MARCH 29, 2011
Our A3 "Activity Tracker" spotlights Winchester, MA this week. With increased activity in pending sales and an inventory of over 100 property listings, ranging from $119,000 - $2,750,000 Winchester could be a good place to start your home search!
Click on the photo of Winchester Center to view all Winchester listings:
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total number of pending sales for all property categories 03.20.11 - 03.27.11
For community resources, trending topics or to search for homes click on the town name ...
First # under agreement for this week, second # "WIR" last week....
What do the above numbers mean? If you are a regular viewer of "Week in Review" the Boston and Metro West pending sale numbers remain relatively consisent week to week...Boston jumps up/down by 10% - 25% week to week. One or two towns in Metro West will jump up/down by 3 - 10 properties week to week. This is all good news for the above towns and cities.
Total Number of Accepted Offers For All Property Categories Source: MLSPIN
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Do you have a specific town or towns you would like to receive real estate related data on or would you like to receive the "pending sales" report weekly? Sign-up here for the Week in Review".
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 Find tips on buying a home by downloading our very informative Better Buyer Kit. |
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Sample of this weekend's coming attractions for Somerville Real Estate:
The spring market is in full bloom in Somerville and here are just a few "new" listings and "price improvements" you'll being seeing this Sunday, March 27, 2011. Some of the properties will be opened to the public with scheduled open houses and others are being shown by appointment only. Either way we're here to give you the additional info you need on any of these Somerville properties as well as those the appear in Multiple Listing Service.
Enjoy the properties!!!
New: 40 Central Street, $374,500
New: 12 Quincy Street, $423,500
New: 749 Somerville Avenue, $499,000
New: 44 Albion Street, $529,900
Price Improvement: 31 Weston Avenue, $530,000
For a complete list of all the 206 current listings in Somerville use the Avenue 3 Property Search. And for a full list of all the open houses this weekend click here: Open Houses Somerville
Download Free Home Buying Kit
Find tips on buying a home by downloading our very informative Better Buyer Kit.
Despite the snow falling outside my window, it is Spring and time for home buyers to sprout up amongst us like crocuses in the garden. If you are one of those fortunate enough to be looking to buy real estate in Metro West Boston this Spring, I thought I might mention a few things you should watch for in your travels.
1)Banks. Or, should I say financing. It has become an enormous, messy, harassing road block for many. Even buyers who were told that they were well qualified or “pre approved” are having trouble getting their financing. Be sure that you are newly preapproved”. Be sure that the bank you are working with will lend on the property you are seeking to buy (many institutions are refusing to lend on certain types of condos). If you are able, find a local lender to work with as the larger banks seem to be in a state of disarray that would make the NFL negotiations look promising.
2) Property pricing. Or should I say relisted ( or still listed) properties. With the slow market last Fall and Winter many properties did not sell and are being extended or relisted on the market. Watch for the original prices, the price reductions and the days on the market to more fully understand the current pricing and the situation of the sellers.
3) Wear and Tear. Or should I say damage. This past Winter was a tough one and may leave some telltale signs of its impact on the property you are viewing. Be sure to check single and multi family homes for signs of ice dams, (like fresh paint on several ceilings), water in the basement, falling gutters etc. Be sure to check condos for any recent repairs or special assessment for repairs as a result of the recent storms.
As long as you are prepared, this is – pardon me while I sound like a Realtor here – a great time to buy. Inventories are high, sellers are looking for buyers, and rates are fairly low. Just be prepared, keep your wits about you and of course, work with great Buyer Agent an Avenue 3 Real Estate Agent!
Published by Karen Lilley, Principal, Avenue 3 Real Estate
Download Free Home Buying Kit
Find tips on buying a home by downloading our very informative Better Buyer Kit.
Our A3 "Activity Tracker" spotlights Somerville, MA this week. With increased activity in pending sales and an inventory of over 250 property listings, ranging from $134,900 - $2,500,000 Somerville could be a good place to start your home search!
Click on the photo of Davis Square to view all Somerville listings:
follow us for trending topics
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total number of pending sales for all property categories 03.13.11 - 03.20.11
For community resources, trending topics or to search for homes click on the town name ...
First # under agreement for this week, second # "WIR" last week....
What do the above numbers mean? If you are a regular viewer of "Week in Review" the Boston and Metro West pending sale numbers remain relatively consisent week to week...Boston jumps up/down by 10% - 25% week to week. One or two towns in Metro West will jump up/down by 3 - 10 properties week to week. This is all good news for the above towns and cities.
Do you have a specific town or towns you would like to receive real estate related data on or would you like to receive the "pending sales" report weekly? Sign-up here for the Week in Review".
Total Number of Accepted Offers For All Property Categories Source: MLSPIN
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Coming Attractions: March 20, Lexington, MA Real Estate
In the market for buying home in Lexington, MA? The spring market is in full bloom in Lexington and here are the new listings and "Price Improvements" that you'll be seeing on Sunday, March 20, 2011.
Single Family "New" Listings
- 248 Mass. Avenue: $299,900
- 62 Farmcrest Avenue: $425,000
- 114 Maple Street: $519,900
- 27 Spring Street: $524,900
- 128 Simonds Street: $594,900
- 31 Robbins Road: $639,900
- 5 Magnolia: $715,000
- 1073 Mass. Avenue: $799,000
- 2 Hadley Road: $850,000
- 11 Litchfield Road: $898,000
- 9 Highland Avenue: $929,000
- 12 Glen Road: $1,398,000
- 10 Munroe Road: $1,579,900
- 12 Adams Street: $2,399,000
Single Family "Price Improvements"
- 15 Stimson Avenue: $1,095,000
- Lot 1 539 Lowell Street: $1,475,000
- 12 Fairbanks Road: $1,799,000
Condo "New" Listings
- 107 Emerson Gardens, Unit 107: $245,000
Condo "Price Improvements"
- 38 Courtyard Place, UA: $829,000
- 42 Courtyard Place, UB: $839,000
Multi-Family "New" Listings:
- 9 & 11 Cedar Street: $489,900
For additional infomation on these Lexington, MA listings click here: Avenue 3 Lexington, MA Search
Download Free Home Buying Kit
Find tips on buying a home by downloading our very informative Better Buyer Kit.
Judy Conley, principal
Coming Attractions: Sunday, March 20, 2011
Whether you're in the market to buy a home in Belmont, MA or just interested in poking around real estate, it's always a good idea to have a jump on market info, so we've put together for you a sample of what you'll be seeing today.
Here's a list of new single family, condo and multiple family homes, as well as "improved" priced properties on the market this weekend. Some will be opened to the public with scheduled open houses and others are being shown by appointment only. Either way we're here to give you the additional info you need on any of these Belmont properties as well as those the appear in Multiple Listing Service.
Single Family New Listings:
Single Family Price Improvements:
Condominium New Listings:
Multi-Family New Listings:
1st time Buyer? Find many tips and info on buying a home by downloading our A3 Better Buyer Kit.
Judy Conley, principal
It is a magical thing it seems, pricing a property correctly for the market, often leads to eager buyers with great offers in hand, and smooth sailing to closing. The question is… how do I know what the right price is? This Spring market will be a very tricky pricing season – any real estate agent telling you otherwise may still believe in Santa. The depressed market of 2010 still lingers in the air like the smell of last night’s cabbage, and financial markets are giving everyone the jitters. However, the market has shown some signs of optimism which should not be totally ignored. Should you decide to enter into the market, here are a few tips to help you get the price right.
Understand your market. As we have all too painfully seen, pricing and value are not static. Be sure you understand the current competition you have in the market. Pay close attention to their pricing, time on the market and any price changes they may have had.
Know your comparables. When reviewing the market for properties that have recently sold which might best compare to yours, please be sure to keep the emphasis on recent. Looking at a home that may be an exact twin of yours but was sold more than a year ago does you no good. It is far more educational to look at a similar property that has sold within the past 3 – 6 months.
Keep market variables in mind. Last Spring, the first time buyer incentive offered by our federal government created a mini bubble in the market. Activity was strong and prices held firm. After the incentive program expired, the market softened – keep this in mind when looking at sold comparables.
As much as you may not want to hear me say it… trust a good agent to help you. They are in the thick of things and are likely to have more knowledge of the market intricacies than you.
I have seen many properties sell well already this Spring. Don’t let the negative press stop you from listing! Well priced property is always a hit with buyers and there are always buyers!!
Find many more selling tips by downloading our Smarter Seller Kit.
Published by Karen Lilley, Principal, Avenue 3 Real Estate
The days of the McMansion it seems, are on the wane. Smaller families, larger utility bills and a nod toward simplifying our lives have brought a new trend in real estate. According to the old cliché, bigger might be better, but the new adage states that smaller is smarter.
A recent article in Dwell Magazine chronicled a couple’s journey through the renovation of a small home into a spacious, well thought out living space.
"Stow Aways": 
How do you squeeze maximum functionality out of minimal space? Rosa and Robert Garneau make it happen with multipurpose furniture, a hydraulic Murphy bed, and secret compartments galore.
We looked for an apartment to buy for over a year, and when we found this place, we were willing to sacrifice space for light and air. A woman had rented it for 30 years, and it was cut up into a lot of little rooms with tons of circulation but not much usable space. Oh, and it was a wreck! The radiators were rusting, the windows were cracked, and there was rainwater damage. When I turned on the kitchen tap (something I always do when I’m house-hunting), more water sprayed horizontally than out of the faucet mouth. But it had great bones and a good location, and it was in a nice, private building. We were tired of living in spaces that weren’t optimized and knew we could turn this into a place for relaxation and contemplation—simplicity surrounded by complexity.
Because of the modest space, the furniture had to be multipurpose and movable, like our hydraulic table that can be converted into a countertop and the sofa sectionals that can be easily turned into a standard queen-size bed for guests. We maximized efficiency and aesthetics and created long-term solutions for the way we live. I think living in the rundown space for more than two years before renovating helped us to better understand the inherent potential and to allow solutions to show themselves right before our eyes."
When you are looking to buy in the Metro West Boston Area, consider the practicality of small. Whether it is a 355 sq foot condo in Cambridge or a 926 sq ft house in Arlington, you may find that with some creative thinking …smaller is smarter! And download our "Buyer Kit" for the info you need to start you on your way to homeownership.
Karen Lilley, principal
Avenue 3 Real Estate
I’m ready to pack it up and move into a condo in a Boston location today. I’m blaming my unhappiness with our current living situation on the miserable winter we had which resulted in many hours of shoveling, car relocation and feeling house bound, etc. etc. so now I dream of city living. I want to just walk out of my building with no responsibility, food shop one bag at a time, sip coffee at the local Starbucks, know the vendors at the hardware store and chat it up with the local restaurant owners.
So I asked myself the same questions I would ask a Buyer/Client in our 1st conversation and came up with my answers to the 3 most important things I feel I must have in a new home:
1. 3 bedrooms (at least).
2. Decent storage
3. Garage parking.
With these criteria in mind, I ran a search on our site Boston/condos and came up with 14 possibilities. Unfortunately, with an average listing price of $2,000,000, that’s not going to work for me (I did mention I am a practical dreamer, right :)). So, back to the drawing board to re-vamp my priorities with more realistic parameters and search again.
This time I started by at looking at all the Boston, MA 
condos for sale in all Boston neighborhoods, like Brighton, Charlestown, East Boston, West Roxbury to name a few. I filter my list with the community pages on the Avenue 3 site for a snap shot view of these locations and then another property search with my new criteria. With a little tweaking here and there I’m somewhat confident that I’ll eventually find “my dream condo!"
Looking to buy your dream home? Start here by downloading our “Better Buyer Kit” and email us at: info@avenue3re.com. We’re here to assist you in putting together your “dream home” criteria and help you make it a reality!
Lois Ardito, principal, Avenue 3 Real Estate
Yesterday I was cruising the aisles of the local "Christmas Tree Shop" in Somerville, MA. My shopping cart came to a complete halt when I found this delectable package of giant marshmallows! Our Kidlets love to toast marshmallows over a blazing fire in or fireplace ( with us closely hovering) but soon (at least I hope) it will become too warm for this fun pastime. After a few more fires, it will be time for us to clean out the fireplace and get it ready for next Fall.
Early spring is a good time of year to call a Chimney Sweep. Most of us wait until the Fall or the approaching holiday season to do this as it seems more appropriate. In most cases, you'll find that a chimney cleaning company has lower rates in the spring as less folks are thinking about their fireplaces and so it is easier to schedule an appointment to fit your schedule. If you have a home or condo for sale it's always a good idea to have the fireplace inspected and cleaned out before putting your property on the market.
If you decide, however, to tackle this task on your own, here are some very good tips on how to maintain your fireplace from HGTV.com.
Fireplace Maintenance and Safety/ Tend to your chimney with care with these pointers:
• Fireplaces should not be used as furnaces. Use a fireplace for a short-duration fire — no longer than five hours.
• Keep the glass open to allow air to be drawn up to cool the chimney, but keep the screen closed to prevent sparks from jumping onto the carpeting.
• Never leave a fire unattended when children are in the house. Adults, even if near, should not allow children to play near or with fire tools and equipment.
• Open a window when using the fireplace to prevent the room from becoming smoky. The air coming in from the window will go up the chimney.
• Before making a fire, open the glass doors, pull aside the screen curtains, and place the kindling, newspaper and logs inside. Next, open the damper and a window. The window needs to be open only a few inches. You can check to make sure the smoke will go up the chimney properly by lighting a match, quickly blowing it out and watching the smoke to see whether it's going up and out.
• Keep a nonflammable rug (available at fireplace-supply stores) in front of the fireplace so that sparks won't melt or otherwise damage your carpeting.
• Use fireplace tools to handle burning logs. Never use your hands.
• Use a chimney cap to prevent water damage, to keep animals from nesting and to keep debris from blocking the chimney and causing carbon monoxide to flow into the house. Use a spark arrester to help prevent sparks from flying out, which could start a fire on the roof or grass.
• Glass doors may produce tough stains from flames and heat. To clean them, make sure the glass doors are cool and then scrape off any thick gunk deposits with a razor blade. Add a squirt of liquid dishwashing detergent to a bucket of warm water, or add a cup of vinegar to a gallon of water. Spray or sponge the cleaner on, and then wipe it away with newspaper (which is lint-free). Another option is to buy glass cleaner at a fireplace store.
• Fireplace coals can remain hot enough to start a fire up to three days, so always wait at least that long before removing the ashes. At that point, open the damper so that the airborne ash will be drawn up the chimney instead of into the room. Be sure to wear a dust mask and open a window in the same room as the fireplace to prevent negative air pressure. Use a shovel to scoop the ashes into a metal container. Store the container far from combustibles, combustible surfaces and wood floors.
• Never use a vacuum to clean up ashes, because live coals may remain in those ashes.
• Have a certified chimney sweep inspect and clean the chimney when necessary. Have him show you how to check it yourself, too. The chimney should be checked at least once a year or after about 80 fires.
• Shine brass fireplace utensils with Worcestershire sauce and a toothbrush.
• Clean the firebox (the area where the logs burn) at least once a week during the months you use it, when ash builds up. Leave about an inch of ash because it acts as insulation, allowing the coals to heat faster and retain the heat easier. Keep the firebox completely clean during the months when the fireplace is not in use.
• To clean an exterior slate hearth, wash, dry and coat it with lemon oil every six weeks to make it shine. For cleaning exterior brick hearths, buy a brick cleaner at a fireplace shop.
Always lots to think about when your thinking of selling your property, download Avenue 3's Smarter Seller Kit for some great tips and information to help to make the process a successful one!