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

It's not all doom and gloom in the Real Estate market! Burlington noted in the WSJ!

Despite what you may be hearing on the national news, the Real Estate market is not all doom and gloom...ESPECIALLY if you are a homeowner in the greater-Burlington area! When listening to (or reading) news on the national Real Estate market, it is important to keep in mind that Real Estate is entirely local. Case in point: this article featured in last week's Wall Street Journal, "Home Prices Decline in Nearly Half of Metropolitan Areas". While at first, one might jump to the conclusion that this article is relaying unfavorable news, if you are a homeowner in the Burlington area, it is quite the opposite!

Basically, the article is stating that in the third quarter of this year, the median home price fell for nearly half of all the metropolitan areas that were observed -in 76 of the 155 areas, to be exact (I think the headline did a good job summing this point up). However, do you see the glass as half empty of half full?! The article goes on to point out that the median home price rose in 77 of the 155 areas observed, AND home prices remained the same in the remaining 2 metropolitan areas. SO, really, home prices have increased, or remained steady, in OVER half of the metropolitan areas that were observed. Why doesn't the article's headline relay this (much more optimistic) finding?!

EVEN MORE ENCOURAGING: Burlington was named as the top metropolitan area for increases in the median home price- up 18% in comparison to last year! WHERE IS THE DOOM AND GLOOM IN THAT?!?! Homeowners in Elmira, NY and Dallas, TX are probably grinning as well, as they both had experienced considerable increases!

Bottom Line(s): When it comes to news about the national housing market- take everything into consideration from a LOCAL standpoint!...AND if you are looking to purchase a home in the Burlington area, give me a call today!

Make sure to read the article from the Wall Street Journal! If you are wondering what makes Burlington such a desirable place to live, check out this video that my company, Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman Realty, had made for potential homebuyers considering relocating to the area! Enjoy!

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

Sometimes I forget how amazing Burlington is...

....but this video reminded me! It's almost too easy to take living in this awesome city for granted, but I just watched this video, and was reminded off all the reasons Burlington is such a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family. Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman Realty had FlyByFilms create this brief video, and I think they did a great job capturing the beauty of the area. To view the video, click here.

If you are moving to the Burlington area, please feel free to contact me to today!

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

Homeowners: Time to prepare your yard for winter!

I was running on schedule to work today, until I went to hop in my car and saw the THICK layer of frost coating it. (I guess it's time to clean out the garage so I can actually park my car in it.) Ready or not, it looks like winter will be here VERY soon (there is possible snow forecasted for the Burlington area this Saturday)!

A couple of weeks ago I shared some tips how you can lower your heating costs this winter (to read that post click here), but I thought it would also be helpful to share some tips on how to prepare the exterior of your home and yard for the fast-approaching cold weather months. (You know...all of those enthralling chores like cleaning your gutters and turing off the water supply to your outdoor spigots.) Here are 10 Essential Tasks for Preparing Your Yard for Winter, from the blog CasaSugar.

I hope you find this helpful! Get out and enjoy the outdoors these last couple of weeks before the cold REALLY sets in!

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

photo credit: casasugar.com

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

Have You Surrendered Yet?!?!

I tried to hold out as long as I could...but I finally broke down last weekend and officially turned the heat on in the Wright household. It's been a rather cold October in Vermont, and many homeowners have been turning on the heat earlier than usual. I thought it might be helpful to post some energy-saving (read: money saving) tips, as I haven't met anyone who doesn't like to save a little green!

The following tips were provided by Vermont Gas:
1. Set thermostats between 65 and 70 degrees during the winter, and to 58 degrees when away from the house for more than a few hours. *Keep in mind that warmer temperatures are recommended for homes with ill or elderly people, and infants.*
2. Install a programmable setback thermostat that will automatically turn down the heat when you're sleeping or at work. Turning down your thermostat 7 to 12 degrees for eight hours a day, can save you up to 10 percent on your annual heating bills.
3. Change or clean your furnace filters once a month during the heating season.
4. Warm air rises, so use registers to direct airflow across the floor.
5. Close vents and doors in unused rooms and close dampers on unused fireplaces.
6. Be sure your hot water heater is set at a temperature recommended by the manufacturer.
7. On sunny days, open draperies and blinds to let the sun's warmth in. Close them at night to insulate against the cold air outside.
8. Place a sheet of aluminum foil between the radiator and the wall to reflect heat back into the room.

Of course, thinking longer term (and larger investment), there are other steps you can take to ensure your home is running at its optimal efficiency. To learn more about those, click here.

I hope you find this helpful and stay warm!
-Jamie Wright, Realtor
Jamie@BurlingtonVermontHomes.com
(802)846-9530