realtor

Apr 14 2011

Home Ownership Matters : In Western MA and Beyond

The American Dream. Home Sweet Home. Home is where the heart is.

There are so many iconic phrases that have to do with our homes. Home is the one place that is totally our own. It is a space where we build memories, traditions and mold our family. In a survey held by Harris and the National Association of REALTORS, 96% of home owners said that owning was a better financial decision than renting and 71 percent of renters agreed with that.

It is no secret that the housing market has taken some hits, but that can be a huge benefit to many buyers as they get in a house at market low values with the lowest interest rates available and before the mortgage industry changes and 20% down becomes standard and required.

There are many benefits to home ownership, such as tax benefits, and the National Association of REALTORS has done a great job of providing resources to consumers. A visit to this page will tell you why Home Ownership Matters.

If you are looking for a real estate agent in Western MA to help you with your next move, I would like to interview for the privilege. Click the green contact me button on the left.

Here is a field guide from the National Association of REALTORS

Field guide to home ownership

View more documents from Lesley Lambert.

Apr 11 2011

On Juggling and Happy Birthdays

Today was my daughter’s tenth birthday and I found it very poignant to think that I have spent a decade with this amazing girl.

I also needed to send off my video chat to my friend Diane and got to thinking about an adage that I learned years ago about juggling.

I also made a special video for my daughter as a virtual and everlasting birthday greeting.

My job as a REALTOR in Western MA requires a lot of juggling, but it is so gratifying and allows me to be flexible for my children.

Happy Birthday to my sweet ten year old!

Apr 06 2011

REALTOR Safety in Western MA and Beyond

On my drive into work today I listened to a story on NPR’s Marketplace about real estate agents attending courses to carry concealed weapons. In this day and age a large number of the properties that a REALTOR goes through are vacant and oftentimes not very secure. These properties are inviting to animals and worse yet, vagrants.

When entering a distressed property, I am always nervous and make sure that someone knows exactly where I am. I haven’t yet run into a circumstance where I have met a person squatting in a property, but often when doing occupancy checks on foreclosed properties the immediate past owners are still there and can be hostile.

I don’t feel a pressing need to carry a firearm in Western MA, but I can understand why a real estate agent in other parts of the country might have a higher concern.

Fellow REALTORS in Western MA and beyond, remember to stay safe.

If you want to listen to the story that I heard this morning it is here.

photo courtesy of floodllama on flickr

Mar 29 2011

Why Should You Work With REALTOR, Lesley Lambert?

Choosing a Western Massachusetts REALTOR is a process that should be done after you have researched the agent’s abilities and heard what other customers have had to say about their experience working with this real estate agent.

I had the pleasure of helping a great couple who was relocating to Western Massachusetts this month. Their college friend is a real estate agent in Chicago and he used Facebook to post his referral and read this blog to research me before sending his friends to work with me. I love when a fellow REALTOR sends me a referral because other agents are very often more critical than clients.

These buyers, Doug and Judy were living in temporary housing hours from work and without their pets. We spent some time searching and negotiating, but last week we closed on a terrific house that they were very excited to move into.

Here is what Doug had to say the day of the closing: