After reading Richard Weisser's blog this morning on self promotion, I was triggered to write this post after I did some reminiscing about the good ‘ole days in real estate.  We've come a long way in real estate marketing.  I can remember when I began my real estate career in the late ‘70's, and I worked for a Century 21 office in Franklin, Ma.  There was no self promotion allowed.  The only name on any handout could be the name of the office.  We were promoting the office not ourselves.  Of course, the office would buy the handouts for their agents to distribute.  How times have changed!!  Along came RE/MAX and the concept of agent promotion.  The RE/MAX name and logo are on every item that is distributed, but that is displayed with a small font.  The agent's name is the focal point on... 02/27/2010

Franklin Single Family Home Round Up Currently there are 120 single family homes on the market in Franklin, Massachusetts.  The houses have an average list price of $496,000 and an average market time of 156 days.  There are 21 properties available for $300,000 or less. On the upper end of the scale, there are eight properties listing for $800,000 or more.  In the last week seven new single family homes came on the market.  The newly listed properties are on Haverstock, Dailey Drive, Country Way, Cloverleaf Lane, Tanglewood Drive, Eagle Drive and Charles River Drive.  They ranged in price from $349,000 to $574,900.  Three single family homes went under agreement in the last week.  The are located on Emmons St, Oak Street and Dover Circle.  Three other properties were flagged to go under... 02/26/2010

The order and condition of our work environment is a reflection of our work habits, our production and our lives.  It is an indicator of how we think.  It reflects our personality.  The condition of our work space tells a story about us.  Some stories are best left untold!!  However, an office space tells it all.  I love to walk into an agent's office while that agent is working.  Surprise, surprise!!  Do you have random piles of paperwork on your desk?  Are your wall photos hanging at an angle?  Do you ever clean around your work area?  Do you make use of file cabinets and file drawers?  Do you have boxes stored?  Are you a hoarder????  You can't imagine what I've seen in 32 years.  I enjoy coming to work everyday to a neat, clean, well organized office.  I can think clearly, and I do ... 02/25/2010

  There is a closing today for 71 Grey Wolf Drive, Franklin, Ma at Meadowbrook Heights.  This 55+ townhome closed at $335,000. The new buyer will be the proud owner of this beautiful 2 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom condo with hardwood, tile, granite, bumped out window, gas fireplace and slider to a private deck. The condo fee is a very reasonable $200/month and the new buyer is very excited about this purchase.  Lorraine Kuney is the Todaro Team member handling this transaction for the builder.  Another great job done by Lorraine Kuney of The Todaro Team of RE/MAX Executive Realty in Franklin, Ma. 02/25/2010

Statistics show that the best opportunity to sell your Franklin home is often within the first few weeks of putting it on the market. This can be good news, or bad, depending on your motivation. Some homes sell right away, while others sit on the market for months without a single offer. To maximize your selling opportunity, it is important that your home be priced right. What is the right price? Many factors will determine your home's best asking price. Our current real estate market has a lot to do with it. Using sound judgment, research, and experience, a good agent can help you determine the right price for your home. She/he will help you evaluate your location, the recent sold data, current market trends, and your home's special features that set it apart from the competition. "Wha... 02/25/2010

I've written many posts that discuss having open house events every weekend at our new construction communities to attract buyers for the new homes and condominiums that we are presently marketing.  Along these same lines, we also provide open house events during the week for local real estate agents so they may have the opportunity to preview the model homes and ask questions without buyers present.  They may want to discuss options, changes, floor plans, spec, etc., and rather than have buyers present during this learning process, our broker/agent open house events allow open discussion from agent to agent.  One week prior to the day of the event, we will begin sending our invitations by mail, email and phone calls.  We will email and call again the day before the event to remind ever... 02/25/2010

  This is a sample of the postcard for my direct mail marketing campaign for the month of March.  It's a St. Patrick's Day Theme for a Free Market Analysis. The month of February brought us 7 listing calls.  We are still closing January's business and working on our new February calls. The response has been tremendous for direct mail marketing in 2010.  We will continue every month throughout the year. Others in the firm are now coming on board with this type of marketing, and they are seeing great results. 02/24/2010

I have attempted to show some of the more outstanding properties that are currently on the market through these Best Buy lists.  These homes may or may not be my listings, rather they are, in my opinion only, the best choices for the money...   Light, bright and spacious Gambrel Cape sits on a beautiful wooded, private 2/3 acre lot.  This well maintained home features three bedrooms, 2 Italian tiled full baths, central air conditioning and a newer roof.  The architect designed front entry foyer welcomes you into the fireplaces living room.  Upstairs you will find a large master bedroom plus a custom home office.   Asking $329,900.    Feel free to call to view this or other homes.  If you would like to know what your home would sell for, I would be happy to provide a no-obligation market... 02/24/2010

It amazes me when I hear stories about listing agents not wanting to cooperate with buyer agents.  That buyer agent may have a potential client with interest in your inventory.  Did that listing agent miss the class that taught the lesson: "It's Better to Co-broke than Go Broke?"  When I review our production at the end of the year, I calculate how many transaction sides my team has closed.  The majority of the transactions for my team members are co-broke transactions, and that's our preference.  We cater to other agents.  My team and I market new construction, along with our resale inventory, and we focus on open house events every weekend.  Since our specialty is our new construction inventory, and we represent several local builders, we decided that our efforts would be directed to ... 02/24/2010

  This is our first reservation on building #5 which should start excavation next month.  The second floor condo at 521 Eagles Nest Way at The Villas at Eagles Nest in Franklin, Ma boasts 2,853 s.f. of living space. The corner unit offers 2 spacious bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, hardwood, tile, granite, custom maple cabinets, media room, formal rooms, private decks and a tremendous amount of glass. There are three more reservations expected shortly on building #7 which will render that sold out.  The condos at The Villas at Eagles Nest are selling very fast.  Activity at The Villas at Eagles Nest has increased tremendously within the past 30 days and we expect to have the next building sold out by the time it's up and ready to show.  This condo is offered at $429,900.  This reservation was ... 02/23/2010

  2009 was a good year for RE/MAX Executive Realty in Franklin, Ma. and for me. My ranking in first place was for a dollar volume of $10,879,750 in production in the Town of Franklin, Ma.  RE/MAX Executive Realty is home of the top 4 real estate agents in Franklin.  The top ranked agent for total units in Franklin, Ma was Lorraine Kuney of The Todaro Team with 23 units closed in Franklin. This representation is based on data provided by MLS-PIN who does not guarantee the accuracy and the data may not reflect all real estate activity. 02/23/2010

The median price for Massachusetts single-family homes sold in January rose 9.6 percent to $285,000 from $260,000 in January 2009, the second consecutive month that median prices for single-family homes increased by about 10 percent on a year-to-year comparison basis, the Warren Group, a Boston firm that tracks the local housing market and publishes Banker & Tradesman reported today. On a volume basis, the number of Massachusetts single-family homes rose 11.8 percent to 2,153 from 1,926 in January 2009; that was the fourth consecutive month of double-digit percentage increases, said the Warren Group. Despite these positive statistics, there are concerns.  Most Franklin, MA area Realtors will tell you that recent buyer activity has been energized by the first time homebuyer tax credit an... 02/23/2010

  Visit Lorraine Kuney of The Todaro Team at her open house event on Sunday, February 28, 2010 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at 1 Charles River Drive in Franklin, Ma. Take a grand tour of this 12 room, 3,300 s.f. colonial with a dramatic 2 story foyer, grand gourmet kitchen with high end appliances, granite, over sized 8' center island and wine refrigerator.  There are 19 recessed lights and the huge eating area of the kitchen opens to a pergola covered deck and a custom exterior cooking area. The foyer, dining room, family room and kitchen all have hardwood flooring.  There is an over sized master suite over the garage with an office.  The basement is finished with a pool room, a t.v. room and an exercise room.  This home is offered at $574,900. Visit Lorraine at her open house on Sunday from... 02/23/2010

  Sandy Knoll Estates in Franklin, Ma has a 3,200+ s.f. colonial under construction and occupancy will realistically happen in June.  This 8 room, 4 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom colonial boasts hardwood, tile, gas fireplace, 9' ceilings, c/a, 3 zoned hydro air heating systems, central vac and more. This home has a two car attached garage and is situated on an acre+ wooded lot.  Visit the site and reserve a lot for your custom home.  This home is offered at $669,900. Directions:  Miller Street to Silver Fox Road to lot #24. Lorraine Kuney is marketing this subdivision.  Lorraine can be reached at 508-380-9938. 02/22/2010

  The Villas at Eagles Nest in Franklin, Ma is a condominium community of 36 one level living condos.  These high end, luxury condos range in size from 2,000 s.f. to 3,200+ s.f. in our penthouse unit. They each boast 2 spacious bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, tile, hardwood, maple cabinets, granite counters, large moldings, 9' ceilings, stainless appliances, generous closet space, private decks and patios and much more. The subdivision is serviced by town water, town sewer, natural gas and each condo has a 2 car underground parking garage.  Prices start at $385,900.  We are open to all age groups. Visit our open house event every Sat. and Sun. from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.  Directions:  Miller Street to Silver Fox Road to Eagles Nest Way. 02/22/2010

  Meadowbrook Heights in Franklin, Ma is an active adult community of duplex style townhomes.  We offer two spacious bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, hardwood, tile, maple cabinets, granite counters, gas fireplaces, 9' ceilings, front farmers porch and one car attached garages. This community is serviced by town water, town sewer and natural gas.  The condo fee is a very reasonable $200/month.  Our prices start at $329,900. Visit us at our open house event every Sat. & Sun from 1:00pm to 3;00pm.   Directions: Miller Street to Longhill Rd. to Grey Wolf Drive. 02/22/2010

  Palladini Village in Franklin, Ma is an active adult community with single family homes on common land.  We are offering ranch and cape style homes and there are 25 sites in this subdivision. We now have 7 site remaining.  The reservation today is on a ranch style home with two spacious bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, hardwood, tile, granite, maple cabinets, gas fireplace, cathedral family room ceiling, slider to 14x16 composite deck. Our ranch style home is offered at $409,900 and the cape style home is $509,900. This subdivision is being marketed by Marilyn Williams of The Todaro Team of RE/MAX Executive Realty of Franklin, Ma.  Marilyn can be reached at 508-641-3090. 02/22/2010

  The chart displays all of the active single family homes on the market in the town of Franklin, Ma. as of February 22, 2010.  The average list price is $497,941 and there are 115 active listings in MLS. Of the 115 active listings on display, only 69 of those listings are resale properties.  We have a shortage of resale properties on the market in Franklin, Ma.  The balance of those listed are either new construction homes to be built or are homes that are already pending with backup showings available. The highest priced listing is $950,000 and there are three listing available under $200,000. This representation is based on data provided by MLS-PIN who does not guarantee the accuracy and the data may not reflect all real estate activity. 02/22/2010

  The chart displays all single family homes in Franklin, Ma that are currently pending as of February 12, 2010.  The average list price of pending homes in Franklin, Ma is $416,157 with 19 homes pending, at this time. The highest list price is $619,000 and there are four homes under agreement between $200,000 and $299,900. This representation is based on data provided by MLS-PIN who does not guarantee the accuracy and the data may not reflect all real estate activity. 02/22/2010

  The Chart displays all of the closed single family homes in Franklin, Ma from January 1, 2010 to February 22, 2010, according to MLS. The average sale price was $388,030 with 12 homes closed during that period.  The highest priced home was $544,000 and there was one single family home that closed under $200,000. This representation is based on data provided by MLS-PIN who does not guarantee the accuracy and the data may not reflect all real estate activity. 02/21/2010