Western Mass Homes Lesley Lambert

Blog

A REALTOR’s Snowy Sunday Drive in Western Massachusetts

Mill River, Leeds MA
The better part of today was real estate time spent showing houses to a buyer client of mine. We started late this morning in the Leeds section of Northampton, Massachusetts next to the Mill River. I got there early and took a quick walk up the street to see the river. It had just snowed last night a few inches of beautiful fluffy clean white snow and the river was babbling up against the white fresh white blanket of snow. It was simply lovely.

After showing houses in Northampton, we took the back roads to Chester, Massachusetts. The drive from Northampton through Westhampton and into Huntington was simply breathtaking. The fresh snow was highlighting and outlining the beautiful vistas along these country roads. At one point we turned a corner and on my left was a grove of apple trees covered in snow; their twisted old branches were made more graceful with the blanket of snow and beyond the apple orchards was the valley opening up below.

We were able to stop at one of my favorite hilltown country stores, the Huntington country store.
After brief fueling with the coffee and one of their famous wrapples (I indulged in the Apple Raspberry), we were back on our way to the center of Chester, MA.   After viewing our property, we journeyed down Route 20  back through Huntington, Russell and into Westfield.
As we descended from the Hilltowns back down into the Pioneer Valley and Westfield the sun broke through the winter clouds and the snow was shimmering along the banks of the Westfield River.
Now continuing our journey from Westfield to Agawam, the skies opened all the way out the sun was shining blue sky and the temperatures started to rise and I was feeling very content after our Western Massachusetts journey.
I don’t know if my buyer will buy any of the seven homes we toured today, but our drive from Hampshire County to Hampden County was a slow, serene, snowy Sunday drive that I appreciated for the experience.
Exploring the back roads after a fresh coating of snow made me especially aware of the beauty in Western MA and I feel very lucky to live in a place of such stunning vistas. Today’s beauty made for an especially pleasant day as a REALTOR in Western MA showing houses to a buyer.
You can hear my thoughts from the drive today here:

Showing homes in #westernma. This snowy scene is Leeds, MA

Look Ma- I am in REALTOR Magazine!

photo.JPG

It is no secret that I am a big fan of all things social media and technology in real estate. Using location-based applications is no exception. I have been using applications like Brightkite, Foursquare and Gowalla for a couple of years now in Western MA and have spent a lot of time thinking about how I can utilize them to help with exposure in the local Western MA real estate market.

Last summer I wrote a post on this topic for Agent Genius magazine geared toward sharing some of my thoughts on how location based applications like Foursquare can be used in a marketing and branding sense to expose real estate agents to a new market.

I was beyond flattered when REALTOR Magazine emailed me and asked if they could use some of my post as a quote in an upcoming article on the same subject. Yesterday my broker presented me with the magazine and when I saw the article I was even MORE excited because I shared space in the story with Todd Carpenter, NAR’s social media manager. Todd and I have had the opportunity to meet a few times and I am so honored to be quoted in the same story!

If you want to take a look at the REALTOR Magazine story, click here. I am so proud to see my quote followed up by says Lesley Lambert, a sales associate with Park Square Realty in Westfield, Mass!

If you are interested in learning more about social media, technology or location-based applications you can contact me. If you want a REALTOR who is using new media techniques to help her clients achieve their home-ownership dreams then definitely contact me!

Park Square Realty Awards Breakfast

Park Square Awards Breakfast

Today was the Park Square Realty Awards Breakfast at Tucker’s Restaurant in Southwick, MA. Agents from both the Westfield, MA and Feeding Hills, MA Park Square Realty offices were honored with awards for production, loyalty and some special awards for all kinds of amusing reasons.

One of the reasons that I like working for Park Square Realty is that in addition to being a group of high producing, hard working professionals – we know how to have fun, too!

I was proud to have met my 2010 goal and to have placed in the Platinum Circle and top 5 agents in the company. I also received a loyalty award for five years of working for Park Square Realty.

I made this video to share with you so you can glimpse the inside of Park Square Realty…there is a reason we are number one in our area!

Homeownership is Emotional : a REALTOR’s take on Miranda Lambert’s “The House that Built Me”

In reading a recent REALTOR Magazine I saw the interview with Tom Douglas who wrote the lyrics to Miranda Lambert’s hit “The House That Built Me”. I am not much of a country music fan, so this song had gone under my radar, but his answers in the interview intrigued me to go find the song and give it a listen.

You conceived of the song during the housing boom times, but it wasn’t released until 2010. Did the dramatic changes in the market affect the song’s meaning in any way?

Douglas: A house is not simply four walls or a financial investment. It becomes your heart. It’s still the dream for most people, regardless of whether the real estate industry is booming. Having our own home is what we aspire to, whether it’s a trailer or a mansion on a hill.

Home ownership is so emotional and Douglas gets it right when he points out that it isn’t four walls. We all bond with our homes for different reasons. People often choose a house because it “feels like home”. Over the course of my 23 years as a real estate professional in Western MA, I have seen this time and time again. For reasons unknown to me, one house speaks to the buyer and gives them that “warm and fuzzy” feeling that tells them they want this to be home.

I grew up in Southwick and Westfield, MA and still drive by my childhood homes to catch a glimpse of my youthful memories. It is amazing how imagining my homes at certain points in my life is evocative of so many emotions. When I drive by I see the lilacs that my grandfather planted and the pool I loved to swim in. I see the lawn I mowed each week as a teenager and the spot where I parked my car. I remember the family room that hosted so many slumber parties and my lavender bedroom with the most expensive carpeting in the house. Just thinking of these spaces brings back a rush of memories and my mind’s eye can see things the way they were.

As Miranda Lambert sings her song, I realize that we all share those attachments to our homes and I am humbled to be part of the process that puts people into their home.

Here is the video for Miranda Lambert’s “The House that Built Me”…enjoy!