9 turns 10 soon & wants her own room. Wallpaper has got to go! (Photo credit: LesleyLambert)

This is the time of year that people in Western Massachusetts start thinking about putting their home on the real estate market. When they do, the smart ones invite their trusted REALTOR in to give advice on staging prior to listing the home.

I have been on many of these types of appointments in Western MA over the past couple of months and inevitably there is one main thing that needs to be addressed: paint.

Such a simple thing, paint, but not easy. It is messy and time consuming and hiring professionals can get pricey, but let me tell you something…you need to do it!

Even a home that is already fairly neutral will benefit from a fresh coat of paint, but most homes haven’t been painted in years or are decorated with colors that might turn off potential buyers.

Now, if you have wallpaper on the walls we have a whole other issue. Buyers HATE wallpaper. Yes, that expensive paper that you have loved is a deterrent to the sale of your home. No, the buyer can’t “just deal with it”. The buyer will buy a house without wallpaper and with a fresh coat of paint! The wallpaper needs to come down, the walls need a coat of neutral (but not cold) paint.

The last issue I encounter often is the paneled basement rec room. Most paneling is dark and while you might feel that lends to the coziness of the room, most people think it looks dated and cave-like. Removing the paneling is expensive, but this can get a coat of paint, too! Prep the paneling with a primer like Kilz and then paint with regular paint over that.

The next question is what color to paint. Here is some advice from an article on AOL Real Estate:

Repainting the Kitchen

In the kitchen it’s good to stay in the orange, red and yellow colors. It is said that they work because they’re food related, but remember to keep them soft and neutral.

Repainting the Bathroom

Paint should be light in these smaller spaces with pops of color brought in with accessories.  Creamy tans and warm beige tones work best.

Repainting the Bedroom

No bright colors here as this is the quiet sanctuary.  If a bath is attached, keep the colors in the same palette.

In general:

Remember that white is too stark and is a turn off to buyers.  Think warm and comforting while still being neutral.

If you are in Western Massachusetts and are wondering what you should do to get your home ready to sell, I am happy to help.  I offer staging and preparation tips at no obligation … just call me:  Lesley Lambert, Park Square Realty, 413-575-3611.

Pinterest (Photo credit: LesleyLambert)

On the latest episode of the TREW Show (The Real Estate Wrapup), Nick shares a helpful website that shows what school zone a neighborhood uses. I share my Staging Your Home for Sale board on Pinterest and Nick and I discuss the spring real estate market in Western Massachusetts and beyond.

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Map showing the counties typically considered to make up Western Massachusetts (dark green). Worcester County is considered to be either western or central Massachusetts (light green). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Over the past few weeks the economic outlook for real estate has improved in Western Massachusetts. As a real estate agent in Western Massachusetts for the past 23 years, I have seen a lot of change in the local real estate market. Park Square Realty has noticed a few key elements that will impact the real estate market in Western MA this Spring.

Mortgage rates have been at a lifetime low, but they won’t last forever. Over the past week the rates have been creeping up and it is probably time to ask your lender about a “rate lock” and start seriously hunting for your new home.

Rising interest rates could spur more activity in home sales in Western Massachusetts. As a home buyer this means you want to get out there quickly and get your dream home before the competition grows. If you are a home seller in Western MA then you want to get your house on the market now to try to be there when the buyers show up.

This January and February have been the best two months in winter home sales in the past five years.

Let’s hope these economic indicators are a sign of improvement in Western Massachusetts real estate!

If you are looking to buy a home in Western MA or sell your Western MA home, I will help you make it happen!

Find out How Much Your Home is Worth…Click Here!

Search All Homes For Sale Free List of Foreclosed Homes For Sale What is your home worth? Homes Close to Where You Work Lesley Lambert Park Square Realty 4135753611 realestate.lesleylambert@gmail.com

Find your Dream home!

Search All Homes For Sale Free List of Foreclosed Homes For Sale What is your home worth? Homes Close to Where You Work Lesley Lambert Park Square Realty 4135753611 realestate.lesleylambert@gmail.com

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• Real Estate in Western MA is up by almost 200% according to Park Square Realty (westernmahomes.net)
• Park Square Realty Showing Large Growth in Real Estate Activity in Western MA (westernmahomes.net)
• Why You Should Hire Lesley Lambert, REALTOR in Western MA (westernmahomes.net)
• Why It Matters if Your Western MA Real Estate Agent is Tech Savvy (westernmahomes.net)

This week I received my first really nasty comment on my blog.

Image via Wikipedia

My first instinct was to delete and ignore.  My mother always warned me that engaging with angry people is fruitless and much like poking a tiger.

My second thought was, wait, there is a blog post here.  It might be a sort of blogger’s illness that I want to turn everything into a blog post, but I really want to explore the question that this nasty comment brought up and I want your input, too.

Do me a favor, though?   Make the comments a bit less nasty.  On second thought, maybe I find nasty comments inspiring.

Without further ado, here is the aforementioned comment:

The fact that you have facebook, twitter and a blog doesn’t make you tech saavy it makes you like everyone else in the world including my 10 year old nephew. Do you know XML? PHP? C+? Ruby on Rails? CSS? I didn’t think so. You real estate agents are pathetic.

I used that quote directly via cut and paste and left the bad spelling in place but I do know how to spell SAVVY.

Now, I CAN actually do some amateur coding, but I really don’t see how that is relevant to being a tech savvy real estate agent.  Is Ruby on Rails going to assist me when negotiating a contract?  Do I need to know CSS to assist a buyer client in finding their perfect home?

I use technology to be a more efficient and effective real estate agent in Western Massachusetts.

I define tech savvy as the ability to use technology to perform my job in a better way than I could without the technology.  I think my effective use of iPhone, iPad, a blog, cloud applications and social media does make me tech savvy.

How do you define Tech Savvy?

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The economy is creating a strange situation.  On the one hand, people are in tight spaces and are being forced to face reality and leave their homes via distressed sales like a Short Sale or Foreclosure.

On the other hand, home prices in Western Massachusetts have hit what many consider the bottom and interest rates are the lowest we are likely to to see in our lifetime.  This creates a great buying environment, especially for investors and first time buyers.

Here are some interesting facts that were brought up at the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS state conference earlier this fall…

- They just raised the “Right to Cure” in Massachusetts…. It’s a minimum of 150 days before and bank/lender can start foreclosure proceedings… (This is due to the volume of foreclosures)

- 1 out of every 3 properties in Massachusetts are distressed…

- 34% of all sales (2010) were first time home buyers…

- 13% of all sales are short sales …

- 27% of all sales are foreclosed properties.

- 22% of all sales are investment properties.

- 35% of all sales are cash sales.

If you are a homeowner in Western MA that needs help with a distressed sale, I have the experience it takes to get your home sold and help you move on with your life.

If you are a home buyer in Western MA, I can help you to find the best opportunity for you no matter if you are a first time buyer, investment buyer or move up buyer.

Contact me, Lesley Lambert of Park Square Realty at 413-575-3611 or use the contact me button to the left of this post.

Related articles

• Foreclosure Properties for sale in Westfield, MA 01085 (westernmahomes.net)
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There are still a lot of changes in the housing, real estate and mortgage sector and these can be confusing to most people.

Today while driving to show a house, I listened to “On Point”, on NPR. Their interview with three authorities proves that real estate is local and that mainstream national media figures are not usually reflective of what is happening here for real estate in Western MA.

Most areas of Western MA were not driven as high during the boom. As such, they didn’t feel as much of the crash, either. There are, however, areas in Western MA that were heavily impacted with foreclosures. It pays to have a local expert who can discuss the facts as they apply to your home.

If you are curious about the housing market and what the future may hold, I recommend that you listen to this story…I found it very informative.

Based on Park Square Realty’s Showdesk Tracking, during the same 3 month period from 2010 and 2011:

2011 showed 22 more pending sales (+ 61.1% increase).

This year, we had 262 fewer recorded showings on Park Square listings (40.4% decrease).. This means that we are experiencing less showings yet more sales.

The average Sale Price of a home represented by Park Square Realty in Western Massachusetts is up from $153,750 (in 2010) to $ 192,927 (in 2011) which is a 25.5% increase.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS TELL US?

Things are getting better in the Western MA real estate market!

- More Park Square Listings are selling… (great sign)

- Less Showings yet More Sales – this means buyers are buying quicker… (great sign)

- Average Sale Price is up 25.5%… (great sign)

This also means that it’s a really great time to put your house on the market (inventory is down and buyers are buying).

There is a basic SUPPLY & DEMAND issue… Less Supply = More Demand and the home sellers that move fast will be the ones to capture the market.

If you are thinking of selling your Western MA home, I hope you will give me an opportunity to interview for the job.

photo credit

I love everything about gardens. I love exploring garden centers, selecting my special new additions to the landscape, getting into comfortable gardening clothes and spending a day in the sunshine getting muddy and tired. I even like the soothing monotony of weeding, once in awhile!

Here in Western Massachusetts we have lots of inspiration and ideas to be found in area gardens in parks, historic estates and neighbor’s yards.

My weakness is perennial flowers, but my daughters love annuals and we usually focus on the flowers that butterflies enjoy. Our favorite shopping destination is Meadowview Nurseries in Southwick , MA which is only open a few short months, but has a huge selection and good prices. We can spend hours (and a lot of money) bonding over our flowers and I tell them what each flower is best used for and what the names mean. It can get busy, but the check out lines move fast and the selection is worth it! Just remember to bring your checkbook or cash, no credit taken here.

A great resource for learning some fun facts about flowers is this post from The Gardening Channel, for example, did you know that Tulip bulbs can be substituted for onions in a recipe?

As a real estate agent in Western MA, I can tell you that an attractive landscape will go a long way in the saleability of your home. If you are currently selling your home it has been proven that yellow flowers attract more buyer attention.

Do you like gardening? What kind of gardening do you do in Western MA? Where is your favorite place to buy plants?

Image via Wikipedia

Mortgage rates are on the rise and home buyers and home sellers in Western Massachusetts need to know what the changing rates mean to their buying and selling power.

Let’s take a look at a specific example in a post that I wrote for Masslive.com:

Susie Buyer wants to purchase a $200,000 house. Her current loan is set at 5% with $10,000 down over 30 years. Her monthly payment is approximately $1,230.

She waits on making her purchase and interest rates rise to 6% changing her monthly payment to $1,350.

Now, you may say to yourself, “well, that is only $120 a month, not a big deal”. However…this change will affect her debt to income ratios and in many cases will reduce her buying power. It is very possible that Susie will now have to reduce her purchase level to $184,000 or lower to meet her guidelines and keep the monthly payment at about $1,230. Now I think we can all agree that $16,000 or more is pretty significant.

Susie qualifies for less home, which will surely be disappointing to her when she starts to comparison shop, but is also significant for home sellers.

When rates go up the pool of buyers who qualify to purchase your home goes down.

What can you do about it?

Buyers can get qualified now and lock in their rate for as long as possible.

Sellers can make sure that their home is priced competitively to attract as many qualified buyers as possible.

The important thing is to understand that 1% is more than you think.

I began my real estate career with my mom who was broker/owner of a small office in Westfield, MA for decades.  She retired and closed her office while I was on maternity leave.  When I decided it was time to re-enter the real estate profession I picked Park Square Realty because they run their company with the same values and concepts that my mother and I believed in.

Another reason that I chose Park Square Realty was because of their high standards for full time REALTORS.  These standards have created an environment of excellence and high production.  Our team is small, about 55 agents (compared to our nearest competitions over 200 agents), but mighty.

I am proud to report that our company remains the top company for our service area in 2010.

PARK SQUARE REALTY IS:

#1 Real Estate Company for home sales in Westfield Sales in 2010.

#1 Real Estate Company for home sales in West Springfield, Agawam/Feeding Hills, Southwick & Westfield Quadrant Sales in 2010.

#1 Real Estate Company for home sales in Agawam, Feeding Hills & Westfield Sales in 2010.

The final standings for the agents in the company aren’t out as of this post, but I was the #1 agent for the first half of 2010.  This has been a good year for Park Square Realty and for me and I look forward to another year of helping people in Western Massachusetts buy and sell homes.  Please let me know if you have any questions or need help!