General Index 

The Upton Homes For Sale Market Report

Checking in with one of the hidden jewels of 495, we turn our attention to the home prices in Upton. Future sellers will be pleased:

Can’t see the chart? You can find it Here .

Prices are up, almost near the peak that we tracked. Sellers, however, are showing even more optimism, by averaging over 15% higher than recent paid prices. What does that mean for our market constituents?

What should active home buyers do in Upton?

Home buyers should recognize that most homes (and there are not many) are priced in advance of the market. Many of these homes will come down in price (Not sure which ones? Call a pro!). Some homes in this market won't even appraise they are priced so rich. Buyers for the most part will have to wait things out, for either new inventory from more motivated buyers, or sellers to start slashing.

What should potential home sellers do in Upton?

Future home sellers (and current ones) should target prices about 5% ahead of where the past sales are. You'll look like a discount to the market - but in fact you'll be getting premium prices. Getting the price right is very important, but you could gain a nice premium by doing so. 5% might not sound like much, but on 400K, it's 10K - and I would take an extra 10 grand if someone offered it to me!

Upton Houses For Sale and Sold Market Statistics - MLS Data

• Upton‘s “Home Seller Index” (HSI): 132 Last Report: 116
• There are 31 homes listed as For Sale.
• There have been 82 houses sold in the last 6 months, and 57 homes sold in the last 3 months in Upton.

  Home Sellers are asking SCARY prices in Upton.  Home buyers are likely  to be frightened off.

• The Average number of Days on Market was 46 days for just SOLD homes.
• There is an Average Market Time of 98 days of the Upton homes For Sale (currently for sale).
• The amount that was paid in Dollars per Square Foot averaged $172 (vs. $165 in the last report)
• Current sellers are looking for $208 /sq foot
• There was an Average Sold Price of $442,193 for sold homes.
• Upton, MA, has 0 properties advertised as lender owned or foreclosure (typically foreclosure) .
• There are 1 properties advertised as a short-sale is going to be needed by the lender.

All raw data are for Single Family Houses and based on data in MLS. Matt’s HSI is proprietary*, and is designed to offer town-by-town information, instead of large scale trends.

*That means you won’t find it anywhere else. Take that, Case-Schilling!.

Don’t Go Just Yet! More Information for you…

• Should I buy a home that has well water and not city or town water?
• How can I tell if a basement gets water in my potential home purchase?.
• Southborough MA town page and information
• Thinking of being a landlord for investment? Here’s some quick tips.
• How do Home Property Assessments Relate to Real Estate prices? Should I use them for a valuation?
• Landlords: How to prepare for a new tenant
• How Serious is Moss or Lichen on my Roof shingles?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.

Cleaning is not always fun, but with the right list, it can be less of a chore

One of the real tough parts about moving is the work that goes into cleaning your home before putting in on the market. Families and work leave little time for cleaning, so it can be tough to stay organized.

But this list helps! Not everything needs to be done every week, so when I have a little extra time, I try to tackle a monthly or a longer term item. (I put dates next to them so I know when they were done).

It's a great list for getting your home ready - or just trying to stay organized.

Here's a link to the cleaning list in easy to download PDF form!  It prints great in both color and black and white.

If you like the list, feel free to download it, and say "thanks" in the comments.

Don’t Go Just Yet! More Information for you…

• Should I buy a home that has well water and not city or town water?
• How can I tell if a basement gets water in my potential home purchase?.
• Southborough MA town page and information
• Thinking of being a landlord for investment? Here’s some quick tips.
• How do Home Property Assessments Relate to Real Estate prices? Should I use them for a valuation?
• Landlords: How to prepare for a new tenant
• How Serious is Moss or Lichen on my Roof shingles?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.

The Sudbury Homes For Sale Market Report

There are a lot of similarities in the Sudbury report to the Southborough report, which we just looked at. Sudbury just set a record for HSI, and for transaction volume for a six month period. It's also never been overheated, like Hopkinton, Natick, and Framingham - but it certainly got close last spring, as there was a good pull back in prices before recovering.

Can’t see the chart? You can find it Here .

What should active home buyers do in Sudbury?

Sudbury home buyers will see rational prices. In the chart above, you can see that the home sellers, on average, are asking too much, but they have been moving the asking prices down to meet the market. Home buyers in Sudbury have been leery - and sensitive to - homes that they feel are overpriced, and you can see that in the data that shows that the homes on too high are sitting around 3x as long to get sold. In the hotter markets, we don't see that, as buyers are willing to chase prices. Having said all of that, if you're looking for Metrowest bargains, you won't find them in Sudbury. With prices town-wide nearing $250 a square foot, things are very pricey, especially when looking around at certain neighbors to the West. That works out to an average sales price of about 780,000, - average - so you won't find very much under $500K in Sudbury.

What should potential home sellers do in Sudbury?

Home sellers are looking at a market that is tight now, and could be tighter in the spring. Maybe tight enough to push prices up further. But we warned, the market in Sudbury is top heavy. Half the market is above 900K, so if you're in that part of the market, you will need to be priced competitively, as a lot of your neighbors are looking to sell too.

Sudbury Houses For Sale and Sold Market Statistics - Raw MLS Data

• Sudbury‘s “Home Seller Index” (HSI):164 Last Report: 156
• There are 74 homes listed as For Sale.
• There have been 201 houses sold in the last 6 months, and 108 homes sold in the last 3 months in Sudbury.

  The prices are a bit scary for home buyers in Sudbury, but home sellers will find them well supported.

• The Average number of Days on Market was 43 days for just SOLD homes.
• There is an Average Market Time of 122 days of the Sudbury homes For Sale (currently for sale).
• The amount that was paid in Dollars per Square Foot averaged $249 (vs. $253 in the last report)
• Current sellers are looking for $ 262 /sq foot
• There was an Average Sold Price of $779,383 for sold homes.
• Sudbury, MA, has 0 properties advertised as lender owned or foreclosure (typically foreclosure) .
• There are 0 properties advertised as a short-sale is going to be needed by the lender.

All raw data are for Single Family Houses and based on data in MLS. Matt’s HSI is proprietary*, and is designed to offer town-by-town information, instead of large scale trends.

*That means you won’t find it anywhere else. Take that, Case-Schilling!.

Don’t Go Just Yet! More Information for you…

• Should I buy a home that has well water and not city or town water?
• How can I tell if a basement gets water in my potential home purchase?.
• Southborough MA town page and information
• Thinking of being a landlord for investment? Here’s some quick tips.
• How do Home Property Assessments Relate to Real Estate prices? Should I use them for a valuation?
• Landlords: How to prepare for a new tenant
• How Serious is Moss or Lichen on my Roof shingles?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.

The Southborough Homes For Sale Market Report

Southborough has suddenly popped up on home buyers radar - as we can see, transactions, or houses sold, in the last six months just set a record, at 99.

Can’t see the chart? You can find it Here .

So many transactions means buyers like the prices and the value they are getting for the home - and it also means they don't like what they are getting elsewhere.

What should active home buyers do in Southborough?

Looking for bargains? Well don't bother looking for foreclosures or short-sales in Southborough. They have been scarce for over 3 years now, with just six in the last 3 years (and 3 of those in the first report.) Here's the good news though -pricing in Southborough remains rational - that means fair. How do I know? Because the homes that are priced right have sold in an average of 38 days - that's very, very fast - but the current homes on the market (most of which are overpriced) have already been on 109. That means that buyers aren't chasing property, so prices remain rational. The HSI shows that too (chart above), as Southborough is doing very well for sellers, but the HSI has never broken 160 (let alone 200 or 300, as Framingham, Hopkinton, and Natick have all done in the recent past.

What should potential home sellers do in Southborough?

Just because the home market isn't crazy, doesn't mean it isn't good. Southborough prices are at a record on this blog, and are close to the all time high in 2005. I don't think prices have overshot by very much either in Southborough, so I think these prices will stay firm. With Natick and Framingham seeing their prices soar, Southborough starts to look like a value, and that is what we are seeing here. Not too much quibbling about prices.

Southborough Houses For Sale and Sold Market Statistics - Raw MLS Data

• Southborough's “Home Seller Index” (HSI): 152 Last Report: 156
• There are 52 homes listed as For Sale.

  I had to laugh at the "frost warning" on my phone today.  Truly, after last winter, is anyone worried about a little frost?

• There have been 99 houses sold in the last 6 months, and 58 homes sold in the last 3 months in Southborough.
• The Average number of Days on Market was 38 days for just SOLD homes.
• There is an Average Market Time of 109 days of the Southborough homes For Sale (currently for sale).
• The amount that was paid in Dollars per Square Foot averaged 224 (vs. 213 in the last report)
• Current sellers are looking for $232 /sq foot
• There was an Average Sold Price of $620,885 for sold homes.
• Southborough, MA, has 0 properties advertised as lender owned or foreclosure (typically foreclosure) .
• There are 0 properties advertised as a short-sale is going to be needed by the lender.

All raw data are for Single Family Houses and based on data in MLS. Matt’s HSI is proprietary*, and is designed to offer town-by-town information, instead of large scale trends.

*That means you won’t find it anywhere else. Take that, Case-Schilling!.

Don’t Go Just Yet! More Information for you…

• Should I buy a home that has well water and not city or town water?
• How can I tell if a basement gets water in my potential home purchase?.
• Southborough MA town page and information
• Thinking of being a landlord for investment? Here’s some quick tips.
• How do Home Property Assessments Relate to Real Estate prices? Should I use them for a valuation?
• Landlords: How to prepare for a new tenant
• How Serious is Moss or Lichen on my Roof shingles?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.

The Sutton Homes For Sale Market Report

Sutton home sellers remain optimistic, as they continue to hold on to prices that are well above the current sales volume. They are over 5% above the current sale prices, which is a lot, and certainly qualifies as optimistic. Should they be?

Can’t see the chart? You can find it Here .

Well, in our detail chart, we see that transactions have been steadily increasing. Moving from about the mid forties, they are well into the 80's. As more home sellers have success, more home sellers think they will be successful, and there has been a significant rise in the number of homes coming on the market, but not enough to push inventory levels up. Yes, sellers should be optimistic, things are good for home sellers in Sutton.

What should active home buyers do in Sutton ?

Be careful of much of the inventory - it's priced too high! but many of these sellers have been sitting around, so you can be their white knight and make offers to get them down to where they should be - and get a fine house in the process. Just make sure you're clear of the value of the property - understand the risks!

What should potential home sellers do in Sutton?

Home sellers are seeing prices near their highs of last year. Not quite there yet though. Prices could continue to improve into next year, especially as it looks to me like the buyers are starting to really push on the inventory. How do I know? The days on market for Sutton has dropped from 150 days (yeck!) to around 50-60 now for the past year. The next level is sub 45, which is hard to get to, but will definitely result in a push on prices. Even at this level, buyers are showing more willingness to move quickly, and that will probably continue in to next year.

Sutton Houses For Sale and Sold Market Statistics - Raw MLS Data

• Sutton‘s “Home Seller Index” (HSI):123 Last Report: 133
• There are 50 homes listed as For Sale.
• There have been 88 houses sold in the last 6 months, and 55 homes sold in the last 3 months in Sutton.

  Fall is here.  Enjoy the leaves while they are still on the trees.

• The Average number of Days on Market was 62 days for just SOLD homes.
• There is an Average Market Time of 113 days of the Sutton homes For Sale (currently for sale).
• The amount that was paid in Dollars per Square Foot averaged $172 (vs. $166 in the last report)
• Current sellers are looking for $ 191 /sq foot
• There was an Average Sold Price of $393,279 for sold homes.
• Sutton, MA, has 1 properties advertised as lender owned or foreclosure (typically foreclosure) .
• There are 2 properties advertised as a short-sale is going to be needed by the lender.

All raw data are for Single Family Houses and based on data in MLS. Matt’s HSI is proprietary*, and is designed to offer town-by-town information, instead of large scale trends.

*That means you won’t find it anywhere else. Take that, Case-Schilling!.

Don’t Go Just Yet! More Information for you…

• Should I buy a home that has well water and not city or town water?
• How can I tell if a basement gets water in my potential home purchase?.
• Southborough MA town page and information
• Thinking of being a landlord for investment? Here’s some quick tips.
• How do Home Property Assessments Relate to Real Estate prices? Should I use them for a valuation?
• Landlords: How to prepare for a new tenant
• How Serious is Moss or Lichen on my Roof shingles?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.

The SHREWSBURY Homes For Sale Market Report

The story in Shrewsbury is one of optimism - and then realism. Home sellers were asking prices that were out of whack in February, but as the year wore on, prices came down, and they got close enough where buyers pushed home sale transaction near an all time high. The chart:

Can’t see the chart? You can find it Here .

What should active home buyers do in SHREWSBURY ?

Prices are where they should be now, and there are some value and still some overpriced homes in Shrewsbury. There are choices though -as the number of homes for sale has been rising off the lows seen in February. Some caution is warranted though, because Shrewsbury - at $208/sq foot - isn't all that cheap. I like Northborough prices better.

What should potential home sellers do in SHREWSBURY ?

The chart below is very illuminating for sellers. I had many, many sellers tell me it's OK that there house is overpriced, because they only need one home buyer to like the price. But with the amount of information out there, home buyers are a lot more likely to just NOT buy, and switch towns or just wait it out. Buyers held their ground, and mostly were validated. In February, the average home seller was asking 20% more than the past sale price. *wow*. Now, they are only asking 2%, as asking prices have fallen 15%.  Buyers did come up - a little - but hardly outside of seasonal norms.

SHREWSBURY Houses For Sale and Sold Market Statistics - Raw MLS Data

• SHREWSBURY ‘s “Home Seller Index” (HSI): 163 Last Report: 150
• There are 119 homes listed as For Sale.
• There have been 286 houses sold in the last 6 months, and 187 homes sold in the last 3 months in SHREWSBURY .
• The Average number of Days on Market was 41 days for just SOLD homes.
• There is an Average Market Time of 108 days of the SHREWSBURY homes For Sale (currently for sale).
• The amount that was paid in Dollars per Square Foot averaged $208 (vs. 199 in the last report)
• Current sellers are looking for $212 /sq. foot
• There was an Average Sold Price of $451,187 for sold homes.
• SHREWSBURY , MA, has 2 properties advertised as lender owned or foreclosure (typically foreclosure) .
• There are 0 properties advertised as a short-sale is going to be needed by the lender.

All raw data are for Single Family Houses and based on data in MLS. Matt’s HSI is proprietary*, and is designed to offer town-by-town information, instead of large scale trends.

*That means you won’t find it anywhere else. Take that, Case-Schilling!.

Don’t Go Just Yet! More Information for you…

• Should I buy a home that has well water and not city or town water?
• How can I tell if a basement gets water in my potential home purchase?.
• Southborough MA town page and information
• Thinking of being a landlord for investment? Here’s some quick tips.
• How do Home Property Assessments Relate to Real Estate prices? Should I use them for a valuation?
• Landlords: How to prepare for a new tenant
• How Serious is Moss or Lichen on my Roof shingles?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.

The Northbridge Homes For Sale Market Report

Do home buyers like the prices in Northbridge? This chart says they do, as the number of home sales (transaction volume) set a record in this report for Northbridge.

Can’t see the chart? You can find it Here .

What's so special here? Well, surrounding towns have increase prices, but Northbridge has been lagging - with new construction keeping a lid on prices. All of a sudden they look like a value.

What should active home buyers do in Northbridge?

Prices haven't moved up very much, so there is plenty of value in Northbridge. Certain price ranges are full of homes for sale and new construction. While you should always be very careful purchasing new construction, there are good values here still.

What should potential home sellers do in Northbridge?

Home sellers should probably wait a little bit more if they can. This spring, there will probably be back logs of new construction, and that will put pressure on re-sale inventory, and help move prices up. Not sure that's happening yet, the price data is improving -but only marginally.

Northbridge Houses For Sale and Sold Market Statistics - Raw MLS Data

• Northbridge‘s “Home Seller Index” (HSI): 132 Last Report: 119
• There are 63 homes listed as For Sale.
• There have been 129 houses sold in the last 6 months, and 84 homes sold in the last 3 months in Northbridge.
• The Average number of Days on Market was 60 days for just SOLD homes.

  Despite cooler temperatures, the Northbridge Real Estate market remains warm.

• There is an Average Market Time of 164 days of the Northbridge homes For Sale (currently for sale).
• The amount that was paid in Dollars per Square Foot averaged $163 (vs. $158 in the last report)
• Current sellers are looking for $167 /sq foot
• There was an Average Sold Price of $326,059 for sold homes.
• Northbridge, MA, has 4 properties advertised as lender owned or foreclosure (typically foreclosure) .
• There are 2 properties advertised as a short-sale is going to be needed by the lender.

All raw data are for Single Family Houses and based on data in MLS. Matt’s HSI is proprietary*, and is designed to offer town-by-town information, instead of large scale trends.

*That means you won’t find it anywhere else. Take that, Case-Schilling!.

Don’t Go Just Yet! More Information for you…

• Should I buy a home that has well water and not city or town water?
• How can I tell if a basement gets water in my potential home purchase?.
• Southborough MA town page and information
• Thinking of being a landlord for investment? Here’s some quick tips.
• How do Home Property Assessments Relate to Real Estate prices? Should I use them for a valuation?
• Landlords: How to prepare for a new tenant
• How Serious is Moss or Lichen on my Roof shingles?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.

The Northborough Homes For Sale Market Report

Northborough prices have firmed, but we are starting to see a homes for sale inventory build. Will it be enough to pull prices down? Probably not, as the good stuff is under pressure, with sales times of just 37 days on market.

Can’t see the chart? You can find it Here .

What should active home buyers do in Northborough?

This is one market that hasn't gotten too far ahead of itself. Home sellers are asking more $ than the recent past sales, but not so much where it looks odd. A typical amount of reaching. Buyers will find some price ranges very thin with choices, but others will have good choices and prices that could look good in a few months.

What should potential home sellers do in Northborough?

Home sellers look to be making some good choices right now. Not overreaching, and listing close enough where buyers can make decisions. All home sellers should be very aware of their micro market, as the level of competition in there market is a big indicator of how aggressive they can be.

Northborough Houses For Sale and Sold Market Statistics - Raw MLS Data

• Northborough‘s “Home Seller Index” (HSI):158 Last Report: 170
• There are 57 homes listed as For Sale.
• There have been 114 houses sold in the last 6 months, and 74 homes sold in the last 3 months in Northborough.
• The Average number of Days on Market was 37 days for just SOLD homes.
• There is an Average Market Time of 140 days of the Northborough homes For Sale (currently for sale).
• The amount that was paid in Dollars per Square Foot averaged $200 (vs. 202 in the last report)
• Current sellers are looking for $210 /sq foot
• There were 0 properties advertised as lender owned or foreclosure (typically foreclosure) .
• There are 3 properties advertised as a short-sale is going to be needed by the lender.

All raw data are for Single Family Houses and based on data in MLS. Matt’s HSI is proprietary*, and is designed to offer town-by-town information, instead of large scale trends.

*That means you won’t find it anywhere else. Take that, Case-Schilling!.

Don’t Go Just Yet! More Information for you…

• Should I buy a home that has well water and not city or town water?
• How can I tell if a basement gets water in my potential home purchase?.
• Southborough MA town page and information
• Thinking of being a landlord for investment? Here’s some quick tips.
• How do Home Property Assessments Relate to Real Estate prices? Should I use them for a valuation?
• Landlords: How to prepare for a new tenant
• How Serious is Moss or Lichen on my Roof shingles?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.

Sox Finish in the Cellar - Management Cleans House

It became clear early on, that it wasn't going to be the Red Sox year. When? Well, I know that I had that "oh oh" moment the same day that Vasquez - their lockdown defense catcher - blew out his elbow. It didn't get a lot of play, but it meant their starting catcher was now Ryan Hanigan, who wasn't on the Sox last year. Ryan did well, but suddenly you had new pitchers: Joe Kelly, Rick Porcello, Wade Miley, and all the Rookies - Ownes, Rodriguez and more - depending on a journeyman catcher.

It had the makings of a disaster.

And unfortunately, that's how it played out. The pitching was horrific in the early going, and by the time they righted the ship, the team had a couple of key injuries and began to fade fast.

To blame it all on Vasquez is unfair, but it was a major injury at a spot where they had no depth, and the whole plan at some level relied on his ability to transition everyone.

Quickly, Management started looking at everyone. The pitching coach was swiftly canned. As things continued to take on water, and with Lucchino either walking away or shoved out, Sox management decided more change was needed and pulled in Dubrowski. Realizing his authority was going to be cut in half - if not more - Cherrington decided he would seek greener pastures. I think that was a mistake - he could have stayed put and probably earned his way back - but I don't know the details, that's just my gut.

Will we Miss Cherrington?

This is probably the toughest call to make, even with his tenure in the books. A GM has three pillars to make a successful club.

1) Drafting

2) Free Agents/Payroll Management

3) Trades

It's not clear to me why, but Cherrington seem to have a knack for drafting late bloomers. JBJ, Boegarts, Swihart perhaps, Vasquez perhaps, and some that didn't bloom at all, or at least haven't yet. (Middlebrooks, Lavarnway). And we've been hearing for years about the pitching, but no one has been able to take the mantle of a starter and hold on to it for long. I do know we've been waiting for players for a long time, but it's hard to determine if that's just because they aren't ever going to do anything. Mookie Betts has been the one sure thing, and at least needs to get credit for that.

As far as free agents, you have to give him credit for 2013, and you have to hold his feet to the fire for 2014 and 2015. Virtually none of the big ticket contracts have looked smart, and the ones that worked so well in 2013 eventually clogged the roster by the end of their tenure, Napoli and Victorino front and center. Having said that, the only three "untradeable" players/ contracts are Dustin Pedrioa, Porcello (who may yet pull a Lackey on us), and Hanley Ramirez. Sandoval is close, but maybe this year he takes the hint and realizes that Father time is cruel to those whose weight goes above their batting average. At any rate, despite the mistakes, the payroll doesn't look anything as convoluted as the Yankees, and is far less risky.

Trades. Trades might have done him in. Rodriguez was clearly the one lone standout. The trades last year were high risk, high reward, and they all looked like there would be close to zero return on the assets traded. Of course, they didn't trade a lot of value, so I think the expectations were high here, but you did need to get something, even if they were prospects that you could flip to a team for a proven vet.

Add it all up, and it was judged not good enough. But I'm not sure Dumbroski can do better-his trade prospects mentatlity has left Detroit in serious trouble. Fortunately, he seems smart enough to know he doesn't need to clean house. Whether or not we miss Cherrington will come down to how good Dumbroski does.  But enough about the Boss.  Let's look at some Red Sox bright spots, and there were some!

Red Sox 4: A New Hope

Quick: Who was the second best short stop in MLB? You guessed it: Xander Boegarts. After a long (very long) struggle to find the right player at SS, they now have the guy. He got better as the year progressed, showed a knack for knocking guys in, and nobody thinks he's near his ceiling. He is a bonafide, build your club around him star. Mookie Betts is right behind him though, and if you've got Swihart, who started to look GOOD as the season wore on, paired up with Vasquez, Xander/Pedroia up the middle, and Mookie in Center (or a revitalized JBJ), you're cooking with gas. Seriously, you can work around the rest.

As bad as they were at times - and they were putrid - they still ended up forth in runs. So the Offense isn't broken. And looking at the position players above, you can see why. The starting pitching though, well, that's another story.

Starting Pitching

What to make of Rick Porcello? is he a three? a Four? For sure - he's not a one. But I don't think he's being paid that way. He's getting paid like a #2 pitcher. We'll see if he earns his keep.

As confusing as Porcello is, Joe Kelly is an even bigger mystery. Either his stuff doesn't translate, or his head gets in the way of his arm. Either way, counting on him is probably not going to happen. He's a four.

Buckholz is great, but you can only get half a season out of him.

Wade Miley looks to be a streaky innings eater. Every staff needs ones.

Rodriques clearly has the most promise. He gave you 21 games and a 3.85. For a young, maturing pitcher, you keep him.

Buckholz - who's reasonably priced option will be picked up - and Kelly probably have the most trade value. They would make sense in a deal of major league ready players who - if you get lucky - could be difference makers. Perhaps they get traded for an ace or a near ace, with a prospect or two. That leaves you with an Ace, Rodriguez, Porcello, Miley, and Owens - with more prospects in case of injury - and could be good enough if the offense continues to improve. That would mean Sandoval bouncing back, Ortiz continuing to defy father time, and Hanley Ramieriez at least pretending to be interested. But it could happen. We'll check in again after the winter meeting, and maybe more trade speculation in the meantime.

The Natick Homes For Sale Market Report

Home buyers continue to push on prices in Natick. But prices, while still going up, are starting to show signs of halting there dizzying ascent.

Can’t see the chart? You can find it Here .

That's right, the HSI has been trending down, admittedly from a very high level, for 18 months. It's still over 200, but with inventory levels rising, things aren't the same. Homes are still moving quickly, and prices are still moving up, but as more and more sellers ask higher and higher prices, things are slowing down.

To put it in perspective, prices are up $50 a sq foot since I started tracking - that's about 21% - and that rise is faster than the surrounding towns.

What should active home buyers do in Natick?

Buyers should think about expanding their search. This slow down is an indicator that other buyers are finding value in other towns, and that suggests that prices have little room to run. If you are going to duke it out, be motivated and do your homework! Good condition homes are still selling in competitive situations, and you won't have time to think about what it's worth when the time comes.

What should potential home sellers do in Natick?

Home sellers are still enjoying the run. Fast sales, and pushing up prices. The current actives are listed at over $300 a sq foot, a healthy premium over the spring sales. I expect sellers to do some discounts, but even with some sharp discounting, prices will be above where recent closings have indicated. Be careful though. Listed homes are sitting for over 70 days - showing if you push prices too much above expectations, buyers are not taking the bait.

Natick Houses For Sale and Sold Market Statistics - Raw MLS Data

• Natick‘s “Home Seller Index” (HSI): 202 Last Report: 186
• There are 87 homes listed as For Sale.
• There have been 261 houses sold in the last 6 months, and 164 homes sold in the last 3 months in Natick.
• The Average number of Days on Market was 31 days for just SOLD homes.
• There is an Average Market Time of 72 days of the Natick homes For Sale (currently for sale).
• The amount that was paid in Dollars per Square Foot averaged 282 (vs. 273 in the last report)
• Current sellers are looking for $301 /sq foot
• There was an Average Sold Price of $617,183 for sold homes.
• Natick, MA, has 0 properties advertised as lender owned or foreclosure (typically foreclosure) .
• There are 2 properties advertised as a short-sale is going to be needed by the lender.

All raw data are for Single Family Houses and based on data in MLS. Matt’s HSI is proprietary*, and is designed to offer town-by-town information, instead of large scale trends.

*That means you won’t find it anywhere else. Take that, Case-Schilling!.

Don’t Go Just Yet! More Information for you…

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• How can I tell if a basement gets water in my potential home purchase?.
• Southborough MA town page and information
• Thinking of being a landlord for investment? Here’s some quick tips.
• How do Home Property Assessments Relate to Real Estate prices? Should I use them for a valuation?
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• How Serious is Moss or Lichen on my Roof shingles?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.