A friend of some of my clients put up an invisible book shelf. How’d he do it? You need: A book (or two or three) that you don’t want or need anymore. An L-bracket (or two or three) with screws that fit it. A screw driver. Some extra screws. Maybe some anchor screws. A pen.
Yule was Sunday. Hanukkah ends at nightfall tonight (last candle last night.) Christmas eve tonight, into Christmas tomorrow. Kwanzaa, begins on Friday and runs through January 1. New year, 2015, begins January 1. Enjoy any or all, safely, warmly, in your home or someone else’s. (and here's the fireplace you always wanted!)
We are pleased for our clients who have bought in 2014. They bought a house or condo in eastern Massachusetts without bidding wildly over asking price or throwing away their rights. Many had to make multiple offers before getting one accepted. But, in the end, they got the best property they could at the best
4 Buyers Real Estate is supporting GivingTuesday with a $500 matching donation offer. Donate on Giving Tuesday. Write to [email protected] and [email protected] to say what you donated. (that's how we're keeping track) We are donating in support of 14 non-profits in our city. CORES, Inc The non-profit organization called Community Organization of Refugees from El
In the ever-changing world of mortgage lending, it is good to see something getting less complicated, instead of more complicated. Massachusetts Housing Partnership has updated their mortgage offering with what they are calling ONE Mortgage. The old way to secure a low down-payment mortgage was with what was called a “soft second” mortgage. That second
When I am looking at properties in the metro-Boston area, it is impossible to judge their value without considering the cost of repairing and maintaining them. It is way too easy to be wrong, when getting specific about repair costs. When a problem begins, it is much cheaper to repair than the same problem left
I started working in real estate in the Stone Age. Well, actually, it was the Paper Age. In 1991, I was the only agent I knew who read the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data at home from my computer. Now, everyone has MLS on their home computer, agents and the public. The access to listings
When I was thirteen or fourteen, I had a button that read, “If you can’t dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bullshit.” That works in middle school, but I grew out of it. Some of my peers didn’t. Because my clients and I sign into open houses with my email address, I
“…according to the National Association of Realtors, homeownership rates among those 35 and younger is 36%--the lowest level since 1982…” NAR is concerned that this figure is so low. Nationally, it may be unusually low. They say there are myths making this so. I think there are good reasons for it. Entry level housing is
People who already own one house or condo who are looking to buy a bigger place (trade-up) or a smaller/cheaper place (downsize, right-size, or down-cost) are at an advantage now that the market has recovered. Whatever your equity position was in 2008, it is better today. That allows some owners to get enough liquidity to