Thank goodness all of the holidays are over with!! They seemed to last forever this year and they were all crammed into about four weeks! It was fun while it lasted, but now back to business!! Let's hope 2009 has alot to offer home buyers and sellers this year! I think it will. With interest rates hanging in around 5%, this may be the year for first time home buyers to make it happen. In addition, the government is offering upto $7500 for a tax credit for first time home buyers if they buy between April and June.  For more information on this, visit FederalHousingTaxCredit.com. This is all good news for home sellers too! With low interest rates, that means buyers will be out there looking more and hopefully making some offers. We've already see ALOT of activity this year so far in our office, Hickok & Boardman Realty.  I have high hopes for the real estate market this year!Looking to buy? Contact me now for a FREE Buyer Consultation!Looking to sell? Again, give me a call or email for a FREE Market Analysis of your home!Looking to find our more information on the low mortgage rates everyone is talking about? Talk to our good friend Nick Parent from Spruce Mortgage.

With a failing economy and tons of job losses, this holiday season will be a tight one for all of us. However, it seems that the non-profit business sectors and the people who take advantage of their services, may be the ones who have been hit the worse. Therefore, this holiday season, those of us who still have jobs, homes and presents under our trees, need to think more about the less fortunate in our communities (and maybe less about what size flat screen TV we want to buy for our own family!) Here is a list of social service non-profit organizations in Chittenden County, VT that my husband, Mike Simoneau, and I have donated to in 2008.  They are happy to take donations of any size and sometimes nature, so please visit their websites for information. And if money is too tight for you this year, then volunteering is always a good way to go as well!

Howard Center for Human Services

Lund Family Center

St. John Vianney Parish

Chittenden County Emergency Food Shelf

United Way of Chittenden County

Homeshare Vermont

South Burlington Girls Lacrosse

South Burlington Youth Football

South Burlington Youth Soccer Association

South Burlington High School Parents Association

Greater Burlington Boys and Girls Club

During rough economic times crime tends to increase. We've seen it firsthand even in Vermont, which in the past has been dubbed one of the safest states in the nation. Last week, a few days before Thanksgiving, Citizen's Bank in South Burlington was robbed! And as far as we know...we don't think the culprit has been caught yet. We've also had several home invasions including one in which the residents were home and were threatened with a weapon! Yikes! Pretty scary stuff. Thankfully, these criminals were caught! To ensure your family's safety this holiday season and beyond, here are a few tips:

Keep doors and windows locked at all times - even when you are home and awake.

Be cautious of unexpected visitors. If a stranger knocks on your door, you don't have to open it! You must also beware of scam artists selling fake products/services.

Install motion sensor lights outside of your house to deter potentials burglars.

Let your neighbors know if you go away on vacation and keep and eye out for each others' homes. Also register with FrontPorchForum.com! It's a great online tool to get connected to people in your community and keeps everyone posted on neighborhood activities, whether good news or bad.

Now, if your home is on the market for sale, you should also take extra precautions! Here are some tips to keep your home safe during showings and/or open houses:

Keep small valuables either out of plain sight or invest in a safe to keep passports, jewelry, cameras, laptops, iPods, and other valuable personal items locked up.  Remember, potential buyers may be opening drawers and closets while looking at your property.

Keep pathways to and from the house clear. Don't give anyone a place to hide when approaching your home. Trim trees and shrubs that are near entrances to deter criminal activity.

Some potential buyers like to check out homes when no one is home, peeking through windows and trying to open doors. So keep your doors (including the garage door) and windows locked while your home is on the market.

Hopefully these tips will help. If anyone has anything to add - please feel free to comment!