Having grown up in Stowe and attended school K to 12th grade, I can first hand tell you what an amazing school system it is.  When I graduated in 1995, I graduated in a class of 42 students.  I would say that I attended kindergarten with close to 25 of them.  One of the things that I noticed when I went away to college was that I had friendships that were deeply rooted in my life due to the smallness of the Stowe school system.  This is something I learned that a lot of kids from other parts of the country and other school systems did not experience.

School is all about learning, but not just from excellent teachers, its also from other students and the community as a whole.  Stowe offers that in spades and I for one am proud to be a graduate of the Stowe school system and proud of their achievement.

Top Vermont High Schools | Best High Schools | US News.

The rec path is 11 miles long and runs from the center of Stowe Village up towards Mt. Mansfield, ending near Topnotch Resort. The path follows the West Branch River and the Mt. Road.

It is great for biking, walking, running in the summer and cross country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. There are plenty of swimming holes located along the path.

The path is fun for all ages and there are places to stop and eat along the way so you can fully experience all Stowe has to offer.  During the summer the Helen Day Art Center hosts Exposed in Stowe, an outdoor art exhibit along the path.

Running next to the paved Rec Path, is the Quiet Path, which is for walking and quiet enjoyment of the natural surroundings, it’s also great for walking your dog off the leash.

For more information on the path click here: Stowe Rec Path

This was taken from my backyard on May 5, 2012 of the sun setting over Mt. Mansfield and Stowe Mt. Resort.

Curb appeal draws buyers to houses, but the curb appeal has to come through on line before they will actually go and look at the house.  Making sure your house goes through a strong spring cleaning even if it is on the market.

Here’s a great article on tips for spring maintenance from Inman News:

10 home maintenance tips for spring | Inman News.

This building housed the Stowe Hardware and Tin Shop from 1829 until 2011: one hundred and eight-two years of history and commerce. Restored in 1999 to reflect the character of the 1800’s, this building offers almost 9000 square feet of retail and storage space. Few buildings in Stowe offer the versatility and location as this anchor at the north end of the village. There are endless possibilities where the character and history of this building could enhance businesses. Any possibility you can create there is square footage with charm. Wine bar, bookstore, coffee shop, restaurant to retail shop, ample parking, garage or shop space, use your imagination. Own a piece of Stowe’s history and make your imprint on its future.

Exclusive: $1,500,000

Contact: Peggy Smith: 802-793-3566 or McKee Macdonald: 802-375-5009

E: info@smithmacdonaldrealestategroup.com

View Listing Here: Stowe Hardware Building

Think about how much stuff we collect over the years, how much of it just ends up taking up space in a closet or the basement.  What type of impression does that leave?  Many people may think that since you can’t keep an organized home it’s a sign of other underlining problems like you haven’t kept the house in shape.  Even if you just clean up your closets so they give the appearance of having more space that’s a start.

Recently the New York Times ran a great article dealing with decluttering your home to help it sell faster.  Please click here to read that article: Declutter That House to Sell It Faster – Market Ready – NYTimes.com.

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.

I hope to bring you different sunsets from different times of year and from different locations in Stowe. We have an amazing back drop for most of our sunset, that being Mt. Mansfield and Stowe Mt. Resort.

I hope you enjoy this series and our beautiful town.

Historic Tubbs Mill

Historically, mills in New England were built along rivers that provided power to run machinery. The Tubbs Mill is not an exception. Originally built in 1806 as a leather shop, it burned to the ground in 1881. The property was bought for the waterpower in November of 1881 and a new mill was constructed. In 1890 it was sold and the manufacturing of butter tubs began. Again in 1921 the building was destroyed by fire. The town father’s bought the property and formed the company known as “Stoweware Inc.” and began the manufacturing of high-end wooden bowls. Stowe became known for it’s “Stoweware” bowls and continued manufacturing them well into the 1970’s. After that, the “Mansfield Canoe” was manufactured in the mill and later the “Tubbs” snowshoe.

We are still an independently owned office with all of the advantages that Coldwell Banker has to offer. It is the leading nation real estate franchise and is recognized as “the name” in real estate. There are many advantages for our clients and customers. In this day of technology it is difficult for the small agency to compete. It is important for us to offer to our clients the latest in technology and to get national and international exposure for our listings. The referral system is a global network which is available through Coldwellbanker.com.

One of the main features that is important to us is the Previews program. Previews offers marketing for the luxury properties and reaches a global audience. Coldwell Banker participated in over 50% of all luxury sales in the United States. As a certified Preview agent I am able to have access to the top luxury buyers and am able to get more exposure for my clients.

Other programs that are offered through Coldwell Banker are the Home Protection plan. This is an insurance policy that a Seller can take out on their home to cover appliances, and systems that may break in the period of the year that the house on the market. This policy can be passed on to the Buyer. Another feature of this plan is that the payment for it is not due until the closing on the house. This protection costs approximately $500.

Coldwell Banker offers a Sale Ready Home Program. We have a checklist that will make a Seller’s home ready for sale. This includes a home inspection, title search, staging the home, checking that permits are in order and current. Once the home complies with the Home Ready Program we can advertise it as a “Home Ready” property. This is an advantage to a Seller as it will make a very smooth closing process and will give the Seller an edge with buyers.

Another feature is “Lead Router”. Simply, this is a system of contacting an agent within 3 minutes after a lead comes into our web. You will be secure in knowing that if an inquiry comes in on your property there will be an agent responding to that inquiry within 3 minutes. Ninety-five percent of all potential customers have their first contact with the Internet. Lead Router is one of the best ways to make sure that these leads are not lost.

There are many advertising campaigns that Coldwell Banker runs nationally and we are able to take advantage of these through special mailings, epostcard, enewsletters and radio/tv advertising. This could never be possible as a small independent agency.

We feel that our clients and customers deserve the most up to date and best service that we can provide. After many months of research we found that of all of all the franchise companies available, Coldwell Banker offered the most comprehensive services and has the largest consumer brand recognition. What does this mean to you if you list with us? Since it is the most recognized brand. more traffic will be brought to our office and this gives you much more exposure, giving you the ability to sell your house sooner. In today’s market this is a huge asset to you.

Please stop by my office, respond to my blog, or email me at peggysmighsq@aol.com . You can also check out my website at: Peggysmithvt.com and you might be a lucky winner of one of our new Coldwell Banker products. This could even be a vacation at one of the RCI resorts offered to us through Coldwell Banker or a gift certificate at Tiffany’s. You never know what might be in my basket of goodies.

To Search the MLS check out my website: Peggysmithvt.com

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