Burlington, VT

September 24th, 2009
Burlington VT

Having lived here now going on 31 years, I am always excited each time Burlington and Vermont are recognized by independent organizations for the extraordinary quality of life we are so lucky to enjoy. Over these many years, this area has been recognized on so many levels I have simply lost count. It is a great testament to the quality of the people in this state and in the Burlington area that invest themselves so wholeheartedly into making this area so vibrant and special. We are truly blessed.

Having said that, another honor has now been bestowed upon Burlington. Children's Health Magazine (CHM) has just ranked Burlington Vermont as the #1 place in the United States to raise a family. (http://ow.ly/psk0 )

Citing school per pupil spending and graduation rates near the top in all the United States coupled with a high percentage of the population having earned advanced degrees and a high median family income level as strong indicators of overall great health and a well educated population.

Additionally, an educated population by and large also enjoys better health and Burlington seems to fit that trend as well.

CHM notes Burlington has the lowest obesity rates in the country. Having the fewest fast food restaurants per capita and possibly because of the many outdoor recreational pursuits many of its residents enjoy seasonally and the importance of local, organically produced produce, meat and poultry, The Queen City continues to blaze her path of excellence.

Congratulations Burlington!

Call me at 802.238.5256, email me at Chris@ChrisHurdVT.com or post your comments at Burlington Vermont Real Estate Blog or go to my website at Vermont Real Estate.

September 23rd, 2009 Burlington, VT

The Obama Administration's Gift to first time homebuyers is set to expire on November 30th, 2009 or in 68 days. One of the qualifications to receive the credit is you must have closed on your property by the last day of November. This gift to help first time homebuyers is equal to $8,000, not an inconsequestial figure if you are trying to make the leap from renting into homeownership.

At present, it is not uncommon for a closing to take up to FIVE weeks from the time the price of the property you want has been negotiated between you and the seller and is considered "under contract." If you have been considering taking this important step, now is the time you need to be looking in earnest. With closings taking up to 5 weeks, you would need to have a house under contract darned close to October 19th, 20th, 21st. Somewhere in there.

Interest rates for a home loan are at historical lows right now. They have nowhere to go but UP and many people believe that, indeed, they will!!

Rest assured, I will work tirelessly to find you just the right property and put it "under contract" by the third week of October for an end of November closing.

It is worth noting there is talk to try to get the time period extended both in Congress, by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and citizen groups. At present, it is only talk. Nothing concrete has been set to extend the offer.

If you are renting in Burlington VT, Williston VT, Colchester VT, Winooski VT, Shelburne VT, South Burlington VT, Hinesburg VT, Milton VT, Richmond VT, Jericho VT, Underhill VT, Essex VT or Charlotte VT and would like help finding the perfect property, please call me at 802.238.5256, email me at Chris@ChrisHurdVT.com or post your comments at Burlington Vermont Real Estate Blog or go to my website at Vermont Real Estate.

So, in the process of getting my new agency updated in the bing.com local listings, I come across two reviews of my two largest competitors in Chittenden County, Lang and Hickok Boardman. "Interesting," think to myself suspiciously, "who reviews real estate agencies on yelp.com or judysbook.com?" Judysbook.com, who even heard of judysbook.com?

Well, Greg S. had and made it a point to review Lang Associates, now Lang Mclaurghy Spera, on August 20th, 2006.

It was the only review he ever wrote--ever--no restaurant reviews, book reviews, movie reviews--none of the reviews people ordinarily post for the world to see. But he went out of his way to write a review of his real estate agency. Huh.

I'm no less suspicious of the Coldwell Banker Hickok Boardman's review found on yelp.com Sybil C.'s review even included an upload of the company logo. Now that is one dedicated patron.

But who knows, perhaps the companies had nothing whatsoever to do with the posting of these reviews. There was a website out there at one point in time that tried to rate agents. The site accumulated some, very little, sales data and ranked agents by some formula. It so happened that most of the data was sales from Century 21, my former agency. I was it's top ranked agent. While I was pleased to see positive rating, I was a bit miffed that a website would rate anyone or anything, the same system could give an agent an equally poor rating for a similar random set of data.

Wait...Hold on...I wanna check something...Yes, the site is still online: homethinking.com. Unfortunatly, I'm no longer the top ranked agent...but I am still ranked as a Century 21 agent based on my performance 2 years ago. Good to see they are reviewing their data set frequently.

You can't believe everything you read online.

Expert Credit Repair in Vermont

National Credit Fixers: 330 Roberts Street 4th Floor East Hartford CT 06108 phone: 860-282-6181. National Credit Fixers boasts of 13 years experience repairing low FICO scores. Whether your credit has been damaged by a foreclosure, bankruptcy, slow credit, collections, judgments, repossessions, etc. we can help. We are the experts in credit restoration and credit repair. We have helped numerous residents of Vermont and are experts in Vermont credit repair.

National Credit Fixers can legally remove negative items off of your credit reports and help you qualify for the best rates possible! Information contained in your credit file must be reported according to a law called the Fair Credit Reporting Act (F.C.R.A.). If the information isn't accurate or verifiable then it must be deleted.

This means your FICO scores will go up as a result. Do yourself a favor and come see us if you don't qualify for a loan, or if the rates you do qualify for are just too high.

Don't let bad credit prevent you from getting you the best rate you deserve! We offer expert credit repair at an affordable price.

FACT: 79% of all Americans have errors in their credit reports which can cost thousands of dollars in unnecessarily high interest rates. Are you one of them?

Here is our track record for 2008:

Average FICO score increase in 6 months: 50 points

Score increase in 35 days

10 points or more 93%

20 points or more 71%

50 points or more 20%

100 points or more 10%

Score increase in 90 days

10 points or more 97%

20 points or more 82%

50 points or more 35%

100 points or more 20%

:)
Matt

Toll Free: 888-NCFIXER (623-4937)
Toll Free Fax: 888-FAX-4020 (329-4020)
Local: 860-282-6181
330 Roberts Street 4th Floor
East Hartford, CT 06108

Wow!

This IS the year for Lake Champlain. We will all be celebrating the 400th year since Samuel de Champlain first explored our region on his daring expedition. Lots will be happening so don't miss out!!! Have fun and we'll see you there!

• Burlington Vermont Celebrates Lake Champlain (July 2nd - 14th)
• Independence Day Fireworks Celebration Burlington Waterfront (July 3rd) (tip: get there early)
• Sailing Regatta for Lake Champlain (July 25th)
• Lake Champlain Maritime Festival (August 14, 15 & 16)
• Take A Sailing Lesson at the LCCSC on the Waterfront in Burlington VT
• Take your boat to the Basin Harbor Club for the day or overnight
• Sunset and Cookout at North Beach in Burlington VT
• Take One of the Lake Champlain Ferries for a Sunset Cruise, Full Moon Rise or both!!
• Rent a Kayak or Canoe at North Beach in Burlington Vermont
• Dinner & Drinks & Sunset at Splash Cafe on the Community Boathouse Docks in Burlington

PLEASE add your own favorites to this list by placing your comments here at Hurd's The Word. If you have questions about buying a home or property, please call me at 802.238.5256, email me at Chris@ChrisHurdVT.com or go to my website at Burlington Vermont Real Estate.