And the winner of the Guess The Price Contest... Well, it was something different. I ran this contest on Facebook last week --- --------------------------------------------------------------------- Guess the price and win $25 Restaurant.com Gift Card! Ok, so I thought of something different. Can't call it new idea because I have heard of this idea somewhere and have seen this trick on Facebook. As I post this also on Facebook, let's play this little game: Guess The Price! Here's the picture of the home - and sorry, no more details! Please guess the price, share it with your friends and family and ask them to do the same - and when the listing comes on market, I will share the listing information - and of course the winner. If there are multiple winners, I'll draw the name of the winner ... 07/20/2014

Mortgage rates may rise or fall this spring (lately they seem to be falling!)—but that needn’t prevent you from saving even more money when it’s time to structure your own local mortgage. The underpublicized fact is that mortgage rates are only one of the factors that affect how much you wind up paying. No matter what happens to mortgage rates in 2014, here are some keys to making mortgage decisions that result in significant savings: Tailor the term Evaluate your budget and see whether it is possible to increase the amount of your monthly payment. By increasing monthly repayments, you reduce the term of your mortgage. Over the course of the loan, this can save tens of thousands of dollars. Refinance for five years instead of two The interest you pay on a refi loan isn’t the only cost. ... 04/28/2014

If you've never heard of a moving scam, then consider yourself lucky. But many people across America are falling victim to these scams. Moving scammers have a multitude of ways that they can take advantage of you. The main scam seems to be packing all of your household items into their truck, and then adding on exorbitant additional fees in transit, effectively holding your items hostage until you pay up. Less popular scams involve unlicensed movers posing as legitimate companies, by-the-hour rates where you are charged even while no work is being done, and in the rare case, a sham company showing up, packing up all of your possessions, and driving away, never to be heard from again. To minimize your risk, follow a few simple guidelines. Use a local, reputable business. Never do busines... 11/17/2013

A house needs to be sold three times when it is on the market. First it needs to be sold to other agents so they will want to show and sell the home. Second it needs to be sold to buyers and lastly to the appraiser. Even if the buyer is willing to pay a certain price for a home they usually need a mortgage. That means it is actually the bank who is buying the home. The bank wants to protect their investment so they do an appraisal. When the appraisal comes back low or as an under-appraisal deals can fall apart. If you are a seller or a buyer you need to know how to protect yourself from short appraisals? Here are some suggestions from Bankrate.com for buyers and sellers. If you're a buyer: -- Tell your lender to find an appraiser who comes from your county, or perhaps a neighboring coun... 11/09/2013

  With Halloween right around the corner, you have a lot of options to get into the spirit. Here’s a list of events happening right here in Hopkinton!             October 24 - 26 Thursday- Saturday  Haunted farmhouse Hopkinton center for The arts 98 Hayden Rowe st.  Link- http://www.hopartscenter.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ October 25 Friday Halloween Spooktacular Metrowest YMCA 6:30 – 9pm Haunted trail walks, Haunted House, Campfire Ghost stories, Crafts & Games Link-http://www.metrowestymca.org/uploads/sites/common/Halloween_Spooktacular_Flyer2013.pdf -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octo... 10/23/2013

More and more homeowners are choosing to stay in their homes and remodel. Homeowners who stay in their homes will eventually sell their home so it is important to make sure to choose a remodeling project that will get a good return on investment. Homeowners will also want to make sure to choose the right project for their living situation. The following are some helpful hints and a guide to the values of home remodeling projects. First, you will want to ask yourself a few questions before you begin: What is your budget? What is the reason behind the project? Are you looking for more space? Updates? Are you trying to improve your quality of life? Is the goal to create more value in your home? If you are looking to get the most resale value from your remodeling project, Remodeling Magazin... 10/20/2013

Today’s Internet-savvy home seller knows that before potential Massachusetts buyers even make their way to a home’s online listing they may already have been exposed to the property’s pictures posted elsewhere. Since first impressions can be decisive, it’s all the more reason to heed something that advertising professionals have always known: the viewer’s eye is automatically drawn directly to any visible flaws. That’s why, if you want to entice more buyers by posting the most attractive teaser pics of your  home, you need to think in staging terms. Professional staging is the most foolproof way to create flawless images, of course — but there are also some easy and inexpensive approaches to creating eye-pleasing images of your home. Get your Stuff Out The first rule of staging a home i... 10/08/2013

Whenever a home lingers on the market, the likeliest two culprits are either a price that’s too high to be competitive, or a home that’s not in top showing condition. If you were unsuccessful in selling your home in Metrowest this summer, it would be particularly disappointing given the strength of the selling season. The NAR reports that in July alone, sales of existing homes jumped 17.2% compared with July 2012. At the same time, some sellers reported the reappearance of multiple offers. The good news? Selling your home in the fall or winter is not as difficult as most people commonly assume. In fact, selling your home in Metrowest during the coming months can offer certain benefits. In what many people assume is an “off season,” fewer homes are on the market — less competition. At th... 09/22/2013

   Whenever you hear that a neighbor’s house is on the market, the same question flashes through nearly every homeowner's mind: how much are they asking? That's because of the nature of residential markets: our own homes' real estate values (in fact, all Hopkinton real estate values) are connected with one another, and that asking price is an estimate of the current state of affairs. It has to be reasonable in order to attract the attention of serious buyers —  but if it’s too reasonable, on closing day the seller will walk away with a lighter bank account than necessary. Real estate values in Hopkinton are determined in large part by what other similar homes have recently sold for. These comparable sales show what a real world bank was willing to lend, and how many dollars a real life ... 09/08/2013

Kitchens sell houses. So having a great looking kitchen is important if you are thinking of putting your home on the market or maybe you just need a fresh new look. Cabinets are one of the biggest expenses in a kitchen remodel but with a little elbow grease and creativity, you can update your kitchen cabinets without going through the hassle of an entire remodel. Here are some tips on how to make your kitchen look like new with a cabinet facelift. Give the wood a Good Cleaning You will be surprised what a good scrubbing can do. Heat, water, grease and food residue all take a serious toll on your cabinets. If you choose to remove the doors, label or number them so you'll put them back in the right place. Make sure to test any kind of cleaner before using it on the entire cabinet. Cleaner... 09/01/2013

Unless you’ve been vacationing on the beach in St Maarten all summer (in which case I’m jealous!) it’s likely that you’ve heard the news: right now in many parts of Massachusetts, we seem to be in what one can fairly consider a “seller’s market.” And if you’ve been thinking about selling, this perception could have caused dollar signs to start dancing through your head. Priced and marketed correctly, if you are in fact considering listing your home, you actually could be in for some pleasant surprises. Multiple offers are making a comeback in many areas, and working with a skilled Metrowest real estate agent can provide you with the kind of informed guidance that attracts a spate of offers. For a Metrowest listing to create a multiple offer scenario, though, you usually need to observe ... 08/28/2013

There has long been a debate about how important landscaping is to a home’s salability. To sell your home at maximum value, some agents say, beautiful landscaping is a necessity. Others think that the curb appeal it adds may help get potential buyers through the door, but that’s about all. Into this debate has come Horticulturist Alex Niemiera with a Virginia Tech study finding that a well-landscaped home had a significant price advantage over a home with no landscaping, He measured the advantage as ranging from 5.5% - 12.7%. Conversely, poor landscaping made property values drop by a full 10%. I tend to agree with the Professor. Along those lines, if you plan to sell your Massachusetts home this fall, these ideas should come in handy: Placing potted plants by the doorway and on the pat... 08/18/2013

The fall selling season is just around the corner, causing some homeowners to give serious thought to the prospect of listing their home. Particularly when it’s likely that you will be entering the Metrowest market soon, when it comes to the important decision regarding setting the price of the property, it’s helpful to keep in mind that there is a meaningful difference between “price” and “value.” Price is the amount that a seller asks for their Metrowest property — it’s that all-important number at the top of the listing that seeks to describe where it belongs in the hierarchy of homes for sale. But the fact is, it is different from the value —which is the amount the property is worth. The value is based on many factors, among them location (neighborhood and placement within the neigh... 08/11/2013

The love letter is back! What is a love letter in real estate? When the market is hot and competition for desirable homes is high buyers can gain an advantage by writing the seller a love letter. You may be wondering why in the world would I write a love letter to a seller? The answer: you want an advantage in a competitive real estate market. What should I put in my love letter? Compliment the seller on their home Tell the seller why you love the home Compliment the neighborhood Make it personal Be genuine Love letters often appeal to a seller's emotions and often especially if the owner has lived in the home a while the decision to sell a home is a very emotional process. If you find yourself in a bidding war or want to land the perfect home it may be a love letter that makes all the ... 08/10/2013

  Hopkinton MA, Real Estate Market Report       2012 vs 2013Year To Date   Single Family Homes   1/1- 7/31 MLS statistics # Sold Avg. Sold Price Days On Mkt actve listings 2012 114 $544,000 107 80 2013 104 $575,000 88 61 Trend down  up down down   The Hopkinton Market is VERY Active with homes selling quickly. prices are up and inventory very low CLICK-  What’s the value of your Hopkinton Home in today’s market    If you would like more information as it pertains to your real estate needs   Contact John 508 625-0059 I am always happy to help 08/02/2013

   Home selling is not so different in any community: the nearly universal underpinnings haven’t changed through the years. So when a homeowner watches a “Just Sold!” sign go up on a neighborhood home he or she just knows isn’t nearly as good a buy as his or her own property, “why them/why not me?” is the normal response.   The answer can be quite simple. If you want your own Metrowest home selling campaign to proceed as smoothly as possible, veteran sellers offer some reliable advice:             ·               Remove yourself from the equation. Specifically, remove the family photos off the walls and store them in an out-of-the-way place. That evocative stairwell lined with pictures of the kids and family vacations might be a trip down memory l... 07/31/2013

If you’ve listed your Massachusetts home for sale this summer, no matter what your future plans may be, they won’t get under way until Job One is accomplished: turning your front yard ‘Home For Sale’ sign into one that reads ‘Sold!’ That’s why the last thing you need is to inadvertently hinder the sale yourself. There are a few traps that sellers can easily avoid, so if you plan to list your home for sale this summer, it’s important to be aware of two of the most common ones: Hanging Around Real estate is at least partially an emotional affair. When the seller is right there hovering during a showing, his house remains just that – his. You want your potential buyers to linger — spend time imagining themselves in the place — rather than feeling like they are intruding on someone else’s t... 07/21/2013

     2012 vs 2013Year To Date   Single Family Homes   1/1- 6/30 MLS statistics # Sold Avg. Sold Price Days On Mkt actve listings 2012 89 $524,000 101 91 2013 83 $563,000 99 44 Trend down  up down down   The Hopkinton Market is VERY Active with homes selling quickly. Sales are up, prices up and inventory very low CLICK-  What’s the value of your Hopkinton Home in today’s market    If you would like more information as it pertains to your real estate needs   Contact John 508 625-0059 I am always happy to help 07/10/2013

So the market’s recovering, interest rates are low, and you think you’re finally ready to buy a home? Not so fast. Buyers across the country are running into a new roadblock: there don’t seem to be enough homes for sale. Anyone who has looked at entry- to mid-level homes for sale in Hopkinton and many Metrowest Towns probably knows what I mean. Mortgage rates remain near historic lows, and as the prices of homes for sale continue to rise, fears that we could soon see a repetition of a real estate equity loss seem increasingly unlikely.  Why the lack of inventory? There are several reasons. Buyers may be ready to buy again, but somesellers are still not in a position to offer theirhomes for sale. When the housing market collapsed seven years ago, some homeowners’ equity loss was such tha... 05/05/2013

  Hopkinton MA, Real Estate Market Report 2012 vs 2013Year To Date Single Family Homes     1/1- 3/31 MLS statistics # Sold Avg. Sold Price Days On Mkt actve listings 2012 38 $498,000 108 97 2013 41 $541,000 112 52 Trend up  up up down The Hopkinton Market is VERY Active with homes selling quickly. Sales are up, prices up and inventory very low (of the 52 Active Listings 17 are flagged as having accepted offers, so really only 35 available homes) CLICK-  What’s the value of your Hopkinton Home in today’s market    If you would like more information as it pertains to your real estate needs   Contact John 508 625-0059 I am always happy to help When you are buying a home or selling a home start by working with a seasoned real estate professional who will keep your best interests at heart! I... 05/04/2013