While it's true that the new tools make it easier than ever before to scan hundreds or thousands of available homes, or to list your property with the click of a few buttons, the same thing is true in real estate as it was in construction - a fancy new tool will never replace human skills, experience and determination. Why? Because machines aren't designed to handle the mess that occurs in real life transactions.
Read MoreStage Your Land to Help the Sale→
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If you’ve ever bought or sold a home, you’re probably familiar with the concept of “staging” – dressing up your home to make it more appealing for prospective buyers. But while you might be able to toss around some throw pillows and bake some cookies before you show your house, what if you’re selling a piece of land? Believe it or not, you can boost the sale price of your estate or farm property, and entice more buyers, by staging your land with enhancements that will increase the total value and allow it to show better.
Read MoreHydric Soils: A Reason to Be Cautious→
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"You don't build a barn in a bog." Old Farmer's Adage.
What does that have to do with your land purchase? A good example would be the lovely 3.88 acre parcel pictured above with a small stream, wonderful plants and grasses, which would make an ideal place to build your home. The problem is that the State has determined that
Read MoreA True Super Hero Rescues a Little Brown Dog→
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Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you I have a soft spot for animals. Seeing them happy makes me happy, and I have a long history of rescuing strays and finding them new homes – or adopting them myself. My dealings with a little brown stray dog, and my brush with an honest to goodness hero, started on a Monday afternoon. I was driving home from Stowe, through the Worcester woods on VT Rte. 12, when all of a sudden there she was: a terrified
Read MoreTips for Buyers of Unsurveyed Land→
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While it may be hard to believe, many land parcels in Vermont have never been properly surveyed, which can cause problems when it comes time to purchase. When trying to understand the boundaries of a property you’re interested in be careful of "survey" maps that may only be a drawing of the property. A true survey map will have metes and bounds (angles and distances), as well as the stamp of the registered surveyor who did the work. In past times
Read MoreAn Old Farmer's Hands→
/One of the most enjoyable, yet bittersweet, jobs I have as a realtor/broker is to talk with retired farmers and their wives about the farm properties that they love so much. Since I’m an old farm boy myself, they warm right up to me, and I can hear the pride in their voices when they talk about their farms. They also listen to my suggestions for how to make their retirement easier, whether it’s trying to sell the land,
Read MoreBuying Vermont Land, Today→
/If you are researching land or estate parcels in Vermont, we're here to help. Dave Jamieson of Vermont Land Broker provides clients with a deep understanding of Vermont history, local neighborhoods, surveying, construction and tree farming.
Land purchases involve more than just looking for a view and we can help you make the right decision with our services:
Read MoreElusive May Bush, February Daphne→
/After months of cold weather, my dog Kane and I were finally able to spend a few hours walking in the woods around our farm, soaking up the spring aromas and looking for deer antler drops, erosion on our roads and winter blow-downs. Around this time, nearly 20 springs ago, while walking through the same large patches of snow and mud, I could not believe my eyes when I spotted a lilac-type plant in full bloom with beautiful pink-red flowers, tidy
Read MoreMaple Sugaring is in My Blood→
/Around this time each year, as the sun’s rays become stronger and the temperatures start to rise, I look toward the red maple trees for signs of bud break, hoping it will soon be time for sugaring season. The maple industry has changed rapidly in recent years, with the advent of pipelines, reverse osmosis to remove excess water in the sap concentrate, and vacuum systems to gently draw sap from trees.
Read MoreTesting Your Brick Structure→
/One of my favorite Sunday activities is to take a drive with my wife around neighboring communities. Having worked in construction management for years and now in real estate, it’s interesting to converse with her about the market, design trends and current conditions that affect both my job and our home.
On a recent trip through southern Vermont, we stopped on a quaint street lined with brick
Read MoreProtect the Investment→
/Real estate is often one of our largest investments; however, it seems we are always repairing before we sell, or updating after we buy, or just trying to keep the level of maintenance up so our property values don’t go down. Painting the outside of your home gives you remodeling power, a low-cost remedy to change the overall character of your home, downplaying flaws,
Read MoreA Tree Vermonters Can Love→
/My last column talked about how to grow and shape the perfect Christmas tree, taking it from a small plant to the centerpiece of a holiday celebration. But what about the tree itself?High value is placed on needle retention and an evergreen smell to get revelers through four-plus holiday weeks. Thus, people often select a Balsam or Fraser fir. I'd like to throw another name in the hat - or forest: the Canaan fir (pronounced "ka-nann" with emphasis on the last syllable).
Read MoreTime to Think about Christmas Trees→
/Wouldn't it be fun to raise a few Christmas trees? Perhaps your children would like to learn new things as they work alongside you?In the timeline of Christmas tree production, trimming takes place from mid-July to mid-August. The new growth has hardened off and there's enough time for additional branch extension before the holidays, so the tree will appear soft and lush by harvest time.
Read MoreForestry Terms→
/Some terms you might hear or see when buying Vermont Land: AGS: Acceptable Growing Stock. Trees that are either quality sawlogs or have the potential to grow into quality sawlogs (grade 2 or better).
Advance Growth: Young trees that have become
Read MoreGrowing Christmas Trees in Vermont→
/Having owned and operated my own Christmas tree farm in Vermont for over twenty years, it would be difficult for me to say enough about the New Hampshire – Vermont Christmas Association www.nh-vtchristmastree.org.
First, they encourage you to join their organization and then they “teach you the business."
Read MoreVermont Maple Sugar Maker's Association→
/One of the hottest items in commercial land sales in Vermont is maple sugar orchards. Whether the operation is big or small, there is tremendous interest in the production of maple syrup because the pricing is excellent due to a shortage of sweeteners made from corn and other products.
Read MoreWhy Use a Vermont Forester→
/The short answer is "because foresters help protect your investment."
Depending on tree species and growth conditions, it could take 100 years for a tree to reach maturity. If you're buying or selling a wood lot, you need to think of your forest in 30 or even 50 year increments, and once you start thinking that way, it becomes evident that you may need the services of a good forester. How can you find a competent logger? What trees should
Read MoreVermont's Farmer Christmas→
/By Sally Pollak Burlington Free Press Staff Writer Thursday, September 23, 2004
WORCESTER -- Isaac and Shadow, a pair of chocolate Labs, lead the way through the fields of Vermont Christmas trees. They pass rows of seedlings poking past the grass; they run by young trees that a stretching 5-year-old could crown with a star; they bound through stands of balsams whose branches are full and soft and deep green.
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