Real Estate Search Blog | Property Listings MA

If you think real estate is something that will only rise up in value then you better think again. If you are wondering why your agent says that your Cape Ann real estate is worth significantly less than what you paid for it years ago (taking into consideration the effects of inflation), do not get too angry because he may have  a point why he told you this.

Here are some of the things that affect the value of any real estate property, and hopefully they will be able to help demystify how your realtor came up with the price of your house.

1) Physical depreciation – This is the physical damage that is caused by natural forces. One of the best examples would be your roofing shingles; if the shingles on your roof has a life expectancy of around 25 years, and you have been living in the house for almost 15, then you can expect that the price of the house will be marked down considerably because the cost of replacing is taken into consideration.

2) Functional obsolescence – This is when a feature of the house is flawed, or is in too much disrepair that it no longer has any use for the next homeowner. Good examples of which are outdated air conditioners, water heaters, and kitchen appliances; even if they are still functional, they no longer comply with the kind of safety and operational standards of today. In this case, your house will depreciate by the same amount as the cost of buying and installing new appliances and/or utilities minus the scrap value of the original pieces.

3) External obsolescence – This is the loss of value due to outside influences. This is better explained by the recent economic crisis, this was the time when property prices were at an all-time low, but not many people can still afford to buy them. Right now, the economy has still not recovered fully from the effects of the financial crisis, so your Cape Ann real estate may get appraised in accordance with how much people are actually willing to pay right now; which is not that much according to most experts.

So, please do not yell at your realtor for seemingly giving you a lowball price on your house, he is only working with whatever it is he has, and if the odds are against you then you will not be getting too much out of the sale of your house.

Social networks like Instagram are great in keeping touch with your friends and family, knowing what they have been up to, and getting invites to special occasions, but it also has other uses; like selling your piece of Somerville real estate. If you want to help your real estate agent sell your house so you can get on with your life much earlier, here are some tips that you can use to market your house on Instagram, and any other social media networks for that matter.

Clean Up First

Before you snap dozens of pictures, you need to make sure that your home is actually picture-worthy. Clean up all of the clutter, clear the sink of any dirty dishes, and make sure that your dirty laundry is not strewn every which way. You want to attract buyers with the pictures of your beautiful home; not chase them away with a disorganized and dirty home.

Use Filters

The great thing about Instagram is that you have access to a whole bunch of tools and filters that will enhance your pictures. Chances are you will be using your smartphone’s built-in camera to take pictures of your house, and it may not have a large enough image sensor to give your photographs the kind of resolution you need. Use the filters and photo enhancement tools in Instagram (or any other app that you can find) to make your pictures more beautiful; just don’t overdo it or your photos will look a bit too tacky.

Make Your Pictures Look Professional

There are plenty of online tutorials that you can use to learn how to take professional-looking photos, and if you want your Somerville MA real estate to sell quickly then you need to make sure your pictures are as stunning as possible. Learn about the right camera angles to use and how to make the best use of ambient and artificial lighting. Remember, even if you are not using a professional-grade camera, knowing how to use the one that you have the right way will still lead to beautiful pictures.

Instagram is one of the most powerful online tools that you can use to sell your Somerville real estate, and sell it fast. Although you still need to hire a professional real estate agent, you still need to do whatever you can to make the task much easier, and with the tips mentioned above you can.

So, you have saved quite a bit of money and you feel like you are ready to transition from renting an apartment to actually owning your own piece of Boston real estate. This can be quite an exciting time for most people, and you probably cannot wait to start living in a place that you can call your own, but are you really ready to make the transition?

There are actually a lot of things that will change when you move out from your rental property and into a house whose deed is in your name, and you need to make sure that you are ready for all of them. To give you some ideas on what it would be like to live in your own home, here are some of the things that you can expect:

You will be paying for all the utilities

In some apartments, some of the utilities are shared by the tenants and the landlord, like heating and water. In some cases, the landlord will have no problem splitting the water or heating expenses with the other tenants, so you may end up paying a lot less money. Now, if you are living in your own house, all of the expenses falls on your shoulders, you no longer have anyone to split the bill with you.

Repairs and maintenance

If you are renting an apartment and you need to get something fixed, like leaky pipes or a busted window, all you need to do is call the landlord and someone will come over to fix the problem, and you do not have to pay a single cent. Now, if you are the owner of your own house, the burden of repairs is not on your shoulders. When there is a leak on the roof or one of your water pipes burst because of the cold then you better be ready to spend a lot of money out of your own pocket for the repairs, but only if you are not planning on doing all the repairs yourself.

Although there are a lot of changes that you can expect once you move from a rental into a house of your own, there is still a silver lining; you now have a piece of Boston real estate that you can actually call your own. This time, your money is not going to line another person’s pockets; it will be invested into your future.

Cambridge Real Estate

Probably the hardest part in selling Cambridge real estate is actually putting a price on the property. If you are selling your family’s home because you need to relocate, it can be pretty hard to place a monetary value on the place you have called home for many years, but you need to buck up and be objective about it. To help you actually get started on the selling process of your house, here are some of the things that you need to take into consideration when placing a price tag on your house.

Are the furnishings and decor up to date?

When you go house hunting, do you explicitly look for old, outdated homes? Or would you rather look at homes that have a somewhat modern feel to them? Only a select number of individuals actually prefer living in a house where time stood still, and finding such kinds of people will prove quite difficult. So if you are not willing to spend some money on updating your current decor, expect that you would not be getting offers to buy anytime soon.

State of repair

Does your roof leak? Are the tiles in the kitchen and bathroom all cracked and faded? If your house has a lot of things going wrong about it, then do not even hope to get a decent offer from buyers. You should at least spend some money on basic repairs and renovations before you place your property on the market, because odds are, even if there are only a few minor flaws, prospective buyers will see them. Do not give buyers any chance to complain, fix up everything that you can.

The prices of the other Cambridge homes for sale

Before deciding on a price for your home, you should take a look at the other homes for sale in Cambridge. Look for houses for sale that are similar to yours, and take note of how much they are going for, and not how much they are listed for. You need to find out just how much money people are paying for homes like yours, and make sure that you do not deviate too much from the average price.

Technically, you can ask for any amount of money for your house, but the problem is that no one will likely give you the kind of money you are looking for. So be objective and do not let your sentimental attachment get in the way of your selling your Cambridge real estate.

Fall River Homes

Do not think for one second that once you pay the seller for the Fall River homes that all of your financial worries are already finished. There are actually a lot more expenses that you have to deal with now that you are a full-fledged homeowner. To give you a clearer idea on what kinds of expenses to expect from here on out, here are some of the major ones that you should not neglect.

Property Taxes

With the ownership of your own home come additional responsibilities, one of which is your duty to pay property taxes. You need to properly file and pay your annual property taxes so you do not get in trouble with the government. But, since you are planning on buying Fall River homes for sale, you will be pleased to know that this city has one of the lowest property taxes in the entire country, so even though you are burdened with another living expense, it would not be too much of a strain to bear.

Home Insurance

Back when you still rented a place to live, you do not have to worry about property insurance because the landowner will be the one taking care of it for you. Now, technically, it is legal for you to own a house without getting home insurance, but are you really sure you are willing to take that kind of risk? Home insurance covers quite a lot of major expenses that you may come across during your stay in that house; like unexpected ones like damage caused by fires, burglary, or vandalism. If you want to play it safe, and most importantly, have some peace of mind, then you really should get comprehensive insurance for your home.

Homeowners Association Dues

Most of the Fall River homes for sale are usually in the suburban areas, and some of them are in a gated community. If your dream house is located in these parts of Fall River then you are most likely obligated to pay HOA fees. The money that goes to the HOA is used for various maintenance works like street lighting, road repairs, and the security patrol.

These are only some of the added expenses that you can expect to get once you own your own house, and although they may seem too much at times, it is still nice to know that you actually have a piece of Fall River in your name.

Boston Real Estate

There are many reasons why Boston real estate is so in demand, and if you are thinking of relocating, this may just be the perfect city for you right now. If you are still not entirely sold about the idea of living in Boston, then the following benefits may just help sway your opinion:

The Place Is Overflowing With History

If you want to learn more about how the country came into being then you only have to roam around Boston for a while. There are so many museums, historical monuments and places that you simply cannot see them all in one day; there are even some people who actually live in the city who have not seen all the great historical spots that Boston has to offer. If you consider yourself a history buff then Boston will be like a treasure trove of knowledge for you.

It Is a Sports Lover’s Paradise

Whatever sport you are into, you can be sure that there is a professional team from Boston that you can root for. There is probably no other city in the world who has more devoted sports fans than Boston. You can actually feel the excitement in the air whenever a home game of the Boston Red Sox or the Celtics is coming. A word to the wise: if you are planning on living in Boston, you really should convert to becoming a fan of the Boston teams or you will have a bad time.

Boston Is an Academic Utopia

One of the main reasons why a lot of people like to call Boston their home is because of the many nearby top colleges and universities; Boston is actually the ultimate college town. If you are planning on attending classes in Harvard or MIT, then you really should live in Boston so you can avoid the lengthy commute to your classes.

The Booming Economy

Unlike the some of the other cities in the country, Boston was not hit that hard by the recent financial crisis; in fact, you can even say that the economy in the city is actually booming right now. The tech industry in particular is enjoying quite a rise these days, and this means more jobs and a more bustling economy.

These are only some of the reasons why people are flocking into the city and snatching up Boston real estate left and right. If you are convinced that Boston is definitely the city for you, then you should get in touch with a real estate agent right now and start looking for your new home.

Cambridge Real Estate Agent

There are actually quite a lot of myths and misconceptions about getting a Cambridge real estate agent, or any realtor for that matter. The problem here is that even though they are just myths, quite a lot of people still believe them to be true and this result in a lot of wasted money on the part of the home buyer. In order for you to prevent yourself from falling in the same trap as so many buyers before you, here are some of the more pressing myths that you need to keep an eye out for:

You can buy a house by yourself

Although technically you can purchase a house on your own, it would be too time consuming and often leads to higher costs. You may think that you can find a lot of Cambridge homes for sale through your expert usage of Google or your other choices of search engines, but the truth is that online listings are just the tip of the iceberg. Real estate agents on the other hand, have access to a wide network of realtors and real estate firms, and they help each other find the right homes for their clients; this makes it easier for you to find the best house in Cambridge that will fit even the most limited of budgets.

You will do better when you work with two or more agents

The more the merrier is what they say, but that does not apply to house hunting. You should only stick to one real estate agent at a time, except perhaps when the one you previously chose to work with is unprofessional. Working with just one agent will help you help him/her to find out what it is you are looking for in a house; with multiple agents you run the risk of sending mixed signals to any one of them.

Realtors are overpaid

A lot of people mistakenly think that it is folly to get the help of a Cambridge realtor because all they will ever do is post a For Sale sign on your front yard and wait for people to make an offer. The truth is that real estate agents are some of the hardest working professionals out there; they will work on a particular listing for almost three months (calling buyers, holding open houses, networking, etc.) before they get their commission, which is unsubstantial sometimes. So if you think that you can do better than a professional real estate agent, give it a shot and you will find out just how hard it is to find a suitable house that can fit your budget perfectly.

Cambridge Real Estate

If you are planning on buying a new home for your family in the beautiful city of Cambridge, then there is no avoiding that you will be visiting quite a couple of open houses. There is quite a lot of Cambridge real estate for sale right now and all of them have unique qualities. To make sure that you are making the most out of every open house that you visit, you should always keep the following tips in mind:

Bring a camera

You should expect to visit quite a lot of properties during the entire course of your house hunting adventure, and it is very unlikely that you will be able to remember all of the little details that you saw and liked during your open house visits. You should always bring your trusty camera with you whenever you are going to open houses, or if your smartphone already has a decent camera you can use that. Take a lot of pictures of the rooms inside the house; make sure that you focus your attention on the things that you liked and did not like in the house. When you have organized pictures of the houses you visited it will be much easier for you to compare the properties and find the one you like the most.

Take notes

Besides taking pictures of the property, you should also bring a small notebook with you on your open house visits. Take pictures on your camera and jot down notes on your notebook, this will provide you with a much more detailed description of your visits. The combined pictures and written descriptions will allow you to better recreate in your mind all that you experienced in the open house.

Do not get too swayed by the staging efforts

Odds are that most of the houses you will be checking out will be professionally-staged. Staging is a clever way of redesigning a house to hide most, if not all of its flaws. So whenever you are visiting an open house, make sure that you are not too taken in with the staging of the house; keep an open eye out for any shoddy repairs, or any deliberate attempts at hiding them.

Open houses are great for when you are looking for Cambridge homes for sale; it allows you to actually see the house for yourself, and see if it is actually a good fit for you and your family.

Boston Real Estate

If you are planning to sell your slice of Boston real estate then you probably already have an open house scheduled. Open houses are great ways for potential buyers to come in, fall in love with your house, and make you an offer to buy it. Unfortunately, not all of the people who come to open houses are actually there for the express intention of buying your home, some of them even have very unscrupulous motives. So, to help ensure that your open house will be a success, here are some of the people you need to keep an eye out for.

The Nosy Neighbors

Obviously, since these people live just down the street from you, that they have no real intention of buying your house. Most of the time, your neighbors will only come to your open house out of curiosity, especially if they have not even set foot inside your house; they are just there because they really want to see the inside of your house, so that they can find out if their own home is better. If some of your nosy neighbors come to your open house just entertain them for a while, but tell them that you do not have that much time for chitchat and just leave them to tour the house for themselves; you should only expend your time and energy on the people who are actually interested in buying your house.

The Design Stealer

These kinds of people would often frequent open houses, not because they are interested in buying, they are there to check out how you decked out your home. To find out who these people are, you need to pay attention to what they often ask you. If they focus too much on your décor, like asking where you bought your furniture, or where you had your window treatments made, then they are fishing for design ideas for their own homes. Once you identify these people, try to steer your conversation towards getting an offer; when these people get pressured to buy the house, then they will just leave on their own accord.

Burglars

There are some nimble-fingered con men that frequent open houses, particularly the ones that are quite busy, and help themselves to the belongings of the homeowner. To prevent the theft of your property, you can employ the help of your friends and relatives; have them show visitors around the house. Not only will you be able to get through most of the visitors in a short amount of time, you will also make sure that every person who goes inside your house is supervised.

These are just some of the people who you do not want to see in your open house for your Boston real estate. Hopefully you will be able to identify them as they come in so you can deal with them appropriately.

Cambridge Real Estate

Buying Cambridge real estate is quite unlike any other purchase that you will ever make in your entire lifetime. For one thing, the amount of money involved in the purchase is not a laughing matter; even the relatively small houses in Cambridge can cost a small fortune, so you really should not take this lightly. If you are a first time going into an expensive transaction such as this, there are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind.

Make sure that you are already pre-approved for a mortgage

Unless you come from an extremely wealthy family, then you will need a mortgage to help you buy the house you want, and these kinds of things will take some time to get approved. So before you actually go and check out the Cambridge homes for sale, you need to take care of all the technicalities surrounding your mortgage first, which is you need to get a pre-approval on your loan. When you are already pre-approved for a loan, and you happen to stumble upon a house that meets all of your needs and wants, then you will be able to make an offer and prevent others from snatching it away from you.

Get the help of a real estate agent

Do not think that since you are quite skilled at using internet search engines to get all the information you think you need, that you can handle everything with regards to a home purchase. There is so much paperwork involved and you also have to make sure that everything is filled up, notarized, and filed at the appropriate government offices; this could lead to a lot of stress and the eventual emotional breakdown. You should save yourself from all this trouble and just hire the services of an experienced real estate agent to handle everything for you; even though it may cost you a bit more to hire a realtor, not having to do most of the heavy lifting makes it all worthwhile.

Another great thing about having a realtor is that they have access to all of the available homes in Cambridge thanks to their network; even with your internet search prowess, you may not even find half the number of homes for sale that your realtor can give you.

Buying Cambridge real estate can be quite stressful, but it does not necessarily have to be. Follow the tips and pieces of advice mentioned above and you will actually be able to enjoy shopping for a new home for you and your family.