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Norfolk Market Update – March 2008

April 15, 2008

Here are the eight homes that sold in Norfolk during the month of March (2008):

31 Bridie Lane $522,500 3/12/2008

10 Marshall Street $381,000 3/28/2008

5 Barnstable Road $476,000 3/14/2008

49 Main Street $255,000 3/21/2008

14 Willow Place $665,000 3/28/2008

23 Fredrickson Road $679,000 3/19/2008

7 Riverpath Street $306,000 3/27/2008

13 Briarwood Road $420,000 3/28/2008

And here are the averages:

Average List Price: $480,413 (up 13.5% from March 2007)
Average Sale Price: $463,063 (up 13.8% from March 2007)
Average Days on Market (DOM): 204.64 (up 21.2% from March 2007)
Sale as % of List Price: 96.4% (down 0.4% from March 2007 – the same basically)

So what this tells us is, although the marketing time has increased about 21% since the same period last year (by roughly 40 days), the list prices and sales prices in Norfolk have increased roughly 14% since the same period last year. Buyers are still paying around 96-97% of the list price. That hasn’t really changed from year to year. So despite the gloom and doom we all hear on the news and read in the papers, the numbers indicate that March 2008 was a positive step up from March 2007 in Norfolk. Homes are still taking a little longer to sell, but they’re selling for more money.

If you have specific questions about the market, or individual properties, please call me directly on my cell at 617-828-4127. I’m available most times. Take care.

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A Little Boston.com Juice

April 15, 2008

My thanks to Binyamin Applebaum (Binyamin Applebaum, you gotta put me on, you gotta…you gotta…you gotta) resident real estate blogger at Boston.com for giving my story a little play with yesterday’s post.

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Thank you, ActiveRain. Sorry, Seth Godin.

April 12, 2008
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Thanks to @BradCoy for passing this along!

April 12, 2008

Ever get a song in your head that just won’t leave? How about adding an amazing video to it?

Evil Nine: “Crooked” featuring Aesop Rock

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Hottest Real Estate Websites

January 10, 2008

Hitwise has ranked the hottest real estate websites as of December 2007. Below is the list of the Top 20. The links aren’t active (unfortunately) but you can copy and paste. Move.com has lived up to its name and jumped from #4 to #2. Trulia has jumped nearly into the Top 10 at #11. The air has apparently leaked slightly from the RE/MAX hot air balloon, dropping 3 places to #5.  

Hitwise Dec 07 Rankings

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Radon: You Might Want To Get Tested, Dear.

January 8, 2008

 

Radon is an invisible, odorless gas that is a natural radioactive decay product of uranium, a common element in soil and rocks. Radon gas is considered harmless when dispersed in outdoor air but can be a serious health hazard when trapped in buildings.

Radon gas can seep into a home from the soil through dirt crawlspaces, cracks in the foundation and walls, floor drains, pipes and sump pumps. Radon can enter any home, old or new, even those with no visible cracks. Each building is unique, and the ground beneath it is also unique. Two houses side-by-side can have totally different radon levels. The only way to know what the radon levels are inside your home is to measure them. Read the rest of this entry »

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Pssst….sneak peek at a pre-MLS listing in award-winning Franklin, MA

January 7, 2008

This 4-bedroom, 2.5 bath colonial, built in 1990 is located in the desirable Dianna Estates subdivision of Franklin. The asking price is $530,000. It is not out there for the entire world to see on MLS yet and the owners have asked me to quietly bring them a buyer. Here is a list of the reasons why YOU should buy this house: Read the rest of this entry »

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Infinitely More Important Than Real Estate

January 6, 2008

Jaiden Tlapa

One of my colleagues, and one of the office’s most successful agents, Diane Tlapa, suffered a terrible tragedy on December 20th when her 8-year old granddaughter, Jaiden, had a horrific snowblower accident at her home in New Hampshire. She remains in critical conditions at Childrens’ Hospital in Boston. Updates on Jaiden’s progress can be found at the Ribbons for Jaiden blog. Whether you are religious or spiritual or not, please say a prayer for this special little girl. As a father, this one is very, very tough.

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A Very Congressional Christmas

December 29, 2007

Congress passed a favorable tax bill just before breaking for the holidays which has generous implications for real estate. A month ago if a couple, filing jointly, sold a principal residence they could exclude up to $500,000 in gain. Single filers could exclude up to $250,000. This is a huge chuck of change and a good reason people who buy homes below market value wait EXACTLY two years to sell them after living there. Heck, I know people who move every two years just to take the un-taxed gain! This was all well and good unless your spouse happen to die.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Evel Knievel R.I.P.

November 30, 2007

evel_knievel_1130.jpgevel3.jpg

My 3 absolute favorite toys growing up were (1) My Steve Austin Bionic Man Action Figure and spaceship (2) My G.I. Joe Action Figure and camp set and (3) My Evel Knievel stunt cycle.

R.I.P. Evel Knievel 1938-2007