This is your chance to live in the #1 college town in the U.S. ( "Top 5 College Towns in North America" featured on msn.com’s Encarta Web site ranked Amherst ahead of Berkeley, Calif., Montreal, Washington, D.C. and Boston)
Turn-key condition colonial-style home with wrap-around porch on cul-de-sac in wonderful family neighborhood. Walking distance to elementary, middle and high schools, and conservation trails. Located near the farm-zone in east Amherst, close to Amherst center and on bus route. Main level offers eat-in kitchen, formal dining area, living room, and powder room. Hardwood floors in kitchen and dining areas, wall-to-wall carpet in living room, tiled formal entryway. Wood clad sliding doors in dining area lead to back deck overlooking huge flat backyard - perfect for kids, sports, and/or future pool - backing up to conservation area. Second floor has three bedrooms and dual-sink full bath. Partially finished basement offers TV/play room, and separate laundry, utility and plenty of storage space. This beautiful home in a priceless neighborhood could be yours!
1450 sq. feet, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths (1 up, main), Gas heat, 0.28 acres, $4,882 annual taxes, Low-maintenance vinyl siding, Wrap around front-side porch, Separate back porch off dinning/kitchen areas, Huge back yard with multiple vegetable/fruit garden areas, 20 ft set-back from street, Black-top driveway w/4-car off-street parking, Beautifully maintained 16 year old colonial-style home.
This home is offered exclusively "by owner". The full listing, including a Virtual Tour slide show may be found here.
TAKE A LOOK - 3,000 square foot colonial with open floor plan and attached 2 car garage, nestled on .95 acres, built in 2007 and located at Red Brook Estates, an exclusive Southampton neighborhood.
With 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, living room, family room, home office or 5th bedroom, second floor Master Suite with big walk-in closet and bathroom. Kitchen includes maple cabinets, 6' island and granite countertops. GE Profile appliances include: 4-burner electric cook top, oven/microwave wall unit, dishwasher, island with wine fridge - top and bottom refrigerator/freezer.
First floor has living room with gas fireplace, family room, office, dining room, kitchen and breakfast area. First floor ceilings are 9 feet with crown molding throughout. Hardwood floors throughout first floor.
Second floor has 4 bedrooms, laundry room and full bathroom. Carpet on second floor. Bathrooms and laundry have tile. 2 zoned - oil forced warm air heating system, including air conditioning and humidifier. Large backyard with irrigation system and 12 x 12 deck. House also has a security system and central vac.
I have been providing marketing assistance to help a local builder sell condominium units in a new development in our area. I have designed a print and online advertising campaign, created an effective drip marketing campaign, designed a website, blog and online newsletter to capture search engines and to keep buyers coming back to the progress in the development. Our efforts have paid off and the first few units are now under deposit. Many more potential buyers have raved about the complex but have not been able to commit to purchasing a new home. What was preventing them from making the decision to move to the new complex...the economy? the amenities? the price? something else?......
What we determined after analyzing the data was that the biggest obstacle the builders faced was not competition from other condominium developments, it was the seller's inability to take the next step; to leave a home where years of memories and accumulation of "stuff" would potentially be lost. How could we get potential sellers "unstuck" and able to take the step toward downsizing their lifestyle and moving toward condo living. It was time to call the Diva of Downsizing....Moving Mentor!
We enlisted the help of Moving Mentor and Dr. Barbara Perman, a Move Management Consultant specializing in Senior Move Management to help us. We invited potential buyers who had visited the units to come to a special seminar called "Don't Downsize Your Life, Rightsize It". Dr. Perman was able to help the attendees open up, express their fears, concerns, and worries about the moving process while helping them to embrace the "Moving Mentor Mindset". In the end, they were relieved to know that they can have control over the moving process, bringing them a sense of renewed energy and positive focus to use in taking the next step. This is the first of a continued series of events planned. Stay tuned.
As an member of the Western Mass Home Builders Association, I was thrilled to receive word that one of our members has been selected as the local company to complete a build for the ABC hit series Extreme Home Makeover. Kent Pecoy and the Pecoy Companies will construct a home somewhere locally in the Connecticut River Valley, which could mean in Connecticut or Western Massachusetts, I suppose. The build is scheduled to begin on June 24, 2009 and must be completed in ONE WEEK.
Hopefully, the project will benefit another local comany, The Restore, which was recently the recipient of many new items as the Pecoy Company took the reigns on a "deconstruction" project here in the area. In this case, Kent and company literally de-constructed a home piece by piece, donating as much as possible to the area Restore in Springfield Massachusetts before building a new home on the site. Instead of a tear-down, it was recylcled for a new use. Congratulations Kent!
I took tennis lessons years ago and remember spending hours just trying to hit the ball in the general direction of where I wanted it to go. My instructor was relentless. "Step, arm back, step, swing, step, follow through." It took me quite a while to learn the importance of following through on my serve. My two girls are, unlike their mom, both accomplished athletes and skilled basketball players. Over and over their coaches would yell, "Follow your shot, follow through, follow it up." Once they grasped that concept and incorporated it into their game, there was no stopping them.
In a world that is changing by nano seconds, it's easy to get caught up in the latest technology gimmick. I recently watching Rebecca Lobo (former U-Conn Husky turned ESPN announcer) use Twitter for the first time live at the Final Four (which U-Conn won, by the way!). She told the crowd she was "twitting", instead of "tweeting". I'm sure the Twitter gang loved that one. Oprah just devoted a whole show to Twitter. I've got a Twitter account, but I'm really bad at using it. I'm not really sure I want to use it, telling everyone what I'm doing 24/7 -- as if the world really cares!
Over the years working in sales and marketing, I have observed how small businesses, especially those involved in real estate (home building industry, agents, etc.) handle their own marketing. I found that small businesses are extremely vulnerable to a lack of follow through by adding new marketing tools without fully committing the time and effort it takes to maintain their presence.
My Top 5 No Follow Through (NFT) Check List:
Website Design: Template designs are becoming hugely popular but are not foolproof. Classic signs of NFT include:
Oversized images
Poorly chosen color schemes
Use of animated graphics
Inappropriately sized text
"under construction" pages - or worse, the whole site is "coming soon"!!!
Website SEO:
Page titles that do not clearly identify the page content. Check by looking above your URL window in your browser. Telltale signs of NFT are a home page that says "home", or all pages that are titled the same.
Missing meta tags and keywords. Again, in your browser, click on View and find Page Source. This is the actual HTML code used for your website. Near the top you should see several descriptive keywords and a description of your page.
Lack of placement - a great looking website must be found where people are looking. Placement in certain directories will help increase your visibility. Signs of NFT include incomplete company information or lack of website link.
Blog:
Post regularly. A blog that hasn't been updated in several months looks abandoned. Having 5 outdated blogs is not as good as having one that is posted to on a regular basis
Market your blog. Sure signs of NFT are blogs that are not included in appropriate directories that promote their existence
Social Networks: Twitter, Facebook, etc. If you think blogs are hard to keep updated, don't even start an account.
Online newsletters: Newsletters should be sent on a regular basis. Personally, I find that monthly works well for most businesses. Too frequent mailings can hurt your subscriber totals.
By taking the time to adequately follow through, we can craft and maintain a marketing plan that makes sense in today's crazy world of Web 2.0 technology. Which reminds me, I'd better Tweat this post!
The decision to market your property during the winter holiday season really depends on your personal situation and lifestyle. One of the reasons people choose to sell "by owner" is to control the sales process, ie. showings, in order to maintain a balance between family commitments with that of a desire to sell their home. While some sellers decide to pull up the yard sign and eliminate all advertising expense during this period, that may not be the best solution. There are ways to continue to market your property whle still keeping your family priorites in the forefront. We have gathered many ideas from our successful home sellers over the years on selling during the holidays, and would like to share some of them with you.
Internet FSBO Advertising: The Internet has the capability of reaching a wide pool of buyers continually at a very nominal advertising cost. Use lots of pictures to help buyers see the interior of the home at its best. Rooms should appear clutter-free and staged for maximum buyer appeal. Regional for-sale-by-owner marketing services have a broad range of marketing options, many including local media as well as Internet advertising and can syndicate your listing over a broad network of the most popular websites used by agents and private home sellers alike. You may also use free online classified sites like craigslist or backpage to point buyers to your main website and photos.
Flat fee MLS: This might be a good time to think about adding the MLS to your marketing plan. Putting your home on the MLS in the off season will increase your exposure to the broker market and to buyers who may be viewing public websites such as realtor.com and others. Again, ask your regional FSBO marketing expert for help to determine whether this might be useful. Remember, unlike selling "by owner" using other marketing strategies, you are obligated to pay a buyer broker commission in order to list on the MLS.
Yard Sign: Some sellers prefer to take the yard sign in during the holidays in order to discourage drive by interest. Again, this is optional. If your yard sign has a website address rather than just your phone number, the buyer will most likely look online before calling you. At this point, you have a pretty motivated buyer who is requesting a showing.
Showings: Here is where using a calendar is a must. Block off dates when your home is not available for showings and mark "preferred" dates and times. We have found that most buyers are eager to accommodate your schedule, especially during the holidays. A word of caution: Never disclose to a potential buyer that you will be away. Use phrases like, "Our home will be available for showings on Wednesday and Saturday."
Open Houses: Some sellers have found that holding an open house during the holidays provides a perfect way to generate interest. Depending on your reasons for selling, inviting the neighbors in for a gathering might also serve a similar purpose. Make sure you have plenty of flyers on hand!
Social Networking: There is no better time of year for social gatherings than during the holiday season. Try printing up some business cards with a picture of your home and a link to your website address where you are advertising your property. As conversations unfold and your selling plans become a topic of conversation, offer to give them a card. A word of caution: Don't try this at the office Christmas party if you haven't told your boss you are leaving the state.
Should you decorate for the holidays? This is tricky. Holiday decorating is very personal and the number one rule about staging your home for the greatest buyer appeal is to remove all personal style. Buyers should not be distracted by decorations that overshadow the room. If you are going to decorate, try fresh greenery and candles and pack your singing Santa doorbell for your new home.
Don't forget safety factors during winter months, especially in areas like Western Massachusetts where we are located. Shovel and sand all walkways, steps and driveways and be sure to clear a path to your yard sign and information holder.
Remember, all it takes is one buyer to find your home and fall in love with it, even in these challenging economic times. If your home is priced fairly for the market (another great reason to sell by owner), has been prepared carefully and marketed to a wide enough pool of buyers, it will sell itself.
Are you currently working with real estate investors?
Do you have expertise in the area of real estate investing?
Would you like to be considered for participating in a panel of EXPERTS?
We are looking for area real estate agents who consider themselves "movers and shakers" in the area of Real Estate Investing. If your market is Hampden/Hampshire/Worcester counties, and this sounds like you, we should talk. You can respond below or contact me through email for more details.
Western Massachusetts will be welcoming Good Morning America this weekend as they make a stop in Springfield on their way across the country. Although I thought sure they'd visit the Big E, playing basketball at the Hall Of Fame isn't too shabby.
The train will be pulling up to the train station on Lyman Street in downtown Springfield on Sunday, September 14, 2008 at 12:30.
Producers are looking for a large enthusiastic crowd to cheer on a basketball game between the 4 major anchors of GMA- Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, Chris Cuomo and Sam Champion.
People should be in place at about 12:00- no later.
What a great way to promote Springfield with national coverage!
Whenever I travel and mention to people that I am from Massachusetts, they immediately envision Boston. When I tell them that I live in Western Massachusetts, they look puzzled, like they're trying to search for a visual and can't quite come up with it. Western Mass has so many wonderful communities and offers a million things to do. One of my favorites is going to The Eastern States Exposition, or The Big E, as it is now known.
The Big E is a multi-state regional fair that takes place in West Springfield, Massachusetts each fall. For three weeks, the fairgounds are teaming with over 1-million visitors, many of whom return year after year from all over the country just to reconnect with the fun, food and activities that are only found here. A local radio station recently reported that over $7.5 million dollars is added to the local W. Springfield economy during this three week period alone.
So, what can you do if you go to the Big E? Here are some of my faves:
Standing in line for a Maine baked potato - a meal in itself
Finding the Tempura Veggie Stand - hey, at least they're vegetables!
Eating lunch and resting in the cool horse arena - great jumping
Almost coming home with an adopted Greyhound
Watching the chickens hatch
Picking up camping and inn brochures in all the state buildings
Patting the sheep - baaaaah
Sitting in the vibrating chair in the Better Living Center
Watching the chickens hatch
Trying to win a Morgan Horse - every year I tried!
Viewing the art exhibits
Walking the midway - no rides for me
Enjoying apple pie for desert
Watching the chickens hatch
Learning about llamahs - why can't I spell that?
Counting the piglets - must be at least 16, nursing from a giant sow
Coming home tired and happy.
If you've been to the Big E, what are your favorite memories? I'm sure I've forgotten some good ones!
Mass Marketing Resources is an advertising and marketing service that provides cost-effective marketing solutions for small businesses in Western Massachusetts. We work extensively within the real estate industry, helping home builders / developers and investors market new construction and existing homes, as well as helping consumers who wish to sell using alternative real estate models, or FSBO for-sale-by-owner).
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.
This is your chance to live in the #1 college town in the U.S. (
As an member of the 
The decision to market your property during the winter holiday season really depends on your personal situation and lifestyle. One of the reasons people choose to sell "by owner" is to control the sales process, ie. showings, in order to maintain a balance between family commitments with that of a desire to sell their home. While some sellers decide to pull up the yard sign and eliminate all advertising expense during this period, that may not be the best solution. There are ways to continue to market your property whle still keeping your family priorites in the forefront. We have gathered many ideas from our successful home sellers over the years on selling during the holidays, and would like to share some of them with you.
Western Massachusetts will be welcoming Good Morning America this weekend as they make a stop in Springfield on their way across the country. Although I thought sure they'd visit the Big E, playing basketball at the Hall Of Fame isn't too shabby.
;)
;)
