Vermont Home & Garden Show
April 15 – 17

Get ready for spring at the Champlain Valley Expo Center and Fairgrounds. We’ll be there, along with 400 other exhibitors from around the Champlain Valley. Meet Bob from the Home Team, chat with a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractor, and more.

This is a great home show, I just wish it were closer to the Bennington VT real estate market.  Would you like to see a Home Show in Bennington?  If you would, let me know, and maybe we can get enough interest.

Despite historic low interest rates and commercial real estate  prices, few small business owners are purchasing commercial real estate, citing liquidity  and loan qualification as key concerns. A recent study showed that many small business owners are unaware of the benefits provided through SBA loans, which offer small business owners more flexible repayment terms and easier loan qualification terms that can make purchasing a commercial property a more viable option. In the Bennington VT real estate market there are banks that can offer the SBA loan program.  Call Troy to find out who you should be talking to. See the following article from The Street for more on this.

Times are tough all over. You don’t have to remind small-business owners of that.

But with commercial real estate prices at historic lows, and low mortgage  rates right there beside them, entrepreneurs are missing a big chance to make a huge killing — and bolster their business in the process.

The CIT Small Business Commercial Real Estate Study, a report from CIT Group(CIT_), documents how small-business owners can capitalize on great commercial real estate deals, even though they apparently don’t want to.

According to CIT analysts, cheap commercial real estate is one of “the few upsides” for small-business owners trying to operate in a harsh economic climate.

But entrepreneurs aren’t taking advantage of the low prices. CIT says only 6% of small-business owners have bought one or more commercial properties, while a majority — 53% — say they “haven’t even thought about making a purchase.”

Overall, only a little over a quarter — 28% — of the 300 small-business owners interviewed for the survey say real estate is a “great” business opportunity.

The path to leveraging great commercial real estate opportunities goes through the U.S. Small Business Administration, the survey says.

“Today’s market conditions may offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for entrepreneurs who want to take their businesses to the next level,” says Chris Reilly, president of CIT Small Business Lending. “To achieve this, Small Business Administration loans, with their low cost and flexible terms, offer an excellent choice for small-business owners looking to refinance their existing real estate or to acquire a new property.”

Small-business owners have their reasons for not jumping into the real estate market. CIT reports that 36% of respondents say they may not be able to qualify for a loan, given the tight lending market.

Another problem is liquidity, since 19% of business owners say they can’t afford a down payment. CIT notes, though, that SBA loans can come with lower down payments, lower monthly payments and longer “pay-off” periods than regular bank loans, which can surely address some small-business owners’ liquidity problems.

The study shows that only a tiny minority of survey respondents are aware of those benefits. The recently enacted Small Business Jobs and Credit Act “sweetens SBA loan terms for both lenders and borrowers, eliminating borrowers’ fees, raising the loan guarantee to 90% from 75%, and increases loan limits.”

Sure, CIT has a horse in this race — it wants to make loans to small-business owners. But there’s no question there has rarely been a better time for a small-business owner to buy commercial property.

Since small businesses employ 59 million people (about half of all private sector jobs, CIT says), any investment in property that solidifies a small-business owner’s financial position is good for his or her business, employees and the economy.

But entrepreneurs don’t see it that way, and they’re the ones who control the purse strings, no matter how many great real estate deals are out there.

This article has been republished from The Street.

Contents insurance is important for renters to have to protect themselves and their belonging; Here are three reasons why it is important

NEW YORK, Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Many experts recommend for tenants to have a comprehensive contents insurance policy. Here are three reason why renters should always have coverage.

1. Contents insurance offers extensive coverage. A renters insurance policy is much like that of a homeowners policy without the aspect of covering the physical structure, but at a much lower cost. The landlord has insurance to cover the structure but the contents of the tenant must be covered under a separate policy. They provide protection for the items owned by the renter and have a liability aspect. Generally they cover 16 types of perils, including: fire or lightning, windstorm or hail, explosion, riot or civil commotion, damage caused by aircraft, damage caused by vehicles, smoke, vandalism or malicious mischief, theft, volcanic eruption, falling objects, weight of ice or snow or sleet, and some specific water damage, plumbing damage, and electrical current damage.

2. There is a liability aspect. This part of a contents insurance policy for renters covers the tenant if someone is injured in their rental property. This would cover the medical costs and any legal expenses if the renter is sued. Typically, these situations have to do with an injury to a guest at the dwelling and also involve damage done to others’ property by someone insured on the plan.

3. Extensive coverage at a low price. The cost of rental insurance is about $10 to $20 a month, depending on the state. Not every contents insurance policy has the same level of protection and, therefore, some will cost more than others.

About RentersInsurance.net

RentersInsurance.net provides renters with a free online shopping service for housing and apartment rental insurance. A comprehensive policy that will cover all your belongings can cost as little as $10 a month. To quickly and easily get free renters insurance quotes, visit the website.

No one ever expects that their rental property is going to have a fire or some other major disaster requiring an insurance claim, and many people think that the landlord’s insurance will cover their belonging, but this simply is not the case, even in the Bennington VT real estate market.

Want to get top dollar for your rentals? Then a no-smoking policy may be your ticket to raising the rent.
Chicago Tobacco Prevention Project just conducted a renter survey and found a significant preference for nonsmoking units. In fact, nearly a third of all renters (32 percent) in Chicago would be willing to pay more rent to live in smoke-free buildings.

The survey also found that nearly half of all renters say they would be more likely to rent an apartment or unit in a completely smoke-free building where smoking is prohibited in indoor common areas and individual units (47 percent). By comparison, 31 percent say it would make no difference and only 20 percent would be less likely to rent on those terms.
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While this case occurred in Massachusetts, this could be anywhere Federal Laws are violated.

Landlords in the Bennington VT Real Estate market need to be sure they are not unknowingly violating Federal Law.  Hiring a firm like RE/MAX Maple Leaf Realty wil ensure that you are following all applicable federal and state regulations with regard to rentals and Fair Housing Practices.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced a settlement between her office and a Revere, Massachusetts landlord over allegations that his rental ad in Craigslist violated state discrimination statutes. 

This judgment is the result of a continuing statewide investigation by the Attorney General’s Office into reports of widespread discriminatory housing advertisements on the Internet.

“As more families face tough financial times and have no choice but to rent, landlords and real estate professionals must recognize that the rental market is a regulated industry,” said Attorney General Coakley. “While we hope that this enforcement initiative will have a deterrent effect, our office will continue to monitor Craigslist.”

The Attorney General’s Office has settled 20 similar cases and filed six other complaints against landlords and real estate agents across the Commonwealth accused of violating state anti-discrimination laws on Craigslist.

In this case, the landlord used Craiglist to advertise a unit for rent in Revere, stating “no Section 8.” The Massachusetts Anti-Discrimination Act prohibits landlords and others involved in property rentals from discriminating against people who use state or federal housing subsidies to pay for all or a portion of their rent.

The settlement requires the landlord attend trainings on state and federal fair housing laws.  He has also agreed to place “Equal Housing Opportunity” in any future rental property ads. And,  in an effort to increase awareness of this important issue, the landlord is required to place postings on Craigslist informing other Craigslist users that the Attorney General monitors Craigslist for discriminatory advertising and that it is against Massachusetts law to state a discriminatory preference against recipients of housing assistance subsidies.

He will also pay $750 to a local charity that provides legal services to poor and low-income persons in housing and a variety of areas.