This Wellesley, MA Single Family housing marketing report covers all the single family activity for the month of May, 2011.  As you begin to follow these statistics you can spot the trends that will be reported on in several months in the media. This report comes from the MLS listings for all of Wellesely. The average prices for the sold homes are considerably lower than those active on the market.  It will be interesting to see if these numbers come down through the end of this spring and through the summer. That would be a pattern that would have been considered normal before, but there is no normal for the industry right now. Single Family Active Listings: 150       Average List Price: $1,665,979     Average Market Time: 145.02 Single Family Under Agreement Listings: 38       Averag... 06/06/2011

Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport, Anguilla Anguilla is a small island in the Caribbean very near the better known island of St Martin’s (St Maarten).  Anguilla is known for the privacy and security they provide their visitors and also some of the world’s best beaches.  The restaurants in Anguilla are truly amazing and this isn’t just Caribbean amazing, but amazing on the international standards.  This isn’t too surprising considering some of the wealthiest and best known people in the world vacation in Anguilla.  Paul McCartney, Kevin Bacon, Michael Jordan, LL Cool J, Sandra Bullock, and so many more people come to relax, be left alone and play on the wonderful beaches.  The ABC show The Bachelor has filmed on the island and everyone has to come in by plane or small boat. LL_Cool... 05/29/2011

Lynne Bernbaum Art Studio The Anguilla Art scene is thriving and there is plenty of things to do in Anguilla.  Music, Art, Craft and more are all available.  Because Anguilla in the Caribbean has the reputation of being a private and safe island for your visit whether you are a celebrity, royalty, or just the folks next door it offers an international combination of art and culture.  The Dev0nish Art Gallery offers sculpture and pottery by artist Courtney Devonish, they also represent local artist and their work.  The nearby Cheddies Carving Studio also provides an insight into the art of Anguilla.  The Lynne Bernbaum Art Studio also has a collection of local and international artists work they show. The beauty of Anguilla is known internationally. The incredible beaches, the romantic ... 05/27/2011

Fair Isaac goes Orwellian In yet another instance of "I know more about you than you know about yourself", Fair Isaac recently announced that it had created a "black box" that financial institutions and loan servicers can use to determine if an individual is at high risk of strategic default months in advance of the actual event (See article published on Inman News here.) I don't know about you, but I have a big problem with someone else "guessing" whether or not I am going to default on my mortgage - - or anything else.   What Fair Isaac is doing is akin to racial profiling.  "Well sir, you are being placed under arrest because you wear a beard, and we all know that terrorists wear beards..."  I really don't think there is any black box in the world that is going to predict with any ac... 04/27/2011

Scilly Cay Anguilla Restaurant This is a story about lobsters and Scilly Cay Restaurant in Anguilla. Here in New England we pride ourselves on our fine cold water lobsters.  I have wondered more than once about the person or group of people who first saw a lobster and thought it would be good to eat.  At one point lobsters were so plentiful they were not an extravagance.  That is no longer true.  Now we know how good the meat is and have tasted many ways of eating one.  Eating a lobster, or should I say, knowing how to eat a lobster is an art.  Most people eat the tails and are done with it. They are rookie’s.  Some eat the tail and the claws, they are the minor league-rs.  A true lobster lovers knows how to get each tiny bit of flavor out of the crustacean before they are done. What p... 04/20/2011

Scilly Cay Anguilla Restaurant Do you want to buy or lease a vacation home? We can help you with either side of this question in Anguilla. Anguilla is an island in the Caribbean near St Martin’s.  It has become popular through the years with the celebrity and jet set because of the beaches. Conde Nast rated Anguilla as in the Top Ten Beaches in the world. Are you looking to buy a home? Are you thinking that if you include some of your close friends and a family member or two you can get way more luxury for less money out of your pocket?  Are you interested in having the top rental rates in all the Caribbean helping you pay off your mortgage.  I can help you with that, you just have to give me a call. Scilly Cay Rum Punch Scilly Cay Anguilla Restaurant rum punch Is a long term lease som... 04/15/2011

Pondering the real estate market While the media continues to trash real estate all the key indicators as well as many of the key investment gurus are saying the opposite.  The stock market according the Prospect Mortgage reports of this morning are up and the confidence is better.  I am not so sure about the confidence, but I think big money has been on the sidelines for long enough and investors are looking for ways to place their money in assets for the next 5 to 10 years and make considerable potential profits.  Since I am not an investment specialist I can’t dispense any professional advice in this area, that is why I am sharing reports I am reading for your own due diligence. Below is from Propect Mortgage report of May 6th 2011. Market Update Stocks climb this morning as investo... 04/07/2011

132 Oakland Street, Wellesley MA There are so many ways to look at meaningful statistics that can provide you valuable information in your due diligence method for valuing homes and real estate in the Wellesley, MA 02482 Housing Market Reports-March 2011.  This report outlines the month of March 2011 in Wellesley, MA 02482 real estate market. 140 Houses Actively on the Market in Wellesley, MA 02482 17 Houses have been Sold in Wellesley, MA 02482 29 Houses Under Agreement in Wellesley, MA 02482 16 Houses have Expired from the market in Wellesley, MA 02482 3 Houses Canceled their listings in Wellesley, MA 02482 The Spring market is heating up in Wellesley.  Active, Under Agreement, Sold and Expired houses all went up with only the Canceled house numbers coming down.  This is to be expect... 04/04/2011

Cote Mer Anguilla, on the beach Cote Mer in Anguilla is a much loved restaurant for it’s food, it’s location and the people who have created the atmosphere and food.  How one gets from Moscow to Anguilla to create incredible French and Mediterranean food is a long story, one that is best heard from Stephan or Thomas while sitting in the Cote Mer.  Anguilla is filled with story and this one is a good one. Sit back and relax and enjoy the beach front view as you feast of great local food made with passion and a sense of care. Thomas had been awarded one of the best young chef’s in the South of France but was working in Moscow where they met.  These men are well versed in cuisine and having a great time.  Fortunately the weather in Moscow drove them to warmer climes and they choose one of... 04/01/2011

Enjoying the beach in Anguilla The winter is not quite over here in the Northeast and so we can all be wishing for a warm beach, but even if the weather goes from cold to hot in a day, as it tends to do in New England, we can still be thinking of the beach.  Anguilla has had its beaches rated by Conde Nast as some of the top ten places in the world. This is no small award since beach lovers everywhere have their favorites. What makes a great beach?  Well for one the sand and the sand in Anguilla is a beautiful white and soft.  Next is the ocean that laps up on the beach.  Than Anguilla blue is so beautiful, as you can tell from these pictures. Uncrowded is good and although Anguilla has been getting a lot of publicity from national television shows like The Bachelor recently for the Va... 03/31/2011

There has been some disturbing news out in the recent cycle.  The Republicans are trying to do away with HAMP and have voted to repeal it.  It is unlikely the Senate will pass the bill, but if they do the President will surely veto the measure.  HAMP may or may not be a good program, we will never know because the lenders are not using it.  The lenders are reluctant to help the homeowner either on their own, or with government help. On another issue the results nationally on the housing market were the worst they have been in 20 years.  Part of this was driven by the horrible weather that the country had during that time.  Part of it was due to the fact the tax credits that helped last years numbers are not available and part of the issue is that there still in very little new job creat... 03/30/2011

Blanchards Restaurant Anguilla Blanchards is not just one of the best restaurants on Anguilla it is also one of the best stories about family, friends, entrepreurship and love. Bob and Melinda Blanchard have been married for more that thirty years.  In that time they have lived a life filled with adventure, love and food.  Blanchards is not one of those restaurants that takes it’s presentation more seriously than the food. You will not get a meal that is over handled and presented in a way that the look of the food on the plate is more important than the taste of the food and your experience in their restaurants. Blanchards Restaurant Dining Room Blanchard’s in Anguilla was built in 1994 and it’s atmosphere from the beginning coupled beauty, simplicity and love in equal measures.  The ... 03/29/2011

Here is a posting from Anguilla-Beaches.com where they rate the best beaches on an island filled with the “Top Ten” beaches. 1) Best Big Beach… Shoal Bay East This is a 2-mile strand of perfect white sand. It has been named the world’s best beach (not just the Caribbean’s) by many top tourist magazines and authorities. Here’s a photo of my dad, little sister and me… We love walking that beach. The sand is so powdery and stretches a mile, comes to a point with some fantastic reefs, and then goes another mile. Several good beach bars (I think that’s why my dad loves Anguilla anyway!), not to mention terrific, open-air restaurants right on the beach. Share Your Favorite Anguilla Beach What is your top spot for sand, sun and swim? Click here to share your favorite! Here you see Yuki (my yo... 03/22/2011

Home inspectors working in Wellesley MA are required to perform a home inspection to the Massachusetts Home Inspector Standards of Practice.  A copy of the standard will be provided to the client by the home inspector.The MA Home Inspector Standards of Practice is written for the professional home inspector. United Inspection Service has created some easy to read Consumer Information Sheets illustrating what is included and excluded in a Standard MA home inspection. Clear client communications (3c) are one of our core values. See the easy to read one page consumer information sheets for each of the systems in a MA Home Inspection.Visit the Wellesley MA Home Inspection page from United Inspection Service for some useful information about homes in Wellesley MA and Massachusetts Home Inspe... 03/09/2011

A day trip to  French St. Martin …..Marigot .   …… Sightseeing , History, shopping , restaurants …. So much to see and do , allot of fun but there is the traffic and hustle bustle of New York City… One great find I will talk about today is Le Bistro Nu Restaurant in Marigot  St. Martin. Not very easy to find but well worth the energy for a great experience ! Le Bistro Nu is a restaurant that great Chefs come to when they are on their day off and want a very good lunch or dinner.   Le Bistro Nu is a very small restaurant you will be very glad you have sought out.  Great French and Creole Dinning one of my personal favorites…….   Did I say small and cozy !!!!   Anyone speak and read French???    If not do not worry everyone there is friendly, helpful and speak english Go to Le Bistro Nu ... 03/08/2011

Decision Time Decision making is part of what defines a successful career.  Yes, you need to have rules that you don’t redefine with every turn of the whim, but how we communicate and what we say in those communications does change over time, especially with the internet moving at light speed.  There is no need to rehash the truth about how the internet has changed real estate.  While it will always remain a person to person business in the end, the starting line has moved to the web.  If you are not there you will be gone, simple as that.  So the smart ones have adapted, made the decision to embrace technology, got themselves a web site that delivers leads, opened a Facebook account and then built a business page from there, learned what QR codes are and use them.  Where are you along... 03/04/2011

This challenge is a brilliant new marketing technique and I offer congratulations to both the author, Stefan Swanepoel, and Active Rain.  I took the challenge and took the quiz right off when I first read of this from a blog by Missy Caulk.  Surviving the Serengiti is an interesting read. We are offered the first two chapters free if we blog about it. Actually we are offered the first two chapters if we read it, if we blog about it we may get extra points from Active Rain.  We also have to take the quiz to find out which of the seven animals we most resemble in the Serengeti.  This is new age marketing at it's best.  Give to get and make it fun is the watchword here.  Brilliant and should be very instructive to every agent in terms of marketing and getting your word out.  This is not ju... 02/28/2011

There are mountain people and beach people, chalets and villas…my dream vacations include blue water and white sand and there is plenty of that in Anguilla.  There is nothing better than waking up with the sound of the ocean coming in through the windows. Sitting up in bed and seeing blue skies and bluer ocean.  You may have brought your business partners to this island to close a deal, but you are remembering the last time you and your wife woke up in the bed last visit. Anguilla Real Estate is a money runner’s dream. This property will make you money in so many ways while it is saving you money in others. Virtually no taxes is attractive, as is the highest rental rates in all the Caribbean.  Our home is built for entertaining and that means your family, your friends and your business... 02/27/2011

Beth Hinchcliffe wrote an interesting history of Wellesley from which I quote here. “It learned that in the 1630s, after negotiations with Indian Chiefs Nehoiden and Maugus (whose names are still seen in town today), the first nineteen hardy pioneers paid five pounds of currency and three pounds of corn for the land which would become Wellesley. At the time, it made up part of a larger town, named Dedham. The land was good and within 75 years enough families were living in a section of Dedham so that a new town split off, named Needham. The western part of this new town, the part which was to become Wellesley, was called West Needham, and spent most of the 18th and 19th centuries as a small, quiet farming town. Men from West Needham joined their neighbors to fight and die at the beginni... 02/23/2011

First off let me say in all honesty, I am a content developer and not a developer.  I am seen as techy cause I use techy products, but I am not tech savvy.  Facebook is not easy, that is one of the myths about it.  It seems easy, but it is nuanced and layered.  Ok, enough for the caveats. What I learned today about Facebook business pages for real estate folks.  Name, don't use your own name.  Don't use the name of your real estate agency.  Don't use a cutesy name.  Use a name like Discovering (your town name here).  I use Discovering Wellesley, MA.  I would love for you to come over and "like" my page even though I am just getting started. In terms of content I learned today to google all the businesses in Wellesley on Facebook and like them as my business page, not as my self.  So I "... 02/22/2011