Happy to report this listing of Heisler & Mattson has sold. Some of the homes on Southville road are right next to the train tracks, as this one was, making it tricky to find a buyer, but it just proves the adage there's a house for every buyer, and a buyer for every house.
Do Good Things Today!
Matt Heisler
*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.
Northborough hasn't improved since the last report. Just too many houses for sale. The numbers might be a shade better, but this report really lacks the significant improvement in other towns. Really not sure why first time buyers are ignoring some of the values in Northborough, and there are some homes in pending that might come through on the next report, but either way, Northborough may continue to be a struggle for sellers who aren't aware of the competition, and buyers may find lots of options.
Find Your Next Home or Check out the Competition!
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Northborough Home Sales remain sluggish compared to other towns |
*All statistics are for Single Family Homes. Read my Explanation for Massachusetts Home Data Reports.
Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of Heisler & Mattson Properties. He has been selling residential real-estate for over 20 years. He has given several talks on real estate, including presentations on first-time buyer tips & tricks, and profiting in real estate investing in Massachusetts. 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.
My folks moved fast when the right property came up, and were able to get in before the market tightened up, despite a competitive bid. Great job!
View Larger Map Do Good Things Today!
Matt Heisler
*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.
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Home Sellers have Reason to Celebrate in Natick |
Well, there not too many ways to say this: Natick in this report has set an all time, all Metrowest record in my hot seller index. I never thought I'd see one in the 120's, but we have that. So, what's to say? If you're thinking of selling your home in Natick, I can affirm that this is the single best time since 2005. I have a hard-time believing it will last - you can only out sell your inventory for so long. Frustrated that you can't sell? You're in the VAST minority, call me when your contract is up.
Now, if you're buying in Natick, and you're looking for that nice house in a neighborhood that doesn't need any work? Don't expect it to sit. Don't expect to negotiate, unless it's wildly over priced. With just 76 Days on market for sold (not a record, but close - I think Natick dropped below 70 last year), things are moving crazy quick. If there are other towns in your search criteria, I'd focus there, values and competition will be better suited for your search.
Sales are slowing down somewhat, but that's only because all the good stuff is gone. Congrats to Natick for the record!
Show Me Natick, MA Homes for Sale
*All statistics are for Single Family Homes. Read my Explanation for Massachusetts Home Data Reports.
Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of Heisler & Mattson Properties. He has been selling residential real-estate for over 20 years. He has given several talks on real estate, including presentations on first-time buyer tips & tricks, and profiting in real estate investing in Massachusetts. 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.
Before I forget, the Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski Ads are really well done. My favorite is here, the one where Baldwin runs all the way up the LIE. Too angry to drive.
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It's been a good series, but I don't think we'll see the Yankees in October |
Anyway, originally, I was going to do the next post about Texas and/or Detroit, but with the Yankees in town, one last gasp at the rivalry before the playoffs. This series, so far, has played out like much like the whole season, and I think it just really demonstrates that the Sox really have the Yankees' number this year. Now, as I'm writing this, the rubber match is in doubt, Sox up 2-1, but as a Sox fan, it's hard not to like what you see. Game 1 went to the Yanks, but you needed a herculean effort from Sabathia, who was in trouble all night, and he was pitching against Lackey. The Yanks need Sabathia to beat the Sox, and I just don't believe he can. Game 2 was Beckett beating the Yanks - again - with a solid effort. In both games, the Sox guys you need to perform were doing just that, (with the exception of A. Gonzales against CC Sabathia, yikes...). It's also nice to know that Boone Logan isn't the same guy on back to back nights, and Papelbon is having an otherwordly year. With all that, you had to think that Burnett would get blown up tonight, but he held it together for 5+ innings, and really, I thought, pitched well. His curve had depth and he was spotting the fastball, even when getting squeezed by the ump. Maybe he will crack the post season rotation! The games have been very entertaining, but regardless of the outcome, I still think the Yankees are short offensively and defensively.
There were a number of analysts that assumed the Yanks would continue to win and the Sox would struggle on that last road trip, but it turned out the other way - the Sox got hot again, and the Yankees came to town in second place. I still think the Yankees will struggle down the stretch, and although I'm running out of days, I think the Sox will comfortably win the division, and get to set their rotation.
I don't think anyone has been on Jeter's case more than me. Somehow, after playing like someon's grandfather, he gets hurt, and then after a few weeks on the DL, he comes back and hits like nobodys business. He's been on-fire, pulling his average up and looking more like a much younger version of himself. 2 for 8 in the series with one RBI, he's been a non-factor, but the fact that his average is anywhere close to .300 is fairly surprising. So I was wrong about Jeter collapsing this year, but I am so often wrong about the Yankees getting old. (For some reason, they have the fountain of youth in that stadium. They have more players over 35 that don't get hurt and defy gravity with their numbers...Are you listening Mo?). Also, I need to tip the cap to Curtis Granderson. Hey, how was I to know he'd stay on track to increase his OPS by almost two hundred points over the average of the last two years? I do think the home run totals are inflated by playing at home run friendly Yankee stadium, but still, quite a year for Granderson.
Do Good Things Today!
Matt Heisler
*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.
Millis has improved, but mostly held steady since the last report. There's a few properties inflating some of the Days on Market stats, but for the most part, a neutral market, favoring neither buyers or sellers, is in Millis. Things may improve a bit as a few sales are pending and not included in this report, depending on how much fall inventory shows up. Distressed sales are down sharply, showing good risk appetite and buyer willingness to do hard deals in Millis, good signs going forward.
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Millis, Massachusetts is a neutral real estate market. |
*All statistics are for Single Family Homes.
Read my Explanation for Massachusetts Home Data Reports.
Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of Heisler & Mattson Properties. He has been selling residential real-estate for over 20 years. He has given several talks on real estate, including presentations on first-time buyer tips & tricks, and profiting in real estate investing in Massachusetts. 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.
Well, the storm track has firmed up over the last couple of days, and Mass is right in the path of Hurricane Irene. I noted that the Hurricane path looks a lot like Hurricane Gloria, which had the rather dubious distinction of having the eye pass directly over my home in Southborough, which is a unique experience.
Hopefully, Irene will weaken substantially as it works it's way up the coast, and as it's already considerably smaller than Gloria, do not much more than get us good and soaked as it goes by. But you can never tell for sure, so here are some links to some Hurricane preparedness websites.
Notices:
Massachusetts Department of Public Safety, with notes on weather, traffic reports, and other important notices, should they become necessary.
Weather Reports from Weather Underground
Preparedness:
From NOAA:
Thoughts about preparedness:
Some Hurricanes bring wind, some bring rain, and some bring both.
A) Clean your Gutters and make sure they are working properly. This is a great time to add extra extensions to your gutters, and get the rain as far away from your foundation as possible.
B) Check your patios and lawns for any dangerous objects that need to be tied down or removed from the weather. Including: Umbrellas, Lawn furniture, Swing sets, Screen Doors (make sure they close tight and can't be opened by the wind), Shutters, Toys, anything and anything that might fly around with 60-90 mph winds! Those object can become projectiles in a windy storm.
C) Check your neighbors too and remind them - their items might be your problem!
D) Move cars and other objects out from under trees/limbs and the like.
E) Be prepared for a loss of power. Hurricane Gloria knocked out power for 250,000 people. Get coolers with ice for temporary storage of items so you can keep your fridge and freezer closed.
F) Test your sump pump. Make sure the outlet hose is clear.
G) If you're in an area where the roads flood easily, consider going somewhere else. If the roads flood, you could be stuck.
H) Make sure cell phones and other battery devices are fully charged as the storm gears up, and if you lose power, use them sparingly.
G) If your basement has flooded before, and you have pumps, check to make sure they are working and set up.
Do Good Things Today!
Matt Heisler
*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.
Nice Profile of Mark's Moving and Storage in Westborough.
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Mark's Moving and Storage has been In Metrowest for Years |
We've had many customers over the years use them, so I found it interesting. Hope you do too!
Matt
Do Good Things Today!
Matt Heisler
*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.
If you're thinking about buying a short-sale, you should first understand how one works. A Short-Sale is a process required when the house isn't worth, to the prospective buyers, the amount that is outstanding to the bank(s), AND the owners of the home can not pay the difference. If there are $400,000 in outstanding mortgages, and the house is only worth $350,000, and the seller's can't pay the $50,000, then the house will have to be "sold short", meaning that the lender will have to "Settle" the debt for less than it's full amount.
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Understanding the Short Sale Process Saves you Time and Money |
Now, if I owed YOU money, and I said I can't pay it back, well, you'd probably be a little miffed. You'd be downright upset if it was $50,000. And most short-sales in this area are short by 35,000-250,000, depending on when they bought the house, and how much they bought it for. And the banks, by and large, aren't really happy when asked to do a short-sale. This is not a "Win/Win" for everyone - the banks take a big hit. Once you understand that the banks really don't WANT to do these sales, the process starts to make more sense.
First off, an owner of a home generally can't call up his bank, and say, "I'm going to sell my house and not pay you the full amount of loan back, so make me an offer!"
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That's not going to work. Most banks won't even discuss a short-sale beyond the basics until the seller has an offer in hand. Since that's the case, for most buyers, you'll be testing the bank's appetite for a short sale only AFTER you've written an offer, had it accepted, and been through most of the basic contingencies (Home Inspection, P & S, Etc.). That means, that it may very well turn out that the bank says, "no deal", and you won't be buying this house.
For a buyer, a short sale process goes through the following steps:
A) Offer is accepted by Seller
B) Offer is submitted to Bank/Lender
C) Bank decides if the Short Sale is the best option for the bank. Analysis takes a long time!
D) Bank will do BPO (Broker Price Opinions). Most banks do more than one. BPO's are a signal that the bank is thinking about approving the deal, and they are close to a decision.
E) If Yes, Deal is approved, sometimes with conditions, and Closing is scheduled quickly
F) Buyer Closes on Property.
There are many reasons a bank would refuse to do a short-sale.
A) The price of the short-sale property agreed to is too low. If the bank can get more for the property, it will try to get it.
B) The seller can pay the shortage. As noted above, if the bank feels the seller can pay the full mortgage, they will encourage him to do so - by not letting the owner sell his house. Typically, you need to be in fairly tough straights financially to get a short-sale done. (There are exceptions, but most people need a HARDSHIP LETTER)
C) The bank feels foreclosure is a better option. Although I often feel the banks are too quick to go down the foreclosure path, (more on that in this short sale article), the fact is that the banks often feel the best way to "minimize their loss" is foreclose on the property, and that means no short-sale will be accepted.
When buying a home that will have to be sold short, you should be prepared! Here are the best ways to be prepared.
A) First, understand that you DON'T KNOW when the closing will be. Until the bank approves the deal, expect deadlines and timelines to be basically meaningless. The Lender works on his schedule, not yours.
B) If you're selling your house first, make sure you have somewhere to live if your closing date can't be moved. Yes, you may have to sell - and be unable to buy - so you need a back-up plan.
C) If you are renting, make sure you are going month-to-month. Again, that's a safe back-up plan. Even if it's more expensive, at least you won't be out on the street.
D) Watch your rate-locks. Be aware that in all likelihood, a 60 day rate lock will be long gone by the time you close your deal. Extending attractive rate locks is typically very expensive - and you'll be on the hook for it. You're likely better off waiting until the bank gives the OK before doing a rate lock.
E) Watch for the end of the quarter, end of the year. I often feel the banks wait until the end of the quarter or the year to make their final decisions. While this seems arbitrary, to them it makes sense. Pay extra attention when these milestones appear.
F) Have movers ready, but don't actually schedule them. When it happens, you'll have to move fast, most closings are in less than three weeks from Bank Approval. Don't get hit with cancellation charges, because it didn't close on time. It probably won't.
Do Good Things Today!
Matt Heisler
*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.
Milford, like many other Metrowest towns, has seen stronger than expected sales activity this summer. The buyers kept grabbing inventory well into August, resulting in stronger market for sellers more than expected for this time of year. Milford is still a neutral market, however with more sales on the way, further tightening is possible.
Desirable homes are moving quickly. Price changes have been successful in luring buyers and making sales. Buyers are still being picky in each price range, but are making deals when motivated!
Show Me Milford, MA Homes for Sale
*All statistics are for Single Family Homes.
Read my Explanation for Massachusetts Home Data Reports.
Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of Heisler & Mattson Properties. He has been selling residential real-estate for over 20 years. He has given several talks on real estate, including presentations on first-time buyer tips & tricks, and profiting in real estate investing in Massachusetts. 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.
