Nothing gets us more excited than finding the “almost perfect” house for our clients and then pointing out the highlights of their location. If you are a hiker, we like to find the closest trails. Do you love a good boat day? You’ll want a place on or near the lake. Raising a few kiddos? We keep our eyes open for the closest place to pick up milk and diapers. Not crazy about cooking? Neither are we, so we know all the places with the best food. Pizza? Hamburgers? Mac and Cheese? We’ve got you covered. Here are our favorite “tips” for choosing a spot, based on your lifestyle:
PLAY – What do you like to do after work and on the weekends? If you have last minute guests then it’s helpful to live within 10 minutes of a convenience store to pick up chips, dip, and drinks on short notice. If winter sports are your passion, you’ll want to have easy access to the mountain. If you like to walk, bike, or hike then picture yourself close to your recreation spots.
EAT – How often do you go to the grocery store? If you like to do a “big shop” that lasts a week then 20 minutes from the store should be fine. If you find yourself running out of food, ingredients, or you simply just like to get your steps in roaming the grocery store aisles, then 10 minutes should be your goal. Don’t cook? Make sure that the food delivery services go to your area. Restaurants, coffee shops? How far do you want to drive for Burger Night or your morning cold brew?
DRIVE – Always running out of gas? Whether it’s you, your spouse, or a new teenage driver, if you find your gas gauges running on empty it’s best to live near a gas station. If your lawnmower and other small engine tools require 0% ethanol, you’ll want to make sure you know where to go for that type of gas.
SHOP – Who doesn’t love retail therapy? This can be a bit further away if shopping is a special occasion. If you find yourself picking up birthday presents often then 15 minutes should be good. But if your shopping is mostly at home improvement stores then we recommend 15 minutes maximum as you will inevitably need a different size of something.
Sounds basic, but “location” is the number one factor that predicts happiness in your new home, according to our independent research. Contact us to find the ideal location for your Home Sweet Vermont.
Why do some houses sell for less than their Zillow estimate? Do you think your house will sell for more than the online estimates? In our area, many of you, whether selling or buying, are a bit vexed when they search online. This may lead you to “Enter Your Address and Find Your Home Value,” which just triggers many, many phone calls from real estate agents.
We would love to write the script for a show, “The Real House Hunters of Chittenden County.” This reality show could follow a group of buyers in their search for the perfect house. Alas, no one has called us (yet) to work on a pilot, so we’ll just regale you with a few house hunting tips to save you some drama.
Have you ever heard of a color consultant? Betsey Dempsey, Color Concepts Vermont, helps clients pick out colors for their spaces. Her role is different than an Interior Designer. One way to bring new life to your house is to change the paint colors in your rooms. Paint color trends change every few years, so if you want your house to look fresh and updated a color consultation may help transform your space.
In the wake of the historic flooding that resulted in Vermont being declared a Federal Disaster Area many homeowners and buyers have been asking, “Is my house at risk of flooding?” There is no definitive answer to this question, however we have some resources available to help assess risk levels. Remember, though, water takes its own “path” and what may “not” be in a flood zone or high risk area right now could turn into one very quickly depending on the circumstances.
It’s turning into a cruel summer for many buyers and sellers. Sellers and buyers are increasingly afraid that their house sale or purchase may be their next mistake.
Maybe you “shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover,” but, in the real estate arena Buyers do judge houses from their exteriors. Serious buyers will spend several minutes looking at the outside of your house before they even step inside. Many of us focus on the interior of the house when getting prepared to sell. This makes sense, of course, since buyers focus on interior photos when deciding whether to consider or eliminate a property. Once they make the trip to the house, however, it’s the outside that makes the first impression. Here are our top tips for elevating your exterior to impress buyers:
Before we delve into this month’s blog, “What is the Best Home Estimate Tool?” we want to give a disclaimer – on the Weaver Team we are real estate geeks. We spend hours studying the real estate market. Just ask us a simple question and we’ll go on and on about absorption rate, days on market, list to sale price ratios, and more. So, if you ask us, “What is the Best Home Estimate Tool?” we do have a short answer, “The Weaver Team!”
Did you know that when you contact random real estate agents they are “not” working for you? While they may be friendly and accommodating, they do not have your best interest in mind. Until you sign a contract with a real estate brokerage firm you are an unrepresented buyer. While there is no requirement that you engage a professional to represent you in the purchase of a property you may get weary of not having “one” real estate agent as your fiduciary, someone to put your interests first. Here are three reasons to hire a Buyer’s Agent:
We do sell houses year-round in Northwest Vermont. Who are these buyers and sellers? Why can’t they wait until the “spring market” when the grass is green and the ice has melted from driveways?
The Weaver Team 