Town of Framingham
Large and diverse enough to be considered a “city”, Framingham has a bit of everything: easy access to major commuting roadways and transportation hubs, major shopping outlets, award winning schools, and quiet farmland & state parks.
Located 19 miles west of Boston, this town is one of the most reasonably priced real estate markets outside the city. There are several stops in the area on the Commuter Rail line that travels from Worcester to South Station. If you are looking for convenience to work, as well as a neighborhood setting for your family, this town offers it.
The housing stock contains every price point in condos, single family homes, and multi-family investments. Since there is also a great supply of large corporations, the tax rate is kept reasonable at $12.53/ $1000 in 2008. These companies include Bose, Staples, and TJX.
Services in town include Metrowest Medical Center, Framingham State College, the State Police Headquarters, as well as Callahan State Park and beaches at Lake Cochituate.
Click here for local events happening around Framingham
Click here for Framingham schools MCAS results
If you wait for the Robins, Spring will be Over.
October 28th, 2008
I couldn’t keep from creating this blog title after reading it in a Warren Buffett Op Ed piece. It was in the New York Times Oct 17th. Now, I understand that everyone will critize the Realtor speaking positive about the real estate marketplace, but I am excited about this Low!
When is the “Low”?
You won’t know it until you see it in the rear view mirror.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am a real estate agent in a very down market. I am working harder and dealing with more emotions then I have in my 10 years. If I can manage scraping up a little cash, I will be putting it into equities and real estate NOW.
I worked an open house a few weeks ago, and at least 3/4 of the visitors were interested, but waiting for a bit longer for the market to fall further. This was a very real display of pent-up demand.
Another contridictory real world example is a client looking for a $800K home in Holliston but not having more than a handful of options in the past 3 months. Do I really need to direct mail a neighborhood to let them know I have a Buyer for them? That is not the real estate market that the Boston Globe is reporting about!
In scanning over the region’s 3rd Quarter real estate stats, the median prices are reporting grim news to homeowners:
Holliston down 13.6%
Hopkinton down 8.7%
Framingham down 7.2%
Ashland down 7%
Natick down 5.4%
In regards to the number of sales, the region has 12.8% fewer sales!
OK, where you are ready to jump out a window, I am now salivating! Yes, I do own a home, but I am not ready to move yet. Therefore, no sweat.
Take a deep breath Massachusetts, the sky has not fallen and it is time to start figuring out how to take advantage of this market, not how to escape it!
Categories: Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Market Conditions, Real Estate
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How to Judge a School System?
August 26th, 2008
I received my Community Newsletter from the Holliston Public Schools last week. It is the type of information that I hope every town resident receives. I do not have kids in school, but it is an interesting read.
A client looking for a home in the area turned me on to another school website that you may find interesting.
Prior to using this site, my wife turned to www.SchoolMatters.com. She passed it along to our real estate clients as a good resource. It was attractive for the clear and concise information laid out to the reader.
The data from the state website is more thorough and up to date, but it is a jumble of data.
Massachusetts Department of Education
and the Individual school district’s No Child Left Behind Report Card data:
As a Realtor, I am always asked about whether a town has a “good” school system. The answer is
a tough one to come up with. Do I give the wishy washy answer of “a school system is as good as your child makes of it.”?
I personally think this is statement is true, since disciplined study and striving for knowledge usually will lead to high scores on standardized testing and many extracirricular activities can be accomplished outside of a school system. Granted, the poorly run schools will have many more distractions socially, and perhaps less modern tools at the students disposal.
I attended Holliston Public Schools. My father was a science teacher in Framingham. His larger school system allowed students to have more opportunities to take unique courses. Subjects offered were Astronomy, Geology, Oceangraphy, et al. This was in addition to the typical Biology, Physics, and Chemistry we had in Holliston.
Was Framingham a better school system for this reason? It certainly makes me consider a larger school system for my child’s education.
When I first started real estate in Framingham, I had many clients voicing reservations about Framingham and the school system. Sometimes the reason for this were concerns that their child would get “lost” in the large system.
I came across a stat back then that Framingham offered the lowest student-teacher ratio out of all the area communities. This handy fact helped me to present the perceptions people have compared to the reality of the situation.
I am greatful we live in a region that has very good opportunities in public education. I feel that these schools are offering a great education to our children and will keep the area growing strong.
Where do you find school data? What data is important to you? Write me a comment to shed some light!
Ed Daniels of The MAhome Team can be reached at 508-341-7880. Ed is a Full-time Realtor with Re/max Executive Realty, a leading brokerage in the Metrowest Boston area.
Categories: Framingham, Holliston, School Info
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Bank owned properties: Investors Wanted!
June 20th, 2008
I have been working with a bank on some of their foreclosure listings. I represent the banks in the listings, but as you know, they are very interested in getting offers and having these properties off their books.
Here are a few:
Call Ed and Doriane Daniels of the MAHome Team to see these and other properties. We can be reached at 508-341-7880 or Info@MAhome.com.
Categories: Featured Listings, Framingham, Real Estate
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Important Info on Local Hospitals: Customer Satisfaction
May 10th, 2008
The Metrowest Boston towns are just a short drive to some of the most highly regarded hospitals in the country. I don’t think I have ever heard of Massachusetts residents complaining about the level of care that is available nearby.
There is a survey that I discovered that does highlight some customer satisfaction numbers you may find interesting.
Surveys are interesting subjects because there always seems to be a motivation behind them. This survey was conducted by The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). This government body seems to give hospitals a tool to get better at their care, but more importantly, it gives the consumer a way to compare hospital care.
My wife and I are about to have our second child. This time around we are using Newton-Wellesley Hospital, as opposed to Beth Israel Hospital in Boston the first time around. The choice was strictly based upon health insurance reasons, but if it wasn’t, I would use this site to try to evaluate the level of care.
Our method of choosing a hospital prior to a site like this would be asking a handful of friends about their personal experience during their stay. You can see how this might get a little difficult if you are talking about personal matters with your health.
The Metrowest Daily News wrote a good article about the site and the method of the surveys. Click here for the full story.
The link for the HCAHPS can be reached by clicking here: www.HospitalCare.hhs.gov.
Here in the Metrowest area, there are several regional hospitals for residents to choose from:
Metrowest Medical Center Framingham, MA
Milford Regional Medical Center Milford, MA
Marlborough Hospital Marlborough, MA
Newton-Wellesley Hospital Newton, MA
UMass Memorial Medical Center Worcester, MA
Metrowest Medical Center - Leonard Morse Campus Natick, MA
The survey asks questions of patients regarding noise, cleanliness, communication with staff, clear home recovery instructions, among other areas.
It allows hospital management to track how they do compared to other hospitals and where they are lacking in the eyes of the patient.
Newton-Wellesley Hospital reported an 82% rating of patients who said they would definately recommend the hospital, which was the top score from the hospitals listed above.
I am glad to hear that, and I am sure you will hear about it if I fall within the 18% who doesn’t!
Categories: Framingham, Marlborough, Milford, Natick, Preferred Business
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Foreclosure Real Estate Secrets
February 3rd, 2008
First time buyers of real estate are salivating at the idea that the Buyer’s Market in Massachusetts is offering “steals” in every neighborhood. They hear of foreclosures, auctions, and people unloading property at every turn.
This is not only a falsehood, but when buyers learn of the process, they usually run for the hills.
Let me explain how foreclosures work…
Home owners who do not pay their mortgage over time will have the bank try to take it over or sell it. The process is known as foreclosure, and the first attempt to sell the property is known as the auction.
The auction is advertised in a legal section of your local newspaper. To participate, you would bring a deposit check to the event. The bidder than stands on the curb and raises their hand if they are willing to pay x dollars for the home.
Notice how I did not say anything about looking inside the property, inspection conditions, or financing contingencies… this is because they don’t exist! You buy sight unseen, perhaps someone will still be living there when you end up buying it, and if you don’t show up in 30 days with payment in full, the deposit is retained by the auction house.
Not a great course of events for a rookie home buyer.
A bank representative is usually at the auction also. They are there to “bid” if the bank wants to buy it back rather than allow anyone else to “steal” the property. They will then prepare the home for listing with a local realtor. This is also known as a REO property, referring to the Real Estate Owned department of the bank.
A buyer can now preview the home, conduct an inspection, and negotiate on price, but at this point the bank usually spends a bit of money on the process and still is not going to allow the home to sell for an outrageous price.
There is certainly a lot more REO property in Massachusetts recently, but these properties are not for buyers who do not have financial resources or lack nerves of steel. They usually need at least cosmetic work, but most have quite a few inspection issues. There are companies out there that are in this business full time and they are also going to compete with your bids.
My official recommendation in 2008, stick with the listed properties and do your due diligence on a property you plan on buying. Currently it is a slim margin of benefit that you will receive from buying a foreclosure and not worth it. It may be in the future, just not right now in Metrowest Boston.
Contact me if you have questions or concerns about REO properties or click here to view listings on the MLS.
Categories: Ashland, Framingham, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Market Conditions, Marlborough, Milford, Natick, Real Estate, Southborough, Westborough
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4 Crucial Reasons to Buy In this Perfect Market
November 27th, 2007
You have been hearing all sorts of bad news in every newspaper article for the past 2 years. These are the 4 reasons why this is THE perfect time to be a Buyer. You should not delay, even if it means dealing with getting less for your current home!
As a full time Realtor in the Metrowest area for the past 10 years, I have seen mostly “good times”.
But were they?
My buyer clients were buying with multiple offers in the first few days a home was listed. Interest rates were good, but prices were climbing at double digit rates.
Ok, they were good times for Sellers.
Many of my home buying clients paid over asking price and had to convince the appraiser that the place was worth it. Many appraisers used appreciation factors in their assessments and the banks signed off on them.
So now is the “Good Times” for the Buyers! Here is why:
1. Interest Rates: They are falling again and today I was just told by my mortgage brokers that they have dipped to 6%. You can’t find 100% deals easily or have terrible credit, but others should take advantage
Call the MAhome Team if we can connect you to a professional, ethical and competitive local mortgage broker for a free pre-approval.
2. Motivated Sellers: There are the foreclosure and short sales, but overall most of the people selling in this market are doing it because they need to. Job change, growing families, or financial struggles are some of the reasons that they are moving.
You need to have a professional Realtor in your corner to deal with the “distressed” situations, but having a strong negotiator on your side will result in even benefits. Negotiate in your mortgage points or closing costs, have condo fees paid for the year, or have inspection issues corrected are some of these benefits.
3. Choices: Buyers of homes around Metrowest have lots of options. A few years ago buyers would be looking every day at the new to market listings. Today we could take your dream home criteria and have several days of homes worth to tour.
Make sure to visit the MAhome Team MLS search to see a map search. Slide bars to fit your criteria and watch the push-pins pop up all over the Metrowest area that are for sale!
4. The Move Up Premium: It is not an easy environment to Sell a home, but WHEN you are successful, you will get a discounted price on the purchase.
For example, you are selling your home to get a “better” one. It will cost more and have lots more room and be located in the primo neighborhood. You sell your home for 10% less than you could have 2 years ago, it takes 6 months, but you did it! It listed for $390000, but only sold it for $351000.
Now, the move up home is in the $600K price range. You negotiate hard and get a good deal on the perfect place. You estimate it is 10% less than you could have bought it for 2 years ago! Therefore, you get the $660000 home for only $600000.
There it is… “losing” $41K off the sale and “discounting” the purchase by $60K. A buyer who is upgrading their home is doing better than they would 2 years ago!
Take advantage of a professional Realtor who will keep your best interests as the priority, the MAhome Team is that Realtor. If you know of someone thinking of buying or selling a home, who would appreciate the kind of service I offer, we would appreciate your referrals.
Categories: Ashland, Framingham, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Market Conditions, Marlborough, Milford, Natick, Real Estate, Southborough, Westborough
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