Vermont Towns Have an Image, and they say Dollar Stores Aren’t Part of it..
CHESTER, Vt. — Almost two decades after the National Trust for Historic Preservation put the entire state of Vermont on its list of endangered sites, citing big-box developments as a threat to its signature greenness, towns like this one are now sizing up a new interloper: the chain dollar store.
While Wal-Mart has managed to open only four stores in Vermont and Target still has none, more than two dozen Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores have cropped up around the state. All three companies are thriving in the bad economy — between them, they have more than 20,000 outlets nationwide, selling everything from dog treats to stain remover and jeans to pool toys. Their spread through Vermont, with its famously strict land-use laws, has caught chain-store opponents off guard.
Shawn Cunningham, a resident here in Chester who is fighting Dollar General’s plan to open down the street from the town common, said that since dollar stores tend to be much smaller than big-box stores, they are often not barred by local zoning rules meant to keep sprawl in check.
“It’s not like you’re bringing in a 100,000-square-foot supercenter,” said Mr. Cunningham, who started a group, Smart Growth Chester, to fight the Dollar General proposal.
So far, the battle has been in vain; the town’s Development Review Board narrowly voted last month to let Dollar General open a 9,100-square-foot store on South Main Street as long as it agreed to 35 conditions, including that it use wood clapboard siding and keep its shopping carts inside.
May 8, 2012
New index ranks Vermont tops in locally grown food
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Annie Myers harvests fresh greens for Good Eats CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) on Monday, May 7, 2012 in Craftsbury, Vt. Local food is big in Vermont, which ranks as the top state in a new Locavore Index, based on the number of farmers’ markets and community supported agriculture farms where customers pay ahead for produce and other foods throughout the season. Vermont had 99 farmers’ markets, 164 CSAs, based on USDA data, and a population of 621,760, according to 2010 census.
(AP Photo/Toby Talbot) |
MONTPELIER, Vt.—A committed “locavore,” Robin McDermott once struggled to stock her kitchen with food grown within 100 miles of her Vermont home. She once drove 70 miles to buy beans and ordered a bulk shipment of oats from the neighboring Canadian province of Quebec.
Six years later, she doesn’t travel far: She can buy chickens at the farmers market, local farms grow a wider range of produce, and her grocery store stocks meat, cheese and even flour produced in the area. A bakery in a nearby town sells bread made from Vermont grains, and she’s found a place to buy locally made sunflower oil.
Nationwide, small farms, farmers markets and specialty food makers are popping up and thriving as more people seek locally produced foods. More than half of consumers now say it’s more important to buy local than organic, according to market research firm Mintel, and Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan called the local food movement “the biggest retail food trend in my adult lifetime.”
But with no official definition for what makes a food local, the government can’t track sales. And consumers don’t always know what they are buying. A supermarket tomato labeled “local” may have come from 10, 100 or more miles away.
Strict locavores stick to food raised within a certain radius of their home — 50, 100 or 250 miles. Others may allow themselves dried spices, coffee or chocolate.
Vermont Country Properties Sotheby’s “New Listings”
Stowe Office
Cottage Club Road - Stowe, Vermont
Listed By: Jill Anne
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MLS#: 4151904 Type: Residential Square Feet: 8,427 Acres: 13.39 Bedrooms: 4 Baths: (5) Full - (1) 3/4 - (1) 1/2 Price: $3,400,000 |
Stowe’s premier luxury home, tucked away on 2 private lots with expansive mountain views to the South. This grand estate is centrally located off of the Mountain Road affording easy access to Stowe Village, Stowe Mountain Resort, the interstate and Stowe’s famed recreation path. Magnificent craftsmanship is the standard throughout both the elegant home and attached 12 car garage and hobby barn. An entertainer’s dream come true featuring a chef’s kitchen, impressive wine cellar, home theater, en suite bedrooms, antique bar, family and recreation rooms. A bright, open floor plan features Master on main with sitting room, dressing room/walk in-closet and spacious full bath. Soaring ceilings and stunning views from every room of the main home as well as additional building lot. A truly statuesque and exquisite home for the person with discerning taste and character.
Stowe Office
Edson Hill Road - Stowe, Vermont
Listed By: Brent Libby
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MLS#: 4151720 Type: Residential Square Feet: 2,938 Acres: 13.40 Bedrooms: 4 Baths: (3) Full - (1) 1/2 Price: $1,395,000 |
Mountain streams, endless open meadows, exquisite perennial gardens and a summer cottage at the edge of an exquisite trout pond - sound like the ideal setting for a home in beautiful Stowe, Vermont? If you said yes, then this charming, four-bedroom home located on 13 acres in Stowe’s prestigious Edson Hill neighborhood and complete with a screened gazebo on the edge of Peterson Brook is a must see. As if it needed more, this well built home with gourmet kitchen includes a separate barn/garage with a tasteful one bedroom apartment, storage sheds tucked among the stands of trees, and a perfect entrance drive off Edson Hill Road that immediately sets the tone for this special property.
Manchester Office
Cobb Road - Andover, Vermont
Listed By: Nancy Perry
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MLS#: 4151998 Type: Residential Square Feet: 4,000 Acres: 76.69 Bedrooms: 3 Baths: (2) Full - (1) 3/4 Price: $699,000 |
Rarely available: beautiful views, superb condition, aprx 4000 square feet of spacious rooms, privacy without isolation = perfect! This property offers 76.69 acres with large pond, meadows, stone walls, tree breaks and views. The residence is warm and inviting, flooded with light. From the hardwood floors to the kitchen perfect for family gatherings to the master on main, this is a memory-making property. All room measurements apprx.
April 30, 2012
Pending Sales of U.S. Existing Homes Increased 4.1% in March
Pending Sales of U.S. Existing Homes Increased
4.1% in March
Bloomberg
Signed contracts to buy U.S. homes rose more than forecast in March as low interest rates drew buyers back into the market.
The index of pending home purchases rose 4.1 percent to 101.4, the highest level since April 2010, after a 0.4 percent gain in February that was revised from a previously estimated 0.5 percent drop, the National Association of Realtors reported today in Washington. The median forecast of 43 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News called for a 1 percent rise in the measure, which tracks contracts on previously owned homes.
An improved labor market and mortgage rates near historic lows are helping to stabilize housing. At the same time, the industry remains the economy’s weakest link, depressed by the threat of more foreclosures, stricter lending standards, and lower property values.
“It’s good news,” said Sean Incremona, senior economist at 4Cast Inc. in New York. “It does suggest that improvement in the housing market is continuing.”
Estimates for March pending sales ranged from a drop of 3.7 percent to an increase of 4 percent in the Bloomberg survey.
Stocks climbed after the figure, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rising 0.1 percent to 1,392.57 at 11:33 a.m. in New York. The S&P Supercomposite Homebuilders (S15HOME) Index increased 2.1 percent. PulteGroup Inc. rallied 5.1 percent after the homebuilder’s loss was less than forecast.
April 24, 2012
Vermont Country Properties Sotheby’s “New Listings”
Manchester Office
Richville Road - Manchester, Vermont
Listed By: Susan Speath
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MLS#: 4149174 Type: Residential Square Feet: 3,697 Acres: 9.52 Bedrooms: 4 Baths: (3) Full - (1) 1/2 Price: $693,400 |
Vermont Dream! 1850’s renovated Farm House colonial located on 9.52 private acres with beautiful meadow and mountain views and frontage on the Battenkill River. Spacious rooms, wonderful country kitchen, two fireplaces, original pine floors and an apartment above the garage. Come live the good life!
Stowe Office
McAllister Road - Stowe, Vermont
Listed By: Brent Libby
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MLS#: 4148505 Type: Residential Square Feet: 3,320 Acres: 4.35 Bedrooms: 3 Baths: (2) Full - (1) 3/4 Price: $549,000 |
Wonderful home nestled in the tall pines just minutes away from the village, schools and Mountain Road. Decorated by famed designer Sheldon Tager you’ll love the flow and sense of space that is light, airy and whimsical yet rich with color and texture, practical and comfortable. Although the kitchen is the heart of the home it flows easily into the family, dining and living room and to either the gardens in front of the house or the back porch. The back porch is a great place to read, eat or just hang out with family and friends. You’ll find this home to be cozy and warm in the winter and cool and breezy in the summer. A short walk from the main house is a charming barn/garage with storage and parking on the main level and finished space above for an extended family office or other personal uses.
Stratton Office
Edson Drive - Windham, Vermont
Listed By: Kim Morgan-Wohler
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MLS#: 4149146 Type: Residential Square Feet: 2,943 Acres: 10.50 Bedrooms: 5 Baths: (3) Full Price: $529,000 |
Once you arrive at this Vermont getaway your winter and summer activities will be literally at your doorstep! You will snowmobile directly from your custom Snowmobile and ATV barn, complete with three mechanical lifts and link to a local trail that leads to the VAST system! Tator Hill Golf Course is just down the lane for your summer enjoyment. The impeccable residence, situated on 10.5 acres features cathedral ceilings, dramatic stone wood-burning fireplace,open great room, 5 bedrooms,family and game room and mudroom. Air conditioning, heated stone patios,pellet stove, generator, and 2 car garage make for year round comforts.Barn, shed, and outbuilding. Exceptionally maintained and turn-key. Wonderful setting with wildlife pond. Just minutes to ski areas. Private ,yet convenient location. Looking for that year round escape? This is it! Come take a look.
April 18, 2012
Vermont Country Properties Sotheby’s “New Listings”
Mount Snow Office
Rice Hill Road - Dover, Vermont
Listed By: Lisa Coneeny
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MLS#: 4145545 Type: Residential Square Feet: 9,110 Acres: 62.26 Bedrooms: 6 Baths: (4) Full - (1) 1/2 Price: $2,799,000 |
This magnificent 9100 square foot home boasts some of the most dramatic views in all of Southern Vermont affording the opportunity to watch the sunrise over Mount Monadnock and the sunset over Mount Snow. Truly a setting like no other this gem sits above the 2500’ mark on 62+ acres of rolling meadows and woodlands and abuts 4000 acres of town and state forest further expanding your year round playground. Though grand in proportion and in luxury of space, the residence exudes a sense of warmth in its many sun-filled rooms. Designed for a casual yet elegant lifestyle this mountain retreat was masterly crafted and recently renovated. Features include a family room with worm-wood coffered ceilings and paneled walls, six fireplaces, formal and informal living and dining areas, a large game room, an oversized master suite plus 4 additional bedrooms and bathrooms. This property also offers a barn with stalls and a separate buildable parcel and a septic design to accommodate a guest house.
Mount Snow Office
Collins Road - Halifax, Vermont
Listed By: Leslie Fraser & Lisa Coneeny
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MLS#: 4145712 Type: Residential Square Feet: 3,732 Acres: 135 Bedrooms: 6 Baths: (2) Full - (1) 3/4 - (2) 1/2 Price: $1,250,000 |
Steeped in the rural tranquility of an earlier era, this extraordinary Vermont country estate is truly one of a kind. The 135 acre parcel bordered by field stone walls includes splendid landscape, three large ponds, and acres of pasture with gentle topography and miles of trails perfect for horses. This handsome residence, circa 1795, has stood the passage of time exceptionally well. The owner has made upgrades including new windows and insulation but has kept the architectural detail true to its historic roots. The residence features antique post and beam construction, high ceilings, beautiful hardwood floors, colonial moldings, built-in period cabinetry and five working fireplaces. An enormous post and beam barn with plenty of storage for hay and equipment has five horse stalls and a tack room. Through its exceptional character, the residence and property will be the perfect ambassador of your lifestyle.
Stratton Office
Stratton Springs Road - Unit 1C - Stratton, Vermont
Listed By: Kim Morgan-Wohler
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MLS#: 4132218 Type: Condo Square Feet: 1,480 Acres: 1.50 Common Bedrooms: 2 Baths: (2) Full Price: $359,000 |
Wonderful Stratton Springs townhouse unit, ideally located within walking distance of the Stratton Village or Sports Center with private shuttle and Stratton Sports Center Access.Beautifully designed, the Stratton Springs floorplan is open with cathedral ceilings,stone fireplace, granite countertops and wood floors.Two bedrooms ensuite.Spacious foyer and mudroom with one car attached garage.Turn-key, this unit is nicely appointed and well maintained.Stratton Springs units are also considered an attractive rental.
Sugarbush Office
Fish Hill Road - Randolph, Vermont
Listed By: Donna Cusson
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MLS#: 4145620 Type: Residential Square Feet: 1,948 Acres: 6.39 Bedrooms: 3 Baths: (2) Full Price: $325,000 |
This classic Vermont cape sits on 6+ acres on a quiet country road just 3.5 miles from Randolph. Large living/dining room with Waterford wood stove. Country kitchen with exquisitely restored Glenwood cook stove in perfect working order (there is a newer stove of course). New pantry/office w/custom cabinetry. Completely refinished wide plank flooring, all rooms newly painted and new completely remolded upstairs bath. Large covered porch overlooking the Green Mountains. Workshop with roughed-in radiant floor heat. Detached two bay garage. Horse barn chicken coop and new post and beam woodshed. Mature apple trees, wild berry bushes, many fruit saplings and bushes planted. Spring rights plus small stream running through property. All the picturesque stone walls one could ever want.
April 11, 2012
Home buying affordability hits 25-year low
Article published Apr 10, 2012
Home buying affordability hits 25-year low
By Bruce Edwards
STAFF WRITER
It’s been 25 years or more since buying a home in Vermont was this affordable and this year should see a further improvement, according to The Vermont Economy Newsletter’s annual housing affordability analysis.
The share of median family income needed to make the monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home in the state fell to 13.1 percent in 2011, Westford economist Arthur Woolf said Monday.
That’s the lowest percentage in the 25 years Woolf has tracked housing affordability. He said other evidence points to the most affordable housing market since at least the early 1970s.
He said three factors worked in favor of housing affordability last year. “Usually, it’s just one or two,” he said. “Certainly mortgage rates were the dominant factor but if you think about it mortgage rates were lower, housing prices fell a little bit and incomes rose.”
On a national level, Woolf said last year also set a record for affordability.
He said mortgage rates averaged less than 4.5 percent on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage last year while interest rates on variable rate mortgages were even lower. The state’s median housing price fell to $189,000.
April 5, 2012
In Vermont, retirees look to “downsize”
Posted By Dirk Van Susteren On March 26, 2012 @ 12:27 am In Business & Economy | No Comments
Sarah and Steve Gallagher, their dog Rufus, and the house Steve is building on a spot overlooking Curtis Pond In Calais. The Gallaghers are baby boomers who have chosen to downsize in advance of retirement. Photo by Dirk Van SusterenThe idea hit Sarah and Steve Gallagher eight years ago during a sabbatical, a grand trip by van with their younger son to Mexico. They had driven from their home in Calais to the Southwest, then down Mexico’s Baja Peninsula; and eventually they meandered east to the central highlands, where they stopped in a small town, Cuitzeo in the state of Michoacan.
The family found an apartment for $72 a month, and liked the area so much they returned year after year, and in 2007, for $22,000, they bought a stone and adobe shack on a lot behind a 16th-century cathedral.
In Cuitzeo, the Gallaghers hike in the mountains, attend rodeos, watch parades and religious festivals, steam tamales over a camp stove and buy papayas and other fresh fruit at street markets. They and their son Isaac, who was age 11 on the first trip, are proficient in Spanish.
“The whole experience has been life-changing,” says Sarah. “It made us realize just how much we value our time.”
And that idea? Continue working full-time in Vermont, save money, downsize, and retire early so they can travel more and live life on their own terms. In retirement they plan to sell raspberries from their berry patch and garlic and mushrooms from their garden. Steve will do occasional freelance carpentry.
The Gallaghers have stuck to script. The family home in the hamlet of Maple Corner, inhabited over the decades by five generations of Gallaghers, is now on the market. The couple recently moved into a 1,100-square-foot, cedar-sided cottage that Steve built on nearby Curtis Pond.
“We decided we don’t need lots of stuff to be comfortable,” says Sarah, 53, who directs training programs for social workers. “Stuff gets in the way of freedom, and we have many interests, and don’t want to get old and miss out.”
April 3, 2012
Vermont Country Properties Sotheby’s “New Listings”
Stratton Office
Beattie Road - Londonderry, Vermont
Listed By: Bob Maisey
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MLS#: 4139403 Type: Residential Square Feet: 3,460 Acres: 43 Bedrooms: 2 Baths: (3) Full Price: $1,995,000 |
Amazing Estate property on Winhall Hollow Road. 43 gorgeous acres of rolling pasture lands with fantastic views of surrounding mountains. Property has main house three bedroom guest house and a heated six stall barn with studio apt.Paddocks and riding ring and abutting neighbor is National Forest. Newly added engineering for adding two additional bedrooms for septic expansion.
Stratton Office
Snowbridge - Unit 62A - Stratton, Vermont
Listed By: Kim Morgan-Wohler
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MLS#: 4134520 Type: Condo Square Feet: 2,700 Acres: 25 Common Bedrooms: 4 Baths: (3) Full, (1) 1/2 Price: $1,175,000 |
Exceptional trailside access to the Stratton Mountain Club, Base Area and Village. With a private glade from your deck to the trail,you and your kids will be just seconds on skis to the lifts. This unit is tucked on the lower cul-de sac, yet directly on a main trail.The Spacious great room with commanding stone fireplace, cathedral ceilings, open kitchen and dining creates the perfect setting for entertaining apre ski and family gatherings. Four bedrooms,including two master suites, den, mudroom and attached garage. You will have a a front row seat to the fireworks from your living room or deck, not to mention the convenience of watching your children ski to the lifts first thing in the morning.This is a rare opportunity to purchase an unrivaled location at a GREAT VALUE. LOCATION,LOCATION.
Stowe Office
Mountain Road - Unit 12B - Stowe, Vermont
Listed By: George Bambara
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MLS#: 4133642 Type: Condo Square Feet: 1,709 Acres: 14.87 Common Bedrooms: 4 Baths: (1) Full, 1 (3/4) Price: $540,000 |
Newly renovated 4 bedroom 2 bath Mt Mansfield Townhouse. Nestled between the Stowe Derby and Toll Road trails, inside the Resort. Ski DOWN to the Toll House lift. Condo association is run by owners and has a reserve fund of $140,000. New Kitchen with Bosch refrigerator, wall oven and gas range, green granite counters. Solid VT maple floors. Paradigm central stereo in 5 rooms. Cathedral ceilings. Living room has a round fireplace, front to back views. TV room has Sony flat screen. Master Suite with, flat screen, new windows, custom closet, bath with Hydro Systems whirlpool. Gondolier guest room has walk in closet. Goat guest room sliding door and large window. Chin Clip guest room new windows. Great morning light. First floor marble bath cathedral ceiling, Myson forced hot water towel warmer, rainfall shower with vessel basin. (4) zone forced hot water with programmable temperature control. All rooms are above grade. Owner is a broker/agent. SMR has right of first refusal.
Okemo Office
North Hill Road - Andover, Vermont
Listed By: Teresa DiNapoli
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MLS#: 4144586 Type: Residential Square Feet: 2,500 Acres: 7.10 Bedrooms: 3 Baths: (3) Full Price: $519,000 |
Wonderfully sited log home with eastern views to New Hampshire. Open landscape with tranquil pond and stone wall borders. Log home features vaulted ceiling with plenty of windows to take in the views. Great room with living, dining and soapstone hearth. Two first floor bedrooms and full bath. Upper level master loft with full bath, office space and woodstove. Lower level offers bonus room and spa/family room, additional full bath, laundry and garage. Incredible piece of heaven on earth - a fabulous setting! VIEWS!
March 16, 2012
Hills Alive!
Hills Alive!
Vermont Country Properties Sotheby’s is proud to announce that we are a major sponsor of the first Hills Alive! Festival of the Arts which will run from July 7 through July 15, 2012 in the Manchester and the Mountains area of Southern Vermont.
The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, Manchester Music Festival, Southern Vermont Arts Center and the Dorset Theatre Festival have joined with local merchants to offer discounted lodging, shopping, dining and tickets to art and theatre events through free individual “passports” available at sponsors and participating merchants. In addition to a State of Vermont grant from the Tourism Department and Vermont Country Properties Sotheby’s sponsorship, the other major sponsors are Berkshire Bank, Northshire Bookstore and Manchester Designer Outlets.
Come to Southern Vermont for some of the highest quality theatre, arts, shopping, dining and beautiful scenery in the Northeast.
Call the Manchester Office (802-352-5040) or the Stratton Office (802-297-1100) for details!