MANSION AT BALD HILL IN WOODSTOCK, CT - 11/29/11 07:27 AM
My wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary by staying at the Mansion Sunday for two days and one night.  The meal Sunday night was wonderful.  Breakfast was a treat with homemade pumpkin bread, eggs and a parfait of yogurt, fruit and different nuts.
Let me give you some historical back round on the mansion.  In 1892 Roxanna Wentworth Bowen, who was the heiress to the Pullman Train fortune, and her husband Clarence bought a 91 acre parcel known as Bald Hill.  The Bowen family had family roots dating back to the 1700's with Henry Bowen.  Henry built the world famous … (11 comments)

HAVE YOU TRIED TO READ THE NEW UAD APPRAISAL? - 11/28/11 08:58 PM
The new UAD appraisal is written in hieroglyphics.  You can't read the new UAD appraisal without an explanation of the abbreviations.  Even with the score card I am still scratching my head.  I will give you a few examples.  You will see that these "ratings" are subjective rather than being objective.
Condition ratings - C1 to C6.  C1 the best and C6 the worst.  Subjective
Quality ratings - Q1 to Q6.  Q1 the best and Q6 the worst.  Subjective
Not updated, updated and remodeled.  How can a property be updated and not be remodeled?  Confusing.
Under location and view you see … (2 comments)

HOUSING COURT IN WORCESTER, MASS WARNS THE BANK OF AMERICA - 11/25/11 06:27 AM
Worcester, Mass has a local ordinance to deal with vacant properties.  This ordinance ensures that local properties are maintained and secured.  Apparently the Bank of America is not maintaining and securing their properties.  According to the Bank of America they work with service providers to maintain their properties.
They need to register each property and post a $5,000 bond.  Every lender is notified of the city's ordinances for vacant properties.  The Bank of America was fined $5,600 for not complying with court orders in a timely manner.  This property is locate at 1 Blodgett Place in Worcester, Ma. 
Worcester is committed … (27 comments)

TURKEY TRIVIA - 11/24/11 07:18 AM
Happy Thanksgiving to all. 
248 MILLION turkeys expected to be raised in the United States during 2011.  2% increase from 2010.
46.5 MILLION turkeys raised in Minnesota.  Six states account for 2/3rds of all US turkeys raised.
430 MILLION pounds of cranberry's produced by Wisconsin, 210 million pounds by Massachusetts in 2011.
2.4 BILLION pounds of sweet potatoes produced in the US during 2010.  N Carolina produced 972 million pounds.
1.1 BILLION pounds of pumpkins prod cued in 2010.  Dollar value is $117,000,000.
656,340 TONS of snap green beans produced in 2011.  Wisconsin lead all states with 258,320 tons.
Wow.  Who … (14 comments)

FREDDIE MAC OFFERING INCENTIVES TO SELL THEIR REO'S - 11/23/11 06:42 AM
Freddie Mac is looking to sell their REO's this winter.  They are offering buyers 3% of the sales price towards closing and prepaids costs.  Homes under deposit from November 15 and closing before March 15, 2012 qualify.  A $ 1,000 bonus to the selling agent.  There is also a two year home warranty that is offered to the buyer by Freddie Mac.
Contrary to public opinion this is a pretty good time to be a real estate agent.  You have made it through the worst of times.  Home affordability is incredible.  Interest rates are at historical lows.  Prices are low.  This … (6 comments)

PRINCIPAL VS PRINCIPLE - 11/21/11 06:28 AM
I was reading another excellent blog by Lenn Harley.  It triggered this thought and blog.  People who are walking away from their homes because of being underwater are sacrificing their principles for the sake of principal.  Ostensibly they are saving money by renting.  That maybe the case in the short run but it will be very costly in the long run.
Interest rates are predicated on risk.  If you have walked away from legal obligations then you are considered a risky loan.  Rates are higher.  The rest of your life on a loan application you will have to check off having … (14 comments)

MICHIGAN REVERSES RULING ON MERS - 11/20/11 07:10 AM
Welcome news to the real estate community.  The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that MERS, as record holder of the mortgage, can legally foreclose on a non performing loan.  Can you hear the collective sigh from the title companies and their insurance companies?
The Michigan Supreme Court validated their status as mortgagee with all their rights of non-judicial foreclosure options.  This should allow the Michigan real estate market to return to normal.  The "shadow" market should begin to be absorbed as foreclosures go forward.
Legal sanity is slowly becoming a reality.
… (6 comments)

TURTLE RECALL? - 11/19/11 01:27 PM
An elephant was drinking at a riverbank one day, when he spotted a turtle asleep on a log. The elephant ambled over and kicked the turtle across the river. "Why did you do that?" asked a passing giraffe. "Because I recognized it as the same turtle that took a nip out of my trunk 53 years ago." "Wow, you have quite a memory," commented the giraffe. "Yes," said the elephant, "I have turtle recall." … (9 comments)

NAR - HOUSING TO IMPROVE IN 2012 - 11/18/11 08:14 AM
Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, gave positive comments at the NAR annual convention in Anaheim, California.  He expects existing home sales to increase 4 to 5%.  He believes new home sales will increase even more.
Yun cites the pent up demand based on population growth as one of the reasons for his predictions for 2012.  He also predicts a slight decline in the unemployment rate.  Consumer confidence and decreasing unemployment rates are the real key to increasing real estate sales.  The news continues to bang away at the negatives and the glass being half empty side … (8 comments)

MOST PEOPLE DON'T PLAN TO FAIL - THEY FAIL TO PLAN - 11/17/11 01:12 PM
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.  Discipline is not an easy habit to maintain.  We "plan" to lose that extra ten pounds.  We plan to quit smoking.  We plan to sell 20 houses in 2012.  Tomorrow I am going to join the gym and lose a couple of inches off my waist.
How do we go about planning these goals?  Most of the time we just talk about it.  The phone rings and we are off on a tangent.  Goals are forgotten or not pursued. 95% of the time they are not written down.  They become wish lists … (8 comments)

POLICE OFFICE AND GRANDMA - 11/16/11 06:20 AM
I made a traffic stop on an elderly lady the other day for speeding on U.S. 166 Eastbound at Mile Marker 73 just East of Sedan , KS. I asked for her driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance. The lady took out the required information and handed it to me. In with the cards I was somewhat surprised (due to her advanced age) to see she had a conceal carry permit. I looked at her and ask if she had a weapon in her possession at this time. She responded that she indeed had .45 automatic in her glove box. … (10 comments)

WEST THOMPSON DAM, THOMPSON, CT. - 11/15/11 06:40 AM
The US Corp of Engineers does not get enough recognition for the wonderful resources that they have created with their planned flood control projects.   The 1955 floods devastated a lot of the Northeast.  The Corp of Engineers created dams to alleviate future flooding.  In doing so they also created some beautiful recreational areas.  One of these is the West Thompson Dam in Thompson, Ct.
The entire town of West Thompson was taken to create this dam on the Quinebaug River.  This dam is part of a network of six flood control facilities.  This network helps to control flooding from the Thames … (4 comments)

36 HAMPTON ST., AUBURN, MASS. - 11/14/11 04:45 PM
Great opportunity to live in your own home for less then rent.   This 6 room 3 bedroom 1.5 bath is aggressively priced to sell at $149,900.  The exterior and interior have been just scraped and painted.  The hardwood floors have shine so bright you could shave in them.  Located in a residential neighborhood close to major transportation and employment areas.
… (0 comments)

WEBSTER, MASS HISTORY - 11/14/11 04:25 PM
Webster was first settled in 1713.  The land area for Webster was taken from Oxford, Dudley and the gore.  The primary founder was Samuel Slater.  Samuel Slater traveled from Pawtucket, Rhode Island.  He started several textile Mills.  One became the Cranston Print Works.  Samuel Slater named the town after his good friend Daniel Webster.  Samuel Slater spent his last years in Webster and is buried there in the Mt. Zion cemetery.
Webster is also the home of the largest natural body of water in Massachusetts - Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagamaugg.  Really that is name.  It is the longest place name in the United … (4 comments)

DO YOU KNOW WHAT A LEXIPHILE IS? READ ON. - 11/12/11 07:56 PM
To write with a broken pencil is pointless. When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate. A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months. When the smog lifts in Los Angeles , U.C.L.A. The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes was on shaky ground. The batteries were given out free of charge. A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail. A will is a dead giveaway. If you don't pay your exorcist you can get repossessed. With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress. Show me a piano falling down a mineshaft … (8 comments)

PSST GOT REAL CHRISTMAS TREE? - 11/11/11 07:34 AM
Got milk?  Where's the beef?  The incredible egg?  Congress has decided to "assess" Christmas tree growers who sell more than 500 trees .15 per tree.  What would this do tax, oops assessment do?  It would support a 12 person board that would develop ads for the sale of real Christmas trees.  What a bunch of meadow muffins!  This is supposed to work with the US Dept of Agriculture like like similar programs dating back to the 60's with commodities like cotton, blueberries, pork soy, etc.  Bureaucrats telling entrepreneurs how to sell their products.
This is like taxing all income property owners … (4 comments)

HAVES VS HAVE NOTS - 11/10/11 04:20 PM
“The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.” I don't know who this quote belongs to but it is pertinent to today's issues. We see examples of class warfare every day. We hear about the top 1% who are filthy rich and could care less about the "little people". Millionaires and billionaires. Do you know how much you have to earn to be in the top 1%? $344,000 is the threshold into the top 1%. People have learned how to live off the government dole. … (7 comments)

HEY, National Association of Realtors... ARE YOU LISTENING TO US? - 11/08/11 06:32 AM
Lenn has hit the nail on the head again.  Why isn't NAR leading the charge to motivate buyers to take advantage of low prices and historically low interest rates?  Where is NAR?  A million plus membership should be used to push buttons to help buyers cross that bridge of uncertainty.
Via Lenn Harley, Real Estate Broker, Virginia & Maryland (Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate):
The NAR can help home buyers and real estate agent and broker members if it focuses on the real causes of the problems in the HOUSING INDUSTRY and get's the FACTS to Congress.  THAT … (12 comments)

RE/MAX OF NEW ENGLAND'S POSITIVE OUTLOOK - 11/07/11 06:09 PM
Jay Hummer released an optimistic housing report for New England.  Clearly we are talking about baby steps.  Unless you have been through these downturns the recovery is really unapparent until much later in the recovery.
A number of positive signs that Jay pointed to:  Sales have risen for the last three months; sales are rising again from year to year; September 2011 sales show a 3.5% increase over September 2010; inventory is down; housing is signaling some gains.
So what do we do to keep it going?  Keep on doing what you have been doing.  It is still all about the … (4 comments)

HISTORY LESSON ON THE SOCIAL SECURITY CARD - 11/06/11 09:09 AM
> Dick Kantenberger > Education Writer > > History Lesson on Your Social Security Card > > Just in case some of you young whippersnappers (& some older ones) > didn't know this. > It's easy to check out, if you don't believe it. Be sure and show > it to your family and friends. They need a little history lesson on > what's what and it doesn't matter whether you are Democrat or > Republican. Facts are Facts. > > Social Security Cards up until the 1980s expressly stated the number > and card were not to be used for … (10 comments)

WHAT IS A CMA? - 11/03/11 12:08 PM
CMA stands for Conrad Michael Allen.  It also stands for competitive market analysis.  It is the Realtor form of an appraisal.  We find homes similar to the home we are analyzing for value.  That means we compare ranches with ranches and colonial with colonials.  We want to stay in the same town and the same neighborhood if possible.  Ideally we want three home that are for sales, three that expired, three that sold and three under agreement.
We can't always do that but that is the goal.  We then make market adjustments for square footage, bathrooms, bedrooms, garages, etc.  Our MLS … (6 comments)

IS ALL WATER EVENTUALLY RECYCLED? - 11/02/11 10:45 AM
I was reading an excellent blog by David Popoff about conserving water.  It got me to thinking about recycling.  If we live in a sealed world doesn't all water eventually get recycled?  It can't escape the atmosphere.  According to Einstein it can't be destroyed.  If it evaporated doesn't it go up into the atmosphere to be converted into rain again?  If the sea water evaporates it leaves the salt behind and is it then recycled?
The theory behind septic systems is if you run liquid waste through four feet of gravel (perk-able materials) it comes out purified.  Everything we eat or … (6 comments)

WHERE I HAVE AND HAVE NOT BEEN: - 11/01/11 03:03 PM
I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone. I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there. I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work. I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore. I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to … (7 comments)

 

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