Blog

Feb 21 2012

Paddy’s Irish Pub- Downtown Westfield

Morriss and I just visited Paddy’s Irish Pub on Elm Street in Westfield, MA for a casual dinner. Open for about a month, I had been wanting to stop in (not just because of my love for all things Irish).

We were both impressed with the upscale pub decor: lots of wood paneling, richly painted tin ceiling, nice lighting and good seating.

Our waitress, Shannon, greeted us quickly and after we perused the good sized draft beer samplings we ordered and were served quickly. The food is what I would describe as “upscale pub fare”. The servings were ample and the quality of the food was all good. We ordered a tomato soup, Caesar salad and quesadilla but we especially enjoyed the pesto pizza with caramelized onions, chicken and balsamic drizzle.

I am looking forward to making this a regular stop and thought that the setting was easily one of the nicest in town.

This is much more than a bar (although the bar is a nice looking one) and I recommend you give it a shot the next time you are looking for a nice casual dinner. Remember, if we want a vibrant and exciting downtown Westfield, it is up to us to make it that way!

I am adding this to my other favorite downtown destinations (besides Park Square Realty, obviously): Mama Cakes, Nails R Us, Ezra’s Mercantile and Leo’s Gallery Deli.

Feb 19 2012

Presidential Candidate Opinions on Housing, Funny Real Estate Listings and Western MA Real Estate Market Updates: This week’s TREW show

This week on the TREW Show, Nick and I discussed the importance of finding out the Presidential candidate’s opinions on the housing recovery. Nick found an easy to follow graph that we recommend as your starting point for researching the candidate’s stance on this important aspect of economic growth.

I found a fabulous list by Ellen DeGeneres featuring some of the most amusing real estate advertisements I have seen. We share a couple of our favorites from her great finds.

Nick and I review the 2011 Real Estate market standings for several towns in Hampden County, Massachusetts including: Springfield and West Springfield. Learn if your home values increased or decreased and other important sales information by watching this:

Feb 16 2012

The Gifts That Social Media Brought Me…A PodCamp Tale

THE GIFTS THAT SOCIAL MEDIA BROUGHT ME

I wrote a post by this title well over two years ago and it remains one of my favorite posts, because the story it tells is so very powerful. (Edited because the original post was on a blog that no longer exists, so I took down the link).

Through Social Media I:
met my love.

met new and amazing clients.
made fabulous new friends around the globe.

took those connections offline and changed my life.
I don’t claim to be a guru, expert, maven or even an official. I am simply a real estate agent in Western MA who decided years ago to embark on a journey into social media and internet networking and never looked back.

Why am I re-hashing this post?

Well, beside the fact that I think it is darn good and features the amazing likes of: Morriss Partee (my sweetie), Lisa Wray, Diane Guercio, Christine Pilch, Jaclyn Stevenson, Kelly and Tom Galanis, Julianne Krutka, Val Nelson and so many more Western MA social media noteables, it is also a wonderful tale of how I truly feel social media is meant to operate.

Here is my top ten gifts that social media brought me:Social media has brought me:
1- Friends all over the country and friends near me
2- My partner, my love, Morriss.
3- My business partner and best girlfriend, Diane
4- Business (so many closed sales now)
5- A support network like no other, when I am down…these people pick me up. When I am celebrating, they cheer alongside.
6- Travel and new experiences
7- Education…I ask a lot of questions and valuable answers are given.
8- Opportunities for personal and business growth
9- A fresh awareness of the power of connectivity and the law of attraction
10- FUN!

So, why do I discuss this now? Well folks, if you have made it this far, you should be making a reservation for PodCamp Western MA IV so that you can come make your own unique connections and learn the magic that is social media.

Social media and specifically PodCamp Western MA changed my life in so many ways and this is the social media event that I look forward to each year. You will have to take my word on it…I have been to so many other events all over the country and they are always great, but no other is as wonderful as PodCamp Western MA.

REGISTER TODAY!

Feb 15 2012