Western Mass Homes Lesley Lambert

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Affordable Homes in Agawam, MA 01001

Welcome to Map Mondays! Each week I will create and highlight a Google map featuring homes for sale from different towns or in different niches. Today’s map is Affordable Homes in Agawam, MA 01001.

Are you a homebuyer looking for an affordable home in Feeding Hills or Agawam, MA? This map shows homes for sale in Agawam, MA 01001 priced $0-$200,000.

Finding the right home is an important process and I love to help. I host a series of videos on real estate. To see the videos visit my YouTube Channel.

If the search shown above doesn’t fit your needs, I can help you to get the information you need. Please don’t hesitate to ask, I am here to help! You can call me at 413-575-3611 or use the interactive card below to reach me via social networks, email and more!

Abundance and Appreciation

“Worrying about money never paid a bill.”

This was the opening line of today’s reading in “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy” by Sarah Ban Breathnach.  This well worn book has been with me for well over a decade.  Given to me by a dear friend, Fredrika Ballard, I turn to it and re-read it over and over for support and inspiration.    Today’s reading comes at a time that seems providential.

Don’t get me wrong, I have enough money to pay my bills.  But with the way the economy has been over the course of the last few years and the turbulent nature of real estate lately, I don’t feel secure that the income will stay steady.  I think my concerns are not specific to the real estate industry, as I have this discussion with friends in other fields who feel the same uncertainty.  We are all shaken and unsteady in our futures and that can lead to real anxiety.

My mother, who was also a REALTOR in Western MA, spoke often about money and the kharma behind it.  She would caution my sister and I to never live in fear of money or to need it too badly because money senses fear and rejects the scared.   Today’s reading supported what she always said, ” …worrying about money repels, rather than attracts, prosperity…”    My mom was famous for saying, “It is only money, I will just go out and make some more!”    This proactive response created positive energy around her need, thus opening her up to opportunity and giving her the drive to take advantage of new chances.  She was always finding a new way to re-invent herself in her long real estate career and used this skill to create a life that was plentiful for my sister and I.

I endeavor to remember this, but some days it is more difficult than others.  I am a single mom earning her family’s keep with what is probably the worst hit industry in recent memory.  It can start to freak me out sometimes, so I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

First: I don’t spend any time with mainstream media.  I get my news when I want it from the internet and control the negativity.

Secondly: I spend a lot of time with positive influences.   This book is one, my boyfriend Morriss, my mom, my friends, my kids, my cats, my friends in the business all over the world…all ground me and cheer me.

Thirdly: I have been on an austerity diet for years now.  I used to miss shopping at expensive stores and having the latest doo-dad.  Now I get a thrill from finding a bargain, doing without, remastering something I already have, thrift store shopping, flea market sales and hand me downs.  I love saving a buck!

Fourth:  I work.  I work hard and I enjoy my work.  When I am slow with buyers or sellers, I take a webinar or have lunch with a business friend.  I stay proactive and learn new techniques.  If I am busy, I feel in control and proactive and I can stem the anxiety.

I do still, however, tend to worry about tomorrow a lot.  My grandmother would call it borrowing trouble.  Ban Breathnach said it this way, “…calculate whether you have enough money for all your needs today.  If you do, stop focusing on lack this minute.  You probably have all the money you need to take care of today’s needs and more.  It doesn’t matter how much more.  Anytime you have more than you need, you have abundance.  Catch yourself the next time you start dwelling on what you don’t have; switch tracks by noticing and appreciating all you do have.  As this becomes a personal habit, you’ll find yourself coping well with any amount of money you have, rather than worrying about it.”

Such a wonderful reminder to me, and I share it because I am wagering that many of you could use this enlightenment right now.

We are doing fine.  We are making ends meet and we will see better days.  I am abundant in the things that matter most: love, spirit, kindness, freedom, health.  I am learning valuable lessons that couldn’t be bought with any number of real estate sales and I am successfully providing for my family in difficult times.  I am growing my business annually, even while others quit and I will continue to persevere.  So will you.

So to my friends, home sellers and home buyers in Western Massachusetts: I say to you that we are as successful and abundant as we want to be.  We can choose fear and remain in a state of want or we can embrace the abundance all around us.

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Real Estate Market Conditions: Agawam MA 01001: November 2010

The real estate market in Western MA is still shifting and adjusting to the economic difficulties we are experiencing.

The following is the market overview for Agawam, MA 01001. As a REALTOR for Park Square Realty in Westfield, MA and a lifelong resident of Western MA, I have expert knowledge of the market conditions. If you have a home to sell in Agawam, MA or are considering buying a home in Agawam, MA, this report will assist you in learning what has been happening to fair market values and other important information. If you need help with your real estate decisions, please let me know.

Agawam market report nov 10

View more documents from Lesley Lambert.

Is there home ownership in Western MA after a foreclosure?

Is Anybody Home? Free Girl Looking in Window Creative Commons
So you have suffered through a foreclosure and are considering when you might be able to be a homeowner in Western Massachusetts again. Most foreclosures are situational, meaning the reason for falling behind was caused by job loss, death or divorce. Once these events are over, most people focus on re-building their financial security.

It is possible to become a homeowner again after going through something catastrophic like foreclosure, but it will take diligence and planning.

In an article for REALTOR.COM a list of five steps was given by REALTOR® Linda Kemp:

“1. Stick with a job after foreclosure Did you fall into foreclosure because of the lack of a steady job? If you did, the first step toward home-ownership after foreclosure is finding and holding one. And if you already have one–stick with it, unless you can move to a better one. Note that potential lenders will require stable employment before they’ll give you a new mortgage loan after a foreclosure. Even if it means taking a lower-paying job, it’s worth it.

2. Rebuild your nest egg after foreclosure Establish a safety net. Financial planners generally recommend three to six months of living expenses in a liquid account, but since you’re coming out of foreclosure, six is a minimum to show stability and that you’re able to pay your bills–including your mortgage–for an extended period if you lose your job.

3. Raise your credit score after foreclosure. This is the hardest and most time-consuming part. After foreclosure, your credit score, according to myFICO, probably dropped by about 150 points. You’ll need to raise it back up with perseverance.

Pay bills on time and keep your credit card balances below maximum levels. The foreclosure will stay on your credit report for seven years, but if you prove your money management skills have matured, it will become less of a red mark as years go by.

Tip: Consult a housing counselor. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers free housing counseling for distressed homeowners with a foreclosure in their past. A counselor can help you with money management and budgeting. Counseling works — an evaluation of a program in Indianapolis discovered that credit scores greatly improved because of education and counseling, and increased average borrowing power by $4,500 per family.

4. Reduce your waiting time for a mortgage after foreclosure Normally, you would have to wait seven years after foreclosure before you can apply for a new mortgage under Fannie Mae rules. Note: Fannie Mae changes rules frequently. You can check the latest rules at Fannie Mae’s site.
However, you might wait only three years if you can show extenuating circumstances for your foreclosure, which are defined as “events that are beyond the borrower’s control that result in a sudden, significant, and prolonged reduction in income or a catastrophic increase in financial obligations.” These include:

•Losing a job

•Getting divorced

•Having unexpected medical expenses

There’s one last alternative if waiting isn’t your thing–you can obtain seller financing, essentially bypassing the traditional mortgage. If both parties are amenable, you can enter into a lease with an option to buy, or take a mortgage directly from the seller. You’ll most likely have to show some hefty reserve funds, but if you’ve turned around your financial situation quickly after your foreclosure, it’s worth a shot to deal directly with the seller.

Keep in mind that sellers may be motivated to agree to this if they need to sell and the potential buyers they’ve met with can’t obtain a conventional mortgage–perhaps because they’ve been through foreclosures, too.

5. Be honest about your foreclosure
When you’re ready to apply for your new mortgage, don’t try to hide your foreclosure. On the contrary, be proactive and reveal the steps you’ve taken to remedy the problems that led to your foreclosure.

Tip: Try a mortgage broker, who can work with a variety of lenders to find you a loan. When you work directly with a retail lender, like a bank, they have a limited pool of loans to offer you. But a good mortgage broker–one with a vast network of lendersóhas many options, and may be able to find a mortgage solution if the foreclosure in your past is creating challenges in obtaining one.”

These are all great tips, but I think that the most important thing is to reduce your spending and expenses. Discipline yourself to save money to pay down credit and increase your savings. This will give you confidence in your own ability to re-enter the home owner market and will give the lender assurance that you are responsible. You will be surprised how many things are just not that essential when you start giving yourself a spending diet. Austerity can be very refreshing.

Above all know that you are far from alone in this situation and there are lots of kind and knowledgeable people out here willing to help you repair the damage done and move on to the next chapter of your life. Please let me know if there is anything I can do assist you. I am just a phone call away: 413.575.3611.

photo credit Pink Sherbet Photography on flickr.com