Peggy Smith

Charming Condo in Stowe Hollow. If you are looking for a centrally located condo in Stowe, you’ve come to the right place. Just up the hill from downtown Stowe, 678 Stowe Hollow Road has all the charm you could ever want in this 2 bedroom end unit. A converted colonial home takes you away from the cookie cutter condos out there. Give me a call and come take a look:

Click here for the full listing & map: 678 Stowe Hollow Road, Stowe Vermont, Condo for Sale!

If you are in Stowe this weekend and looking to enjoy the beautiful setting of the Green Mountains; what better place to do it than the meadow at the Trapp Family Lodge. This Sunday the Vermont Mozart Festival comes to Stowe, featuring Beethoven on the Mountain. Ticket are $30 a person and can be purchased online at www.vtmozart.com

Pick up some yummy picnic items and a bottle of wine at the Harvest Market on the Mountain Road in Stowe, grab a blanket and head to Trapps. Watching the sunset over the hills with Beethoven in the background, is a fine way to end the week.

Last Saturday, July 12th, I participated in the Prouty which is a walk and bike ride for the Norris Cancer Research Center at the Mary Hitchock Hospital in Hanover, N.H. I raised $1200 and walked 20 K. I have been walking 3 miles everyday and decided that I would like the challenge of walking farther. A friend of mine asked me to sponser her for a 100 mile bike ride for this event and while I was signing up to donate, I became interested in doing it myself. What attracted me to it was the fact that all of the money went to the Norris Center and did not go in support of administation. The other reason was the wonderful care my friends have received at Mary Hitchock.

For the first 10 K ,a friend joined me and we went off on the “wooded walk”. This was a delightful walk with some hills, beautiful vistas, a stunning lake and interesting woods. The support stations were welcoming with smiling, friendly volunteers who could not thank us enough for helping to meet the two million dollar goal. We began at 7:30 while it was still cool. My friend left me after 10K and I had the choice of doing the wooded walk again or try the residential walk. What real estate agent would give up an opportunity to look at real estate?

The residential walk brought you into Hanover and through the Dartmouth College campus. It brought back days of college week-ends and familiar haunts. I must admit that I had a book on tape to entertain me. At no time did I feel stressed or that I could not continue. When I finished at noon ,I felt I could easily do another 10K.

The interesting question for myself, was why did I do it? I think it was for the challenge, but it was also to honor my friends that have and are battling cancer. There is no way that I can take on their struggle, but what I can do is help to raise money to find a cure. What I can do is be there as their support, to spend several hours by myself doing something that challenges me. It allowed me time to forget the concerns of my life and my own conflicts.

I would encourage anyone to sign up for a walk or a ride in support of a cause that you feel is important. If nothing else you can raise money for a worthy cause, but you will find fulfillment in your accomplishment.

On Saturday, July 12, I will be walking 20k in the 27th Annual Prouty Bike Ride & Challenge Walk to raise money for cancer research at Dartmouth’s Norris Cotton Cancer Center. Unfortunately, we all know someone - a family member, friend, colleague, parent, child - who has been affected by this disease. Truly, cancer does not discriminate.

To participate in The Prouty, I’ve committed to raising $2500 towards cancer research. It is my personal goal to raise even more and I hope you can help! You can sponsor me right now by clicking on the website listed below. All donations are tax deductible and should be turned in by July 9.

Money raised by The Prouty stays locally to support cancer research and patient services at Norris Cotton Cancer Center. It’s one of the best cancer facilities in the country and has been named one of only 41 Comprehensive Cancer Centers by the National Cancer Institute. Research conducted here helps cancer patients all over the world. If you’d like more information on the research done here, go to www.cancer.dartmouth.edu.

If you prefer to send a check, you can make it payable to Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer Center and mail it to Friends of NCCC, One Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756. Make sure that you indicate that it’s for my walk by placing my name in the memo area of the check.

Thank you in advance for joining the fight!

Together, I know we can make a difference in the fight against cancer. Thank you for your support!

Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer Center

Peggy Smith

With the real estate market seeing a down turn across the country, more and more seller’s are receiving “low-ball” offers. I was reading the NY Times and found an article including a sample response letter for seller’s. See the letter below and a link to the full article… happy selling!

Dear Bidder:

Thanks so much for your note. I’m truly glad that you like our home as much as we do. You’re right that my family and I have many great memories of this place, and we hope someday you will, too.
And I just want you to know that I’m not insulted in any way by your offer. The fact is, none of us are very good at buying and selling homes. We don’t do it often, and as much as we know we’re not supposed to let emotions get in the way, it’s hard not to. After all, few people buy or sell anything else as expensive as a home in their lifetimes.

That said, your offer disappointed me. You seem to believe that I’m not aware of how bad things are out there or that I’m in denial. But I do read the headlines, and I priced the house accordingly. I knew I might have to wait awhile to sell it.

I should point out that your data draws on what has already happened in the housing market. Instead, I’d ask you to consider what’s about to happen.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Stowe Fun House!

I would like to highlight my Robinson Springs Listing at 884 Wade Pasture Road, Stowe VT. This is such a fun house. It has the works; a pond, tennis right around the corner, a huge game room, plenty of room for company and x-country ski trails out the door! It is close to Stowe Mountain Resort and all packaged nicely in Robinson Springs on of Stowe’s private exclusive neighborhood.

To view full listing details on this property click here: 884 Wade Pasture Road, Stowe VT

To view a list of ALL Robinson Springs Listings click here: Robinson Springs Stowe VT Property for Sale

I thought you might like to read this article and the comments. Although I am happy that Obama got the nomination, I think this is a very telling article as to where women really are today. It is appalling to me that the news media treated Hilary Clinton as they did. It is also disappointing that so many men and women still have the attitude they do toward women and their place in society. Other nation, including the Arab world, has more respect for women as leaders than the United States.

Please click here to read the article “Woman in Charge, Women Who Charge” by Judith Warner.

I just happened upon this information and thought how perfect wine tasting and chocolate sampling on the same day! Not a drinker myself, I’ll be heading straight for the chocolate.

If you are looking for something to brighten this gloomy Vermont day, right here in Stowe, check out these two events today, June 6th:

Wine Tasting in the Trapp Family Lodge Wine Cellar, 4-6PM
Indulge in a selection of wines from Washington State’s Columbia Valley. A sign up sheet is available at the front desk, call 253-5742 or 800-826-7000 to sign up! There is a $15/person fee for this event.

Laughing Moon Chocolates Benefit Chocolate Tasting, 3-7PM
This event benefits the African Food Aid and Water treatment programs in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. A $5 donation is requested, in exchange you will be treated to make your own chocolates, plenty of samples, give aways and dipping demos! Enjoy.

After drinking all that wine and eating all that chocolate you may want to walk or run it off… what better way to do that then to join the NCAL MUTT STRUTT on Saturday June 7th. It is too late to register online, so head over to the event at 8AM tomorrow to pledge or donate. Now you are supporting 2 great cause in 1 weekend. Check out my daughter’s NCAL Mutt, Gizmo, below!

Next weekend June 13th - 15th the Stowe will be hosting the Green Mountain Corvette Classic! You’ll find these rides hard to miss as they weave their way up and down the Mountain Road in packs of 3-10 cars at a time!

Interesting in buying a Corvette? The Green Mountain Corvette Classic is a great place to start. On Saturday, June 13th they Corvette’s will be corralled at the Ye Olde England Inne for your convince!

As a local we know it is great to live here! But it is always great to see others appreciate your home for all it has to offer. Stowe was ranked #7 out of 30 of the best places to spend your Memorial Day weekend in New England. Here is a bit of what they had to say:

“Often thought of as a great skiing destination, Stowe, Vt., is also a wonderful summer place to vacation. Attractively tucked away between Mt. Mansfield and other spectacular mountains and hills, Stowe has a high concentration of dining, lodging, shopping and recreational opportunities.” Click here for the full article and we’ll see you this weekend!