John Bassette

For two generations, real estate has been the Bassette Family Business

John has been lucky enough to live much of his childhood and adult life in Vermont. Helping people find and create their ideal real estate lifestyle has been a big part of his Vermont experience. As a teenager, in the 1970s, he brought vacation-home renters who were clients of his father (also John Bassette Realtor) to their properties in and around the Quechee area.

The decision to follow in his father’s footsteps should come as no surprise. John officially joined his real estate firm, one of the largest in the Upper Valley, in the early 1980s. As a broker, he helped prospective homeowners from Greenwich or Boston find that perfect escape from the busyness of their hectic lives. People who were seeking the same thing that he experienced every day in the hills of Hartland and surrounding Woodstock VT.

In 38+ years in the business, he has become well acquainted with the needs and requirements of people moving to Vermont, seeking second- and vacation-home ownership, or looking to buy investment properties. As a result, John is a skilled advisor in real estate transactions, and he is always looking for ways to add more value to his relationships with his clients. That is why John is an early adopter of technologies and was an early advocate and designee of Buyer Brokerage and the Accredited Buyer Broker (ABR) philosophy so he could offer more to his Buyer clients as they searched for their perfect Vermont home, their perfect Vermont experience.

But most important to you and the buying process, John is a great listener, analytical person, and advocate for my clients. He has experience and skill in finding you your perfect real estate, whether you are looking for a vacation home, a condominium in Woodstock village, a secluded home with majestic views of the White or Green Mountains, or a multi-million-dollar family compound with vast acreage and seclusion. John attended Middlebury College and the University of Vermont and graduated with a psychology degree with a heavy emphasis in religion, counseling, and philosophy. Frankly, a perfect blend to help solve the “human problem” of housing and lifestyle living.

Vermont has been an ideal place to grow up and raise his family. John has been married to his lovely wife, Donna-Lee, for over 38 years, and they have 9 children (6 boys and 3 girls) from 34 down to 18. Five of their sons have attended West Point and are officers in the United States Army. His oldest daughter graduated from Cedarville University in Ohio and is a Registered Nurse living in the Denver area. The next daughter graduated from Hillsdale College in Michigan and that bundle of energy was a scholarship pole vaulter in a Div. 2 program now living in Louisiana. The last two children (boy - currently at Cedarville in the ROTC program; girl - finished homeschooling and will be attending Cedarville in the Fall of 2022) were competitive nationally ranked Nordic ski racers.

Apart from being a fully involved dad, He takes advantage of the myriad outdoor activities Vermont has to offer, especially winter sports. John was a member of the United States Ski Team in the late 1970s, was the United States Ski Jumping Champion in 1978/79, helped/participated in the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics as a test jumper (bad day at the Olympic trials), and was inducted into the US Ski Hall of Fame. His adventures in the Lake Placid Olympics included being the lead test jumper to make sure the hills were safe (read DANGEROUS). He was the only one who could handle 50 miles per hour crosswinds in a windblown 120-meter ski jump that NO ONE should have been jumping on! If John crashed, then the hill wasn't safe...think Guinea pig. Yikes!

When John is not taking part in local volunteer activities, John and his family enjoy running, hiking, hunting, biking, and cross-country skiing. He ran and finished the Vermont 50-mile Ultra-Marathon with his Hillsdale daughter, while they took turns complaining, and he is training for the Vermont 100. Their family has produced some high-achieving athletes who hold various state records and numerous State Championships in a variety of sports. As a way of giving back to my community for all that Vermont has given me, John served on the Woodstock Ski Runners board and coached track at the Woodstock Union High School.