April 17th, 2009
Stowe is holding its annual Vermont Foodbank Day this Sunday, April 19th.
Go enjoy one of the last days on the hill this weekend. Bring two canned goods and you can get a $35 lift ticket voucher! A great day to ski and support a great cause!
February 3rd, 2009
This is a great article talking about why Vermont has the lowest rate of foreclosures in the country. Something that has allowed homeowners to maintain a truer property value than a lot of other states. The article is from bloomberg.com “Vermont Foreclosures Held Off by Yankee Ways, Land-Use Laws“
By Brian K. Sullivan
Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) — Vermont is avoiding the foreclosure crisis plaguing homeowners across the U.S., perhaps owing to traditions of thrift, modesty and self-reliance — bolstered by laws that protect buyers and land.
The foreclosure rate in Vermont is the lowest in the U.S., 0.04 percent of all homes in the state, according to RealtyTrac Inc. of Irvine, California.
January 21st, 2009
When it comes to skiing my daughter keeps saying “Yes, Mom, I know Mom!” or “Mom, I do this every weekend, I’ve got it”. These comments usually follow me trying to lend her a face mask on below zero days or when I suggested she wear a helmet if she insisted on skiing the trees. WELL, I finally get to respond with, “See Mother knows BEST!”.
After her first face first digger into the snow she finally started wearing the helmet that a few of her friends and I insisted she wear. And can I tell you how happy this makes me…. very. And if you take a look at the above photo of her helmet, cracked, post crash #2, you’ll see why!
She lost control after hitting an ice patch on Hayride at Stowe with no edges, going at a high speed. Thank god she was wearing her new helmet, it was only the 2nd day it made an appearance! While she is claiming the helmet made her feel like it was OK to go that fast, I can tell she’s very thankful she was wearing it.
Now my “Slow down” and “Get your ski’s tuned” comments are followed up with, “Already on it Mom”.
January 14th, 2009
The best part, he’s my Step-son, Shapleigh Smith Jr!
Last week I attended Shap’s swearing in at the Vermont State House. I was accompanied by my Husband, Shap Smith Sr, my other Step-son Chapman, along with Shap Jr’s wife Melissa and children, Eli and Mia and his half brother Spenser Weppler. Listening on the radio were: Michel and Stuart Weppler (Shap Jr’s Mother and Step-father), his step-siblings McKee and Maggie Macdonald and half-brother Coulter.
Gathering together with the mishmash clan we call family, to mark this momentous event, made me realize just how great an accomplishment it was. We are all so proud of Shap, he’s had a goal of being successful in politics since his youth and he’s managed to do just that!
Click here to listen to Shap’s acceptance speech for Vermont Speaker of the House
Click here for the WCAX’s coverage on Shap’s nomination as Vermont Speaker of the House
Congrats Shap, we are all so proud of you.
Shap with son Eli, Photo taken from Burlington Free Press article Jan 6 2008
December 11th, 2008
In case you did not hear, live under a rock or at least somewhere that snowfall is not such an important topic, we are getting SNOW tonight. Stowe is expecting 6 to 12 inches of snow starting this evening and continuing into tomorrow afternoon.
With the bizarre early season weather we’ve been having, I am not all that surprised! This past Sunday afternoon brought snow, around 2 to 4 inches. Monday brought below zero temperatures and Tuesday night to Wednesday morning brought RAIN. Then it decided to snow a few more inches yesterday afternoon and right now, it feels like a storm is on the horizon. So we wait…
If there is any question about winter being here to stay, I think tonight will be the final nail in that coffin. I am hoping this storm brings enough cover to open the xc trails at Trapps! See you out there.
November 6th, 2008
The Smuggler’s Notch road has been closed for the season. This is one of the first signs that winter is just around the corner. Of course reaching this conclusion is not much of a leap when it’s already snowed enough for a few brave skiers and riders hit the hill. Along with that, temperatures have been cool enough for the Stowe Mountain Resort to have the snow guns going. You can see the mist raise off the top of the Mountain like fog.
The surest sign is my daughters constant praying for snow and praising of her new skis. Oh and how she’ll need a helmet this year, so she doesn’t knock herself out upon her return to downhill skis from teley after 18 years.
Yes, winter is knocking at the door in Stowe, Vermont. And if the early snow is any signal, we’re in for another good year of snow!
October 27th, 2008
I can’t turn on VPR, the local or national news or open a paper without hearing about the down turn in the real estate market. I also have seen the slow down in my own business. Symptoms like a greater number of deals falling apart, homes are talking longer to sell and buyers demanding more from sellers in order to close.
But, through it all, it seems the real estate market in Stowe VT is holding strong. Prices have been holding steady and buyers are still coming to the table to … buy. Just this month The Stowe Reporter had 2 articles on the topic. Check them out in the below links. If you have any questions, post me a comment or shoot me an email. I’ll be happy to give you my insight on the Stowe Real Estate market.
Stowe Reported Real Estate Articles
Prices steady, but selling property takes longer, 10/16/08
By Lisa McCormack
Stowe real estate market bucks national downtrend, 10/21/08
By Lisa McCormack
October 16th, 2008
The whole nation is now focused on the financial crisis that seems to worsen by the day. I have been getting a lot of questions regarding the availability of credit, loans and mortgages. This memo from Coldwell Banker Mortgage was recently sent to me and I think ithas some valuable information for buyers looking for a mortgage to buy Stowe VT real estate or really real estate anywhere.
Please see the following document Coldwell Banker Mortgage Memo. If you have any questions, give me a call and I’ll be happy to answer what I can.
July 24th, 2008
I receive newsletters from Jeff Teplitz, a Mortgage Consultant for National City Mortgage in Burlington VT. I found this one to be of particular interest, so I thought I would pass it on. If you are looking for more information, Jeff’s contact information is below.
FHA Changes:
The following changes look like they will take effect with the passing of the FHA bill in Congress.
1. Minimum Investment will increase from 3% to 3.5% with the current maximum loan amount calculations being simplified. This money does not have to come from the borrowers own saved funds. It can still be a gift.
2. The down payment assistance program which currently allows the seller to donate money to a non profit which in turn gifts the money to the purchaser in essence allowing for no money to come from the borrower will be eliminated as of October 1. Loans will have to be approved by September 30th. There’s still time to utilize this program so get motivated sellers within the $317k sales range to take advantage of it. (more…)
On Saturday, July 12, I will be walking 20k in the 27th Annual Prouty Bike Ride & Challenge Walk to raise money for cancer research at Dartmouth’s Norris Cotton Cancer Center. Unfortunately, we all know someone - a family member, friend, colleague, parent, child - who has been affected by this disease. Truly, cancer does not discriminate.
To participate in The Prouty, I’ve committed to raising $2500 towards cancer research. It is my personal goal to raise even more and I hope you can help! You can sponsor me right now by clicking on the website listed below. All donations are tax deductible and should be turned in by July 9.
Money raised by The Prouty stays locally to support cancer research and patient services at Norris Cotton Cancer Center. It’s one of the best cancer facilities in the country and has been named one of only 41 Comprehensive Cancer Centers by the National Cancer Institute. Research conducted here helps cancer patients all over the world. If you’d like more information on the research done here, go to www.cancer.dartmouth.edu.
If you prefer to send a check, you can make it payable to Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer Center and mail it to Friends of NCCC, One Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756. Make sure that you indicate that it’s for my walk by placing my name in the memo area of the check.
Thank you in advance for joining the fight!
Together, I know we can make a difference in the fight against cancer. Thank you for your support!
Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer Center
Peggy Smith