Western Mass Homes Lesley Lambert

Home Buying

I am your proud, grateful and very TIRED Realtor in Western MA!



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Wow, what a year 2010 has been in Western Massachusetts real estate!


Not long into January I started to meet a lot of new first time buyers who found me mostly on the internet. Some were friends that I stay in touch with on Facebook, others I met through social media events and the rest found me through my blog posts and videos. I was soon working with over eight sets of first time home buyers who were trying to take advantage of the tax credit, low interest rates and low purchase prices.

That’s A LOT of showings!

I wish I kept track of how many houses I showed these buyers in total, but I am going to have to guess that it was well over 150 houses between all of them. Five months later six of these buyers are closed or will close this month on their new homes and the others continue to look even with the expiration of the tax credit.

While at the office yesterday my manager handed me a printout with the office standings and was I ever floored! I was listed as the #1 real estate agent at Park Square Realty’s Westfield office for the year to date!



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Too Busy to Notice!


I have been so busy taking care of all of these buyers that I didn’t pay attention to my sales statistics and hadn’t realized exactly where I stood.

Real estate is my career, but I don’t work this hard for the paycheck. I work like this because I want to help my home buyers and sellers realize their real estate dreams and goals. I work this hard because I know that each of these transactions deeply affects their lives and is one of the most important decisions of their life.

That is what makes me so proud…that I have helped so many amazing first time buyers realize their dream of home ownership. The rest is just gravy. Really good, yummy gravy, but still just the top dressing.

Thank you to my clients and customers for your faith in me. Thank you for your trust and for your business. I appreciate you more than you know!



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Now all that door opening has tuckered me out, but I after a little restorative cat nap I will be ready for the next bit of business. Who wants to move?


Should You Buy a Short Sale Home in Western MA?

During my work as a real estate agent in Westfield, MA and the surrounding areas of Western MA I run into a lot of discussion about short sales.

There are some things to consider when shopping for a new home and thinking about whether or not you should look at short sales.
short sale

Who SHOULD buy short sale property?

People who don’t have a hard and fast time-line can be great candidates for short sale purchases. They can exchange their ability to give time and patience for instant equity on a below market priced property.

People who are not emotionally involved might be perfect buyers for short sale properties. Investors who are looking to gain a financial edge can make out in this arena.

People who won’t be impacted by the loss of some of their cash outlay (inspections, application fees, etc).

Who Should NOT buy Short Sales:

First time home buyers hoping to get the tax credit should NOT be placing bids on short sales. Short sales can drag on for MONTHS.

People who are tight on cash for their purchase should not be looking at short sales. It is entirely feasible that you could spend thousands of dollars on the purchase expenses only to find out five months later that this whole thing isn’t working out.

If you are a buyer or seller in Western Massachusetts who has questions about the short sale process, please get in touch.

The Home Buyer Tax Credit Expires April 30, 2010!

APRIL 30, 2010

That is when the home buyer tax credit expires. No kidding. No rumors of extensions.

GONE.

If you are a first time homebuyer, you must close on your new home by April 30, 2010 to collect up to $8,000 in tax benefits.

Other buyers who may qualify for the “Step Up” Home buyer credit must be in contract by April 30, 2010 with a closing no later than July 1, 2010 to collect up to $6,500. My blog post on the tax credit extension has a complete guideline for your review.


Flash-Toys

Get in touch with me today to discuss your moving plans!

Tax Buyer Credit May Be Extended!

There has been much speculation about the extension of the home buyer tax credit, but until today not much tangible to work with. This afternoon and evening news started coming down the pipeline that shows that there is hope for an extension.

Here is an article by Bloomberg

And another by Boston.com

And the Associated Press via Google News

It seems that these are the points:

1- For first time homebuyers, the income level to qualify is $
75,000/150,000
2- For step up buyers the income level to qualify is $ 125,000/250,000
3-Step up buyers must have been residing in their primary
residence for 5 years
4- The credit is 10% of the sales price, with a maximum of $ 7290.
5- The credit will apply for homes purchased from Dec. 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010.

This still needs to be voted on by the full Senate, reconciled by the House and signed by the President, but it is a move in the right direction!