Real Estate Information

Well, the back to school flyers may be everywhere but there is still a whole lot of summer entertainment, especially summer music left to enjoy in the Franklin, Massachusetts area.  Summer actually ends officially on September 21 which leaves 48 days of potentially warmer weather...

There are many free town concerts on the common and each town seems to have their own evening that the locals set aside to enjoy with some cold drinks, ice cream and their favorite folding chair.  Franklin holds its concerts on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:30pm--this evening the Frank Padula Band will perform.  The remaining Franklin concert will be August 18th with Ayla Brown of American Idol (and Scott Brown) fame.

Foxboro, Massachusetts holds its concerts on Thursday evenings from 7-9pm.  The line-up is as follows:

•  August 5th--Country Mile
• August 12th--Neal McCarthy Problem
• August 19th--Cocobanana

Wrentham, Massachusetts holds its concerts on Sunday evenings at 6:30pm.  Their schedule is as follows:

• August 8th--Gopherbroke
• August 15th--Southeastern Mass. Community Concert Band

If you would like more information on area entertainment or resources, give me a call at 508-369-5131 or email.  

1. Be a Pre-Approved Buyer: A pre-approved buyer always has the advantage in an offer situation. Becoming pre-approved is very easy: you complete your loan application with a credit check prior to beginning your home search process. Pre-approval means that you have actually been approved for the purchase by a lender, which gives you the edge in home purchase negotiating.

2. Beat The Competition to The Best New Listings: The search process can be both fun and trying. You will notice that some homes sell very fast and others hang around for long periods of time. The best homes at the best prices sell fast. Keeping on top of this is essential. Connect with a professional Real Estate agent that knows the market and keeps you updated.

3. Do The Research: Make yourself a "home value expert." Investigate the areas and price ranges for the kind of home you are looking for. Get a good idea of the price ranges these homes sell for and how long the market time is for them. Your agent is a great asset here.

4. Have Your Offer Presented in Person: Your agent represents you and your best interests. To adequately do this, make sure that your home offer is presented by them directly to the seller. The personal touch will give you the edge. Your agent also might pick up critical information during this meeting.

5. Prove That You Are a Serious Buyer: The best way to accomplish this is with strong earnest money. This might mean that you put 5% or more down to get the sellers attention.

6. Don't Go Crazy: Even in a hot market, be cool and calculated with your decisions. A knowledgeable agent can really help you here. Your home purchase may be your single largest investment. It is important to make sure that you get the best deal possible. Overpaying now will make it harder to get your value back when you sell.

7. Keep Your Offer Simple and Clean: Make sure that your contract to purchase is simple, clean and not bogged down with unnecessary contingencies, especially repairs. Keep the time frames of repairs and responses to a minimum. The cleaner your offer, the more interested the seller will become. This may help you purchase the property at the best price.

8. Don't Wing It Alone: What you need most in today's complex marketplace is an experienced and professional real estate agent who represents your interests only. No matter how heated the competition or the negotiations, a professional agent will represent your best interests, keep you from paying too much and help you maximize your investment.

Are you looking for an agent to represent you and your best interests? You, the home buyer, pay nothing for a professional agent. Their fees are paid for by the seller.  Click here or call 508-369-5131 to find out how I can help you find the most house for the best price.

A great family just closed on their new home on 439 Martello Road in Franklin, MA today!  They are so excited to get involved with sports and school activities within the town.

This lovely home has everything a family could ask for including 5 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, new windows, roof and hardwood floors throughout.  An updated kitchen with quartz countertops and breakfast bar offer a casual eating area.  The finished basement has a playroom, game room and dry bar and brings the living space total to 3378 gross living area.  The large yard offers two-thirds of an acre and this wonderful home is located in a great neighborhood setting walking distance to schools and close to highway, train, shops and downtown.  The asking price on this home was $479,900.

If you are thinking of buying or selling in the Franklin area, give me a call at 508-369-5131 and I can provide the information you need to get you moving into your dream home...

Well a quick Google search indicates that there once were 92 drive-in theaters in Massachusetts but now there are only 3 left!

For those of us born before 1970 (no not me, yeah right!) we have distinct memories of family times at the drive-in.  Mine involve running around with my sister and dog in the field prior to the first show, eating lots of popcorn then after an hour or two being told "you girls get to sleep back there now."  We were not supposed to be awake to see any adult stuff during the second show.  If my father even witnessed us pop our heads up to see some "adult stuff" we would never hear the end of it.  I think I also recall one teenage memory that I won't get into here...

At this time there are just three remaining drive-ins: one on the Cape in Wellfleet, one nearby in Mendon, and one in Leicester.  The Mendon Drive-In is a great place to go with a group of friends or as a birthday party spot.  It is conveniently located on Rt. 16 just 10 minutes from Franklin and is spacious enough for the kids to run around prior to the start of the first show.  Some of our son's best birthday party memories include fun with friends at this drive-in.  They are open 7 days a week, rain or shine at a reasonable $20 per carload.  The box office opens at 6:30pm.  Here is some history from their website:

"The MendonTwin Drive-in was built in 1953 and opened on June 14, 1954. The drive-in has been in operation since 1954. The current owners, Susan Swanson and Kathy Gorman have operated the drive-in since 1987. Sue and Kathy added a second screen in 1998, increasing the total capacity of the drive-in to 800 cars. Our projection booth is equipped with the latest in sound and picture technology, ensuring our customers the most pleasant movie experience. The sound is broadcasted over AM/FM stereo, either from your car radio or any portable stereo you wish to bring.  Feel free to bring soft Frisbees, balls, etc."

Call me at 508-369-5131 or email if you would like more information on area resources and entertainment...

Franklin Public Library in Franklin, MA offers an expanded selection of museum passes to residents with a valid library card.  The library allows passes to be reserved up to a month in advance online or by calling (508) 520-4940 ex. 2.

Here is a listing of all the available passes.  Some offer a free admission and others provide only a discount to the regular price.

  Passes available to Franklin Residents only.
 Passes MUST be picked up at the library. Copies of online reservation forms WILL NOT be accepted at the museums. Library cards must be presented to check out Museum Passes.

Most of us who use the commuter rail train service from Franklin to Boston (the MBTA) have experienced the aggravating moments of hunting for bills to insert, properly folded into the cash box at the MBTA parking lots.  Usually these moments seem to coincide with already being late for the incoming train!

Franklin, MA and other area commuters will no longer have to deal with this nuisance as the MBTA just announced a partnership with Parkmobile USA, customers can visit www.mbta.parkmobile.com and enroll in the new program for free, and have access to their on-line accounts 24 hours a day/7 days a week. T riders can also download a mobile app.

Once registered, customers can use the mobile app, the internet, a text message or a phone call to pay for parking. TTY service is also available. The phone number will be displayed on signs at MBTA parking facilities.

The new service will be available for 23,733 parking spaces at nearly 70 MBTA-owned lots with existing cash honor boxes. In the weeks ahead the T will work to expand the new system to lots that are not operated by the MBTA.  Only two U.S. transit systems offer more parking spaces than the MBTA.

Since many of my clients who are moving within the Franklin, Massachusetts area have been asking what they can do with their extra "stuff", I thought the Franklin Recycling Center information would be a timely post.

The Recycling Center is located at 445 Beaver Street, Franklin just diagonal to Beaver Pond and the soccer fields.  They are open Friday & Saturday 8am to 3pm.  From April to November they are also open Tuesdays Noon to 3pm.  Stickers are available for a $20 user fee payable by cash or check and are valid July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011.  Only a handful of items require an additional $3.00-25.00 charge beyond the $20 user fee such as tires, large TVs, propane tanks and large batteries. 

The Got Books bin is a great resource for recycling soft and hardcover books as well as CDs, videos, and audio books.  It is located at 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin at the entrance to the First Universalist Society (a Unitarian Universalist church).  Goodwill at 888-828-4483 or the Salvation Army at 508-799-0528 will accept donations of usable furniture however many of my clients utilize Craigslist to quickly get someone to take away furniture or exercise equipment that is no longer needed.

If you are planning a move and need tips on what items to leave behind to show your home at its best, give me a call at 508-369-5131.

REALTORS always hear the mantra that real estate is so localized.  What is happening on the national level or even in the Boston area may or may not translate to the local Franklin, Massachusetts market.

This morning's report in the Wall Street Journal entitled "Housing Market Stumbles" would leave a reader expecting that even the Boston area currently has a very stagnant real estate market.  There is no doubt that this metro west of Boston area has felt the pinch of the recession but overall we are faring quite well.

A look at the Multiple Listing Service (MLSPIN) shows that over the past two months Franklin has had 28 single family homes go under agreement with an average list price of $412,289--during the same two months 51 homes have sold with an average list price of $412,420 and average sales price of $399,466.  Franklin, MA currently has 115 single family homes available for sale.

Give me a call at 508-369-5131 if you have been wondering what your home will sell for...  Also if you need a list of available homes for sale I can provide that as well.

The average price for a gallon of gas in Massachusetts fell 4 cents to $2.679 a gallon in the latest AAA weekly survey, AAA Southern New England said today.

However, a GasBuddy.com search shows that Franklin, MA posts below average gas prices at several of its stations.  Here are the latest prices:

LOWEST REGULAR GAS PRICES IN PAST 36 HOURS

Here are some of the lesser known initiatives sponsored by Massachusetts utilities and energy service companies:

• Rebates on high efficiency equipment and installation
• Free Home Energy Assessments
• Incentives on Energy efficiency improvements

Summer Savings Tips

•  Close window shades, drapes and blinds during the day.
• Remember to turn the fan off when you leave the room as a ceiling fan cools you- not the room.
• Save electricity and waste heat by shutting off home electronics, such as computers and televisions, when not in use.
• Keep central and room air conditioner units at highest temperature that's comfortable. A suggested temperature range for summer is between 74ºF - 78ºF.
• Turn your air conditioner off when not at home. Use a timer or programmable thermostat to set it to turn on an hour before coming home.
• Find and seal air leaks that cause drafts and make your cooling system work overtime. When remodeling choose ENERGY STAR® qualified windows to replace older models.
• Use a microwave instead of the range/oven. The microwave does not generate as much excess heat.
• Change out your traditional light bulbs to ENERGY STAR® qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs which use 75% less energy, produce 75% less heat, and last up to 10 times longer than standard lighting.
• Look for the ENERGY STAR® on products in more than 50 different categories, including cooling equipment, lighting, consumer electronics and appliances