Wednesday, December 22, 2021 / by Brian Armstrong
Home design is an exciting topic and a huge consideration for homebuyers looking to move into a new home. Regardless of size, floorplans can drastically change how you perceive the space within a home. You may have been inside a small house with high vaulted ceilings, which made the area feel huge, or you have been in a large home with many sectioned-off rooms and connecting hallways that make it feel smaller and homey. Architects are always looking to change how we experience residential living spaces; however, open floor plans are not a newly found trend. Open floor plans have integrated themselves as a popular theme since the 90s, yet they remain a prominent style to this day!
What Exactly is an Open Floor Plan?
Traditionally, homes were built with highly segmented interiors, meaning defined areas for the kitchen, the living room, the dining room, etc. Over time, homeowners flocked to open these spaces up by removing the partitioning walls to create areas that felt spacious and ; ...
Read More
real estate, strong will real estate, vermont, chittenden county, keller williams, burlington, northwest vermont, buyers process, homebuying, home tips
Wednesday, December 8, 2021 / by Jordan LaFond
Rooftops blanketed with snow, lights strung, and the smell of winter is in the air. The holidays are among us, leaving homebuyers thinking about the age-old question; Should I wait to buy until the spring? In this article, I will share some need-to-know tips to help you buy a home during this season. As a local Vermont Realtor, I would like to share the top 3 reasons you should NOT wait until the spring to buy!
The Market Cycles
Every year, just like the outdoor temps, the real estate market begins to heat up in the spring, and we see a lot more inventory come to market. This pace typically lasts through the summer, and as we approach the end of the fall, the market slows down, and housing inventory starts to decrease. This cyclical trend is the biggest reason why buying NOW should be a strong consideration for anyone considering making a move. Most buyers follow the same market cycle and choose to wait until spring to buy- meaning if you also wait, competition for homes wi; ...
Read More
real estate, strong will real estate, vermont, chittenden county, keller williams, burlington, northwest vermont, first time buyer, buyers process, homebuying, home tips, interest rates
Wednesday, November 24, 2021 / by Jordan LaFond
As you think about making a home purchase, whether it is your first home or one of many, you need to consider what type of home you can afford. Most homebuyers choose to finance a portion of their purchase since many Americans do not have the cash to buy a home outright. From market dynamics to interest rates, many factors contribute to the type of home you can finance. So, what exactly is buying power? Buying power at its roots is the available money you have each month to put toward a mortgage after your other debts have been paid off (i.e. car loans, student loans, rent, etc.) Keep in mind that your buying power focuses on more than just the sale price; you also need to factor in taxes, insurance, repairs, and other expenses related to owning a home.
Determining Your Buyer Power
Determining what you can afford from a lending perspective is based on many considerations. Gross income, debt, assets, credit score, and interest rates are the key factors your lender will look ; ...
Read More
real estate, strong will real estate, vermont, chittenden county, keller williams, first time buyer, buyers process, homebuying, curb appeal, interest rates, lending
Wednesday, October 27, 2021 / by Levi Norton
With Halloween quickly approaching, people all over the country are having fun exploring the spooky side of life. Watching scary movies, dressing our homes and ourselves in ways that depict the paranormal, creepy-crawlies, and the living dead… all to be packed away at the beginning of November and replaced with lighter sentiments of the next holidays to come.
For some, creaking doors that seem to open themselves, cold chills following a passing shadow, and the sounds of children’s toys being played with when no one else is around, aren’t just a part of the movie you can shut your eyes through… but a haunting reality! The idea that many haunted houses exist raises the question, especially when considering the Real Estate market, “Would you live in a haunted house??”
When realtor.com asked this question a couple of years ago, the answers that were uncovered showed that about 1/3 of people would buy a home knowing that it had some “strm ...
Read More
real estate, strong will real estate, vermont, chittenden county, keller williams, burlington, northwest vermont, first time buyer, buyers process, homebuying, fall foliage, halloween
Wednesday, September 22, 2021 / by Brian Armstrong
Top 5 Things to Consider When Choosing Your Vermont Neighborhood
The Vermont real estate market is tight these days, meaning there is a shortage of homes for sale which has made buying a home a bit more challenging. While inventory is low there is still ample opportunity for you to find your dream home, but you need to take a deep dive into your goals and aspirations. When it comes to searching for your new homes there are a few major factors at play: price, aesthetic, and you guessed it – neighborhoods! These top 5 tips will help you begin your neighborhood selection as you look for homes in Vermont.
Start Your Search Open-Minded
You may start your search with ideas of where you want to live, but don’t count out the places that don’t strike your immediately. Your search for the perfect neighborhood may end with you in a town you would have never even thought of. A home search is a process of finding a home that matches each one of your checklist items from budget 7 ...
Read More
real estate, strong will real estate, vermont, chittenden county, keller williams, first time buyer, buyers process, homebuying
