McEnaney & Company News
Issue: 3 | |
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Dear Friends,
Our e-Newsletter continues to develop with the input and feedback from our
customers and friends. We're thrilled that we're now able to offer so much
more information than we could in the paper version. For those
of you that may not know us well, you should know that even if you are not
currently in the market for Real Estate, we are always more than happy to
answer questions that you may have about the area or real estate in
general. Please feel free to contact us any time using the
form on our webpage, by email, or by phone at
802-228-2323. We would also love to have you to stop in when you're in
town!
If you would like to share this newsletter with others, you can use the
"forward email" link at the bottom of this page.
As always, thank you for your continued support and referrals - they
are the reasons for our success! 
All our Best,
The McEnaney Team
Betty, Cathy, Melissa,
Cindy & Holly
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Market Update |
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Looking Ahead
Our opinion of the market is a bit stronger than the data
shows. In the Recent Sales section, we are
showing the sales that took place in January. The number is small, but not
totally unexpected. The houses that closed in January likely went under
contract in November when folks are traditionally buying gifts, not houses.
We may very well see the same thing next month, too. However,
there is a bright side. Business picked up in January with the number of
inquiries, showings and contracts about triple what we had seen in any of
the recent months. Full
article>>>
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A Bit of History |
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The Green Mountain Parkway
In the midst of the Great Depression, a unique and spectacular
highway project was proposed for the length of Vermont and one of its
"interchanges" was going to be the base of Okemo Mountain.
The year was 1933 when Franklin Roosevelt established a series
of mega economic stimulus packages through the formation of the WPA (Works
Progress Administration). Huge dams, long bridges, levees and highways were
proposed as a means of providing employment and getting needed
infrastructure improvements underway.
One of these highway projects was the construction of the Blue
Ridge Parkway located in western Virginia. It proved to be so successful in
that impoverished region that the Roosevelt administration proposed the same
type of scenic roadway for the entire south to north spine of the Green
Mountains.
Full article>>back to top |
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Summit Soapworks Opens in Ludlow |
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Indulge Yourself with
Summits Soapworks' Handmade Products
Summit Soapworks is anything but new, however the Main Street presence of
this local company is certainly a new and welcome addition to the
community. Christine Balch started making her own soap 14 years ago because
of allergies to the additives in commercial soaps.
 Christine
learned her trade from a woman in New Hampshire, and has been growing her
product line ever since. About 8 years ago, Summit Soapworks began to
retail its products to friends through word of mouth and craft shows.
Things continued to grow, new products were added, and then the website took
off. All of her products are all natural without chemicals or
preservatives.
Full article>>
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Architecture |
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Stone Houses
 We
often have people remark about the stone houses that grace our Vermont
Villages and countryside. Read on to learn a bit more about the stone
houses in our area.
The stone used in creating the houses was quarried locally.
Transporting stone any great distance in the early 1800's would have been a
logistical nightmare. The houses you see have very thick walls. This is
not because the house walls are solid stone, but rather they have a post and
beam frame with a stone veneer. This is called "Snecked Ashlar
Construction". The veneer stones are split the long way. They may be 20
inches tall, but they are only about 4 inches thick.
Full article>>
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Ski Tip |
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Get Forward
"Get Forward." This is probably the most given piece of
'instruction' ever doled out by a ski instructor.
And with good reason, not being in a 'forward' position on one's skis is
the single most common flaw seen on the hill. Very few skiers ever learn to
stand correctly on their equipment.
There are a number of reasons for the failure to accomplish this position;
one is that it is seldom taught to complete understanding, another is
that it's really a little scary at first to learn it and do it
consistently. But the most basic reason is that very few skiers truly know
just where forward or forward enough really is.
Here are a couple of thoughts that should help make a difference.
Full article>>
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Property Maintenance |
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Winter Roof and Deck Care
Ground Hog Day is
often considered the turning point of the winter. There is still plenty of
weather left, but the days are brighter and longer. An old saying is that
you should still have half of your wood on Ground Hog Day.
Speaking of winter, don't forget your winter maintenance. This has
been a cold winter, and snow isn't sliding off roofs without a little help.
If you have a shingle roof, you will most certainly need to use a roof
rake. If you have a slate roof or a metal roof, hopefully the snow is
sliding off.
If you have icicles along the edge of your roof, that is a sign of
heat loss, and it will be something to tackle in the spring. In the
meantime, get the snow off the edges...up as far as you can reach with a
roof rake.
Full article>>
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Things to Do |
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Featured Activity: The Montshire Museum
 When
I hear the words "Montshire Museum," I immediately think of being inside a soap
bubble that I created with a hula hoop when I was about 13. I can vividly
remember the wonder of seeing the effects of strobe light on a waterfall and
watching pennies go near horizontal when I sent them spinning down the Gravity
well.
There have been many changes since my last visit, including the addition of
a two acre Science Park and 10,000 square feet of new exhibit space in the
Leonard M. Rieser Learning Center. This hands-on museum now has over 60
fun-filled exhibits relating to the physical and natural sciences. Full
article>>
Featured Activity: Winter
Hiking and Snowshoeing
The hills and mountains in the Ludlow area are laced with
hiking trails. Many of them also offer splendid snowshoeing opportunities.
Some trails may not be obvious, but information is easy to get.
The Green Mountain Club, which built and maintains
Vermont's famed Long Trail from Massachusetts to Canada, publishes guides to
both short and long hikes in the area, as well as a snowshoeing guide for
Vermont. The club's local chapters (called "sections," because each keeps
up a section of the Long Trail) also schedule frequent outings with
experienced leaders. Full
article>>
Click
here to see our Calendar of Events.
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Local Foods |
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Vermont: A Cheese Paradise
It's hard not to smile and say cheese when you live in Vermont. After all,
we are the premium Artisan cheese state, with the highest number of cheese
makers per capita. Here are just a few of our local favorites:
 For
a family friendly farm experience, visit Taylor Farm in Londonderry.
Originally a dairy operation, Taylor Farm now has a cheese making facility,
lodging, a farm stand, sleigh rides and educational activities. They have a
herd of 50 milking cows, each of which is individually named and lovingly
cared for in a free stall barn. All of their cheese is handmade on the farm
using fresh milk which has no growth hormones added. The cows graze on 180
year old permanent pastures free from pesticides, herbicides and chemical
fertilizers. Try one of Taylor Farm's American Cheese Society Award Winning
Goudas!
Sadly, when we called Taylor Farm to ask permission to use some of the
great pictures, we heard that they recently had a devastating loss of one of
their big barns and two of their animals. Please help support them in this
difficult time by
buying cheese!
Other Area Cheese Makers>> |
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Famous Vermonters |
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Snowflake Bentley
 We
have all heard that no to snowflakes are alike, and we have one man to thank
for that. Wilson A Bentley, better known as Snowflake Bentley discovered a
method of photographing snowflakes in a manner never done before. The
detail shown in these snowflake photographs is still a marvel today. The
fact that this occurred in 1885 is all the more amazing.
You may
remember that snowflakes are actually crystals. Most everyone can think
back to a perfect dry snow when you were
wearing a dark jacket or mittens. Suddenly you realized that the flakes
were beautiful. You saw stars, and pentagons, and flowers and lace.
Full article>> |
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Gill Home |
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A Wish List Everyone Can Help With
If you have ever wondered what you can do to help out your
local community....have we got something for you! If you live locally, you
know of the 'Gill Home'. If you aren't familiar, please read on.
The Gill Odd Fellows Home is located on Gill Terrace off High
Street in Ludlow. It is part nursing home, part rehab location and, with
the apartments, it is home to many folks. Like everything else, costs are
climbing, but the staff works non-stop to provide for the residents.
We checked in with them to see if we could help spread the
word about some things they may need. After listening to the list, I
believe that there is some way that everyone could give them a hand. If you
see something on this list that you can help with, that would be great. If
you have another idea, they are all ears!
First...The Gill Home is undertaking a capital campaign, and
they can surely use your dollars. Second, they could use any of the
following:
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DVD's or videos of musical concerts. Please think about some
musicians that the senior crowd would recognize and enjoy. (new, used, or
loaned)
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Family rated, feel good movies. If you would like to provide
them with new or used movies, they would welcome them. (even just to
borrow)
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You can take this one step further. They would love to have
someone bring in his/her favorite movies to watch along with the residents
and share with them why the movie is special.
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Featured Homes |
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February's Featured Listings: Land
 
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Client and Customer News |
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 Thanks
for the Referral!
Thank you to:
Ken Saccardo for his referral of a new customer.
Carol Cantwell for her referral of Paul & Kirsten Nestro.
Rick Hardy for his referral of Frank Dwyer.
Pat & Fred Osetek for their referral of David Howald.
We appreciate your trust in our Team!
Welcome New Neighbors
Welcome Tim and Karen Rowe to Cavendish.
IttyBits Creator Past Client
Past Client Kristen Beveridge has created a daily, opt-in email called
IttyBits: Pint Sized Info for parents. If you have kids or grandkids,
you will enjoy the short articles about play, wellness, products and more.
Sign up for the daily email like we did and enjoy! Great job, Kristen!
Past Customer Contributors
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Recent Area Sales |
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 Sales
Figures
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Closing Date |
Street |
Town |
List Price |
Sale Price |
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1/03 |
53 Poplar Street |
Springfield |
$69,900 |
$65,000 |
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1/09 |
490 Grandview Lodge Road |
Plymouth |
$519,000 |
$490,000 |
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1/14 |
181 Main Street |
Springfield |
$129,900 |
$102,000 |
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1/23 |
61 Olive Street |
Springfield |
$84,900 |
$74,900 |
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1/30 |
490 Goshawk Drive |
Plymouth |
$399,000 |
$330,000 |
*Information gathered from the Vermont Real
Estate Information Network. This information is believed to be accurate but
is not guaranteed.
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The Goodwill Project |
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Making a Difference
McEnaney & Company donates 5% of our commission from every sale to a
non-profit organization of our customer's choosing. Since its inception
in 2003, we have donated more than $106,000.
This past month, Tim and Karen Rowe selected the Proctorsville Volunteer
Fire Department to receive a Goodwill Project donation of $286.
We'd also like to congratulate past recipient
TARPS for winning a nationwide animal shelter challenge!
Congratulations to them on being voted first place winner in Vermont
Thank you to our clients and customers who make our Goodwill
Project possible.
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Chicken Soup for the Soul |
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I was doing a weekend seminar at the Deerhurst Lodge, north of Toronto. On
Friday night a tornado swept through a town north of us called Barrie,
killing several people and doing millions of dollars worth of damage. Sunday
night, as I was coming home, I stopped the car when I got to Barrie. I got
out on the side of the highway and looked around. It was a mess. Everywhere
I looked there were smashed houses and cars turned upside down.
Full Story>> |
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Staff News |
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The McEnaney Extended Family Welcomes Eli
Betty and Bruce just enjoyed a McEnaney weekend. Their son Timothy
came up from Charleston, SC to meet his new nephew, Eli Timothy. Bruce's
parents, Dot and Walter McEnaney of Windsor got the chance to see Eli for the
first time. It was a great day!
See the
pictures!
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Drop Us a Line |
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Want
to Say Hello?
Click on the links below to email our team members directly.
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10% off your total purchase at
Summit Soapworks!
One use per household, please.
Offer Expires: March 31, 2009 |
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