patrick.net

xenogear3 says

83.35 acres !!!
You have to hire 2 or 3 gardeners for that.

Nah, just use a pushmower around the house, and let the rest go wild. The freezing weather and snow will kill off the weeds in the winter anyhow.

xenogear3 says

Another problem is that with gas at $4. It costs $2 to just go in/out of the parking lot !

Bike in the summer and dogsled in the winter. Problem solved!

The upkeep would be outrageous - plus, it's probably on the National Register of Hysterical Places and therefore any changes to the place will be a long, drawn out affair. I'm willing to be that it's a money pit.

But a beautiful one.

justme says

How do you heat a house like that? How many watts to keep it at 68F if it is 20F outside?

20f would be a very warm day in upstate vermont in january. I've spent 2 week periods in Burlington where it didn't get out of negative numbers. Nice little city however.

If you buy this house, the price will stay flat, plus all the maintenance cost for 10+ rooms.

If you buy a bay area house, the price will guaranteed double in 5 years.
Plus it is less than 1000 square feet, so less maintenance cost.

25 minutes from Burlington? Doesn't seem that odd. You live out in the middle of nowhere, land is cheap.

Who cares that it was the home of the first governor? I used to live in the home that formerly belonged to one of California's Senators back in the late 1800's. Massive old place that had been converted into a 3 unit rental. Beautiful to look at, but kind of run down with old plumbing and wiring.

BTW, from the interior pictures, the place may be staged. Ignore the furniture and the romantic narrarative they are trying to sell you on, and look with fresh eyes.

As an aside, I spend a week in North Westminster (I think it was?), where my girlfriend's family had a summer home. Really a breathtakingly beautiful place in the summer time.

xenogear3 says

If you buy this house, the price will stay flat, plus all the maintenance cost for 10+ rooms.

If you buy a bay area house, the price will guaranteed double in 5 years.
Plus it is less than 1000 square feet, so less maintenance cost.

Sell the sizzle, not the house!!!

MarkInSF says

25 minutes from Burlington? Doesn’t seem that odd. You live out in the middle of nowhere, land is cheap.

Rural yes, but in the middle of nowhere??? 2 hours to Montreal, 3 to Boston, and just east of the Adirondacks. Sounds pretty sweet to me.

MarkInSF says

BTW, from the interior pictures, the place may be staged. Ignore the furniture and the romantic narrarative they are trying to sell you on, and look with fresh eyes.

I think it would look better without all of the cheesy staged furniture. Take a closer look at the custom, built in features and historical architectural details throughout.

MarkInSF says

Who cares that it was the home of the first governor? I used to live in the home that formerly belonged to one of California’s Senators back in the late 1800’s. Massive old place that had been converted into a 3 unit rental. Beautiful to look at, but kind of run down with old plumbing and wiring.

Sounds like it wasn't well taken care of. Very common in my experience with Bay Area real estate as well. I've also noticed much poorer construction in many older houses here than in other areas with harsher climates. Earthquakes aside, my suspicion is that lower quality construction persists here because of the milder climate. Poorly built houses just doesn't survive as long in places with harsher winter weather.

My guess is that it's a money trap. But really, isn't it startling how much you can get for so little when you're not paying for proximity to SF or the silicon valley. By the way, I lived in Vermont (Middlebury) for 4 years of college, and it was absolutely awesome. As my friends in Alaska say, "there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing."

everything looks cheap compared to CA and NY. It's cheap because you probably would have to pay someone to live in VT next to polar bears.

Having grown up right next door, I can tell you that acerage in that are is very cheap relative to major cities. Further, it's not terribly expensive to build a big house. This place may well be over-priced!

tclement says

But really, isn’t it startling how much you can get for so little when you’re not paying for proximity to SF or the silicon valley.

Agreed.

tclement says

As my friends in Alaska say, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.”

Agreed, but I suppose I'd say, "there's no such thing as bad weather, just as long as you're sporting thermal underwear".