[sheena12]

...we need a house with the following features and we are having trouble finding this. Does it exist?

1. A finished basement with an outdoor exit. We have dogs. We can't give them "run of the house".

2. An accessory apartment or mother daughter set up. A place where my son and his girlfriend can live when we are not there. They also don't want a lot of yard work.

3. Probably a "newer" house. By "newer" I mean *probably* a home built in the 1940s or later. Not *new* in most of the country. New by New England standards.

I LOVE older and historic homes. I am on record on this forum for saying that. My home in Ohio is a 1920s craftsman. We love it. It's rare in that it has a finished basement, living room and family room. Most early 20s homes do not have finish-able basements. With all of these dogs, we need them.

4. We don't want to be way out in the country. Or on acreage. Even our permanent home is on more property than I want. Just under an acre. When we vacation, we do not want to do yard work.

While I'd love a funky, quirky home, I already have that. Condos are no good because of the dogs and cats.

We'd also like a fenced or fencible yard and a water feature - such as a stream, brook, lake or river.

A separate cottage would be great.

Things we don't care about - granite topped kitchens, outdated kitchens as long as they are usable and have a dish washer.

Ultra modern bathrooms, but we need two FULL ones. That also seems to be a problem.

A plain mid-century ranch, raised ranch, split etc. would probably work. I know most people don't look for this in VT.

[vter]

I think you'd be more likely to find this type of house in "newer" developments in the larger towns. Try Bennington, Bellows Falls, & Brattleboro. Another option would be to buy land and build what you want.
Your best bet would be finding a realtor that can help you navigate.

[sheena12]

Originally Posted by vter

I think you'd be more likely to find this type of house in "newer" developments in the larger towns. Try Bennington, Bellows Falls, & Brattleboro. Another option would be to buy land and build what you want.
Your best bet would be finding a realtor that can help you navigate.

Thank you. Any recommendations? Or is that not permitted?

[phoebesmom]

Given what you describe, I would look in Wilmington. Great location for you with access to Bennington and Brattleboro.