Leon's Real Estate Blog

2012 Home Seller Tips

2012-01-13T09:19:00.002-05:00

7 Tips for Staging Your Home

Make your home warm and inviting to boost your home’s value and speed up the sale process. Read

Find the Best Agent to Sell Your House

Ask detailed questions about their experience and skills to help you find the right agent for your home sale. Read

5 Tips to Prepare Your Home for Sale

Working to get your home ship-shape for showings will increase its value and shorten your sales time. Read

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

There's Lots To Talk About

2009-01-24T15:33:00.008-05:00

Well, 2009 is shaping up to be an interesting year in Plymouth. Hopefully, the economic troubles of the Federal and State governments won't put too much of a strain on the town. We'll have to wait and see on that. In the meantime, the next few months will be critical to the Plymouth Rock Studios project. At the January 12th Planning Board meeting, studio proponents updated the Board on the progress they've made with their traffic and access road plans, they received public support from the Director of Public Works, Superintendent of Schools and the Principals of Plymouth South High and Plymouth South Middle Schools, and they outlined the next 90 days as a time of securing financing for the project as well as obtaining necessary permits from the State and the Town. If all of this stays on track, they could actually start construction sometime this Spring. Can't Wait!! They'll be back in front of the Planning Board in February, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, other major projects in town are moving forward. The A.D. Makepeace development, known as River Run, should start to see some infrastructure development this Spring and hopefully the first phase at Cordage Park will as well. Plus, there are other outstanding new construction choices like beautiful homes at Watercourse Place and oceanfront condos at Lighthouse Point and Robbins Wharf. At Pinehills, a new builder has acquired some land in the Hickorywood neighborhood and will be building cottage style homes. These should be popular, both in style and price point. Also, a new neighborhood will begin to take shape up on the hill adjacent to the Summerhouse. Plus the Avalon apartment neighborhood will grow to almost double the current size. Don't forget to shop at The Market. Everyone loves this store with its fresh meat, vegetables and popular bakery items. By the way, thanks to The Pinehills for hosting the third annual Broker Appreciation Dinner last week. It's nice to be acknowledged and appreciated for introducing Buyers to The Pinehills.
While the local real estate market is still a bit soft, there are some fantastic values out there. Everything from low priced foreclosure homes to new construction values to homes owned by motivated Sellers that are priced right. Add to that the fact that interest rates are at or near historic lows. Why wait? Now really is the best time to buy. As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

Real Estate - Are We At The Bottom??

2008-12-09T17:06:00.002-05:00

How can it get much better than this? Prices are lower than they've been in years. Interest rates are extremely low. Today I received an email from a loan officer quoting 30 year rates at 5.375% with zero points and 5% with one point. Why wait? Things could start to change if some of the talked about Federal Government proposals take shape in the coming weeks and once our new President takes the oath of office. Inventory levels of Single Family homes for sale in many area towns are significantly lower than they were a year ago. For instance:

Plymouth - down 18%

Kingston - down 20%

Carver - down 19%

Pembroke - down 19%

Hanson - down 34%

Rockland - down 42%

Halifax - down 13%

source MLS-PIN 12-9-08

If incentive programs are introduced to stimulate the economy and bring more Buyers back into the real estate market, isn't it safe to say that in towns like those mentioned above, where inventory is already low, that a higher demand and a lower supply will only result in prices starting to go back up - even if only slightly? If you've been hearing and thinking that you've got to keep waiting because "things are going to get even worse", don't be fooled. Real Estate is local. If your goal is to purchase a home in towns located on the South Shore, now may be your best time to buy. Contact The Lopes Team to discuss the details. We will help you achieve your goal of home ownership. NOW is the time to buy!!

Inventory Update

2008-06-12T21:21:00.003-05:00

Our Multiple Listing Service Market Snapshot for inventory of Single Family Homes in Plymouth today versus one year ago today shows some interesting statistics. The total quantity of homes for sale is down (590 last year, 541 this year) but the number of average days on the market is up from a year ago (165 last year, 194 this year). It's interesting to look at the breakdown by price range. For instance, many of the homes in the lower price points are bank owned foreclosures. Inventory is down significantly for homes priced in the $300's and $400's. Feel free to email me to request a copy of the detailed report for Plymouth or any other area town. Our office has been busy all year long and more so lately. Local and National reports indicate a slight pick up in activity. Now is a great time to buy.

Spring 2008 - Where Are All The Buyers?

2008-05-12T07:37:00.002-05:00

Every day someone asks me, How is the market? It's always hard to give a quick answer. Lately, my typical short response is unpredicatable and inconsistent. Mainly, that's because it's been just that. From day to day or week to week, this year is still showing signs of Buyer uncertainty and caution. As is the case every Spring, sales have picked up from what they were over the Winter months. However, they are still running behind the same time last year. The big difference that Buyers need to pay attention to is that right now interest rates are a bit lower than they were last year and prices are also lower than they were last year. The amount of inventory for sale is less than it was last year. In Plymouth, as of today, almost every price range above $300,000 has less inventory to pick from compared to a year ago. (Available homes priced in the $600's is up slightly) Many of the homes priced below $300,000 are foreclosure properties and most need fixing up. Don't wait for demand to increase, because if the supply stays down, prices will only go up. NOW really is a great time to buy!

What's Going On In Plymouth?

2008-02-04T20:21:00.000-05:00

There's lots going on in Plymouth this year. Starting with real estate, this year will see the beginning of development in South Plymouth by AD Makepeace Co. where eventually some 1100 homes will be built with a Village Center surrounded by woodlands and cranberry bogs. In addition, in North Plymouth, Cordage Park will see the beginning of a first of its kind 40-R project with the first phase including 150 apartments in the area where the old Walmart used to be. Future phases will include condos, shops, and services all of which will enhance the many businesses currently located at this site. This area will become a model for other cities and towns within the state. At Pinehills, new homes continue to be built while construction is underway for the new Pinehills Market, a full service market that will offer everything from hot foods to go, to everyday groceries, meats, produce, seafood and more. The Boston Magazine home of the year for 2008 is also under construction at Pinehills. It will include over 5000 square feet of living space and lots of special features. Of course, there are numerous neighborhoods throughout town that residents are proud to call home. Great home values exist right now in all price points all across town. Now is the perfect time to buy!

Do you think a movie studio could ever really become a reality in Plymouth? There's lots of positive momentum for this exciting project proposed for part of the land known as "1000 acres" in the southern area of Bourne Road near Bournehurst Estates. Check the "Links" section at the bottom of my website homepage to get all of the details. Stay tuned to find out what the town and the county decide as the best use for the old Courthouse buildings in Downtown Plymouth. Studies are underway to consider preserving at a minimum the front facade of the original courthouse. On North Street, the new Arts Center has a long list of classes coming up for all ages as well as many special events planned throughout the year. Pilgrim Hall Museum is the oldest operating museum in the country and is experiencing a multi-million dollar facelift that will provide handi-cap access as well as air conditioning and the ability to better preserve the many artifacts on display. The portico over Plymouth Rock is scheduled for renovation from March 1st through the end of May. Be sure to visit Downtown Plymouth all year long and take part in the many free events, shop the stores, eat at the restaurants and enjoy the history.

I think it's safe to say that Plymouth is a unique community full of exciting things to come that will compliment the many wonderful characteristics already in place. These are just some of the issues and projects that we have to look forward to. If you're looking for more information on something happening in town, let us know. There are lots of resources available to answer all of your questions.

2007 Wrap Up and Looking Ahead to 2008

2007-12-02T20:13:00.000-05:00

Somehow we've managed to reach December 2007. This year has gone by pretty quickly for me. While the overall real estate market has been a challenging one, 2007 will go down as a good real estate year for The Lopes Team. Thank you to all of the Sellers and Buyers that put their confidence in us to help with the purchase or sale of their biggest asset - a home. We had the privledge of working with past clients and referred clients in addition to First Time Home Buyers and First Time Home Sellers, as well as families moving into our area from places like Illinois and California, and families leaving our area for places such as Virginia, Maryland, Florida, and Canada. We handled the sales of single family homes, condominiums, multi-family homes, brand new homes, and waterfront homes. We also formed many new relationships with people who are ready to look ahead to 2008 as their year for buying or selling a home. Feel free to contact us anytime to ask a real estate question, request a market analysis, or talk about making a purchase. We're ready to earn your business! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!