Peggy Smith

Yesterday I attended a memorial service for my friend that died from ALS. I have never known anyone with this disease. My friend was also my lawyer and we saw each other everyday for 20 years as we worked in the same building. He was diagnosed with this disease back in November. It was hard for me not to want to say, “oh I am sure there will be some drug that they can give you to make you better.” I think he kept hoping for the miracle, but none came. Over a five month period I watched as he lost a little bit of himself each week until he could not eat, speak or move a finger. It was more than I could bare to see my friend trapped in his body, still with eyes that recognized you but no ability to tell you.

I thought during these moments when I would visit him, there was not much I could say to him to comfort him. Even reporting the news, or talking about some real estate problem seemed ridiculous when I am sure these worldly problems seemed trivial to him. But what I mostly thought about was Vermont’s struggle to bring about the ” Death with Dignity Law.” If ever there was a time where this law would have been a blessing for my friend, this was it.

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ASSEMBLE A TEAM;

1. Determine how much you have to spend:You have decided that you are going to build. Now what is the next step? Before you go any farther you should sit down with a financial counselor from a lending institution and get an idea of exactly how much money that you will have to complete the project from the purchase of the land to the final nail being pounded and the landscaping completed. Once you have that number you can begin.

The very first question you need to research is: how much is it costing a square foot to build a house. This will vary from modular to stick built but with a few quick phone calls to local contractors and modular home companies you can get a ball park figure. Next you should have some idea how large a house you would like to have. Once you have figured that out you can multiply the dollar per sq. foot figure you got, add another 20% and that will determine whether you can afford to buy land and build a house. It will also determine how much you should spend on land.

2. Find a mortgage lender: You can ask your realtor for a recommendation. Usually they are the best source of knowledge because they usually know who is lending for construction loans, who has the best rates and who they trust. Once they give you several names you should call and see whose personality fits your style. They will work hard to get you a loan at the best rate that they can find.

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I have had several phone calls in the last couple of months from potential customers and past clients that have asked me about building. My standard answer has been, if you can find a home you like, it is better to buy than to build. But lately I have been rethinking this.

In the latest issue of Money Magazine (April 2008) there is an article (Dream It, Build It) about building your dream home. The article makes an argument stating that” now “might be an excellent time to build that home. It says that “behind the dark clouds hanging over the houseing market is a very compelling silver lining. The cost of building your dream house is coming down.”

Why would this be? Well, there are many factors, but the main one is; the cost of raw materials has dropped and contractors are not as busy as they once were. In interviewing some modular home companies I have found that the demand for modular homes is so far down that some companies are running on a skelton crew. What this means to you the consumer is; dollars are not coming out of your pocket. Money Magazine states that framing lumber is 18% cheaper thtn 18 months ago and that drywall is selling for 40% less.

Not only are prices dropping in the construction area ,but also land prices have dropped in Vermont; in some cases 48% of the asking price from 2006. This is not as true in resort areas such as Stowe. The list price of land might not have dropped, but the actual sale of land has done so. We have seen the listing price of large lots over 25 acres being dropped while the smaller lots prices have stayed the same. Overall, large or small lots have not seen a record number of sales, and this has lead to lower sales prices.

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Check out the newest book from Amazon: The Kindle.

If you don’t have one of these you are missing the best thing ever. This was the only thing I had on my Christmas list and they are so in demand that I did not get it until the middle of February. I am an avid reader and when I go on vacation my suitcase is heavy because I take so many books. I never have enough books and many times I am in countries where it is difficult to get English books;when you do find them, they are what I call “airplane novels.”

When I clicked on Amazon.com to order books for Christmas presents last December ,the above ad was on the home page. Shortly after that, I read a review of the Kindle by someone that bought one. It compared it to the Sony E book and the Kindle came out top over all E books.

Here are a few features that I find amazing:

1. You have a large selection of font sizes for every ones preference.

2.The books are sent to you over a cell line, not an internet line. This has advantages and disadvantages. As long as you are within cell service you can receive books, newspapers and magazines. However, the cell service that Amazon uses does not work at my house, even if my cellphone does. It does work in the village of Stowe so all I need to do is drive downtown, turn on my Kindle and whatever I ordered is there.

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If you are interested in finding sugarhouses in Vermont go to this website:

http://www.vermontmaple.org/

If you would like to try another great maple syrup recipe, try this one:

SUGARBUSH MOUNTAIN MAPLE MOUSSE
1 envelope plus 2 tsp. unflavored
gelatin
1/2 c. cold water
4 egg yolks, well beaten
1 c. pure maple syrup
1/2 c. light brown sugar
4 egg whites
2 c. whipping cream, chilled
Sprinkle gelatin on water; let soften 5 minutes, then set cup in pan of hot water. Stir until gelatin dissolves. Add gelatin to beaten egg yolks, mix into maple syrup and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats spoon. Do not let mixture boil. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar, blending well. Transfer to a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Whip cream only until stiff enough to hold its shape. With rubber spatula, fold cream gently into maple syrup mixture. Then fold in egg whites until whites no longer show. Spoon mousse mixture into a 1 1/2 quart mold that has been rinsed in cold water. Cover top with plastic and chill at least 4 hours or until firm.

If you love this recipe, pass it on to a friend to try. Here is a way to win a jug of maple syrup:

Tell your friend to make a comment on my blog and you both might win a jug of maple syrup. Your friend has to mention your name and you have to make a comment on my blog also. Oh and you have to try the recipe.

The phone rings at least once a week with a customer who’s first words, after introducing themselves, are ” I want a deal.” My first thought, which I do not say, is; ” Then go to Florida or Las Vegas.” Vermont has been fortunate to be insulated from the housing “bust” as reported in the Burlington Free Press dated March 1, 2008 by Mark Sutkosky:

“Vermont is insulated from much of the housing crunch drama afflicting other parts of the nation, Allen said. Unlike some areas, especially places like Florida and California, Vermont does not have much of an oversupply of houses and condominiums for sale, Allen said. A large oversupply tends to drive prices down sharply.Also, speculators built a lot of housing in some corners of the nation, anticipating huge profits that failed to materialize, Allen said. Vermont experienced little speculative building, he noted.For those who can afford it, Allen said 2008 might be a decent time to buy. “Prices are high relative to historic standards, but there may be pockets of opportunity because the market is slow. They might find sellers more willing to make some concessions,” Allen said. Torpy of the Champlain Housing Trust said programs to encourage affordable housing should remain intact and fully funded.

But even with the high price of houses and condominiums, people with moderate incomes who are have done their research and are sure their finances are stable can buy a home, Torpy said. “If you go in the market and are an informed and wise consumer, you can find a good value,” Torpy said.

Most resort areas in Vermont have experienced a slowing of sales but the prices and the equity that people have in their houses remains stable. Properties over a million have been less affected because this buyer usually pays cash , or finances less than 50%. The slowest real estate sales areas are between $500,000 and $1,000,000. I beleive this is because that buyer would have used the equity from their primary home for a downpayment on their vacation home. Now they are reluctant to do so.

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I am sitting here watching it pour rain and thinking that March is one of the most maddening months in Vermont. It can be absolutely the best skiing of the year with the most spectacular sunshine and warm days on the mountain that you have ever experienced, or it can be like it is today - pouring rain. But despite the change in weather almost daily, it is one of my favorite months.

Why? Because it is maple sugaring time. The sap has begun to run in the trees, you drive down one of the roads in Stowe and you see a trail of blue lines decorating the maple trees. When I am showing people real estate they ask me what the process is to make maple syrup. Most of them know the syrup comes from trees and that it taste good.

Back in the day, as they say, the maple trees were tapped with a spigot from which a bucket was hung. Sometimes a tree could have three buckets on it at once. Oh, I forgot to mention that there are various types of maple trees but the ones that produce the syrup are sugar maples. Makes sense doesn’t it? Anyway, collecting the syrup from a full bucket meant that you had to team up the horses or start up the tractor , then with a holding tank on the back of a sled, you dump each bucket into the holding tank. Taking the holding tank full of sap back to the sugar house, it is siphoned into a larger holding tank, that feeds into the evaporator. From there it goes into the back pan where it boils over chambers to the front pan where it boils through a series of chambers until it becomes syrup.

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Food is in the news everyday. If it is not an article on low fat or diets, it is how and what is bad for us. Obesity is a major problem in the United States especially in children. Yet so many parents opt out on nutritional meals for their children.

Kids eat nothing but starch, sugar and salt. Chicken nuggets, what do you really think is in that, real chicken? Hot dogs, macaroni and cheese from a box with fake cheese and lots of sugar. It is frightening to think that kids never sit down to a family dinner, never actually eat a meal that has been prepared from natural products and grow up never how to eat nutritionally. There has never been a better time to learn how food impacts our environment, our community and our culture.

If you are in Stowe mid-February you should check in on this free lecture:

The social and political issues of eating local with Abbie Nelson of NOFA-VT and VT FEED
How do the choices we make with food impact our community, our environment, our culture, and our politics? Come hear Abbie Nelson of the Northeast Organic Farming Association speak to the many ways food is about so much more than what we put in our mouths.

February 12, 2008
Time: 7pm
Location: Stowe Free Library
Admission: Free
More Info: 802-253-6145

It was Saturday afternoon and I had to go to a showing. Since the house had a great rec room with pool table, ping pong and foosball, I decided to invite my six year old grandson, Eli, along. He was staying with me for the week-end and needed to have some diversion.

Eli was under strict instructions to stay in the rec room while I was showing the house. We arrived to the house ready and he explored every inch of it, including the “really cool” ladder that went to the cupola. He turned on all the necessary lights and wanted to light the gas fireplace, which is where I drew the line.

The potential buyers arrived at the house, I barely got the door open when Eli announced,”This is a really cool house and you should buy it.” Attempts to get him back down in the rec room were futile. He guided us through the house, pointed out all of the features that he thought they should know about. And the amazing thing was, they were exactly the same features I would have pointed out to them.

I was a bit apologetic, but I was assured that it was the most interesting and fun house tour they had been on and that I should split the commission with him when I sold it.

Just in case you’d like to see the house. Click here is a link for the visual tour of Blueberry Hill.

Any offers will have to be reviewed by Eli.

The Stowe Winter Carnival is about to take place in Stowe, Vermont. This is an event that is full of entertainment and fun for the whole family. Back in the late 70’s, Stowe decided that it needed to beef up the tourist trade in January. Usually January can be a slow month for Stowe because we either have 20 below zero weather or a warm spell. To attract people to Stowe, the Stowe Area Association created Stowe Winter Carnival. From races at the mountain to snow golf to village night filled with cartoon characters, to ice sculpture contests, and casino night, Stowe was a whirlwind of activity.

That first year, volunteers sewed costumes for “Village Night.” There was Dorothy and Toto, Spiderman, the seven dwarfs and Snow White, many many more characters including the stars of the show “Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog!’ I had already volunteered to deal Black Jack for casino night and had hosted several “practice nights” at my house, but I was totally unprepared for the “Miss Piggy” call;”Would my ex-husband and I be, Miss Piggy and Kermit? ” I was not sure if this was because they thought I had the build of Miss Piggy and Bill (my ex) looked like a frog or they just thought we would be game for a night of fun. We decided the later was the reason and so we said, yes.

Little did I know what I was getting in for. First of all my children, Maggie and McKee, were very little at the time, but still wanted to join in on the fun. A phone call to the grandparents got them on board to take them to village night. The big night came, it was 20 below. We all gathered at the town hall to dress; this was the first time I saw my outfit. There it was laid out on a chair - a purple silk evening dress, purple gloves, strappy high heels and of course the mask. Now you tell me how in 20 below weather one can be comfortable in that outfit? I managed to get it on over my long underwear, but there was no question-I looked stuffed. The head and the glamourous attached blonde hair came next. Now here was something that I knew would keep me warm, as it was full of stuffing making my head three times a normal size head. With a quick slip over my head and it was on. Suddenly the world turned black! The eyes did not match my eyes, and even if they had, the eyes were so small you could barely see a thing, even in a brightly lit room.

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