Archive for the 'Vermont Talk' Category

If you have ever tried to sell your home without a house stager you know the difficulty that comes with it.  In our area, more and more people are hiring professional house stagers to assist with the marketing of their home.  It makes sense when you think about it. You get to get an objective opinion from a professional that will enhance the saleability of your home. It doesn’t cost that much and most of the time pays for itself in reduced time on the market for your home. I have some great connections when it comes to this. Drop me a line and I can help in all areas of the real estate transaction. Brian

I just got back from a trip to the commercial department at the Chittenden Bank.  It is located on the 5th floor of the building.  As I got off the elevator and turned west I noticed the glass doors to their department.   As I approached the doorway, I was able to see beyond the receptionist desk and the view that they enjoyed everyday.  It was Lake Champlain against a clear bright blue sky with the Adirondacks in the background. A truly breathtaking view that I did not turn from until my appointment came to meet me. We are so lucky to live here and I hope I never take that for granted. Brian

Children’s Health Magazine has rated Burlington as the best city in the country to raise a family.  It is no surprise to us who live here. In fact, that is one of the reason so many of us do.  Recently, I was talking to an old high school classmate of mine who told me that he moved back to Vermont from Colorado because it was a great place to raise his kids.

The magazine ranked 100 U.S. cities based on six categories: employment, health, housing, safety, education and family life. The data came from government and non-profit agencies.

So what made Burlington stand out? The magazine said the city’s education system, which has a graduation rate much higher than the national average, and the lack of fast food chains played a big role. Burlington had the fewest fast food chains of any city in the rankings. Detroit came in last.

Burlington was also selected by Business Week Magazine this year as the best city in Vermont to raise children.

Source: WCAX News

 

Jim Ross & Linda Murphy, Realtors

 

Kelly Farr, Realtor

 

 

 

 

Jim Ross, Linda Murphy, and Kelly, Sales Associates with CENTURY 21 Advantage in South Burlington, were named the office’s top sales associate in the month of July.

 

We are pleased to recognize Jim, Linda and Kelly with this honor.   Their competitive intelligence, professionalism and dedication to homebuyers and sellers have made them a valued and trusted real estate resource for the Greater Burlington community and a major contributor to the overall success of our office.

 

 

 

 

We are constantly saying what a great place Vermont is to live and raise a family.  It was music to our ears when we heard the newest poll released that Vermont the greenest state in the nation!

      

Jeanie Gracey, Broker

       

Kelly Farr, Realtor

 

Jeanie and Kelly Sales Associates with CENTURY 21 Advantage in South Burlington, were named the office’s top sales associate in the month of February.

               

We are pleased to recognize Jeanie and Kelly with this honor.   Their competitive intelligence, professionalism and dedication to homebuyers and sellers have made them a valued and trusted real estate resource for the Greater Burlington community and a major contributor to the overall success of our office.

After reading a number of articles dealing with our dire economy and future predictions, I can only wonder in amazement how we got in this mess to begin with. Years ago, communities could count on their local friendly conservative bankers to help them do the right thing in terms of loans. You know, not giving you a loan unless you had the werewithal to pay it back. Establishing an equity position, so if you did default they could unload it without a significant loss. Having you have a viable ongoing place of employment for at least two years and your last two years of tax returns to prove your income just to name a few. I wonder now, as we all endure the incredible pain and uncertainty of our current economy if some of the mortgage giants and banks who caused this mess, think about what they have done and really care at all. It is a different world today then it used to be when i was growing up and looking to buy my first property. I wonder what our economy would be like now, if all our friendly conservative bankers with the old rules were the ones that were the ones  giving the  loans a few years back. I bet we wouldn’t be where we are today. Yes, things aren’t like they used to be, and that is not always a good thing.

Spring is in the air with the time being adjusted this past weekend and warmer weather teasing us as well. I am looking forward to the snow being gone and the kids getting out onto the baseball diamond for this year’s competitions. We just got back from a short visit with our relatives in Sunny Hollywood Florida last week and I must admit it was really nice to experience temperatures in the upper 70’s. When you live in Vermont, you become accustomed to overcast skys and gray days during the winter months. And when you go away and get some sunshine it makes you feel incredibly happy and appreciative. Vermonters, on a whole, are very hardy and independent people who are somewhat toughend by what mother nature throws at us I believe. Yes we may be tough, but I think we all have a soft spot for warm weather. Let me know your thoughts on how you feel about the winters in Vermont or if you would like a change in your housing accomodations, I can help there too. Brian

The kids are on school vacation this week and we are going to take advantage of it. We are heading to Florida tomorrow for a week. We have been looking forward to this for some time. It will be a nice break from winter and it will rejuvenate the spirit. As our kids get older we realize that it will only be a couple more years where will be able to take the family vacation together. It is amazing how fast time goes by and  it is a bit sad when we think about it sometimes. But then we get a grip and remember that it is our responsibility to raise our children to be independent productive members of society. Sometimes that is much easier to say then to actually experience. At least for us. So tomorrow we are off, on one of our memory making family vacations that we will cherish for a long time. Hopefully our kids will as well.

Well now that summer is over you might start thinking about either starting an exercise program or extend your current one. If you are like me, you might have gained a few pounds over the summer from all the barbecuing and back yard get togethers. If this is accurate, now may be the time to shed a few extra pounds before the cold weather really sets in and you don’t feel like going outside. Remember, before you know it, Halloween candy will be on your counter followed up with turkey and all the fixings not far after that. The way that i look at it, if i can really sharpen my workouts right now, it will give me some room to grow over the Holidays. I guess i shouldn’t think that way, but i know the reality of the cycle.