Do I need a buyer's agent?

You do not legally need one in Vermont. But the listing agent works for the seller, not you. A buyer's agent works only for you: pricing advice, showing you what the photos leave out, negotiating terms, and keeping the contract deadlines on track. Most buyers use one, and my buyer clients sign a buyer representation agreement with me before we tour, so everything is clear up front.

Can you show me houses that are not your listings?

Yes. I can show you any home listed on the MLS, no matter whose sign is in the yard. That is most of my job. If a home is for sale by owner, I can usually still help, we just talk through how that works first.

When do I need a pre-approval?

Before we tour seriously, and definitely before we write an offer. Sellers expect a pre-approval letter with your offer, and a good one comes from a lender who has actually verified your income and documents, not just pulled your credit. It also tells us the price range that fits your monthly payment, which is the number that matters. Step by step, it is in my Buyer Prep Checklist: buyerprep.betsyvtrealtor.com

How do we submit an offer?

We talk through price, deposit, contingencies, and closing date together, then I draft the purchase and sale contract for you to review and sign. Nothing gets submitted until you have read it and said go. From there I send it to the listing agent and the waiting starts.

What happens when we submit an offer?

The seller can accept it, reject it, or counter it. A counter means we negotiate, sometimes a couple of rounds. If other buyers are interested, the seller may set a deadline and review all offers together. I will tell you honestly where your offer stands and what it would take, and I will never push you past the number you set.

When are we officially under contract?

When the seller has signed, you have signed, and both sides have the fully signed contract. Verbal yeses and handshake deals do not count in Vermont real estate. Once it is signed by everyone, the clock on your contract deadlines starts, and your deposit is due on the date in the contract.

What is a contract deposit (earnest money), and who holds it?

It is a good faith deposit you put down shortly after your offer is accepted. It shows the seller you are serious. The money is held in an escrow account, not spent, and at closing it is credited toward what you owe. The amount is part of the negotiation. Around here it is often 1 to 5 percent of the price, sometimes a flat amount.

Can I get my deposit back?

It depends on why the deal ends. If you terminate under one of your contingencies, by the contract deadline and in writing, your deposit generally comes back to you. If you walk away outside your contingencies, the seller may be entitled to keep it. This is exactly why the deadlines matter, and tracking them is my job.

How can a buyer back out of a contract?

Through the contingencies you built in: inspection, financing, and appraisal are the common ones. Each has a deadline and a written notice requirement. Miss the deadline and the protection is gone, so we watch the calendar from day one. Outside the contingencies, backing out can cost you your deposit.

What happens if the house "fails" the inspection?

There is no pass or fail. An inspection is information. The inspector goes through the house and gives you a report on condition, safety items, and things that will need attention sooner or later. Every house has a list, including brand new ones.

What happens when we find issues in the inspection?

We read the report together and sort it into three piles: safety problems, big ticket items, and normal old house stuff. If your contract has an inspection contingency, we can ask the seller to fix items, credit you money toward them, adjust the price, or, if the findings are more than you signed up for, terminate by the deadline and get your deposit back. Most deals land somewhere in the middle. Once you are under contract, my short list of inspectors is here: undercontract.betsyvtrealtor.com

What are closing costs, and who pays them?

Closing costs are the one time and lender costs of the loan and the transfer: things like lender fees, the appraisal, title search and title work by your attorney, recording fees, and prepaid taxes and insurance. Buyers pay their own closing costs and sellers pay theirs. In Vermont the buyer typically also pays the state property transfer tax. Plan on roughly 2 to 5 percent of the price on the buyer side, and I will get you a lender estimate early so there are no surprises.

How does your commission work? Who pays it?

My fee is set in your buyer representation agreement, and it is commonly 3 percent. In many sales the seller covers it as part of the deal, and it can be included in the purchase price and financed in your mortgage instead of coming out of your pocket at closing. If a seller is not covering it, we talk about it before we write the offer, never after. You will always know the number before you sign anything.

What's a homestead declaration?

A form Vermont homeowners file with their town clerk every year, due April 15, declaring the home is their primary residence. Filing it puts your property in the homestead category for education property taxes, which is usually the lower rate. Skip it and you get taxed at the nonhomestead rate. It is a five minute form that matters.

What's a CO?

CO stands for certificate of occupancy. Rutland City is the one place around here that requires one on a home sale, and here is the part buyers need to know: providing it is the seller's job, not yours. The seller schedules the city inspection and does any required fixes (usually basic life and fire safety items, like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and handrails). We write it into every contract in Rutland City as a condition, so it is handled on the seller's side before closing, never dumped on you after.

Are short-term rentals allowed here?

It depends on the town, and sometimes on the neighborhood or an HOA. Some Vermont towns require registration or a permit, some limit STRs, and some do not regulate them at all. If rental income is part of your plan, we check that specific town's rules before you buy, not after.

What's a private road maintenance agreement?

When a home sits on a private road shared with neighbors, this agreement spells out who pays for plowing, grading, and repairs, and how the cost is split. Lenders like to see one, and you want to know your share before you buy. If there is no agreement, Vermont law has default rules for shared roads, but a written agreement is always cleaner.

What's the difference between a drywell and a leach field?

Both are part of how a septic system gets rid of treated wastewater. A leach field spreads it out through perforated pipes in shallow trenches over a wide area. A drywell is a deep pit that collects it and lets it soak away in one spot. Drywells are common on older Vermont systems. They work until they do not, and replacement is a real cost, so it is one of the things we ask about on older homes.

I need to sell my house before I buy. Do I have to be sold and moved out first?

No. Plenty of buyers do both at once. The usual routes: make your offer contingent on your home selling, sell first and line the closings up back to back, or sell and take a short rent back or temporary housing while you shop. Each has tradeoffs in how strong your offer looks, and we pick the one that fits your situation.