Get $50 for your Non Green Fridge
October 18th, 2011
Here is a link to National Grid’s Massachusetts recycling program for your old refrigerator. It has to be that old second refrigerator in your home (meaning you don’t have Home Depot haul away your old one), but they will pay you $50 to pick it up!
Click here for your link to the website with all the details.
Being Green is really paying off now!
Categories: Real Estate
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How close is a Zestimate Estimate?
June 14th, 2011
One of the top real estate websites is Zillow. As a Premier Agent for the Metrowest Boston area on Zillow, I understand that this is a site that gets searched very often by home buyers. Therefore, I ensure I have my listings advertised in this space.
The gimmick tool on Zillow is what they call a Zestimate. The computer uses public data to evaluate every single home and gives the consumer a Market Value, which they term a Zestimate. Since the consumers mention this number often, we as Realtors need to be aware of it.
Zillow discloses how accurate their Zestimates are compared to selling prices, and they break this down to the geographic regions. Bravo Zillow!
How close are Zestimates to actual Selling Prices in MA? Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Real Estate
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206 Hayden Rowe St, Hopkinton For Sale
May 16th, 2011
This listing at 206 Hayden Rowe Street in Hopkinton offers a nicely maintained gem of a colonial in a terrific town. When approaching the property, the first feature that jumps out at you is the wide farmer’s porch. It overlooks beautiful gardens that the Whittle family has enjoyed working on for the past 7 years.
This home is situated in a private setting, with a circular driveway flanked by tall trees. The rear yard rolls down to a large swath of woods, with no rear neighbor in sight.
Inside, the traditional colonial home displays beautiful hardwood flooring that welcomes you straight into the renovated kitchen.
The stainless appliances in this home are all included in the sale! Lots of maple cabinetry creates a bright work area on the granite countertops.
Here are some quick bullets on other highlights:
- Central Air
- Highly Efficient Replacement Windows
- Fireplaced Family Room
- Dining Room
- 4 Bedrooms
- Finished Basement
- Replacement Windows
The basement room is a wonderfully usable space, with a full bank of windows and a wood stove. It is a large open space and is versitile enough to be a playroom, entertainment room, or office area. 
This 4 Bedroom, 2 1/2 Bathroom home is offered for $479,900.
The MAhome Team of Realty Executives is the exclusive listing agent and can be reached at 508-341-7880. Ed or Doriane Daniels can give you the Grand Tour of this terrific property.Categories: Featured Listings, Hopkinton, Real Estate
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Nouvelle of Natick Market Report 2011
April 11th, 2011
The marketing push for the Nouvelle at Natick luxury condos is still going strong in the 1st quarter of 2011.
The Realtor community is hearing from the in-house staff often, letting us know that they are “almost completely sold out“.
(90% sold was stated in last email from them)
I have put together some information on the 1st quarter sales that I gathered from MLSpin, the Massachusetts MLS service.
In the 1st quarter there were:
8 sales ranging from $369,900 to $599,900.
(Avg. of $438,275)
Unit N345 1 BR, 2BA + study with 1244 sf of living area $369,900
Unit T922 2 BR, 2BA with 1330 sf of living area $399,900
Unit S609 2 BR, 2BA with 1382 sf of living area $413,900
Unit T736 2 BR, 2BA + study with 1472 sf of living area $419,900
Unit N243 2 BR, 2BA + study with 1545 sf of living area $424,900
Unit N251 2 BR, 2BA + study with 1658 sf of living area $430,900
Unit N543 2 BR, 2BA + study with 1545 sf of living area $446,900
Unit N741 3 BR, 2BA with 1720 sf of living area $599,900
Note: N = North, S = South, T = Terrace (floors 6-9)
For comparison for this same time period in 2010, Nouvelle had sold 16 units in this quarter.
Average price in 2010′s 1st quarter was $455,856.
Ed Daniels of The MAhome Team specializes in Metrowest towns and has experience with the Nouvelle of Natick development. Give the team a call at 508-341-7880 to learn all about the project and to ensure you have a Buyer Agent representing your interest when looking into Nouvelle.Categories: Market Conditions, Natick, Real Estate
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Framingham Home Market Snapshot
January 27th, 2011
The town of Framingham, Massachusetts is currently digging out from another foot of snow, which is an appropriate visual for how they have done in the real estate marketplace over the past year. The single family home sales around town have been basically frozen.
Is Framingham selling more or less homes these days?
Less. In 2010, there were 429 single family sales in town. This is a 3% decline from 2009 sales of 442. Going back to 2008, the 469 sales results in a drop of 9%.
Is Framingham having an increase in Selling Prices?
Yes, in 2010, Framingham increased the median selling price from $300,000 (in 2009) to $305,500. This is a 1.8% increase. For anyone who wishes to use the less pertinent Average Selling Prices, they were flat – $322,000 in ’10 vs. $321,227 in ’09.
Are homes selling faster or slower when they come to market?
The Days on Market numbers have dropped consistantly over the past few years. In 2010, the average time on market was 93 days, vs. 106 in 2009 and 118 in 2008. Therefore, homes are selling faster!
Considering the differences in the housing stock of North and South sides of Framingham, is one side doing “better” than the other?
In some respects of the single family housing market, the South side (01702 zip code) has done fine, but overall the North side 01701 zip code shows more strength. The Average Selling Price has gone up 1.4% from 2009 to 2010 in South Framingham, but the North side decreased 1/2%.
On the flip side, North homes sell faster (79 Days on Market) compared to the South side marketing time of 122 Days. There are also more than 2 times the number of Sold listings on the North side.
With a diverse housing stock around the town of Framingham, there is a house for everyone. Homeowners are still able to sell their homes in reasonable amounts of time, but during 2010 there was a noticable shortage of options for people who wished to move to another local home. This is improving for Buyers, with 151 Active listings compared to 120 last year at this time.
If The MAhome Team can be of service in your desire to make a move, please don’t hesitiate to contact Ed Daniels at 508-341-7880. Over 2010, Realty Executives – Boston West was the real estate firm that sold more homes in Framingham than any other. Put the experience of our team, combined with the best real estate firm in Framingham, to work for you.
Categories: Framingham, Local Communities, Market Conditions, Real Estate
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January 26th, 2011
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7 Tips for Short Sale Success
Have to sell your home for less than it’s worth? Our seven tips will help you get the best price. Read
Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.
Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Categories: Real Estate
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Homestead Law – Explained
January 6th, 2011
A “Homestead“: A legal document that protects the equity in your home from creditors.
That explanation was pretty painless, huh? Ok, I can give you more fine print than that!
The reason for this article is because there has been some recent changes to this law by Gov. Duval Patrick, and so it is an opportunity to explain this existing law and the new sections.
Here is the more technical explanation of the Homestead Law:
This declaration is a legal document filed at the registry of deeds that informs the public that the homeowner is asserting his/her rights to protect the equity in the home from subsequent creditors.
Upon filing a Declaration of Homestead, a person’s primary residence is protected against subsequent attachment, suit, or bankruptcy to the extent of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) of equity per residence, per family.
Now for the 2 major changes:
1. Starting March 2011, every home has automatic protection of $125,000 even without filing with the courthouse. The maximum coverage of $500,000 still requires a legal document to be recorded.
2. When a person sells a home, this equity protection of the Homestead remains on the proceeds of the sale for a period of 1 year, or whenever the next home is purchased, whichever is sooner.
Go to the source article at The MAR Report (Massachusetts Assoc. of Realtors) for more details.
Many of our preferred closing attorneys consult with buyers prior to closing on their new home, but if they don’t mention it, please insist on this low cost protection. For specific questions or to put a Homestead on your home, we recommend Tony Buono of Black & Buono. Tony can be reached in Framingham at 508-879-0789 or www.BlackandBuono.com.
Ed Daniels of The MAhome Team lives in Holliston MA. For any guidance regarding the issues of buying and selling homes around Metrowest, he can be reached at Ed@MAhome.com or 508-341-7880.Categories: Real Estate
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Holliston’s Johnson Drive Home Auction this Week
November 28th, 2010
We have a lot of people asking us about our “inside info” on a vacant Johnson Drive home in Holliston. They do not understand why a mortgage company would wait SO long before auctioning/foreclosing on the home, and frankly, we don’t understand it either!
90 Johnson Drive is located in a beautiful neighborhood of homes known as Cedarbrook. It is 14 years young. We have heard that it has stood vacant for over a year. The last buyer for the property was in mid 2007, for $784,000.
Holliston's 90 Johnson Drive
The previous listing had a floor plan done. Take a look.
The auction process is a very difficult process to get through. The fact is that you will not get to inspect the property before you bid on it, or for that matter, even get to look inside! You will need to show up within 30 days with cash to buy the home, so normal financing routes are not likely.
That is right: no guarantee of clear title, no keys at closing, no septic system inspection, and if there were people inside… they become your tenants at closing! Not for the faint of heart!
Of course I am biased, but I would recommend hiring a professional Realtor to guide you through options and tell you about all the risks.
Johnson Drive is being auctioned at it’s Holliston location on Thursday, December 2nd. The auction company is Commonwealth Auctions. $15000 certified funds will get you a seat at the table and maybe a steal!
Ed Daniels of The MAhome Team can be reached at 508-341-7880. The team is with Realty Executives – Boston West of Southborough. Ed has many years of experience with auction procedures and is available for any questions that you may have.Categories: Featured Listings, Holliston, Real Estate
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Are Rising Home Prices Good?
November 4th, 2010
Real Estate statistics can only be interpreted when you classify yourself as either the Buyer or the Seller. Some people grumble about newspaper reports or National Association of Realtor forecasts as being too rosy.
So lets just give you the facts and you tell me!
Single Family median home prices were UP for the 11th straight month in September. This is compared to year-over-year months.
Single Family home sales in September fell 13.8% from September 2009 results. This is the 3rd straight month of year-over-year declines.
Want a larger sampling of data to digest? Let’s look at quarterly results:
Single Family median home prices rose 5% in the 3rd qtr compared to 2009′s 3rd qtr.
Single Family number of sales fell 20.7% last quarter, compared to the same quarter of 2009.
Conclusion (end of the facts):
If you are a Buyer in this market you are in high demand, but don’t be late to get in the game because prices of the best homes are heading up.
If you are a Seller, it may take you longer to sell but if you are priced accurately, show great, and are reasonable in negotiations, you will be doing just fine (compared to last year).
Ed Daniels of Realty Executives – Boston West can be reached at 508–341–7880. His MAhome Team covers the Metrowest Boston region for both home buyers and sellers.
Categories: Market Conditions, Real Estate, Uncategorized
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Are Massachusetts Taxpayers Paying Highest Property Taxes in US?
October 16th, 2010
While having a few booths at community events over the past month, we got to talk to a lot of people about real estate. I felt the most talked about issue were property taxes.
As with anything else, I have found that perspective is the first step to a response on this subject.
Well, I found a great bit of 2009 info from the US Census Bureau and the Tax Foundation:
The median property taxes paid on homes in Massachusetts was $3,511, which is the 6th highest in the country.
Now for some further perspective:
The median home value is $338,500, and the taxes are 1.04% of the home value. This puts MA at a rank of 21st nationally.
The median income for homeowners in MA is $83,915, which makes the taxes 4.18% of our incomes. This puts us at the 9th highest ranking in the country.
Ok, there you have it… They’re too high… but not the highest!
Who wins that honor?? 1st in all categories listed above…
New Jersey!
Ed Daniels of Realty Executives – Boston West is a homeowner in Holliston MA and paid $6,000 in property taxes this year! Averages are fine, but thats enough to make me grumble. If his MAhome Team can be of service he can be reached at 508–341–7880.
Categories: Market Conditions, Real Estate
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