Inns, restaurants, wedding venues, farms, spas, and destination properties deserve more than traditional real estate marketing.
Not every property fits neatly into a residential listing category. And not every commercial property should be marketed the same way.
A historic Vermont inn, a destination restaurant, a working farm, a boutique spa, or a wedding venue isn’t simply a building with square footage and a price tag. Often, it’s a business, a brand, an experience, and years of someone’s hard work wrapped into one.
Selling a property like that requires a different approach.
I’m Erin McCormick, a Vermont Realtor with Keller Williams Vermont and the founder of Live Local Vermont. And I’ll be the first to tell you that I’m not a traditional commercial real estate agent.
I don’t specialize in office buildings, industrial properties, shopping centers, or large commercial developments. That’s not where my expertise lies.
But I do have a particular interest in Vermont’s distinctive hospitality, tourism, and lifestyle properties, especially those that need creative marketing, thoughtful storytelling, and a more strategic approach to finding the right buyer.
My background in marketing, business consulting, and executive leadership, combined with my experience as a Realtor and founder of Travel Like a Local®, gives me a perspective that goes beyond the real estate itself.
I understand that when you’re selling an inn, restaurant, wedding venue, farm, or spa, you’re often selling more than the physical property. You’re presenting an established business, an opportunity, a lifestyle, or a vision for what that place could become.
And sometimes, the right buyer isn’t looking for commercial real estate at all. They’re looking for an entirely different way to live and work.
Let's Talk About Your Property Explore Unique Vermont Properties
Not Your Traditional Commercial Real Estate Agent
A Different Background for a Different Kind of Property
I believe in being clear about what I do and where I bring the most value.
I’m not a commercial broker who spends every day analyzing office leases, industrial cap rates, or large-scale development projects. For those transactions, a dedicated commercial specialist is often the right choice.
Where I get particularly interested is in properties that sit at the intersection of real estate, hospitality, tourism, lifestyle, and small business ownership.
These properties often require a combination of real estate knowledge, business understanding, marketing creativity, and the ability to communicate what makes an opportunity distinctive.
Before becoming a Realtor, I spent years in business leadership, operations, consulting, and marketing. I’ve worked with businesses on strategy, branding, growth, and positioning, and I understand that the value of a business isn’t always obvious from its physical assets alone.
Through Travel Like a Local®, I’ve also spent more than a decade visiting and sharing Vermont’s restaurants, inns, farms, destinations, and small businesses.
That experience helps me recognize what makes a place appealing, how to tell its story, and how to reach an audience that may be interested in more than a conventional real estate investment.
I don’t pretend to be an expert in every type of commercial transaction. When a property requires specialized business valuation, commercial financing, legal, environmental, or operational expertise, I believe in bringing the right professionals into the conversation.
But for the right property, my combination of experience can offer a different and valuable approach.
The Types of Vermont Properties I Love Working With
Vermont Inns, Bed & Breakfasts, and Boutique Lodging
There’s something particularly appealing about Vermont’s independent inns, bed and breakfasts, and boutique lodging properties.
Many are housed in historic buildings, surrounded by beautiful landscapes, and deeply connected to the communities they serve.
But selling an inn involves more than listing the number of guest rooms, bathrooms, and acres.
Potential buyers may want to understand occupancy history, revenue, operating expenses, staffing, reservation systems, licensing, property condition, and the reputation of the business.
There’s also the lifestyle component. For some buyers, purchasing an inn represents an opportunity to leave a corporate career, relocate to Vermont, or build a business around hospitality.
I enjoy helping communicate both sides of that opportunity: the practical realities of owning the property and the experience that makes it appealing.
Discuss Selling Your Vermont Inn
Restaurants, Cafés, and Destination Dining Properties
Restaurants are among the most distinctive small businesses in Vermont.
Some are beloved neighborhood gathering places. Others have become destinations that people will drive hours to experience.
And when a restaurant property comes to market, the right marketing strategy depends on exactly what’s being sold.
Is it the real estate alone? An operating restaurant with equipment and an established customer base? A business being sold with a lease? Or a property with the potential for an entirely different use?
Each requires a different approach.
My marketing background and experience visiting and promoting Vermont’s food and beverage businesses help me understand the importance of location, reputation, atmosphere, brand identity, and customer experience.
I also recognize that restaurant transactions can involve specialized considerations, including equipment, licensing, inventory, leases, business financials, and the transferability of permits.
For the right restaurant or café property, I can help develop a marketing strategy that communicates the opportunity clearly and reaches potential buyers who appreciate what makes it distinctive.
Talk About Your Restaurant Property
Wedding Venues and Event Properties
A wedding venue is a particularly interesting type of real estate because buyers are often purchasing both a physical property and the potential to create memorable experiences.
Vermont’s barns, historic estates, farms, mountain properties, and destination venues can offer compelling settings for weddings, retreats, and private events.
But the appeal of the setting is only part of the equation.
Buyers may need to evaluate permitted uses, event capacity, parking, wastewater systems, noise restrictions, accessibility, insurance, existing bookings, and the infrastructure needed to operate successfully.
Some properties have established event businesses, while others offer potential that still needs to be evaluated and approved.
I enjoy the creative challenge of positioning these properties, showcasing the setting and existing improvements while communicating the operational considerations that serious buyers need to understand.
Explore Marketing Your Vermont Event Venue
Farms, Agritourism, and Agricultural Properties
Vermont’s farms are an essential part of the state’s landscape, economy, and identity.
And many agricultural properties have evolved beyond traditional farming to incorporate farm stays, farm stores, educational experiences, events, food production, or other agritourism activities.
These properties can be especially complex because the value may extend across land, buildings, equipment, business operations, and permitted uses.
A working farm may require expertise in agricultural valuation, conservation easements, water rights, land use, and other specialized matters.
My interest is particularly strong in farms with a hospitality, tourism, retail, or lifestyle component, where thoughtful marketing can help buyers understand how the different parts of the property come together.
For highly specialized agricultural transactions, I believe in collaborating with professionals who have the appropriate experience.
Discuss Your Vermont Farm or Agritourism Property
Spas, Wellness Retreats, and Experience-Based Businesses
Wellness and experience-based properties are another category that interests me.
A boutique spa, wellness retreat, yoga destination, or similar business may combine specialized facilities, brand identity, customer relationships, and real estate in ways that make conventional property marketing less effective.
The right buyer may be an existing operator looking to expand, an entrepreneur entering the industry, or someone interested in developing a destination hospitality concept.
Understanding the business model, physical improvements, operating requirements, and the appeal of the experience is important when developing a marketing strategy.
These transactions may also involve specialized equipment, licensing, staffing, leases, and business assets that require professional evaluation.
I enjoy helping owners think through how to position these distinctive properties and communicate their value to potential buyers.
Let's Talk About Your Wellness Property
Unique Destination and Lifestyle Properties
Some properties simply don’t fit into a conventional category.
Maybe it’s a historic estate with hospitality potential, a retreat center, a campground, a mixed-use village property, a former schoolhouse, or a collection of cabins on a beautiful piece of Vermont land.
These are often the properties that interest me most.
They’re distinctive, sometimes unconventional, and may appeal to a narrower audience than a traditional residential listing.
That doesn’t mean every imaginative use is realistic or legally permitted. Zoning, wastewater capacity, building codes, accessibility, financing, and other requirements can significantly affect what a buyer can do with a property.
But when a property has unusual characteristics or a compelling existing use, creative positioning and targeted marketing can help communicate its strengths to the right audience.
Tell Me About Your Unique Vermont Property
Why Marketing Matters So Much for These Properties
The Right Buyer May Not Be Searching for the Property You Think You’re Selling
One of the biggest challenges with unique hospitality and lifestyle properties is that the buyer pool may be relatively small, specialized, or difficult to identify.
Someone searching for a Vermont home may not realize they could purchase an inn and operate a small hospitality business.
An established restaurant operator may be looking for a second location but not actively browsing traditional real estate websites.
An entrepreneur considering a career change may be drawn to a destination property without having a specific town or business type in mind.
That’s where strategic marketing becomes particularly important.
I believe these properties deserve a marketing approach built around understanding the likely buyer, communicating the property’s value, and identifying the channels most likely to reach that audience.
Depending on the property, that may involve:
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Professional photography and video that accurately represent the property and its setting
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Compelling descriptions that communicate both the real estate and the existing business
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Dedicated property websites or landing pages
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Digital advertising and targeted social media campaigns
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Outreach to relevant business owners, operators, and industry networks
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Editorial storytelling and appropriate media opportunities
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Marketing to qualified buyers beyond Vermont
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Collaboration with commercial brokers, business brokers, or industry specialists when appropriate
The goal isn’t simply to generate attention. It’s to create interest among buyers who understand the opportunity and have the resources and qualifications to pursue it.
Selling the Real Estate, the Business, or Both?
Understanding What Is Actually Being Offered
One of the first conversations I want to have with an owner is about the nature of the transaction.
Are you selling the land and buildings? The operating business? Both together? Or are you looking for someone to lease the property and continue its use?
Those distinctions matter.
A business sale may involve equipment, furniture, inventory, intellectual property, customer relationships, goodwill, contracts, and other assets that aren’t part of a conventional real estate transaction.
The structure of the sale can affect valuation, financing, marketing, negotiations, and the professionals who need to be involved.
I don’t position myself as a business valuation specialist or assume that an asking price can be established simply by adding a business’s projected earnings to the value of its real estate.
Instead, I believe in understanding the different components of the opportunity and working with qualified professionals to determine how they should be evaluated and presented.
For some transactions, that may mean collaborating with a commercial broker, business broker, accountant, attorney, or other specialist.
My Approach to Marketing Unique Vermont Properties
1. Understand the Property and the Business
We’ll begin by discussing the property’s history, current use, physical characteristics, business operations where applicable, and your goals for the sale.
2. Identify the Most Likely Buyer
Is the ideal buyer an existing hospitality operator, an investor, an entrepreneur, a lifestyle buyer, or someone considering a new business concept?
Understanding the audience helps determine how we position and market the opportunity.
3. Evaluate the Real Estate and Supporting Information
We’ll review relevant property information, comparable sales where available, existing improvements, permits, and other factors that may influence value and marketability.
For operating businesses, specialized financial analysis and valuation may be needed.
4. Develop a Distinctive Marketing Strategy
I’ll help determine how to communicate the property’s strengths through photography, video, written content, digital marketing, targeted outreach, and other appropriate channels.
5. Present the Opportunity Accurately
Creative marketing should never come at the expense of accuracy.
I believe in clearly distinguishing existing uses, documented financial performance, and verified permits from potential future uses that would require additional approvals or investment.
6. Coordinate With the Right Professionals
Depending on the transaction, we may need to involve commercial real estate specialists, business brokers, attorneys, accountants, lenders, inspectors, and other qualified professionals.
7. Navigate the Sale With a Clear Strategy
From buyer inquiries and property tours to negotiations and due diligence, I’ll help manage the real estate aspects of the transaction and coordinate with the appropriate specialists as needed.
What Makes My Approach Different?
I’m a Marketer and Business Strategist Who Happens to Sell Real Estate
I’ve never believed that the best way to market something is to simply list its features and hope the right person finds it.
My background is in marketing, business strategy, operations, and leadership. I’ve spent years helping businesses understand their value, communicate what makes them different, and connect with the people they’re trying to reach.
And as the founder of Travel Like a Local®, I’ve built a platform around visiting, experiencing, and sharing the very types of Vermont businesses and destinations that interest me most.
I’ve spent years getting to know innkeepers, restaurant owners, farmers, entrepreneurs, and small business operators. I understand the work that goes into creating a place people want to visit, return to, and recommend to others.
That perspective shapes how I think about these properties.
I see the real estate, but I also see the brand, the customer experience, the location, and the story behind the business.
And I understand that for many owners, selling isn’t just a financial transaction. It’s the decision to step away from something they’ve spent years building.
I believe that deserves thoughtful representation.
A Note About My Commercial Real Estate Experience
I want to be transparent about the scope of my work.
I’m a Vermont Realtor who primarily focuses on residential real estate, along with select investment, hospitality, and lifestyle properties.
I don’t represent myself as a full-service commercial real estate specialist, and I don’t take on every commercial property that comes my way.
If your property falls outside my experience, I’ll be candid about that and help identify whether a specialist or collaborative approach would better serve your interests.
But if you own a distinctive Vermont property that needs creative marketing, thoughtful positioning, and someone who understands the intersection of real estate, business, and hospitality, I’d welcome the conversation.
Have a Unique Vermont Property You’re Thinking About Selling?
Maybe you own an inn you’ve operated for decades. A restaurant that’s become a local institution. A wedding venue you’ve built from the ground up. A farm with an agritourism component. Or a property that’s difficult to describe because there’s simply nothing else quite like it.
Those are the conversations I enjoy.
You don’t need to have all the answers or be ready to list tomorrow.
Let’s start by talking about your property, your goals, and whether my approach is the right fit.
And if I’m not the right person for the transaction, I’ll tell you.
Let's Talk About Your Unique Vermont Property Schedule a Property Consultation
Erin McCormick | Live Local Vermont
Realtor, Keller Williams Vermont
Business valuations, financial projections, licensing, permits, and specialized commercial transaction matters should be independently evaluated by appropriately qualified professionals.