About Us

TRUST

When clients and customers develop trust in us, our first priority has been accomplished. We are not in business to sell real estate. Rather, we are committed to helping our clients make informed decisions.

GOALS

Interviews prior to meeting enable us to clearly understand your objectives and to present only those properties that could be a suitable match. In addition to our own inventory, we can help you through other listing services.

RESULTS

Delivering results does not end when a property is purchased. Our backgrounds in land management, development, restoration and renovation of existing buildings, forestry and construction management all contribute our clients' comfort level. With career experience that is measured in decades, we can connect you with architects, builders, lawyers, accountants, appraisers and any well-regarded professional you might require. Please read comments from our many happy customers.

 

WHY WE LIVE IN CENTRAL VERMONT

My late wife and I moved to Vermont from Massachusetts in 1967. We had three young sons and we wanted them to appreciate people for what they were rather than the value of their home or any other displays of wealth.

When we moved into our new home, we were greeted by a neighbor with an old-fashioned wooden tray, each compartment filled with flowers, vegetables and baked goods from his farm. His kindness and generosity confirmed that our decision to move to Vermont was the right one.

The town where we settled, although physically beautiful, was not wealthy, nor long on social cachet. Our sons soon became great skiers, but we noticed that many of the kids did not ski because their families could not afford the equipment, lessons or lift tickets. We established a volunteer ski program including donated skis and clothing and convinced the local ski area to provide free skiing one afternoon a week. I took the role of school bus driver, complete with appropriate license, and as a less-than-expert ski instructor. Many of our friends and neighbors were fine skiers and pitched in to make this program a great success that continues to this day.

In 1985, we settled in Rochester and into our new home just a few days before Christmas. Hearing a knock on the door, we opened it to find a total stranger who introduced himself, said “Welcome to Rochester,” and presented us with a beautiful balsam wreath that he had made himself. There have been many, many similar neighborly experiences over the years to follow, and this charming town continues to offer the values of a caring community.

There are many worthy organizations in Rochester and Central Vermont: The White River Valley Players, the Rochester Chamber Music Society, Pierce Hall Community Center and, happily, a large group of ardent supporters to make these worthy enterprises flourish.

With a population just under 1,200, Rochester offers a unique combination of concerned and committed citizens who prize and support good schools, preserving historic buildings and being good stewards of our fabled Green Mountains.

—Brooks

WHEN BROOKSIE MET SUZY

There is a simple but handsome little church in New Haven Mills, Vermont that lacks heat, lights, running water or plumbing of any kind. The appeal lies in several factors: its unornamented yet powerful simplicity and the fact that my late brother-in-law, Burt Rolfe, was instrumental in saving this historic house of worship. As you will discover, there is still another major reason to revere this treasure.

Burt was the eldest of six children and his siblings all agreed that he was the “pride of the litter.” A graduate of Middlebury College where he excelled in academics, sports, and music, he spent summers putting the Union Church of New Haven Mills back in circulation following long abandonment and conducted services as a lay preacher.

At the outbreak of World War Two, Burt enlisted as a conscientious objector and served as a medic in Europe. Three days following V E day and the end of the war, Burt drove into town for a newspaper and was shot and killed by a sniper. His college photo hangs at the entry to the church he worked so hard to salvage. His kid sister, Joyce, became my wife in September of 1956 and we attended many services in this church. One Sunday, a couple several rows in front of us introduced themselves and invited us back to their home nearby for refreshments following the service. This was the beginning of a twenty year friendship with Berkeley and Susan Bennett. Joyce died of cancer in January of 2003 and Berkeley of cancer in November of the same year. I received a valentine card in February of 2004 from “a secret admirer in New Haven Mills”. Right you are, it was from Susan, and several lunch and dinner dates followed. We discovered that our long friendship was the perfect introduction to romance. We already admired and respected each other, enjoyed many common interests and soon were inseparable. Not surprisingly, we were married in this church of many memories on July 7, 2005. Ain’t love grand!