Archive for the 'Press Mentions' Category

Here’s the latest article from Smith Macdonald Group’s McKee Macdonald featured in this week’s Stowe Reporter:

Spring Cleaning for Sellers

Winter is over, albeit a short one by Vermont standards, but it’s time to refocus and use “mud-season” to your advantage.  If your home has been on the market for a while, or just coming on the market spring cleaning takes on a whole new meaning.  Buyers expect to see a property that reflects the season.  This reflection has to take place on-line as well as at the actual property.

First understand where your home is being viewed and how it reaches buyers.  Knowing how and where buyers shop allows you to meet their expectations.

• 89% of all buyers start their search on-line
• 88% go through a realtor, who use an on-line format to present your home to potential purchasers
• Buyers expect an on-line shopping experience that is similar to other on-line shopping experiences for items like clothing, cars, etc.

Since the first showing of your home happens in an on-line environment, this is one area you should focus some of your spring cleaning.  In order to meet buyer’s expectations, you should be presenting them with a complete and full listing experience on-line and at the actual home.  Here are a few questions you should be asking yourself:

• Is my home where buyers are searching and can find it on-line
• Am I presenting the property as seasonally relevant
• What do my photos convey
• Do I have video
• Does my spring clean up come across on-line
• Have I addressed winter damage

Be prepared as a seller, by examining damage that might have occurred during the winter, you can be proactive and fix issues or figure them into your new and improved asking price.  This allows for you to account for any damage and shows potential buyers that you’ve done your homework.

In addition to the cosmetic changes, examining your asking price in relation to recent sales cannot be overstated.  Sales from the winter months have established where homes are most likely to trade in the warmer months.  Using this information to your advantage will result in a faster sale at a higher price.

By making sure your listing on-line has gone through a transformation, it will help you to prepare your home for actual showings.  Spring cleaning of any home is paramount to keeping it in top shape, but for homes on the market it can be a matter of selling or not.

Click here to read the article on the Stowe Reporter’s Website.

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This week’s edition of the Stowe Reporter featured McKee’s monthly real estate article.  This month McKee explored first time home buyers.  Here’s a copy of the article:

First-Time Home Buyers, looking at the facts.

It has been over a year since the expiration of the Home Buyer Tax Credit; it’s time to reexamine what statistics make up the current first-time home buyer. 

According to Ron Phipps, 2011 National Association of Realtors President, “First-time home buyers fell to a 37 percent market share in the past year from a record high of 50 percent in the 2010 study.”  This drop off is directly related to the expiration of the home buyer tax credit.  Phipps goes on to say “Long-term survey averages show that four out of 10 buyers are typically first-time buyers.”

Who are these buyers, how do they purchase and what motivates them?

• Median age of first-time is 31 and median income is $62,400
• 48% are married couples, 23% single women, 15% single male
• 68% have no children, 18% have one child, 11% have two children
• 94% chose a fixed-rate mortgage, 54% financed with low-downpayment FHA mortgage and 6% used a VA loan with no downpayment
• 60% state “desire to own their own home” as their driving factor in purchasing
• 95% stated being able to personalize their own space and growing value over time as the main benefits of homeownership

The majority of first-time buyers’ purchase in urban or suburban areas, but there are three other categories where first-time buyers do purchase that apply to the Stowe area. 

• 16% purchase in a small town
• 11% in a rural area
• 3% in a resort or recreation area

How do these buyers find the homes they purchase?

• 88% use the Internet
• 87% use a real estate professional
• 55% yard signs (not allowed in Stowe)
• 30% print or newspaper ad

The following is a more in-depth understanding as to where first-time buyers actually identify the home they ended up purchasing.

• 40% used the internet
• 35% used a real estate professional
• 6% from a neighbor, friend or relative
• 5% from home builder
• 2% print or newspaper ad
• Less than 1% from a home book or magazine

While Stowe caters to many different types of purchasers, the fact that the sub $500K price point makes up 55% of the local market, makes it clear first-time buyers remain an important part of the marketplace. 

Sources: 2011 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers; Coldwell Banker

To view the article online, click here.

McKee will be featured on a monthly basis in the Stowe Reporter in his column “On Real Estate.”  Each month McKee will explore different facets of the real estate industry and market offering an in-depth analysis and opinions.

Stowe, VT offers a unique real estate experience for the New England area, it has better access to world class skiing and resort than any eastern mountain.  Buying and selling in Stowe, VT requires a local expert.

Take a look at this month’s article, by clicking here.

If there are topics you would like discussed please feel free to email McKee with suggestions at mckee@mckeemacdonald.com

2011 Mid-Year Smith Macdonald Report Featured in Stowe Reporter

Stowe, VT Real Estate

This week’s edition of the Stowe Reporter ran a front page article featuring the 2011 Mid-Year Smith Macdonald Report and Broker McKee Macdonald.  Using the data generated in the Mid-Year Report the Reporter focused on the continued positive trend of increased sales and their relationship to town assessed value.  In addition McKee is quoted throughout regarding proper pricing and inventory.  The article also focused on condo sales in Stowe and Lamoille County outside of Stowe, pulling data from the Mid-Year Report.

View the full article here.

Request a copy of the report here.

The 2011 Mid-Year Smith Macdonald Report was featured in the out of town real estate section of Montreal’s Westmount Examiner on July 14, 2011.  The Montreal market remains an important section of the Stowe real estate market and being featured in this paper is just another level of service that the Smith Macdonald Group of Coldwell Banker Carlson Real Estate bring to their customers and clients.

Click here to request a copy of the report.

Click here to view the Westmount Examiner.

Greetings!

It is our pleasure to inform you that Smith Macdonald Real Estate Group has released its Mid-Year 2011 Report, our survey of residential real estate sales in Stowe, Lamoille County and Waterbury. This report compares data based on deals that closed in Q1 & Q2 2011 (January 1 through June 30) with those closed in the prior quarter and in the 1^st half of 2010.

The momentum generated by the Stowe area real estate market last year continued into 2011.  Market-wide, first half of 2011 sales transactions increased 23% versus a year ago.  This continues the positive market direction from the bottom in 2009. 

The Smith Macdonald Group of Coldwell Banker Carlson Real Estate represented 25% of all Stowe residential sales transactions during the first half of 2011.  We are finding strong activity stretching beyond the lower price points.  There continues to be a need for sellers to find ways to meet buyers on their terms, but when they do transactions are moving ahead quickly and sellers are finding qualified buyers for their homes.

As always, we continue to follow closely this area’s sales activity and trends in residential and land real estate, and would welcome the opportunity to answer any questions you may have about the report or the market generally.

Request a copy of the report!

I’m really proud to announce the Boy’s U-14 Soccer Team finished the season undefeated.  We played our final game last Sunday against Middlebury and won 4 to 1.

It was a great season, my first coaching, and the group of guys was really fun to coach and see play.  Overall the team progressed from taking what we learned in practice and bringing it into the games.

I had a lot of fun and look forward to watching these kids play at the next level.

Read more about the final game and other Stowe Soccer Teams.

The 1st Quarter 2011 Smith Macdonald Report and Broker McKee Macdonald were featured as the cover story in the Stowe Reporter on April 14, 2011.  Data provided in the Smith Macdonald Report was the corner stone of the article regarding current market conditions.  Additionally McKee was quoted extensively through out the article, click here to read the full article:

1st Qrt 2011 Smith Macdonald Report Featured in the Stowe Reporter

Peggy Smith and McKee Macdonald, brokers with Coldwell Banker Carlson Real Estate, working as the Smith Macdonald Real Estate Group, have received Coldwell Banker sales awards for 2010.

Peggy Smith has earned membership in the company’s International Diamond Society, a level achieved by only the top 15 percent of all representatives worldwide in the Coldwell Banker^® system. “Peggy Smith has demonstrated the dedication and success embodied by the International Diamond Society,” says Jim Gillespie, chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.  “With an extensive understanding of the real estate industry and community in Stowe, VT, Smith is one of the best Coldwell Banker has to offer.  Because of associates like her, I’m confident Coldwell Banker will remain the realtor of choice for years to come.”

Mckee Macdonald has been named to the company’s International President’s Elite. Only the top 3 percent of all representatives worldwide in the Coldwell Banker^® system qualified for this distinguished group. “McKee Macdonald has been presented with the International President’s Elite in recognition of his contributions to both Coldwell Banker and the real estate industry,” says Jim Gillespie, chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.  “Macdonald is dedicated to his customers, ensuring they have the tools and expertise to make the right decisions and guiding them as they realize their dream of homeownership. I’m thrilled that we can acknowledge McKee Macdonald for his outstanding work.”

Smith has been named to the Coldwell Banker International Sterling Society and Diamond Society in 2008 and 2009. Macdonald is a member of Corcoran’s Multi-Million Dollar Club for 2010. Both are Coldwell Banker Previews International specialists.