Do you think -20 degrees constitutes "extreme cold"?

Given the absurdly cold weather in our area these last couple of days (don't panic- we are forecasted a "heatwave" in the double digits tomorrow), I thought I would pass along this article: How to Protect Your Home During Extreme Cold Weather. As you already know- or may be finding out- extreme cold weather can take a toll on YOU, but it can also have serious consequences on your home as well. To make sure your home (read: investment) is protected, make sure to check out home improvement expert Danny Lipford's tips and suggestions!

In the off chance I am enticing anyone to relocate to our beautiful area, feel free to contact me if you are interested in starting your home search! All kidding aside, Vermont is a fabulous place to live...363 days of the year!

Stay warm!

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

photocredit: www.DannyLipford.com

No plans for this weekend?...GO GREEN!!

If this weekend's freezing weather forecast has you ditching your ski plans and scrambling to find an indoor activity to keep you busy- you're in luck! January 21st through January 23rd is the 4th annual VT Green Home & Living Show at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction! You can take this opportunity to meet with energy efficiency experts, building experts, and even take a look at the latest trends in green products for both home and life! The pellet stoves will be roaring....so make sure to check it out! Stop by anytime Friday from 12:00-7:00, Saturday from 10:00-7:00 or Sunday from 10:00-4:00. For more directions and more information, please click here.

Looking for ways to be greener in 2011? Check out this post for some inspiration!

Regardless of what your weekend plans entail, have fun and stay warm!

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

Photo credit: LoveEarthAlways.com

Looking for some help....

Last year, I became a mentor through Everybody Wins! Vermont- a mentoring program in area elementary schools with a focus on fostering the love of reading. Each Tuesday, I go to John J. Flynn Elementary School in Burlington, and share my lunch hour and some reading time with my mentee- a fifth grader with a proclivity for neon nail polish and Junie B. Jones. This experience has been entirely rewarding; for such a minimal time commitment, the benefits are astounding!

As the arrival of my own little (hopefully one day) bookworm draws nearer, I am looking for someone who might be interested in "subsitute mentoring" for me while I am on my maternity absence. If you have been considering joining EW! or any mentoring/volunteering program- this could be a wonderful opportunity to participate in the program on a "trial basis". I had considered a number of different mentoring/volunteering programs and found this one to be a great fit, as it takes little more than an hour a week! Please call or e-mail me if you have any interest or questions on my experience with the program.

As of today, EW! has over 650 reading pairs in 23 different schools- making it the state's largerst mentoring program...that's pretty amazing! Last week, the Burlington Free Press ran an article on EW!, to check that out, click here.

Oh, and if you are looking to purchase a home in the Burlington area, I would be happy to assist you with that as well! Feel free to contact me for all of your Real Estate needs.

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

photo credit: Burlington Free Press

Diggin' it!

I have been listening to the scraping of snow shovels and the humming of snowblowers outside my window all day. Ahhh!! The sweet sounds of winter! The Burlington area got about 10 inches of fresh powder yesterday, which is relatively minor in comparison to much of the rest of the northeast. I found this article on CasaSugar: "Mike Holmes's Top Tips for Dealing with Snow", and thought I would pass it along to all my east coast friends that are digging themselves out today!

If you are need of a snow removal service, check out HickokandBoardman.com and click on the Home Maintenance tab. You'll find recommendations for snow removal companies, as well as other local service providers.

Happy Shoveling!
-Jamie Wright, Realtor
(802)846-9530

photo credit: Yahoo.com

Have you made your New Year's Resolution yet?

Attention homeowners: are you looking to sell you home in 2011? If so, take a moment and read this article from Yahoo! Finance, "Resolutions for Home Sellers in 2011"- it might save you time on the market AND money in your pocket.

I really like this article because it gives sellers ideas on actions they can take, aside from merely staging their homes (click here for ideas on that), that can really impact the sale process. For instance, MAKE YOUR HOME EASY TO SHOW! This doesn't cost you a dime, doesn't require re-painting, replacing, or fixing, and is relatively painless! So, the next time an agent wants to show your home, don't make them reschedule because your favorite tv show is on...let them in! (Okay, maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but we have all encountered the "less than flexible" seller. Newsflash: the more people that walk through your door, the greater your odds of receiving an offer!)

If you are thinking of listing your home this year, don't miss out on the early birds out house shopping before the rush of buyers for the spring market! A few weeks on the market with less competition could make all the difference!

Whether you are looking to buy or sell your home this year, feel free to contact me for all of your Real Estate needs!

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

photo credit: BHG.com

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

Just a couple changes could get your home sold FAST!

As we enter the winter months, home sellers tend to get a tad anxious that their homes may take a little longer to sell. The truth is, there are less buyers out househunting in the middle of winter than there are in the summer months. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL BUYERS OUT THERE...and it only takes one to get your home sold! What sellers need to bear in mind is that they need to keep their homes looking better than competition! (Well, okay, they need to take into account other factors too...such as pricing, marketing, etc....but that can be for another post!)

Real Estate expert and author Barbara Corcoran (you might recognize her from TODAY on NBC) offers a few tidbits of advice in this article that I found on Hooked on Houses: 5 Things That Sell Houses Faster Now. While I am not suggesting that you re-paint the exterior of your home in the middle of the winter, a couple of these suggestions are low to no-cost solutions that could make a big difference. (Ahem: CLEAN AND DE-CLUTTER!!)

You can also check out her appearance on TODAY, in which she explains in a bit more detail her reasoning behind these suggestions (and adds a slight variation to them). To view the segment "5 Smartest Home Fixes" from TODAY, click here.

So, don't just wait for the spring to roll around in hopes that a new pool of buyers will generate the perfect buyer for your home...get it sold now!!

If you are looking to buy or sell a home this winter, feel free to contact me to discuss your options!

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

photo credit: HookedonHouses.com