Thursday, December 2, 2010
New "pick of the month" home in Five Sister Neighborhood
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
In response to the Doom and Gloom TIME magazine article on housing
This is a great response to the TIME magazine article on September 11th titled, "A case against home ownership" that reported a doom and gloom outlook on buying/owning a home. (Click on the title to read full article).
The response to this report, titled, "10 Reasons to Buy a Home" provides a different opinion. I am providing links to both so you can decide yourself.
Contact me with comments at mbedard@hickokandboardman.com
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Does your living room have good Feng Shui?
Yes, this is me enjoying company in
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Open House this Sunday September 12th 1-3
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Property of the month. Open house on Wednesday!
LIVE DOWNTOWN IN THE CENTER OF IT ALL!
Downtown Burlington condo (103 Maple Street unit #1) with exclusive front porch and two car driveway only 2 blocks from lake and a short walk to Church Street. This unit features wide plank hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, dishwasher, washer/dryer within unit, jetted tub AND flat screen tv included in sale! As an additional bonus, seller is offering 3% back at closing for closing costs with accepted offer!! Enjoy your downtown living and be in the center of it all. Additional storage in basement and low association dues which include your heat! Join us at an open house Wednesday July 14th 4:30-6:00 on your way home from work! Or email me at mbedard@hickokandboardman.com click here for more info and pictures
Friday, June 18, 2010
Won't you be my neighbor???
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Pick a color...feng shui guide to colors
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
NEW pick of the month home in Burlington, VT
Thursday, May 27, 2010
What if my front door faces the back door or the stairs in feng shui?
According to feng shui, this could prohibit positive energy from benefiting the first floor of the home. Energy will quickly rush out the back door (example, money luck, good health, relationships, etc. flows in the front door and quickly out the back), or perhaps up the stairs.
There are cures for this which I became interested in this week as the home I just purchased has this affliction. I knew this prior to purchasing the home and intended on finding the appropriate cure for this as opposed to passing up the home I love. Here is what I found to share with you:
~Place a round table in-between the two doors to re-direct the energy (not possible in my situation as it would look silly)
~Work with color to re-direct the energy (this is a powerful tool and my next feng shui article will be devoted to color and finding the right color for each room (Fascinating stuff! I struggled with colors until I utilized feng shui suggestions)
~Use a tall, healthy, strong plant and position it in-between the two doors (this is the cure I chose to use)
For more on these cures click here
What if my front door directly faces the stairs? First, how close together is the front door and stairway? If there is significant space, energy may have the ability to flow to other areas of the home (especially with the right placement of objects and color). The trick is to re-direct the energy so that it doesn't quickly disperse up the stairway. The use of plants, art, and again color will help with this. Caution: NEVER place a mirror directly facing the front door. This will direct the energy immediately out the door as opposed to allowing it to come in the home and nourish the rooms.
Check in next week when I discuss the use of color to benefit each room and maximize your well-being!
Feel free to contact me at mbedard@hickokandboardman.com with any questions you may have or if you are interested in selling or buying your next home
Thursday, May 20, 2010
NEW listing today! Beautiful home in Colchester near I-89
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
New Property of the Month
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Top 10 MYTHS of having a real estate agent work for you
1. I'll get a better deal if I deal directly with the listing agent
2. I'll get a better deal by buying a for sale by owner
3. I always have to pay for my buyer's agent services
4. I can't get all the info I need from one agent
5. All websites are created equal
6. All real estate markets are created equal
7. I can go on-line to get all the information I need about a house
8. The best information about the market comes from the news
9. All real estate professionals are the same
10. A realtor's only job is to let me in the house
By the way, the house I listed a couple of days ago as my "pick of the month property" went under contract three days after my posting! Above top ten is borrowed from Chandra Hall's ABR class. Feel free to email me at mbedard@hickokandboardman.com if you want a skilled agent working for you!
Friday, April 16, 2010
New property of the month! Will sell fast
Monday, March 22, 2010
What do you mean I have to pay more at closing? Tax adjustment explained to avoid surprise at closing table!
The prebate program was created as a tax adjustment based on one's income. If you net $97,000 or less (maxi um household income) you may qualify for this tax adjustment. Initially, the tax adjustment money was sent back to the owner of the home. However, about 2 years ago, the State stopped sending the money to the owner of the home and instead sends it to the town. The town then applies it as a credit to the owner's tax bill. When it is time to sell, that money "should" go back to the seller.
Most of the year, we are able to know what this amount is going to be and it should be communicated to you by your realtor or attorney so that you can plan for this before your closing. However, if you are purchasing a home between April 1-July 1, we often are not aware of what this amount is going to be as the state typically sends out the letters on July 1. If there has been a significant change in a seller's income level this amount is difficult to know and some attorneys have seen this tax adjustment as high as $8,000! That can be a lot of money for a purchaser to have to come up with/reimburse a seller when they are purchasing a home. Regardless of the amount, nobody enjoys last minute surprises at the closing table!
As always, you really should have a realtor working with you to help you negotiate and plan for these issues so that you can purchase/sell your home through a smooth and successful transaction. Please contact me at mbedard@hickokandboardman.com with any questions you may have.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
New Property of the month (Tremendous value)
Sunday, February 28, 2010
CNN shows how Feng Shui attempts to predict markets in 2010
The second video (click here) I found is more detailed and notes improvements and gains in stocks in May and June of 2010 (YIPPEE, so we have that to look forward to...if you believe in it) and they note that 2010 is a great time to invest in property! Well, I could have told you that. Write to me with your comments at mbedard@hickokandboardman.com
Monday, February 22, 2010
New property of the month. NEW listing in Burlington
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year
Today being the Chinese New Year (Year of the Tiger) is a great day to figure out your intentions for the year (similar to New Years Resolutions) and write them down on paper. The Chinese encourage people to then set these intentions on fire (in a bowel...please don't burn your house down). This releases these intentions into the air. This will be my third year doing this ritual and I believe in it 100%
May this Chinese New Year be a safe, productive, and prosperous year for you! If you find yourself on the brink of making a scary change/decision in your life, you are not alone... be brave and FIERCE like the tiger!! This is a difficult time of change and uncertainty for many people.
As always, feel free to contact me at mbedard@hickokandboardman.com with all of your questions.
Picture taken from http://tinyurl.com/y8whtht
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Interest rates rise and what your payment would look like
Purchase of $200,000 with 3.5% down payment at current rate of 5.200% for a 30 year fixed rate loan = $1,078.33
Same scenario as above with an increase to the rate of 1% for a total rate of 6.200% = $1,202.75
Total increase in monthly payment of $124.42.
To purchase at the same monthly payment as what you could with today’s rates in an economy with higher rates you would be buying a home for around $179,000. That is a decrease in purchasing power of $21,000 or over 10% less of a home!
If you are curious about viewing a property on the MLS now, or you have another real estate need, please contact me at mbedard@hickokandboardman.com and I will be happy to help you!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
RARE 3 bedroom end unit in Burlington
This end-unit is owned by VT state licensed realtor with Coldwell Banker Hickok and Boardman Realty. A 1-year home warranty will be purchased for purchaser. Feel free to email me at mbedard@hickokandboardman.com for more information.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
How will YOU do in 2010 Year of the TIGER??
Is this a good time for you to sell or buy a new home? How will your Chinese sign do financially this year? What is the forecast for you romantically? What about your health? Do you know your Chinese animal sign? It actually goes beyond that!
Many sites will calculate your animal sign and briefly tell you how you will do in the year of the tiger. But to be 100% accurate, PLEASE use this site to calculate a detailed actual picture by also factoring in your birth time. YOU NEED to calculate not only your animal sign but ALSO your Ba Zi Element. I have made it easy for you by researching and finding this one site that will serve you best. Click here and scroll down to Ba Zi Element to calculate your forecast for the year of the tiger.
During this time of the Chinese New Year I like to evaluate my feng shui. I like to clean out closets, re-paint rooms, fix broken items in the house, eliminate clutter, and donate things I no longer use. I also like to make a list of goals that I have for the year. The Chinese have red envelopes that they use for this and burn them with their intentions (similar to new years resolutions). It is a nice ritual that I love to do to inspire me for the year.
As you may know, the tax credit eligibility will end at the end of the month April 2010. Interest rates are expected to rise 6%-7% after this time. Although these rates are still historically low, right NOW may be the best time for you and your family to move. If the year of the TIGER is your year, make the most of it now while you can. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or want to take a look at a property. You can email me at mbedard@hickokandboardman.com
~Picture of tiger taken from Declan McCullah Photography
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Lawrence Yun speaks about future of Housing Market; charts included
I have provided you with three choices. You can either read my TOP FIVE points that I gathered, listen to a video of Lawrence Yun speaking directly where he summarizes these points, or view the Graphs he used that apply directly to his presentation.
Top Five points I gathered from Lawrence Yun presentation on Tuesday January 12, 2010:
1. Price declines are over
2. Inventory is falling meaning we are approaching a more balanced market (balanced market is a six month supply of inventory)
3. We will begin to see an increase in jobs in the next quarter
4. Tax credit is working with 2 million 1st time home buyers potentially claiming credit to date and an expected additional 2.4 million buyers taking advantage of tax credit by the end of June 2010 so that existing home sales will get a 15% boost and home prices will get a 3%-5% boost.
5. Interest rates will rise in the spring perhaps 6%-7% so people should take advantage of the lower rates now allowing them to save more monthly on their mortgage.
Feel free to email me at moniqueb@hickokandboardman.com
with any questions or comments you may have
Picture of Lawrence Yun taken from sarastoarealtors.com
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
New pick of the month property since last one sold within week.
So my listing on Weaver Street in Winooski went under contract in less than a week (It was my pick of the month...I called that one!)