Burlington Vermont Real Estate

Today was the final day of the Vermont Real Estate Conference at the Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center here in South Burlington Vermont. It was a day I was looking forward to as I had enrolled in a course entitled, “Volcanic Video Ideas to Make Your Messages Go Viral”. The course instructor, Doug Devitre, taught us one of the most powerful tools for connecting with prospects can be the use of video on social media! He taught us how to use the web to build our authority in our niche and craft an online community of fans on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. He also taught us how to move our content on other blogs and websites using RSS, status updates and widgets. 

I have long recognized that my next major commitment was to begin to learn how to implement a solid video strategy on this website. As was said by Doug, “if a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million…”.

If you are considering buying a home or condominium in or near Burlington Vermont, please visit my website, give me a call on my direct line at 802.238.5256 or email me to discuss representing you, our current market conditions and your needs/wants in a new home and community. I would be delighted to assist you.

Armed with solid numbers, buyers and sellers alike can manage their expectations and the current realities of our local market.

During this morning’s session of the Vermont Real Estate Conference being held at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center here in South Burlington VT, I am taking a course entitled, “What’s It Worth – Pricing Real Estate?” My course instructor who is a certified appraiser with over 34 years of experience in the real estate field imparted the Seven Deadly Sins Sellers Make These Days. Here they are for you sellers out there:

1. Pricing higher than the competition,

2. Refusing reasonable offers early on,

3. Not putting the property in the best possible condition for sale,

4. Making showing the property difficult,

5. Not recognizing that your home is a house, e.g. a commodity to a buyer,

6. Blaming the Realtor for the market. The market is what it is. The Realtor did not make the market,

7. Not reducing the price in a timely manner, causing the property to become stale.

If you are considering buying a home or condominium in or near Burlington Vermont, please visit my website, give me a call on my direct line at 802.238.5256 or email me to discuss representing you, our current market conditions and your needs/wants in a new home and community. I would be delighted to assist you.

Armed with solid numbers, buyers and sellers alike can manage their expectations and the current realities of our local market.

Once each year, our professional association convenes affording Realtors time to gather in a setting that is full of speakers, classes, exhibits on new standards, technology and best practices. I’m excited this year to be taking several Continuing Education classes. They are as follows:

1. Volcanic Video Ideas to Make Your Message Go Viral: In this session Doug Devitre will deliver the “how-to” in addition to the “why” video is the simplest form of online communication.  Record, edit, and publish your way to proven success by creating videos your clients will welcome, watch, and want to share with their friends.

2. What’s It Worth? This class will cover the basics of real estate valuation, including several quick ways to develop an opinion of value. The three approaches will be discussed and summaries provided when each one would be appropriate to use. 

3. Vermont Real Estate Forms: Local Real Estate Attorney Fred Peet who practices in South Burlington VT will teach this course reviewing and updating practitioners in the areas of Purchase and Sale Contracts, the new Conditional Termination of the Purchase and Sale Contract, the Seller’s Property Information Report (SPIR), and the Exclusive Right to Market property Agreement.

4. State of Vermont Mandatory Course for License Renewal 

5. Integrated Marketing Specialist

If you are considering buying a home or condominium in or near Burlington Vermont, please visit my website, give me a call on my direct line at 802.238.5256 or email me to discuss representing you, our current market conditions and your needs/wants in a new home and community. I would be delighted to assist you.

Armed with solid numbers, buyers and sellers alike can manage their expectations and the current realities of our local market.

Few people can buy a home for cash. Most buyers, especially first-time purchasers, require a loan or mortgage as it is more commonly referred to in order to purchase their new home and property. Real estate financing is not just about getting a loan, it’s about getting the loan that’s right for you – the mortgage with the lowest cost and best terms from a solid financial institution.

Start the mortgage process well before bidding on a home. REALTORS® can often recommend a mortgage source, or a mortgage broker who’ll shop around for you. There are many mortgage options and lenders so it pays to shop around. By meeting with lenders – either face to face or online – and researching loan options, you will find which programs best meet your needs and how much you can afford.

Preapprovals are also recommended for another reason: purchase forms often require buyers to apply for financing within a given time period. By meeting with loan officers in advance and identifying mortgage programs, it won’t be necessary to quickly find a lender, do a check credit and rush into a financing decision that may not be the best option. Most Sellers these days will ask if the buyers have been pre-approved prior to even showing them their homes. They want to ensure the buyer(s) are financially capable of purchasing their property. In addition, when making an offer, buyers will certainly ask for a pre-approval letter. Be sure to start this very early on so you know how much house you can afford.

“Preapproval” means you have met with a loan officer, your credit files have been reviewed and the loan officer believes you can readily qualify for a given loan amount with one or more specific mortgage programs. Based on this information, the lender will provide a preapproval letter, which shows your borrowing power. You can visit as many lenders as you like and get several preapprovals, but keep in mind that each one does a new credit check, and too many credit checks could adversely affect your credit rating.

Although it is not a final loan commitment, the preapproval letter can be shown to listing brokers when bidding on a home. It demonstrates your financial strength and shows that you have the ability to go through with a purchase. This information is important to owners since they do not want to accept an offer that is likely to fail because financing cannot be obtained.

Real estate financing is available from numerous sources, including mortgage brokers, mortgage companies, banks and online lenders.   I can even suggest one or more lenders that are known to offer competitive programs and deliver promised rates and terms.

To get preapproval you must complete a written application and provide supporting documentation, such as recent pay stubs, rental checks and tax returns for the past two or three years if you are self-employed. During the prequalification procedure, a loan officer will describe the type of paperwork required.

A loan officer will carefully review your financial situation, including your credit report and other information, then suggest programs which most closely meet your needs

Doing your legwork and researching mortgages and lenders ahead of time, and getting a preapproved mortgage gives you a clear idea of what you can afford, tells sellers you are serious and means that you don’t have to rush the financing once you find a home that you want to buy.

If you are considering buying a home or condominium in or near Burlington Vermont, please visit my website, give me a call on my direct line at 802.238.5256 or email me to discuss representing you, our current market conditions and your needs/wants in a new home and community. I would be delighted to assist you.

Armed with solid numbers, buyers and sellers alike can manage their expectations and the current realities of our local market.

The magic and beauty of Autumn closes in on Burlington Vermont, Lake Champlain & The Adirondack Mountains to the west.

If you are considering buying a home or condominium in or near Burlington Vermont, please visit my website, give me a call on my direct line at 802.238.5256 or email me to discuss representing you, our current market conditions and your needs/wants in a new home and community. I would be delighted to assist you.

Armed with solid numbers, buyers and sellers alike can manage their expectations and the current realities of our local market.