Day 7 of 90 Best Practices Real Estate 2018 feels like a better title than the mis-leading "best Realtor®" which is not necessarily obtainable and if it was would only be temporal.  Firstly we would have to collectively define what the best Realtor® actually is and I believe you would have many right answers.  So the title is now and through the remainder of this exercise in sharing will be Best Practices Real Estate 2018.  I would add, in my opinion.This is the end of my first week and let me take a breath and reflect on what was, what will be and most importantly what is for now.  For now, I have two new listings this week, and I am calling a Seller (FSBO) to make an offer on his property.  As part of our all cash offer and the willingness to overlook some building and zoning codes wi... 04/02/2018

Day 4 of 90; Becoming the best Realtor® So yesterday was instructive in many ways.  I have been meditating and quieting my mind. I have been reading and watching videos about best practices and how various guru's in real estate and in business succeed.  I know mind set is critical. I know being positive and doing the work is a consistent and constant opportunity.  I was not ready for what the universe gave me yesterday.I had been waiting since Monday for a return email from one of the coaches I was interviewing.  Just like in real estate when you are doing a deal with someone and they go radio silent, it is never a good thing.  My mid day I decided on the coach who had been in constant contact with me, providing things to read, watch and experience as well as answering my emailed questi... 03/30/2018

Homeowners: Do You Know Your Home’s Value?  Checking your Zillow valuation, or thinking your towns assessment gives you a real number, you are sadly wrong.  I had this conversation with a long time friend of mine from college last night.  He is selling the home he grew up in, the home his grandfather and father built and lovingly maintained.  Like many people in their 60's they are not getting the buy in from their children who don't want to live in the family homestead anymore.  Zillow is inaccurate at best, and this is not Zillow's fault, other than not telling the public how they arrive at this usually wildly inflated number.  It is not in their interest to give you anything more than a false impression that they are accurate.  Your town's assessment is based on what the town needs t... 09/15/2017

The real truth is that real estate when bought and sold correctly is one of the best investments anyone can make.  Down through all the years real estate has always been the measure of wealth.  Today with incentives people who had has troubles are now getting back in the market. People who have had their last child move off after graduating are considering downsizing.  Younger people who have lived with their parents after school as they start off on the careers and get their own college debt-load under control are also coming back into the market.  There is a great deal of choice and option.  To get your questions answered you never have to be our client.Over the next five years, home prices are expected to appreciate 3.64% per year on average and to grow by 18.4% cumulatively, accordi... 09/06/2017

Live in one of the most sought after residential communities in metropolitan Boston! Newton is a suburban city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Known as the Garden City, Newton is six miles west of Boston.  It is bordered by Waltham and Watertown on the north, Needham and the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston on the south, Wellesley and Weston on the west, and Brookline and the Brighton neighborhood of Boston on the east. Newton lies within the so-called Boston Basin, a tiny structure of the Appalachian Mountain Range.  Convenience, livability, and its own unique character are what usually attract buyers looking for homes for sale in Newton.  Newton is composed of 13 small bustling villages that come together to form the Garden City. The villages of Newton are Auburndale, Chestnut ... 07/31/2017

37 Grant Street, Newton, MA Get Directions Click Here Description Photos Maps & Local Schools Print Brochure My Reviews $ Click for current price 5 BEDROOMS | 3 (3 full ) BATHROOMS | 2080 SQUARE FEET Opportunity knocks. A cape converted to center entrance spacious colonial in Newton awaits a new buyer. Spend afternoons sipping iced tea in welcoming farmer's porch. The heart of the house is the tiled kitchen with granite countertops and upgraded cherry cabinets. Add your own décor to brick mantle fireplace in living room with bay windows. The newly added second level has inspiring and refreshingly new 4 bedrooms. One more bedroom on the main level along with bonding place, the dining room. 3 full baths, one on each level. Hardwood floors galore - in all bedrooms, living room & dining ro... 05/07/2017

  37 Grant Street, Newton, MA     In Contract     View the Property Details, Photos, Map & School information here!   37 Grant Street Newton, MA 02465   Bedrooms: 5 | Bathrooms: 3 full | List Price: $ Get Current Price | 2080 square feet   Opportunity knocks. A cape converted to center entrance spacious colonial in Newton awaits a new buyer. Spend afternoons sipping iced tea in welcoming farmer's porch. The heart of the house is the tiled kitchen with granite countertops and upgraded cherry cabinets. Add your own décor to brick mantle fireplace in living room with bay windows. The newly added second level has inspiring and refreshingly new 4 bedrooms. One more bedroom on the main level along with bonding place, the dining room. 3 full baths, one on each level. Hardwood floors galore - ... 04/23/2017

NEWTON, MA – The average selling price for condos and townhouses in Newton, MA increased 17.3% for the most recent three months August-October 2016 versus the same period last year, from $640,376 to $763,988. This jump was driven in large part by a 59% gain in the number of units sold over $750,000, from 23 to 47 properties for the 2015 period versus 2016. The data for average selling prices per square foot -- generally more indicative of price trends for condos and townhouses by factoring in the size of units sold – was more muted, but still showed an average increase of 5.8%, from $394 per square foot to $417 per square foot. The study by Jonathan Slater, President of Castles Luxury Properties, also indicated that properties “moved” more quickly in the 2106 period, as “Days to Offer” ... 11/08/2016

NEWTON, MA – Average selling prices in August for luxury single family homes of $1.5 million or more increased by 8.1% in Newton while the sub-luxury market below $1.5 million experienced a price decline of 2.9%, according to a recent study released by Jonathan Slater, President of Castles Luxury Properties.Castles’ study, which is based on an analysis by Slater of sold homes data sourced from MLS Property Information Network, Inc. (“MLS”), shows that the average price for “luxury” homes of $1.5 million or more was $2.221 million this August versus $2.054 million for the previous August. In addition, the number of sales in this category for this period also grew to 24 from 18 for the same period last year.Increased Discount to Asking PriceSlater cautions, however, that despite this incr... 10/04/2016

BOSTON, MA -- Which city in Massachusetts has the highest quality of life?While that cliam may be open to debate, Newton, MA earned the top spot as the “least-stressed” city in the Commonwealth as the only MA city positioned in the Top 25 nationally in the 2016 Edition of “The Least-Stressed Cities in America” published by the financial advisory website SmartAsset (17th nationally).How are the rankings compiled? SmartAsset considered a combination of both positive and negative factors and ranked them equally relative to each other. Positive factors included a high rate of physical activity, a high number of entertainment establishments per 1,000 businesses, and a high average number of hours of sleep per night. Negative factors included hours of work per week, length of commute to work ... 09/25/2016

Newton MA Single Family Housing Report April 2016. Newton is one of the largest and most diverse communities in MA.  There are 13 villages each with their own personality that come together to make the community of Newton.  This is what is going on with the single family housing report from MLSPIN. There is a total of 339 properties in the various states of sale in real estate.  With 134 Active listings in this time period and 73 Sold listings this is  a two month inventory and 4 months below what a normal inventory of homes would be. This creates more competition and drives the price of most properties up.Single Family Active Listings: 134    Avg. Liv.Area SqFt: 4,328.86     Avg. List$: $2,003,173    Avg. List$/SqFt: $454     Avg. DOM: 91.75     Avg. DTO: 33.25Single Family Under Agree... 04/05/2016

Friend or Not, Get the Paperwork Signed. My friend of 30 plus years called me over a year ago. She has started a brand new business that is growing like gangbusters. I am so happy and excited for her. They needed more space to grow and we started a year in advance to find the business a suitable location. Since the business involved food preparation there were specific hurdles in terms of the health department and OSHA to consider. It was necessary to check in with each of the towns building departments to understand the various health code requirements. While this is not difficult work it is time consuming and demands certain finesse with town officials and bureaucracies.The search was not easy because of the parameters and needs. There was little choice on the market. We got lucky thr... 01/25/2016

Why Newton, MA?  Newton MA real estate is and has been a great investment for so many families moving out of Boston looking for a home with good schools and a yard. 47 Dudley Road is in the Newton Center area of the 13 villages and convenient to most everything. Your kids can walk to the schools, you can get into and out of the city quickly and you are living in a community that not only likes, but cherishes its diversity.  Dudley Road is a winding road that feels more like it belongs in a different community.  Large stately homes sit along the road and have been home to many notable mega business, professional and entreprenurial types for years.47 Dudley Road is energy efficient with solar panels delivering electricity throughout your year.  While the kitchen is not brand new, there ar... 01/04/2016

Smart Homes 101 According to predictions from market researcher MarketsandMarkets the global smart home market will expand to around $58.7 billion 2020! That’s a 17 percent annual growth rate that’s going to create a huge market for state-of-the-art smart homes. So, in preparation for the movement toward more technologically advanced homes, here’s a run down of the three most common smart home features.Smart ThermostatsSmart thermostats are an easy and inexpensive way to upgrade your home. A smart thermostat (like Nest) learns from your habits and preferences and begins to adjust itself accordingly. If that wasn’t cool enough already, smart thermostats can pull the weather forecast from the Internet and set an optimal temperature. It can also create monthly reports, which will help your... 12/04/2015

Top 10 Things To Do In Newton  The Paint BarHead over to The Paint Bar for art and drinks. Newton is the original location of this novel concept – located near the intersection of Washington and Walnut. Aprons are provided but you should probably opt for something you wouldn’t mind getting pain on anyway. Beer and wine are available for purchase in addition to snacks and food from local restaurants.Go for a fun date night or a private party. The session includes a pre-painting half hour to get your paint, drink some wine and relax a bit.Here's a yelp review to give you an idea of what its all about:"Id definitly recommend this place...The staff are EXTREMELY friendly and down to earth. They also appear to already know a lot of their customers as they keep coming back which is one of the... 11/20/2015

Who rules the real estate markets? This question has multiple answers.  The National Association of Realtors® is the preeminent voice in real estate in the United States.  They are the organization that provides the government with information and insight into the real estate market. No single agent, or agency has the same power. It is the power of many and it is power of professional.  Not all agents are Realtors® and Realtors® are held to a higher standard than an average sales agent.Most consumers don't care who rules real estate, all they care about is who can sell my house for the most money in the fastest period of time with the least amount of hassle. Real estate sales is a process.  Not all sales people are trained in that process beyond the extent of putting the sign in the yar... 11/18/2015

Newton CornerNewton, MANewton Corner is a commercial hub that includes the Crown Plaza Hotel – built on air right over the Massachusetts Turnpike. The village is located next to Exit 17 on the MassPike and offers convenient connection to and from Boston and Logan Airport. The Newton Corner Advisory Committee works in this village, which is also home to smaller-scale commercial uses along Washington Street.This village includes several schools such as Underwood Elementary School, Bigelow Middle School, Lincoln-Eliot Elementary School and Newton Country Day School.$2.2 million - Newton Corner - click here for more$2.2  million - Newton Corner - click here for more Newton’s first village was settled in the 1630s as a farming settlement of Cambridge. Throughout the 17th century, the village... 11/12/2015

Newton, MassachusettsCastles Unlimited brings you a guide to the city of Newton, MA. Explore the 13 villages, historic buildings and upscale boutiques with the click of a button.    11/09/2015

Comparing Newton MA Real Estate is no easy chore.  The homes in Newton are as varied as the 13 villages that make up the town of Newton.  Newton Center is at the heart of this thriving community and it's location is both coveted and convenient.  Dudley Road is a winding country road lined with multi million dollar homes and homes that have graced this charming street for years.  47 Dudley Road, Newton MA 02459 Combines historic colonial design with many contemporary upgrades this Newton Center home has what you want at a price you will love.  The first floor allows for open space design for entertaining and family gatherings. Large flat professionally landscaped exterior with a great patio space provides privacy and comfort.  Gardening is a joy throughout the season here.  The bedrooms ... 11/06/2015

Price, Condition and Marketing for Boston Area Real Estate.  Your average agent looks to price as the way to sell your house, the great agent knows that the buyer is motivated by price, condition and marketing.  Real estate is a different business and it continues to evolve on a daily basis.  The internet is where both buyers and sellers go to for information. While information abounds on the internet, insight into that information does not.  You have journalists who have never sold a house talking about the market without really knowing. You have agents who left the meeting after hearing about price being one of the three characteristics for a strong sale without hearing about the way to get the most money for the house through marketing and condition.47-Dudley-Newton-MA-02459Condition... 11/02/2015