Massachusetts Short Sale Realtor

Do you own a home in the Metrowest Massachusetts area and are considering a short sale? Working with someone or even a team of people that know how to successfully complete a short sale is very important. There is no room for error in picking a Realtor to work with when doing a short sale because you are very likely not to far away from having to deal with a foreclosure.

The last thing you want as a homeowner is to experience a foreclosure. Besides the fact you are losing your home, your credit will be damaged for years. Here are a few articles that I have written that will explain short sales, a deed in lieu of foreclosure and also a loan modification. These options are all a means of avoiding a foreclosure and getting you out from under your mortgage debt.

Avoiding foreclosure by a short sale or loan modification

Deed in lieu of foreclosure and short sales

Picking a Massachusetts Short Sale Realtor

Massachusetts short sale debt removal  

Questions to ask a Massachusetts short sale listing agent

I have been successfully completing short sales and would welcome the opportunity to help you escape your debt. In most cases the options available to you will be far better than losing your home. For a complete explanation on the whole short sale process see Massachusetts Short Sales.

Uxbridge Mass Real Estate 5 Henry Street Duplex Condo

This duplex condo at 5 Henry Street is an incredible value! This Uxbridge home is listed at $239,900. The identical unit just closed next door for $259,900 on October 15, 2008. There are no condo fees!! Below is a marketing presentation on this unit:



For more information please visit Uxbridge Massachusetts Condominiums.

*** Update this Uxbridge townhome is now under agreement.

Have a home or condo to sell in Uxbridge or other local town? Visit Uxbridge Mass Real Estate to see how I market homes online and give my Real Estate clients maximum exposure!

Hopkinton Real Estate Sold 4 Wyman Lane

In a challenging Real Estate market the keys to selling a home are pricing properly, and picking a Realtor that knows how to market homes online well. This home at 4 Wyman Lane in Hopkinton was just sold on October 15, 2008 for $1,145,000. It was listed and sold by my team mate Chuck Joseph. You can read more about this Hopkinton home here:
Hopkinton Real Estate 4 Wyman Lane

One of the marketing avenues that is very important when selling a home today is video. It is a fact that a home with a video will receive about four times the traffic online than a home without one. One of the sites we feed our video slide shows to is Youtube. See the video at Youtube for 4 Wyman Lane below.



Thinking of selling your home in Hopkinton or other Metrowest town? Call or email me...I would welcome the opportunity to show you how my online marketing can get your home SOLD!
One of the things I do with all the properties I market is create an online presence. Over 85% of all buyers find their home online. These posts and my blog are highly indexed by Google...in fact this may be how you arrived here? You can see a sampling of my Metrowest home marketing here.

Hopkinton Community Endowment (HCE)

The 6th annual Hopkinton Community Endowment telethon will take place on October 19th. The telethon will take place at the HCAM studios located in the lower level of 77 Main Street Hopkinton MA. Approximately sixty callers will take 90 minute shifts soliciting pledged donations. During the telethon there will also be taped talent acts and live interviews.

The hopkinton Community Endowment fund was created in 1997 as a means to lessen the tax burden of Hopkinton Mass residents. The concept came about due to the construction of the new Hopkinton High School at the time. There were many residents of the town that wanted to vote in favor of the new high school but in the process knew they would be voting themselves out of town due to the increased taxes.

According to Chuck Joseph, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Endowment, this group was formed to bring tax relief to Hopkinton's townspeople. Joseph said "that they knew there was no means to funnel money to individuals. But, with the concept of the Endowment, they could look at the towns capital projects, and through private fund raising, cover the costs of certain projects, thus clearing them off the debt and lowering people's tax burden."

The fund was put to good use by presenting $29,000 to the Hopkinton Police Department for a new police cruiser. The police cruiser, once a budget line item, can now be removed from the tax debt.

After five years of telethons and Hopkinton business commitments, the endowment has reached $400,000 of direct charitable contributions. The original goal was to hit a million before a disbursement was made but the group decided it was a good time to show the power of the endowment by purchasing the cruiser.

This years telethon will have a very entertaining and meaningful format. There will be a Hopkinton trivia contest where callers can venture guesses at answers and win prizes. For example did you know that Edward Hopkins after which the town was named never came to Hopkinton? Who built the Hopkinton Reservoir and why? These are the tupe of questions that will be asked.

Folks this is a great cause and tax deductible too! Any donations you can make would be great. You are helping the current people in Hopkinton as well as future generations! " Give a gift leave a legacy!"

RE/MAX Executive Realty Real Estate market share leader through August 2008

Through August of 2008, RE/MAX Executive Realty continues to dominate the Hopkinton Massachusetts Real Estate market share. By clicking the small graph above you will see a blown up readable version of the chart.

These statistics are taken from The MLS Property Information Network. The statistics include market data of homes, condos, multi family's, and land sold. When you look at the chart you will notice at the top that there are three categories of transactions. Listed & sold - meaning the company was involved as both the listing broker and selling broker. This by the way is the goal of every Realtor but happens much more often with a RE/MAX company. For an understanding of why this is the case see RE/MAX Executive Realty Hopkinton The other two categories are listed but sold by another company, and sold another companies listing.

You will notice by that in all three categories RE/MAX Executive Realty is the leader. RE/MAX Executive Realty has a sizable lead in the number of units sold as our nearest competitor, Century 21 Commonwealth. We are ahead by 20 in the number of transaction sides. (There are two in every sale...the listing side and selling side.)

The market share drops off dramatically after the top two companies with Star Realty only capturing 5.31% of the market share.

If you look closely at the chart you will see that our offices in Holliston and Medfield are also ranked #6 and #7 in Hopkinton market share.

The Real Estate market in Massachusetts has become very challenging. While selecting a good company with market share is important, selecting a good Metrowest Realtor to represent you is vital.

One of the more important factors today in selecting a Realtor is how well they market online. You want to have an agent that will create an online presence for your home. Over 85% of all buyers find their home online and the number is growing!

When considering who to choose to represent you in your home sale try using Google as a tool. Google the agents name you are considering. If you don't see pages and pages of results, you have found yourself a Realtor with very little to no internet presence.

I would ask yourself this question: If a Realtor does not know how to promote themselves online how could you possibly expect them to promote your home well?

Holliston Real Estate 152 Stagecoach Road

I just listed a terrific home in and outstanding Holliston neighborhood at 152 Stagecoach Road. The home has gone through quite a bit of renovating over the last three years including a new striking white cabinet kitchen with granite counters, stainless steel appliances, and tile flooring. The living room gets loads of natural light and has a beautiful fireplace with marble surround and built-in bookcases.

The family room is quite spacious and also is appointed with a brick fireplace. The list of amenities is long including: Central Air, security system, updated bath, hardwood floors throughout, New windows, New interior doors, Newer heating system, awesome corner lot, and exceptional landscaping.

This Holliston property has three bedrooms, one full bath, 1394 square feet, and a two car attached garage. You can see a terrific marketing vehicle that I use to market all my homes below. Come take a look this Holliston home shows mint!!




You can see some other homes I am marketing with a slide show video presentation at the Metrowest Real Estate shows.

**** Update - This home sold on 12/4/08 for $353,000. ****

Thinking of selling your Holliston Home and want to work with a top producing Realtor that gives you a dominant online presence? Visit Holliston MA Real Estate.

Hopkinton High School Makes Newsweek Top 500 List

Hopkinton High School has made Newsweeks annual list of top the top 1300 High Schools across the United States. According to the ranking method developed by Jay Mathews, the number of Advanced Placement, Intl. Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2007 are divided by the number of graduating seniors.

All of the schools on the list have an index of at least 1.000; they are in the top 5 percent of public schools measured this way.

Hopkinton actually came in ranked in the Newsweek top 500! Other local schools ranking well in the Metrowest Massachusetts area include Medway, Ashland, Westboro, Holliston, and Framingham.

Hopkinton has also done quite well in the yearly MCAS testing. You can see Hopkinton's MCAS test results here. You can also look at other Massachusetts towns and local MCAS results here.

The Hopkinton schools have had an excellent reputation for many years and are one of the factors that has driven Hopkinton's Real Estate values. The school itself was built in 2001 and is just incredible.

Visit Hopkinton Real Estate for Real Estate information on Hopkinton and other Metrowest towns including market reports, featured homes, and video tours.

Good Local Real Estate News Ahead?

The Real Estate market here in Metrowest Massachusetts has been in a slump for a good 3 plus years. The peak in the Real Estate market was in the Spring of 2005. Since then things have been marked by declining home values, extended market times, short sales, foreclosures, and in many areas a rise in housing inventory. Not a lot of fun if you need to sell your home here in Massachusetts.

Is it possible this could all be a distant memory in the near future? According to a news story in Banker and Tradesman it may be. The article suggests that the worst housing market market in the United States since the Great Depression may be nearing an end.

The strongest indicator that the market may be changing is the fact that the pace at which housing values have been dropping has slowed. There are also certain pockets in the US where home values have actually already started to increase.

“Anybody who tells you they know when the housing market will bottom is delusional, but anybody who denies there are some positives out there that could make the housing market bottom fairly soon is equally delusional,” said Karl Case, the co-developer of a widely watched gauge of the housing industry and an economics professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

The Standard & Poor's S&P/Case-Shiller home price indices, which case co-developed, has shown a slow down in the downward trend in home prices in recent months.

There is also other data that has shown signs that we could be in for a recovery sooner rather than later.

New housing starts fell to 975,000 in April from a peak of 2.27 million in January of 2006. In the past 35 years, the three other times that housing starts fell from more than 2 million to under 1 million, housing market activity rebounded within a quarter.

One of the states to watch is California which has been battered by foreclosures. The California Real Estate market has taken quite a hit. In fact prices have dropped so much in California that the cost of a mortgage and taxes is the same as rent in many locales. If California starts to recover it is a good bet that the rest of the country will follow suite shortly thereafter if history is any indicator.

While I am the furthest thing from a pessimist and always look to see the bright side of things, it is hard to imagine the Massachusetts Real Estate market recovering in the next 6 months. Unfortunately here in Metrowest Massachusetts we have just started to see more short sales and foreclosures. This will have a further impact on home prices.

There are other factors in place as well that will prevent the Real Estate market here from all of sudden just turning around and heading back up. These factors include:

1.) More people leaving Massachusetts than being transferred in.

2.) A much tighter mortgage market.

3.) Sky high energy costs. (Certainly makes people more conservative).

4.) Inventory levels in some communities that are higher than six months.

I don't pretend to have a crystal ball but logic and the fact that I see what is going on the Real Estate market everyday leads me to come to this conclusion.

So for now if you are thinking of selling your home make sure you price it properly and work with a Realtor that will create an online presence for your home. These two factors will go a long way in determining how successful your are.

Short Sale Scammers We Buy Houses

Have you ever seen the signs posted on telephone poles in the Metrowest area that says something to the effect "We buy houses". The headline usually reads do you need to sell your home quick? Are you in financial trouble? Do you need cash fast?

These companies are almost always looking to buy your home at 50 cents on the dollar. They are not going to give you anywhere close to the fair market value of your home!

Well there is a new twist to this predatory business that you really need to be on the look out for. There is a group in the Metrowest area that has been preying on people who call them to sell their home.

The Real Estate market in Massachusetts has been on the down turn for the last three plus years. Most recently there have been more and more short sales coming on the market. A short sale occurs when the value of the property is less than the mortgage balance and the lender agrees to let the home close for less than the mortgage balance owed. (Click the link for a complete explanation).

So here is what I just ran into. A client of mine who lives in Milford Massachusetts had gotten herself into financial difficulty and was having trouble making her mortgage payments. I had actually spoken to her about doing a Short sale but she did not act on my advice. She ended up seeing one of those We Buy Houses signs and decided to call them. What a mistake!

These people had her sign an agreement that locks her into being involved with them for a year.
To make a long story short these people had her sign an option contract. They then proceeded to act on their OWN behalf to submit a short sale offer to the bank.

The value of this property is in the low 200's. These predators submitted an offer to the bank for $131,000!!!. You can probably already see this picture very clearly. God knows if they get the bank to accept an offer like that the home will be right back on the market and these people will have put some good money in their pocket.

The bank did not except their offer but this story continues to get worse. The owner never signed a listing agreement with these people but now her house is on the market and listed with an affiliate of this company!

The home was listed for $240,000 in the Greater Boston multiple listing service. The owner discovered the home was listed and questioned these people and they said - why do you care you need to sell the home anyway. The owner never authorized this company to sell the home. She did not sign a listing contract. Her expectation was they would be buying it.

A few weeks later the property was reduced to $225,000 with out the owners consent! No price reduction signed. Nothing...not even a verbal request for a reduction. It was just reduced period.

One of the terms of the agreement that the home owner signed says " I have agreed to sell the property to the buyer and am now bound by the terms and conditions described in this agreement. I further understand that can not continue to market the property to any other party, except as provided herein.

So as it stands this home owner is locked into an agreement whereby this entity does not care for what the home sells for and is working on their own behalf to get the home as cheap as possible for their own benefit. It makes me sick!!!

The listing company who is affiliated with these people has it in MLS has 2 pictures. The Real Estate company sure looks like they are going to be giving it their best effort (laughs).

Sounds like the attorney general would like to hear about this. I have told this woman to contact her attorney immediately.

This is the perfect example of why you should have an attorney look over important Real Estate documents. The fine print and terms of this agreement have completely locked the seller into a terrible situation.

Another short sale situation that has become quite common lately is short sale investor fraud. If you need to do a Massachusetts short sale I would encourage you to read this article. The last thing you want to have happen to you is be involved in a short sale scam where you end up in foreclosure. There are lots of people preying on others misfortune! Don't get caught with your pants down.

I would encourage you to read a few articles I have written about short sales. The 1st link is a complete overview of numerous short sale articles that cover everything you need to know about completing a successful short sale transaction.
Massachusetts short sales

Avoiding foreclosure through a short sale
Short sales and deed in lieu of foreclosure

If you are listing your home as a short sale in Metrowest Massachusetts make sure you hire a Realtor who has knowledge of short sales and has the experience to get the job done. I am doing successful short sale packages . I work with a local attorney who has success getting short sale approval. Call me at 508-435-5356 to find out more about Metrowest Massachusetts Short Sales. You will get honest advice from someone who cares.

I cover Real Estate Sales in the following towns: Hopkinton, Milford, Ashland, Holliston, Westboro, Southboro, Medway, Upton, Mendon, Bellingham,Northboro, Shrewsbury, Natick, Framingham, Grafton, Douglas, Northbridge, Hopedale, and Uxbridge.

Visit my website at Metrowest Massachusetts Short Sales.

Real Estate Listing Agents and What Not To Do

I recently was working as a buyers agent showing property in Franklin Massachusetts. I have been working with this particular buyer for a while as I sold their condo at Indianbrook in Hopkinton back in the winter. They have been renting since then, waiting for a good home that fits their needs to come on the market.

Well I found these buyers a home and wanted to explain the listing agents mistake in negotiations.

The buyers looked at a number of homes and found one that matched their criteria and decided to make an offer. As Murphy's law goes, when I called the listing agent to let him know that I would be submitting an offer he informed me that there was already another offer on the table that he had been negotiating for the past two days. He told me they were close to putting it together so I needed to act right away.

I explained the situation to my buyers and told them that if they really wanted to get this home they would probably need to start a little higher than they had planned to. This particular home had value range pricing of $489,900-$539,900. Value range pricing is a range in which the seller will consider offers. I am not a big fan of this marketing concept but won't get into those details here.

We submitted an offer for $500,000. The listing agent told me he would speak with the seller about the offer and get back to me. The agent called me back later in the day and asked me if my clients were 1st time buyers. I explained to the agent that they had sold their condo in Hopkinton and had been renting. He wanted to make sure that the buyers were not going to "nickel and dime" the sellers after the home inspection. He futher went on to say the "offers were very close" and the seller was weighing everything carefully.

This was the agents 1st mistake. As a listing agent, you never ever reveal any information about a competing offer on a property. The fact I knew the offers were close would completely change our negotiating strategy. Fortunately for the buyer and myself the agent made mistake #2 which was even bigger.

He called back and said the seller accepted our offer! What? Did I hear that correctly? No counter offer?

Here is the big mistake - We were in a multiple offer situation. The correct course of action on the listing brokers part would have been to tell me he was giving both buyers the opportunity to come back with their best offer. This did not happen and by doing so the listing agent cost his seller client about $10,000.

My buyers fully expected to come up at least 5-10k from their initial offer of $500,000. It is hard to imagine what the listing broker was telling the seller behind the scenes but it could not have been good advice. My buyers really wanted this home and in the end got it for less than they expected to because of the agents careless actions.

A good seller's agent will always be looking out for the best interest of their clients. Of course a large part of that is getting them the most money possible!

Although I will work with some buyers, most of my work is with sellers. I enjoy the marketing aspect of being a listing broker. This is done in large part through the internet and creating an "online presence for my seller clients.

RE/MAX Executive Realty Dominates Hopkinton Market Share Through July

Through July of 2008, RE/MAX Executive Realty continues to dominate the Hopkinton Massachusetts Real Estate market share. By clicking the small graph above you will see a blown up readable version of the chart.

These statistics are taken from The MLS Property Information Network. The statistics include market data of homes, condos, multi family's, and land sold. When you look at the chart you will notice at the top that there are three categories of transactions. Listed & sold - meaning the company was involved as both the listing broker and selling broker. This by the way is the goal of every Realtor but happens much more often with a RE/MAX company. For an understanding of why this is the case see RE/MAX Executive Realty Hopkinton The other two categories are listed but sold by another company, and sold another companies listing.

You will notice by that in all three categories RE/MAX Executive Realty is the leader. We are almost double the number of units sold as our nearest competitor, Century 21 Commonwealth. We are double in the number of transaction sides. (There are two in every sale...the listing side and selling side.)

The market share drops off dramatically after the top two companies with Star Realty only capturing 6.55% of the market share.

The Real Estate market in Massachusetts has become very challenging. While selecting a good company with market share is important, selecting a good Realtor to represent you is vital.

One of the more important factors today in selecting a Realtor is how well they market online. You want to have an agent that will create an online presence for your home. Over 85% of all buyers find their home online and the number is growing!

When considering who to choose to represent you in your home sale try using Google as a tool. Google the agents name you are considering. If you don't see pages and pages of results, you have found yourself a Realtor with very little to no internet presence.

I would ask yourself this question: If a Realtor does not know how to promote themselves online how could you possibly expect them to promote your home well?

Framingham Massachusetts Short Sale 78 Fenwick Drive

78 Fenwick Drive in Framingham Massachusetts has been reduced to $569,900 and is now a short sale. This Framingham MA home is only one year old and was the builders personal residence. Below you will see a slide show presentation on this property. Some of the nice features of this home include a two story foyer and family room, beautiful Cherry kitchen with granite counters, a front to back living/dining room, and a nice master suite with lavish bath. The home offers 2790 square feet and sits on a half acre in the Fenwick Farms neighborhood.



This Framingham short sale is an exceptional value. For more information see Framingham Real Estate

*** Update...Another successful Short Sale completed. This Framingham Short sale closed on November 21, 2008 f0r $555,000. Considering a short sale on your home? Get in touch I would welcome the opportunity to help you out. ***

Holliston Home For Sale 1035 Highland Street, Holliston MA

Terrific new construction in Holliston Massachusetts being built by Rinaldi Corporation Inc. This new home has a dramatic open floor plan by well known architect Frank Betz. There are nine rooms, four bedrooms, 3.5 baths and a 3 car garage. There is approximately 3100 square feet and the lot is 2+ acres. There are very few new homes for sale in Holliston. Come see this new home and you will not be disappointed with the quality! The home is listed at $674,900. There is still time for a home buyer to customize.



Visit Holliston Real Estate for more information.

What is a Short Sale?

I have been getting this question asked quite often lately with Real Estate in Massachusetts taking the proverbial "big hit".

For those that have been hearing the term "short sale" and don't quite understand what it means, a short sale is a legal lender approved solution designed to assist those home owners who are financially strapped to get out from under their mortgage debt.

A short sale is negotiated through the mortgage holder of an owners home where by the mortgage holder agrees to take less than what home owner owes on the property.

An example of a short sale would be if a home owner owes $400,000 on their current mortgage and their home is only worth $375,000. The lender in this example would agree to take a short fall of $25,000 at closing. In many cases the mortgage holder may completely wipe out the debt and the home owner does not have to repay the 25k.

The home owner benefits in this situation because they get out of a sticky financial mess without going to foreclosure which can seriously damage your credit.

You may be thinking why would a mortgage holder want to allow a short sale? There are a number of reasons, most notably the cost involved for the lender going through a foreclosure proceeding. The mortgage holder when all is said and done can easily spend $40,000-$50,000 going through a foreclosure. This avenue can save the lender money they would otherwise lose.

With property values continuing to drop in Massachusetts there are many more lenders who will consider the short sale route.

As a Realtor representing a seller in a short sale scenerio there some issues you need to be aware of. See Ethics in a short sale for an explanation.

When selling your home and you know you are going to be faced with a short sale make sure you choose to work with a good Realtor who has some working knowledge of short sale procedures! A good Real Estate lawyer in your corner who has worked with short sales would also be an important consideration.

For a more in depth view of some of the other things worth mentioning regarding short sales see Massachusetts Short Sale Realtor.

Here are a few other short sale articles worth reading:

Avoiding foreclosure through a short sale or loan modification
Short sales and deed in lieu of foreclosure
Massachusetts short sale problems to avoid
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
About the Author: The above Real Estate information on what is a short sale was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-435-5356.
Have a home to sell in Metrowest Mass? I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise!
For Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate and homes see Metrowest Mass Real Estate. Want to have MLS access to beat other buyers to your dream home? Sign up with no obligation at my MLS Property Finder Site.
I service the following towns in Metrowest Massachusetts: Hopkinton, Milford, Upton, Southboro, Westboro, Ashland, Holliston, Mendon, Hopedale, Medway, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, Franklin, Douglas, and Framingham MA.
Click here to view Bill Gassett's Real Estate profile.

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Building lasting relationships by helping people move in and out of Metrowest Massachusetts for the last 23 years.

Milford Real Estate 20 Free Street Milford MA

This home at 20 Free Street in Milford Massachusetts was just reduced by 40k and offers an excellent value at the current list price of $299,900! This Milford home is now a Short Sale and is subject to 3rd party approval for all terms and conditions. The home is only 4 years old and is located in a quite neighborhood near the center of Milford. There are 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, and a two car garage. Some of the many highlights include a beautiful kitchen with Granite counters, Cathedral family room with fieldstone fireplace, and finished lower level with 2nd fireplaced family room. The home shows mint! See the RealBird listing presentation below.





For more information on this home and others visit Milford Real Estate

**** Update - this Milford Short Sale closed on 12/11/08 for $299,900. Another successful Short sale completed. If you are considering a short sale and would like to speak to a Realtor that has experience with closing short sales please get in touch. ***

Here are two articles worth reading:

Foreclosure Avoiding it Through a Short Sale or Loan Modification

Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure and Short Sales

RE/MAX Executive Realty Dominates Hopkinton Market Share

Through June of 2008, RE/MAX Executive Realty continues to dominate the Hopkinton Massachusetts Real Estate market share. By clicking the small graph above you will see a blown up readable version of the chart.

These statistics are taken from The MLS Property Information Network. The statistics include market data of homes, condos, multi family's, and land sold. When you look at the chart you will notice at the top that there are three categories of transactions. Listed & sold - meaning the company was involved as both the listing broker and selling broker. This by the way is the goal of every Realtor but happens much more often with a RE/MAX company. For an understanding of why this is the case see RE/MAX Executive Realty Hopkinton The other two categories are listed but sold by another company and sold another companies listing.

You will notice by that in all three categories RE/MAX Executive Realty is the leader. We are almost double the number of units sold as our nearest competitor Century 21 Commonwealth.

The market share drops off dramatically after the top two companies with Star Realty only capturing 7.29% of the market share.

The Real Estate market in Massachusetts has become very challenging. Selecting a good Realtor to represent you is vital. One of the more important factors today in selecting a Realtor is how well they market online. You want to have an agent that will create an online presence for your home. Over 85% of all buyers find their home online and the number is growing!

When considering who to choose to represent you in your home sale try using Google as a tool. Google the agents name. If you don't see pages and pages of results, you have found yourself a Realtor with very little to no internet presence.

I would ask yourself this question: If a Realtor does not know how to promote themselves online how could you possibly expect them to promote your home well?

Forestside Estates Hopkinton Massachusetts

Forestside Estates in Hopkinton Massachusetts is one of the better more established luxury subdivisions in town. One of the things that is unique about the Forestside neighborhood is that there are no two homes that are alike. Unlike many of the newer Hopkinton neighborhoods that have five or six designs that are repeated multiple times, Forestside is characterized by homes with architectural distinction.

This neighborhood which was started back in the early 90's had a developer who did not build homes himself. He sold lots to local builders who then constructed the homes. There are probably close to a dozen different builders who built homes in this Hopkinton subdivision. Forestside Estates is located off of School Street on the west side of Hopkinton. It is located a few miles from the 495 interchange.



One of the beauties of Forestside is the spectacular views afforded by the homes along John Matthew Road and Gina Drive. You can see for miles. The views are especially terrific in the fall when the leaves change...it is breathtaking! You can see all the way out to Westboro and can also see Lake Whitehall in Hopkinton.

The price point in Forestside ranges from about $700,000 to $1,000,000 for the majority of the homes. There have, however, been a few custom built residences that would commend far in excess of that. There is one home that is built on three separate lots and is rumored to cost in excess of 4 million to build. Most of the lots range in size from 1 -1.5 acres.

I just sold the residence pictured above at 6 John Matthew Road on July 10th for $945,000. The home was on the market for a little over a year and dropped substantially in price, as the local Real Estate market continued to correct from a run up in prices over the last 10 years.

I actually had a few offers on this home that were substantially higher along the way. The sellers, like a few of my clients, did not want to come to grips with the reality of the Real Estate market. Sometimes even the best advice is not listened to. Oh well, if we all had crystal balls we would never make a bad decision!

I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my internet marketing expertise! I would welcome the opportunity to earn your business.

For Massachusetts and Hopkinton MA Real Estate and homes visit my website at Hopkinton Real Estate.

Want to have MLS access to beat other buyers to your dream home? Sign up with no obligation at my MLS Property Finder Site.

I service the following towns in Metrowest Massachusetts: Hopkinton, Milford, Upton, Southboro, Westboro, Ashland, Holliston, Mendon, Hopedale, Medway, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, Douglas, and Framingham.

Springwood Estates Hopkinton Massachusetts

Springwood Estates in Hopkinton Massachusetts is one of the more popular neighborhoods in town. One of the big attractions with Springwood Estates is that it is the largest subdivision in Hopkinton. When people relocate from other parts of the country they are not used to our smaller neighborhoods in Metrowest Massachusetts. In other areas of the country it is not unusual to have 300+ homes in a neighborhood. Most of the subdivisions in the Metrowest area have 50 homes or under. The relocating buyer is able to take advantage of the larger neighborhood that they are accustomed to at Springwood.

The home pictured above is a resale that my team just sold at 15 Gibbon Road in an older section of the Springwood neighborhood. The home sold for 5k over the asking price of $729,900.
You can read more about this Springwood Estates Hopkinton home and view interior photos by clicking the link. The price point in Springwood ranges from the 600's all the way up to a million+ for the new homes that are presently being built by Ron Nation of 20th Century Homes.

Thinking of selling your home in Hopkinton or other Metrowest town? Visit Hopkinton Real Estate

My website is highly indexed by google and is set up for the marketing of my clients homes.
Here are some of the Metrowest Real Estate shows for properties I am currently marketing.

Hopkinton Massachusetts Homes Just Sold 12 Claflin Street

Going against what typically happens in this crazy upside down Real Estate market my team mates Chuck Joseph and Diane Corsi, just closed on this home at 12 Claflin Street in Hopkinton Massachusetts for full price. The home closed at $360,000 on June 26.

This home was a rare find for Hopkinton as it was in the down town area on a side street with no traffic. It was not your typical village colonial but a well maintained ranch with three bedrooms and 2.5 baths. The home was situated on a 3/4 acre private lot which is also difficult to find.

Homes that sell at full price or close to it are harder to find in this market but it can be done! Having a good Realtor or even better a team representing you can go a long way towards a successful sale.

Marketing a home to the masses is critical in this market. Proper pricing and a high level of exposure online are the two biggest factors in getting your home sold today. Over 85% of all buyers find their home online and the percentage continues to grow.

You can see all the exposure I give to my clients at Real Estate marketing in Metrowest Massachusetts.

Thinking of selling your home in Hopkinton Massachusetts? Check out my highly indexed Real Estate website at Hopkinton Massachusetts Real Estate. You will find the site on the 1st page of Google for most Real Estate search terms related to Hopkinton and many other Metrowest Massachusetts communities.

Home Foreclosures Hitting Record Highs in Massachusetts!

The number of foreclosed properties in Massachusetts hit a record high in May! According to the Warren group, a publisher of Real Estate information, foreclosure deeds jumped by 107.5 % from May of 2007 to May of 2008. The number of foreclosure homes went from 677 to 1405.


Below are the statistics for a few of the towns in the Metrowest and Greater Worcester area:


Milford


YTD petitions to foreclose 2007: 57

YTD petitions to foreclose 2008: 90

* A jump of 57.89%


YTD foreclosure deeds 2007: 5

YTD foreclosure deeds 2008: 42

* A jump of 740%


Medway

YTD petitions to foreclose 2007: 11

YTD petitions to foreclose 2008: 14

* A jump of 27.27%


YTD forecosure deeds 2007: 2

YTD foreclosure deeds 2008: 6

* A jump of 200%


Northbridge


YTD petitions to foreclose 2007:

YTD petitions to foreclose 2008

* A jump of 31.82%


YTD foreclosue deeds 2007: 11

YTD foreclosure deeds 2008: 15

* A jump of 36.36%


Hopkinton

YTD petitions to foreclose 2007: 17

YTD petitions to foreclose 2008: 19

* A jump of 11.76%

YTD foreclosure deeds 2007: 1

YTD foreclosure deeds 2008: 5

* A jump of 400%


Most people are aware that the local Real Estate market peaked in the Spring of 2005. Since that time we have seen the local Real Estate market continue to slide. This is know as a "buyers market". There are many home sellers today that have still not come to the realization that their home is not what it was worth a few years ago. Unfortunately, most peoples homes are not worth the same as they were 6 months ago! Market values have not hit bottom either. If I were a betting man, I would venture to guess we have a ways to go before we hit the bottom.

We have been lucky locally as there really has not been that many foreclosed homes. With the number of foreclosed homes on the rise and home values continuing to drop, it really makes sense as a home seller to be smart when you get an offer on your home. Losing a deal over a few thousand dollars is usually a big mistake.

If the foreclosure market does increase to the point where there are many more bank owned homes hitting the market, we will see a bigger drop in home values. When a similar or better bank owned home down the Street is on the market for X, don't expect that you can put your home on the market for X + 20k and expect to sell it. It is not going to happen. Short sales can also drag the Real Estate market down as well and we will be seeing more of that too.

The take home message is to make sure you make a wise decision when you think about holding out for a few extra $$$. Don't cut off your nose despite your face in this challenging market.

Samreen Villa Upton Massachusetts

Samreen Villa In Upton Massachusetts is a terrific neighborhood of three bedroom, 2.5 bath townhome condominiums. There are 52 units in this complex. The condo fee is a very reasonable $195.00

These condos are one of the better values in the area. It is hard to find a three bedroom condo with a garage in Metrowest Massachusetts.

I just sold the unit above at 7 Knowlton circle, Upton MA on 6/26/08 for $303,000.

You can see photos of the interior of 7 Knowlton Circle, Upton MA here.

Interested in what is going on in Upton Massachusetts Real Estate? Check out my month to month Upton Massachusetts Real Estate Market Reports.

Selling a home or condo in Upton Massachusetts or other Metrowest town is heavily dependant on pricing your home properly and picking an agent that will create an "online market presence" for your home. As a home seller, you need to be aware that the market in Upton and many other Metrowest communities has changed over the last three and a half years. We are no longer in a seller's market. When selling a home in Upton Massachusetts, it pays to have a pro in your corner representing you.

** 85% of all buyers are finding their homes on the Internet. Far too many Realtors put your home in MLS, Realtor.com, and possibly their website if they have one, and consider that good marketing. Don't sell yourself short. The current Real Estate environment is extremly challenging. Pricing your home properly and marketing to the masses is critical for your success. Check out the Real Estate marketing I provide to all my clients - Metrowest MA Homes ~ How to effectively market to the masses on-line. **

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The above Upton Massachusetts Real Estate condo information was provided by Bill Gassett, the team leader for the #4 RE/MAX Team in Massachusetts in 2007. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-435-5356. Bill has helped people move in and out of Upton Massachusetts and other Metrowest towns for the last 22+ Years. Bill's office is conveniently located in the center of Hopkinton MA at 77 Main Street. Bill also has a Real Estate office located in the center of Upton.

I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise! I would welcome the opportunity to earn your business!

For Massachusetts and Upton MA Real Estate and homes see Upton Massachusetts Real Estate. Want to have MLS access to beat other buyers to your dream home? Sign up with no obligation at my MLS Property Finder Site.

I service the following towns in Metrowest MA: Hopkinton, Milford, Upton, Southboro, Westboro, Ashland, Holliston, Mendon, Hopedale, Medway, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, and Framingham MA.

Click here to view Bill Gassett's Real Estate profile.

Building lasting relationships by helping people move in and out of Metrowest Massachusetts for the last 22 years.

Indianbrook Townhomes Hopkinton Massachusetts

Indianbrook in Hopkinton Massachusetts is a very nice condominium neighborhood located off Elm Street that has excellent access to 495 and the Mass Pike. The units in this complex are two bedrooms and either 1.5 or two full baths. The condo fees are around $350 per month.

I just sold the unit above at 13 Leman Lane for $265,000. It closed on June 26, 2008.

You can read more about Indianbrook and other Hopkinton Massachusetts Townhomes and Condo's here.

Interested in what is going on in Hopkinton Real Estate? You can view my month to month Hopkinton Massachusetts Real Estate Market Reports here.

Selling a home or condo in Hopkinton Massachusetts or other Metrowest town is heavily dependant on pricing your home properly and picking an agent that will create an "online market presence" for your home. As a home seller, you need to be aware that the market in Hopkinton and many other Metrowest communities has changed over the last three and a half years. We are no longer in a seller's market. When selling a home in Hopkinton Massachusetts, it pays to have a pro in your corner representing you.

** 85% of all buyers are finding their homes on the Internet. Far too many Realtors put your home in MLS, Realtor.com, and possibly their website if they have one, and consider that good marketing. Don't sell yourself short. The current Real Estate environment is extremly challenging. Pricing your home properly and marketing to the masses is critical for your success. Check out the Real Estate marketing I provide to all my clients - Metrowest MA Homes ~ How to effectively market to the masses on-line. **

___________________________________________________________________

The above Hopkinton MA Real Estate condo information was provided by Bill Gassett, the team leader for the #4 RE/MAX Team in Massachusetts in 2007. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-435-5356. Bill has helped people move in and out of Hopkinton MA and other Metrowest towns for the last 22+ Years. Bill's office is conveniently located in the center of Hopkinton MA at 77 Main Street.

I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise! I would welcome the opportunity to earn your business.

For Massachusetts and Hopkinton MA Real Estate and homes see Hopkinton MA Real Estate. Want to have MLS access to beat other buyers to your dream home? Sign up with no obligation at my MLS Property Finder Site.

I service the following towns in Metrowest MA: Hopkinton, Milford, Upton, Southboro, Westboro, Ashland, Holliston, Mendon, Hopedale, Medway, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, and Framingham MA.

Click here to view Bill Gassett's Real Estate profile.

Building lasting relationships by helping people move in and out of Metrowest Massachusetts for the last 22 years.

Hopkinton Real Estate

One of the best Real Estate values in Hopkinton Massachusetts is located at 188 West Main Street. This split level home has 4 bedrooms and 2 full baths with nearly 1800 square feet of living space. You can read more about this property at my 188 West Main Street Hopkinton Blog post. See the RealBird slide show presentation here.

Douglas Massachusetts Homes for sale

19 Linden Street Douglas Massachusetts ~ This home has 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and approximately 3957 square feet. It is located in a private setting with 2 plus acres. It is listed for $519,900.

For more information of this home see Douglas Massachusetts Real Estate. Enjoy the slide show video tour of this home.



Read more about the local Real Estate market at Metrowest Massachusetts Homes Blog.

Milford Massachusetts Homes for sale

This home in Milford Massachusetts at 34 Beach Street Extension is listed at $279,900. See the virtual tour below.



For other Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate shows click here.

Grafton Massachusetts Homes

High Point Estates is a new subdivision in Grafton Massachusetts. There will be seventy five new homes located in this community. Below is a presentation on a home at 87 High Point Drive I just listed. The home is only 8 months old. The seller is being relocated and would like to move the home quickly. It is priced at $559,900 which is 30K less than what the home was purchased for only 8 months ago. This is a fantastic value for a NEW home in Grafton Massachusetts!

This was the second home purchased in High Point Estates. There are substantial upgrades in this home that are not part of the builders standard package. This home at 87 High Point Drive with all the present ammenities would sell for around $635,000. The home has 2891 square feet on the 1st two floors and approximately 1200 sq ft in the lower level for a total of about 4091 square feet. This Grafton MA home is a great value!

This presentation is an example of the RealBird marketing platform that I use for all the homes that I am marketing in and around Metrowest Massachusetts. The RealBird site does an excellent job of presenting a home. By clicking on the more information/maps link you will be taken to the main site. You will notice a nice slide show presentation, Large pictures, Descriptions, An Interactive Google map, as well as links back to my website and blog. There is even a good link to school information in the particular town the home is located in.

Having an online presence along with proper home pricing is the key to getting a home sold in a tougher Real Estate environment. Over 85% of all buyers find their home online. In Metrowest Massachusetts the statistics may even be higher given we are in a technology belt. All my clients homes have maximum exposure online. See this article on where I advertise on-line. Metrowest MA Homes ~ How to effectively market to the masses on-line.

When selling a home in Grafton or other Metrowest Massachusetts town, it pays to have a pro in your corner representing you. Here are some excellent questions to ask when interviewing your agent, that will help you determine if you are hiring a top producer or not!

Interested in working with a Realtor that will expose your home to the masses online? Get in touch - I would welcome the opportunity to interview with you.

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The above Grafton Massachusetts Real Estate information was provided by Bill Gassett, the team leader for the #4 RE/MAX Team in Massachusetts in 2007. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-435-5356. Bill has helped people move in and out of Grafton MA and other Metrowest towns for the last 22+ Years. Bill's office is conveniently located in the center of Hopkinton MA at 77 Main Street. Bill also has a Real Estate offices located in the center of Grafton and Upton as well.

I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise! I would welcome the opportunity to earn your business!

For Massachusetts and Grafton Massachusetts Real Estate and homes see Grafton Massachusetts Real Estate. Want to have MLS access to beat other buyers to your dream home? Sign up with no obligation at my MLS Property Finder Site.

I service the following towns in Metrowest MA: Hopkinton, Milford, Upton, Southboro, Westboro, Ashland, Holliston, Mendon, Hopedale, Medway, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, and Framingham MA.

Click here to view Bill Gassett's Real Estate profile.

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Building lasting relationships by helping people move in and out of Metrowest Massachusetts for the last 22 years.

Hopkinton Massachusetts Real Estate

Interested in Hopkinton Massachusetts Real Estate? Check out this Real Estate show at 61 Hayden Rowe Street, Hopkinton MA.



For more information see 61 Hayden Rowe Street Hopkinton Massachusetts.

Southboro Massachusetts Real Estate

Interested in Southboro Massachusetts Real Estate? Check out this home I am marketing at 34 Gilmore Road in Southboro MA.

This Southboro Massachusetts home has 8 rooms, 3 bedrooms, and two full baths. There is 1700 square feet of living space. The home is listed at $429,900.



You can view a virtual tour of this Southboro MA home and others Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate Shows here.

For more information on this home see 34 Gilmore Road Southboro Massachusetts

Bill's Gassett's Team earns #4 Real Estate Ranking in Massachusetts for RE/MAX

RE/MAX Executive Realty is proud to announce that the My House Partners team, (consisting of Bill Gassett, Chuck Joseph, Mary Korbey, Diane Corsi and Eileen Sullivan) has placed number 4 for all RE/MAX teams in Massachusetts and placed number 7 for all of New England. This recognition is out of over 3,000 Sales Associates within the RE/MAX system in New England.

Bill, Chuck, and Mary are consistently top producers in the Hopkinton office and the entire RE/MAX Executive Realty organization. In addition to this recognition as a team, individually Bill and Chuck earned the Platinum Award for their outstanding performance in 2007 and Mary earned the 100% Club Award.

Bill Gassett and Chuck Joseph have also been awarded the RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement Award for their outstanding careers with RE/MAX. Bill, Chuck and Mary Korbey have all been awarded the Hall of Fame Award for their successful careers at RE/MAX.

"We are very pleased and proud to have Bill and Chuck and their Team as part of our organization" said Bill Wright, President of RE/MAX Executive Realty. "Their success is a direct result of their service to their clients and their contributions to the real estate industry and to RE/MAX. This is really an amazing accomplishment in a challenging year."

RE/MAX Executive Realty has seven offices and over 120 sales associates servicing Hopkinton, the communities of Boston Metrowest and Greater Worcester. It is a franchise of RE/MAX International with over 114,000 sales associates in 65 countries worldwide and is the leader in residential real estate sales.

Contact:

Bill Gassett, RE/MAX Executive Realty

Hopkinton, Massachusetts

508-435-5356

Hopkinton Massachusetts Real Estate

Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate