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Check out this completely renovated Village Colonial in the Ward Park Neighborhood of Marlborough! This 1880 home has been brought up to today?s standard with updated electrical, plumbing, gas heat, central a/c, roof, insulation and siding. New kitchen with pantry, stainless steel appliances, corian counter tops and sliding barn door. First floor bedroom / office with full closet and French doors. Open staircase with large window and coat area for great sunlight! Large master with Jack and Jill style full bath on the second floor. All the original wide plank pine flooring on the second floor has been restored and shows beautifully with the contemporary flair this home now has. Full daylight walk out basement to the completed fenced in large yard is perfect for dogs or kids. Oversized one car garage! 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, 1000+ sq ft. Walking distance to downtown shops and restaurants and on the edge of newly finished Ward Park with tennis courts, running track, play ground and Skate Park. Great commuter location! Listed at just $324,999!

Don’t miss out! With inventory so tight it isn’t often that you can find a great updated house for this price! Tucked away in Indian Hill on the Worcester / Holden line you can have over 1400 sq ft of beautiful wood work and original details with all the right upgrades! Gas heat! New electric, plumbing, gas furnace and insulation (Mass Energy Audit done). 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths with a private back yard and deck. Hardwoods throughout both living levels and a full basement. Updated tile full bath with soaking tub. Expansive sun filled living room with fireplace that is great for plants and family gatherings. Full dining room with slider doors to the back yard. Country kitchen with butcher block counters and stainless steel appliances. It is hard to find what this house doesn’t have! Great commuter location with easy highway access. Now listed at just $209,999!

Beautiful Village Colonial in Holden! Low energy and low maintenance living with this fully renovated 4 bedroom, 2 bath Colonial near the town center but with an easy commute to the highway. Beautiful hardwood floors throughout with many delightful features including built-ins and cedar breezeway. The charm carries through this lovely home with french doors to the four season porch. Nothing is missed with the Low-E window upgrades, newer roof, full insulation and Hardie Plank cement board exterior siding. LED recessed lighting throughout! Flexibility with a first floor master bedroom that can also be a family room to enhance the open floor plan. Large level lot is perfect summer evenings with patio and pergola. This home has it all with nothing to do but move in! Listed at just $324,999!

Hudson cul-de-sac colonial! With a sprawling 3700+ sq feet you can enjoy this home for years to come. Stunning cathedral ceiling fireplace great room is open off of the oversized eat-in kitchen. Granite counters with oversized island, real cherry cabinets and stainless steel appliances! Sliders open to both a screened-in porch and open deck overlooking the conservation land. Hardwoods flow through the main level from the kitchen into the formal dining room, living room, front foyer and office with built-in desk and French doors. The upper level features a spacious Master bedroom with walk in closet and private bath that includes a Jacuzzi tub. Generous bedrooms and another full bath complete the upper level. The finished lower level is filled with light from the full windows and sliders and contains another full bath, general area and bedroom. This is great space for extended family! Central air, 2 car garage, five bedrooms and 3 and a half full baths with first floor laundry. Listed at just $624,999!

Attention Investors! Grab this quick! Fully-rented three-family in the hot market of East Somerville! Just steps to Sullivan Square T, Assembly Square Shops, Restaurants & Route 93 you will always have tenants! First floor has individual entrance with central air and basement access. All units have separately metered gas heat. Maintenance free vinyl siding and newer roof. Great private fenced back yard. Each level has 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom with great details such as hardwood floors and built-ins. Realize over a 5% cap rate with market rate rents! Listed at just $944,999!

Located at 90 Frankland Road, this impressive 3000+ sq feet of quality New England construction can be found in this contemporary colonial on a quiet street in Hopkinton. Great commuting location but quiet and peaceful on 2+ wooded acres this is truly an oasis at the end of the day! Open floor plan on the main level with a curved stair case off the foyer. Kitchen/dining room spans 28 x 16 along the back of the house with a full deck to enjoy. Granite counters and plenty of windows! Oversized fireplace family room is 21 x 18 with hardwoods and easily accommodates the whole family. Expansive master bedroom (22 x 21) with cathedral ceilings. 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths and a full dry walk out basement that is plumbed and ready to finish! Previous permit in hand for a detached 2 story garage or barn on a slab foundation. New roof and new septic in 2013! This house could easily be worth $100ks more with a just a small amount of elbow grease! Listed at just $525,000!

Houses like this don’t come on the market often! Completely renovated contemporary 5 bedroom 3 bath home on a secluded wooded lot in a premier cul-de-sac location in Marlborough! Open concept main living area with real solid hard wood floors and transitional kitchen with custom cabinets; smudge proof stainless steel appliances and granite counters with offsetting island. Bright and airy with vaulted ceilings and with double slider doors to the deck and expansive wooded back yard. Full master suite with a vaulted ceiling and skylights, brand new bathroom and walk in closet. Main level bath complete with ceramic tile floor and double vanity to accommodate a growing family. Lower level family room with fireplace and full bath allows for flexible living arrangements with in-laws, teenagers or an au pair. With over 2200 sq feet of top quality living space this is a house to make a home! 2 car garage, gas heat, central a/c and location location location! Near shopping (Soloman Pond Mall), restaurants, movies, sports complex and major commuting routes but nestled in a quiet cul-de-sac location with sidewalks. Voted a ?2016 Game Changer? in the Boston Globe Marlborough enjoys easy highway access and has a top rated (#3 in the country according to US News) AMSA school. Now just $484,999!

This is not your ordinary Shrewsbury home! Located at 176 Tennis Court Drive, this stunning contemporary-styled home in idyllic setting that is both private and peaceful but close to all major commuting routes. Exceptional layout on the main level provides an open flow from the sunken fire placed living room with hardwoods to the oversized kitchen and dining room. The sunroom off the kitchen allows for quick access to the private 24 ft deck for summer evening cook outs. The great room (24 by 23) overlooks the front with cathedral ceilings and fireplace giving plenty space for everyone. The oversized palladian windows provide maximum natural light. The dramatic upper level includes a full Master En Suite with walk in closet, jacuzzi tub and private balcony. 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths in over 3400 sq ft. Walk out basement to fenced yard. Central a/c. PRICED BELOW assessed value and including stainless steel appliances, new carpeting and upgraded lighting, all for only $635,000! Open house on Saturday 9/24 from 11am-12:30pm!
A solid game plan can help you narrow your homebuying search to find the best home for you. House hunting is just like any other shopping expedition. If you identify exactly what you want and do some research, you’ll zoom in on the home you want at the best price. These eight tips will guide you through a smart homebuying process.
Understand the type of home that suits your personality. Do you prefer a new or existing home? A ranch or a multistory home? If you’re leaning toward a fixer-upper, are you truly handy, or will you need to budget for contractors?
List the features you most want in a home and identify which are necessities and which are extras. Identify three to four neighborhoods you’d like to live in based on commute time, schools, recreation, crime, and price. Then hop onto realtor.com to get a feel for the homes available in your price range in your favorite neighborhoods. Use the results to prioritize your wants and needs so you can add in and weed out properties from the inventory you’d like to view.
Generally, lenders say you can afford a home priced two to three times your gross income. Create a budget so you know how much you’re comfortable spending each month on housing. Don’t wait until you’ve found a home and made an offer to investigate financing.
Gather your financial records and meet with a lender to get a prequalification letter spelling out how much you’re eligible to borrow. The lender won’t necessarily consider the extra fees you’ll pay when you purchase or your plans to begin a family or purchase a new car, so shop in a price range you’re comfortable with. Also, presenting an offer contingent on financing will make your bid less attractive to sellers.
Do you have blemishes on your credit that will take time to clear up? If you already own, have you sold your current home? If not, you’ll need to factor in the time needed to sell. If you rent, when is your lease up? Do you expect interest rates to jump anytime soon? All these factors will affect your buying, closing, and moving timelines
Your future plans may dictate the type of home you’ll buy. Are you looking for a starter house with plans to move up in a few years, or do you hope to stay in the home for five to 10 years? With a starter, you may need to adjust your expectations. If you plan to nest, be sure your priority list helps you identify a home you’ll still love years from now.
Ask people you trust for referrals to a real estate professional they trust. Interview agents to determine which have expertise in the neighborhoods and type of homes you’re interested in. Because homebuying triggers many emotions, consider whether an agent’s style meshes with your personality.
Also ask if the agent specializes in buyer representation. Unlike listing agents, whose first duty is to the seller, buyers’ reps work only for you even though they’re typically paid by the seller. Finally, check whether agents are REALTORS®, which means they’re members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. NAR has been a champion of homeownership rights for more than a century.
It’s OK to be picky about the home and neighborhood you want, but don’t be close-minded, unrealistic, or blinded by minor imperfections. If you insist on living in a cul-de-sac, you may miss out on great homes on streets that are just as quiet and secluded.
On the flip side, don’t be so swayed by a “wow” feature that you forget about other issues — like noise levels — that can have a big impact on your quality of life. Use your priority list to evaluate each property, remembering there’s no such thing as the perfect home.
It’s natural to seek reassurance when making a big financial decision. But you know that saying about too many cooks in the kitchen. If you need a second opinion, select one or two people. But remain true to your list of wants and needs so the final decision is based on criteria you’ve identified as important.
By: G. M. Filisko
You’ve found your dream home. Make sure missteps don’t prevent a successful closing.
A home purchase isn’t complete until you make it to the closing. Until then, the transaction can fall apart for many reasons. Here are five tips for avoiding mistakes that cause a home sale to crater.
You may think fudging your income a little or omitting debts when applying for a mortgage will go unnoticed. Not true. Lenders have become more diligent in verifying information on mortgage applications. If you fib, expect to be found out and denied the loan you need to fund your home purchase. Plus, intentionally lying on a mortgage application is a crime.
Lenders double-check buyers’ credit right before the closing to be sure their financial condition hasn’t weakened. If you’ve opened new credit cards, significantly increased the balance on existing cards, taken out new loans, or depleted your savings, your credit score may have dropped enough to make your lender change its mind on funding your home loan. Although it’s tempting to purchase new furniture and other items for your new home, or even a new car, wait until after the closing.
The lender may refuse to fund your loan if you quit or change jobs before you close the purchase. The time to take either step is after a home closing, not before.
If your contract requires you to do something before the sale, do it. If you’re required to secure financing, promptly provide all the information the lender requires. If you must deposit additional funds into escrow, don’t stall. If you have 10 days to get a home inspection, call the inspector immediately.
Get your funds together a week or so before the closing, so you don’t have to ask for a delay. If you’ll need to bring a certified check to closing, get it from the bank the day before, not the day of, your closing. Treat deadlines as sacrosanct.