Western Mass Homes Lesley Lambert

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Spring is Here – That Means Open Season on Gardening in Western MA!

With the recent beautiful weather the spring flowers are a bit early, but they are in their glory. I always think every season is my favorite, but truthfully, I find spring the most exciting. As the first spring flowers appear my dreams of a lovely garden begin to flourish, too!

There are some great places to get flowers in Western Massachusetts, but my favorite is Meadow View in Southwick, MA. They have a huge selection, fair prices, beautiful gardens to use as inspiration and helpful staff.

If you want to check them out, they open on April 25th and be prepared for crowds…it is a popular spot! Here are some of my favorite flower pictures that I have taken around Western Massachusetts:

St Patrick’s Day in Western MA

St Patrick's Day Parade 2011 Holyoke MA
St Patrick's Day Parade 2011 Holyoke MA (Photo credit: LesleyLambert)

I love St. Patrick’s Day in Western Massachusetts.  I am able to celebrate both my pride in Western Massachusetts and my love of my Irish heritage.

The best place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is Holyoke, MA and it is a weekend long celebration.

The official events kick off on Saturday morning with the Holyoke Road Race.  The fun continues after the race with music and pubs and friends.

On Sunday the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is held.  This is either the 1st or 2nd largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the world, depending on your source.

This year the warm weather was on our side and that resulted in record turnout numbers.  Here is a short recap of the St. Patrick’s day celebrations in Holyoke, MA.  I hope you can join us in Western MA next year!

Real Estate in Western MA is up by almost 200% according to Park Square Realty

If you are wondering if now is a good time to sell your Western Massachusetts home, these statistics might be helpful:

Showings on Park Square Listings and Pending Sales of Park Square Listings.

First 80 days of 2011 compared to the First 80 days of 2012..

January 2011 to March 20th 2011: 264 Showings 31 Pendings (PKSQ Listings)

January 2012 to March 20th 2012: 540 Showings 58 Pendings (PKSQ Listings)
These are amazing statistics….

Showings on our listings have more than doubled from last year = (204.5%)

Pending sales of our listings have almost doubled from last year = (187.1%)

Activity at Park Square has basically doubled during the first 80 days of 2012..

Park Square Realty Showing Large Growth in Real Estate Activity in Western MA

Are you ready for some good news? Park Square Realty is showing substantial signs of growth in real estate activity in 2012.

When you look at year to date showings right now versus the same period last year, our showings are up 114% over last year. Our year to date pending/sales of our listings are up 90% over last year.

Here are the actual numbers:

1/1/11-3/12/11 1/1/12-3/12/12
Showings 217 464

Pendings/sales of Park Square Realty listings 28 53

If you are considering putting your house in Western Massachusetts on the market to sell, now is a great time to get some activity and offers!

Just a reminder: I am the TOP AGENT FOR LISTINGS SOLD at Park Square Realty.

I have proven results over two decades in real estate.  I don’t take listings, I sell homes!

 

 
 
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Lesley Lambert
Park Square Realty
4135753611
realestate.lesleylambert@gmail.com

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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