Move-In Ready or Move Along: What Vermont Buyers Are Actually Choosing Right Now

Written by:

Alejandra Rodriguez

Date:

24 May 2026

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There’s a quiet but telling pattern at open houses across northwestern Vermont. A buyer walks in, glances at the dated kitchen, peeks at the bathroom, and – without saying much – moves on. No offer. No callback. Just a polite exit and a mental note to keep looking.

With more inventory available than at any point in recent years, Vermont buyers can afford to be selective. And selective, it turns out, means one thing above almost everything else: move-in ready.

Darcy Handy, co-founder of Elite Real Estate Partners and a Vermont realtor with seven years and roughly 300 home sales under her belt, has watched this pattern sharpen over the past year. “Buyers are definitely more discerning about what they want to buy,” she says. “They want a move-in-ready home that they don’t have to do renovations on.”

That single shift – from “we’ll take what we can get” to “we want it done” – is reshaping what sells fast, what sits, and what sellers need to do before they ever put a sign in the yard.

What’s Moving Quickly

Updated homes are the clear winners. Buyers today are weighing interest rates, insurance costs, and the overall cost of ownership more carefully than they did a few years ago. The last thing they want is a renovation budget on top of those expenses.

Homes with updated kitchens, refreshed bathrooms, and solid maintenance records are selling. So are properties in Chittenden County – Vermont’s most active real estate market, where demand remains consistently strong, and the rental market is tight. Proximity to Burlington, lake access, and recreational amenities like bike paths continue to draw buyers choosing Vermont specifically for the lifestyle it offers.

Multi-family properties are also in demand, particularly among buyers looking to build long-term wealth. Handy, who is herself an investor with over 500 rental units, points to multi-family in high-demand counties as a strong place to deploy capital right now.

What’s Sitting

Homes that weren’t properly prepared before listing are the ones accumulating days on market. That means deferred maintenance, no professional photos, and pricing that still reflects the 2021 frenzy rather than current conditions.

“The ones that are sitting are the ones where they haven’t perhaps gotten them properly ready for marketing when they were listed,” Handy says. In a market where buyers visit properties multiple times and run the numbers carefully before making an offer, first impressions – especially online – matter more than ever.

Buyers are scrolling listings on Zillow and other platforms before they ever set foot inside a home. If the photos are dark, the rooms look cluttered, or the listing description is generic, many buyers simply swipe past. The home may be perfectly fine in person, but it never gets the chance to prove it.

The Short-Term Rental Cooldown

One segment cooling faster than most might expect: short-term rentals. Vermont is seeing a wave of new regulations at both the town and state level targeting Airbnb-style properties, making the financial case murkier for would-be investors.

Between shifting tax rules, local ordinances, and state-level oversight, the short-term rental market carries more uncertainty than it did just a few years ago. Handy notes she’s been directly affected: “There’s a move towards a lot of regulations on them, and that’s preventing me from being able to rent my lake camp as I used to.” For investors considering Vermont, she recommends focusing on long-term residential and commercial multi-family instead, particularly in areas with steady rental demand.

How Sellers Are Winning

The sellers succeeding in this market are treating their listings like product launches, not garage sales. That starts with getting the home genuinely ready before it hits the market – fixing obvious issues, touching up paint, and handling the deferred maintenance that a buyer’s inspector will flag anyway.

Professional photography is equally important. Buyers form opinions from their phones before they ever schedule a showing. A dark, blurry listing photo eliminates a home from consideration before the front door ever opens.

Finally, pricing must reflect today’s market, not 2021. Overpriced homes are sitting. Sellers who come in at a realistic number from day one are still seeing strong results.

How Buyers Are Responding

If you’re shopping in Vermont right now, you have more leverage than buyers have had in years – but the best homes are still moving. Updated, well-priced properties in strong areas like Chittenden County don’t linger. If a home checks your boxes, don’t assume you have weeks to decide.

For homes that have been sitting – especially ones that need work – there’s real room to negotiate. Ask for credits, push on price, and make sure your inspection contingency is in the contract.

Looking Ahead

Vermont’s market is rewarding preparation and penalizing wishful thinking. Sellers who show up ready – with updated homes, strong photography, and honest pricing – are still closing quickly. Those who don’t are watching their listings age. And for buyers, the power to walk away is back – which means the homes that do sell in 2025 will be the ones that earned the offer rather than simply existed on the market.

About the Expert: Darcy Handy is Co-Founder and Licensed Realtor at Elite Real Estate Partners, operating under RE/MAX North Professionals in Vermont, with seven years of experience and approximately 300 home sales across the state.

This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or investment advice. The views and opinions expressed herein reflect those of the individuals quoted and do not represent an endorsement of any company, product, or service mentioned. Readers should conduct their own due diligence and consult qualified professionals before making any investment decisions.