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Lesley Lambert from the Abouthom.es Girls on Why She Does Short Sales in Western MA
Yesterday’s Abouthom.es Girls video was a chance for me to share why I work so hard to help people avoid foreclosure with short sales in Western Massachusetts.
I have written posts before telling my personal story of hardship in distressed home ownership. It has been six years since my experience and I have spent those years honing my skills and gathering a team of expert partners to help Western MA homeowners avoid foreclosure with a short sale.
Everyone has to have a “why” to remain passionate and committed to something as tricky as navigating a short sale. Here is mine:
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Lesley Lambert on why dance is so important to her
My Abouthom.es Girls friend, Lisa Oden, asked in her recent video what we love to share with our community. She suspected that tap shoes might be involved and she was right!
I started dancing at the age of two. At the age of 11 I joined a competitive dance team and that was the beginning of a life long passion. I have been dancing all the time ever since and have loved every moment of it! In 1982 I became a student at New England Dance Centers, where I remain as an instructor and choreographer to this day. My daughters (ages 11 and 8) are both competitive dancers at the studio and it is a great thrill to have this shared love of dance with them.
My real estate career is heading into it’s 25th year and is my full-time profession. I work at it way more than 40 hours a week and give top priority to my clients and customers. That being said, it can be a hectic and stressful business. Dance is my therapy. Other people leave work and go to the gym, out for drinks with friends or play sports. Me? I head to the dance studio to sing, dance and play with some kids that share a love of music and dance. What could be more rejuvenating to mind, spirit and body?
Here is a very short (2minute) video in which I discuss my passion for dance and even show you a little tap dancing:
Thinking of selling your Western MA home? Give the buyers what they want!
Each year the National Association of REALTORS does a study to discover what today’s buyers are looking for in the next home they purchase.
This study gets boiled down into a list of home features with statistics on the level of importance to the buyers. This list can guide you in preparing your home for sale by alerting you to what areas of the home are most important to home buyers. Many home sellers make improvements to their home without considering what their potential buyers may want. This can lead to costly improvements with minimal or no benefit in the sale of the home.
What makes the most sense is to tailor your improvements to you Western MA home towards what today’s home buyer is looking for. For example: 65% of home buyers expressed that central air conditioning is important in the selection of their next home. Having a garage is a big asset as 78% of the buyers in the survey purchased a home with one. Granite countertops were important to 20% of those surveyed and 17% preferred stainless steel appliances, but more important to these buyers was that the kitchen have an eat-in space and new appliances. These are just a sampling of the total results. You can review and download the entire report here:
Home Feature Preferences Edited
You can also listen to an interview on this topic.
If you are considering putting your Western MA home up for sale this spring and want a professional and experienced education on how best to prepare and market your home, give me a call: Lesley Lambert of Park Square Realty 413-575-3611.
Happy St. Joseph’s Day! Will St. Joseph help you sell your home?
Today is St. Joseph’s Day, a celebration of the husband of the virgin Mary and step father of Jesus.
Joseph was a carpenter and also the patron saint of home and family in the Roman Catholic religion, which is presumed to be the reason he is now connected with real estate.
It is said that burying a statue or medal of St. Joseph in your yard will help to move the sale of the home along. This practice is a fairly recent tradition which hit a peak in the 1990’s. Legend has it you should bury a statue of St. Joseph upside down in your front yard. Recommendations for placement vary: some say in the corner of the yard, others in the center facing the house and some say near the real estate sign.
I have never tried this out, but in researching this topic online I see that many people have sent their desires to move to St. Joseph and were met with success. As with all things prayer related, the actual prayer itself has great importance. There are prayers offered as suggestions, such as:
Prayer To St. Joseph to Sell House
O, Saint Joseph,
you who taught our Lord
the carpenter’s trade,
and saw to it
that he was always properly housed,
hear my earnest plea.I want you to help me now
as you helped your foster-child Jesus,
and as you have helped many others
in the matter of housing.I wish to sell this [house/property]
quickly, easily, and profitably
and I implore you to grant my wish
by bringing me a good buyer,
one who is
eager, compliant, and honest,
and by letting nothing impede the
rapid conclusion of the sale.Dear Saint Joseph,
I know you would do this for me
out of the goodness of your heart
and in your own good time,
but my need is very great now
and so I must make you hurry
on my behalf.Saint Joseph, I am going to place you
in a difficult position
with your head in darkness
and you will suffer as our Lord suffered,
until this [house/property] is sold.Then, Saint Joseph, i swear
before the cross and God Almighty,
that i will redeem you
and you will receive my gratitude
and a place of honour in my home.Amen.
Many sources, however, state that the homeowner can simply make an earnest and heartfelt plea to the Saint in their own words. There are a lot of options in purchasing a statue of St. Joseph online. I did a quick search on Amazon and found very affordable options.
Now, I am not Catholic myself, but for about $5, I would be willing to give this a try! Have you done this? How did it work for you?
