Just by chance

Stepping back 4 years to when the idea of moving first came about, it really was just by chance. Many years ago my husband declared that he had no interest in moving unless we could have a view of Camel's Hump. For those of you unfamiliar with this distinctive mountain, the knobby peak is part of the Green Mountain range and easily visible from I-89 and many Stowe and Waterbury locations.

Close friends in Waterbury Center were concerned about the future of their neighbors' property, 120 acres of private land with a large house and pond, and were struggling to find a way of protecting it from development. Many years earlier a developer had plans for at least 17 lots and even built a road through the woods to access these new sites. What he didn't figure on was the amount of ledge present and the difficulty of installing enough septic capacity for such a large project. Soon the plan was scrapped and the old farm was mercifully left intact. But now the owners were aging and ready to sell.

Could our friends, another couple and we, purchase the whole together and divide it 3 ways and thus control it's destiny? An idea was born! In the end we bought in with just our friends and then partitioned off about 18 acres for ourselves.

The site is dramatic, perched on a wooded hillside surrounded by rock faces and with a stunning 270 degree view to the south that includes, of course, Camel's Hump. To fully appreciate the view many trees will need to be cut or trimmed providing many years of firewood. Included in our parcel is a share in the large pond and walking rights to the remaining acreage.

That first winter we started clearing for the house site and the driveway. Regularly we took walks in the woods and felt connected to this new property even though there were some moments when we questioned the wisdom of our actions. Our Sterling Valley property lacked for nothing, except perhaps a main floor bedroom for our later years. Should we remedy this and stay put? But no, the excitement of a new house in a new neighborhood, still close to Stowe and yet more convenient to Burlington, was tantalizing. We began sketching some ideas. How steep a driveway could we manage, to have the house site we wanted?

How much blasting did that involve? Where was the barn/workshop going to be? How could we build a house with the least amount of impact and still have our view?
Gradually our plans took shape and our new home was just around the corner, or so we thought.

Marketing our property

It was now time to go public! First, oodles of photographs were taken and edited, showing booklets and brochures were prepared, web pages were created and following my own advice, we decluttered, staged and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. We ended the long term lease that we had had on the guest house, refinished floors, replaced appliances, shampooed rugs, bought new bedding and towels, removed many personal items, weeded the gardens, resurfaced the driveway, filled the flower pots and mowed acres of lawn. We were ready!

After every showing we had, and there were many, our hopes were raised, at least momentarily. Buyers are generally kind, making positive comments and showing interest even if the house was not exactly what they were looking for. Some came back for a 2nd, 3rd and even 4th time but ultimately as the months and then years wore on we became discouraged. We kept reminding ourselves that there was the perfect buyer out there somewhere and in the meantime we could continue to enjoy our very clean house and beautiful land.

At the two year mark we thought we had the buyer and all indications were that an offer was forthcoming. We started to make plans. Even knowing how tenuous all deals can be we still wanted to believe that this was going to be the one. Until this point we had only sketched out our ideas for the new house and had barely looked at them in the preceding 24 months. Now we were poring over them nightly. It was exciting.

But it was not to be! The potential buyers fell by the wayside and we were back to square one and not even any the wiser. This real estate market is not for the faint of heart. The ups and downs, hopes and disappointments take their toll on even the most seasoned sellers. We were in it for the long haul and were able to be patient, but sadly, not all are as fortunate.

Another year and another buyer came and went before the new owners of our property finally surfaced. On November 3, 2011 we handed over the keys to a wonderful family with ties to not only this area but also to our family. They are indeed the perfect buyers and worth waiting for.

Moving on

Our house of 35 years was a Federal style, 5 bedroom with full attic and basement. We had bought the land with the farmhouse, built around 1860, and a couple of barns, back in 1976.

First the existing house needed renovation before my mother- in- law could be lodged there and then we needed a house for our growing family.

With the skills of my husband and the huge amount of sweat equity from us both, the house was built on a shoestring, and over many years. Even as we completed parts of it, changes were being made as the demands of our family necessitated. The mudroom was too small! Ski boots, mud boots, ice skates, snowshoes, gloves, mittens, hats, heavy jackets, light jackets, and so much more, for five, already filled every available cupboard and closet. And then there were the hockey players! If you have lived with hockey players you will know that gear has to be spread out to dry daily and even then the stench of sweaty gear is almost unbearable. Did I mention that I was one of the hockey players? So the mudroom tripled in size and we kept going.

By the time our 2nd daughter was married the house was finished and we were ready to downsize. By chance, an opportunity presented itself, to buy an 18 acre wooded lot near our friends in Waterbury Center. Not an easy site to build on but very beautiful and interesting, with rock formations and potentially a huge southern view. We jumped at it. Not quite sure what we were going to do next but never ones to waffle for long, we were soon planning our new home.

But first things first! Selling a large property in a down market certainly has it's challenges. As a Realtor, I know the fundamental rules: condition and price equals value. Even though we had continued to maintain the property through the years there were still some major components that needed replacement. The roofs had neared the end of their lives, the windows were far from efficient and the septic systems for both houses were functioning, but questionable. All were replaced over the next few months and we were ready to go to market. It was 2008!