Real Estate and *stuff *
A real person helping real people with real estate
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The whole family gets involved! Sneak peek video for a new listing in Holden!
January 16, 2012
This is the living room and kitchen of 67 Laurel Lane in Holden which is coming on the market this week! This 3 bedroom, 1 bath ranch offers so much with hardwood floors, large windows, wood burning or electric fireplace and fenced in yard with a view of the woods.
The basement is dry and has a finished family room and plenty of space for a workshop. Great neighborhood and priced right!
For more information or schedule a showing of the whole house (not just the kitchen and the living room):
Amy Mullen, Realtor CPA CDPE MBA
RE/MAX Professional Associates
508-784-0504
amymullen@remax.net
http://www.amymullenrealestate.com
Holiday Open House! Thursday at 4pm
December 11, 2011
I know it’s past the RSVP date – but let me know if you can stop in – we’d love to see you there!
Got a Buck? Buy and Move a ‘Used’ House
December 9, 2011
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Relocated homes are a double blessing: They let buyers fulfill the dream of home ownership by picking up a house for next to nothing, and they keep old homes out of the landfill.
This may be the ultimate in reusing and repurposing materials, and we applaud this trend: For as little as $1, some people are buying homes off a “used-home lot” — homes that would otherwise be torn down — and just paying a delivery fee, between $15,000 and $60,000, to have the house transported to their lot.
Tough economic times are making these “cash and carry” homes more and more popular, according to The New York Times.
The relocated homes are bargains for both the new and old home owners: Newbies can pick up a house for next to nothing, while previous owners save on demolition and dumping fees.
Operators of used-house lots, especially along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and in the upper Midwest, say sales have increased as much as 60% over the last three years. “It seems like we’re even busier when the economy is bad,” Warren Davie, owner of a structural moving company and a used-house lot in Kenner, La., told the Times.
Some owners of delivered homes figure they saved about 40% to 60% of what it would cost to build a comparable house.
Jennifer and Craig Davis moved a 1,500-sq.-ft. vacation home by barge across Puget Sound to Hat Island for $65,000. The house arrived no worse for wear, except for a few hairline cracks in the drywall, easily repaired with some Spackle or joint compound.
I didn’t find any used-house lots listed on the web, but the International Association of Structural Movers can help point you in the right direction, according to its chief executive N. Eugene Brymer. Email him at gbrymer@windstream.net.
Would you consider moving a house to your lot? Do you know of any used-house lots in your area?
Apple innovator Steve Jobs embraced small-is-better kitchens ahead of his time
November 19, 2011
Looks like Steve Jobs was an iconoclast when it came to homes and kitchens, too.
Although Americans lately have embraced smaller homes, shrinking their average size by 5% from 2007 to 2010, Jobs thought smaller was better even 18 years ago, according to British kitchen designer Johnny Grey, who worked with Jobs in the mid-1990s. (See Johnny Grey’s blog on the kitchen design)
“Remarkably, for one of the world’s richest individuals, Jobs lived in modest style,” says Grey about the Palo Alto home that Jobs and his wife, Laurene, called their “cottage.” The center of family life was a cozy kitchen with white cabinets, tiled tops, and wooden edges.
Grey and Jobs worked together on a kitchen design that was contemporary and compact.
“Shaker simplicity was often his default position,” Grey says. “I suspect he became more of a modernist in the late nineties.”
Unfortunately, Jobs never constructed the kitchen.
“He was a very private person and reluctant to have contractors work around him,” Grey says, “powerfully disliking noise, mess and invasion of their home.”
Do you have any memories of Steve Jobs? Have you ever designed a project that you didn’t construct?
Fred and Ethel finish their Worcester County travel week with RE/MAX
November 16, 2011
Fred and Ethel…the BNI Whales are just finishing up their week with RE/MAX. They aren’t quite ready to take on the blue R but they are close! Most of the day was not very exciting for them with price changes, property inspection reports, client files and short sale updating with the lenders. They declined pictures for the most part. I think Ethel is getting camera-shy.
They spent some time with some new buyers looking at foreclosure condos in Marlborough and Grafton. They had a good time and it was nice to get to know some new people. Dan and Dan are just starting out with their search and we looked a few different areas so they could start to get a feel for what was available in their price range. Time well spent!
We did walk into a foreclosure on Hosmer Street. The complex is undergoing renovations but has been hit hard with short sales and foreclosures which makes it difficult for the association to maintain their budget. There is a 2 bedroom unit that I had shown when it was short sale and I’m not sure how we crossed paths but I found my business card on their living floor amiss the belongings they did not have time to take when they were foreclosed on. I wish they would have reached out – I might have been able to sell the condo short instead of them having to endure a foreclosure. It’s a huge difference – a short sale affects their credit for a much shorter time and future employers don’t ask if someone has short saled…but they do ask if they have had a foreclosure. Sad.
The BNI Whales moved past this moment and marched on to an appointment with their new clients in Marlborough. Fred and Ethel helped list their condo on Friday and we received a full price offer on Sunday which we officially accepted this evening! They are SO EXCITED!!! We also signed their offer to purchase a new house in Southborough! YAY!!! Fingers and fins are crossed for them!
This is was the last day I will spend with the BNI Whales until the next time I win them. I hope that they enjoyed it as much as I did! I also hope that you reach out to find out more about the 7 Hills BNI Group! We do need more members and it has been a fantastic group to be a part of! If you want to be more successful in your business…it’s the place to be!
Fred and Ethel recover from Short Sale Monday
November 15, 2011
Fred and Ethel – the BNI Whales that have been traveling with me since our meeting last week – apologize for being absent yesterday. Monday consumed them as they realized how much time and energy is needed to successfully close a short sale. They were back in full force today though! Spreading the word about the great stuff that can happen with BNI!
The whales started the day posing on the might jeep while it was being loaded with all the necessary items to carry out a full day of real-iting (Fred and Ethel have quite the sense of humor). They are looking forward to get out and away from the desk and the phone after yesterday!
Fred and Ethel stopped by 10 Dighton Street in Worcester which closed last week to pick up the signs and the lockbox. The new owner was home and they wished him well! Fred thought this was a great way to start the day!
Stopping again on the way into the office for a weekly inspection on a foreclosure listing. 18 Burncoat Street in Leicester is a foreclosure that just came out of contract and is back on the market. With a new price of $59,500 and a passing Title V – it’s a great buy!
Into the office for Business Builders. Business Builders is an accountability group that meets bi-weekly and is run by Pam Crawford. It helps keep Realtors ON track by holding them accountable to their goals. What works, what doesn’t and most importantly…what are we actually doing that generates business. Great group! It’s nice to connect with the other agents in the office too.
Fred and Ethel set up in the office for a few hours before the next appointment. Confirming that their recent buyers are good with their pre-qual on a house that needs a new septic, recalling all the banks involved in the short sales, letting the new rental clients that they…above four other applications…got the rental they wanted and then off again!
After a few stops – checking in at a broker’s open to preview a new construction in Leicester…stopping in on the sellers of 10 Dighton in Worcester to wish them well in their trip south for the winter and finally…
Staples. Ugh! Fred and Ethel feel the same love/hate feeling that I do…so many things that could be used…so much money could be spent! Must…keep…to…budget!! This would be a time to consult with Andrea Goodman…Swampdrainer! She keeps business…in business by keeping their PnL’s tight! At any rate…Fred and Ethel learn that jump drives fail and they must be replaced.
Ending the day with Wes Oliver from Prestige Mortgage at Picadilly’s in Westborough for a frosty cold one and nice chat…Fred and Ethel finally get home to spend some quality time with the huskies…
Where did the whales go?
November 10, 2011
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Where did the whales go today? Fred and Ethel are a pair of whales that one lucky member of BNI group get to carry with them for a week in between our meetings. BNI is largest business networking organization in the world and I would be happy to chat with you about if you are interested in finding our more. BUT…back to the whales…the whales are awarded to the BNI member with the best 50 second commercial and I won them this week!
I thought it would be fun to see where the whales go for a week…
Here we are leaving the Whale Home Base in West Bolyston. The whales dutifully come to every meeting at 7am on Thursday mornings for an hour and a half. We meet in the basement of this church because it’s cheap, nice space. Big room, lots of tables – great for networking.
Here the whales are taking some exterior pictures of a property in Worcester. This property is being valued by a bank as part of a bankruptcy case. Part of my job unfortunately consists of performing market evaluations on properties in foreclosure or about to be foreclosed on. We are expecting to see an increase in foreclosures in the fourth quarter. This makes the whales sad because there are a number of options for distressed property owners. If they were able to reach out ahead of time (when their financial trouble start) I can help them!
Here the whales are at yet another property in Worcester that they need to process a valuation on. The whales are getting tired on this rainy Thursday morning because there are 8 properties on their list today. EIGHT! In one day! For just one Realtor! Multiple that into the number of Realtors there are and it’s staggering. One in eight homeowners on average across the country are in financial distress and either behind in their mortgage or in foreclosure. *whew* the whales are shocked at the news and we had a long conversation about the various options for these people…such as modifications, short sales and legal consultation.
The whales stop to refuel. It’s a little known fact that whales actually survive on caffeine alone for most of the week. Truly. I think I saw that on a NatGeo special.
Ah-ha! The whales are excited! We just got word that we have short sale approval on a house in LESS THAN 30 DAYS! That’s amazing! These home owners will be free of their financial burden and can start to put the rest of their lives back together by the first of the new year! What a great way to spend the afternoon! Processing HUDs, submitting backing information, dotting all the “i”s and crossing all the “t”s. Another little known fact about whales is that they are detail orientated. Really…I think I saw that on the same show.
It’s a rainy evening without any appointments for a change and the whales have decided to celebrate their WIN today with the short sale approval by having a cool frosty one while reviewing tomorrow’s schedule and making sure everything is ready.
The whales did good today in their first “real” day of real estate with a RE/MAX Realtor! Let’s see how they do tomorrow!
Walk into this house on Sunday…walk out with turkey?
October 26, 2011
That’s right! Stop in the open house this Sunday at noon to 1:30pm and enter to win a free frozen turkey! One less thing to do before Thanksgiving and check out this adorable renovated bungalow in Sudbury. Motivated seller and there’s nothing to do but MOVE IN! Complete with huge private back yard, garage, central a/c, wood stove and hardwoods!
Photos from the event
October 21, 2011
Here are some great photos from the “Come Share Your Spirit” open house – at the height of the evening there were almost 40 people visiting the house!
Here are some people learning how to research a home through street listings and existing documents of the Ware Historical Society.
Hearing about ‘yester years’ and ‘days gone by’
My favorite room in the house. The study has built-in bookshelves (and used to have many more according to our historian), a window seat, fireplace, pocket doors and is just so inviting! Imagine this on a snow night with a fire going and a good book!
All together it was a very successful open house and really helped to show this beautiful victorian still needs a new owner!
Real Estate and *stuff * 