pioneer valley

Jan 04 2013

Guest Bloggers Wanted!

Are you in a real estate affiliated field and would love an opportunity to reach a new audience without spending a ton of money? Then you might be who I am looking for!

I have been blogging along here all by my little self for about five years now and I got to thinking that it is time to grow and share. Some new content on topics related to home ownership, home maintenance, home enjoyment, Western Massachusetts, etc. would be a great addition to my current offerings.

Are you an: inspector, decorator, stager, property maintenance person, contractor, organizer, attorney, lender, accountant, insurance provider, remodel-er or other real estate and home related professional? Then I want to hear from you!

Home owners welcome, too! I would love personal accounts of your home buying, home selling and home ownership processes. We can all learn together!

It is easy!

Simply write a short account on any topic that you feel passionate and educated on. Supply it to me in any format, even cut and pasted into the body of an email is fine. If you have an original photo to attach, even better, but not necessary. Be sure to send along your professional contact information. I will proof read, edit if necessary and take care of posting it with links back to your website so that your new readers can find you.

If you have a blog that you would like new content on, I am happy to return the favor with a guest post on any real estate topic that you might find informative to your profession.

Get writing and email your submissions to: realestate.lesleylambert@gmail.com

Don’t be intimidated, have you seen some of the silly things I post? 🙂

Lesley Lambert, REALTOR, Park Square Realty

Jan 02 2013

Fiscal Cliff Bill Passes, Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Tax Treatment Extended. Good News for Short Sales in Western MA

Mortgage Forgiveness Tax Treatment Gets One More Year.

The advancing fiscal cliff debates were getting everyone’s concerns up, but for those of us who work in the real estate industry, we had specific issues that were of high notice. The mortgage forgiveness tax treatment has been instrumental in assisting people who are in underwater mortgages to recover by using a short sale and has been beneficial to the housing recovery.

This from the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley’s Ben Scranton:

“The law – which was set to expire at the end of 2012 – is crucial to foreclosure mitigation efforts such as principal forgiveness and short sales. Normally, U.S. law decrees that when a lender forgives all or a portion of a borrower’s debt, the forgiven amount is considered taxable income for the borrower. This is known as Cancellation of Debt (COD) Income and must be included in a taxpayer’s gross income. This Act, however, created an exception to this rule under the U.S. Tax Code. The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act allows homeowners who received principal reductions or other forms of debt forgiveness to not pay taxes on the amount forgiven. The amount extends up to $2 million of debt forgiven on the homeowner’s principal residence. For homeowner’s to qualify, their debt must have been used to “buy, build, or substantially improve” their principal residence and be secured by that residence. The law, which was passed in 2007 with a 5 year sunset provision, will now be in effect until January 1, 2014.”

Good News for Short Sales in Western MA

For more information on this and other real estate related impacts from the fiscal cliff bill, see this brief from the National Association of Realtors:

If you are a homeowner in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts who thinks that a short sale might be the answer to your real estate troubles, please give me a call to schedule a consultation. Lesley Lambert, short sale specialist at Park Square Realty 413-575-3611.

You can visit www.shortsaleyourho.me for more information to see if you might be able to avoid foreclosure on your Western MA home with a short sale.

Jun 08 2011

Housing Needed for Western MA Families Displaced by Tornadoes

tornado track in Western MA — Satellite image of tornado path from Westfield, MA to Sturbridge, MA

As we are all aware, Western MA had severe tornado activity last week. This left many Western Massachusetts families without their homes.

The REALTOR Association of Pioneer Valley’s members are working to help their clients, friends, families and neighbors who were impacted by the tornadoes. The Facebook Page dedicated to tornado relief is here.

At present we are working to compile a list of vacant homes and apartments that we can share with the displaced families. If you have a property that you would be willing to rent while homes are rebuilt, please reach out to me either by email (use the green contact button to the left of this post) or by phone: 413-485-7380. I am also in contact with several attorneys who are willing to donate legal services in these situations.

If you are another real estate professional who has vacant listings that may be willing to do a temporary rental, please let me know, also.

Finally, will you share this post on your Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or email? The more people who know what the need is, the better!

I will continue to report how our Western MA community can help as more becomes organized. Thank you in advance for your help!

photo credit

Aug 09 2010

Need foreclosure advice? Use the resources available to you.

A new site developed by Fannie Mae came to my attention today and I wanted to share it with you. If you are a home owner in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts who is facing a tough time and is concerned about foreclosure, there are resources available to you.

I would be happy to sit down and discuss short sale, loan modifications, deed in lieu and foreclosure options as I know them with you in person at any time. A meeting with me is strictly confidential and professional.

Should you want to start discovering some options on the internet, visit KnowYourOptions.com to begin your research.

Help is only a phone call away: Lesley Lambert/Park Square Realty 413-575-3611