I've been really busy since my last blog. The real estate market has definitely picked up lately with a significant increase in activity on both the buying and selling side of the process. I've picked up some great new listings recently including an oceanfront home priced in the $500's located in Kingston MA, a spacious Colonial w/inground pool priced in the $470's located in the Chiltonville section of Plymouth MA, and a terrific in-home business opportunity priced in the $420's located near downtown Plymouth MA, just to name a few. I've also been working with some great buyers including first time buyers, move up buyers and investors. It's always very rewarding to see people reach their real estate goals, whether they are buying, selling, or both!
As you may have heard, last week Congress passed an expanded real estate tax credit that President Obama signed into law on Friday. Watch this short video by RE/MAX International CEO Margaret Kelly to hear an overview of how this new credit can help both first time home buyers as well as buyers who currently own a home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3BzAYXCR1A

I look forward to helping any buyer or seller looking for experienced professional full time representation in the Plymouth MA area. Call or email me today!

I can't create a new blog post without an update on Plymouth Rock Studios (Hi Rich!). The past few weeks and months have been really productive for this unbelieveable $500 million dollar project. They've signed a financing deal, received Town Meeting approval for access road alterations, received approvals from the State of Mass on their environmental impact report, and are getting ready to officially complete the purchase of the 240 acres of land that will soon become home to 14 sound stages, a 10 acre backlot, upscale hotel, theater, offices and more. This will be the worlds' first LEED certified green studio campus and will build a technologically advanced infrastructure from the ground up. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a groundbreaking announcement (literally) within the next 45 - 90 days. For more information, visit:

www.plymouthrockstudios.com

Be sure to become a Fan of my Facebook business page by clicking below:
www.TheLopesTeam.com

Click the link below to read about the latest approval for Plymouth Rock Studios in Plymouth MA. This is another major step in the process as most everyone in the local area looks forward to a late Summer ground breaking. Though last weeks news of the State of Massachusetts no longer providing $50million in infrastructure loan funding is disappointing, it is hoped that the state will find other opportunities to support this project with public funds as appropriate. The economic boost that a world class movie studio and production facility will have on the local, regional, and state economy is too much to overlook. Isn't it time for Massachusetts to make a wise decision that benefits all of its residents?
Plymouth Planning Board Approves Studio Master Site Plan
I will continue to provide updates as they happen. Stay tuned and be sure to contact me for all of your real estate needs in the "Hollywood East" area.

The future keeps getting brighter for Plymouth Rock Studios, the Town of Plymouth and the State of Massachusetts as the massive Plymouth Rock Studios project receives another major approval from the local Planning Board. Please read the article below from WickedLocalPlymouth.com.

PRS takes another step forward - Plymouth, MA - Wicked Local Plymouth

Posted using ShareThis

The Spring real estate market is heating up in the Plymouth MA area. Buyers that I've been working with are well aware of the Plymouth Rock Studios project and see it as a positive for the area as well as a venture that will result in rising property values in the region. The excitement is building as everyone looks forward to a ground breaking this Summer. For daily video updates, be sure to sign up at www.HollywoodEasttv.com.

April 4, 2009 will be a day to remember for the residents of Plymouth MA. Today, Town Meeting Representatives approved all 4 Articles on the warrant related to the construction of Plymouth Rock Studios. This will allow for the property to be connected by a new road, Rock Studio Drive, to the existing Clark Road as well as approve the creation of Campus Drive, which will connect the Studio property to Plymouth South High and Middle Schools. In addition, Town Meeting also approved road widening and a new roundabout for Clark Road plus adopted new movie studio fire protection standards and national standards for design, installation, inspection and operation of a movie studio complex. Next up, the Plymouth Planning Board opens a public hearing for review of the final site plan for the project on April 13th. If you haven't been following this project, where have you been? Now is the time for you to start paying attention and join in on the excitement as Plymouth Rock Studios moves closer to a projected June start date for the access road and a mid-late Summer on-site ground breaking. Congratulations to PRS on reaching yet another successful milestone!

Lately, real estate activity for The Lopes Team has really started to pick up. I, along with my team mate Sue, are working with a number of Buyers. We have submitted two offers in the past 3 days, have a first time Buyer with a home under agreement, and we are working with other Buyers including those looking at Pinehills and at oceanfront property.
In addition, I've had several market analysis appointments recently for great property soon to come on the market including a spacious Colonial with inlaw potential in Plymouth, a four bedroom Garrison with oceanviews in Plymouth, a New England Farmhouse in Kingston, and a 3 bedroom Gambrel Cape in West Plymouth. It seems that the Spring market is starting to kick in. Don't let the gloom and doom in the news get you down. This could be the right time to buy or sell.
As for Plymouth Rock Studios, the project continues to move forward. To watch short videos to see and hear how this amazing project is progressing, go to www.hollywoodeasttv.com. The current plan is for construction of the access road to commence before the end of April and building construction to start in July of THIS YEAR!!

Have you been following the developments at Plymouth Rock Studios? Viewed by many as the Number One development initiative in Southeastern Mass, this $500 million dollar film and television studio production project is slated for development on 240 acres of land currently home to Waverly Oaks Golf Course near Route 3 Exit 3 in Plymouth and hopes to open for business in late 2010. They recently became the first development project in the state to apply for funding through the Massachusetts I-Cubed Economic Incentive Package which is designed to help fund significant new public infrastructure improvements through the issuing of bonds for qualifying projects. In addition, it's recently received approvals from the Massachusetts Attorney Generals' Office and also expects to be certified by the US Green Building Council for its dedication to reduced use of energy and water. They also recently won financial support from C Change Investments LLC, a venture capital firm based in Cambridge MA that invests in environmentally friendly and energy-efficient projects. (source http://www.boston.com/) While meeting financing goals has been tougher than expected, the project remains on track despite the current economic slowdown. Next, studio officials will be before the Spring Town Meeting with several articles related to seeking approvals for the creation of an access road to the site. There's an amazing amount of work going on and all eyes are keeping a hopeful watch for a shovel to go into the ground later this year.

The impact that this project will have on the local economy is HUGE. Many many construction jobs as well as permanent jobs will be created, housing values will rise, and the local tourism industry will benefit, just to name a few. We can't wait!

In the meantime, Plymouth continues to be a popular place to live, with affordable home costs, enjoyable recreational activities, miles of oceanfront, championship golf courses, one-of-a-kind historic attractions and lots more. Let me know how The Lopes Team can help you find out more about Plymouth, located less than an hour south of Boston.

Did you know that The Boston Metropolitan area was recently ranked in the Top 10 Best Housing Markets in the U.S. by Forbes Magazine. Boston came in at Number 7, while Los Angeles CA came in at Number 9, Washington DC at Number 2 and New York City at Number 1 (source http://www.forbes.com/)

It really is a Great Time to live in Plymouth MA.

Well, 2009 is shaping up to be an interesting year in Plymouth. Hopefully, the economic troubles of the Federal and State governments won't put too much of a strain on the town. We'll have to wait and see on that. In the meantime, the next few months will be critical to the Plymouth Rock Studios project. At the January 12th Planning Board meeting, studio proponents updated the Board on the progress they've made with their traffic and access road plans, they received public support from the Director of Public Works, Superintendent of Schools and the Principals of Plymouth South High and Plymouth South Middle Schools, and they outlined the next 90 days as a time of securing financing for the project as well as obtaining necessary permits from the State and the Town. If all of this stays on track, they could actually start construction sometime this Spring. Can't Wait!! They'll be back in front of the Planning Board on February 2nd, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, other major projects in town are moving forward. The A.D. Makepeace development, known as River Run, should start to see some infrastructure development this Spring and hopefully the first phase at Cordage Park will as well. Plus, there are other outstanding new construction choices like beautiful homes at Watercourse Place and oceanfront condos at Lighthouse Point and Robbins Wharf. At Pinehills, a new builder has acquired some land in the Hickorywood neighborhood and will be building cottage style homes. These should be popular, both in style and price point. Also, a new neighborhood will begin to take shape up on the hill adjacent to the Summerhouse. Plus the Avalon apartment neighborhood will grow to almost double the current size. Don't forget to shop at The Market. Everyone loves this store with its fresh meat, vegetables and popular bakery items. By the way, thanks to The Pinehills for hosting the third annual Broker Appreciation Dinner last week. It's nice to be acknowledged and appreciated for introducing Buyers to The Pinehills.
While the local real estate market is still a bit soft, there are some fantastic values out there. Everything from low priced foreclosure homes to new construction values to homes owned by motivated Sellers that are priced right. Add to that the fact that interest rates are at or near historic lows. Why wait? Now really is the best time to buy. As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

Oringinally posted December 9, 2008 on another site. Re-posted here January 7, 2009.

How can it get much better than this? Prices are lower than they've been in years. Interest rates are extremely low. Today I received an email from a loan officer quoting 30 year rates at 5.375% with zero points and 5% with one point. Why wait? Things could start to change if some of the talked about Federal Government proposals take shape in the coming weeks and once our new President takes the oath of office. Inventory levels of Single Family homes for sale in many area towns are significantly lower than they were a year ago. For instance:


Plymouth - down 18%
Kingston - down 20%
Carver - down 19%
Pembroke - down 19%
Hanson - down 34%
Rockland - down 42%
Halifax - down 13%
source MLS-PIN 12-9-08

If incentive programs are introduced to stimulate the economy and bring more Buyers back into the real estate market, isn't it safe to say that in towns like those mentioned above, where inventory is already low, that a higher demand and a lower supply will only result in prices starting to go back up - even if only slightly? If you've been hearing and thinking that you've got to keep waiting because "things are going to get even worse", don't be fooled. Real Estate is local. If your goal is to purchase a home in towns located on the South Shore, now may be your best time to buy. Contact The Lopes Team to discuss the details. We will help you achieve your goal of home ownership. NOW is the time to buy!!

November 18, 2008 - Today, Plymouth Rock Studios announced an important partnership with MIT to create the Center For Future Storytelling to be located at the Studio campus in Plymouth. This is the Studios' first National announcement with a full article reported in The New York Times. "It is my distinct pleasure to be the first to tell you that it is official," David Kirkpatrick said. "At the MIT Center for Storytelling, we will be working on creations as vast as the camera of the future, sets without walls and new systems to streamline computer generated imagery." I'm sure we'll be hearing lots more about this exciting initiative in the future.
Another important step was taken this week towards the Studio receiving its final approvals. The Studio filed an application on Monday with the State that puts the environmental permitting process in motion. An Expanded Environmental Notification Form was filed with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office of the Executive Of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Exciting times in Plymouth! Can't you feel it?!!!
(source: WickedLocalPlymouth.com)

Last Wednesday night (Nov 12th), I had the opportunity to attend the Jobs On The Lot program presented by Plymouth Rock Studios to well over 1,000 attendees at Memorial Hall. The evening was filled with lots of information from various presenters including studio co-founder David Kirkpatrick. Various types of jobs that are needed to be filled at the studio complex were outlined and estimated salary ranges for each category were also presented. Most every job discussed had a weekly salary range projected at over $1,000 per week. Can you imagine how wonderful it will be to have so many well paying jobs available for people in Plymouth and surrounding towns? The speakers also included Scott Gustafson who outlined some of the jobs associated with the construction of this massive project. The evening closed with an uplifting and motivational summary by Studio Executive Thom Black. All in all, it was a night of excitement, hope, and a few dreams for the future of Plymouth.

October 29, 2008 - Okay - so I'm not the first one to use this phrase. I like it!! I had the pleasure of attending Plymouth's Fall Town Meeting on Monday October 27th as a spectator. After 6 years of being an elected Town Meeting member and 5 years as Chairman of Precinct 5, it was fun to watch the meeting as a resident. This was a meeting I knew I wouldn't want to watch from home. It was terrific to see the overwhelming support that Plymouth Rock Studios received from Town Meeting Representatives. When I was first elected back in 2002, I learned quickly that with the ability to make ammendments to Town Meeting Articles, anything can happen right up until the last minute before a vote is taken. This meeting was no exception. The ammendment to remove the Special Permit process for traffic and access passed with somewhat surprising ease. I must say I was as surprised as David Kirkpatrick and others were that Town Meeting decided it had heard enough discussion in the preceding weeks and months leading up to Monday night and was ready to vote after only a handful of presenters. It was absolutely a moment to remember when the final vote on Article 7 was taken and Memorial Hall erupted into a mix of cheers, applause, screams, and whistles.
Now, we look forward to hearing that the remaining hearings, public meetings, site plan reviews, permits etc. still to be completed by the Town and the State of MA proceed swiftly and without serious objections or road blocks. Plymouth will be nothing but better once this project is completed and thriving for years to come.
Good Luck PRS!!

October 21, 2008 - Let's recap. Over the past few weeks, the Planning Board, Selectmen, and Finance Committee have voted positively to support the Articles due to come before Town Meeting for the Plymouth Rock Studios project related to changing the zoning bylaw to allow this type of use on the land currently used as the Waverly Oaks Golf Club. These votes were taken with the understanding that issues related to traffic and access to the site would be further deliberated through the public Special Permit process. In the recent days leading up to Town Meeting, there have been some very serious discussions taking place both privately and publicly that have many people concerned as to the ability for some members of elected Boards to proceed with the previously mentioned course of action in a trusting manner. One thing is as clear to me today as it has been for months, and that is, that Plymouth Rock Studios cannot allow their project to be delayed for months or years. How we as a town manage to get over the hurdles that a small group continue to try and throw in front of this project begins with Town Meeting on October 27th. As a past 2 term Town Meeting member and Past Chairman of my Precinct, I can say that anything can happen at Town Meeting. It is imperative that the residents and voters of our town continue to watch this project very closely and not be afraid to contact Town Meeting members, Selectmen, Planning Board, Finance Committee and others to voice your concerns and opinions on this once in a lifetime project. Recent Federal, State, and Local economic changes highlight that now more than ever, Plymouth and the State of Massachusetts need this project. Stay involved!!