Archive for January, 2009

Barnard, Vermont is located directly north of Woodstock, Vermont and has always enjoyed being Woodstocks quiet neighbor. It has a rich heritage and a wonderful cross section of citizens. For many years Barnard was the quiet retreat for Sinclair Lewis and his wife Dorothy Thompson. They lived on a hill side farm that after their death became Sonnenberg Farms. Sonnenberg was a private ski hill with a tasteful second development. The Lewis homestead became an Inn and excellent restaurant. At present the property is known as Twin Farms, a world class resort that prides itself in outstanding accommodations and hospitality services. World figures and celebrities can relax and enjoy the Vermont at its best without any fanfare or recognition. Ah, quiet Barnard.

The focal center of Barnard is the Barnard General Store. Here citizens enjoy excellent foods prepared on site and catch up on the latest news after strolling over from the Post Office. For much of the year one can enjoy looking over Silver Lake form the covered porch and the comfort of the Adirondack chairs.

Less luxurious than Twin Farms but very impressive are the Barnard Inn and the Inn at Chelsea Farm. Comfortable lodgings with excellent meals.

With all of this going for it, Barnard sounds like an unknown, undiscovered community in the hills of Vermont. Quite the contrary, as recent articles in two local newspapers, The Valley News and The Vermont Standard,  have reported. A wonderful Barnard property, the old Fraunces Farm, has recently been sold and has shattered the Vermont state record for a residential sale. The Fraunces Farm, comprised of 292 acres,  has undergone a complete rebuild including a new 12000 sq ft stone residence. It has just sold for $18 mil, way beyond the prevous state record of $8.4 mil for a ca 1910 stone manse on Lake Champlain with 423 acres.  Being at state record and by such a huge margin has drawn much attention to Barnard. But this is not the only state record that Barnard real estate has set. In 2001 Stonegate, a magnificent colonial reproduction on 81 acres sold for $3.9mil a short lived state record. Yet consistently Barnard properties have achieved prices that tend to buck the trends. In the current economic climate, there is some reassurance that Vermont real estate is still viewed by the rest of the world as a good value.

So what about Barnard? Is it now going be exploited, developed and destroyed? It never has previously and just like the rest of Vermont, its citizens will continue to value and preserve their wonderful haven. Ah, quiet Barnard.

Posted by Wade I. Treadway

Clearly the year of 2008 has been one of the most relevent periods of time in the history of modern man. I think it safe to say that every institution of virtually all nations have had to reevaluate their place in the world and reposition themselves for the sake of future survival. The year saw political changes, financial changes and hopefully a radical change in the consciousness of all people. The complacent mindset of the twentieth century has hopefully been replaced with a greater understanding of the needs of the twenty first century.

The business of real estate brokerage has seen its share of changes. The traditional business model of a real estate agency has been reshaped by changes in buyers and sellers access to the internet. Never before has there been such access to the tools that brokers use to help educate and inform the buying public. The typical buyer of today has a clear understanding of market conditions, available properties and historic sales data. When we at Vermont Country Real Estate set up our website, we did so in a manner that would attract buyers and sellers looking for insight into Vermont Real Estate. Not only can all listings be accessed state wide, but past sales data going back to 1986 makes for a better understanding of market conditions today. It was our hope and has been proven to be the case that visitors to our site come back frequently for information about Vermont real estate and state and community information.

We welcome comments on how we can better serve your needs as we enter 2009. Helping you is why we are here, and we readily await the opportunity to serve your needs.

Ken, Kathy and I wish you the very best of this new year and look forward to strengthening the bonds, and increasing the opportunities we have with our clients, customers and colleagues.

Posted by Wade I. Treadway