When Buying A Ludlow VT Home Makes Sense

When Buying  A Ludlow VT Home Makes Sense

 

The housing market has never been better for many potential Ludlow VT home buyers. In fact, more often than not, it is less expensive to own your own home rather than rent.

 

The National Low Income Housing Coalition reports that in 57 out of the 100 most populated metro areas, renting a three-bedroom home is more expensive than monthly costs on a six percent mortgage for a typical low-priced house in the same area.

 

With all the news these days concerning the economic crunch and these tumultuous economic times, you might think I’m crazy saying it is a good time to buy a Ludlow VT home. Of course, buyers with strong credit are best positioned to take advantage of today’s opportunities. A high credit score will yield a lower interest rate and increase the likelihood that a loan application will be approved.

 

For example, a buyer with a 6 percent mortgage will pay a third less per month than a buyer who has a loan at 8 percent. This difference can be hundreds of dollars per month.

 

FHA loans, VA loans and government backed first-time buyer loans are all available to qualified buyers. With the current low interest rates and affordable housing prices, it is a great time to buy your Ludlow VT home.

 

It is also a time to keep in mind that buying a home is a long term investment…and an investment you and your family can enjoy for many years!

 

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Ludlow VT Home Buying Mistakes; How To Avoid Them.

No matter what the condition of the housing market, purchasing a Ludlow VT home is a major commitment and a vital financial decision. A home is much more than a financial investment; it is an investment in a new lifestyle and a new way of looking at property. Those who are unprepared to make the leap from renting to home ownership can make some costly mistakes, and learning to avoid those blunders is vital.

Think With Your Head Not Your Heart
One of the most common mistakes made by first time home buyers is allowing emotion to rule the day. Although buying a home can be an emotional process, there are some things home buyers can do to prevent emotional ties from getting in the way of sound financial discipline. 

While it is all too easy to picture your family relaxing in the backyard of a new home, take a step back and look at the home with the eyes of an investor. Pretend for a moment that you are not going to live in the house but are buying it as a pure investment. Is it still just as attractive, or has it lost some of its appeal? Emotional attachment is fine, but it should not overrule your good judgment.

Consider All the Costs of Home Ownership  
Buying more house than they can afford is a classic blunder for many first time homeowners. One of the chief culprits behind this error is factoring in only the cost of the mortgage versus the cost of continuing to rent. While it is certainly appealing to go from collecting rent receipts to building up home equity, keep in mind that the costs of owning a home do not end with the monthly mortgage check.

Don’t Try to Time the Market
Market timing doesn’t work in the stock market, and it doesn’t work in the home market either. Although it can be tempting to try to wait for the market to hit rock bottom, you may be left out in the cold when the market starts to turn around. Many professionals, including home builders, lenders and real estate investors, have a great deal of difficulty timing the market, even with all their specialized knowledge and experience.

While some Ludlow VT home buyers will be lucky enough to sell their existing homes at the top of the market and buy their next one when the market craters, most of us will not be so lucky. There are bargains to be found in every real estate market; the key is to arm yourself with as much information as possible and shop smart. 

Learn more about the Ludlow VT housing market by visiting ISellVermontRealEstate.com or giving us a call 800-659-1819 #103. 

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Okemo Mountain Real Estate: How Main Street Protects Against Wall Street

You can’t turn on a TV, computer or radio these days without hearing about financial crisis America is experiencing and the proposed $700 million dollar government bailout. 

It is still unclear how this legislation will affect every day folks like you and me, but there are some things we can do to protect our personal financial futures. 

Gibran Nicholas, chairman of the CMPS Institute, an organization that certifies mortgage bankers and brokers, makes 4 suggestions for protecting ourselves in today’s troubled economy in an article on Rismedia.com: 

1 - Make Sure Your Investments Are Protected Through the SIPC. 

2 - Make Sure All Your Bank Accounts Are Covered with FDIC Insurance. 

3 - Max Out Your Home Equity Line of Credit Before Your Lender Cuts Off the Limit. 

4 - Stop Making Extra Mortgage Payments and Take Out a Mortgage Even If You Don’t Need One. 

Please read Nicholas’s entire article to best understand his suggestions. They are so important, I did not want to try to paraphrase his comments.

If you have question concerning  Okemo Mountain real estate, visit ISellVermontRealEstate.com or give me a call, 800-659-1819.

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Making Your Ludlow VT Home More Appealing To Buyers

Does your Ludlow VT home have a façade only a homeowner could love? Selling a home can be an emotional experience, and people can lack objectivity when it comes to their own abode. Presenting a home in its best light is always important, but it’s imperative in our current competitive real estate market. 

Professional advice and assistance can make the difference between “Wow!” and “Whaaa?” - a recent industry study found that staged homes 94.9 percent of staged homes sell in 35 days or less, while unstaged homes sell in 171.2 days. 

Below are 7 tips to ‘setting the stage’ and making your Ludlow VT home more appealing to buyers: 

1. Thoroughly clean from top to bottom, especially kitchens and baths.

A dirty house an immediate buyer turn-off. The two most important areas are the kitchen and the bathrooms. If you have not deep cleaned all counter and tile surfaces to a spotless condition, you stand the chance of having the buyers walk right back out the door. 

2. De-clutter the entire house.

Clutter makes it extremely hard for the buyers to visualize moving into your home. The disorganization affects the buyer’s ability to focus on your home and they will most likely overlook your key selling features. In addition, clutter has the affect of making your home appear smaller than it is as the “open” feeling is gone. 

3. Remove the personal memorabilia.

People are generally curious and when you want them to notice the beautiful entryway they may be focused on all the family pictures on the piano or all the “stuff” stuck to the front of your refrigerator. Your objective is to change the view of your home from “lived in” to “ready to move in.” 

4. Neutralize inside and out.

The best way to present a home is for the wall colors to be painted a neutral color. This goes for the outside as well - a loud or non-neutral color may just keep the buyers from even stopping to see the inside. 

5. Let the sun shine in with spotless windows.

Nothing is more distracting to a buyer than to be looking at a view through a dirty window. What you don’t see is often more important that what you do see. 

6. Make your pets go away.

While your pets are a loving member of your family, for the buyers their presence, food and boxes are generally a turn-off. Every trace of their presence should be removed so, once again, the buyers are not distracted from the prime objective - viewing your home in the best possible light. 

7. Add curb appeal.

A healthy, neat, trimmed and well maintained yard and flower beds are the keys to getting the buyers up to the front door. A well-maintained exterior translates to a well maintained home in the mind of the buyer. 

Need help setting the stage and showing off your Ludlow VT home in its best light? Give us a call, we are glad to help. 

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Listing Videos

I now have 2 videos on my website for my listings.  Please go to http://isellvermontrealestate.com, click my listings and then click to see the properties.

Irene

New Listing in Ludlow Vermont

ZONED RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL -

Front of Building

Wonderful renovated Office building on Main Street Ludlow.  Was Doctors office, now just waiting for your ideas.  First floor has reception area, plus 4 offices, upstairs 1 cute and comfy office.  This property was updated 7 years ago and has many uses - plenty of off street parking - walk outside and see Okemo Mountain.  This was once a single family home and is zoned res/comm.  Don’t miss this opportunity!  Just think about it - work and play at Okemo!

 

Reasons To Own Your Own Ludlow VT Home

You’ve probably seen lots of financial arguments about why you should invest in Luldow VT real estate and own your own home rather than rent. This includes budgeting (no rent increases) and the tax savings you’ll most likely have. Now we’re going to give you some reasons you probably haven’t heard.

1. Freedom to pursue other goals in life once the major goal of home ownership is achieved.

Strange as it sounds, many of our first-time buyers have told us that once they bought the house, other things in their life started to fall into place. It’s as if not owning took so much of their mental energy that other goals were not worked on until that big goal was reached. So buy a home and get on with your life!

2. A greater sense of belonging to the Ludlow VT community.

Once you own a home, you feel more attached to the city in which you live. You’re more interested in what happens in Ludlow, to the roads, schools, and shopping areas. Some people even become involved in local politics.

3. A commitment to something, a sense of stability.

Home ownership is an anchor, something that cannot be pulled out from under you. You’ll never get a notice that you have to move. You’re kids will never have to change schools. It gives you freedom to plan years ahead.

4. You can change things, a feeling of being in control.

It’s your home. You can add to it, remodel it, change the landscaping, do whatever projects you want. You have a feeling of being in control of something in your life. At work we don’t always have control of what happens, but your home is your castle and you have dominion over it. You can see what you’re building take shape before your eyes.

5. More control over the children than in an apartment complex

In a neighborhood, kids usually play in the yards or go to friend’s houses a few doors away. Our clients have told us that in an apartment complex they never knew where the kids were. They could be in any of hundreds of apartments, doing who knows what. In a home you get to know the neighbors and watch out for each other’s kids.

6. Children do better in school and feel more secure.

This one surprised us, but buyers have reported to us that their kids calmed down in school after they bought a house. We don’t know why, but it seems to work that way. We remember a single mom watching her son play in the yard, making steps in the slope and building things. She didn’t have to tell him to leave everything alone, like she did at the apartment complex. I guess kids feel the same need for control we adults do.

7. Time and money saved by not going to the Laundromat.

A small point, but if you have kids, you know the value of this one. You gain a whole evening a week when you buy a house! The wash gets done in between other things, or while you’re at work. What would you do with the extra evening you’ll have? How about going out for dessert with your spouse with all those quarters?

We’ve been in a home of our own for so long; we take these benefits for granted. We forgot what it’s like to be renters! If you have anything you can add to the list, please let us know via email. We would love to hear from you! 

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It’s Easy Being Green With Okemo Mountain Real Estate

Not so long ago helping the environment meant recycling plastic and newspapers, but today it has evolved into “green” thinking and extends to our Okemo Mountain real estate, homes and living environments. 

According to a recent NAR survey, nine out of 10 Realtors® said their clients are interested in energy efficient features of green homes and the potential cost savings of such features. An overwhelming 90 percent agreed there will be even more interest in green building practices a year from now. 

Results of a Harris Interactive poll by Move, Inc. show potential home buyers consider “green” building features more important than luxury amenities. Almost half of the adults surveyed (49 percent) said features such as solar panels or energy-saving appliances were “important,” compared to just 31 percent who rated luxury amenities important. 

Ninety-three percent of all home buyers are not willing to pay more for green or energy efficient features when building a home, according to a recent independent study commissioned by The New York Times Customer Insight Group. 

However, a recent survey from Green Builder Media reports U.S. home buyers are willing to pay a premium for more environmentally friendly, green-built homes. 

More than half of home builders surveyed (250 residential builders across the U.S.) said that buyers are willing to pay a premium of between 11-25 percent for green-built homes. The same builders report that the average green home buyer is between the ages of 35-50 with a college degree and fair understanding of green products. 

Despite the conflicting statistics, the U.S. Green Building Council believes thinking “green” is an industry and Okemo Mountain real estate trend, rather than a passing fad; not only does it save on energy costs, it is better for our overall health and the environment as a whole.

Learn more about Okemo Mountain real estate by visiting my website, ISellVermontRealEstate.com or giving me a call at 800-659-1819 #103.

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Ludlow VT Real Estate Short Sale Tips

In the current Ludlow VT real estate market, there has been a lot of buzz around “short sales.”  What is a short sale, exactly?  A short sale is when a lender agrees to accept a mortgage payoff amount less than what is owed in order to facilitate a sale of a property by a financially distressed owner – in essence, the lender forgives the outstanding balance of the loan.

 

There are pro’s and con’s to short sales on both sides of the deal.  For the seller, credit history is seriously damaged, but not as badly as it would be by foreclosure.  Sellers also walk away with no profit, which makes it difficult to purchase another home.  For the buyer, the property comes at a reduced price, but it also generally comes with its fair share of problems, and there is a considerable amount of “red tape” to get through to complete the purchase.

 

The short sale buying process can be a confusing one, especially for a first-time short sale buyer.  Check out this helpful article from BankRate.com and see 10 Steps for Short Sale Buying below:

 

1. Identify potential short sales
2. View the property
3. Do your research
4. Find all liens and mortgages
5. Figure out the financing
6. Contact the lender
7. Complete the lender’s short sale application
8. Assemble the proposal
9. Negotiate
10. Close the deal

To learn more about investing in Ludlow VT real estate, please visit ISellVermontRealEstate.com.  For more personalized service, please call me today at 800-659-1819 #103. 

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Okemo Mountain Real Estate: Is Renting Your Vacation Home For You?

One of the biggest decision Ludlow and Okemo Mountain second-home buyers must decide is whether or not to rent their property when they are not using it. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one-half of all second-home owners leave their home unoccupied for more than 330 days a year. The question becomes, will your vacation home be a financial burden or a financial cow with the rental income is can generate, thus paying for itself

Renting does have its pros and cons. Some owners don’t like the idea of ‘strangers’ in their home. Others don’t want the hassle of being a landlord, especially a long distance landlord. And then there is the decision to give up the prime vacation season for rental income. The flip side is renting your vacation home provides a stream of easy money.

EscapeHomes.com offers advice and tips when considering a Ludlow and Okemo Mountain vacation home purchase and deciding whether renting out that home is right for you:

Before You Buy
If you already know you will rent your vacation home, consider these questions as you look at properties:

Is there a rental market in the area?
What is the average rent that your neighbors receive?
If you are looking in a development, are there any by-laws which restrict your rental capabilities?
Is this a seasonal area or year-round location?

The answers to these questions will help you select a more lucrative property for your vacation home.

Rental Seasons
How do you decide when to rent your property and when to use it yourself? Since you are buying primarily for your own fun and enjoyment, you shouldn’t sacrifice this. If the home is in a one-season area, for example, summers at the Maine coast, then giving up that time of year for rental income defeats the purpose of having the home. In this case, you might look for a long-term (9-month) renter for the off-season, among the local population, while you use it in the summer. On the other hand, if you buy a winter ski condo or chalet, it is still highly rentable in the summer time for the mountaineering types. If you buy a property for weekend use, perhaps there are local people who need a Monday-Friday escape option. In short, if you balance your own needs with the market demands, you get both fun and money.

Practical Considerations
For successful renting, first find out the going rental market rate. Second, determine if you want to market it yourself, or use a rental agent. Self-marketing takes time, but often generates more qualified renters as you are not competing with all the other properties of an agent. Third, be sure to arrange for a property manager. This is different from a rental agency. The manager will take 10 to 20 percent of the rent, and free you up from cleaning, being on call for maintenance (especially important if you live far away), and dealing with the daily needs of the renters.

Make it Personal
By far, the most important factor in success is your personal investment in the process. This means your personal contact with your renters. From a simple welcome note and local maps to a thank-you note and on-going contact, your relationship creates a repeat flow of guests who not only love your second home as much as you do but also pay for the privilege of using it. What could be better?

If you are considering buying a Ludlow or Okemo Mountain vacation home, give us a call, 800-659-1819 #103. We are glad to provide you with the information you need to make a good buying and renting decision.

Think you want to rent out your Ludlow or Okemo vacation home, but don’t want to handle the day-to-day details yourself, we can recommend a reputable Property Manager.

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