Paying Per Month To Be In Top 3 Spots On Google, Yahoo, MSN - 11/30/07 07:42 AM
Has anyone heard of paying a monthly fee to be guaranteed in one of the top 3 sponsoring spots on Google, Yahoo and MSN?  We were contacted by a company that says they are authorized by these web search engines to sell us these positions EVERY time.  There is no cost per click, it is a flat rate and you basically "own" the 8 key words associated with it.  For more keywords, the cost nearly doubles and for what we were looking at, the cost is close to $1700/month to be guaranteed in one of the top 3 sponsored spaces.  What … (5 comments)

Good Service...Bad Service... - 11/28/07 04:41 PM
It's the time of the year where everyone is out shopping and getting ready for the holidays.  It's the time of the  year where everyone seems to be in a rush.  It is the time of the year where stores big and small do more and more business each day counting up to Christmas.  Does this mean that the service must be bad?  Do we simply put up an attitude because there are more people to deal with during these next several weeks? 
I DON'T THINK SO! 
Last night I went to Verizon Wireless where I got some very poor service.  … (4 comments)

Charlton Market Report - 11/27/07 08:30 PM
In the past 90 days in Charlton, Massachusetts there have been 23 SOLD single family listings ranging from the sale prices of $37,800- $432,000.  The average list price was $292,296 and the average sale price was $281,851.  Average days on market were 113.52 days. 
58 homes were listed in this time and 7 homes went Under Contract. 
Let us compare these numbers to last year at this time.  From August 27th - November 27th 2006 there were 24 homes SOLD ranging from $36,500- $417,300.  The average list price was $329,042 and the average sale price was $323,988.  Average days on market were 120.21 days. 
Homes are on the … (0 comments)

Sturbridge Market Report - 11/27/07 03:15 PM
In the past 90 days in Sturbridge, Massachusetts there have been 31 SOLD single family listings ranging from the sale prices of $148,000 - $615,000.  The average list price was $365,110 and the average sale price was $354,985.  Average days on market were 164 days. 
56 homes were listed in this time and 15 homes went Under Contract. 
Let us compare these numbers to last year at this time.  From August 27th - November 27th 2006 there were 33 homes SOLD ranging from $194,000 - $730,000.  The average list price was $363,885 and the average sale price was $365,729.  Average days on market were … (1 comments)

Sturbridge Area Events - 11/27/07 12:08 PM
Looking for some holiday events this week?  Here are some of the things going on around Sturbridge, MA between now and December 2nd:
10th Annual Festival of Giving Trees - View and enter to win one of the beautifully decorated Christmas trees.  Begins on November 30th from 6:30PM - 9:00PM and admission costs $5.  Proceeds benefit local health organizations. 
Fireplace Roast - Located at Salem Cross Inn on Route 9 in West Brookfield you can experience a festive fireside dinner, tour some authentic colonial antiques and enjoy a hay or sleigh ride depending on mother nature.  Dates:  November 30th and December 1st.  … (0 comments)

Blackberry Pearl or LG Voyager.... - 11/27/07 12:06 AM
I am on the market for a new phone...I am a dedicated Verizon customer so I will not be getting an IPhone.  =(  I went to the Verizon store this evening and looked at some phones and can't seem to make up my mind.  I have an LG right now, but I need something that I can check my emails on instantly and access the MLS.  I have heard a lot of great things about blackberries and have been leaning towards that, however I hate the large size of the regular ones and I don't like the fact that they don't have … (1 comments)

Updated Photos Of The New JCKC Office in Sturbridge, MA! - 11/26/07 10:22 PM
We got back from our Florida trip late last night and went to the office site today to check on the progress of the build out.  Here are some updated photos of the framing that has been done and some pictures of the exterior.  Wednesday we are meeting with the builder and the electrician to get a quote on the electrical work.  The office is really coming along.  We are aiming for a Grand Opening in January and to have the construction completed by December 15th on the office.  This will give us enough time to organize, decorate and order everything … (2 comments)

Driving Through Carlisle, PA.... - 11/25/07 04:14 PM
We are finally on our way home from FL right now and have about 6 more hours of driving left until we reach our destination.  We are currently in Carlisle, PA heading down I-81N.  There has been so much holiday traffic this weekend on our way back.  Between Christmas shopping (can you believe it?!) and people driving home, we've probably added about 2 extra hours to our drive time sitting in traffic.  There have been many accidents so be careful out there!  We had a nice time, but we're ready to be back at home....There is nothing like home sweet home! 
… (3 comments)

Can You Believe It's The Holidays? - 11/23/07 09:34 PM
Wow!  Am I the only one that can't believe how fast the holidays have come upon us?  Thanksgiving is already in the past and Christmas is fast approaching.  I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I am so thankful to be here and to be in the real estate business.  I am happy to have 3 wonderful sons and thankful that James and I were able to spend this holiday with our family in Florida.  We have a had a nice week and are ready to get back home and get back to work.  We are ready to help people … (2 comments)

Day At Disney's Magic Kingdom! - 11/21/07 10:55 PM
Two days ago we spent the day at Disney's Magic Kingdom from 12PM - 1AM!  What a day for the boys!  They absolutely loved it.  They slept until about 10AM the next day, they were knocked out.  Can you believe that we spent the entire day at the park and did not run into Mickey Mouse 1 time?  James Jr. went on so many big rides, I was so proud.  Will went on some things, but he was still a little unsure about it and Zach stayed up for the most of it just taking everything in.  We got to ride … (2 comments)

Top Reasons Why You Should Buy A Home - 11/18/07 09:06 PM
Everyone is back and forth about buying a home right now.  Some think that prices will continue to fall, while others are taking advantage of some of the best home prices we have seen in a long time and low interest rates.  Here are just some of the inecentives to support purchasing a home this year: 
1.) Great Investement - Buying a home is a great financial investment.  If you hold onto your home long enough, it'll be sure to rise in value the more equity you build into it.  Home values rise with time so if you are planning on keeping … (5 comments)

Go Patriots! - 11/18/07 08:41 PM
We are sitting in the timeshare watching the Patriots game.  Hoping they will go for a perfect season this year...would fit in well with the Redsox winning the World Series.  I am actually not a football fan, but James comes from Dallas, TX and loves the Cowboys.  We typically route for opposite teams and he's not really a baseball fan.  The only sport that we really both find a common enjoyment for is basketball and we like to watch the Celtics and the Mavericks every year.  We will be watching some more Cowboys on Thursday....I'll be routing for the Jets!  GO … (6 comments)

Lead Generation Companies - 11/17/07 07:21 PM
So I am very bored while we driving through GA now on our way to FL for Thanksgiving and I thought I'd start up a discussion about lead generation companies.  Whare are you using that you can't live without?  What have you tried that didn't work for your market?  We have tried almost everything under the sun to get new leads.  We are currently using HouseValues.com, HouseHunt, Reply and Homegain.  We use Google Ads and some other pay-per-click services to get leads off of our websites.  We create personal address websites for each of our listings and get leads off of … (4 comments)

Visit Sturbridge, Massachusetts! - 11/17/07 04:18 PM
Thinking of taking a trip to Massachusetts?  Live in MA already?  Come and visit Sturbridge!  We work in a quaint New England town with lots of tradition.  Some of my favorite restaurants around town are Rovezzi's (I love Italian food!), Perennials, The Publick House and good ol' Cracker Barrel.  Sturbridge has great highway access to go to Boston, Worcester, Springifield or Hartford.  We are located in the crossroads of New England.  You can visit Sturbridge Village for a piece of history or walk along Main Street visiting the shops and antique stores.  Tantasqua High School is fresh and new.  We drive … (2 comments)

Driving Through South Carolina On Our Way To Florida - 11/17/07 03:59 PM
We are on the road in South Carolina right now about 66 miles from Charleston .  We should be in Orlando in about 6 more hours from what the GPS is telling us.  It's been a slow day for emails and leads, but we did get a great call yesterday from a potential seller looking to list her home in Charlton, MA.  James had a long talk with her about all of the services that we provide and she may want to list with us, but she is looking to list with someone ASAP.  We are working just as hard mobile as … (1 comments)

Real Estate Bubble? I think NOT! - 11/16/07 09:18 AM
Everyone's talking about the way the market has taken a slide.  Is it a real estate bubble?  I don't think so.  The market seems to have the same trend.  About 3 years up and 3 years down.  I believe we are closing in on our down cycle and will start to see things balancing out again within the next 12 months.  2008 will bring balance to the force.  Once homes start going under contract at a steady pace and less homes come on the market than those that are selling, we will once again see a favorable seller's market.  It's a … (3 comments)

All The Way From Massachusetts to Florida! - 11/15/07 11:45 PM
It's a late night for the Cooper family.  We are on the road, currently in Virginia on our way to Florida.  We are stopping over-night in North Carolina for a day to visit with my father and then continuing to FL to meet James' family for Thanksgiving.  This will probably be our last trip for a long time now that the JCKC Realty Real Estate Resource Center is scheduled to be complete at the end of December and opening it's doors in January.  We have the 3 boys sleeping in the back.  James Jr. has been saying that this is "reall … (2 comments)

Accompanied Showings Are Important - 11/14/07 10:14 AM
In this market, you need to do everything you can to make it count.  Accompanied showings are very important.  There are tons of licensed agents out there, not all can show a house.  They may be able to open the front door, but can they really sell your listings?  The seller has signed a contract with you and are trusting that you will show others the positive things about their home that make it unique and stand out from others in that price-range.  We used to love the idea of being able to stick a lock-box on the door and have … (1 comments)

To Rent or To Flip... - 11/13/07 12:04 PM
 
Right now is such a great time for investors.  We are in a deep buyers market and local investors can find many hot deals in real estate these days with low prices and favorable interest rates.  That leaves one more question, to rent or to flip?  I highly would recommend renting and holding on to those great deals for a little bit of time.  With activity being slow on the seller end and competition being so heavy, it's hard to turn and flip those deals into cold hard cash in a short time.  Unless you have the money to pay for … (3 comments)

Advertising When It's Slow - 11/05/07 09:01 AM
What do you do when the market slows down?  Do you cut advertisement costs?  Did you know that you are supposed to do just the opposite?  We have been actively adding to our marketing and advertising online to try and boost our business, but I can't say we're having much luck.  It seems as if there are not many people buying or selling in our current market.  We are trying tons of creative ways to get people to call or view our listings.  We are using property websites, Google PPC and many lead programs to capture some clients.  We are doing … (7 comments)

Would In-House Print and Design Help Your Business? - 11/01/07 11:30 AM
 
JCKC Realty Real Estate Resource Center is planning it's grand opening for January 2008 and we are looking for feedback.  We are starting to design what we will call our in-house print and design shop for our office.  Inside it will be packed full of printers, computers, software and fax machines that will be able to helpagents minimize their marketing costs by not having to buy these things themselves for their home offices.  We will also have a director of marketing in charge of helping agents design graphics, websites and more.  We will be able to quickly design and print brochures, … (0 comments)

 
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Kathleen Cooper, RE/MAX,Broker, REALTOR®

Charlton, MA

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Kathleen Cooper, Best Option-RE/MAX, SRES, REALTOR®

Address: 19 Stafford Street, Charlton, MA, 01507

Office Phone: (508) 444-2673

Cell Phone: (508) 444-2673

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