Dear team:

The holidays are coming up and I want to give you a small glimpse of what the real estate world really looks like:

• There are about 2 million active real estate licensees in the United States (1.3+ million REALTORS®).
• The median gross income of REALTORS® was $39,800 in 2017, a decrease from $42,500 in 2016.
• 5.34 million sold homes as of August 2018 - 12-month rolling period.
• First-time buyers were 31 percent of sales in August.
• All-cash sales were 20 percent of transactions for August 2018. 

Too often we slow down when we’re doing well or we slow down when everything else around us is slowing down. Today, I want you to rethink the process you have in your head. That process that you have that you don’t even know you have. This year, make a new, better plan that’s specific to your success. Specific to how you will succeed. Prospecting looks different for all of you — door-knocking, calling online leads, calling your sphere, open houses, calling past clients, etc. — but, whatever your plan is, write it down and schedule it so that you can practice it daily. 

My point today is simple. For the next three months, be willing to do what most other agents aren’t, because other agents are failing out of this business. It’s time to make a plan to follow daily, to stick to, to live by. Design the life you want to live and execute on it!

Ken Libby, Broker

If you are thinking about listing your home before the end of the year, then the team at Stowe Area Realty may have the EXTRA pluses to motivate you! In addition to our customer-centric, quality service, 100+ years of combined real estate expertise and powerful marketing strategies, we are now offering two incentives through December 2018.*

INCENTIVE 1 - PRE-INSPECTION

The home inspection is the most prominent hurdle to clear in a real estate transaction. Inspections are often where sales fall apart, leaving the sellers to pick up the pieces.

When a client contracts to list his or her home with Stowe Area Realty for one year at a Fair Market Value, Stowe Area Realty will pay for a pre-inspection. 

With a top-shelf pre-inspection sellers can:

• Find out the exact condition of the property.
• Be confident with an accurate price for the home.
• Get ahead of any issues by repairing them now, on their timetable.
• Minimize negotiations later.

At face value, this saves a homeowner/seller between $400 and $800, depending on square footage, but more importantly it’s a proactive step that puts the seller ahead of the curve with less stress down the road.

INCENTIVE 2 - WARRANTY

After a client lists his or her home with Stowe Area Realty, and the house successfully closes, Stowe Area Realty will purchase a one-year Home Warranty Plan from American Home Shield. (AHS® Home Warranty Plans cover many of the repair and replacement costs of more than 20 of a home's major appliances and system parts when they break down due to normal wear and tear.) 

How does that help a seller?

• Homes with warranties return a higher average sales price.
• Buyers prefer to buy a home with a warranty.
• Homes on the market with a warranty sell faster.

A real estate home warranty gives buyers and sellers the protection they need to walk away from the closing table confidently and ready for a new chapter in homeownership.

*Offer available to the first five client(s) to list his or her residential property for a one-year term before December 31, 2018. Client(s) will choose ONE incentive.

Stowe Area Realty announces the launch of its new website at VERMONT.RealEstate.

VERMONT.RealEstate is a county-by-county Network of dedicated real estate agents hand-selected and presented by Stowe Area Realty. The site provides statewide real estate services for those looking to move to Vermont, helping connect prospective buyers and sellers with these preferred affiliates who are active in their communities, build quality relationships with customers and demonstrate professionalism and attentiveness during every sale.

Stowe Area Realty owner/broker Ken Libby said that what sets VERMONT.RealEstate apart from other real estate sites is its connectivity to the entire Vermont property marketplace, with comprehensive information about each town from the agents who live and work there. 

“We are thrilled with what VERMONT.RealEstate can do for people looking to buy or sell property in Vermont. Anyone who wants to search Vermont real estate, whether they live here or not, can easily access information about each county’s towns, community, lifestyle, available properties, market data and more, plus be assured that the agents listed on this Network are the experts in their areas,” Libby said. “We’ve streamlined the search process because the essential real estate resources and professionals are all in one place.”

VERMONT.RealEstate was officially launched on January 14 and will add new information and affiliates in the upcoming weeks. Visitors are encouraged to explore the new website and sign up for the mailing list. 

“We believe that this new site will allow our clients to have a very informative experience as VERMONT.RealEstate continues to grow and see an increased market presence,” Libby said.

Stowe Area Realty's Graham Mink is part of a team working to reform — and improve — affordable housing in Lamoille County.

Read some of the ideas and outcomes from the panel discussion in this week's edition of the Stowe Reporter/News and Citizen:

What to do?

Nine Lamoille County leaders were on a panel that batted around ideas for affordable housing reform, reflecting on Doug Kennedy’s findings.

“It’s not a secret the permitting process is a challenge” for housing development, said Graham Mink of Stowe, who owns Green Mountain Management.

But he says that, since rent has gone up in many parts of the county, it “makes it worth it as a developer” to construct long-term rental buildings.

Read more in "Housing trouble: Rents on the rise."

We are pleased to announce that Stowe Area Realty and KW Vermont have joined forces, forming the Stowe Area Realty Group at KW Vermont. The new partnership enhances Stowe Area Realty’s local and regional contacts, committed approach to business and active role in the community, thanks to KW Vermont’s 160+ agents across the state. Team Leader and Co-Founder of KW Vermont Brian Armstrong said, “We are looking forward to becoming a contributing member of the Stowe community and to doing our part to further the goals of our agent partners and their clients.” 

This association will be a tremendous benefit for both firms. Stay tuned for more news!

Keller Williams is an international real estate and technology firm with more than 180,000 agents worldwide.

Stowe Area Realty has merged with Keller Williams Vermont in South Burlington.

Brian Armstrong, CEO of Keller Williams Vermont, and Ken Libby, broker and owner of Stowe Area Realty, announced the merger and formation of Stowe Area Realty Group at KW Vermont-Stowe on Aug. 27.

The merger brings together a team of residential and commercial agents with more than 75 years of sales and marketing experience in the real estate industry.

An open house will be held Friday, Sept. 27, from 4 to 6 p.m., 1056 Mountain Road, Stowe.

Libby began his career in real estate in 1979 and became a full-time agent in 1992. A 50-year Stowe resident, Libby has served the community as police chief, a youth coach, active member of the Boy Scout program and mentor in the greater Stowe area.

“The merger of these two firms combines brokers with industry, local, state and national market knowledge, all with access to Keller Williams’ newest state-of-the-art technology platform,” Libby said.

Libby recently received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Realtors, one of only 96 recipients so honored in the 109 years of operations of the association. He’s won numerous other awards, including being named twice the NAR Commercial Realtor of the Year for Vermont.

KW Vermont formed in December 2009. The firm has grown to 160-plus agents.

This article also appeared in the Sept. 5, 2019, issue of the Stowe Reporter.

Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa
Highlights & Location

• Tremendous reposition opportunity in picturesque Stowe, Vermont
• 117 owned, fee-simple rentable units with a mix of guest rooms and suites, plus 50 townhomes in a rental pool, for a total of 167 units
• Includes on-site dining options: Charlie B's Pub & Restaurant and a spa/poolside café
• Additional management fees from homeowners association
• PUD and excess density offer the opportunity to potentially double room count
• Unencumbered by franchise and management controls
• International Association of Conference Centres (IACC)-certified 22,000 sq. ft. conference center
• 40,000 sq. ft. spa and sports center, plus 10,000 sq. ft. meditative garden
• Executive 9-hole, par-3 golf course
• Two tennis courts
• Racquetball and squash court(s)

This property is not listed on the MLS. Contact Ken Libby, Stowe Area Realty Group at KW Vermont, for more information: 802-760-3100, 802-793-2002 (cell) or ken@kenlibby.com.

Friends and family, fellow Realtors and more stopped by the Stowe office on Friday, Sept. 27, to celebrate the NEW! Stowe Area Realty Group at KW Vermont-Stowe during our Open House!

Stowe Area Realty Group at KW Vermont-Stowe hopes to distinguish itself with exceptional service, technology and know-how for those looking to buy or sell real estate in the future.