89 Florence Street, Chestnut Hill MA rental--$2,250 - 06/21/11 11:21 AM
One of my agents just listed this great Rental property in Chestnut Hill. Pets allowed and parking spaces included. Will be ready for Sept 1st! … (1 comments)

8 Jonathan St, Belmont (Unit 8)--$688,000 - 06/18/11 10:29 AM
2,500 sq ft, superior quality, built in 2004 with 4 BR/ 3.5 BA, attached 2 car garage. On 1st floor Living Rm, Din Rm, SS gourmet Kitch w/ granite counter opens to large FR w/marble FP. On 2nd floor one Master BR and master BA, 2 BR, second BA and laundry room. On the 3rd floor is a huge BR with skylight and high ceiling, and 3rd full bath. Rec Rm & ample storages in finished basement. Central air and heating with 3 separate zones. 3 season front porch, fenced yard, sprinkler system and patio.
 

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86 Brown St, Unit 1--259,000 - 06/18/11 10:04 AM
Beautiful newly restored 1 bedroom in Waltham. Short walk to moody street, mahogany deck, stainless steel appliances, short walk to major shopping areas. Now available for lease as well as sale.


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The Bruins win the Stanley Cup, Vancouver is a sore loser - 06/16/11 11:20 AM

After a very dramatic and dynamic season the Boston Bruins prevailed last night over the Vancouver Canucks. The Stanley Cup is finally back in Boston for the first time since 1972! The game last night was, to say the least, an absolute massacre, as the Bruins annihilated the Canucks (4-0). While Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand racked up the scoreboard with 2 goals each, Tim Thomas,(37 years old), was definitely the most valuable player of the night makeing 37 saves.
But the real action apparently began after the game. Canucks fans reeked mayhem on the city of Vancouver by rioting, … (1 comments)

I Have Worked Every Day For Over 90 Days Now! - 06/15/11 08:40 AM
It's over 90 days now and sometimes I feel like there's no end in sight. I love the business but sometimes it seems that life can be hard...then I see something like this. This is a video from Korea's Got Talent television show that is going viral. Just be sure to watch until the end...just be forewarned...you will probably cry. See...working everyday isn't so bad afterall. … (4 comments)

And You Thought That Deal was Going Through? - 06/12/11 10:24 AM
Such a great article. It talks about the "pre-approval", that wonderful piece of paper from a mortgage broker that says that you the buyer can qualify for a mortgage. Does that document tell you all of the reason that you WON'T qualify for a mortgage?  It should!  If yours doesn't tell you all the reasons why the bank might and in many cases will back out then that document isn't worth the paper that it's written on!
These days appraisals, inspections before the closing, and cowardly banks can stand in your way of getting your property sold or purchased depending on … (4 comments)

Soft Economy Creates A Ghost Country- The USA - 06/12/11 10:03 AM
My posting title today is tongue in cheek...but how many ghost towns have been created in our lifetimes in our country. We have entire neighborhoods in the mid west being bull dozed because of abandonment...now this story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43368809/ns/us_news-christian_science_monitor/t/construction-slump-creates-sheetrock-ghost-town/
 
Was it the Chinese Sheetrock?  Imports of Sheetrock and the economy?  What was it?
Is anyone in Washington have ANY clue as how to fix this economic situation?
Helloooooo?
Construction numbers have been off for a few years so an entire town goes belly-up.  The auto industry restructures and the mid west takes a tumble.  The US dollar is week and is … (1 comments)

Opulence in the American Real Estate Market - 06/07/11 11:21 AM
Let's face it, America is a materialistic consumer culture and we all, (to one extent or another), dream of becoming so filthy rich that we can afford to throw money down the toilet. I do think, however, that there is a limit to everything and that opulence in the real estate market in this country has begun to spiral out of control. Take this article that I found on David Tepper, the hedge fund mogul, who bought the most expensive house in the Hamptons, (43.5 million dollars), and is now tearing it down to build a brand new palace for himself. … (2 comments)

You May Think You're in Love, But Don't Get Emotionally Attached. - 06/07/11 08:22 AM
Date or marry?  This is a wonderful post. Every buyer (and seller) should read it and understand it. It's the difference between marketing and reality.  McDonald's marketing has everyone smiling and loving that food.  They might even convince you that the food is healthy with their ads about oatmeal and salads.  That's the staged house.  Those paintings and sofas will not be there when you move in...and when you eat at McDonald's it's sugar, salt, fat and grease...and very few people are dancing around and smiling..and if you bought the wrong house or paid too much for it because of staging...you … (0 comments)

Couple Forecloses On BOA and BOA Forecloses On Itself! - 06/06/11 07:58 PM
http://on-msn.com/iNrEUO
 
You need to watch the video and listen to the commentary.  A couple with no mortgage (they purchased the home with cash) is foreclosed on by Bank Of America in spite of their protests.  They won the law suit...and got their attorney's fees rewarded to them and BOA refused to pay.  They then had the Sheriff threaten to take the BOA branch's furniture in lieu of payment.  You need to read it to believe it.
And one better perhaps?  BOA is foreclosing on itself.  Finally they know who the real dead beats are. Kidding of course!
The commentary in … (2 comments)

the 10 cheapest housing markets in the US - 06/06/11 01:26 PM
CNN money came out with this article on the 10 Cheapest housing markets in America. I was shocked to see that the lowest median home price (in Youngstown OH) was $55,400. I was even more shocked to read that all 10 of these markets had median home prices less than $85,000. If you are looking to buy some cheap real estate here are a few suggestions for you:

 
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The Zombie Proof House - 06/06/11 10:43 AM
If you or any of your clients have a an extreme phobia of zombies this house is sure to put you at ease. Polish Archietect Robert Konieczny has designed an impenitrable fortress that will protect you against just that.... the advent of a Zombie apoalypse.....this article gives you a little bit more detail on the house and all of its features. The article doesnt have many pictures however so I have taken the liberty of posting them here so you can see what this house is really capable of....












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How to Revive Old Blog Posts and Increase Reader Buzz - 06/06/11 08:46 AM
This post seems to be a very important component of any AR blog...I am over 300 posts now and i am sure some of them are worth dusting off.  This info will help you too in renewing and re-vitalizing your blog.
Via Rebekah Radice Colorado Springs FHA,203k VA Mortgage Loan Pre-Approval Specialist (Benchmark Mortgage, Colorado Springs FHA, VA, Pre-Approval):
If you have been blogging for some time you undoubtedly have posts that you felt got less than their deserved attention.   While you were busy pouring your opinions, expertise and witty repartee into each article, crickets were heard chirping in the background.  So … (3 comments)

Another way the IRS is affecting real estate - 06/04/11 11:16 AM
I thought this article on Forbes.com was interesting because it talks about how the IRS is actively looking through real estate deeds to squeeze out a "gift tax". Apparently this tax can be collected even when real estate is given as a gift between 2 parties (i.e. grandfather to his grandchildren or mother to daughter). The article states that the gift tax is the most "notoriously uncollected" tax but that this is changing with the help of public records at county recorders offices and a lot of investigative effort by the IRS. While some states like California are trying to protect their … (4 comments)

Bank of America Foreclosures on US Military Service Members - 06/03/11 11:20 AM
While I've never really been a big fan of Bank of America I really had no idea how awful they really were until I read this article about unwarranted and illegal foreclosures on houses owned by active duty military service members. I know that bank of America has never been the most moral or institutions but I never thought that they could be so greedy and unpatriotic. The article goes on to say "The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act states that active duty soldiers may only be foreclosed upon in very extreme cases and must receive court orders before completing the process. The two … (2 comments)

Apple Plans New Cloud Computing Service - 06/03/11 08:36 AM
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2011/06/02/explain.it.to.me.twitter.cnn?hpt=hp_t
This isn't the first time that Apple has entered the field of "cloud" computing.  Basically the cloud is the technology that allows you to access data from your phone, laptop, desktop etc. from anywhere in the world by pulling up the data from off site servers.  Think of it as your Hotmail or Gmail account taken to the next level.  You can access all of those accounts and data from anywhere.
Now Apple is going to enter the ring of cloud servers offering access to music, video and photos from anywhere.
So not only will you be able to access … (2 comments)

Tornadoes Hit Massachusetts-Aerial Video Of The Devastation-Monson, MA - 06/03/11 08:26 AM
http://www.boston.com/news/weather/articles/2011/06/03/mother_gives_up_life_to_save_her_daughter_during_tornado/?comments=all#readerComm
Massachusetts usually gets hit with a couple of tornadoes each season.  This one that hit us on Wednesday evening was unusual in that it killed several people.  The stories of each fatality is of course sad and reminds us that we need to live each day to its fullest.
The Worcester Tornado (one of our area's more infamous ones) was actually on the ground for over an hour and was up to a mile in width at times.
I guess we in MA don't often think of ourselves as a state where these weather disasters can strike but I guess … (3 comments)

Belmont, MA Short Sale- $419,000 - 06/03/11 12:20 AM
Amazing value for Belmont, MA in a neighborhood of $1 Mil homes.  This house has a level lot, a swimming pool and a price over $50,000 less than anything else in Belmont!  It;'s a short sale so you will a little patience but it will be worth it.  Get your offer in before we list it on MLS.  Call James D. Lowenstern, GRI, LI, IRES for a private showing today. 617-733-8280 Castles Unlimited, Inc.
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The New Castles Unlimited® Signage - 06/02/11 03:42 PM

New signage is really shaping up.  What do you think?  We are looking to have the signage flexible enough to offer three colors depending on the community we are marketing in.  Burgandy and white and Royal Blue and white are the other two options.  Guess we are taking a page out of the Google playbook.  You know how they have a different logo almost everyday?  Why can't a real estate company be flexible too?

Even looks good with ballons!
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Cats Are Smarter Than Dogs? - 06/01/11 05:19 PM

Look carefully at my dog and cat.  Everyone says that Standard Poodles are the smartest dogs.  They also say my other dog, a Silky Terrier (really just a big, fat Yorkie) is even smarter...what does that mean?  Afterall, what do these animals do all day but sleep while we go to work...hmmmmm...maybe they are smart.
But here we are with a choice of 2 beds.  The cat grabs the large one and the Poodle who could easily chase the cat out of her bed chooses to cram herself into the tiny cat bed.
Now which animal is smarter?  The cat … (4 comments)

New Listing- Needham, MA- 5 Bedroom/ 4 Bath Colonial- $769,000 - 06/01/11 01:12 PM

5 Bedroom Colonial on a huge level lot on a quiet street.  A great commuting location only minutes to Route 128 and the commuter rail station as well.  This recently constructed home has a over-sized kitchen, finished lower level suite with walkout to the grande sized back yard, a detached 2-3 car garage and a generous sized deck off the kitchen and first floor family room.  Only $769,000!  Call James D. Lowenstern, GRI, LI, IRES for a private showing.
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15 Cities with Most Improvement in Home Prices - 06/01/11 11:50 AM
There may be hope for us yet! This article on MSN Real Estate actually shows that slowly but surely some cities are coming back from the financial disaster that was. 

 

 

 
The most improved city was Santa Clara, CA, at 2% growth, and our very own Quincy, MA also made the cut at #9 with 1% growth in the past year. But does this growth mean recovery? The answer is no. While these cities may be slowly recovering there are many others that are still suffering. This is simply because the bad practices that got us in … (2 comments)

 

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