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.

Metrowest MA Home Sales ~ Marketing effort pays off BIG!

In today's challenging real estate environment, the marketing effort provided in a home sale will make a big difference in the ultimate goal.....Getting the house SOLD! Selling your home in Metrowest MA is no longer a task that can be accomplished by throwing a sign out in the yard and putting it in MLS. Buyers are no longer lurking at every street corner waiting for the next house to come on the market. It takes a concentrated effort by the Realtor to get maximum exposure for your home.

The supply of homes in Metrowest MA has been growing along with the average days on the market. To see the statistics on some of the various Metrowest towns including Hopkinton, Ashland, Holliston, Milford, Upton, Southboro, Mendon and Hopedale click to look at the Metrowest MA market report.

There are a number of necessary things to do when selling a home in Metrowest MA. Selecting a good Realtor should be of the utmost importance. Here are some excellent questions you can ask that I outlined for someone selling their home in Hopkinton MA. Of course these questions would apply just about anywhere you are selling your home. These questions should go along way in at least helping you determine if you are hiring a pro or not.

One of the most important things to look for in the interview process is to see where the Realtor will be marketing your home on-line. You can no longer just rely on MLS, Realtor.com, and an agents website to be all that it necessary in the marketing effort to get your home sold.

I recently wrote an article called Metrowest MA Homes ~ How to effectively Market to the masses On-line. This article details a multitude of websites I am using when selling a home in Metrowest MA. This is the type of effort that will increase your chances of getting your home sold in a timely manner for top dollar.



The above information was provided by Bill Gassett, the team leader for the #2 RE/MAX Team in Massachusetts in 2006. 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 many Metrowest towns for the last 21+ Years. Bill's office is conveniently located in the center of Hopkinton MA at 77 Main Street. RE/MAX Executive Realty also has an offices in Upton MA, Holliston MA, Grafton MA, Medfield MA, Franklin MA, and Natick MA.


For Massachusetts homes for sale and other Real Estate information see myhousepartners website or Sell my Home in Metrowest MA. 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 have a passion for Real Estate and would love to help YOU accomplish your goals.


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.

Selling your home in Metrowest MA? It Pays to interview a Top Realtor!

There are thousands of Real Estate agents that service the Metrowest Boston area. There are, however, vast differences in the skill level, services offered, and marketing efforts of the Realtors that cover towns in Metrowest MA.

Lets start by analyzing the many things a Metrowest MA Realtor can do for you to market your home besides putting it in MLS. The local newspaper used to be a good source for marketing homes. The Metrowest Daily News and Boston Globe were the dominant sources for for marketing homes in Metrowest MA over the last decade. Buyers however, don't frequent these sources like they used to when looking for a home in Metrowest MA. All the newspaper resources that used to be so successful in the past for advertising and marketing your Metrowest MA home, just don't work anymore. The volume of calls received from these sources has dwindled severely. The Boston Globe has seen the trend progress and because of this has started to put a lot of their resources into making the real estate section of Boston.com a better place for Metrowest MA Realtors to market their homes. The Boston.com website is owned by the Boston Globe.

It is clear that the Internet is where any good Realtor marketing homes in Metrowest MA should be putting their efforts. A year ago 70% of all buyers were beginning their search on the Internet. Now more than 85% are looking and finding their homes on the Internet. Hiring a Metrowest MA Realtor who is Internet savvy, has the technology in place, and can provide you with an abundance of Internet exposure has become an absolute necessity in todays market. Internet marketing has become one of the most effective means to sell your Metrowest MA home.

Some of the the sites to market a home on the Internet include Realtor.com. Realtor.com is a consumer friendly website that allows buyers to see homes that are on MLS throughout the country. Realtor.com has the largest volume of traffic for real estate related websites. While viewing homes in Realtor.com, you will notice big differences in how Realtors market their homes there. A good Realtor will take the time to "enhance" the listing. As a Realtor, you are allowed to add up to twenty photos of the property you are marketing. Survey after survey says that the photos are the most important tool to market a home. The phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words" is never more evident than in Real Estate. Realtors are also able to write their own custom text to help buyers understand what the best features are about the property. Many of the Realtors in Metrowest MA do nothing to "enhance" their properties. This is a big mistake!

The most heavily traveled real estate company website happens to be the company I work for RE/MAX.com RE/MAX.com is similar to Realtor.com in that you are able to see all the properties on the market from one website. When going to competing companies websites such as Coldwellbanker.com and C-21.com you are only able to view their respective company listings.

One of the latest sites to effectively market a Metrowest MA home is Zillow.com. Zillow initially was more of a site to get a quick evaluation of your homes value but is now being used as a site to market homes. As a Realtor, you are able to enhance listings with multiple photos and descriptions. A valuable tool in marketing your Metrowest MA home, as this is a heavily traveled site. Another site that is also starting to make some headway is Trulia.com. and yet another good site is listingvue.com.

Along with these sites you would think that all Metrowest MA Realtors would have search engine optimized, lead generating websites. Many Metrowest MA agents do not and rely on company websites. My personal website, myhousepartners.com allows buyers to sign up to receive MLS access as well as to get emailed daily when a new property comes on the market that matches their search criteria.

One of the newest and most important ways to market a home in Metrowest MA is through blogging. Blogs are an excellent means to get noticed by the search engines. Some of the best agents from around the country have figured this out and are now blogging like crazy. One of the best Real Estate platforms to blog on is Active Rain and Localism.com Both of these sites are very well recognized by the search engines such as Google and draw traffic to the Realtors who use them. Blogs are personal. Blogs provide buyers and sellers with great information, tips, advice, news, market reports, and promotion of properties. Here are examples of some of my recent blog posts:
Preparing your Massachusetts home for the Spring selling season
Attention Home Sellers - don't get sued because of bedroom misrepresentation.
Get your Title V done early
Metrowest MA Real Estate - why most companies don't offer Sub-agency
Top ten mistakes to avoid when selling your Massachusetts home
Why Your Massachusetts Home Expired
Selling your Massachusetts home is a buyers market

Social networking sites are also raising the bar on how a property can be marketed. For example see my Metrowest MA Real Estate site on Squidoo.com. This is an example of a site I created to draw additional traffic to my listings as well as myself. Some other important social networking sites are stumbleupon, digg, and del.icio.us These sites allows users to post their favorite Internet sites for others to see under different topics. Real Estate is always a popular topic. These sites allow your website to become more visible. As a top Metrowest MA Realtor, I like to take advantage of these sites. It does not pay to be a "secret agent" in Real Estate. Flickr is also a site where you can post photos. I use this site to market homes I am selling in and around Metrowest MA.

Thinking of selling your home in Metrowest MA? Want a top RE/MAX agent that knows how to market homes - Contact Bill Gassett, RE/MAX Executive Realty via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-435-5356.

I am the team leader of the #2 RE/MAX Team in Massachusetts. I service the following towns in Metrowest MA: Hopkinton, Milford, Upton, Southboro, Westboro, Ashland, Holliston, Mendon, Hopedale, Medway, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, and Framingham MA.

Want to sign up to access MLS and beat other buyers to new listings? Use my MLS property finder site with no obligation.

RE/MAX Executive Realty continues to dominate Hopkinton MA Market share!

Market share for Hopkinton MA from July of 2006 - July of 2007.



Below are the top ten offices ranked by position in Hopkinton. RE/MAX Executive Realty continues to hold the #1 position by a substantial margin. The statistic that jumps out above everything else is that RE/MAX Executive has 23 in-house sales....meaning they were the listing and selling agent for the property. The next closest company has 7 and that is combining both the century 21 companies together. This is extremely impressive information.



The other stat that immediately jumps out is the fact that RE/MAX Executive has a substantial lead in the amount of transaction sides which totals 119! The nearest competitor has 49 and that again is combining both C-21 offices. Coldwell Banker is next with 25. Clearly RE/MAX Executive Realty dominates in Hopkinton Real Estate Sales.


RE/MAX lists and sells more property than any other agency in the world!



Market Share - All Offices
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Report Run: 7/18/2007 2:36:30 PM Property Type(s): SF, CC, MF, LD, CI Start Date: 7/18/2006 End Date: 7/18/2007 Towns: Hopkinton, MA

Office
Listed & SoldUnits $ Vol
Listed/Not SoldUnits $ Vol
Sold/Not ListedUnits $ Vol
TotalUnits $ Vol
Sides%/$ Vol
1
RE/MAX Executive Realty Hopkinton, MA 01748
23 20,687,084
44 23,857,910
29 19,013,293
96 63,558,287
119 23.64
2
Century 21 Commonwealth Hopkinton, MA 01748
4 6,075,400
14 9,774,450
8 5,636,500
26 21,486,350
30 7.99
3
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Framingham Framingham, MA 01701
3 4,365,850
10 6,775,600
9 5,810,341
22 16,951,791
25 6.31
4
Century 21 Westward Homes Hopkinton, MA 01748
3 4,058,000
13 11,395,484
--
16 15,453,484
19 5.75
5
STAR REALTY Hopkinton Hopkinton, MA 01748
2 2,102,000
8 5,016,500
4 3,045,935
14 10,164,435
16 3.78
6
Berkshire Realty Group Southborough, MA 01772
7 8,111,600
3 1,901,340
--
10 10,012,940
17 3.72
7
Hallmark Realty Hopkinton, MA 01748
2 3,976,600
5 3,133,500
--
7 7,110,100
9 2.64
8
RE/MAX First Choice R. E. Northborough, MA 01532
2 1,606,000
6 2,966,900
5 2,293,000
13 6,865,900
15 2.55
9
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Northborough Regional Office Northborough, MA 01532
--
4 2,532,405
4 3,692,000
8 6,224,405
8 2.32
10
Non Member Office Shrewsbury, MA 01545
--
--
6 3,336,275
6 3,336,275
6 1.24


Total Listings Selected: 232 Unit Dollar Volume: $268,858,878.00 * Unit Dollar Volume calculated using double count method


©2007 MLS Property Information Network, Inc.



Interested in working with a top RE/MAX agent.....Sign up to have MLS Access through my personal property search site.


Bill Gassett is the top agent at RE/MAX Executive Realty, a seven office company with locations in Hopkinton, Holliston, Franklin, Medfield, Natick, Grafton, and Upton.

Bill Gassett specializes in marketing homes in the following towns: Hopkinton, Southboro, Milford, Upton, Ashland, Holliston, Upton, Westboro, Mendon, Hopedale, Medway, Northbridge, Grafton, and Framingham.

Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate Website

Do you live in Metrowest MA? Are you thinking about selling your home? Want to work

with a top RE/MAX agent who has been in the business for 22+ years? An agent who

believes that marketing heavily over the internet is crucial in your selling success?

Please check out this terrific site that offers some great information relating to Metrowest

MA Real Estate. I am a dedicated individual that has a passion for my business. I will invest
the time and energy necessary for you to have a great experience selling your home.

At my Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate website you will see all the tools I am using to market my clients homes in and around Metrowest Massachusetts.

The towns that I cover for home sales include Hopkinton, Westboro, Southboro, Milford, Holliston, Ashland, Upton, Medway, Mendon, Hopedale, Grafton, Northbridge, Douglas, Uxbridge, and Framingham.