Western Mass Homes Lesley Lambert

Selling Your Home

Park Square Realty top in Westfield home sales for 2011

Park Square Realty
The numbers are in and even though we haven’t completed 2011, Park Square Realty is so far ahead that we are calling the game won!

Park Square Realty in Westfield, MA is a small locally owned company that knows how to get homes in the Westfield area SOLD. As one of the real estate agents in the Westfield office it makes me proud that we are so far ahead of the competition, especially when you know that our team is about 50 agents.

Park Square Realty has closed 144 transactions. The next two offices below us have closed 107 and 58 transactions.

What does that tell the home owner in Westfield, MA?

If you want your home sold, we have a far better chance of accomplishing your goal than our competition does. Success speaks.

If you are considering selling your home in Westfield, MA or Western Massachusetts, I hope you will let me interview for the job.

Lesley Lambert, REALTOR, Park Square Realty, Westfield. 413-575-3611 or lesleylambert@parksquarerealty.com

Selling Your Western MA Home During The Holidays

Many Western Massachusetts home owners ask this question at this time of year, “Should I sell my home during the holidays?”.

I hosted a poll on Facebook to get answers from the crowd as to whether they would sell their home during the holidays and also, whether they preferred simple or elaborate holiday decorations.

The answers were split as to whether they would or would not sell, but the decorations question was a resounding, SIMPLE!

My co-host Nick and I discussed the process of selling your home during the holidays on the most recent edition of TREW (The Real Estate Wrapup):

REALTOR.ORG has a wonderful Field Guide to Selling or Buying a Home During the Holidays with some extensive links to review if you are weighing this option.

Here are my pros and cons to selling your Western Massachusetts home during the holidays:

Pros:
buyers that are looking are motivated
less inventory
Buying is emotional , what better time of year to make people feel special in the home?

Cons:
entertaining schedules and showing schedules
Crowded decor
Snow/rain

If you are looking for some unique decorating ideas for your mantel or staircase there are some wonderful ideas to be found. I really liked the mantel decorations on this site and thought the staircase ideas offered in this video were unique.

Thank you to Marlene Goldstein, Kathy Rocco, Lisa Oden, Christine Pilch Mancini and Diane Guercio for their input to my Facebook poll…you ladies rock!

Preparing Your Western Massachusetts Home For Winter

Westfield MA Winter Wonderland
Image by LesleyLambert via Flickr

It is important that you properly prepare your Western Massachusetts home for the winter months.

Let It Snow!

Winterizing your home

Key maintenance tasks to perform

• Clean your gutters. Leaving debris in your gutters is an invitation for trouble. Not only can it freeze and damage the gutters themselves, but it also can force freezing water up under your shingles and damage the roof.

• Disconnect hoses Leaving water in any exterior hoses or pipes can cause them to freeze and burst. If your exterior faucets aren’t self-draining, be sure to turn off the water manually at the shutoff valve inside the house so water doesn’t stand in the wall pipes.

• Schedule a furnace tune-up. checklist of items such as inspecting filters, checking the chimney exhaust, and examining the blower and fuel connections. Expect to pay $50 to $100 for a furnace tune-up.

• Protect your air conditioning unit. If your outdoor air conditioning unit is located under trees or under the drip line of the house where icicles and snow may fall, give it a little protection by placing a sheet of plywood over the top and draping a dropcloth over it. However, don’t create a fully enclosed space, as that can trap moisture and offer winter protection for rodents.

• Close your storm windows. It’s a simple step, but an easy one to forget. Make sure the windows are shut properly so that the outer pane is up and the inner pane is down; this keeps rain and other forms of precipitation out.

• Insulate pull-down staircases for attics.

Spending a weekend or two on maintenance can prevent costly repairs and alert you to developing problems.

SAVING ENERGY, SAVING MONEY!

Put lamps in the corners: Did you know you can switch to a lower wattage bulb in a lamp or lower its dimmer switch and not lose a noticeable amount of light?

Give your water heater a blanket: Just like you pile on extra layers in the winter, your hot water heater can use some extra insulation too. A fiberglass insulation blanket is a simple addition that can cut heat loss and save 4% to 9% on the average water-heating bill.

Turn off the burner before you’re done cooking:

Use the dishwasher: If you think doing your dishes by hand is greener than powering up the dishwasher, you’re wrong. Dishwashers use about 1/3 as much hot water

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