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Brookline, MA Real Estate News

By Ruth Lerner
(William Raveis Real Estate)
Boston Suburb for Young Families: Brookline MA Brookline is easy to love, just not so easy to afford.  With its excellent school system, beautiful homes, and convenient location, it’s no wonder this town has been so popular.  The North side is known for its urban setting of mostly condos of all sizes, and large homes with modest yards.  On the South side you’ll find more space and affordability.  Searching for a Home in Brookline? Brookline MA houses for sale Brookline MA Condos for sale Why People Live Here? One of Brookline greatest virtues is the public transportation available.  The C and D Green lines serve most of the North side of town.  From South Brookline and the Chestnut Hill area, you are a few minute drive from the Longwood Medical Area, or downtown Boston.   A highly rank...
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The average prices for the Brookline condo market in Q1 2013 show an ave sale price over the average list price (any buyer trying to buy in Brookline this quarter has probably had the experience of dealing with multiple-bid situations). If you are thinking of buying in Brookline, make sure you are working with a buyer agent that knows how to win multiple bid offers. Here is a list of currently available condos in Brookline - http://www.buyeragentsofboston.com/brooklinehomes  
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If you are thinking about buying a condo in Brookline here is a useful link to give you a sense of what your dollar will buy you based upon some recent sales - http://www.buyeragentsofboston.com/searches/2551021.rss New listings hitting the market are going for asking or over-asking with often times mulitple offers in the running.
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By Ruth Lerner
(William Raveis Real Estate)
How to Price a Condo? Investor's Value Formula In a low inventory real estate market, it can be tricky to price a condo correctly.   Price it too high and you will miss the frenzy of the first week it's on market.  Price too low and you'll be leaving money on the table.  See my article from last summer about the Dangers of Under Pricing, when many agents underestimated the market. So how to price a condo in such a market? One method to price a condo I use is the Investor's Value formula.  For this you nee to know: Taxes Condo Fees Rent Value of Condo in Question Return investors expect on this type of property Example: Because rents are on the rise in Boston, investors are buying condos in Brookline and Brighton with a return of 5%.  One bedroom condo with rent value of $1850 Expenses =...
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By Ruth Lerner
(William Raveis Real Estate)
Median House Prices in Brookline MA, March 2013 Real estate market updates for Brookline, MA provided by Ruth Lerner Brookline House Prices The Brookline MA market for single family homes in not huge, so with a small pool of data, price swings can seem extreme. Yet, the trend of prices in the past three years is upwards with seasonal dips.  It is interesting how clearly the inventory and prices work in opposite direction (negative correlation).  The green line represents the number of homes on market, the red line represents the median house prices. Important Point to Remember The red line shows the number of homes already SOLD, closed.  A sold home was on the market 1-4 months earlier.  The inventory is the current number of homes on market.  For example, in 10/1/2011, there were 48 ho...
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By Ruth Lerner
(William Raveis Real Estate)
Brookline Condo Open Houses Brookline MA real estate is dominated by the condo market.  There is always a wide price range for Brookline condos for sale.  The best way to begin a search for your condo is by going to open houses and becoming familiar with both an area and it's real estate offerings. Search Upcoming Brookline Condo Open Houses In Brookline, public open houses are held on weekends, mostly Sundays.  Broker tour is on Wednesday mornings and afternoons, and although the time is often posted to the public, home buyers seldom attend. When planning your open house tour, take into consideration the following: Times of the open houses.  Some are held for only one hour, some for longer.  Ensure you have the times written down correctly.  Get there with at least five-seven minutes t...
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By Ruth Lerner
(William Raveis Real Estate)
Multi-Family Homes in Brookline MA Investing in multi-family homes in Brookline has a proven track record.  You can start a real estate portfolio with a two-family home or expand it with a large brownstone with both commercial and residential units.   Start your education of real estate investing here. Search Brookline Multi-Family Homes for sale Why Do People Invest in Multi-Family Houses? Investing in small buildings has two considerations: First is the equity you expect to build over time.  The second consideration is the rental income.  Through the downturn, Brookline real estate fared well compared to most Massachusetts communities.  Furthermore, the steady stream and turnover of potential renters didn’t stop. Why Invest in Brookline rental properties? Brookline MA is known for sup...
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By Ruth Lerner
(William Raveis Real Estate)
Condo Prices in Brookline MA Real estate market data for Brookline, MA provided by Ruth Lerner of William Raveis Real Estate Brookline Condo Prices Average condo prices in Brookline are showing an upward trend.  The jagged line represents the seasonality of the real estate market.  With falling inventory, there are fewer options for the buyers, and multiple-offers are common in the Brookline condo market.  The lack of available housing will put more pressure on prices in the coming months.  More than ever it is imperative to hire a knowledgeable and experienced buyer's agent to locate the new listings and write strong offers. Although it is a seller's market in general, condo sellers in Brookline must invest time and effort for a successful sale.  Lack of preparation and wrong pricing a...
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By Jay McHugh, YOUR SendOutCard Mentor
(SendOutCards-Appreciation Marketing Expert)
      Happy Saturday!  Days like these are perfect for organizing our lives and businesses to make for easier navigating throughout the rest of the year.  A good place to start re-organizing is your home office.  Below you will find some great tips for cleaning up the clutter in your home office space.  One to two hours of organizing can increase your efficiency tenfold.  Spend some time today getting ready for an amazing year.  As business ramps up in the coming months it may soon be difficult to find an hour to do this much needed organizing.  As always, keep up the amazing work.  Your success is well deserved.  Progress not perfection... 10 Steps to a Cleaner Office STEP 1: Group Like Materials Together In order to help Joanna Wilson, (left, in her "before" office), a 25-year-old pho...
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By Ruth Lerner
(William Raveis Real Estate)
2012 Market Summary: Brookline MA Condominiums Real estate market data for Brookline, MA provided by Ruth Lerner, Brookline Realtor Brookline MA Condominium Market Turnaround If 2011 left anyone wondering if the turnaround in real estate is happening, 2012 showed it loud and clear.  Brookline MA real estate is dominated by condominiums of all shapes, sizes and prices.  Number of sales shot up by 18% in 2012 from 2011.  The prices went up 2%.  After years of declines and flat prices, this seemingly moderate increase is an important sign of a market turnaround, especially coupled with a 20% DROP in time on market.   Average days on market dropped to 60, and they are dropping fast into 2013.  This is a sure sign of inventory of homes available for sale falling short of the number of buyers...
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By Martin E. Kalisker, Esq., Real Estate Law From A Practical Perspective
Do odd-priced listings attract more or less attention?   I recently ran into a situation with a listing agent who put a new listing on the MLS for $232, 574.  This struck me as unusual, so I spoke with the agent and asked her "why the odd amount?", thinking that she would tell me that this was a pay-off amount for a loan balance, or that this was a set price by a housing authority that places income and asset limits on new buyers and restricts the appreciation on a subject property. The answer I received was equally interesting.  "That's what they teach us to do at BRAND X Realty.  They teach us to grab the buyer's attention by putting in an odd amount." Being one to love a challenge, I told her that I would be posting this question to a panel of peers (and consumers) to get their react...
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By David Laven, “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”-SA
(EXP Realty)
Are you in search of Brookline Multi Family Homes For Sale? Well then you have come to the right place. Below is a list of multi family homes for sale in Brookline. This list includes 2 families, 3 families, duplexes and large 4+ unit buildings for sale in Brookline MA. If you would like to see any of these Brookline Multi Family properties please contact David the your local Brookline real estate expert at 617-259-0235. Enjoy! 
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By Ruth Lerner
(William Raveis Real Estate)
I have an ongoing joke with some of my clients. When they ask me what will happen in Boston real estate, I pretend I am reaching for my crystal ball buried in my bag.   It's irresponsible to tell people what will happen; we don't know what will happen.  Most economists get it wrong.  Especially now, when so much importance has been assigned to fiscal cliffs, mountain of debt, rivers of uncertainty  and other economic topography. Yet, at the risk of behaving irresponsibly, I will use a combination of experience and my super power of keen insight of what I believe is about to happen. Boston area small condo market is about to boom.  Like, really boom.   Sure we can already see an impressive turnaround in much of the country, and it's pretty obvious in most of Greater Boston.  So what's s...
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By Michael Mahoney, Boston Realtor
(Real Broker, LLC)
  Brookline Mass Single Family             Hi this is Mike Mahoney with TheGreaterBostonVoice.com. The reason I am reaching out to you today is to show you an opportunity that I found in Brookline Massachusetts. If you've been considering a two bedroom condo in Brookline, then you probably realized you will most likely spend about 1/2 million dollars to reach that goal. Today, I found a single family home that has been reduced by $80,000 since the time it came on the market. It looks as though they're ready to deal. The property is located at 52 Cameron street. It's a three bedroom, which is much better than any of those two bedroom condos you been looking at. The property is about 1900 square feet. It has three beds and one bath. It's located not far from Emerson Park and also Brooklin...
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By Michael Mahoney, Boston Realtor
(Real Broker, LLC)
Brookline Estate Sale This is Mike Mahoney of the TheGreaterBostonVoice.com and the reason I'm reaching out to you today is to show you an affordable opportunity for condominium here in Brookline Massachusetts. This unit is located at 514-516 Harvard Street which is just between Kenwood Street and Verndale Street. The Coolidge Park and Playground is just around the corner. It's closer to the Allston side of Brookline. This particular units located over on Harvard Street and it's listed for 239,000 which is a $75,000 less than the one currently listed in MLS as under agreement in the building.Here is the MLS listing sheet on this Harvard Street Property. Download Affordable Condo Opportunity in Brookline MassPeriodically, we do do we find things like this. I do keep a very watchful eye ...
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By Michael Mahoney, Boston Realtor
(Real Broker, LLC)
The Town of Brookline is comprised of many different neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has it's own distinctive characteristics with its own unique culture, architecture and neighborhood eateries and restaurants.  Coolidge Corner, Brookline | Washington Square | Brookline Village | South Brookline Brookline Public Schools (coming soon NOV 12) Real Estate Around Coolidge Corner | Real Estate Around Washington Square Real Estate near Brookline Village | Real Estate in South Brookline Brookline Properties Under 300,000 Brookline Properties 300,000 and UP Let's review some of the great areas within Brooklinee below. Coolidge Corner Coolidge Corner is theheart of Brookline. Coolidge Corner is geographically located at the intersection of Harvard and Beacon Streets. Coolidge Corner is home to ...
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By Jay McHugh, YOUR SendOutCard Mentor
(SendOutCards-Appreciation Marketing Expert)
There is nothing on earth as precious as time which makes Sunday a very special day.  At two a.m. the clocks turned back or will in most parts of the US and Canada giving you a rare opportunity to take advantage of one extra hour of time.  How will you spend yours?  Here are 50 ways to spend your extra hour.  Let me know which item you end up choosing, or if you choose something that's not even on the list.  Please share!   1 Read a book or newspaper to someone with failing eyesight   2 Work in the garden   3 Start a new book   4 Take in a movie   5 Go for a walk   6 Call an old friend   7 Have breakfast with your grandma   8 Make a big breakfast for your family   9 Lay in the grass and watch the clouds  10 Start a fire and roast marshmallows  11 Call your mom  12 Pick up litter in you...
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By Jim Mushinsky
(Centsable Inspection)
A home buyer in Brookline MA should receive a brochure, Home Inspectors Consumer Fact Sheet, at the time of the signing of the first written contract to purchase from the Seller or Seller's agent.Since MA Home Inspector licensing in 2001, a consumer must have a signed exclusive buyer's agent agreement with a Real Estate Broker or Salesperson before the Real Estate Broker or Salesperson can refer a home inspector.Without a signed exclusive buyer's agent agreement, the Real Estate Broker or Salesperson may only refer the buyer to the list of all MA Home Inspectors from the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Home Inspectors.Finding your Brookline MA Home Inspector from the list of all MA home inspectors can be quite a challenge. An internet search for "Brookline MA Home Inspector" may ...
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By Jay McHugh, YOUR SendOutCard Mentor
(SendOutCards-Appreciation Marketing Expert)
GOOD MORNING: Welcome to this edition of The Monday Morning Message....I, hope, this week you have the opportunity to make great strides in reaching every goal we have set for ourselves.  We can and should take steps this week to move forward in the process of success.  Along the way, we will face many obstacles.  Today and every day there will be people and situations that will get in our way.  You and only you can make the decision to focus on what you need to.  Accomplish what you need to.  Do what is necessary to achieve the success you are aspiring to.  Sometimes bad things happen to good people.  There is no explanation for it, but we must learn to always take every situation and turn it into something positive and learn from it.  A successful life is not one that is handed to you...
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By Anna Tolstoy
(Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
How to be on schedule when showing homes to  Buyers - what are your favorite "recipes"? Recent Nina Rogof's blog inspired me to write this post.  When I put together a tour for buyers, I try to include at least one property that is "vacant / easy to show" where we don't really have to stick to the schedule. It works well as a buffer if we are running late. I also might do adjustments along the way: say, skip #4 and go to #5 directly because #5 had more strict showing instructions, and I could rearrange to see #4 after #7.  I try to plan for lunch breaks, if the tour is going to take most of the day. Little breathing room is good for buyers to clear the head, it's great strategy if they have kids with them, and kids are tired of going in and out of homes and cars. They need to stop by a...
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