One can Dream....

Every year, HGTV (I'm shamelessy addicted) gives away a beautifully built and fully furnished and decorated home in one of the country's most scenic locations (past locations have included Sonoma, CA and the Florida Keys). This year, HGTV's Dream Home is located right in our very own backyard...in stunning Stowe, Vermont! Just 40 minutes from Burlington, Stowe is the quintessential Vermont ski town. The network will be debuting the home on January 1st (when you can officially enter to win the Dream Home), so make sure you check it out, as it will be packed with lots of information on not only the house, but the surrounding area and the local materials that we used in its construction. This year's slopeside home will even feature a "ski dorm" to accomodate all of the winner's newfound friends clamoring to check out everything Stowe has to offer- both on and off the trails!

If you are impatient (like me) and can't wait until New Year's Day to see the rest of the new Dream Home, you can check out pictures here. Otherwise, make sure to check out HGTV on January 1st at 1:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

If you are looking for a more modest "dream home", feel free to call or e-mail today to get your home search started! Remember, you can always search all of the area's newest listings 24/7 by visiting HickokandBoardman.com.

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

-Jamie Wright, Realtor
Jamie@BurlingtonVermontHomes.com
(802)846-9530

Get into the "Spirit" of things with me....

With Halloween less than a week away, I thought I would get into the "spirit" of things and challenge you to a little haunted house quiz. I found this quiz, "Name these 10 Halloween Movie Houses" over on Hooked on Houses- one of my favorite blogs. See if you can beat my highly impressive score of 20%. (I know I have set the bar really high!) By the way, just a quick note of local interest: one of these haunted homes was in Addison, Vermont!

Click here to take the quiz!

Enjoy!
-Jamie Wright, Realtor
(802)846-9530
Jamie@BurlingtonVermontHomes.com

Photo credit: Hooked on Houses

Check out what Smart Money is saying!

A couple of months ago, our very own Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman Realty was selected by Smart Money Magazine (a publication of The Wall Street Journal) to participate in a story that they were writing about getting started in the Real Estate business. Enter Alyssa Abkowitz, a journalist from Smart Money who flew to Burlington from Manhattan and trailed myself, and several other fellow H&B agents, as we went about "business as usual" over the course of several days. On one such day, Alyssa came with me to host an Open House where we met (who would soon become) some of my recent buyers: soon-to-be newlyweds and recent transplants from Hawaii, Scott and Jessica! Alyssa and myself were both excited about Scott and Jessica's enthusiasm for finding their first home together, and Alyssa (a newly licensed agent herself) decided Scott and Jess were the perfect first-time homebuyers to work with for the (ever-evolving) story she was looking to write.

Scott and Jess were extremely gracious in allowing their house hunt to be followed, documented, and scrutinized. In the end, after several showings, a couple offers, and lots of time spent together in the car- Scott and Jess ended up finding what would be their new home together! Alyssa was able to aid in the offer-writing process, and as we submitted the offer all four of us kept our fingers crossed! Fortunately, the offer was (eventually) accepted, and so began the remainder of the homebuying process (all the fun stuff that buyers tend to forget about when they are caught up in house hunting: loan applications, financing contingencies, inspections, etc.).

At any rate, after several weeks of being under contract, Scott and Jess officially became homeowners a coupe of weeks ago! I LOVE working with first-time homebuyers, and Scott and Jess were no exception. It is so gratifying sitting at a closing table with buyers that are SO excited and eager to take on the joys of homeownership!

So, without further ado, I thought I would pass along the article from Smart Money: "Diary of an Undercover Broker: How We Sold A House". Thanks SO much to Scott and Jess for all of their cooperation...and I am so glad they wandered into my (and Alyssa's) Open House that afternoon!

If you are thinking of purchasing a home, feel free to call or e-mail me today and we can get your home search started (though, I can't promise you a mention in Smart Money)!

-Jamie Wright, REALTOR
Jamie@BurlingtonVermontHomes.com
(802)846-9530

Something to be HAPPY about:

Chittenden County residents might be frowning about the lack of snow in our area this winter (with the exception of the HUGE New Year's storm that dumped three feet of snow in Burlington), but that doesn't mean that we don't have a lot to be happy about! LiveScience.com just posted their second annual list of the happiest states in the nation- and Vermont is ranked #6!

How does one measure happiness? For this particular study, researchers interviewed more than 350,000 American adults about six sub-categories: life evaluation, emotional health, work enviroment, physical health, health behavior, and basic access. After compiling all the data, Vermont's average well-being score was 67.4. (This initially seemed a little low to me, but then I realized that the #1 ranked state- Hawaii- had a score of 70.2 [so if the results were curved, Vermont would have received a 97.2!!]).

If you are looking for ways to increase the amount of happiness in your home, make sure to check out my previous post with ideas on how to spread happiness in your house! As always, if you are looking for a NEW home to make you even happier, feel free to call or e-mail me today!

-Jamie Wright, Realtor

Protect Your Home this Holiday Season

For many homeowners, the holidays mean traveling to see friends and family. Although Vermont is ranked the #2 safest state in the nation (according to CQ Press's Annual Crime Rating: http://www.walletpop.com/insurance/safest-states), homeowners should still take exta precautions when leaving their homes unattended for a number of days. To ensure your family returns home to the same house you left behind, please take a look at these suggested precautions (courtesy of the Burlington Police Department):

*Lock all doors and windows: use deadbolts

*Store all valuables and personal belongings out of sight, securely inside your residence

*Draw all first floor shades and window treatments to prevent thieves from "window shopping"

*Utilize timed lights and/or motion lights to deter thieves

*Notify trusted neighbors of your travel plans

*Arrange to have mail and other deliveries to your home stopped or picked up

Of couse, may your travels be safe as well, and have a very happy holiday!


-Jamie Wright, REALTOR
JWright@HickokandBoardman.com

Is your home ready for winter?

It's official: winter is just around the corner. While Burlington has had mild temperatures the last few weeks (postponing the opening weekends of several local ski resorts), the thermometer has started to drop and flurries were flying this morning! I just found this article of Better Homes & Gardens about preparing your home for winter- so if you haven't started, please take a look! http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/maintenance/weatherizing/prepare-your-home-for-winter/?page=1 Perfoming the items on this list can save you money on heating costs this winter, as well as maintenance costs further down the line!

-Jamie Wright, REALTOR