Western Mass Homes Lesley Lambert

Selling Your Home

A day in the life of a REALTOR

You know what? Being a REALTOR isn’t easy and it demands a lot of time and attention that most people might not think about. A lot of people that I chat with have an impression that real estate isn’t a “real job” because we don’t work traditional hours.

I happen to know first hand that a full time real estate agent works a lot more hours than most people realize. In addition to going on showing and listing appointments we have a lot of running around, phone calls and computer time that can absorb a day. I thought I might use my day today as an example of what a full time, hard-working real estate agent goes through.

8:30 am – coffee while reading emails and real estate news
9:00 am – gather up my kids (it is school vacation) and head to the office. Thankful that Park Square Realty in Westfield is family friendly!
11 am – drop kids at play date and head out to deliver purchase and sale agreements to listing in Chicopee for signature
1 pm – present marketing and pricing plan to potential listing client in Westfield, MA
3 pm – back to Park Square Realty’s office to check messages, emails and prepare for evening showings
4 pm – pick up my kids and work from home for an hour. Work on website marketing for listings and start editing video for a virtual tour.
5:30 pm – head back to Chicopee to show three properties to some first time home buyers
8 pm – home to research recent comparable sales because buyer is considering making an offer, write this blog post, write a blog post for my column at Masslive and another for Agent Genius Magazine.
10:30 pm – finish emails and blog posts – ran out of steam and will have to finish that virtual tour tomorrow.

During the course of the day I am answering calls and emails on the go…thank goodness for smart phones!

All of this costs my household something though, and I know other agents pay the same toll….

The laundry is piled up, the dishes need doing, dinner is late and sometimes not so healthy and don’t even get me started on the garden!

Ah well, it is all worth it when a buyer signs for a house that they love and a family selling their home is able to make their next move!

photo courtesy of Robbert van der Steeg on flickr

Things are looking up in Western MA Real Estate!

look upThis week the manager of Park Square Realty announced that the market has made big strides in improving over last year.

Statistically, Park Square Realty in Westfield, MA has increased Sales Volume by 15.6 % and increased Park Square Realty Sale Sides by 25.9% as compared to the first 5 months of 2009.

On a more personal note, I moved to the #1 Agent at Park Square Realty for the first half of 2010, which is also a big improvement over last year (I was about 9th).

So, good news for Lesley Lambert and for Park Square Realty, but what does that mean to YOU?

Well…the market is improving. Consumer confidence is higher and people are buying homes in Western Massachsetts. If you are considering buying or selling a home in Westfield or Western Massachusetts now you have statistical proof that the market is better. A recent article quoted the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS announcing a 44% increase in home sales statewide.

Curious to see what your Western MA home is worth? Considering buying your first home in Western MA? Thinking of buying investment property in Western MA?

I am only a call or a click away if you want some advice, guidance or help with your home buying decisions.

Lesley Lambert, Park Square Realty, Westfield MA 413-575-3611

Downtown Westfield is under Construction

Westfield, MA has been my home for well over 20 years now and I have found much to love about it. Quiet things have impressed me: The tranquil spaces at Stanley Park, The Fowler Tavern door, the restored Grandmothers’ Garden, the lovely ambiance in the Athenaeum, the highly walkable nature of the downtown areas, the small town atmosphere, the green green green of the trees and open spaces. During the course of my 21 year real estate career, it has been my honor to sell many homeowners their Westfield homes through the years.

Lately, Westfield is experiencing much change in some of these areas as major highway, bridge and city scape projects are undergone. The newest in these projects and the one with a lot of conversation lately is the Town Green project.

Westfield's town green

A bit over a week ago I was set totally aside as I strolled down Elm Street to visit my bank on the Town Green. As I approached the Green there were hoards of construction crews removing all of the trees.

This has opened up a lot of distressed conversation amongst area residents who are saddened by the stark nature of the Green area now. This combined with the traffic frustrations from our bridge project is bringing a lot of concerns to light.

Westfield's Town Green

As a real estate agent in Westfield, I want to share some resources with you that will help to explain the many projects that are being undertaken in our City. I want to help you to find the resources to see that while things are looking a bit torn up right now, the future holds beautiful upgraded spaces.

This blog: Re-Thinking Downtown Westfield has a lot of information on committees and plans.

The District Westfield is a great resource for current news on downtown projects, information on real estate, events, news and updates that impact Downtown Westfield.

This link was suggested to me by Karen Eaton on Twitter and gives good information on the road work details in the City of Westfield.

I hope these pages will help you to keep up to date with the progress of these major improvements to the City of Westfield. If you have a real estate question please feel free to call me anytime: Lesley Lambert, REALTOR, Park Square Realty, Westfield, MA 413-575-3611 or email therealestatenatural@yahoo.com.

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



Headlines with style


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!



Headlines with style


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!



Headlines with style


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?


Selling your Western Ma home? New guidelines for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

Attention Western Massachusetts home owners. If you are considering selling your home then you will want to be up to date with your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Effective April 5, 2010 the State of Massachusetts Department of Fire Services has changed the requirements for homeowners who are selling their home.

Once your home is under contract and you have a closing date you should:

-Contact the local fire department to schedule an inspection of your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Fees vary and are assigned by the town or city.

Before the inspection date you should:

-Make sure that your street number is posted and visible from the street.

-Check to see that you have the correct detectors and that they are installed in the appropriate areas and are functioning.

For information about the new requirements you can visit The Department of Fire Services consumer information site.

After passing the inspection you will get a certificate that you should provide to your closing attorney.

If you are looking for a real estate agent in Western Massachusetts who goes the extra mile for her sellers, look no further!