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

Medway Recycling Program Info 

Milford Recycling Program Info

Millis Recycling Program Info

Natick Recycling Program Info

Sherborn Recycling Program Info

Check out the previous posts regarding related sites:

Hazardous Waste Dates

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.

1. Are there a bunch of foreclosures driving down home values in our area?
2. How much of a discount can I get if I buy one of these foreclosure properties?
3. 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. 

Remember, this MLS data does not include any For Sale By Owner homes either.

OK, I know what your thinking… It is still a high number, Ed!  I agree.  So, because I am not feeling this strain on the marketplace as a Full Time Realtor in Metrowest Boston, I want to dig even deeper!

In the Metrowest towns of Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Natick, and Southborough I pulled data from MLS regarding bank owned property.  Here are the findings using only single family properties since the start of 2010:

17 out of 552 Active homes are labeled Bank Owned (3%)

13 out of 158 Under Agreement homes are Bank Owned (8%)

34 out of 597 Sold homes are Bank Owned (5%)

I don’t know about you, but there are two results from this investigation. 

     Number 1 is that I feel better now than I do after reading RealtyTrac’s data.

     Number 2, where the heck are they getting those numbers from?  

Some explanations is that they classify homes in “pre-foreclosure” or “scheduled for auctions” and MLS is only as good as the agent that enters in the data as “lender owned” or “Short Sale”. 

In my test of RealtyTrac’s data, the 1st property I checked was in Ashland.  It was listed as a fairly new addition to the property site.  Come to find out it was sold months ago on MLS.  So for some reason their data is not updated as it should be.

Discounts when Buying a Foreclosure Property

Realtytrac reported that there is quite a discount that a buyer of a foreclosed property can receive.  Again, take this with a grain of salt since the way they create these numbers is, in my opinion, flawed. 

Massachusetts’ average Foreclosure sales price is reported as $161,089.   This is about a 35% discount to non-foreclosure sales in the marketplace for the 1st quarter.

They seem to compare Average Sales Prices of all Foreclosure Sales to Average Sales Prices of Normal Sales.  Since the majority of Foreclosure properties are on the lower end and are trashed by the past owners or lack of upkeep, OF COURSE they are going to be a discount.  Classify this stat as

“worthless data for people who think for a moment!”

From my experience, if you are handy and have some cash… there are lots of great deals out there to go after.   These are both foreclosures and non-foreclosures!

Local Market Conditions are Improving

The best evaluation of the local marketplace, in my opinion, contains the following:

A Local group of towns

Use a Specific category of housing, such as Single Family Homes

Look at past several years data to compare it to

Use 6 mos. or a year worth of history

When I do this for Metrowest Boston towns (specifics I am happy to share if you wish), I find the marketplace is showing strength even though Home Owners have taken a hit on property values over the past several years.  So, better for Buyers than it is for Sellers.

Here are two tidbits:

     Average Days on Market is 96.  Over the past 5 years this has ranged from 85 days to 119 days, so very reasonable.

     Ratio of Selling Price to Listing Price is 97%.  Over the past 5 years this has ranged from 96-98%, so again, very reasonable number.

I put together a graph of the Selling Prices over the course of the past 5 years for these Metrowest towns.  There is a 17% decrease in Median Home Values over this time frame.   This is data from July to July in each one of these years.

Here is a graph of the Total Number of Sales for these local towns.  Look at that promising increase of sales over the past year!  The area is running 10% fewer sales than we had 5 years ago.

Everyone under the sun is forecasting that the economy is faltering again, and it is very rare to hear that any uptick in this marketplace has legs to it.  Therefore, my report is that the local marketplace numbers right now have strength.  We will have to evaluate in this way, often, to see if this continues.  I will keep you posted on these numbers over the second half of the year.

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!

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

Below are results from each Metrowest MA town and the vote counts for either Scott Brown (R) or Martha Coakley (D):

Town    -    Winner   -   Vote count

Ashland            Brown     3467 vs 2897

Bellingham    Brown     4090 vs 2179

Framingham     Coakley     10329 vs 9149

Franklin            Brown     8828 vs 4470

Holliston          Brown     3725 vs 2921

Hopkinton       Brown     4123 vs 2600

Marlborough     Brown     6817 vs 5037

Medway            Brown     3641 vs 2044

Milford             Brown     5432 vs 3561

Millis              Brown     2430 vs 1383

Natick          Coakley     7208 vs 6954

Northborough     Brown     3816 vs 2486

Shrewsbury      Brown     7867 vs 5242

Southborough     Brown     2689 vs 1845

Upton              Brown     2125 vs 1138

Westborough     Brown     3822 vs 2996

Results for other towns not posted here can be found by

 clicking this link.

Good luck to Scott Brown as he heads to Washington to help all citizens of Massachusetts.  The people have spoken with their votes and now it is his job to take care of us!

Ed Daniels of Re/Max Executive Realty is a local Realtor and home owner in Metrowest Boston.  

He can be contacted at 508-341-7880 for help in learning about the Metrowest area and buying/selling a home.

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!

A client looking for a home in the area turned me on to another school website that you may find interesting.

www.SchoolDigger.com

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:

Holliston’s NCLB Report Card

As a Realtor, I am always asked about whether a town has a “good” school system.  The answer is

a tough one to come up with.  Do I give the wishy washy answer of “a school system is as good as your child makes of it.”?

I personally think this is statement is true, since disciplined study and striving for knowledge usually will lead to high scores on standardized testing and many extracirricular activities can be accomplished outside of a school system.  Granted, the poorly run schools will have many more distractions socially, and perhaps less modern tools at the students disposal.

I attended Holliston Public Schools.  My father was a science teacher in Framingham.  His larger school system allowed students to have more opportunities to take unique courses.  Subjects offered were Astronomy, Geology, Oceangraphy, et al.  This was in addition to the typical Biology, Physics, and Chemistry we had in Holliston.

Was Framingham a better school system for this reason?  It certainly makes me consider a larger school system for my child’s education.

When I first started real estate in Framingham, I had many clients voicing reservations about Framingham and the school system.  Sometimes the reason for this were concerns that their child would get “lost” in the large system. 

I came across a stat back then that Framingham offered the lowest student-teacher ratio out of all the area communities.  This handy fact helped me to present the perceptions people have compared to the reality of the situation.

I am greatful we live in a region that has very good opportunities in public education.  I feel that these schools are offering a great education to our children and will keep the area growing strong.

Where do you find school data?  What data is important to you?  Write me a comment to shed some light!

Ed Daniels of The MAhome Team can be reached at 508-341-7880.  Ed is a Full-time Realtor with Re/max Executive Realty, a leading brokerage in the Metrowest Boston area. 

 Here are a few:

Call Ed and Doriane Daniels of the MAHome Team to see these and other properties. We can be reached at 508-341-7880 or Info@MAhome.com.

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.

My wife and I are about to have our second child.  This time around we are using Newton-Wellesley Hospital, as opposed to Beth Israel Hospital in Boston the first time around.  The choice was strictly based upon health insurance reasons, but if it wasn’t, I would use this site to try to evaluate the level of care.

Our method of choosing a hospital prior to a site like this would be asking a handful of friends about their personal experience during their stay.  You can see how this might get a little difficult if you are talking about personal matters with your health.

The Metrowest Daily News wrote a good article about the site and the method of the surveys.  Click here for the full story.

The link for the HCAHPS can be reached by clicking here: www.HospitalCare.hhs.gov.

Here in the Metrowest area, there are several regional hospitals for residents to choose from:

Metrowest Medical Center     Framingham, MA

Milford Regional Medical Center     Milford, MA

Marlborough Hospital     Marlborough, MA

Newton-Wellesley Hospital    Newton, MA

UMass Memorial Medical Center     Worcester, MA

Metrowest Medical Center - Leonard Morse Campus    Natick, MA

 The survey asks questions of patients regarding noise, cleanliness, communication with staff, clear home recovery instructions, among other areas. 

It allows hospital management to track how they do compared to other hospitals and where they are lacking in the eyes of the patient.

Newton-Wellesley Hospital reported an 82% rating of patients who said they would definately recommend the hospital, which was the top score from the hospitals listed above. 

I am glad to hear that, and I am sure you will hear about it if I fall within the 18% who doesn’t!

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…

Home owners who do not pay their mortgage over time will have the bank try to take it over or sell it. The process is known as foreclosure, and the first attempt to sell the property is known as the auction.

The auction is advertised in a legal section of your local newspaper. To participate, you would bring a deposit check to the event. The bidder than stands on the curb and raises their hand if they are willing to pay x dollars for the home.

Notice how I did not say anything about looking inside the property, inspection conditions, or financing contingencies… this is because they don’t exist! You buy sight unseen, perhaps someone will still be living there when you end up buying it, and if you don’t show up in 30 days with payment in full, the deposit is retained by the auction house.

Not a great course of events for a rookie home buyer.

A bank representative is usually at the auction also. They are there to “bid” if the bank wants to buy it back rather than allow anyone else to “steal” the property. They will then prepare the home for listing with a local realtor. This is also known as a REO property, referring to the Real Estate Owned department of the bank.

A buyer can now preview the home, conduct an inspection, and negotiate on price, but at this point the bank usually spends a bit of money on the process and still is not going to allow the home to sell for an outrageous price.

There is certainly a lot more REO property in Massachusetts recently, but these properties are not for buyers who do not have financial resources or lack nerves of steel. They usually need at least cosmetic work, but most have quite a few inspection issues. There are companies out there that are in this business full time and they are also going to compete with your bids.

My official recommendation in 2008, stick with the listed properties and do your due diligence on a property you plan on buying. Currently it is a slim margin of benefit that you will receive from buying a foreclosure and not worth it. It may be in the future, just not right now in Metrowest Boston.

Contact me if you have questions or concerns about REO properties or click here to view listings on the MLS.