Canton MA School Bus Schedule Just Released The Canton Public School Department has just released its bus schedules for the 2011-2012 school year.  Broken down by school, you can find the bus schedule by clicking on the school names below. Canton High Bus Schedule Galvin Middle School Bus Schedule Hansen Elementary School Bus Schedule JFK Elementary School Bus Schedule Luce Elementary School Bus Schedule Luce School Half-Day Kindergarten Bus Schedule St. John's School Bus Schedule Remember, unless you are new to the system, students in Grades 1-6 who live under two miles from the school and all students in Grades 7-12 had to apply for a spot in the Pay and Ride program by June 3rd.   If you did not fill out the appropriate forms, your child will not have a spot on the bus.  For any ques... 08/24/2011

Canton MA Back to School Information It's hard to believe but it is getting to be that time of year again! The children in Canton MA head back to school in just two weeks. The first day of school for public school students in grades 1-12 is Tuesday, September 6th, with the first day for Pre-K and Kingergarten Students being Wednesday, September 7th.   And, here is a link to the Canton Public Schools Calendar   for the entire year.  This school calendar not only lists scheduled days off and holidays for the entire year, it also lists school start and end times and delayed start times. So while there is still some time left to enjoy summer, back to school is around the corner! Stay tuned for more information about bus schedules, school supply lists and more! If you are considering a move ... 08/22/2011

Canton, Mass. Real Estate - Week ending August 20, 2011 Here is a brief snapshot of the real estate market for single family homes in Canton, Mass. (Source MLSPIN) Number of Homes on The Market 102 Average List Price $574,709 Average Market Time 136 Days Thinking of selling your home in Canton, Mass. or other Norfolk County towns. Call or email me...I would welcome the opportunity to show you how my online marketing can get your home SOLD! 08/21/2011

Canton Food Pantry Seeking School Supply Donations The Canton Food Pantry provides food and household staples for those in our town who are having difficulty making ends meet.  The Food Pantry is really a life-saving organization for many people in Canton. Now that we are heading into the back to school season, they have put a call out for backpacks filled with school supplies to give out to the children whose families are clients of the food pantry.  I am sure the citizens of Canton MA will hold true to form and come out and support this effort. They are seeking backpacks and various school supplies: notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons, markers, glue sticks and other items that may be on your child's school supply list.  They realize that it is short notice and ask that if it is too much... 08/19/2011

Back to School Means Back to Dance in Canton MA Back to School time means more than the start of another school year.  It is also the start of all the other activities that go along with the school year.  For many parents - myself included - it is also Back to Dance time! Canton MA is home to what is believed to be the oldest family-run dance studio in the country - The Hazel Boone Dance Studio.  The studio's current director, Holly Costa, is the granddaughter of studio founder, Hazel Boone.  The Hazel Boone Dance Studio celebrated its 100th year of dance education in 2010.  The Hazel Boone Dance Studio fills the niche of small classes, individualized instruction and a small faculty. Now entering its 102nd year, the Hazel Boone Studio has announced the opening of its brand new studio lo... 08/17/2011

Canton, Mass. Real Estate - Week ending August 13, 2011 Here is a brief snapshot of the real estate market for single family homes in Canton, Mass. (Source MLSPIN) Number of Homes on The Market 105 Average List Price $576,246 Average Market Time 137 Days Thinking of selling your home in Canton, Mass. or other Norfolk County towns. Call or email me...I would welcome the opportunity to show you how my online marketing can get your home SOLD! 08/14/2011

Rates are Low ~ Prices are Low: Good Reasons to Buy a Home in  Canton MA The primary reason to buy a house is for a place to live.  A home provides shelter for your family; a place live and grow and create memories.  Your home is your castle.  Of course, no one likes to spend more money than they should.  No one likes to see the value of their home decrease.  But a house is a place to live first and foremost, an investment second.  At least that's my opinion.  If you can afford the payments and plan on living in the same area for the foreseeable future, it still makes sense to buy a house even now.  Interest rates are lower than ever with the recent announcement by the Fed that it does not plan on increasing rates.  And, home prices are low or holding steady in Canton MA and many of the... 08/12/2011

Enjoy the Last Few Weeks of Summer The first day of school in Canton MA is not until September 6th.  That means there are three more weeks - plus a long weekend - to enjoy the summer before settling back into the fall routine. Many camps and summer programs are winding down, with the camp counselors getting ready to head back to college.   Do not despair, there are still plenty of things going on to enjoy with your family. Many families use some of these last few weeks for their summer vacation.  With Canton MA being a relatively short car ride to the beaches of the South Shore and Cape Cod, there is still time to enjoy a few days at the beach.  August days at the beach are my favorite.  If a day trip to an amusement park is more of what you have in mind, it is juat a little over an hou... 08/10/2011

Canton, Mass. Real Estate - Week ending August 6, 2011 Here is a brief snapshot of the real estate market for single family homes in Canton, Mass. (Source MLSPIN) Number of Homes on The Market 103 Average List Price $594,626 Average Market Time 138 Days Thinking of selling your home in Canton, Mass. or other Norfolk County towns. Call or email me...I would welcome the opportunity to show you how my online marketing can get your home SOLD! 08/08/2011

Every Sunday I write a column for my local Patch sites featuring a home for sale in either Canton MA, Milton MA or Braintree MA. Since I am an Exclusive Buyer Agent and do not list homes, it is fun to pick out different homes that I have seen to feature. I have no interest in featuring one home over another. This weeks featured home is in Canton and is located at 509 Chapman Street. This is a three bedroom, one and a half bathroom turn of the century colonial style home that has been updated with tmodern conveniences. This home is walking distance to the commuter rail and a short drive to major highways. To find out more about this home for sale in Canton MA, read my full article on Canton Patch: Welcome Home - August 7 Edition or you may contact me directly at 781-799-8313. To find out... 08/07/2011

What Can You Get for Under $400,000 in Canton MA? The median price of single family homes sold in Canton MA for the period of January - June 2011 was just over $422,500.00 according to information pulled from the MLS. There are currently 37 homes for listed for sale in Canton MA priced at $400,000.00 or below.  That is quite a selection of  homes falling below the median price.  There are some that are smaller and/or in need of some work and updating.  However, there are also many that are worth a mention.  Here are just a few: 29 Pleasant Circle, Canton MA: A three bedroom 1.5 bath colonial built in 2008, with access rights to the beach and recreation at Reservoir Pond priced at $309,000.  With 1114 square feet of living area it is on the small side but it is move-in ready.  16 Harriso... 08/04/2011

In July of 2011 there were 18 homes that closed within the month for Canton, MA. this was a increase of 13 units as there were 5 homes that closed in July of 2010. The Average list price for the homes that closed in Canton for July 2011 was $469,206 The Average list price for the homes that closed in Canton for July of 2010 was $588,640 The Average sale price for the homes that closed in Canton for July of 2011 was $448,628 The Average sale price for the homes that closed in Canton for July of 2010 was $562,040 The Average Market time for the homes that closed in Canton in July of 2011 was 75 days. The Average Market time for the homes that closed in Canton in July of 2010 was 97 days.   9 homes went under agreement in Canton, Massachusetts for the month of July, 2011. The average list ... 08/02/2011

Canton MA Concludes Successful Music Camp The Canton MA Performing Arts Department held a two-week music camp  for middle-school aged students.  Run by high school and middle school music teachers, high school musicians also helped out and provided leadership. The two week program gave budding musicians a chance to practice their skills and also learn some new ones.  The camp ended with a rousing performance this past Thursday to the delight of the parents of the campers.  Students took part in some or all of the camp programs, which included Concert Band, Jazz Band and Strings. The Summer Music Camp was another successful offering by the Canton MA Performing Arts Department and its dedicated teachers - who gave up two weeks of summer vacation to make this work.  Thanks also go out to t... 07/30/2011

When is a Lowball Offer Not a Lowball Offer? We all have an opinion about lowball offers - we don't like them.  As a buyer agent in Canton MA, I provide my buyers with a market analysis to inform them of the market value of the house to help them make a decision in placing an offer, where to start and how high to go.  Sometimes clients do want to offer lower.  Of course, it is their choice.  While I do not work with clients who consistently throw out lowball offers, if they want to start out a little lower I will certainly submit the offer for them.  It certainly answers the question - "Do you think the Seller will take $X.XX for the house?"  The only way to find out is to submit an offer! But, when a house is over-priced, what the Seller may consider a lowball offer, is not, in reality... 07/29/2011

Canton Dolphins Off to a Strong Start Canton MA has a great program offered by the Recreation Department - the Canton Dolphins Swim Team.  The Dophins have both a winter swim team and a summer swim team; this post focuses on the summer program. The Canton Dolphins Swim Team are part of the Summer Suburban Swim League and participate in meets with other participating towns.  Their record so far is 5 wins and 1 loss - a great start to the season.  There are 6 more meets left in the summer season, plus the Regional Swim Meets at the end of the season. The Canton Dolphins Swim Team is a unique opportunity in that an entire family - boys and girls of all ages - can participate on the same team. The only requirement is the ability to swim the length of the pool. The coaches work with swimmers... 07/25/2011

Another Satisfied Buyer Client of Christine Smith, Canton MA Buyer Agent Congratulations to the new homeowners at 6 Gina Circle in Framingham MA!  My clients are now the proud owners of a lovely split-level home, located on a cul-de-sac with three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms and a finished lower level with room for a fourth bedroom.  An added bonus on this 100 degree day is that it has a beautiful in-ground pool!  I hope they are enjoying it with their beautiful young daughter right now! Framingham is a bit outside of my normal area.  However, after a couple of offerings in Sharon MA and Norwood MA did not work out, this young professional couple decided to expand their search area and found something to suit their needs pretty quickly.  I really enjoyed working with them and wer... 07/22/2011

Hot, Hot, Hot in Canton MA It's summertime & it is getting hot here in Canton MA this week.  Temps on Friday are supposed to be close to and perhaps even reaching 100.  I am not complaining!  I vowed during the horrible winter we had that I would not complain about the heat this summer.  But, if you don't have central air conditioning or your own backyard pool then you will need a place to cool off.  Luckily there is a great town pool in Canton where residents can cool off!  Situated next to Bolivar Pond and surrounded by trees and woods on one side, it is a pretty setting.  If you get tired of hanging out in the pool, you can sit on the benches on the hill that overlook the pool & get a nice view.  Located on Bolivar Street, the town pool is open to Canton residents for $3.00 per perso... 07/21/2011

Summer Concerts in Canton MA On Wednesday evenings in the summer, the Canton Recreation Department sponsors FREE concerts on the front lawn of Canton High School.  Concert goers can bring chairs, blankets & a picnic.  It is a great way to get out, see some of your neighbors and enjoy the warm summer evenings.  Remember last winter?  We need to savor all the warmth that we can! This week's performance is by the group The Infractions.  The concerts start at 7:00 pm and end at 9:00 pm.  Canton is lucky to have an active recreation department that offers a variety of programming for our citizens of all ages throughout the year - with the summer being the busiest season. Interested in finding out more about the quality of life in Canton?  Contact your Canton MA Buyer Agent - representing hom... 07/20/2011

What is an Exclusive Buyer Agent? As an exclusive buyer agent in Canton MA I realize that sometimes people do not get the distinction between a buyer agent and an exclusive buyer agent.  I was reminded of this when Barbara Todaro of The Kuney-Todaro Team in Franklin MA recently wrote a blog post entitled How Does An Exclusive Buyer Agent Survive.  It was an interesting blog post; if you have not read it, I would suggest you do. One of the comments in the post suggested that a buyer agent would do well to join a team of listing agents.  Well, if the buyer agent joined a team or a brokerage that included listing agents, he/she would not then be an exclusive buyer agent. An Exclusive Buyer Agent is an agent who not only represents buyers only, everyone in his/her office or brokerage also o... 07/18/2011

 Canton, Mass. Real Estate - Week ending July 16, 2011 Here is a brief snapshot of the real estate market for single family homes in Canton, Mass. (Source MLSPIN) Number of Homes on The Market 100 Average List Price $614,662 Average Market Time 130 Days Thinking of selling your home in Canton, Mass. or other Norfolk County towns. Call or email me...I would welcome the opportunity to show you how my online marketing can get your home SOLD! 07/18/2011