Top Five Things to do to get that home sold:

1. Curb appeal: What kind of first impression does your home make? Neat lawn, door wreath, freshly painted front door? I have seen buyers turned off of homes on their list just because of the impression that they got as we drove up.

2. Get rid of the clutter! De-personalize! Box it up and store it – it isn’t expensive, and the more you can stow away, the more your home will be seen for what it truly is.  Your home is already great for you – the goal is to get the buyers in there feeling like it could be THEIR home, and the fewer personal things you have in your home, the better as far as helping along a sale.

3. Smell – it is amazing how evocative scent can be. I have seen buyers completely warm up to a place that smelled like vanilla (from a candle) that had (store-bought) cookies on a plate. Smells can bring us back to the best times of our lives (and the worst, for that matter).

From Realtor.com:

Place open boxes of baking soda in smell-prone areas, and refrain from cooking fish or strong-smelling foods. Introduce pleasing smells by placing flowers or potpourri in your home and using air fresheners. Baking a fresh or frozen pie or some other fragrant treat is another common tactic.

4. Necessary repairs: Take care of the things that you are pretty sure will come up in home inspection. Most likely, these things will be found, and will translate into a reduction in the price offered at Purchase and Sale in Massachusetts. Any cosmetic issues that can be fixed – should be fixed. Unless you are in a market that is flying, buyers want to move into a home that is walk-in ready. “Sweat-equity” is not the buzz phrase it used to be.

5. Get your home ready as if you were having a showing, then ask a friend or two over to see it. You know the Friend I mean. The one who is the natural Mother-In-Law. The one who is not familiar with the saying, “Sparing your feelings.” The one who would never think twice about telling you that your haircut makes you look like Sting, or those jeans really DO make you look fat. He or she will not be as critical as the buyers that you have walking through your door.

Keep in mind that all of the staging in the world will not overcome the sin of an overpriced house. Contact me today for information that will help you price your home in Massachusetts.

Related Article: Staging to Sell

MLS info, arranged according to price. Listing agent info included. If you would like a list of open houses in the area of Massachusetts that you are interested in, please feel free to contact me.

Single Family Listings MLS#: 71112336 Status: ACT DOM: 4 List Price: $257,500 20 Peabody Road ,  Shirley, MA Description: 8 room, 3 bed, 2 bath Multi-Level Remarks: Wonderful setting for this spacious home w/flexible floor plan. Gorgeous curved walkway & stone steps greet you as you approach. Enter to find a unique floor plan, hardwoods, oversized family room & much more. If you like to entertain, this is the home for you! There’s so much living space here & so many different ways to use it, let your imagination run wild! Enjoy cookouts by the inground pool & use the pool shed as a serving area for food & beverages. Wonderfully large yard offers privacy. Directions: West Main Street to Ayer Road to Peabody Road List Office: Keller Williams Realty Westborough  (508) 871-7141 List Agent: Colleen Crowley  (774) 275-0720 Open House - Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Comments: New to market! Stop in to see this wonderfully spacious 3BR, 2BA home with a great floor plan and amazing entertaining space. Showings begin at the open house. MLS#: 71020294 Status: ACT DOM: 188 List Price: $295,000 8 Brown Rd ,  Shirley, MA Description: 6 room, 3 bed, 2 bath Ranch Remarks: SEE PICTURES. Finishing construction & ready in 30 days. Both interior & exterior remodeled. Lndscapng is next. A, 1766sf ranch w/a 9′ ceiling, 22×21 Great Room, off the Kit & Dining Rm. Tastefully done Kit & Baths w maple stained Cbntry, S.S.Appl, Tile & Corian. Lots of Hrdw & Tile Flrs. Walls in muted shades adds a bit of class. Ideal yrd & deck for games & Barbeques. Gar with workshop space. Plus a 528sf. 3 Rm studded/insulated bsmnt w new bath, ready for you to finish. AKA Man Cave / Play Rm Directions: Center Road to Brown Road List Office: Keller Williams Realty North Central  (978) 840-9000 Ext. 11 List Agent: Daniel M. Loring  (978) 289-0500 Open House - Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM MLS#: 71040049 Status: ACT DOM: 145 List Price: $319,900 Lot 23C Brandywine Lane ,  Shirley, MA Description: 7 room, 3 bed, 2.5 bath Colonial Remarks: We’re starting this home soon! 11 homes total, walk to elementary school, Village Center & Commuter “T”! Great opportunity to have a new home built at an affordable price. This plan offers 1st floor family room or the option for a 1st floor master suite! Now is the time to take advantage of terrific prices – great rates.. Enjoy HW floors on most of the 1st floor, granite counter tops in the kitchen and more! Other lots and plans to select from. Directions: Lancaster Rd to Royal Blvd to Windsor to Brandywine List Office: William Raveis R.E. & Home Services (978) 692-1168 List Agent: The Knox Real Estate Team (978) 852-9480 Team Member: Kathleen Knox  (978) 852-9480 Open House - Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM MLS#: 71086932 Status: ACT DOM: 60 List Price: $329,900 Lot 16 Brandywine ,  Shirley, MA Description: 7 room, 3 bed, 1.5 bath Colonial Remarks: Ready to start this new Colonial home on a cul de sac in Apple Orchard Estates! HW, Granite, large famrm and walk out basement some of the bonuses. Plenty of time to customize this pretty colonial offering an inviting front porch for you to enjoy. Easy commuter location just minutes to Rte 2 or the Commuter Rail. Just make your selections and start packing! 110 home subdivision. Other plans and lots available. A great opportunity to get in to a NEW home at an AFFORDABLE price! Directions: Lancaster Rd to Windsor Rd to Brandywine List Office: William Raveis R.E. & Home Services (978) 692-1168 List Agent: The Knox Real Estate Team (978) 852-9480 Team Member: Kathleen Knox  (978) 852-9480 Open House - Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM MLS#: 71023651 Status: ACT DOM: 177 List Price: $339,900 Lot 5, 26 Lakeview Drive ,  Shirley, MA Description: 5 room, 3 bed, 2.5 bath Colonial Remarks: Water view home. You can see Lake Shirley from the bedroom window. 5 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bath 2 car garage attached colonial on a nice flat level lot. The development is surrounded by trees and close to Lake Shirley. 2.8 miles to Route 2 and 1 mile to the commuter rail to Boston. Directions: Front Street to Leominster Road to CATACUNEMAUG RD to Lakeview Drive List Office: Keller Williams Realty North Central  (978) 840-9000 Ext. 11 List Agent: Daniel M. Loring  (978) 289-0500 Open House - Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM MLS#: 71039563 Status: ACT DOM: 146 List Price: $359,900 Lot 15, 6 Lakeview Drive ,  Shirley, MA Description: 7 room, 3 bed, 2.5 bath Colonial Remarks: 7 Rooms, 3 Bedrooms, 2 1/2 Baths, 2 Car Under colonial. Large 16X21 family room with a fireplace. 12X12 deck off of the breakfast area. Extras-Granite Kitchen Counters,Hardwood Stairway,Tiled Baths,Gas Fireplace,2 Zone Heat/AC. The development is surrounded by trees and close to Lake Shirley. 2.8 miles to Route 2 and 1 mile to the commuter rail to Boston. Directions: Front Street to Leominster Road to CATACUNEMAUG RD to Lakeview Drive List Office: Keller Williams Realty North Central  (978) 840-9000 Ext. 11 List Agent: Daniel M. Loring  (978) 289-0500 Open House - Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM MLS#: 71023638 Status: ACT DOM: 170 List Price: $359,900 Lot 18, 29 Lakeview Drive ,  Shirley, MA Description: 7 room, 3 bed, 2.5 bath Colonial Remarks: 7 Rooms, 3 Bedrooms, 2 1/2 Baths, 2 Car Under colonial. Large 16X21 family room with a fireplace. 12X12 deck off of the breakfast area. Extras-Granite Kitchen Counters,Hardwood Stairway,Tiled Baths,Gas Fireplace,1 Zone Heat/AC. Beatifully appointed front entrance with cultured style stone. The development is surrounded by trees and close to Lake Shirley. 2.8 miles to Route 2 and 1 mile to the commuter rail to Boston. Directions: Front Street to Leominster Road to CATACUNEMAUG RD to Lakeview Drive List Office: Keller Williams Realty North Central  (978) 840-9000 Ext. 11 List Agent: Daniel M. Loring  (978) 289-0500 Open House - Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM MLS#: 70998812 Status: ACT DOM: 261 List Price: $359,900 Lot 23 Brandywine Lane ,  Shirley, MA Description: 8 room, 4 bed, 2.5 bath Colonial Remarks: WOW! Ready to start this new home. A beautiful colonial home in a great new neighborhood setting. 110 homes total – many plans to choose from – some w/ 1st flr master suites. Starting at $319,900! Cul-de-sac setting for this lot – look at the HW flrs – ceramic tile – Granite counters in your kitchen – no upgrades needed here! Just pick your lot & let us get started on your new home! Fmrm opens to lrg kitchen w/ sliders to deck. Enjoy the front porch. Directions: Lancaster Rd to Royal Blvd to Windsor to Brandywine List Office: William Raveis R.E. & Home Services (978) 692-1168 List Agent: The Knox Real Estate Team (978) 852-9480 Team Member: Kathleen Knox  (978) 852-9480 Open House - Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM MLS#: 71101743 Status: ACT DOM: 29 List Price: $369,900 2 Nehemiah Rd ,  Shirley, MA Description: 7 room, 4 bed, 2.5 bath Colonial Remarks: My, oh my. . . what a house! Gleaming wood floors, beautifully designed kitchen with a pantry closet and gas cooking! Granite counters and a floating floor made of granite and stone composite. 4 year old Bosch appliances, maple cabinets. Dining room overlooking the huge deck and the wooded back yard. A “neighborhood” of small cul de sacs. Master bedroom has 2 mini walk in closets, oversized shower stall in master bath. Finished play room in the basement level. Walk to Squannacook River! Directions: Squannacook Rd., to Caleb Rd., to Nehemiah List Office: Keystone Properties  (978) 425-9772 Ext. 11 List Agent: Jackie Esielionis  (978) 257-0123 Open House - Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM Comments: My, oh my. . . what a house! Gleaming wood floors, beautifully designed kitchen with a pantry closet and gas cooking! Granite counters and a floating floor made of granite and stone composite. 4 year old Bosch appliances, maple cabinets. Dining room overlooking the huge deck and the wooded back yard. A “neighborhood” of small cul de sacs. Master bedroom has 2 mini walk in closets, oversized shower stall in master bath. Finished play room in the basement level. Walk to Squannacook River! MLS#: 70940915 Status: ACT DOM: 390 List Price: $369,900 Lot 19, 27 Lakeview Drive ,  Shirley, MA Description: 8 room, 4 bed, 2.5 bath Colonial Remarks: WE CAN DELIVER FOR JUNE 30TH. 8 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, 2 car garage attached colonial on a nice flat level lot. Private deck area. Extras-Granite Kitchen Counters,Hardwood Stairway,Tiled Baths,Gas Fireplace, The development is surrounded by trees and close to Lake Shirley. 2.8 miles to Route 2 and 1 mile to the commuter rail to Boston. Directions: Front Street to Leominster Road to CATACUNEMAUG RD to Lakeview Drive List Office: Keller Williams Realty North Central  (978) 840-9000 Ext. 11 List Agent: Daniel M. Loring  (978) 289-0500 Open House - Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM MLS#: 71009449 Status: ACT DOM: 227 List Price: $389,900 Lot 15 Brandywine ,  Shirley, MA Description: 8 room, 4 bed, 2.5 bath Colonial Remarks: Getting ready to start this new home. Wait til you see the mstr suite. Huge prvt suite over 2 car garage offers 2 walk-in closets, master bath w/deep soaking tub & shower – your own retreat! The kitchen has custom cabs,granite counters, large dining area & opens to a front – back family room. Relax on the front porch or grill w/ neighbors or friends on back deck! GREAT functional plan offers lots of space for your enjoyment. Other lots & plans available Directions: Lancaster Rd to Royal to Windsor to Nonesuch Way List Office: William Raveis R.E. & Home Services (978) 692-1168 List Agent: The Knox Real Estate Team (978) 852-9480 Team Member: Kathleen Knox  (978) 852-9480 Open House - Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM MLS#: 71051749 Status: ACT DOM: 124 List Price: $499,900 Lot 28, 9 Lakeview Drive ,  Shirley, MA Description: 10 room, 4 bed, 2.5 bath Colonial Remarks: Shirley’s newest affordable new construction development. Expansive 3068 square foot colonial home with 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bath, 2 car front entry garage colonial on a nice flat level lot. Hardwood, tile, central air conditioning. First floor office. This development is surrounded by trees and close to Lake Shirley. 2.8 miles to Route 2 and 1 mile to the commuter rail to Boston. Directions: Front Street to Leominster Road to CATACUNEMAUG RD to Lakeview Drive List Office: Keller Williams Realty North Central  (978) 840-9000 Ext. 11 List Agent: Daniel M. Loring  (978) 289-0500 Open House - Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Condominium Listings MLS#: 71047933 Status: ACT DOM: 131 List Price: $139,900 35 Hazen Road U: F-5,  Shirley, MA Description: 6 room, 2 bed, 1.5 bath Townhouse Remarks: This beautiful complex in its natural wooded setting, overlooks stone walls and a natural pond. Peaceful and quiet, yet close to major routes. Two bedrooms and a third floor ready for an office or bonus room of your choice and a coach house garage. Directions: Hazen Road to #35, small sign says Private way, then take 1st right. List Office: Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage – Groton  (978) 448-2311 Ext. 303 List Agent: Audrey Bryce  (978) 272-1172 Open House - Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Links to open houses today Sunday July 25 in Leominster and Fitchburg (click on the image to see the article):

Leominster MA

Fitchburg MA

Why is it that you are completely compelled to watch some things, even if they have no relevance to your real life?
If I had to make a list of things that are relevant to me it would probably be this:

Motherstuff Real estate Writing Friendships Marketing Social Media

Cows and their various permutations aren’t anywhere on the list, yet I couldn’t stop looking at this video. I think it has something to do with the element of the unexpected – of wondering what was coming next.

Maybe there is a parallel between this video and real estate, but I can’t come up with one right now ;)

I have always hated my last name.

My maiden name was Sonia. Hard to spell, and when people would ask me my name, they would inevitably ask afterwards, “Yes, but what is your LAST name?”

Then came Guercio. Spell-checks everywhere don’t believe the word exists. No one can write it or even come close to pronouncing it. I mean, if you search “Diane Guerico” you still find me. The marriage was definitely a branding error.

I just want people to be able to FIND me! You can’t look up someone’s phone number or company if you can’t find their name. I spend a lot of time online creating a presence and marketing property and I need to know that people can find me, my listings and my company. That’s all, because today if you Google someone to find their phone number and come up empty, it means the same thing as missing a meeting 15 years ago.

I would like to change my last name to www-house-for-sale because then it would be really easy to locate me. Or Diane Real-Estate. Something that will tie the brand and me together, without an unspellable add-on at the end. Maybe Diane Holmes?

At any rate, I made a little video from a joint Youtube-Google venture. It made a funny video, and I realize that I am out there enough so that I can be found. You can even find me if you Google “It’s easy to find Diane.”

My Sunday Open House 7/25 from 1-3!!

2 Bedroom Condo with Upgrades!

Originally published in Towne & Country, Realtors

Come check out this beautiful unit at 41 Belgian Way Fitchburg and compare it with the others offered. Move- in condition; one of the larger units.

Please note – if you are using GPS or Google Maps you may have to search the cross street Rollstone Road Fitchburg; Belgian Way is not always mapped.

Overview Maps Photos Features Description Slideshow Video Neighborhood Open House

$208,500 Condominium For Sale Main Features 2 Bedrooms 1 Bathroom 1 Partial Bathroom 1 Unit Interior: 1763 sqft Location 41 Belgian Way U:41 Fitchburg, MA 01420 To get updates on open home dates and other property events, please click the “Like” button below:

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Gerald Bourgeois Towne & Country, Realtors (978) 537-6401 gerry@realtyman.com http://www.towneandcountryrealtors.com Listed by: Gerry Bourgeois

See more Fitchburg, MA real estate for sale

Commuter location! One of the larger condo units at Bridle Cross Estates, Fitchburg MA, located at 41 Belgian Way U:41. 2 Bedrooms, bathroom to die for!, nice kitchen design open to living area. Huge unfinished walk-out basement. Gorgeous neutral colors- move right in!

WHO: Residents, advocates, families, and anyone that is a survivor of domestic violence and their allies.

WHAT: Vigil and march in honor of Sarin Chan who’s life was lost due to a domestic violence situation.

WHEN: March: Tuesday, July 20 march, 7pm-9pm

WHERE: March will begin at the 105 Plymouth St., go to Clarendon St., through Fairmount St., Daniels St. and will end at the Community Peace Garden.

You can read my post here.

Here is a quick real estate market snapshot for the Ayer-Shirley MA market, data crunched from Trendgraphix.

The first graph shows the number of listings on the market, compared with the pendings and homes sold ending with June 2010:

Single Family Residences

The second graph shows the same statistics run for the condominium market in Ayer and Shirley:

Condominiums

There is 6.9 months on inventory on the market for single family residences (houses), and 5.7 months of condo inventory.

You can compare this with June 2005

Single Family Residences 2005

where there were nearly the same number of homes on the market as now, but there was more sales activity. There was 5 months of inventory at that point, meaning that if no other homes were to come onto the market, it would take about 5 months to sell what is already there. The more months of inventory, the more of a buyer’s market it is.

Even within zip codes, there are micro-markets. Some properties are selling faster than others. All need to be priced well and decluttered (staged if necessary) to sell quickly in this market. If you are wondering what the market looks like for your home, shoot me an email or contact me here:
[contact-form]

Good intentions...

I used to love working with investors. The ones that I worked with weren’t usually the larger investors; they were the ones who bought a property or two a year in tough real estate times, fixed them up, rented them, and in this way accumulated a tidy portfolio over years.

These atypical buyers had not set out to make a killing. They kept their eyes open and purchased good deals. For the most part, they had their ducks in a row when they found what they were looking for and were able to act quickly. They had either bank approval for loans against property that they already owned, or they had letters stating enough net worth to purchase so when they found that property, they were ready to make an offer.

In contrast, I can remember working with investors who had backing and were charging out into the market ready to make some fast cash. They found a likely property (actually a great investment in an area where property values had not dropped like they had in some areas). But because they were afraid of risk, it took them nearly two weeks from the time that they viewed the property to the time that they requested that I put the offer in.

And they lost it without even the chance to negotiate.

I had shown another property that I had listed – a bank-owned in a neighborhood where surrounding property values were much higher – to two sets of buyers. One buyer wanted me to provide him with information that I didn’t have about the septic system since it was a bank-owned property, and emailed me every week asking if I had any offers on the property. The second set factored in replacement of the septic system when they made the offer. They purchased the property, put maybe $30,000 into it, and flipped it in two months at a nice profit. I know this because they called me later asking if I had any other listings similar to that one.

If you think that a property is a good value, and your agent confirms it by running the numbers, chances are that someone else – or 5 someone elses – think the same thing. The bottom line is that if you don’t act quickly or as quickly as prudently possible you are going to lose the property.

How can you be ready? After you look at the information that you get via email or online and decide that you want to see the property, bring along the person who is going to do the work for you to give you a ballpark figure for work required from which to base your offer. Do as much legwork up front so that you can make a fast informed offer. Don’t stop looking for properties while your offer is being crafted and presented – this offer may not come together and you need to keep the momentum in place. Be prepared to present your offer with a prequal for mortgage, or proof of funds on bank letterhead. Keep in mind that it is more difficult to go FHA on many properties in lower price ranges because of the condition at time of sale.

Investing is about numbers – either they work or they don’t and that is what you base your decision to purchase on. Emotion should not factor into it. And remember that thinking about buying a property is different from actually investing in the property – you work for one, and the other works for you.

Open house today (Sunday July 18) from 1-3. This is one of my favorite places to hold an open – the beautiful 2 bedroom condo has obviously been lovingly maintained and decorated, and it is full of upgrades.

See a quick video of it here, then stop by and check it out in person! Rollstone Road Fitchburg to Bridle Cross Estates.

A listing slideshow with our homes and condos for sale in Central MA.

Suitable for inserting into a widget for YOUR blog.

Time to walk?

Recently, my friend Jay Thompson removed his posts from ActiveRain. Since I respect him and try to follow (about a mile behind because I can’t keep up) in his footsteps, I read his reasons for this pretty carefully.

I have had mixed feelings about ActiveRain too. For me, it was the first place I blogged about real estate (I had personal blogs elsewhere). I felt – and feel – a sense of community there. I am no heavy hitter; I contribute – in fits and starts – when I have something to say and when I remember to. Being grandfathered in and seeing reminders about refreshing content lit little fires under my feet to continue to contribute to the community. One post I had written a couple of years ago about fireworks in Massachusetts, when updated, continued to be a traffic driver to the company blog (and drew traffic in its small way to ActiveRain).

Then a friend asked me to help move her posts from ActiveRain to Posterous. I tried repeatedly to do this, but was stuck at being able to only import the first 10 posts. I asked for help and this was the result:

****************************************************************************

Changes to limit what people can export from their own blogs?  What gives? Is this a mistake?

Maybe it comes back to this business-personal thing. We have all met each other, we speak and share, we feel like friends. Then this pesky business stuff changes the deal. I think, particularly for real estate professionals, the boundaries between business and personal are so blurred that they seem non-existent.

As Michael Corleone said in the Godfather, “”Tom, don’t let anyone kid you. It’s all personal, every bit of business. Every piece of sh*t every man has to eat every day of his life is personal. They call it business. OK. But it’s personal as hell.”  (thanks to Hubspot for providing the quote I was looking for)

It’s all personal.

Follow-up from Brad Andersohn (on Agent Genius):

Brad Andersohn

July 9,  2010 at 4:45 pm     Joe – we have no way of limiting importing posts to posterous or any other site for that matter. Our export feature is in an xml format and includes all posts written by a member on our network. Any limitation to the import process you mention would be controlled by the site you are importing to. Just fyi… 

Follow-up from Posterous:

Rich Pearson just commented on the post “Now’s the perfect time to move up from Active Rain to Posterous ” on The Official Posterous Posterous:

Sorry – I was given some inaccurate information. It looks like this was a problem on our end. It should be completely fixed in the next 20 minutes.

I remember when people first started saying, “It’s not the heat; it’s the humidity.

No. It’s not the heat OR the humidity – it was hearing that phrase over and over.

I come from the generation that coined the term “postal.” We parented the generation that itself spawned urbandictionary. Sound bites calm us and delineate our lives. We could tell the history of the past 30 years by the sound bites associated with the time.

In the New England spirit of complaining about the weather, here are some “heat” quotes:

Deal with the Devil if the Devil has a constituency – and don’t complain about the heat.
C. J. Cherryh

I don’t always wear underwear. When I’m in the heat, especially, I can’t wear it. Like, if I’m wearing a flower dress, why do I have to wear underwear?
Naomi Campbell  [Like, I know, right?]

I’m cautious about using fire. It can become theatrical. I am interested in the heat, not the flames.
Andy Goldsworthy

The good Lord made us all out of iron. Then he turns up the heat to forge some of us into steel.
Marie Osmond

Words can sometimes be used to confuse, but it’s up to the practitioners of the study of language to apply them for good and not for evil. It is just like fire; fire can heat your house or burn it down.
Frank Luntz

I’m very excited about my new agreement with the Heat. This contract allows me to address all of my family’s long-term financial goals while allowing the Heat the ability to acquire those players that we need to win a championship.
Shaquille O’Neal  [Long-term financial goals??!?]

Nothing splendid was ever created in cold blood. Heat is required to forge anything. Every great accomplishment is the story of a flaming heart.
Arnold H. Glasgow

It ain’t the heat, it’s the humility.
Yogi Berra

And one “Cold” quote:

A career is wonderful, but you can’t curl up with it on a cold night.
Marilyn Monroe

Quotes come from one of my favorite places to hang out: BrainyQuote. What are your favorite quotes?

It’s Easy To Find Diane.

Know someone without air conditioning?  Pick them up and hang out for a couple of hours at the local library, Barnes & Noble or Borders. Libraries in our area: Fitchburg, Leominster, Shirley, Lunenburg, Ayer – links with hours and programs. The Ayer library has passes to Davis Farmland - see link.

Get Ice Cream - Visiting New England has posted a top 10 list, but all ice cream is cold, and that’s what you want.

Local beaches and pools: here is a State list of pools, with links to beaches and ponds on the upper right hand side. Local to us (and some of our favorites) are Leominster State Forest, Willard Brook, The Town of Shirley pool at Benjamin Hill, and Mirror Lake. The last thing I want on a hot day is a long trip to the beach in traffic, whether or not the car is air conditioned. Use plenty of sunscreen, and bring along a large thermos of iced water with lemon slices.

And from the mass.gov site:

During an Extreme Heat Emergency

• Slow down, avoid strenuous activity.   Do not try to do too much on a hot day.
• Wear lightweight, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing.   Light colors will reflect heat and sunlight and help maintain normal body temperature. Protect your face with a wide-brimmed hat.
• Drink plenty of water regularly and often, even if you do not feel thirsty.

• Limit intake of alcoholic beverages.   They can actually dehydrate your body.
• Eat well-balanced, light, regular meals.   Avoid high protein foods that increase metabolic heat.
• Stay indoors as much as possible.
• If you do not have air conditioning, stay on your lowest floor, out of the sun.   Electric fans do not cool the air, but they do help evaporate sweat, which cools your body. Go to a place where you can get relief from the heat, such as air conditioned schools, libraries, theaters and other community facilities that may offer refuge during the warmest times of the day.
• Avoid too much sunshine.   Sunburn slows the skin’s ability to cool itself.  If you are outside, use sunscreen lotion with a high SPF (Sun Protection Factor) rating.
• Never leave children or pets alone in a closed vehicle.
• Check on family, friends and neighbors.

It’s Easy To Find Diane.

Yesterday was July 4. Most of the fireworks around here happened on July 3, but there were still bangs and whistles from (illegal in Massachusetts) fireworks in the area.

One of our dogs has a phobia about thunder and lightning, and can’t tell that fireworks are a man-made phenomenon. He has been a basket case these past few days.

Celebrating Independence is always a loud thing, it seems to me. Whether it’s of the “Come the revolution” type, or liberation of the more personal variety, shouting, fanfare, and fireworks are the noise that comes out of the card that states “I am celebrating my freedom” on the front.

What is interesting to me is that for most of us, independence is a condition we search for on the surface, but it is not comfortable for us. We are better suited to a life of interdependence, and it is what we seek out.

Interdependence is really Independence Together. It is exactly what the founding fathers found in each other (and likely what the founding mothers bitched about, as they were left to clean, cook and tend children). As Thomas Jefferson said, “But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine.” We – all of us – tend to gravitate towards those like us – not exactly, but close enough that we can grow ideas together, bear each other’s burdens, and share each other’s triumphs.

True now, as we see the proliferation of social networks and social sorting, and true in the 1700s, where communities were built on philosophical premises that tended to presort the people who would live there. People are natural neighborhood builders, whether it is hanging out on a Facebook page when you have a spare minute or fomenting revolution over a beer or two at the Green Dragon Tavern.

So I guess I will wish you Happy Interdependence Day. None of us does it alone, and I celebrate the strong friendships that rise from the ashes of revolution, whether this reolution be personal or public. When you catch up with me on Facebook or run into me in a Boston pub, let’s plan on sharing ideas, let’s share stories – and if we are face-to-face, let’s share a beer or two.

Because one person can’t be a revolution.

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It’s Easy To Find Diane.

I spend a good part of my life pulling myself up by my bootstraps, figuratively speaking. Some rare people seem to be able to lift their own spirits, but I am not one of them. I find that I need positive people and ideas around me.

We are all on the same road. I know that I get too hung up on what is going on at my feet – the bumps and pebbles – and I don’t focus on what’s going on around me and the road ahead of me enough. Like John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans.”  This is it!

Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street.
Zig Ziglar

It is best to act with confidence, no matter how little right you have to it.
Lillian Hellman

Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not one has better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one’s ideas, to take a calculated risk – and to act.
Andre Malraux

All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.
Earl Nightingale

The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were.
John F. Kennedy

The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.
Lily Tomlin

Think off-center.
George Carlin

The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.
Mark Twain

It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.
Warren Buffett

People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.
Zig Ziglar

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It is summer vacation, but for some of the parents of college-age young adults, it is number-crunching time.

Many savvy parents are purchasing investment property near college campuses in lieu of spending a near-equivalent amount on room and board. In our area,  there are at least 14 local colleges in Lowell, Worcester and Fitchburg. Investing can make sense on several levels.

HGTV’s Front Door points out possible benefits of a home or condo purchase for your college student:

Stability. The student won’t need to look for a different apartment to live in each year. In addition, you can pick the lifestyle that will help your student succeed in school by choosing the location and the quality of housing that best fits their needs.

Fixed housing expenses. In the past, apartment rents in Boulder have typically increased on an annual basis. By purchasing a property with a fixed rate mortgage, your student’s housing expense will be fixed. In addition, you won’t have to deal with paying security deposits or going through the hassle of getting the deposit back.

Storage space. Having a single place to live in that you own means your student will not have to worry about storing furniture over the summer break.

Life lessons. By purchasing a home for your student, you’ll be providing him/her an excellent learning experience. Your student will not only learn about the process of investing in real estate, but will also learn about the responsibilities that go along with property ownership.

Financial benefits. Potential financial benefits include possible appreciation in value, possible tax benefits, and debt reduction on an amortized loan which increases equity build-up.

The authors of this post had actually “walked the walk” – they had purchased condos in Boulder for each of their two college-aged students.

If you are thinking of going this route, it is important to do your homework. Anthony Seruga in eZine suggests:

From the perspective of a real estate investor, there’s a lot to commend this as an investment opportunity, even on the small scale, just buying a condominium for your college age student to sell when they graduate. First, housing demand in college towns is inflexible. It doesn’t wax and wane with the job market, local industries, or nearly anything else. Second, it’s a market where rent increases are expected nearly annually, so you can keep a solid cash flow going. Third, with a bit of scouting around, you can find the markets that give a near constant occupancy rate. That scouting is called searching out the “bed to student” ratio.

The cost of the mortgage of the property will probably not be much more than the cost of room and board at the school, but – just like in any typical home-ownership – you need to factor in other expenses to make sure that this type of property investment works in your particular situation. Run your numbers by a trusted Realtor.

And there are benefits to this investment arrangement that are not typically considered. According to an article in MSN Real Estate:

One additional bonus: That campus crib might keep the kids from “boomeranging” back home, as nearly half of this year’s college graduates plan to do, according to a survey by online career resource MonsterTrak.

My daughter is in her last year of school in Boston, and looking at what I spent in room and board, it probably would have made sense to invest in the area.

I went back and looked around my Massachusetts home. I am literally sitting on a gold mine.

It is incredible. When you are living in it, you don’t see what’s around you. I used to know (read: be mentored by) a broker who would prep potential seller clients by telephone before she even saw the home. She would say, “Are you prepared to declutter and do small repairs around your home, or are you going to sell it as-is, with a corresponding reduction in price?” She would tell the sellers that she knew they wouldn’t like her while their home was being sold, but they would love her afterward. She even would take the children aside and tell them that she would pay them $100 each at closing if they would pick up their rooms and keep them that way. She said it was the best investment she could make in helping to get a property sold.

Smart lady. I looked around my house, and while I am not selling right away, I am taking care of some projects that I have been putting off.

Paint: the living room was red; the rest of the rooms were dark. Very Early-Trading-Spaces. Off to Home Depot for a little paint (one can I picked up for $5 – only one, but it was enough to make the bathroom beautiful). Now the living room is a rich beige color, which will carry over to part of the dining area walls. I am also painting the trim white. Probably by the time I finish, I will spend about $200 on paint and brushes and stuff.

Tile backsplash: My kitchen is completely nondescript. It should be a happy, inviting place but it has a kind of bachelor-pad je ne sais quoi about it. The color should punch it up, and I have been reading about how to DIY a tile backsplash. The tile I’m looking at is similar to this:

Click on the picture to go to their site for DIY information. I am estimating that this will cost me about $150 unless I completely mess it up and have to call someone to fix it.

Kitchen flooring – needs replacement. We hadn’t even been there a year when it began wearing off in bits and shredding, and it looks really sad, now that we have been there 12 years. I think the cheapest route will cost about $300, although I love tile which would cost much more. But I can always go cheap and put the tile down later.

Get the carpets cleaned! - if you hunt around, this can be done for short money. The kids talked me into getting 2 dogs when they were little, and these puppies were ridiculously adorable when they were tiny.  I did not know that they were going to be huge when they grew up, and that they would consider their full time jobs to be a combination of barking and shedding. The carpets need attention.

I keep seeing the Stanley Steemer ads on TV and it looks like they would do 3 rooms for less than $200.

Bathroom-  Paint, a new light ($100), and matching accessories (toilet paper and cup holders, toothbrush holders about $50). Strip off the old wallpaper trim for an instant room heightener.

And I should get a dumpster. All of the kids are grown except one. So much stuff can go! This stuff isn’t even good stuff that can be recycled – it is stuff that no one in his right mind would want. So why do I have it?

When I finish I will post some “After” pictures. A picture really IS worth a thousand words – and a box of stuff is worth a thousand bucks- and here’s why in some links to some before-and-after staging projects.

Many types of rooms – before and after

From The Stagers

More rooms – the kitchen in slide 5 has my color choice for living room

Enjoy, get inspired, start painting and decluttering! The real point is, if you are selling in this market, these ideas will not only help you sell for the most money in the shortest period of time. They will help you sell… period. “Price gets you interest; staging gets you offers,” says Gary Keller:

Note: I do not agree with the advice for sellers to “Be There” – any other agents want to weigh in on this?

What, exactly, are you required to tell potential buyers about the property they may be interested in?

Anything that would affect the buyer’s decision to purchase or the price and terms the buyer offers needs to be disclosed. So if you have knowledge about a defect, it should be disclosed.

But what if someone died in the property? Or how about this- what if the home is haunted?
Interestingly enough, although disclosure of these characteristics is required in some states, that is not the case if your home is located in Massachusetts:

from the MGL site:

Section 114. The fact or suspicion that real property may be or is psychologically impacted shall not be deemed to be a material fact required to be disclosed in a real estate transaction. “Psychologically impacted” shall mean an impact being the result of facts or suspicions including, but not limited to, the following:

(a) that an occupant of real property is now or has been suspected to be infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus or with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or any other disease which reasonable medical evidence suggests to be highly unlikely to be transmitted through the occupying of a dwelling;

(b) that the real property was the site of a felony, suicide or homicide; and

(c) that the real property has been the site of an alleged parapsychological or supernatural phenomenon.

No cause of action shall arise or be maintained against a seller or lessor of real property or a real estate broker or salesman, by statute or at common law, for failure to disclose to a buyer or tenant that the real property is or was psychologically impacted.

If you live in California, you don’t have the same leeway – a death occurring within a 3 year window of the listing must be disclosed. And in New York, for example, you are required to tell possible buyers if a home is inhabited by ghosts.

Even though disclosure is not required in Massachusetts, if a buyer asks, you must tell the truth:

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this section shall not authorize a seller, lessor or real estate broker or salesman to make a misrepresentation of fact or false statement.

So… what about the buyers who WANT to buy a house with a little … um… history?

Here are a few supposedly haunted homes that are for sale. NOTE: for the sake of full disclosure, I have no first-hand knowledge about these properties ;).

Missouri: 6 bedrooms, several ghosts

Amityille: yes, this is the one. Listing info from Zillow

And here is a site that matches up haunted house buyer and sellers, and pairs them with a local knowledgeable real estate sales agent: Real Haunted House Listings . I didn’t see anything in Massachusetts there, but it wouldn’t bother me to show haunted houses!

If you want to just visit the ghosts on a temporary basis, here are some haunted Bed and Breakfasts in the Northeast.

And last but not least – here’s an article with staging advice for moving that haunted house of yours!

A predicted shift toward urban living is being reported by Realtor.com.

Over the next decade… four demographic groups will fuel the housing market. He said older baby boomers increasingly are moving back to the central city, while younger baby boomers are finding it more difficult to relocate for jobs because they cannot sell their suburban houses. Meanwhile, millennials are more environmentally aware and will seek urban lifestyles, and immigrants who cannot afford large suburban houses to shelter multiple generations will increase demand for rentals.

It’s funny, because I am personally trending in that direction. My daughter will be going to the North Central Charter Essential School in Fitchburg next year, and, frankly, I am tired of having to spend so much of my life on the road. Groceries? Add to the cost of food the half-hour it takes to get there, plus gas.  And that goes on all day.

When I was growing up, a child of farm lineage, listening to the pride in my mother’s voice when she described our home as the only one in a mile, besides my grandmother’s cow farm down the dirt road in front. My parents loved the isolation; I had no playmates until I started school in the first grade. Gas was about .30 a gallon. Really.

My parents may not always have been happy about it, but they were able to afford to live on just my father’s salary. There was no such thing as an “indoor cat” at that time in our area. And our grandparents and other relatives of that generation had lived in cities when they moved here from whatever country they had come from – Gardner, Fitchburg, even New York – and felt moving rural or suburban was moving up.

It is interesting that the grandchildren of this generation are initiating the urban movement. This generation – more connected than their grandparents could have imagined possible because of technology – are shrugging aside the technology of transportation in favor of the vitality of city life.

It will be interesting to watch the rebirth and revitalization of our urban centers as a new generation turns its eyes inward, to the city.

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Cost Of Living 1965

How Much things cost in 1965
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 1.59%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 969
Average Cost of new house $13,600.00
Average Income per year $6,450.00
Gas per Gallon 31 cents
Average Cost of a new car $2,650.00
Loaf of bread 21 cents
Average Rent per month $118,00

A home cost about two years’ of average income.

I like this kind of positive thinking.

The nature of life is such, I think, that if you live long enough you will experience both good and bad events. You can’t control all of the externals in your life – you may be able to moderate them, but you can’t control them. One thing you can control is your attitude – your reaction to the things life throws at you.

I am thinking that I need to get a mirror, and practice shouting to the world and myself how much I like what is around me, in spite of it not being perfect. I like my hair! I don’t know if my cup is half-empty or half-filled, but at least I have a cup! I like my cup!

And I love how this little girl likes her home. :)

Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.
Abraham Lincoln

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.
Norman Vincent Peale

It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.
Dale Carnegie

We deem those happy who from the experience of life have learnt to bear its ills without being overcome by them.
Carl Jung

My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you’ll be happy; if not, you’ll become a philosopher.
Socrates

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At Peter’s graduation from The Bromfield School Friday, there was the usual mix of speeches.  Some were typical, a couple were really good. They were all tinged with the hope and uncertainty that a new journey brings, and that is always what is exciting about graduation. Where will each of these young individuals be in ten years?

One of the great speeches that evening was made by the Bromfield School Principal, James O’Shea. One summer, he worked at a Popsicle plant sticking sticks into the Popsicles.

The interesting thing, he said, was that after a certain time of the day, the Popsicle plant transitioned over to producing store brand frozen pops. These generic pops were identical to the original in all but packaging. O’Shea was curious as to why people would spend more for the same thing, and he decided to ask.

He heard what you would expect: the flavor is better with the Popsicle brand; my kids won’t eat the other kind. The thing was – the two brands were identical. The only difference was in the customers’ perception.

Honestly? Perception is worth a lot. People given sugar tablets yet who believe that they are being given potent medicine will experience some percentage of a cure rate. If you believe before you try it that a popsicle in one type of wrapper is inherently better than another, it may very well taste different.

But if all things are truly equal, I hope I will chose substance over style. And I hope that my children will as well.

Congratulations, graduates!

Who decides what is cool and what is not?

My daughter, aged 11, has recently become obsessed with the Vlog Brothers. One of these brothers is an author, gearing books at children about my daughter’s age, maybe a little older. In addition to the YouTube channel which these brothers run- which has incredible calls-to-action, they have a Ning social site- very popular.

We went to the book store the other day, and, in addition to looking for and begging for John Green (one of the brothers’) books, she insisted on printing and bringing along these papers to slide into books such as Harry Potter and those written by Maureen Johnson:

She then actually put the papers into the books!

What better advertising is there, when a fan spreads the word for you?

On a community-wide level, it’s even better. Doing something to improve a community makes everyone happy. A fascinating summary about how little things affect crime rate can be found here.

It seems like magic that little things like trash and graffiti removal can make such a difference to a neighborhood. Fitchburg, MA is going to make a little magic on June 12 from 10-3 when they spearhead a community improvement project: SWIRL. Under the auspices of Neighborworks and the Twin Cities CDC, the community will work together to create painted plywood panels for boarding up vacant properties in the area. You can see the difference:

Come make a difference in the community!! We will be there helping out- come join us

I remember when I first started in real estate. I had seen a home that was For Sale By Owner in Massachusetts, tracked the owner down (who was now in California) and spoke with the wife for a while. We talked about older homes (which theirs was, and which I love), pricing, and marketing strategies, and the wife asked me to forward papers to them so that they could give me the listing.

The next day, the wife called me. She said that her husband had decided that they couldn’t afford to pay an agent and they were going to continue to have their nineteen year old continue to stay in the home and open it for potential buyers. Then she burst into tears and ended the call.

I wish I could say that I called her back. I wish I could say that her story had a happy ending. Short sales were very new and risky at the time. Today they are still a tedious process but they aren’t as iffy as they once were.  Today her story might have ended differently.

But what happened then was that I was contacted by the bank that held the mortgage to do a BPO (broker’s price opinion) for the property a short time later, which was later listed by the bank after the foreclosure.

Whenever I see a For Sale By Owner sign I think of this woman and our last conversation. I applaud any homeowners who want to go it alone without the assistance of a Realtor. It can sometimes be done, although in this market and financial climate selling your home by yourself is extremely difficult.

We usually see two reasons that homeowners list their homes on their own. The first is to save money because they do not see the value of the marketing and transactional assistance of a Realtor.

The second is the reason that my distraught homeowner voiced: they felt that they could not afford a Realtor. If there had been any way that they felt that they could have paid me they would have hired me: they saw value in my marketing plan which went well beyond the three P’s (Plant a sign, post it to the MLS, and pray), and they saw value in the fact that if I represented them, their home would be open to buyers when buyers were ready to see it. In a buyer’s market, this is huge. They also knew that if I were to bring them an offer, it would be the offer of a qualified buyer.

This is an interesting note from the Massachusetts Association of Realtors®:

The survey also revealed that 61% of homeowners selling without assistance used yard signs to market their homes while 37% used newspaper ads and 29% used open houses as their principal marketing tools. On the other hand, an overwhelming majority of buyers, 90% nationally and 91% in Massachusetts, relied on real estate agents to buy a home.

This set of statistics more than any others may indicate why about 80% of all homeowners starting out FSBO end up with an agent. That’s where the buyers are.

Below are links to Memorial Day Parades and other Activities in the area:

Shirley, MA – and Benjamin Pool opens on May 29, 2010.

Leominster MA

Pepperell MA

Townsend MA- Memorial Day events Sunday May 30; see this link for their summer band concerts

Lancaster MA

Harvard MA

If you know of any other celebrations in the area, feel free to add them in “Comments”

If you are thinking about selling your home and would like to see your home on this Google Map, please contact me!