1) I have been wanting to introduce video tours into our marketing strategy for a while now. Not enough people offer it and I think it’s something that potential buyers really want and I think sellers deserve it. We are there taking pictures anyway, why not grab some video while we’re at it. The technology is there. There’s really no excuse.

2) I REALLY like this new Multi-Family listing in Downtown Burlington where I shot this trial video. If executed properly, I think this is the type of property that could really benefit from video. The reason being that there are 4 apartments in this building and it’s pretty hard to get the flow of the property (how rooms are connected, etc.) from still images. Of course you could just go see it in person. Another reason is that in a property like this there are a lot of small spaces that are extremely difficult to photograph without a wide angle lens.

Now for the disclaimer: This video wasn’t executed properly. It was more of a spur of the moment thing so don’t judge. I was walking around taking pictures, talking about how I wanted to start doing video tours. Then it occurred to me that the camera has a video function so I started shooting. As you can see from the video below, it was such an afterthought that I didn’t even think to shut the toilet seat! It’s only a couple of seconds long, it’s shaky and it’s just a small portion of one of the units in the 4-unit building.

With that said, Enjoy!

57 North Winooski Ave. Burlington, Vermont from Omega on Vimeo.

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Well, we are wrapping up a crazy week for us here at Omega Real Estate Associates.  We have been pulling our hair out for a while but things are falling into place just in time for the weekend.  We are putting the finishing touches on 2 new listings that we got this week and a lease for 12,000 SF of warehouse space is going to be signed today.  Not a bad way to start the weekend eh? (No, I’m not Canadian but I like to say “eh.” Click to watch video on how to use “eh” yourself, eh?)

Things are heating up here in Vermont both figuratively and literally. It’s supposed to be 80 degrees this weekend but I’ll believe it when I see it. I don’t believe anything Chief Meteorologist Tom Messner says anymore, but that’s another post altogether.

So as I said, we listed two new exciting properties this week. One is a camp on Mills Point in Colchester for an unbelievable $105,000;  Just in time for summer eh?  It’s not right on Lake Champlain, but as you can see from the picture, if you trip coming out the front door you risk falling into the lake…if your are wearing Roller Blades.  You can see that listing HERE.  Another exciting listing is a beautiful downtown Burlington, 4-unit apartment building. This one you have to see in person. It has a lot of really cool character that just doesn’t come through in the photos.  There is an original fireplace in one of the units, and stained glass windows in another. Each one has it’s own special little characteristic that makes it unique from the rest.  I’m really excited about this listing!

After much negotiation and floor plan revising, I think Vermont Pure is going to sign a lease taday for 12,000+ square feet of Warehouse and office space at our beautiful new building on Commerce St. in Williston, VT.  This is especially exciting because if they sign, that leaves less than half of that building vacant.

That’s about it for now but stay tuned for a post where I try my hand at video property tours eh?

It’s a beautiful location even when it’s frozen, and the price is great for a lot with lake frontage in Burlington.  Still, I don’t think it was shown once this winter.!!

The Setting sun on the frozen landscape makes me think of what is on its way in the very near future.

The lake is back to liquid (in most places) and the sun hangs high in the sky well past the drive home.  The sun is indeed setting on this frozen, barren real estate market and before we know it, both this property and the rest of the Burlington, VT market will emerge from the mud and will once again be warm, green and buzzing with activity. Are You Ready?

The thing that gets my attention right away with the 307 ranking. That’s out of 500. This means there are 306 metropolitan areas in this country that are better than Burlington Vermont and only 193 that are worse off.  I can only imagine whose on that list.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of these people who thinks The Queen City is the greatest place on earth and you’d be crazy to live anywhere else. I just find it hard to believe that there are 306 better places to live!  Allow me direct your attention to some recent accolades the City of Burlington had racked up. This list doesn’t include the most recent Healthiest City in America ranking in Nov. 2008 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Yes, the winters are brutal but the summers are beautiful.  Housing costs are high, but generally you get a lot of house for your money.

People look at these rankings before they move places. I know several people who quote these type of things all the time and they believe what they read even if they haven’t actually been there.  Burlington deserves a better ranking! I have been to a lot of cities that are about the same size as Burlington and have a College or University and none of them are as vibrant, and metropolitan feeling as the city by the lake. Burlington has a downtown grocery store (City Market), Pharmacy (Rite Aid), department store (Macy’s), and a full fledged Mall with a Starbucks, just to name a few things.  “Big deal,” you might be thinking. Very few cities of 40,000 residents can make this claim!

Lets take a look at a few that are about the size of Burlington. Concord, the capital of New Hampshire has a population of around 42,000 and has no downtown dept store or Starbucks. There is a small health food store (Concord Cooperative Market) downtown and a Market Basket at the bottom of the hill on the edge of downtown. I personally wouldn’t count this as a downtown grocery store, but I’m sure people would argue that one. There is a pharmacy right downtown (CVS). To be clear, when I say pharmacy I mean a large national type store with a lot of stuff in addition to a place to fill your prescriptions.  To be fair, I don’t know where Concord ranks in the book. It could be below Burlington. I welcome any comments on this topic especially from people who have this book. I just realized that Burlington also has a Movie theater and a performing arts space (several of them).

Flagstaff, Arizona has about 60,000 and I don’t even want to make the comparison because I don’t want to embarrass anyone from Flag. I love the place but it’s no Burlington.

Same goes for Prescott, AZ

I could go on and on but I think you get the point… Burlington Rocks!

I appreciate any comments on this topic.