Newburyport Real Estate

Selling Homes in Newburyport Massachusetts.

Ed Maccaro (Century 21 Heritage Realty Associates) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 21:35:59 -0800

Selling Homes in Newburyport Massachusetts

After maintaining a steady market here in Newburyport and Plum Island over the past two years it now appears to have dramatically slowed over the past couple of months. Prices have held up fairly well in relation to some of the other communities and there has been some pressure from bank appraisers when property is under agreement. Tighter underwriting guidelines have also caused many deals to fall apart at the last moment. The towns of Newbury and West Newbury have not held up as well because of the lack of diversity in their housing stock. But overall, real estate prices in the Greater Newburyport area have held up somewhat better than the Greater Haverhill and Salem Markets.

Although Sales overall have slowed, desire for home ownership in our towns is still high. This is evident in the numbers of potential buyers still roaming our listing inventory looking for the next and best deal.

Price is everything!

NOW IS THE TIME!

Ed Maccaro (Century 21 Heritage Realty Associates) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:32:19 -0700

NOW IS THE TIME !

Ok you fellow agents and brokers out there, get hold of yourself take a deep breath and get ready for the best real estate market you could possibly imagine. Ample inventory, decent prices, low interest rates, and qualified buyers. Plenty to go around for everyone of us who survived the last three years. If you came into the business during that time, hang in there you now have the best experience you could possibly imagine. If you have survived this long ,now is not the time to look for other employment.

NOW IS THE TIME YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!

It won't happen overnight. It probably won't even be noticeable until next spring and there won't be many bidding wars either. But for those of us who work hard and provide superior service, we will see our incomes gradually increase. The next several years will be normal no highs, no lows just steady as it goes.

The American Dream of homeownership is the wish of most people young and old. It's a symbol of success and pride. It's a place where family memories are made. It's where we live, where our stuff is, and where we rest.

So my fellow realtors, Now is the time to grow your business. Now is the time to work harder. Now is the time to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, shake the attitude if you aquired one. Why? Because I believe now is the beginning of a new business cycle.

I remember the beginning of the last one. For me it was 1992 I was 38 years old and I started my own firm. I grew the business for 13 years in a row. Then came the end of the cycle. Sure it's been tough these last few years but I don't regret one minute of it because I never stopped learning and it made me a better business person. I love what I do for a living and it doesn't get any better than that.

So get ready for the good new days.

Do Nothing Congress ! This Time It May Work to Our Advantage.

Ed Maccaro (Century 21 Heritage Realty Associates) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:02:58 -0700

Thanks for your comments on my last blog.

Well, here we are a week later and no worse off than last week . I've been waiting for the end of our world as we know it. You know, you've heard about it , when our credit cards and ATM machines stop working, Wal-Mart no longer has those wonderful goods from China at Low Prices, Car Dealers won't sell us cars and everyone loses their job .

It's what we've been threatened with each morining when we wake up. There is our President sometime between 8:00 and 9:00 AM on all the networks trying real hard to get his hands on 700 Billion dollars of the American taxpayer's money to pad the pockets of his cronies 4 weeks before they're booted out of office.

Listen to the Wall Street Networks and look at their faces when day after day passes and the congress does what they do best... NOTHING! Oh! excuse me they do do something, blame each other for playing politics.

If they could just keep up the bull for another month until the elections are over and they know they're all safe and have they're health care, private planes, dinners etc. It is probably just long enough for the free markets to begin to correct themselves and the world will begin to heal from this fiasco.

So keep up the heat on your local Congressman and Senator, remind them that Nov is voting month!

It may be the best thing Congress has done for us in almost a decade.....

NOTHING!

Good Luck!!!!!

Another Government Bailout. Wall Street Pundants Now Admit It's The Real Estate Market Stupid!

Ed Maccaro (Century 21 Heritage Realty Associates) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:44:22 -0700

If you were in real estate sales during the late 1980's as I was, then you know that our business is the top of a very large food chain. It all starts here and includes everything from design and redecoration shops to the home improvement and appliance sectors to construction and yes even auto sales. All are all fueled by a solid housing market.

For over two years now, people from Wall street and our government agencies have been blabbing away precious time and our money claiming it was only subprime loans given out by those so called scruplous and deceitful mortgage brokers and lenders and that the problem was only limited to a small sector of the market. As the bleeding began the first of those mortgage lenders like that moron who ran countrywide began blaming the Real Estate brokers for selling people homes that they Countrywide prequalified these people for.

Now the cow is almost done bleeding and I watch the idiots on CNBC and Bloomberg on a daily basis screeming for help to bail out the troubled real estate market. I watch as our country turns private enterprises into government run corporations and wonder what happened to Larry Kudlow's scream of

"I BELIEVE FREE MARKET CAPITALISM IS THE BEST PATH TO PROSPERITY!"

I watched these idiots daily for almost three years now. It has become a sort of reality show for me(that sounds sick and maybe it is) Anyway, about a year and a half ago I asked my friends to watch as well. My prediction; as soon as the bottom falls out of the real estate market enough to affect their pocketbooks, these clowns would change their toon.

HAVE YOU LISTENED TO THESE PEOPLE OVER THE PAST WEEK! THEIR NETWORKS ARE RUNNING TWO HOUR SPECIALS NIGHTLY.

For years now the average person has had higher gas and food prices to deal with. Rising property taxes a squeeze by their employer as far as wages. Rising unemployment with job losses to american companies doing business outside our country. A failing heath care sysytem. School systems and road systems in decay. Broken boarders with millions of illegal immigrants entering our country.

BUT THERES NO TIME TO DEAL WITH THOSE ISSUES NOW. AFTER ALL, GOLDMAN SACHS MAY FAIL! AIG COULD GO UNDER ! JP MORGAN IS IN TROUBLE! FANNIE MAE AND FREDDIE MAC NEEDS HELP! AND GENERAL MOTORS IS LOOKING FOR MONEY!

Today congress tried to set some parameters around the 700 billion dollar bailout to the banks. It was simple they wanted to limit the CEO salaries for those institutions that took our money. The Wall Street pundants had their fur up over that. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!

HERE'S MY PREDICTION FOR THE COMMING MONTHS. STATE REVENUES ARE GOING TO FALL SOON FROM LOWER PROPERTY TAX COLLECTION AND POOR SALES TAX RECIEPTS. GUESS WHAT TAXES ARE GOING UP!

COME ON TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS!

Selling Homes in Essex County MA. Can an Obama/Biden or McCain help in 2009?

Ed Maccaro (Century 21 Heritage Realty Associates) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:31:20 -0700

Selling Homes in Essex County MA. Can an Obama/Biden or McCain help in 2009?

I'd love to hear from you on this. Post a Vote!!!

My guess on that is NO, not in 2009. Which leads me to believe that price declines will continue to occur in 2009.

Not all neighborhoods will be equal, but some very fine towns in our county are offering some very fine deals(foreclosed properties) to first time buyers. The fact that these towns offer decent school systems with good programs at such gravely discounted prices makes homeownership attractive to many people. That puts pressure on the inventory in surrounding communities.

We in Essex County will need that inventory to dry up first. The recent work of Washington with the housing bill will help and if you're an agent you must be seeing FHA more than ever before as an option to buyers.

In the wealthier communities - well it really depends on two very important factors - low unemployment and the willingness for banks to lend. After hearing comments from the FED meeting on Friday, I think we're charting some very new and dicey territory in the financial markets. Until that is calmed we will continue to see a nervous consumer(buyers) who will shop price and quality. So for agents, pricing will be everything, and the only thing to make your seller successful.

In the end the choice for president is who ever you think can help, but I doubt anything will get done in 2009!

Bank failures, Bear Market on Wall Street Oil Prices through the roof!!!!!

Ed Maccaro (Century 21 Heritage Realty Associates) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:59:39 -0700

Everywhere you turn some part of the economy looks like the sky is about to fall on everyone's head. People with 401K's are loosing money. People's homes are worth much less than three years ago. Food prices are soaring and the governor of Massachusetts is hosting a picnic in the Berkshires.

If anyone thinks the way out of this is going to be quick and easy then I would strongly suggest they seek professional advice and severe medication.

We have been here before many times in fact and the most important thing for you to remember is the only way out is for each and everyone of us to take matters into our own hands. We cannot look to blame anyone else, we cannot look to the government to solve what we can solve as citizens of this beautiful and wonderful country that we own.

We need to pay our bills the ones we created. We need to take responsibility for our mortagage payments, our car payments and if we cannot afford them then sell your new car and drive a used one like my parents did all their lives.

We the boomers and then the Xer's and now the Y generations have been very spoiled and many of the attitudes are such that we believe we are entitiled.

Colleges we never thought possibile that our parent's couldn't afford to send us to our children think they have the right to go to and we just go along trying to pay the bills or help get finacial aid.

It's time to start living within our means and take back this great country from the bunch of elite morons running our goverment.

Come on america Lets fix this messl

Selling your home in Essex County

Ed Maccaro (Century 21 Heritage Realty Associates) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:22:36 -0700

If you need to sell your home in today's market then there are some very important things you the Homeowner should do.

Contrary to what the media is slinging which represents the overall real estate market in the country, homes in Essex county are still selling. Your home can be sold in this market if your home is priced below all of it's competition and is cleaner, neater and better matintained.

Essex County is considered to be a market in decline (declining market) which means bank appraisers must take that into consideration when they determine the value .It also means the strength of the buyer's downpayment and credit is very important.

Sellers who are unrealistic with their price and who are unwillng to do what it takes to sell their home in terms of repairs and curb appeal might as well stay in their homes for the next six or seven more years. Realtor or no realtor it just is not going to happen.

The role of a professional realtor is now more important than ever to find and make sure the buyer is qualified, using a reputable institution for financing and to negotiate best price and terms on your behalf. Selecting a realtor is not the hard part but when you do make sure you listen to their advice.

If you think you know more then sell the home yourself. Why on earth you you hire a person and then ignore the advice your paying for.