Burlington, VT

My completely random, highly subjective FUN LIST of things to do this summer in the Queen City. Enjoy and, MOST OF ALL, have fun!!

• Vermont City Marathon (Memorial Weekend)
• Burlington Discover Jazz Festival (June 5th - June 14th)
• Burlington's International Waterfront Festival (July 2nd-14th)
• Independence Day Fireworks - Burlington Harbor (July 3rd)
• Hanging out & people watching on the Church Street Marketplace
• Sunsets and a cold drink at the Community Boathouse or anywhere along the waterfront
• Concerts everywhere
• Dinner at an outdoor cafe
• Biking along the rec. path on Lake Champlain
• Saturday Farmer's Market in City Hall Park on College Street
• Watching Thunderstorms lumber across the lake from behind the Coast Guard Station
• Take a lesson or rent a boat at the Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center

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.

This week an historic economic package proposed by President Obama and negotiated by Congress was signed into law. Piled high with provisions, there were several which impacted real estate and for this specific blog posting the target focus is the provision for first time home buyers.

Here it is:

***Housing help for for First Time Homebuyers such that they can get up to a tax credit of 10% of the value of their new home up to a maximum credit of $8,000 if they close by November 30, 2009. This credit does NOT have to be paid back if you own the home three years. It phases out for single taxpayers making over $75,000 and for married couples filing jointly making over $150,000 (adjusted gross income). First time homebuyers are defined as those who haven't owned a house for at least three years.***

This should be a great boost.

If you are looking to purchase a home, please contact me on my direct line 7 days a week at 802.238.5256. With inventories up, this is a great time to be looking for a home. I would be delighted to help you find just the right first home.

Post your comments at Hurd's The Word or go to my website at Burlington Vermont Real Estate.

Based upon information provided by the Northwestern Vermont Board of Realtors (NVBR) as of today for all of 2008, there were 219 single family residential and condominium units sold within Burlington Vermont with a total sold volume of $63,344,919. These numbers represent a 29.58% reduction in the number of units sold from the same time period one year earlier (1/1/07-12/31/07). Divide this number by the units sold (1332) and you get an average sale price of $289,246. These numbers represent a 5.49% INCREASE in the average sales price from the same time period one year earlier (1/1/07-12/31/07).

Average days on the market for all these 219 properties was 78 compared to 67 one year earlier or 16.42% longer on the market.

Armed with solid numbers, buyers and sellers alike can manage their expectations and the current realities of our local market.

Call me at 802.238.5256, email me at Chris@ChrisHurdVT.com or post your comments at Hurd's The Word or go to my website at Burlington Vermont Real Estate.

(These figures include sold numbers for single family residential and condominium only in all the towns which comprise Chittenden County, Vermont only. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed by Vermont Real Estate Information Network which supplies these figures.)

This Friday and Saturday night, February 6th and 7th, The Banff Mountain Film Festival's World Tour returns to Burlington, VT. Showtimes each night begin at 7pm and tickets are $12 and $10 with student ID. The event takes place at the University of Vermont's Ira Allen Chapel. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the SkiRack in Burlington at 802.658.3313 or at the door, if tickets are still available.

The Banff Film Festival World Tour
http://www.banffmountainfestivals.ca...ns/newyork.asp

The World Tour brings a selection of the best films from the Banff Film Festival located in Banff, Canada, a stunningly beautiful mountain town in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. The Banff World Tour generally offers about 30 films, including many of the Film Festivals Award Winners in a variety of subjects, styles, lengths and activities.

Having attended this event in previous years, I can promise this is a great night of fun, thrills, beauty and reverence of outdoor life.

Whether you're an experienced mountaineer, weekend warrior or couch potato adventurer, this event is for everyone. (I have brought my children when they were 7&8 years old and they loved it) Don't miss out on all the fun and excitement this weekend!

See you there!

Call me at 802.238.5256, email me at Chris@ChrisHurdVT.com or post your comments at Hurd's The Word or go to my website at Burlington Vermont Real Estate.

Burlington, VT is healthiest city.

By MIKE STOBBE - 2 days ago

What's the healthiest city in America? It appears to be Burlington, VT.

Vermont's largest city is tops among U.S. metropolitan areas by having the largest proportion of people - 92 percent - who say they are in good or great health.

It's also among the best in exercise and among the lowest in obesity, diabetes and other measures of ill health, according to a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This New England city of 40,000, on the shores of Lake Champlain, is in some ways similar to the unhealthiest city - Huntington, W.Va. Both are out-of-the-way college towns with populations that are overwhelmingly white people of English, German or Irish ancestry.

But there the similarities end:

_Burlington is younger, with an average age of 37, compared to 40 in Huntington, according to the Census Bureau.

_Burlington is better off financially, with 8 percent living at the federal poverty level, compared to 19 percent in Huntington.

_It's much more educated, with nearly 40 percent of area residents having at least a college bachelor's degree. Only 15 percent in the Huntington area do.

The cultures are significantly different, too. Bicycling, hiking, skiing and other exercises are common in Burlington. Neighborhood groups commonly focus on improving parks, working in community gardens and repairing and improving sidewalks.

"There's this norm of a lot of activity," said Chris Finley, Vermont's deputy health commissioner, who works in Burlington.

And though college staples like pizza are common, healthier foods are also popular. Grass-fed beef is offered in finer restaurants, vegan options are plentiful, and the lone downtown supermarket is run by a co-op successful in selling bulk rice and other healthy choices to low-income residents.

Burlington is helped by the presence of IBM and other employers offering more generous health benefits and corporate wellness programs than companies in Huntington, some experts suggested.Copyright ©

Source: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1859507,00.html

Call me at 802.238.5256, email me at Chris@ChrisHurdVT.com or post your comments at Hurd's The Word or go to my website at Burlington Vermont Real Estate.