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National Open House Weekend…it’s THIS weekend!
April 24, 2012
What is going on this weekend? NATIONAL OPEN HOUSE WEEKEND! The 2012 event will be bigger and better than ever, with hundreds of thousands of Open Houses across the nation and currently in 13 other countries… It’s gone global! RE/MAX Professional Associates is taking a huge part in this (inter)national weekend with many of our available listings. Please see below for a brief list but be sure to send me an email or give me a call to find out everything that is open in your area. I would be happy to provide you with a complete list of homes with times!
Saturday April 28th
77 Congress St, Fitchburg: 12pm – 2pm
Classic Victorian! Short sale opportunity with over 2700 sq feet!
39 Tannery Road, Sturbridge: 11 am – 1 pm
Beautiful newer colonial with all the extras – hardwoods, maple cabinets and granite!
240 Dudley-Southbridge Road, Dudley: 2pm – 3:30 pm
So many updates and so affordable! Title V in hand! NOT a short sale or bank owned so quick close!
5 Pleasant Street, Marlborough: 12pm – 2pm
Classic west side Victorian with double French doors to the sun porch and four bedrooms! Walk up attic – so much space and so well cared for!
24 Wales Street, Millbury: 12pm – 2pm
Easy to own and easy to update! Great price on this 3 bed/1.5 bath with 2 car heated garage that is in a great commuter location but with a private yard!
12 Cottage Street, Ware: 2pm – 4pm
HUGE updated Victorian in a great location off Church Street! 6 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and 4,400+ sq feet! 2 story barn and 2 car garage! NOT a short!
101 Temple Street, West Boylston: 11am – 1pm
Newer construction with full in-law and 2.9 acres right by the lake! Great commuter location and this house has all the extras – granite, hardwoods, solid cabinets, TWO master bedrooms with private baths!
6 Carol Lane, Blackstone: 11am – 12:30pm
Great price on this newer colonial on a quiet street! Updated kitchen with ceramic tile and granite – new roof, new siding, new deck, refinished hardwoods. 4 beds/2.5 baths/2 car garage
1565 Main Street, Holden: 1pm – 3pm
NEW construction with a flair! 4 beds/3baths and location location location! All the extras are here PLUS some you didn’t know you wanted!
374 Mashapaug Rd, Holland – 12pm – 2:30pm
Charming 2BR Ranch, fantastic lot, inground pool w/patio, rustic stone fireplace in walkout basement, cathedral ceilings in living room
7 Knollwood Rd, Brimfield – 2:30pm -4:30 pm
New construction w/hdwd flrs, ss appls, cntr islnd, 1car gar, opn flr pln, deck, near Lake Sherman.
Sunday April 29th
13 Leisure Drive, Holland: 12pm – 1:30 pm
WATERFRONT with 3 beds and 1.5 baths! Over 50 feet of frontage and triple sliders to enjoy it!
17 Forrest St, Brookfield: 12pm – 2pm
WOW! Cedar log home! Private lot with 3 bed/2 baths/2 car garage! Must see!
9 Ansonia, Worcester: 12pm – 2pm
3 bed/1.5 bath with a fireplace and near UMASS! Great price and great alternative to renting!
45 Channing St, Worcester: 12pm – 2pm
Charming turn of the century cape with 4 beds/2 baths and priced to make you move!
17 St. John St, North Brookfield: 12pm – 2pm
All the major updates are DONE in this colonial! Bonus is 500 gallons of FREE OIL! 5 bed/2.5 baths
57 Old Webster Rd, Oxford: 12pm – 1:30pm
Old meets new in this 4 bed/3 bath home that appears to be out of Old Sturbridge Village! Come see the distressed pine floors and claw foot tub!
33 Mendon, Worcester: 2:30pm – 4pm
Huge yard and easy in-town location! Perfect dollhouse and SO affordable!
6 Brown Street, North Brookfield: 2:30pm – 4pm
Retiring builder has offered up this unfinished new construction! Great price to get in and finish it off as YOU want!
39 Wilson St, Spencer: 2:30pm – 4pm
REAL country living with this home! NOT a short NOT bank owned NO septic issues! WOW!
82 Saundersdale, Charlton: 1pm – 3pm
Great location off of Dresser Hill with a full in-law! Land, 3 car garage and two living levels are highlights to this newer home. NOT a short sale!
67 Laurel Hill Lane, Holden: 12pm – 2pm
SO affordable with PRE-APPROVED short sale! Newer roof, newer windows, great yard and pool!
15 Canterbury Way, Marlborough: 1pm – 3pm
Beautiful end-unit in the 55+ community of Villages of Crane Meadow! One owner – all upgraded with fireplace!
275 Rumonoski Drive, Northbridge: 11am – 2:30pm
Great opportunity to own in a fantastic area! Comes with one year home warranty. Not a short sale or bank owned – just a solid house at a great price!
179 Rocky Road, Northbridge: 1pm – 2:30pm
Stunning colonial with massive family room on a beautiful tree-lined street. 15 mins to Worcester, 19 miles to Providence. Have it all for a great price on this 4 bed/2.5 bath/2 car colonial with custom build and first floor office.
39 July Road, Sudbury: 1pm – 3pm
So affordable for Sudbury and this charming updated home has a fantastic ½ acre wooded lot! Central a/c, updated kitchen, hardwoods, garage and finished area in basement. Own in Sudbury! Not a short!
10 Cranberry Meadow Shore Rd., Charlton: 12pm – 2pm
Brand new 2BR 2BA Ranch, open floor plan, granite counters, hardwoods all over, c-tile floors in kitchen & baths. 2 car attached garage.
1 Merrian St Auburn: 10:30am – 12pm
Reduced price on this charming cape on ¾ of an acre with a new Peerless Furnace! First floor laundry!
225 Highland Street, Holden: 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Fireplace…french doors…open family room…private wooded lot! This cape has it all with a great Holden location!
18 Nancy Drive, Rutland: 2pm – 3:30pm
10 room, 6 bedrooms and 2.5 baths in the colonial WITH an in-law! New roof, new windows, new hot water tank. Come see!
15 Laurel Dr, Ware –11:30am -1pm
3BR Ranch, lrg fenced private back yard.
13 Stony Brook Drive, Sturbridge – 11am – 1pm
Charming 3+BR center hall Cape w/2car gar, flat lot, granite, hdwds, multi-tierd deck on cul de sac.
217 Greenwich Rd, Ware – 10am – 11:15am
Beautiful brand new 3BR 2.5BA Ranch. Open concept kit/LR/DR, hdwds, fireplace.
77 Providence St, Mendon – 12pm – 2pm
4BR 2BA Dutch Col log home w/farmer’s porch, 3 seas sunroom, wide hdwd floors 2car gar
119 Stafford Rd, Unit 60, Charlton – 2:30pm – 4pm
Bright, light filled 2nd floor 2BR condo w/appl, w/d hkup in unit. Commuter friendly location & small pets allowed
“There’s a reason owning a home is called the American Dream,” says NAR President Ron Phipps. “Home ownership benefits individuals and families, strengthens our communities, and is integral to our nation’s economy. We hope that everyone who aspires to become a home owner will come out this weekend, not only to learn about the homes for sale in their local market, but also to find out more about how current and future public policies may affect their ability to achieve and sustain home ownership, now and in the future.”
Come out this weekend – take a peak! Not sure where to start – let me know and I’ll get you going. amymullen@remax.net, 508-784-0504, http://www.amymullenrealestate.com
Special Broker’s Open event next week…but don’t be shy…stop in!
March 2, 2012
Stop in and join Joan Pearsall and Amy Mullen for an exciting special Broker’s Open Event at 101 Temple Street in West Boylston! This is a weekday lunch educational open that will not only feed your belly but will also feed your brain!
Joan Pearsall is the founder of Best View Imaging and uses the latest in web technology to showcase real estate with an live interactive floor plan. With her amazing pictures and the flexibility of the interactive floor plan, home buyers can review a property from the comfort of their home. Great advertising the listing! She also does hotels, conference centers, golf courses and offices. Joan will be doing the floor plan for this house during the open!
At the same time, please take a tour of 101 Temple Street in West Boylston – a one-of-kind renovated home that is full of rich details and fine upgrades listed with Amy Mullen of RE/MAX Professional Associates. It offers the maximum in flexibility as your buyers family needs change over time with a full potential in-law suite, loft and double master bedrooms. The gourmet kitchen is beyond expectations with a Jenn-Air range, double wall convection ovens, granite and a breakfast bar with a neat twist! Hardwoods, open floor plan and a 1,400 sq ft deck make this house a great place to entertain. Who wouldn’t want to when you are overlooking conversation land!
Lunch will be served and the only payment is some of your time and feedback!
Place: 101 Temple Street, West Boylston
Day: Wednesday, March 7th
Time: 12pm to 2pm
Open today – 1 Inwood Street Worcester – Short Sale Opportunity!
February 19, 2012
This cute-as-a-button bungalow sits just off of upper Burncoat Street in Worcester and is a short sale pricing opportunity for the savvy buyer. Current upgrades include new hardwood floors and paint. The signature front porch of this area does have an upper enclosed balcony that is accessed from two of the three bedrooms upstairs. With a full bath upstairs – this is a great house to call home!
Stop in today 1pm to 2pm and check it out!
Short Sale Update in Central Mass
February 6, 2012
Amy Mullen and Pam Crawford give a little update on the Short Sale process in Worcester County…
Many short sales behind them they have recently closed several more the end of 2011 and January 2012. The most noted change in the process is that the process is still long, and bank seem to be countering buyers more. However the homes are still closing for significantly less than market value. It’s a good way for a buyer to get a good price on a home and allows the seller to have a dignified solution to their issue. A short sale allows the seller to have more control over when they leave the property and a much better effect on their credit and income in the long run.
All in all – despite the recent challenges in short sales in Worcester County it’s a very viable solution for both sides of the transaction.
For more information: dontforeclosenow.com
Freddie Mac Launches Winter REO Sale
November 18, 2011
— 1 Comment
HomeSteps, a Freddie Mac real estate sales unit, kicked off a sales promotion this week to unload some of its inventory of foreclosed homes in several cities.
Its Winter Sales Promotion for owner-occupant buyers includes:
- Paying up to 3 percent of the final sales price toward the buyer’s closing costs for initial offers received between Nov. 15 and Jan. 31, 2012. Escrow must be closed on or before March 15, 2012, to qualify.
- Two-year Home Protect limited home warranty, which covers such things as the heating, air conditioning, electrical, plumbing, and other major systems and appliances. Home Protect also will offer a discount of up to 30 percent on the purchase of appliances.
I have searching through the available homes and have found these great buys. If you are interested in finding out more about the Freddie Mac winter REO sale or taking a look at one of these great opportunities – let me know!
HUDSON:
200 MANNING ST $74,900
FRAMINGHAM:
1016 PLEASANT ST $270,000
CLINTON:
1 SCHOBERT STREET $160,000
46 EAST STREET $179,900
WORCESTER:
110 ORIENT STREET $63,900
8 Myrick Ave $79,900
14 Yukon Ave $79,900
2 STRATFIELD STREET $84,900
4 Clapp Street $112,000
84 Granite Street $130,000
LEICESTER:
75 HUNTOON MEMORIAL HWY 43 $67,500
SPENCER:
36 VALLEY STREET $34,900
MILLBURY:
19 ELMWOOD STREET $149,900
MILFORD:
114 EAST MAIN STREET $50,000
48 N BOW ST APT 6 $145,000
47 WEST WALNUT STREET $200,000
SHREWSBURY:
171 EAGLEHEAD TERRACE $135,000
OXFORD:
14 CAMP HILL DRIVE $60,000
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…
The Whales…Wayland to Worcester and back with lipstick pigs
November 11, 2011
Wow…the Whales had quite the day! Part of the huge success I have as a realtor can be attributed to the weekly sales team meeting I have with the 7 Hills BNI Group. Each week we meet and have a chance to discuss what we do as professionals in our business and then part ways to pass referrals throughout the next six days. (A huge thanks to Pam Crawford at RE/MAX Professional Associates for getting me started – the support and eduction I have with the fantastic group of people I work with is sometimes staggering!)
But back the Whales…
Fred and Ethel started the morning at 6am with a big cup of coffee and the laptop. A quick blog post about the open house this Sunday at 72 Glenwood Rutland. Followed by emails, Craigslist postings, a listing agreement, finalizing a lease agreement for later and verifying that an auction company has received the offer on the short sale listing so we can try to hold off the auction at the end of the month. And then they are off!
Egads…they did not get the offer and YET AGAIN the “find me, fax me” fax upload function is not working! Off to Office Max for Fred and Ethel to get that offer in! Luckily there is one nearby! Fred and Ethel make a note to call into the accessline on Monday morning and get the fax function corrected. $7.68 for a five page fax is just not okay!
Fred and Ethel with meet with Sonia and Dave at their 2 bedroom condo in Marlborough to list it. Sonia and Dave have outgrown their space and want to move into a big home. Fred and Ethel played with their dog Lilly and had a quick game of “what’s in my room” with their daughter before signing the listing agreement and photographing the condo.
Now that the sale portion of Sonia and Dave’s day is done, they take off with their daughter, her friend, faithful dog Lilly in one car and Fred and Ethel get in the jeep with me to take a look at a few houses to begin their search. They are hoping to find the “diamond in the rough” on a lake and we look at lake front in Wayland. Fred and Ethel say “TEAR DOWN” and wonder if the plot shape will allow a nice 2 to 3 bedroom home to be built after this one has a date with a bulldozer!
Off to the next lake house in Wayland. Much nicer but something is amiss. The listing was on the market for 129,000 then off for a week and then put back on the market at 179,000. Fred and Ethel review the house and all the major systems but find no reason for the $50k price increase. It’s an odd layout and Sonia and Dave decide to call it a day. The whales are off to stop back home and post up their condo listing.
Fred and Ethel sort through the pictures, call on getting a copy of the condo docs and verify all the information with public records. Inputting the listing into MLS takes them about an hour total with the pictures. From here, the magic internet will spread the listing to Realtor.com, Remax.com, Trulia, Zillow, amymullenrealestate.com and beyond. Fred and Ethel will give it 24 hours to populate and then start to revisit the sites to make adjustments and monitor the activity. This happens daily for all the listings and helps keep them at the top of any buyer’s home search!
Again with more coffee…these Whales are picky too…they said something about Starbucks??!!?? Really?
Fred and Ethel rush out of the house to make a home inspection in Worcester at 4pm with a buyer. Egads…it didn’t go well. The house has been completely redone on the inside and is an investor flip from a foreclosure purchase. As the home inspector says…”It’s lipstick on a pig. Take off the lipstick and it’s still a pig.” Adam Camosse is a great home inspector and my buyer thinks the world of him. We are waiting to find out why the house is held together in the attic with steel cables. I don’t think we’ll like the answer.
A quick stop at the mail box to drop some prospecting letters in the mail for the morning. Fred and Ethel learn the value of being “the first kid on the block” with expired listings!
Last appointment of the day! Fred and Ethel meet the new tenants Mike and Amy at the rental listing in Marlborough to do a walk through of the apartment and sign their lease. The client Lynne is very excited about her new tenants and Fred and Ethel are shown here pulling up the lawn sign!
*whew* so the whales had a huge day! Listed, closed, viewed, inspected, prospected, blogged and of course took calls and meet new people! They decided that their favorite part of the job was meeting new people and helping them!
If you want to learn more about Fred and Ethel, BNI and RE/MAX – let me know!
Legitimate Website Resources for Foreclosure Help
August 16, 2011
Foreclosure is a hard fact in the current market and I speak with someone daily about it…a new client, someone looking for information, a seller who has to short sale to avoid it or a buyer who is looking for one thinking it’s the next great deal. It’s a sad thing.
The latest estimate is that 2 in every 10 homes is facing foreclosure. Part of my work is to help home owners avoid foreclosure by facilitating a short sale that will put them on a path to financial recovery. It’s not the only solution though. I want to share some of the free resources that are currently available to home owners who are in financial distress. Feel free to share this with someone you know. It might help them start to get they help they need.
HOPENOW.COM
Research your options with this web form
Find your mortgage lender
Find a foreclosure counselor in your area
Focused on helping homeowners in crisis, this alliance helps you determine your options
FTC.GOV
Find a foreclosure counselor
Raise your own credit score
Fix mistakes on your credit report
The Federal Trade Commission has expert advice
FINDAFORECLOSURECOUNSELOR.ORG
Find a legitimate foreclosure counselor near you
This non-profit organization was created by Congress to provide financial support, technical assistance, and training for community-based revitalization efforts
MAKINGHOMEAFFORDABLE.GOV
Making Home Affordable
Making Home Affordable: short sale documents
Making Home Affordable: deed in lieu documents
The official government site for loan modifications and foreclosure alternatives
PORTAL.HUD.GOV
Find resources to avoid foreclosure in your state
Consult state and local resources
MYFICO.COM
Improve You Credit Score
Credit Q&A
Credit Basics
Understand credit and your credit scores
ANNUALCREDITREPORT.COM
See your credit report
Get all the details on late payments and other information, but not your actual credit score
RESPONSIBLELENDING.ORG
The Center for Responsible Lending
A non-profit organization that works to stop predatory lending practices
CREDITEDUCATION.ORG
Volunteer to be a credit counselor
Non-profit agency that works to provide financial literacy
LIVEUNITED.ORG
United Way
Donate or volunteer to decrease the number of families that are financially unstable
NCRC.ORG
Donate to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition
Send a donation to help NCRC “ensure that people in traditionally underserved communities are treated fairly and justly when applying for credit, opening a bank account, getting a mortgage, a loan, or other financial product or service.”
IRS.GOV
The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act
Get the details about when you might owe taxes on any debt that is canceled through a short sale or deed in lieu of foreclosure
OCC.GOV
Download a PDF on identifying a loan modification scam
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency provides detail about scams, including “10 Warning Signs of a Loan Modification Scam.”
If you are not finding the information you need or if you are interested in talking about a short sale to avoid foreclosure – just let me know. I would be happy to discuss the process with you to find out if it’s a good solution for you.
Oh just put it in the garage
August 13, 2011
On average, a garage addition recoups about 60% of the investment, with the highest rates of return on a basic rather than an upscale job. It’s been my experience that in our area because of the snowy winters – houses with garages have a much higher appeal to buyers. I have several that won’t even look at a house without a garage.
A garage addition makes especially good economic sense in the south-central portion of the country, where home owners can expect to get back almost 66% of the cost of a midrange project, while spending about 13% less than the national average. Returns tend to be lowest in the country’s midsection. In Cleveland, for example, the same garage recoups less than half its cost.
As a general rule, you’re likely to recover a higher percentage of your investment if you build a relatively basic garage–one with open walls, an unfinished concrete floor, and shelves for storage–rather than one with interior drywall and trim, an epoxy floor coating, and designer storage solutions. Such an upscale project runs a national average of more than $90,000 and returns around $48,300, or about 53.6%, of its cost.
But there are financial considerations to adding a garage that go beyond resale value. Protected from the elements, your vehicles will stay in top shape, which could make them more valuable when you sell them. If you include workshop space, you’ll be able to do many home repairs yourself, saving on the cost of pros. And if you outfit the garage so that it’s easy to access stored items, you can save leftover materials, reducing the cost of future projects.
National average cost, 26 x 26 ft. midrange garage addition:
Job cost: $60,600
Resale value: $35,900
Cost recoup: 59.2%
National average cost, 26 x 26 ft. upscale garage addition:
Job cost: $90,100
Resale value: $48,300
Cost recoup: 53.6%
Real Estate and *stuff * 