I wanted to run through what I did for photgraphy on a recent shoot of a loft I listed. You can see all the shots at35 Riverwalk Way Lowell MA.
I am finding I am using HDR or I should say the exposure fusion feature of Photomatix more and more. Its very quick once you get a system down and can give excellent results for real estate photography. This particular unit was about 40 feet long and 23 feet wide with 5 massive windows and very low light levels for the interior.
Here is the best interior shot from one single frame I could get some window detail but the interior goes dark and gets muddy.
On this particular shot I did nine exposure all 1 stop apart. 4 shots under exposed, 4 shot overexposed. You can see the 9 photos. To get window detail you lose the interior and to get the interior exposed properly the windows blow out and flare.
With a run through the Photomatix program using exposure fusion I combined the above exposures into one. This is the final result after a quick run through Photoshop Elements.
Photomatix is relatively inexpensie and you can use any camera that you can control exposure, but you need a tripod!! This is pretty much what I do for most of my listing when a homeowner takes the time to stage and prepare their home for the real estate market. You can see how the imaging is used on my lisitings by visiting yourHome Marketing- Your Homes Online Image
p>This post was provided by Kevin Vitali of EXIT Group One Real Estate In Tewksbury MA. You can contact Kevin by email at kevin@kevinvitali.com or call 978-360-0422.
I pride myself in the quality of my work while helpingbuyers and sellers make dreams come true.
Real Estate Services in the northeast Massachusetts, around the Merrimack Valley, Southern New Hampshire including the towns of Andover, Billerica, Boxford, Chelmsford, Dracut, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Merrimac, North Andover, Newbury, Newburyport, North Reading, Rowley, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro, Westford, Wilmington, West Newbury
Here is an article I wrote for one of my blogs. I thought it was worth reprinting here on Activerain. For today's homebuyer the online information and presentation of a home is vitally important. This article discusses what I do to present a home visually online.
How you market your home is an essential piece in selling your home in today’s real estate market. Home Marketing covers what I call the 3p’s, Preparation, Pricing and Presentation. Today’s article will cover a narrow piece of home marketing covered under presentation and that is your home’s online image. It is a real estate agents job, to present your home to the buying public to compel them to want to see your home and ultimately want to write an offer.
Home sellers need to realize many home buyers (over 95%) are making decisions based upon what they are seeing online about a home that is for sale. What are home buyers looking for? They are looking for quality photos and as much information possible before they pull the trigger and call an agent to view your home.
Home Marketing with Quality Photographs
Your online image starts with quality photographs. When a home buyer decides to look closer at a home its usually because they have seen a photograph of the home that has compelled them to look deeper into the home. I am going to go through the online imaging I used for a recently listed property 35 Riverwalk Unit 105 Lowell MA 01854.
When marketing your home online, I must stressquality photographs. You are better off having fewer quality photographs than you are having tons of marginal or bad photographs of your home. Below is the photographs used for 35 Riverwalk Way. Each photograph is of high quality and were chosen for specific reasons.
Stunning Lowell Loft featuring everything you would expect in a loft unit....
Wide open spaces, high ceilings, massive floor to ceiling windows and more. Renovated in 2006 this loft is ready for you to move right in. The 5 large windows front the length of this unit, splashing the unit with sunlight all day long.
Unbelievable location allows you to walk to downtown Lowell as well as the Lowell River Walk and all of the festivals and cultural event in Lowell MA.
All appliances are staying including the washer and dryer. Condo fee includes heat and hot water!!
This post was provided by Kevin Vitali of EXIT Group One Real Estate In Tewksbury MA. You can contact Kevin by email at kevin@kevinvitali.com or call 978-360-0422.
I pride myself in the quality of my work while helpingbuyers and sellers make dreams come true.
Real Estate Services in the northeast Massachusetts, around the Merrimack Valley, Southern New Hampshire including the towns of Andover, Billerica, Boxford, Chelmsford, Dracut, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Merrimac, North Andover, Newbury, Newburyport, North Reading, Rowley, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro, Westford, Wilmington, West Newbury
Another successful short sale closed at Renaissance on the River in Lowell Massachusetts. A nice quick deal with bank of America to boot!! If you live in the Merrimack Valley in Massachusetts and are condisdering a short sale, please give me a call at 978-360-0422. I have tons of short sales under my belt and can answer any of your questions regarding short sales. If a short sale is right for you then I can work with you to complete a short sale on your home.
Short Sales are complex transactions and require an experienced agent. Success is a history and not a promise!! Follow the link for more information on Massachusetts Short Sales.
For Sale- 230 Cabot Road, Tewksbury MA 01876 Price- $360,000
Open House December 18th from 11am until Noon- All are welcome!!
Square Footage: 2272
Bedrooms: 4
Year Built: 1997
Bathrooms: 2.5
Lot Size: .2 acres
230 Cabot Road has been recently remodeled from top to bottom. New furnace, new kitchens, new baths and more…. It is almost like buying a brand new home!
The downstairs offers a nice open floor plan between the living room, kitchen and dining room. The kitchen has a very large eat in area which opens directly to the living room. This home has 3 bedrooms on the second floor and 2 additional rooms on the third floor, which has a full dormer in the back. You can have 4/5 bedrooms or use the additional rooms as playroom, den, office or whatever suites your needs.
Hardwoods through out the downstairs as well ceramic flooring in the bathrooms. This home is a must see!!
Located in South Tewksbury in a neighborhood setting.
When it comes time to sell your home there is no other room in your home, that is more important than the kitchen. For most homeowners life revolves around the kitchen. The kitchen is where meals are prepared, where the keys are dropped, mail is kept, where the phone is and so on... It is generally the first room in the house we hit upon arriving home.
The kitchen is also the single most expensive room in the home to renovate. If a home buyer doesn't love the kitchen, the dollar signs run through their head, wondering where they will get the money to update the kitchen to what they envision as their perfect kitchen. If you carefully and thoughtfully stage the kitchen, you may stop the dollar signs from running through their head and let them focus on the rest of the home.
Your kitchen can make or break your home sale. for many homeowners, a kitchen remodel is not financially possible or even wise to recoup the most amount of money from your home. But, there are many home staging tips for your kitchen that are free or cost very little money to give your kitchen the sizzle it needs. Even if your kitchen is older and outdated these simple techniques and punch list items can make all the difference in the world.
This is a great blog post about what time is best to sell your home. I always say the best time to list your home is when it is time to sell your home. Traditionally the spring and fall market tend to be busier here in Massachusetts. But that also means there are a lot of tire kickers and home sellers testing the market.
There are serious buyers at anytime of the year. If you are ready to sell now, I would not suggest waiting 4 months. Who knows what the market can be like in March/April.
This is a common question from sellers. In fact, every seller I've ever worked with in Chatham, Short Hills, Madison, Morristown and Summit NJ asks the question: "When is the best time to put our house on the market?"
Inevitably, my answer is: "When is the best time for you, Mr. and Mrs. Seller?" To which I often get a puzzled look ... let me explain.
There are always buyers. Yes, really.
In fact at any given time there is a small group of motivated, ready and willing buyers for nearly every possible home.
Just think back to when you might have been looking for your home ... you had decided it was time, perhaps you had your current home sold, perhaps you had a job transfer, perhaps you were simply ready to downsize or upgrade, whatever your reason, you were a ready, willing and motivated buyer. When the right home came on the market you would know it and you would jump on it. You had looked at the inventory and for one reason or another, nothing was the right fit. Then a new listing came on and it met all your criteria and it looked like a good value for the money. You jumped on it.
It could have been Christmas Eve or in the middle of a blizzard or heat wave. Maybe it was Thanksgiving weekend. Maybe it was Spring or maybe it was not.
You liked the home, it met your needs and the price was right. You made an offer and the rest is history.
Are there more home buyers in the Spring? It depends on your location. Here in the Chatham, Short Hills, Madison, Morristown and Summit NJ areas, typically Spring is considered the best time (April thru early June) to sell a home. There also was a second peak market in September and October.
We've seen that change or shift over the last few years in the real estate market of Chatham, Short Hills, Madison, Morristown and Summit NJ area. The "Spring" home selling season now seems to begin in January. We've seen very strong activity in August - which is usually the quietest month of all.
Did I say it depends?
As we head into the Winter Holiday Season, many sellers whose homes have not sold are taking their homes off the market with plans to relist in the "Spring". That translates into less inventory and competition for the homes that are for sale during the Holidays. And, yes, there are fewer buyers. And yes, those buyers are looking because they HAVE to or truly WANT to move, they are not tire-kickers. And yes, in addition to more competition in the Spring, you also have more "tire-kicking" going on in real estate.
Bottom line: "When is the best time for you Mr and Mrs Seller"?
and I can sell your home in any season for the best price the market will bear. I have 25 years of proven successful experience to back it up.
Do you have a home to sell in Chatham, Short Hills, Madison, Morristown or Summit NJ? Invite me to give you a true and honest assessment of the market to determine whether this is the best time for you to sell your home. Call me at 201-960-2090.
When is the best time to sell a home?
Interested in more information and homes for sale, neighborhoods and schools in Summit, Short Hills, Chatham and Madison NJ? Call or email me. If you'd like to search for NJ homes like an agent, go to my website and search the MLS at your convenience.
Selling a Summit, Short Hills, Chatham or Madison NJ home?It's a great time to sell! Contact me to find out about my Staging and Marketing Program or get a FREE Home Valuation here.
I am the local Madison, Chatham, Summit, Short Hills, Morristown NJ realtor. I live and work here and look forward to sharing my local knowledge and expertise when you buy a home or sell a home in this wonderful part of New Jersey.
Feel free to subscribe to my blog to keep up to date with my latest posts and market updates. If you like, you can sign up to receive updates via email directly in your inbox.
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With interest rates being so low, and housing becoming more affordable it may be time to look at the decision to buy vs renting. I have been out showing rental properties and noticed rents are up. So I decided to take a look and see if maybe its cheaper to own.
rent vs buy- a case study
To really compare apples to apples. I found a condominium complex that had identical units, one for sale and one for rent, at Carter Green in Tewksbury Massachusetts. The rental is $1500 a month while the other is on the market for $182,900.
Own
Rent
Purchase Price
$182,900
Rent
$1500
Down Payment
$5487
Deposits
$4500
Principal
$213
Interest
$739
PMI
$150
HOA
$150
Property Tax
$231
Monthly Payment
$1593
$1550
Tax Deduction /mo
$175
Adjusted Total
$1418
$1550
The assumption are a 3% down payment at 5%. Assuming the borrower has good credit and closing costs are paid by the seller. This would be a Mass Housing loan scenario. The other assumption is the borrower is in a 25% tax bracket. One area buyers tend to forget is your interest payments are tax deductible!!
Buying actually saves you $132 a month!!
Benefits over a 10 year period of Buying vs Renting
I used Freddie Mac Rent vs Buy calculator with the results showing that over a 10 year period if you cashed out of your home you would have saved approximately $85,000. The figures used were a minimal rental increase of.5% a yearly home appreciation of 1.5% maintenance of $250 a month (HOA fee plus a $100 a month for additional maintenance)
Buying instead of renting maybe right for you, if:
Have steady income and good credit.
Can afford at least a three percent down payment..
Want a chance to build equity and be eligible for homeowner tax breaks and credits.
Have adequate cash reserves to weather any storms, illness, job loss..........
This post was reprinted from Rent vs Buy- Should I Buy a Home. If you are considering buying contact Kevin Vitali, your Massachusetts Realtor at 978-360-0422. Kevin can help you walk through the decision making process as well as the home buying process.
I have reprinted this post from by blog. As real estate agents we throw around the term Multiple Listing Service or MLS like we expect everyone to know what it means. Home buyers and home sellers will say they no what it is but do they truly understand the impact that it has in their home purchase or home sale?
The Multiple Listing Service is probably the single greatest tool a real estate agent bring to a buyer and seller to aide in the purchase or sale of a home. It is important for home sellers and home buyers to understand the impact that the MLS has towards their success in the real estate market. If you combine the data in the MLS with an experienced committed real estate agent you surely will find success in the real estate market place.
Read the Article:
What is the Massachusetts Multiple Listing Service?
The Multiple Listing Service, or as it is commonly referred to, MLS, is a large property database or “warehouse” of homes for sale. Participants in the MLS agree to cooperate with other members in the sharing of the inventory of homes for sale. Basically, all the real estate companies in Massachusetts pool the inventory of their homes they have to sell, making every home available to every other agent that participates in the MLS.
In this day and age, I do not know of a real estate office that does not participate in the Multiple Listing Service. The Multiple Listing Service is the single biggest tool a real estate agent has to aid buyers and sellers in the real estate market today.
The Evolution of the MLS
Before the creation of the Multiple Listing Service, home buyers would go to each real estate office to see what inventory they had to sell. Basically, you were limited to what that office had to offer. You literally had to go to each individual office to see what was available. Then the MLS was created and every week a “book” was created for each office in an associations territory and was distributed to each office. Thus, it allowed buyers to go to one office to see all the inventory in a group of communities and it allowed sellers much greater exposure to the buying pool.
Around 1996 with the growing popularity of computers, the MLS data started to be put online. Giving access to the individual offices much quicker with less lag time. Fast forward to today and literally the minute an agent inputs listing data for a home for sale it is distributed not only to the real estate community but the generally buying public.
Some Interesting Massachusetts Multiple Listing Service Facts
As of November 4th 2011, I called the Massachusetts MLS that serves my area and a large majority of Massachusetts. They told me that they roughly run 27,000 member real estate agents and approximately 40,000 homes for sale. The pool of homes is tremendous as well as the pool of buyers that have access to the MLS.
I also wanted to do a little research to see how many of the home sales are run through the Massachusetts Multiple Listing Service. In Andover Massachusetts there were 1,766 home sold through the MLS in a 5 year period. In that same time period, I looked at the public records and there were 2,318 home sales recorded. So 76% of the home sales were run through the MLS. Out of the 24% of the home sales left over, most of those are private sales (homes never offered to the general public, the most common being a transfer between family members), lenders taking back a home because of non payment and the rest being a For Sale by Owner. Looking at nationwide statistics, a staggering 95% of the homes that are available to the general public are sold through a Multiple Listing Service.
What does the MLS Mean to a Seller?
If 95% of the homes are sold though the Multiple Listing Service. where do you think buyers turn to find their new home? They turn to a real estate agent that gives them access to the MLS. It is convenient and gives them the immediate access to most of the available homes for sale that meet their criteria. A home listed today can be at a buyers fingertips that same day!!
With today’s access to the internet, buyers are directly choosing the homes they see and not relying so much on a real estate agent to pick and choose the homes they see. The MLS instantly exposes your home to the largest pool of buyers, instantly!! No other media can even come close to the power of the Multiple Listing Service.
When registered with a Massachusetts Realtor or Real Estate Agent you have access to the largest pool of homes for sale that meet your criteria, instantly. You will know about homes new to the market almost as quickly as the real estate age community does!!
Every participating real estate agent can provide access to the Multiple Listing Service data through an IDX (internet data exchange). By the rules of the MLS for a home buyer to access all of the information they must be registered with an agent and all contact information must be on file with that agent. Otherwise you can see a limited amount of data.
The MLS is a very powerful tool in aiding both buyers and sellers either market properties or find properties for sale. It also offers historical data that can be accessed by a buyer or sellers agent that will help determine fair market value of a home as well as median house price in a community, predict days on market and so on…
We all hear the term MLS or Multiple Listing Service and as agents I think we are quick to throw around the term. I hope this post informs home buyers and home sellers on the impact of the Multiple Service has on the purchase or sale of your home. As always I encourage viewers to post a comment or start a discussion!!
This post was reprinted from What is the Massachusetts Multiple Listing Service?, and was provided by Kevin Vitali of EXIT Group One Real Estate. Kevin has over 10 years experience and has closed on hundreds of homes bringing you the experience you need. If you are looking to buy or sell a home call Kevin at 978-360-0422.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
Another successful short sale closed at Renaissance on the River in Lowell Massachusetts. A nice quick deal with bank of America to boot!! If you live in the Merrimack Valley in Massachusetts and are condisdering a short sale, please give me a call at 978-360-0422. I have tons of short sales under my belt and can answer any of your questions regarding short sales. If a short sale is right for you then I can work with you to complete a short sale on your home.
When it comes time to sell your home there is no other room in your home, that is more important than the kitchen. For most homeowners life revolves around the kitchen. The kitchen is where meals are prepared, where the keys are dropped, mail is kept, where the phone is and so on... It is generally the first room in the house we hit upon arriving home.
We've seen that change or shift over the last few years in the real estate market of Chatham, Short Hills, Madison, Morristown and Summit NJ area. The "Spring" home selling season now seems to begin in January. We've seen very strong activity in August - which is usually the quietest month of all. 
is the best time for you Mr and Mrs Seller"? 
What is the Massachusetts Multiple Listing Service?
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