Vermont Country Properties Sotheby's International Realty's Weblog

While out viewing new listings on Thursday, December 18, 2008, our very own Managing Broker of the Okemo/Ludlow Office, Terry DiNapoli, became immobile in a seller’s driveway on Okemo Mountain, due to two feet of new snow accumulation.  With Jennifer Cote, Nancy Perry, Diane Rousseau, Kathleen O’Shea and Meredith Stock in tow, these ladies were in trouble!  In a true testament to holiday spirit, kind-hearted Vermonters traveling by stopped, assisted and directed traffic while helping Terry and the Ludlow Crew.  This is the Vermont we truly know and love - Vermonters helping Vermonters in times of need.  Even with busy schedules, these kind gentlemen went out of their way to help free our agents from the fresh Vermont snow, so that they could continue to preview new listings in the Ludlow, Vermont area.

Happy Holidays!!!

Ludlow/Okemo Office
South Hill Estates Drive - Ludlow, VT
Listed By: Kathleen O’Shea

MLS#: 2813206 Type: Residential Square Feet: 4670 Acres: 6.89 Bedrooms: 4 Baths: 4 Full Price: $1,175,000

Extraordinary PRIVATE contemporary renovation located on South Hill. With phenomenal panoramic views of Okemo Mountain and the Okemo Valley you cannot see another home from this location. The VAST Snowmobile Trail is available to snowmobile from your property. The brand new inside with multi-levels and spacious rooms is perfect for years of family fun!

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By Jaret & Cohn Real Estate - Rockland

U.S.A. (Dec 10): Pending home sales eased against a deteriorating economic backdrop but remain in a stable range, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in October, slipped 0.7 percent to 88.9 from an upwardly revised reading of 89.5 in September. It is 1 percent below October 2007 when it was 89.8.

“Despite the turmoil in the economy, the overall level of pending home sales has been remarkably stable over the past year, holding in a generally narrow range,” says Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. “We did see a spike in August when mortgage conditions temporarily improved, which underscores two things – there is a pent-up demand, and access to safe, affordable mortgages will bring more buyers into the market.”

Conditions remain uneven around the country, but some areas that are showing healthy gains in pending home sales from a year ago include many Florida and California markets; Providence, R.I.; Lansing, Mich.; Oklahoma City; and Las Vegas.

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BusinessWeek magazine has named Burlington, Vermont one of the best places to raise your kids. They write: “Burlington, on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, is a walkable, cosmopolitan city that is a short drive from skiing and other outdoor activities.”

Link to original article on: BusinessWeek.com.

By Louis Jones, Kiplinger.com
Nov 21st, 2008

With foreclosures skyrocketing and home prices plummeting, real estate has had a tough year. But in certain pockets across the country the damage has been minimal — if nonexistent.

We found six cities with slow, steady growth, using data from Fiserv Lending Solutions, a home-price research company. These cities’ local economies have kept unemployment and foreclosure rates below average. Plus, their affordability index — a measure of home prices versus family income — is low.For comparison, we also pinpoint an average market and the worst market in the country.

Safe Havens

Lancaster, Penn.

Population: 498,465
Median home price: $206,000
12-month change in home value: +1.6%
Affordability index: 3/10
Homes sold this year: 1,166
Home value vs. national average: Same
Top employer: R.R. Donnelly & Sons publishing company

Known as an Amish cultural hub, the city is also home to a diverse group of industries, including printing and food processing. This helps keep the local market stable and unemployment low, as losses in one sector aren’t devastating to the overall economy.

Locals say Lancaster is a conservative lending market, which limits foreclosures.

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Story Highlights:
- Vermont’s largest city is tops among U.S. metropolitan areas in exercise
- Burlington is also among the lowest in obesity, diabetes and illness
- The average age in Burlington, Vermont, is 37

(AP) — What’s the healthiest city in America? It appears to be Burlington, Vermont.

Vermont’s largest city is tops among U.S. metropolitan areas by having the largest proportion of people — 92 percent — who say they are in good or great health.

It’s also among the best in exercise and among the lowest in obesity, diabetes and other measures of ill health, according to a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This New England city of 40,000, on the shores of Lake Champlain, is in some ways similar to the unhealthiest city — Huntington, West Virginia. Both are out-of-the-way college towns with populations that are overwhelmingly white people of English, German or Irish ancestry.

But there the similarities end:

- Burlington is younger, with an average age of 37, compared to 40 in Huntington, according to the Census Bureau.

- Burlington is better off financially, with 8 percent living at the federal poverty level, compared to 19 percent in Huntington.

- It’s much more educated, with nearly 40 percent of area residents having at least a college bachelor’s degree. Only 15 percent in the Huntington area do.

The cultures are significantly different, too. Bicycling, hiking, skiing and other exercises are common in Burlington. Neighborhood groups commonly focus on improving parks, working in community gardens and repairing and improving sidewalks.

“There’s this norm of a lot of activity,” said Chris Finley, Vermont’s deputy health commissioner, who works in Burlington.

And though college staples like pizza are common, healthier foods are also popular. Grass-fed beef is offered in finer restaurants, vegan options are plentiful, and the lone downtown supermarket is run by a co-op successful in selling bulk rice and other healthy choices to low-income residents.

Burlington is helped by the presence of IBM and other employers offering more generous health benefits and corporate wellness programs than companies in Huntington, some experts suggested.

Link to original article at: CNN.com.

Shelburne Office
Cleland North - Alburg, VT
Listed By: Diane Felix

MLS#: 2812567 Type: Residential Square Feet: 3200 Acres: 0.08 Bedrooms: 7 Baths: 3 Full Price: $549,000

Relax on one of two enormous decks or sit by the fireplace and enjoy the mesmerizing and undisturbed sunset through soaring windows. This beautiful contemporary home was designed by internationally-renowned, award-winning, Vermont native architect Marcel Beaudin, who is best known for designing the Burlington Boathouse. This unique lakefront property features seven bedrooms, three full baths, first floor Italian tile with radiant heating, soaring ceilings and a wall of windows facing Lake Champlain.

The open floor plan is accentuated by a dramatic blue slate fireplace that brings the modern and contemporary feel of the home full-circle. The bright and airy first floor gourmet kitchen features granite countertops and high-end GE appliances, including refrigerator, wall oven, microwave, dishwasher, and downdraft gas cook top. The second floor master bedroom suite includes walk-in closet and large bath with soaking tub, walk-in shower with double shower heads for two or more, and two extra closets for linens and towels. Outdoor amenities include 68 feet of direct waterfront, a 45 foot aluminum dock with wheels and a concrete seawall to minimize erosion.

This all-season retreat is located approximately 45 minutes from Montreal, Canada, Burlington, Vermont and skiing at Jay Peak.

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By Katie Zezima
Published: November 7, 2008

ORWELL, Vt. — Not much has changed over the years at the First National Bank of Orwell. Not the gilded chandeliers and teller’s booths with brass bars separating employees and customers. Not its view of the village green across the street. And most certainly not its ability to make loans, even as the big-city banks are cutting back.

“Demand is up, there’s a tight credit market out there, and we benefit from having money available,” said Bryan Young, the vice president. “We’re very particular on what and who we take, and there’s no need to take anything less than solid credit.”

While many of the nation’s large and midsize banks are staggering under the weight of bad mortgages piled up during the housing boom, the First National Bank of Orwell, Vermont’s smallest bank, founded in 1832, is having its best year in recent memory. Loans are up 22.6 percent from a year ago, and deposits are up 7 percent in the same period, Mr. Young said. The bank has $36.5 million in assets.

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Many Postponing Plans To Buy, Sell Homes
By Matt Carter
Thursday, October 30, 2008.
Inman News

Three recent surveys show continued turmoil in housing and financial markets have many Americans postponing decisions to buy or sell a home, but that they remain optimistic about the near-term prospects of a recovery and still consider a home to be a good investment.

The surveys — commissioned by real estate portal Zillow, real estate franchisor and brokerage Realogy Corp., and advertising firm J. Walter Thompson — suggest that should government action to unfreeze credit markets succeed, consumers stand ready to participate in a housing recovery.

Zillow’s quarterly homeowner confidence survey showed that when it comes to their own home’s value, many Americans may be out of touch with reality.

Although Zillow’s vast database of public records showed an estimated 74 percent of homes have lost value in the last 12 months, only 51 percent of homeowners polled believed their own home had lost value in the past year.

Asked to look ahead six months, 61 percent of homeowners said they expect their own home’s value will hold steady or grow. But they evidently didn’t think their neighbors’ homes would fare as well, since 57 percent said they expect home values in their local market to decrease in the next six months.

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By Katie Zezima
Published: November 2, 2008

It is no surprise that Burlington, a city whose biggest exports include the jam band Phish and Ben & Jerry’s, has a chill, socially conscious vibe. But for all its worldliness — antiglobalization rallies and fair-trade products abound — Burlington has lately turned an eye to the local. The Lake Champlain shoreline has undergone a renaissance in recent years, with gleaming new hotels, bike and sailboat rental shops and parks with sweeping views of the Adirondack Mountains. But perhaps the strongest emphasis on local can be found in the city’s developing restaurant scene, where menus are now filled with heirloom tomatoes and grass-fed beef from (where else?) Vermont. And you’re practically required to wash it all down with a local microbrew.

Friday

4:30 p.m.
1) STROLL, SHOP AND STARE

With its eclectic mix of students, activists, artists, families and professors (the University of Vermont is based here), Burlington offers some interesting people-watching. Take in the sights at the Church Street Marketplace (2 Church Street), a wide, four-block concourse that is the city’s social center and home to more than 100 shops and restaurants. The pace is slow, leisurely and crowded, so be sure to leave plenty of time to explore. Pop into Sweet Lady Jane (40 Church Street; 802-862-5051; www.sweetladyjane.biz) for funky women’s clothes and accessories; Frog Hollow (85 Church Street; 802-863-6458; www.froghollow.org) to check out treasures created by Vermont artists; and Lake Champlain Chocolates (65 Church Street; 802-862-5185; www.lakechamplainchocolates.com), where a hot chocolate doubles as a meal, and we dare you to eat just one truffle.

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