Karen's Ocean State Blog

Sorry this house in Warwick RI is pending!

Sat, 11 May 2013 14:46:02 -0700

Houses are flying off the market here in Warwick RI!

This home, pictured left went under contract in 10 days and would have gone sooner if not for the HUD guidelines of giving all buyers a 10 day even chance! I cannot tell you how many calls I had from buyers for this house!

I have been working with several buyers lately and we are having problems actually getting inside some of the homes due to so many people buying right now!

Last week I had to reschedule all my appointments due to "gaps" that showed up when homes we had planned on viewing went under contract.

This is a new market here in Warwick, RI and it takes a motivated buyer with a savvy Realtor to get in with a good offer and get the house of their dreams.

What do you need to do as a buyer in Warwick RI?

If you are serious about buying then you need to be ready to buy. This means you have to be prequalified and know what you are looking for. You have to be decisive and ready to "be the best offer".

Sellers are now starting to realize that the market has turned, but not nearly enough so that we have a lot of homes on the market. In fact, it is the very oppposite. Sellers are still a reluctant and there are sellers that are going to "wait" til the market completely turns to list their homes.

Of course there are still some sellers who are listing at prices from a few years ago, but these are not the homes we are talking about. We are talking about competively priced homes in great neighborhoods, many of which have been completely rehabbed by investors who bought up the surplus of foreclosures!

Attention Sellers! I have buyers. This is the time to sell your home!

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

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HUD house Primer for Agents and Buyers in Rhode Island

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:02:42 -0700

In the course of selling HUD HOUSES I find that both buyers and Realtor's that are non HUD Agents have a lot of questions so I thought I would post a primer to cover the basics.

A HUD house normally markets for the first 30 days to only owner occupants, non profits and government agencies. This is a great opportunity for owner occupants to get their foot in the door of a great deal if they are willing to do what it takes.

The first thing to know about a HUD house is that HUD has had this house appraised. When the home is listed it lists at the appraised value.

What does this mean to a buyer? If you are trying to purchase a HUD property with an FHA mortgage and you want to pay over asking price then you need to come up with the balance on your own. In other words, since the house appraised at say $200,000 and you feel that you want to put in a higher bid to beat out other bids and come up with $203,000, then you need to have $3,000 in cash to do this.

The reason is that it has already appraised at $200,000 and your FHA mortgage appraisal will also appraise at $200,000. This makes it a little difficult to bid on, especially if you know its a Hot property!

All bids are done online at hudhomestore.com so calling the listing agent and asking if there are other offers is not necessary. The listing Agent does not know.

After 10 days of being on the market, HUD will look at all bids and decide at that time which one, if any, they will accept. As a buyer, you will need an Agent to fill the forms out and submit them to HUD. A HUD Agent will know how to do this, but if you use a non-HUD Agent, they can simply go through the Listing Agent.

You will have to sign an addendum ensuring that you will, in fact, occupy the property for a minimum of 12 months. This is strictly enforced, because this is a good opportunity for home buyers and it keeps investors at bay until an owner occupant can bid. The same is true for other organizations like Homesteps or Homepath.

Once the 30 days have expired, the property opens up to investors and the bidding process is the same. Usually Investors pay cash, so they are welcome to bid over the asking price without having to worry about appraisal value.

HUD is an Equal Housing Opportunity provider and sells their homes AS IS, insured or uninsured, with or without escrow. Whenever a property appears on hudhomestore, it also has a place where an Agent or Buyer can see the actual inspections that were done and get a heads up on anything that was found to be damaged, etc. This is not all encompassing and you should always get it inspected, but it does let you know in advance what you are looking for.

All in all there are some great deals on HUD properties and the best deals go very quickly!

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

ARE YOU REALLY THE #1 REAL ESTATE AGENCY OR AGENT?

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:33:41 -0800

I have been seeing an incredible amount of announcements lately for Real Estate Companys', Agencies and even Agents being #1 in their area, region, whatever! And I am sure Agents from those companies are very proud of this.

BUT!!! Is this really true? What criteria is used?

Stonehurst Realty is a boutique brokerage in Rhode Island. Are we #1? Of course we are! To our clients and ourselves we are the #1 Brokerage in Rhode Island! I could say I am the #1 Realtor at Stonehurst Realty, or that any of my Realtors are #1 in their field!

This is a bit of a rant but how are customers supposed to really know who is the best for them?

Every company says they are the best. The best in the city. The best in the state. The best in New England!!! The best in the country and the best in the world!

Obviously not everyone can be the best, so what is a seller or buyer to do to whittle down all the hype?

Simplicity.

First of all do you need all the hype? With the Internet and a savvy Broker you can get all the hype you want to list your home. If you are a buyer, your Broker can search just as well as any other Company for that perfect home.

So, the bottom line is, you need someone to take YOUR interests into consideration! Someone who will actually figure out what the BEST approach is for your UNIQUE circumstances.

Do you need the #1 Company? Only if YOU believe that there is such a thing!

A #1 Real Estate company is made up of numerous Agents both good and not so good. The title and the name mean absolutely NOTHING!

I recently had a BIG NAME company in another state list something for a friend of mine. I was using an Agent who happened to be in a BIG NAME company. They told me that they needed to charge a higher commission because they were a BIG NAME company and because of that they had the advantage of more advertising! What??

Suffice it to say, they did NOT sell the property, even with all the BIG NAME company advertising! The bottom line is the Agent in the company who needs to KNOW the market.

One good Agent is gold if he or she is working for YOU! So weed through all the hype and get down to business!

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

Things I learned in the 2013 Blizzard!

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:11:38 -0800

After the Blizzard, the world looks exquisite! This photo was taken the morning after at the Warwick Neck Lighthouse!

I have always thought that I was a prepared person. After all, I was a girl scout years ago and I am definitely a planner. So when the news announced that we would be getting a major blizzard, I thought back to the Blizzard of '78.

I remember seeing on the news, cars and trucks stranded on Route 95 and I remember we could not drive for a week. All the roads were impassable except for the major roads...even after the actual Blizzard. We had to walk everywhere. What I remember most was the kindness and friendliness of people!

Fast forward to 2013. We lost our power, but we have a generator that powers most of the house so we still had heat and light.

Our Cable company had issues so I did not have internet nor TV, but we had an analog TV that we hooked up and managed to view one station.

Still not too much of a problem, just inconvenient and I was grateful to have my generator and heat! Many people did not and I'm sure had to endure a lot more.

The third thing though, and this is where you just cannot have enough back up, is my cell phone would only let me place emergency calls to 911! I also could not get on the internet with either my phone or my tablet due to the emergency phone call issue.

Suffice it to say, we felt cut off from everything and everyone for awhile. We got everything back on Sunday, but by that time the Disconnect had creeped up on me and I found I really liked it!!

What did I learn? Two things. 1. You can NEVER plan enough for Mother Nature! and 2. Sometimes she is just trying to tell you to take a break and enjoy the experience!

Without being connected, I actually had to say to myself...well there is nothing I can do. My business literally shut down and guess what? Nothing bad happened:)

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

The Question is Not What Does it Cost, But What is it Worth?!

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:05:23 -0800

Everyone has their own perception on home buying. What one person thinks a house is worth is sometimes a big difference from what someone else has in mind. Jeff Dowler points this out in his post below.

Via Jeff Dowler ~ Carlsbad Homes for Sale ~ 760-840-1360 (Solutions Real Estate (CA DRE Lic. # 01490977)):

The Question is Not What Does it Cost, But What is it Worth?!

We enjoyed a couple relaxing days in the California desert for New Year’s. And on New Year’s Day, in addition to the Rose Bowl Parade I watched a older movie, “You Have Mail” (remember AOL??) with Tom Hanks (a fave actor of mine) and Meg Ryan.

Whether you remember it or not, one of the lines in the movie that really caught my attention…and I am paraphrasing, although I think I am close…was “the question is not what does it cost, but what is it worth?!”

Really, that is what it’s all about in our business. And it's true about other things as well.

So many people get caught up in what homes cost…”it’s overpriced,” “I wouldn’t pay that much for that home,”…but don’t consider that it is all about what the home is worth.

In other words, what is the home’s value and what is someone willing to pay for it. As well as what it is worth to you!

Some homes are worth far more than the cost. Take oceanfront property.

Oceanfront homes in my area are selling in the $1000 to $3000+/SF range at the moment. Based on size, some homes would probably sell in the $200 - $275/SF range away from the beaches.

Oceanfront homes are worth that because of the lifestyle they afford and people’s willingness to pay what is necessary to get a home on the ocean.

But not everyone would find the same value in these properties, even though the worth has been set by the current market.

That’s where our expertise and knowledge of the market comes in

Another perspective…what is it worth to sell your home now and move on with your life plans, whatever those might be vs. hanging out for a particular price, or holding off for now hoping for that prices will improve. Yes, you may not make as much as you could have a number of years ago, but what is the cost of waiting?

Some things are hard to put a dollar figure on.

The true value, or worth, is not necessarily monetary but could be peace of mind, a new life somewhere, a different job you can enjoy, more free time, and other intangibles that are worth far more than they cost.

It seems some things are worth more than they cost. Others are not worth what they cost.

Something to consider, don’t you think?!

**************************************









ALL ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA RELOCATION DUDE

If I can provide more information about Carlsbad homes and real estate for sale and surrounding areas, the housing market in general (or locally), or otherwise assist you, friends or family in a home search or sale, please contact my mobile office or text me at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JeffDowlerSolutions@gmail.com

Serving Carlsbad (including Aviara, La Costa & Carlsbad Village), Encinitas (including Leucadia & Olivenhain), Cardiff, Solana Beach, Del Mar, La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe, San Marcos (including San Elijo Hills), Oceanside, Carmel Valley, Escondido, and San Diego

Carlsbad Breaking News ~ Oceanside Breaking News ~ Encinitas Breaking News

All content ©Copyright by Jeff Dowler. All rights reserved.

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

Random Acts of Kindness....You get more than you give!

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 09:18:51 -0800

I would like to repost this blog I wrote back in 2006 because it made me happy to write it. I just finished reading Tammy Langford Bakers blog and it reminded me once again that I need to personally go out and do something! I try to do things all year long but inevitably get tied up with the everyday chores of just living. In light of all that has happened around the world these past couple of years, a little Random Act of Kindness can only bring good feelings! Heres wishing Happy Holidays to all my AR friends, this post should bring me (finally) over 300,000 points! I am a Capricorn, it takes me awhile but I always get there!

The other day I was reading a blog on Active Rain about giving and it inspired this blog because it has occurred to me that the everyday things we can do for people that they do not expect are not only a surprise for them but a grateful feeling for ourselves.

I am talking about little things and things that do not necessarily require lots of money. I have always felt that I could not do much for people because I did not have a lot of money. This is not a good way to think because there are millions of things we can do to make someone else's life nicer everyday without spending money!

There was a time in my life when I had two small children, was recently divorced without any cash and it was a week before Christmas. I met this older guy and he was asking me what my children wanted for Christmas and was I getting it for them. Well, I didn't lie about it, but I didn't really tell him the whole scope of what was happening in my life. I guess it must have shown though, because I was extremely upset about my children not getting Christmas presents! To make a long story short, he handed me a couple of bills and said. "Listen, I have the money and I would like to give this to you for your children. I have a big family and we all have what we need, so please let me do this for Christmas." Normally I would never have accepted anything from a stranger, but these were my kids we were talking about! So I thanked him and left, with the money in my hand all the way home. I couldn't look at it until I got home for some reason. When I did look, I saw it was $200. which at that time was a large amount! I was able to buy both my boys presents to open on Christmas morning.

At that time, I vowed to return that favor, to other people as they came into my life whenever I could. We never know what something like that means to someone who doesn't have it! I will always remember that man, his generosity and ability to make me feel like he was doing something for himself so as not to hurt my pride.

He was doing something for himself! Not only me. It took me years to realize it and get to the point where I could actually start doing the same thing.

The moral here is that no matter how small something seems to you, to the receiver its large! And theres nothing like the feeling of giving to someone who needs it.

***I wrote this post and had it in my word program. Then I read Marianna Wagner's post today and decided to post this also.

For the Holidays, a Random Act of Kindness can make all the difference!

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

72 Earlham Way Warwick RI Nice Colonial!

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 09:08:17 -0800

Offered by Stonehurst Realty is this charming Colonial in the heart of Warwick.

Situated on a corner lot with two extremely large bedrooms, this home is conveniently located within minutes of the new train station in Warwick, the highway and the Airport.

On a very quiet street as you ride or walk by you will notice most of the homes are being updated. In fact this home is being updated with new paint, and will be move in ready within another week!

The owner is very motivated and will try to accomodate anyone wishing to purchase.

Full bathroom on first floor along with an applianced kitchen and a sunroom off the kitchen. There is a parlor and a very large dining room and an extra half bath on the second floor.

A fenced rear yard, along with a shed complete this offering! All of this at only $164,900! This home is priced below assessment for a quick sale. Contact Karen@stonehurstrealty.net for a showing, or have your Realtor contact me.

More pictures at www.stonehurstrealty.com. This is NOT a Short Sale or an REO!! We can close whenever you can!

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

Pinterest as a Panacea

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 07:36:48 -0700

Wow! I signed up for Pinterest when it first started.

A few times I went in there and half heartedly looked around, pinned a few things, etc. I REALLY did not want to join yet another Social Media site!

Yes as time went on, I read all the possibilities of using it for my Real Estate business, but again, I really thought I would just use it for enjoyment.

I took it off my Facebook account because of this reason. I felt that if it was to be enjoyment, it should be private to the point of only following "like minded" pinners.

After awhile I noticed that other Realtors were using it for their advertised houses and neighborhoods. Some were actually like little vignettes that were interesting and not IN YOUR FACE like so much other advertising. This way, if I felt like it, I could visit or not.

Last night I decided to go in there and add a board that would just be photos of Waterfront Properties that I thought were special. After all, I am the Ocean State Realtor! During the course of searching I saw a lot of Coastal Interiors and threw some in there.

I had previously started a Seaside and Crafts and then I thought I would do an Inspiration board and add things I believed in......Well, the sad story is, I can easily see myself getting addicted and not getting anything done at all.

So here is my thought. I am a big believer in organizing things in my work and life. Not that it always works out that way, but lately I have been putting time aside "for myself".

Pinterest is going to be one of those "guilty pleasures" and I am going to give it an hour or two each week. I will list Pinterest under "my inspirations" in my calendar because as the title to this post mentions, it was a Panacea for me, maybe not taking away ALL pain and problems, but it definitely made me happy!

Try it, if you haven't. Who knows, you may actually enjoy yourself!

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

Are You Working With Another Agent?

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 06:01:46 -0700

Buyers, are you guilty of using multiple agents? If so, why? What is your reasoning for not using one Agent to work for you alone? Below is an excellent post by Emmy Basch Simpson stating some of the reasons why you should care.

Via Emmary Simpson ChRC® Tierra Antigua Realty - Tucson AZ (Steinborn Referral Associates - Las Cruces, NM):

I'm seeing situations starting to pop up again in a lot of blogs around the internet.

Buyer calls an agent and asks them to show them a home. The agent asks THAT questions: "Are you working with an agent?" More times than not, the buyer responds with one of the following:

1. I am but my agent is on vacation/took the day off.
2. I am but my agent's office is alllllllllll the way across town and you're right next to that house.
3. I am but it's the weekend and I didn't want to bother him/her.
4. I am but your name came up next to the house so you can show it to me.
5. I am but ..... (fill in the blank).

If you're wondering why we ask - if you are working with another agent, you are contractually obligated to that agent. You have agreed to work with that agent to finding and purchasing your new home. If I were to jump in the middle of it, I would be in SERIOUS trouble with just about every single REALTOR® entity I'm associated with. I cannot legally help you.

A good agent will, in the case of their going on vacation or taking a day off, enlist the help of another agent in their office to cover clients while they are away. That agent can only be from their office...not a competing office. If your agent didn't give you the name of who is covering for them, call their office. If your agent didn't appoint anyone, someone from their office should be able to assist you.

Likewise, if you are doing an internet search via Zillow, Trulia, or other sites, agent names will pop up next to listings that are not associated with that listing. We agents buy advertising on these sites to be more prominent. Again, if you are working with an agent, you need to let that agent know that you are interested in the house. If you call me to see it or ask questions about it, I'm going to ask you THAT question and then refer you back to your agent.

There are a lot of legalities that come into play as a buyer's agent. The biggest one is stepping on another agent's toes. There is not one agent in this world that would do that. And, if there is - and you happen to run across them - turn around and go the other way. Quickly.

Tierra Antigua Realty
100 N Stone #1108
Tucson AZ
cell: 520.329.0400
email: emmary@tucsonkent.com
blog: The Gadsden Girl
website: The Gadsden Girl

AND

Steinborn Referral Associates
Las Cruces & Mesilla
cell: 575.201.3410
email: emmyinlc@gmail.com
blog: Emmy In LC
Neighborhoods of Las Cruces

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

Gaspee Day Parade 2012 June 9 at 10 am

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 07:05:41 -0700

If you live in Warwick, you must have heard about the annual Gaspee Day Parade!

It normally starts at Warwick Ave/Narragansett Parkway makes its way along Narragansett Parkway in Warwick torwards Pawtuxet Village where the bridge over the Pawtuxet River crosses into Cranston.

Every year, people and colonial bands come from all over New England to participate in the celebration of "the first blow for freedom", where the early colonists in Rhode Island actually burned the HMS Gaspee!!

You can read a little more under Warwick's tourism website.

The Gaspee website has all the details you need. People that live along the parkway, already know it is useless to plan anything else on this weekend, other than a good BBQ!!

Most of the owners will let you sit on their land to watch the parade and some will put out chairs. This is a Warwick event for 47 years and a must see for your children!

Gaspee does a lot of celebrating. On Memorial Day they host a wonderful Craft Fair.

Don't miss this years parade (or fireworks tonight). You need to get there early to get a spot and plan on spending the day!

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

Farewell Picnik, hello iPiccy.

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:03:41 -0700

If you are stressing out over changing your banner and/or your Facebook timeline, Alan May has the answer and from the amount of sad goodbye to Picnik posts I have read, there are a lot of you.

Alan also includes his own easy directions for your Active Rain banner and an adorable little boy for us to look at while we abosrb these ideas! Thankyou Alan May!

Introducing iPiccy! And even I can figure it out...

Via Alan May, Coldwell Banker Realtor® Evanston, Illinois Homes for Sale (Evanston Condos & Evanston Single Family Homes):

As some of you might have noticed, I like to change my banner on occasion. And for quite a while I've been using Picnik.com, a free photo editing program, to create those headers. I have a graphic arts background, and thereby have an expertise in Photoshop, Illustrator, Freehand and more... but quite honestly, Picnik is just so easy, and fast, that I've been using it instead.

So it was with great distress that I learned, a while back, that Picnik will be shutting down on April 19th, forever. Since it was a free online application I suppose I can't complain too much about it shutting down. Clearly it wasn't profitable. But it has left me with the conundrum of what program I'll be using to create my new headers. I, as many others, have taken the attitude of "if I ignore it, the problem will solve itself", and sure enough... it has.

I have found another online program called iPiccy.com. Now, before you start whining, like I did, that you're going to have to learn a new user interface, and that it's going to be difficult, and I just don't wanna... wah, wah, wah... IPiccy functions almost exactly the same as Picnik did. C'mon, follow along as I change my header. When you first enter iPiccy.com, you'll see the window shown above... and toward the bottom of the page a button that says:

Click it. You'll notice they don't even ask you for any information... right? Next you'll want to press the button marked "upload photo" to upload a photograph from your computer... (there are other buttons for uploading from facebook, or from the internet... but honestly those pose all sorts of copyright issues... so stick to photos that you've taken, or that you own).

Once you've imported a photo from your computer, the window will look like this one on the right. You'll notice that I've chosen a photo of one of the most beautiful woman in the world, and her brand new son, Leo. Wow, she's got great genes, doesn't she?

Because you're going to import this into Active Rain... you need to crop out a section that's exactly 960 x 130. So click the button that says "Scale Photo (constrain)" (see the blue check mark?)... that way it won't accidentally resize on you, as you adjust. Type in 960x130, and you'll see a "window" appear over the photo showing you just what 960x130 covers. If it's not large enough... just drag the corners to fill the space... (the fact that you clicked "constrain" will keep it in the proper ratio).

Once you have it positioned exactly where you want... click "APPLY".

Now.. the next thing that I usually do is add a little text to the image. You certainly don't have to do this, but I think it adds a nice touch. Don't worry.. it's really easy... click on the "Add New Text" box.

That will bring up the grey box you see marked "Text Properties" in which you can type the text you want... and modify it... you can make it flush left, flush right, centered, shadowed, bold, italic... feel free to play around. Once you've chosen your text... go ahead and "close" the text box... and you can drag the text to exactly where you'd like it.

You could also grab that little lollipop sticking out the top of the text to rotate it, if you choose. So, there at the bottom, you can see my final banner. See, wasn't that easy? You're not going to miss picnik at all... IPiccy may look a touch different in style, but it works just the same. Enjoy!

- 7

ALAN MAY, Realtor®
Specializing in Evanston Real Estate and North Shore Real Estate
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, 2929 Central Street, Evanston, IL 60201
847.425.3779 Cell: 847.924.3313 Email: Almay@aol.com
Evanston Real Estate & North Shore Real Estate • Licensed in Illinois

Do not copy the content of this blog, without first contacting the author for permission. Reblogging is allowed. All other use is strictly prohibited without express permission from me. This blog is tag-resistant... Do not tag me, I don't participate in tagging, no MeMe's don't even think about it

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

Sold! Another Rhode Island Short Sale!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:54:30 -0800

No this is not a photo of the short sale.

This sale was a great duplex in West Warwick, RI with an inground swimming pool!

Helping people get out from under their upside down mortgages, does make you feel good, even though it is a ton of work!

Waiting, negotiating, waiting, waiting, more negotiating...There are so many ups and downs in a short sale, on both sides that it really takes its toll on a Realtor, the Sellers and the Buyers!

When all is said and done, you know that the best scenario has just happened.

In this particular case, I showed this to a potential buyer on a Sunday back in April. He was studying to be a Realtor and had already begun an internship with another Broker. He definitely wanted this house! And he was ready to put in an offer.

He was a young, first time buyer and this was a short sale. I already knew it was going to be a long drawn out affair and that he would need some hand holding, so I told him to call his Broker and then come back and look at the house again. Well, he did and this week we closed on it.

My Seller no longer has to worry about being shadowed because of a foreclosure. Yes, it was sad to lose the house but they are now safely in another place and managed to get through losing it without a major amount of trauma.

The buyer is now the happy owner of a duplex!! And the bank, well, let's just say they don't have to worry about it anymore.

This was a win/win situation. I can't say I like Short Sales, but I promise to do them well!

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

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Do you know Mimi Foster Colorado springs Realtor?

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:43:47 -0800

Mimi Foster does not know me. (I don't think)

This morning I was in the Newbie Group and happened across a post by Barbara Jo in Clearwater Florida. Actually it was a reblog about hints for different things in Active Rain. I was going to feature it because I thought it was a good post for Newbies.

Well, after reading it, I then went to Mimi Fosters' actual blog post and then from there proceeded to read some of her blogs. Yes, I have read some of her posts before, but for some reason, it hit me this morning, what a wonderful writer she it.

Does that ever happen to you? You start reading someones posts and you just can't get enough? Of course, there is never enough time to read them all and of course, while you are in there, there are comments and thoughts from others, making it an all day affair.

So, while I fully intend to "go back" when I have some time and finish reading Mimi Fosters blog, I thought I would at the very least write this post so that anyone who has missed her posts, may now follow her.

I am now a subscriber. Let me explain what it was about her posts, besides being a wonderful writer, and besides having good points for the Active Rain Newbie. She thinks like I do. We have things in common. She, states somewhere that her niche is Victorian Houses. I love Victorian Houses!. She has friends who call her for advice, and or just to tell her their problems. That happens daily to me. We are a similar type. I love to write, yet she can write. Her Victorian home is almost exactly like the one on my own Stonehurst Realty letterhead. Then on the side of her blog is Adele with one of my favorite songs!!

Does this have anything to do with Real Estate? I suppose in this new era, all types of blogging eventually does have something to do with Real Estate because it opens a window into you that makes you want to know someone better.

At the very least, I know I would refer a client to Mimi Foster! And that's just from reading her posts this morning!

Disclaimer: Mimi Foster does not know I am writing this and when she finds out will probably wonder why. Well, I just wanted to put my thoughts in words. Have a great day all and if you haven't already, go read her posts, about Real Estate and life!

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

The everyday important stuff Good Riddance 2011

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:17:21 -0800

I guess I am feeling the need to write a post on the last day of 2011. I am not even sure what I want to say but there is definitely something in the air at the end of a year that makes one a little nostalgic.

2011 has not been the best year I can remember and I am not nostalgic about seeing it go. I noticed in New York they had a "good riddance" day for 2011 and I wish I had attended.

Real Estate wise, this has been probably the busiest year I have had. And while I suppose this should be a good thing, I find that I have been so immersed in Real Estate that the rest of my life has actually suffered a great deal. And to top it all off, busy does not necessarily equal prosperous!!

I chose this photo "save the dunes" for this post because I am trying to convey a little year end message, not only to you, but to myself!

The dunes at a beach (this particular one is Green Hill beach in South Kingstown) are something that we simply "expect" to be there all the time. The fact is that they are "washing away" daily and if left unprotected, they will simply be gone. Of course everyone knows what will happen next, the ocean being the way it is, will simply overtake what was once a glorious place to be!

Well, as in life, if we don't "save the dunes", life will simply swallow up the important and most memorable parts of our lives. As corny as it may sound, or seem, those everyday things are what makes us who we are and what keeps us feeling "normal". Without the dunes, we are helpless against the tide!

Yes, I tend to go nautical when I write. I just can't help it, being from the Ocean State, but I do like to repeat the quote "you can't change the tide, but you can adjust the sails"

Here's a heartfelt wish for all my AR and FB and Twitter friends, and my offline friends:) as well.

May 2012 and beyond be your "save the dunes" year. Peace is by far the most important feeling you can achieve and I sincerely wish that for all of you.

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

ActiveRain University Goes Live (and Recorded)

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:41:37 -0700

I am reblogging this for the AR Newbie Group and also the Real Estate Rookie Group just in case they do not see it. I really wish this was here when I first started blogging!

Via ActiveRain University (ActiveRain University):

It's amazing to me that ActiveRain has grown to the point we are at with very little formal training for our members. For the first 3 years of our existence, our training was essentially members teaching and sharing with each other. We just were not equipped with enough employees to train our members efficiently. Thankfully our members have stepped up and there are tons of videos and tutorials throughout the site that can be found be using the 'search' option on the top of any page.

We are thrilled that the member that joins tomorrow will have much better support and training than you had when you joined. ActiveRain University live training has been going on for over a year. Our new members have had a chance to interact with our staff in a webinar format where they can get aquainted with the site and learn how to use ActiveRain in the most efficient manner. Up until today, that training was only live. Not anymore.......

Now, in addition to our live classes, we also have an entire library of pre-recorded sessions and short tutorials on using different parts of the site. Our hour long webinars on topics like SEO and the proper use of links are available for you to view any time you'd like. In addition we have a bunch of short 5-15 minute videos explaining many of the features of ActiveRain.

We also have a library of FAQ's and all of this content is now easy for you to find. Just look up above at the little blue bar going across the page and look for the 'University' link. We are excited to have this available to our members and I hope it becomes an invaluable resource for our new members and our long time members as well.

Watch tutorial videos

Giving you walkthrough videos to the many features of the site as well as answering the most common how to questions.

Watch recorded webinars

Many of our recorded live webinars for you to view at a time that makes sense to you. These will teach you about the site, how to blog, about your outside blog, and many others.

Easy access to the training calendar

View a schedule of upcoming live webinars so you can can watch and learn about technology and social media and ask questions in real time.

Get answers to your FAQs

We have revamped our FAQ section giving you a great resource for all the questions that you may have.

We are excited to have this available to our members and I hope it becomes an invaluable resource for our new members and our long time members as well. Let us know what you think as your feedback is the reason ActiveRain has become the community it is!

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

HUD OPEN HOUSE!! 83 Birchwood Lane, West Warwick, RI

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 09:15:29 -0700

Sometimes you really can get a great deal on a house!

As an NLB (Neighborhood Listing Broker) for HUD, Stonehurst Realty is proud to announce our very latest HUD listing!

This lovely home features 4 bedrooms, two and 1/2 baths, a full walkout finished basement with sliders and a brick fireplace.

A Master suite and a workshop, Central air are all included!

An Integral two car garage and over 12,000 square feet of fenced yard in a very well maintained neighborhood located in the Cowesett section of West Warwick, make this home very appealing.

As in most HUD listings, there may be a little tlc, but most everything appears to be functional.

There will be an open house held by a Remax Broker on Sunday, August 21, 2011 between the hours of 1200pm to 230pm.

This home is listed at $200,000.

Stop by and see for yourself what HUD has to offer. If you don't see what you want, we have many others!

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

RE-BLOGGING and BEYOND

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:28:53 -0700

Following is an excellent post by Richard Yates about the benefits of reblogging. I am the tenth person to reblog at this moment and I am doing this to get it back into the newbie group. Apparently even if a post is featured in a group if it is edited after the feature, it goes back to its original place in line.

Via Richard Yates, REALTOR Orange County, CA Homes For Sale (Coldwell Banker Real Estate):

RE-BLOGGING and BEYOND

We all understand the purpose of a RE-BLOG. Right?

To RE-BLOG or NOT, that is the question.

If we like a post and wish to share it with OUR connections, we have the ability to add our comments to another member's original post and
will receive 25 Points for each RE-BLOG. There are limits.

The person that had their post RE-BLOGGED will also receive 25 Points, for each time their post is RE-BLOGGED. There are limits.

    This HAPPY green color means that a post can be RE-BLOGGED. By clicking on the RE-BLOG button, another member may add a comment to introduce the post that is being RE-BLOGGED. The original post is the topic, but the discussion point may or may not be changed. It depends on how you feel about the original post.

    This SAD grey color means that a post can not RE-BLOGGED



   The illuminated dots indicate how many times a post has been RE-BLOGGED. (4 Times)

By clicking on ANY of the green dots, the names of the people that have RE-BLOGGED that post
will be listed (see below). This applies to your posts and any member post that has been RE-BLOGGED.

BY CLICKING ON THE INDIVIDUAL NAMES, you will be taken directly to the RE-BLOGGED POST. Try it on any names listed below:

Re-blogged by 4 agents

Daniel H. Fisher, MCRP, Greater Charlotte Realtor® (www.FisherHermanRealty.com (704) 617-3544)

Dennis Burgess (Orlando Rentals Property Management Company)

Chris and Kim Knox (Landline Real Estate, LLC of Southern Oregon)

Hosai Nasir (Century 21 M & M and Associates )

This is where the BEYOND part begins:

1. IF you notice that one of your posts have been RE-BLOGGED, Click the green dots.

2. When someone RE-BLOGS your post, visit their new post and leave a comment to Thank Them.

3. If the new post contradicts or changes the intent of your post, YOU should comment about it.

4. Check back and review the comments made by others on the new post.

5. Check out the individual that RE-BLOGGED your post, by reviewing their PROFILE and BLOG. If they meet your standards (whatever they are), you should add them as an Associate (categorized by state and/or description). After reviewing at least 5 of their blog posts, you may want to SUBSCRIBE, if you like what they write and how they write it.

Other Considerations:

Some Active Rain Members will disable the comments on their RE-BLOGGED POST and encourage everyone to leave a comment on the original post. This is a very thoughtful thing to do, as it allows the original blogger to receive additional comments.

Anyone can RE-BLOG, but, not everyone will.

     Richard Yates

       Coldwell Banker Real Estate

           949-395-6939 cell

            ryates@coldwellbanker.com email

            RichardYatesRealEstate.com website

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.  I participate on Active Rain to meet people, to find new friends and to make new business connections. I encourage you to check me out. If you like what you see, please ASSOCIATE with me and SUBSCRIBE to my blog.

Ideally, we will find a way to work together on a transaction or a referral.  I hope you will think of me, for ALL of your Real Estate needs in Orange County, California. Let's do some business, in addition to hanging out together on Active Rain.

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

Active Rain Photo blogger Contest ~ Beauty at a Foreclosure

Wed, 04 May 2011 15:51:42 -0700

I tend to see a lot of ugliness in the past few years because I have been working with foreclosures quite a bit. Even if I am not selling them, I am doing BPO's on them and sometimes it really gets to me.

I wrote a post a few years ago about Eviction and when I look back, I realize I have seen so much more in the lives of people facing foreclosure that I have almost become numb to it.

This railing was taken off a deck and laid on the side of this foreclosed home in order to move furniture out of the house. It has been an eyesore to me everytime I go there. The house has just gone into Pending and when I strolled around the back, I was greeted with these tulips!

These tulips signified a new springlike atmosphere, with new buyers, a new home and a whole lifetime of stories that will fill this home.

While it's rare to see anything pretty about these houses, the tulips just struck me! They reminded me, at a time that I needed to be reminded, that spring comes back every year, the Ocean is always changing, the world is always changing and even when we think it's changing for the worse, something comes along to restore our faith.

Letting go of our preconceived notions is difficult to do on a daily basis. Finding the good/beauty in something should not be difficult, yet it sometimes seems like we overlook these things and take them for granted.

Nature always brings us back to Reality and it all keeps on happening, whether good or bad. Lately there has been a tremendous amount of unforgiving Nature, and yet, we still have the opportunity to see the beauty.

These photos help us to see the "light" in dark places.

This entry is only supposed to have one photo, but I couldn't resist putting these last two in as smaller photo blogettes. They are both part of the same idea.

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

Warwick Neck boasts Narragansett Bay Views and Marinas

Mon, 02 May 2011 09:54:50 -0700

Are you thinking of living in Warwick Neck, Rhode Island?

Warwick, Rhode Island was settled in 1642. It was considered the first white settlement (meaning other than Indians) on the western side of the Narragansett Bay. Originally it was named Shawomet which means a spring, but then it was changed to Warwick, in honor of the Earl of Warwick. Now, Warwick consists of many villages, one of which has an area called Shawomet, in Conimicut. As you may have guessed, most of Rhode Island names were originally Indian! The main tribe was the Cowesetts who were a part of the Narragansetts.

Warwick Neck is yet another village of Warwick, Rhode Island. It looks like a very wide peninsula, surrounded on three sides by Narragansett Bay. On one side of the neck is home to Warwick Cove which consists of loads of marinas. By boat, coming into the Cove you can see the Warwick Neck Country Club where weddings are held. It has a private membership which includes dining, tennis, golf and much more and is by invitation and sponsor only. A little further up the Cove and still on Warwick Neck is the Seaview Country club sitting right behind Harbor Lights Marina.

The tip of Warwick Neck is the Warwick Neck lighthouse, which is currently occupied by a Coast Guard family. This website has a very good description of the history of the Lighthouse. Directly to the right of the Lighthouse is Briarcliffe Ave, a waterfront neighborhood, which ends with a farm, named Camelot! There are still sheep being raised there and it sits on the Western side of the neck giving it incredible views of the Bay.

Maxwell Mays a famous Rhode Island artist had a home in Warwick Neck which was just recently on the market. I recently got to show one of my buyers this home, and as I love history and art, this was a definite high point for me. One could almost picture Mr. Mays painting here. He owned several homes throughout Rhode Island. I am guessing he used them as muses.

The Aldrich Mansion has a wonderful history. It is said that Nelson Aldrich was "kicked out" of Newport Rhode Island's well to do summer mansion colony and he built what was originally known as "Indian Oaks", now Aldrich Mansion. Weddings are held there now but it is famous for its beautiful marble staircase. There was also some type of Underground Railroad leading from the Great Tower at one time. One can see straight down Narragansett Bay, across to Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport and several bridges from the Mansion,

There are so many things to write about Warwick Neck, and Rocky Point Amusement Park, would have to be included, although it is closed now. It was one of the major attractions for years, but started out as a small camp site in the 1850's.

Warwick Neck has an ambiance that is hard to describe. It consists of many historical homes that have been in the family for generations and many newer luxury homes. The history of Warwick Neck lends to its charm and the affluent residents try to keep it as private as possible. This is where you want to live. It is not a place to ride around in, as every road leads to the water and is pretty much set up as private.

There are several homes on the market right now in Warwick Neck, but they do not stay on the market for long, even in this latest economy due to the exclusivity, and approximation to the Bay. The range starts at around $400,000 and waterfront is listed up to $3,000,000.

The other day I took a photo of a Stone home that I really like in Warwick Neck, because I always thought it would be a nice office space for Stonehurst Realty. Both photos came out with Rainbows so I could not use them in this post.

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

Open House in Providence this weekend! 87 Commodore 12 to 2!!

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:05:03 -0700

OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY 12-2!!! - $218,500

CUSTOM BUILT, CENTRALLY LOCATED IN PROVIDENCE, HARDWOODS, ALARMED, CENTRAL AIR. CITY LIGHTS VIEW. GRANITE COUNTERTOPS, LAUNDRY RIGHT OUTSIDE BEDROOMS. CONTRACTOR BUILT. NEEDS NOTHING. YOU WILL BE VERY SURPRISED!

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

To Realtors and Buyers I have a question for you

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:28:46 -0700

Okay, this photo has absolutely nothing to do with the topic. I just liked it. I took this in Warwick Neck for a blog post that I am doing.

My question is to Realtors and to Buyers. I had a Buyer call me on one of my listings. Actually he found me on Zillow!!

He is fully qualified and is a first time homebuyer.

The listing he had called on had already been at highest and best and we were not taking any more offers.

I asked if he was working with a Realtor and he said that he has spoken to several Realtors and they ALL just want to send him emails of houses that he can already find himself on the Internet.

He then asked if I had anything different from those other Realtors to send him. I said not really, except that had I been working with him, I would definitely have called him regarding THIS house that he missed because those other Realtors are just sending emails. He also said that those Realtors did not inform him of THIS house!

We left it that if I have something I think he would like, I am to call him.

My question to other Realtors is "What would you have said"? I have not really figured out how to tell someone that I am not like other Realtors. That I would definitely have followed up when the perfect house for him showed up. That I would have actually represented him.

My question to Buyers is "What would you rather I have said that would make you want to work with me"?

This may sound like a strange question, but at what point does it sound like you are tooting your own horn?

Realtors do NOT have a good track record in the general public. I feel like I am fighting to defend my honor all the time.

*note this post is for the general public. My question is to anyone who has any anwers"

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

Raised Ranch in Warwick RI at an unbelievable price! Pending!

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:56:07 -0700

This home is now pending! Please call or email for others!

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

The perfect Beach in Rhode Island

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:06:39 -0700

On first day of spring, we took a ride along Rhode Island's coast once again. I love going in the spring because we get to see so many beaches without all the summer crowds.

We decided to ride up to Misquamicut Beach and then lazily travel back torwards Charlestown, RI.

After riding by the Atlantic Beach Park and many closed for the winter cottages and neat little restaurants, we headed over to Weekapaug. Watch Hill is just south of Weekapaug and we will take that trip on a warmer day.

If you ride by Spray Rock Road, (where this house is located) you come to a dirt road that takes you through a few private beaches. One is Shelter Harbor, Weekapaug Fire District, and the one I absolutely fell in love with, Quonoquonchaug Barrier Beach!

I have been to many beaches in my lifetime and living on the Coast of Rhode Island enables me to always be watching the sea, which is my favorite thing to do:) But, I have to say that this beach is the most perfect beach in Rhode Island. My husband was laughing at me as we walked along the waters edge and I kept exclaiming. "This is the perfect beach"! Even the stones are perfect, the smell, the air, the freedom, the emptiness" I cannot even begin to bring you there.

Because it is a private beach, about the only time you would be able to see it is in the winter months, but you really should make it a priority! Unless you are a resident or vacation renter, and you have a "button", you will not be allowed to park in the quaint little parking lot overlooking Quonoquonchaug Pond.

I picked up "the perfect stone" and took it home with me. What better way to celebrate the Spring Equinox after the Super Moon! I promised to return the stone in 20 years, back to the most beautiful place I have ever been priviliged to be.

It's going to be tough to find another beach in RI to beat this one, but I am going to continue to blog about the beaches along the Rhode Island Coast.

If you think you would like to live in Weekapaug, the houses range from $400,000 to a few million. Most of the roads are private in Weekapaug, only to residents and guests. Many of the homes have the same families throughout generations and many of the rentals are similar in that respect.

If you are looking for the quintessential ocean neighborhood, then Weekapaug would be it.

Don't forget, I am also a Buyers Rep and can take you on a tour of any of these homes that are on the market if you should decide to come to Rhode Island and enjoy our Coastal heritage!

I wrote this blog for Ocean Home Magazine and it is also included on my Rhode Island Coast blog.

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

Pancake Sundae Sunday

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 10:29:19 -0700

Okay, this is probably not the best photo of these pancakes, but the taste was incredible.

I was in kind of a funk this morning for several reasons.

It's a little too cold outside for my liking especially after last weekend's spring fever!

I had received a Broker Price Opinion returned due to lack of REO/distressed property comps. What? Isn't this a good thing? There was a time when we had to fight to use an REO comp!

I have to go back to an (almost on the market) REO listing for more information and I like to take Sundays off...ha ha...keep forgetting that I am a Realtor who does not take days off.

Anyway, these were all small irritants, but enough to make me a little snappy. I came into my office to read a few AR posts and I could smell this delicious breakfast being cooked.

I tried my best to ignore it because losing weight is also on my list of things to do, but it was no use. When hubby cooks breakfast, you don't want to miss it!

Back to the kitchen and waiting for me are these three pancakes. Filled with pineapple, walnuts, cinnamon, bananas and chocolate chips!!!

So much for the diet, however, eating these totally turned my mood around!

Sometimes the right kind of food can feel like a vacation. Now I am ready to go to work:) (and start my diet on Monday:(

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

Click here to contact me

Want to be a Rainmaker?

Follow me on these sites.

87 Commodore, Providence RI Contemporary flair

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:23:00 -0700

Nestled between some older style homes, this Contractor Built Contemporary is seeking someone to love it.

Centrally located for a quick trip to Boston, Providence's downtown, trains, busses, highways, you can see the City Lights at Night!

Interior boasts Jenn-Air applicances, sparkling hardwoods, granite counter tops. A bathroom on every floor, including the finished basement which has a walk out into the cozy fenced yard.

Kitchen and parlor both have sliding doors onto a full deck for parties or backyard BBQ's.

The laundry area is situated immediately outside the three bedrooms for your convenience. The entire home is alarmed and has Central Air.

You can enter the garage from inside the house which is a great convenience on those colder days.

This home is listed at $227,500 and is in absolute move in condition! No short sale or foreclosure, just a very well built home!

If you would like to see the interior after you watch the Virtual tour, give me a call.

Opinions are of Karen Hurst, Broker/Owner of Stonehurst Realty only. For a free consultation, visit me at Stonehurstrealty.com and find out if this is your time to buy or sell!

Click on to find me and decide.

If you are looking to sell, we can provide you with the latest stats for the market value of your home.

We specialize in bayside communities in all of Rhode Island

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