My New Blog

Remember that TV show called 'Cheers?' The best part about it was that you could walk in and everyone would know your name; a home away from home.

This is somewhat true in a small town. Last week at school  my thirteen year old had an eye and face injury on the playground. It was totally an accident but it potentially involved a scratched cornea. The school nurse calls me and suggested it might be a good idea to have an eye doctor look at her eye.

As quickly as possible I call her eye doctor. Being that our eye doctor lives locally I had hoped he could get me in. Well his wife answers the phone and recognizing me, assures me that I can get my daughter in right away. It was so great to have the person on the other end of the phone not only know us as patients but also as neighbors. So much concern was eliminated immediately!

My daughter is fine, but the true point here is that in a small town we have a tendency to look after each other more because we know each other  and realize that in a small rural town everyone knowing your name can be a very wonderful thing!

Lea Van Winkle

Owner/ Broker

Underhill, Jericho and Cambridge

This past weekend I read an article written by a fellow Realtor. I found it to be very accurate and well written. Basically, to paraphrase, location is in the eye of the beholder. Truly it has most to do with what location best suites the lifestyle you want to lead.

I often write about what the rural towns I work in have to offer in regards to the outdoor lifestyle. Where I live is not very convenient to, well anything. We have satellite TV and internet or at worst 'dirt road dial up'. Our roads are nasty this time of year and in the winter a 10 mile drive can be a  twenty minute ride. We aren't close to shopping or really anything.

So why do people come here? The same reason my husband and I first moved here. We are active outdoors people. We love to hike, bike, ski and swim in the rivers. The views are gorgeous and you can simply walk out of your door and get to any of these activities. After working all week it is nice to come home and just put your gear on and go play. As our 13 year old has grown up she could ride her bike in the road, play games in the street with her Mom and Dad and friends and have tons of fields, meadows and streams to explore.

Add to this, the incredible schools with the low teacher to student ratio and really just the actual grounds the kids can go outside to play on. The elementary schools have access to cross country skiing and snowshoeing and one day a week in the winter the teachers (and always the helpful parents) go out for an hour or two of skiing or snowshoeing. The middle school is located next to a large park and fields area and the classes do a curriculum that is 'place based'. In other words how can the teachers relate say, science to something relevant for the kids? Well look to see what you have in your own back yard is the gist to connections.

So, as this Realtor wrote in her column, location, location, location is most importantly relevant to the lifestyle  you wish to live. If the outdoor lifestyle and  the peace and quiet of small town living are something appealing to you, why not come out and see what we have to offer?

Lea Van Winkle

Okay I confess, I played hookey today. I took off with 5 or 6 other women and we all went up to Smuggler's for a good day of skiing! It was an incredible spring skiing day and the sky reminded of Colorado; clear, no clouds and very blue. The first couple of runs were pretty fast but by 11:30 everything started softening up to corn snow. This reminds me of why I live here. A few minutes out my door and I am enjoying the outdoors with my good friends.

We all talked about next week when the mountain closes and we are already scheduling the first trek out onto the the dirt roads with our mountian bikes. Just to get in shape for the next season. For many biking continues, me I prefer to go to the water. Lake Champlain is a wonderful asset to living here in Vermont and I rather feel like I get to enjoy the best of both worlds.

So, this is why we deal with dirt roads and long commutes becuse when we come home from work we are exactly where we want to be.

Come visit  the Underhill, Jericho and Cambridge areas and see what we have in store for you.

Lea 

It is true there is really only one real estate agent at Pleasant Valley so the group part could use a little clarity...

Because I choose to work as an individual in my own company I frequently use the services of many that add value to my company. For instance, I have a group that does home staging, another for landscaping, another for home repairs, painting, landscape architecture and many more things. All of these ad value to my ability to assist you in the marketing of your home.

A particular strength is the care of your property in your absence. Should you find yourself owning a property that needs to sell but you can not be here for relocation reasons, I not only will assist you in the real estate sale but also in the maintaining and managing.

I have  a good source of local folks that are more than happy to assist me anytime I am in need. I live locally and it is easy for me to regularly check up on a property even if it is not being shown.

More details to come..

Lea Van Winkle

Will winter ever end? I hear it every day.  The winds blowing are warmer, the days are longer and the dirt roads are muddy showing that the frost is coming out of the ground. So, while it's not pretty right now greener days are coming and so is the sun and warmth. Our lawns will soon look like lawns again , not matted brown patches, but green and lush with our gardens starting to bloom.

In the meantime April has a tendency to be wet with rain and snow and our properties do not show as well as they should. It is especially important to keep the inside of our homes as bright and clean as possible while mother nature plays havock with the outside.

Some tips... keep  it free and clear of clutter, keep it as bright as you can, open curtains and shades let what natural light we have get in.

A short blog for today but I will get more to you in the next couple of days! Lea Van Winkle