Western Mass Homes Lesley Lambert

Lesley's Life

Antique Homes for Sale in Western MA and Beyond

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Image by LesleyLambert via Flickr

I am a huge fan of historical and antique homes in Western Massachusetts and beyond.  I love visiting them, driving by them and representing them as a REALTOR.

On the latest edition of TREW (The Real Estate Wrapup) my co-host, Nick, and I discuss antique and historic homes.  The first segment was about two very different historic homes for sale.  One for $2 and the other for over four million dollars!

We went on to talk about the need for specialized marketing when selling an antique or historic home.  We both agreed that the advertising should tell the story of this home, not just the square footage and other normal details.

Financing can also be an issue with buying and selling a historic home in Western MA or anywhere.  We discussed some options that potential antique homebuyers might not have considered, but should.

Are you interested in historic and antique property, too?  Be sure to watch The Antique Home Edition of the TREW Show.

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On Social Media and Friendship

 

Clint Miller
Image by mike912mueller via Flickr

Since my early days of social media, I have been telling people what close bonds I have created with people who in many cases, I have never met face to face.

I have met clients, made friends and even met my own love: Morriss, via social media. There is something very powerful that can happen when you share yourself with others and it can truly change your life. I know my engagement with people on Twitter especially, has changed mine.

One of the first people that I got to know via social media was a guy named Clint Miller. Clint is a real estate lead generation specialist from Montana. He is a down and dirty, tell it like it is, REALLY real person. His genuine spirit shines through his writing on his blog, his Facebook statuses and his Tweets. I have spoken with Clint on the phone several times, but we have never met face to face.

He checks on me when I get quiet online (including once when my cat was stepping on my keyboard while I was out and sending odd tweets) and is a person that I count as a true friend.

Well, Clint has been dealing with some really bad stuff lately as he battles cancer and many of us have been wondering what we could do to help him in this difficult time. My friend Diane Haley Brooks asked Clint what he needed and his main concern was being able to Skype with his young boys while he was away for extended periods undergoing treatments.

Diane reached out to a group of us known as the TwitterQueens to see if we thought we could get enough people to contribute towards and iPad for Clint. A group of amazing people came to the front including: Diane Guercio, Debbie Kirkland, Chris Griffith, Amy Cesario, Kappy Mann, Cyndee Haydon, Audrey June-Forshey and myself.

We spent some time planning and shooting video for Clint (which Diane Guercio edited into a beautiful tribute) and then clicked send on the iPad. Clint received it yesterday and it was like Christmas for us! He was pretty excited, too!

I take the time to share this with you so that you understand the real power of social media…the potential for good and giving that exists in a way that never has before. My friend Diane Guercio said that she loves the fact that we live now because 30 years ago we probably wouldn’t know each other…isn’t that amazing?

I leave you today with a challenge:

Go onto Facebook or Twitter and say something nice to someone just because. See if someone seems sad and send them a private pick me up message. Offer to help, share a smile, be there and be open. Let me know what amazing things happen to you!

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Beautiful Indian Summer Autumn Weather in Western MA

Autumn Foliage in Westfield, MA
Image by LesleyLambert via Flickr

Today is another in a series of beautiful days in Western Massachusetts.  Here in Westfield, MA the foliage is starting to become really colorful.  I took this picture on East Mountain Road in Westfield, MA today.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Columbus Day weekend.  I know I did!  The weather here in Western Massachusetts was absolutely stunning and HOT!

Morriss and I took a quick jaunt down to the Connecticut shoreline and celebrated the weather with a trip to a vineyard on the CT Wine Trail, a cruise of the Thimble Islands and a walk on the beach.  We were not expecting the beach to be so crowded…there were a ton of people there in their bathing suits and swimming.  That is unheard of for October in New England!

Here is a slide show of some pictures I took over the weekend:

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The Real Estate Wrapup: The TREW Show

I announced before that I was excited to be co-hosting the TREW Show on the Businews Channel.  Now I am excited to announce that the first episode is LIVE and ready for you to watch!

WATCH THE TREW SHOW HERE

TREW will be a 15-20 minute webisode each week with several segments such as: Fix it or Forget It, Current Events, Stressed and Distressed, Spotlight Home and many more!

My co-host, Nick Gelfand, and I are looking for questions from our views that we can address on our show.  If you have a real estate related question that you would like me to answer on the TREW Show, you can either leave it as a comment on this post, or click the green “contact me” button to email me.

I hope you have a minute to watch and share the show with anyone you know who might be interested in good real estate information!

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Why Am I a REALTOR?

WHY ARE YOU A REALTOR?

This was a question posed by my friend Debbie Kirkland of Armor Realty in Tallahassee, Florida recently on Twitter.

She was looking for video responses that have a story about why they are a REALTOR. She is calling it her REALTOR project.

I told her I would make a video to answer that question and I didn’t have to think long to know exactly what I would tell her.

I am a REALTOR because of my mother. I am a REALTOR because of my daughters.

I joke with people that I am a real estate BRAT. While I do have my bratty moments, I am referencing the fact that I was raised in a real estate saturated household. My mother started real estate in Western Massachusetts when I was about 10 and my parents owned investment property and flipped houses the rest of my youth.

I was my mom’s real estate assistant from the moment she began. With my sister by my side, we would fold newsletters, lick envelopes, stick stamps and help with whatever task was needed.

When I was 18, I got my real estate license and started my training in Western Massachusetts real estate. I sold one (small) house, made more money than I would have made all summer at a part time job and took the rest of the summer off.

That time off was short lived, as Mom and I had to pay for my college education. I was getting an English degree from Westfield State College (now University) and we had books to buy and fees to pay. Mom and I worked together to make it happen.

I wasn’t going to be a career REALTOR, I was going to work in public relations…real estate was supposed to be temporary, but here I am 23 years later and am proud to be a career real estate professional in Western Ma.

My time has included real estate sales, management, investment, training, speaking and writing. This career is ever changing and there is always something to learn and explore. It allows me to help so many people through essential phases of their life and gives me the flexibility to be there for my daughters.

Now it is my girls who come with me on a last minute showing appointment, or to take pictures of a new listings. It is my girls who are putting stamps on postcards and being hushed when the phone rings.

I got my 20 year pin a couple of years ago and I was so proud to have been trained by the best real estate broker in the business: my mom!

Here is a little video I created for Debbie, I hope you enjoy it!