Metrowest Town’s Recycling Programs
July 13th, 2010 Categories: Ashland, Bellingham, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Local Communities, Medway, Milford, Natick, Real Estate, Town Hall Info
Thank you to the person on www.HollistonFreeCycle.com (which is a Yahoo Group) for the links to all the local Metrowest recycling information.
I feel that Massachusetts does a pretty good job, either thru grassroots organizations or towns saving money, in providing recycling opportunities to the local residents.
Ashland Recycling Program Info
Framingham Recycling Program Info
Holliston Recycling Program Info
Hopkinton Recycling Program Info
Milford Recycling Program Info
Sherborn Recycling Program Info
Check out the previous posts regarding related sites:
Asbestos Removal Article from 2008
I hope you find these links as a useful source of information whenever you are searching out information on your town’s recycling program.
Ed Daniels of the MAHome Team can be reached at Ed@MAhome.com or 508-341-7880. He calls Holliston his hometown and works with Re/Max Executive Realty selling homes all around the Metrowest area.| Discussion: No Comments »
Metrowest Foreclosure Updates
July 7th, 2010 Categories: Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Local Communities, Market Conditions, Natick, Real Estate, Southborough
Today I received a news release from RealtyTrac, which is the leading online source for foreclosure properties. The report made me question how the specific Metrowest Massachusetts marketplace is doing in regards to foreclosures. This post will report on the following questions you may have:
- Are there a bunch of foreclosures driving down home values in our area?
- How much of a discount can I get if I buy one of these foreclosure properties?
- Is the market getting worse or better out there?
Foreclosures in Massachusetts
RealtyTrac reports that Massachusetts is one of the top 5 states in % of foreclosure sales for the 1st quarter of 2010. (June 30th – Not really sure why it took so long to issue these stats??) As alarming as this sounds, let’s look a bit closer…
Number of foreclosure sales were 2,111 in quarter 1, which is 42% of all sales! Sounds bad, right?
How does this compare to other states they reported on? It works out to .9% of Total foreclosures in the United States.
Still digging a bit deeper, I checked MLS data for number of sales in MA for the 1st quarter. MLS reports 6628 total single family home sales, which works out to 32% of all single family home sales are foreclosure sales. Since they report 2,111 were ALL sales, let’s add condos and multifamilies to that number… now it is over 11,000 sales, or about 19% of all sales.
| Discussion: 2 Comments »
Framingham MA Rental Home
May 12th, 2010 Categories: Framingham, Real Estate
The single family home at 11 Debra Lane in Framingham is a rental property that I represented last week. It took all of 5 days to get a stack of applicants for this rental!
Framingham MA
The home is very nicely updated. The owners, David and Maria Shapiro, worked very hard to update all areas of the multi level home.
The hardwood flooring is gleaming, the kitchen has all new appliances to go along with tile and new cabinetry. Bathrooms renovated, heating system is updated, and everything has a fresh coat of paint.
The asking rent for this home is $2000 per month, and the tenant cares for all utilities.
This is the best type of showing I could ask for as a local Metrowest Realtor!
Renovated Kitchen
So, the report is IN… the Framingham rental market is alive and well! Plenty of strong candidates applied for the home, and it looks to have a great match in only a few days!
Ed Daniels of Re/Max Executive Realty can be reached at 508-341-7880 if his MAhome Team can be of service on finding a rental or helping a Landlord locate a great tenant.| Discussion: No Comments »
Metrowest Hazardous Waste Days
April 5th, 2010 Categories: Events in Community, Framingham, Holliston, Natick
Spring is here and cleanouts have begun! Time to plan for getting rid of all that hazardous waste around your home.
The Metrowest Boston area has special days set aside for homeowners to rid the house of waste.
Holliston Hazardous Waste Day -
July 24th, 2010 9-noon at Adams Middle School
Natick Hazardous Waste Day -
May 15th, 2010 from 9-noon - Natick District Court
Limited: Only 300 cars, so pre-register here
Framingham Hazardous Waste Day -
October – Town site for all recycling info
I will post more details from other area towns as they become announced.
The Metrowest Boston area appreciates that you dispose of your household chemicals at these special days that are offered.
Ed Daniels of Remax Executive Realty serves the Metrowest area towns. If considering a move, the MAhome Team would love the opportunity to help. Contact them at 508-341-7880 and Ed@MAhome.com
| Discussion: 1 Comment »
Metrowest Election Results for Senate
January 20th, 2010 Categories: Ashland, Bellingham, Framingham, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Local Communities, Marlborough, Medway, Milford, Natick, Southborough, Town Hall Info, Westborough
The election results are IN for Senator in Washington. The Metrowest region had a great turnout and for that we can all be proud that democracy is working!
Below are results from each Metrowest MA town and the vote counts for either Scott Brown (R) or Martha Coakley (D):
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If you wait for the Robins, Spring will be Over.
October 28th, 2008 Categories: Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Market Conditions, Real Estate
I couldn’t keep from creating this blog title after reading it in a Warren Buffett Op Ed piece. It was in the New York Times Oct 17th. Now, I understand that everyone will critize the Realtor speaking positive about the real estate marketplace, but I am excited about this Low!
When is the “Low”?
You won’t know it until you see it in the rear view mirror.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am a real estate agent in a very down market. I am working harder and dealing with more emotions then I have in my 10 years. If I can manage scraping up a little cash, I will be putting it into equities and real estate NOW.
I worked an open house a few weeks ago, and at least 3/4 of the visitors were interested, but waiting for a bit longer for the market to fall further. This was a very real display of pent-up demand.
Another contridictory real world example is a client looking for a $800K home in Holliston but not having more than a handful of options in the past 3 months. Do I really need to direct mail a neighborhood to let them know I have a Buyer for them? That is not the real estate market that the Boston Globe is reporting about!
In scanning over the region’s 3rd Quarter real estate stats, the median prices are reporting grim news to homeowners:
Holliston down 13.6%
Hopkinton down 8.7%
Framingham down 7.2%
Ashland down 7%
Natick down 5.4%
In regards to the number of sales, the region has 12.8% fewer sales!
OK, where you are ready to jump out a window, I am now salivating! Yes, I do own a home, but I am not ready to move yet. Therefore, no sweat.
Take a deep breath Massachusetts, the sky has not fallen and it is time to start figuring out how to take advantage of this market, not how to escape it!
| Discussion: 2 Comments »
How to Judge a School System?
August 26th, 2008 Categories: Framingham, Holliston, School Info
I received my Community Newsletter from the Holliston Public Schools last week. It is the type of information that I hope every town resident receives. I do not have kids in school, but it is an interesting read.
A client looking for a home in the area turned me on to another school website that you may find interesting.
Prior to using this site, my wife turned to www.SchoolMatters.com. She passed it along to our real estate clients as a good resource. It was attractive for the clear and concise information laid out to the reader.
The data from the state website is more thorough and up to date, but it is a jumble of data.
Massachusetts Department of Education
and the Individual school district’s No Child Left Behind Report Card data:
As a Realtor, I am always asked about whether a town has a “good” school system. The answer is
| Discussion: No Comments »
Bank owned properties: Investors Wanted!
June 20th, 2008 Categories: Featured Listings, Framingham, Real Estate
I have been working with a bank on some of their foreclosure listings. I represent the banks in the listings, but as you know, they are very interested in getting offers and having these properties off their books.
Here are a few:
| Discussion: No Comments »
Important Info on Local Hospitals: Customer Satisfaction
May 10th, 2008 Categories: Framingham, Marlborough, Milford, Natick, Preferred Business
The Metrowest Boston towns are just a short drive to some of the most highly regarded hospitals in the country. I don’t think I have ever heard of Massachusetts residents complaining about the level of care that is available nearby.
There is a survey that I discovered that does highlight some customer satisfaction numbers you may find interesting.
Surveys are interesting subjects because there always seems to be a motivation behind them. This survey was conducted by The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). This government body seems to give hospitals a tool to get better at their care, but more importantly, it gives the consumer a way to compare hospital care.
| Discussion: 1 Comment »
Foreclosure Real Estate Secrets
February 3rd, 2008 Categories: Ashland, Framingham, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Market Conditions, Marlborough, Milford, Natick, Real Estate, Southborough, Westborough
First time buyers of real estate are salivating at the idea that the Buyer’s Market in Massachusetts is offering “steals” in every neighborhood. They hear of foreclosures, auctions, and people unloading property at every turn.
This is not only a falsehood, but when buyers learn of the process, they usually run for the hills.
Let me explain how foreclosures work…
| Discussion: 1 Comment »
