s economic growth, environmental and social equity, and to ensure quality education for all.

Also – as I write this, I have learned that once again, Vermont has been ranked as the healthiest state in America according to America’s Health Rankings. Specific criteria that kept Vermont at the top of the list included high rates of graduation from high school, ready access to prenatal care, wide health insurance coverage, few children living in poverty, adequate availability of primary care physicians & public health spending, and a decrease in the prevalence of smoking & deaths from cardiovascular disease.

These two awards are shining examples of why Burlington, VT is one of America’s most livable cities!