Housing Grant Money Available for Vermont Victims of Tropical Storm Irene

Here we are coming up on 2 months since Hurricane Irene became Tropical Storm Irene and plowed into the Northeast like a massive raging bull resulting in Billions of dollars of storm damage. The loss of  lives, historic buildings and bridges erased from existence, as well as changes to a landscape that generations of people had grown up molding, exploring and enjoying are incalculable damages that simply cannot be fathomed. However, some good could be seen amongst the debris of ruined homes and ravaged landscapes.

My pride in the people of Vermont proved well founded as neighbors and whole communities isolated from the rest of the world pulled together to help one another through the crisis. Growing up it has always seemed to me that as hardships hit, neighbors stepped up to do the right thing and this time proved no different.

That is the reason that the Vermont Association of REALTORS® partnered with the REALTOR® Relief Fund from the National Association of REALTORS® to help people displaced by the flooding. It doesn’t matter whether you were renting or owned your home, you could be eligible to receive a housing assistance grant to help offset your costs. There is a short application to fill out and the money must be used for payments on a mortgage of a primary residence or rental expenses for temporary housing. There is more information on the fund and the requirements on the homepage for the Vermont Association of REALTORS®.

If you were displaced by the flooding from Irene then go here and download the application for the REALTOR® Relief Fund. Do your part and share this information with everyone you know so that we can be sure that everyone who qualifies has a shot at getting at least a bit of help in this time of need.

Events coming up in Guilford and Brattleboro Vermont

Yeah, I have broken one of the cardinal rules of blogging and real estate marketing… I have not posted recently.

So now I am popping up again, because there are a couple of events coming up that are very near and dear to my heart and with any luck I will be able to entice some people to join me at both events.

This coming weekend is a big one for my hometown. Guilford Vermont is celebrating its 250th anniversary and August 12-14 is going to be The Big One out of the year-long celebration. The webpage for Guilford’s celebration is here. I have already bought my tickets for the BBQ. Unfortunately, I have appointments that are going to keep me from being able to enjoy the parade at 2pm, see the youth baseball at 11:30am or the Bernardston Horse Drill Team at noon. I am really looking forward to seeing the fireworks at 9pm! Guilford is the type of hometown where you grow up knowing your neighbors. Where nearly everyone knows your family name and at least one of your relatives. Where you can talk to the seniors in the town to hear stories of your parents’ transgressions when they were kids. Things have changed throughout the town, but the same feeling of community is there to this day… only slightly eroded by the fast pace and technological society we live in today. So, come on out and celebrate Guilford’s 250th anniversary this weekend (August 12th thru 14th) and get a taste of community small town Vermont style!

Come October, Brattleboro Vermont will be hosting its 10th annual Brattleboro Literary Festival starting on the 14th and running through the 16th. This is a spectacular three-day event with world-class authors conducting workshops, reading from their work, talking on panels and answering questions at various venues in the Brattleboro area. This year Marlboro College has joined with festival organizers to offer poetry and fiction writing workshops with Nicholas Delbanco and Jeanne Marie Beaumont. The events calendar is still to be posted, but there will be events for kids, adults and everyone in between. I know that I am going to be angling to see Tom Bodett and Roy Blount Jr from Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me where ever they happen to be scheduled. Check here for a list of authors currently scheduled. For those that like name dropping, a couple of big names that will be here this year are Julia Alvarez and Ken Burns teamed with David Bilstein. I will warn you that if you are coming in this year, starting looking for lodging NOW. My father-in-law had to find a place in Keene, NH to stay as his first 2 choices are already booked.

If you are planning on being here for the Brattleboro Literary Festival, help out a local business and a victim of the Brooks House Fire – The Book Cellar. Consider ordering your books early so that when you get to town, you can get your autographs without having to wait through the inevitable line at the end of the event.

So, join me and experience small town Vermont in a couple very big ways!

Looking for some help for the Brooks Memorial Library Children’s Room summer reading program

 

Yeah, it has been a while since I posted anything. Between a death in the family, learning how to balance my work and father duties without daycare and trying to put real estate deals together and keep them that way, I have just not been able to put down any complete thoughts in my blog. There are a few partials that I will hopefully be able to complete in post before too much longer, but until then this will just have to suffice.

That being said, I have gotten some information that makes for a quick post and will hopefully allow people from around the world to become part of the Brattleboro Community, at least in spirit.

The Children’s Room at Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro, Vermont is going international with One World, Many Stories, this year’s summer reading program. They are looking for family and friends to send postcards to the library from places far and wide. They will be displaying the postcards throughout the summer.

Please send a postcard featuring your country or state to:

Brooks Memorial Library
The Children’s Room
224 Main St
Brattleboro VT 05301

Please include a brief greeting in your country’s native language with a translation into English or include an interesting fact about your country or state.

They will begin hanging the postcards in mid-June.

Of course, in a situation like this I would love to see a big response, so please share this far and wide so that the children and families can see and enjoy a collection of little pieces of this great big world!

Where is the Line for a Real Estate Agent Providing a List of Service Providers

I have been involved in a fairly hot and heavy discussion on a website where users can post their real estate questions. This particular question and the resulting answers seemed to carry a lot of passion for some and elicited some head-scratching moments for me.

The question was: “Do you think it is a conflict of interest when a real estate agent recommends a home inspector?”

Before I attempt to answer this here, a bit on the discussion:
This particular site has a Home Inspector that trolls it and seems to have an alternate agenda badmouthing all real estate agents and all other home inspectors that don’t proclaim him absolutely correct. At the end of their every post a website that is proclaimed to be the ultimate source for finding independent home inspectors is spammed multiple times. I have checked out the site and was not impressed, but I suppose that’s just me.

The take away from this is: Sure, there are a lot of places out there where you can ask questions and receive  answers for everything under the sun. However, understand that there are people out there that have an agenda or ulterior motive. Take what you get with a grain of salt and don’t always look for the opinion that matches your pre-existing assumption, but look for the information that seems to come without a sales pitch and without holding back a key piece of the puzzle.

Now, as far as the question that was asked… well it all depends on the agent’s role in the transaction. Technically, since there is money at stake and the home inspector can make or break a transaction, there is a potential for a conflict of interest. However, a good Buyer’s Agent should always provide recommendations/opinions about the home inspectors that the Buyers may be using for the inspection. Ultimately it is the Buyer’s decision who they will use. However, if you allow them to or recommend they use an inspector that is not up to providing an accurate and complete inspection, then you are not fulfilling your duty as a Buyer’s Agent. A Seller’s Agent/Listing Agent on the other hand, cannot offer an opinion about the home inspectors that the Buyers may decide to use. That agent’s role is to protect the Seller and get the most money for the property. Providing any advice or an opinion as to which professional to use would be contrary to the Seller’s best interest.

How do I walk this thin line between doing what is best for my client and what is right for the transaction? Simple, I give the same list of professionals to people no matter which side I am working. I make sure that the Buyer has the right representation and the property that I have listed stands on its merits. If I have done my job as listing agent correctly, the inspection will support the price and barring any surprises. If I have done my job as a Buyer’s Agent correctly, then my client will have a clear idea of the overall condition of the home and a heads up on potential complications. Either way, things should transition to a successful transaction.

Book Cellar Event Becomes a Must for Brattleboro’s May 6th Gallery Walk

As if anyone needed another reason to attend The Book Cellar’s book launch celebration for Rick Riordan’s newest book The Throne of Fire, check out this article on Publisher’s Weekly.

To summarize: Rick Riordan was named Author of the Year at the Children’s Choice Book Awards for his book, The Lost Hero, the first book in his Heroes of Olympus book series. More than 500,000 children and teens voted this year to put Rick Riordan at the top of the list, a record number of votes for this award!

So, take this chance to help a great local business carry on despite the devastating Brooks House Fire on April 18th and become a hero for that child in your life that would appreciate a signed copy of one of Rick Riordan’s books. The event is free, but in order to get into the signing line you will need to buy a copy of The Throne of Fire from the Book Cellar. Check out my earlier blog post with more information regarding the event and links to Rick Riordan’s website. The time has changed slightly, with the doors opening at 4pm and the actual event starting at 5pm.

Unfortunately, the Book Cellar has had to cancel the event planned to happen later in the evening during Gallery Walk. Jessie Haas, an award-winning children’s author from Westminster, Vermont was going to speak on her book, Revolutionary Westminster. However, due to the loss of their space as a result of the Brooks House Fire, they are out of options for event locations. I am hoping the event will be rescheduled and I will try to post as soon as I hear something.

So, buy a copy or two and get them signed! They make great gifts!

See you there!

Help a Brooks House Business Start Rebuilding During May’s Gallery Walk

UPDATE 4/27/2011

The Rick Riordan event will still happen at the River Garden on May 6th, 2011. In addition, while the storefront for The Book Cellar on Main Street in Brattleboro may be closed, books can still be ordered from bookcellarvt.com and will be shipped from their other store, Bartleby’s Books and Music in Wilmington, Vermont.

I hope to see you there!

Original Post 4/22/2011

As the tragedy of the Brooks House Fire is still sinking in around town and the implications continue to spread like ripples in a pond it can feel overwhelming with so many people needing support. If it wasn’t for the close-knit nature and sense of community that is Vermont and Brattleboro in particular, the speed and depth of the response to help our neighbors would be a complete surprise.

All this is going to make the May 6, 2011 Gallery Walk a bittersweet tour of the ravages of the Brooks House Fire tempered with the opportunities and events to help our neighbors rebuild their lives. Before you stroll up and down Brattleboro’s Main Street viewing the local artwork and enjoying the local vendors, check out these great events and help out a linchpin of downtown Brattleboro.

The Book Cellar has scored a major name in the book world in Rick Riordan. He is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series of books and is coming to Brattleboro for a launch party celebration of his newest book, The Throne of Fire. While this book is technically a children’s book, I have found the books a quick and enjoyable read and I can see kids ages 14 to about 8 enjoying the story. The event is planned to begin at 4:45pm at the River Garden.

If The Throne of Fire doesn’t sound like your speed, then maybe you should join Jessie Haas, acclaimed local author of 30 children’s books while she speaks on her newest book, Revolutionary Westminster: From Massacre to Statehood. Also hosted by The Book Cellar, this event is scheduled to begin at 6pm during Gallery Walk. In the book Jessie and the Westminster Historical Society tell the story of the true first battle of the Revolutionary War, how it helped to influence Vermont’s journey to statehood and the importance of Windham County Vermont throughout the war.

If you think that you would want to attend either event and want to show your support for The Book Cellar, then by all means, go to their webpage for updates and email them to show your support and RSVP. With any luck, both will happen without a hitch.

Hopefully I will see you there!

Open House Ettiquete

I was preparing an e-newsletter to go out to my home buyers today and I got thinking that the information should be shared not just with my customers in the Brattleboro area, but with all real estate Buyers.

Make a Plan With Your Agent: If you are working with a real estate agent, you should run your itinerary past them before you head out on the road for a few reasons.
1. It gives them an idea of the properties that you find interesting so that they get a greater sense of your likes and dislikes. Then after the trip, you can discuss the pros and cons so they can be more effective in finding your home among new listings and others that may not have had an Open House.
2. They can provide a heads up to the hosting agents that you are working with them. This helps to avoid confusion at the Open House as well as protecting your agent’s ability to help you with negotiations should you decide to purchase a house you saw without them.
3. Your agent may know a similar property listing in the area of your tour. They could then schedule a showing on that property amongst your other stops, saving you time during your home search.

Take Lots of Notes: An Open House roadtrip can make for a long day and even with the best memory and the keenest eye for detail, specifics and differences can get lost. With good notes you can remember which house had the den with great built-ins and which one had the cheap kitchen cabinets and avocado green trash compactor.

Variety is the Spice: This is your opportunity to expand your property search in ways that you may not have considered before. Have you been concentrating on new construction Capes or Colonials? Make it a point to check out an updated Rambler or see if the openness of a Contemporary might work. You could be surprised that you love a style house or location that you had told your agent you wouldn’t consider.

Bring Your Poker Face: Even after hosting a hectic Open House, you can bet that the listing agent will remember the ones that gushed about the property or started pacing off rooms to see if their furniture will fit. You should be polite to the host and be sure to mention that you are working with another agent, but keep your feelings and questions for later. Otherwise you could weaken your possible negotiating position down the road and prevent you from realizing the full benefit of having an agent. Have your agent ask any questions you had. That gives them a better idea of what you consider important and gives you a paper trail to bring to negotiations.

Any questions?

Children’s Events at Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro

I was talking with Lindsay this evening about some events that she has coming up at the Brooks Memorial Library and they sound like they are going to be quite a bit of fun for the kids. In case you hadn’t heard about them, I figured I would share.

There are 2 authors coming in the next couple weeks as part of Brooks’ celebration of the Month of the Young Child, so if you have a chance you should stop by and check them out.

The first is John Gurney, a local author and illustrator who will be reading several selections from his book Dinosaur Train. He will be presenting at the Children’s Room on March 13, 2011 from 10:30am to 11:30am. Just a quick tip, the older kids will probably get more out of this event than the younger ones.

The second is Eileen Christelow, another local author and illustrator who will be reading her newest book, Desperate Dog Writes Again as well as doing some interactive activities and answering questions. She will be presenting at the Children’s Room on March 20, 2011 from 10:30am to 11:00am. Elileen is the author of the Five Little Monkeys books, so this event should be good for the younger children. Eileen has a website at christelow.com for more information about her and the books she has written.

If you need more information about the events or need directions to the Brooks Memorial Library, call the Children’s Room at 802-254-5290 x110.

Yeah… I know. This is Vermont and it seems that you cannot throw a stone around here without hitting a couple authors. The question is… is that because we grow them literate and creative here or do we draw the writers like moths to a candle?

Either way, I will take it.

Mortgage Interest Deduction – Proposed Changes

There has been a whole lot of fervor over the proposed changes to the Mortgage Interest Deduction. The situation isn’t nearly as dire as some would have you believe, but the changes will impact everyone with a mortgage.

Here is the information that I got from the report from the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. The table I used was on page 31.

Currently you get the Mortgage Interest Deduction (MID) if you itemize your taxes and have a mortgage on a primary or secondary residence (vacation home) that is $1M or less plus $100K if you have a home equity loan.

The change would be a 12% tax credit for all taxpayers with a mortgage cap of $500K. If you have a second home or home equity, you would not get the benefits of a MID in those situations.

 So what does that mean for the Brattleboro area real estate market?

 That means that if you buy a vacation home in the Mt Snow area, you would not get the benefit of the MID. If you currently have a vacation home and have been claiming the Mortgage Interest Deduction you would no longer have that option.

As far as the middle-income homeowners around Brattleboro, there would be a reduction of tax benefits under the proposed rules. Since most homes in the area are sold and/or have a mortgage less than $500k, most homeowners would still qualify for the credit. Currently, the credit is based on the tax bracket that your income falls into, so the higher your bracket, the bigger the credit you get. Since the majority of the Brattleboro area falls into a bracket around 25%, there is a potential reduction of benefit of a little more than half previously allowed. The administration is proposing a different figure that would keep things about even for low and middle income homeowners while capping the benefit for higher tax brackets at a lower rate than they currently enjoy.

 There is a great explanation of the way the numbers work based on each system (current, Commission and Administration) from the Iowa Property Owners Alliance. Check it out.

 I haven’t been able to find any place where the Mortgage Interest Deduction was being complete written out of existence, despite the assertions to the contrary on TV and Radio. While I think the idea of changing the MID has some merit, I think that property values are so localized that a one-size fits all plan is simply going to miss the point of helping to maintain the viability of the working class.

 What do you think? Did you know that the MID wasn’t being eliminated or have I missed some new information somewhere?

 Talk soon.