Real Estate Search Blog

On Saturday, August 7th, the town of Wellesley held its annual farmer’s market and artisan product fair.  Over 60 vendors showcased good such as homemade tomato sauce, natural skin care products, Italian ice, and of course, fruits and vegetables grown by local farms!

The festival was held in the middle of 36 lush acres of the Elm Bank Reservation in Wellesley. The reservation is also home to the Festival’s host, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.

The Massachusetts Marketplace Festival is a great example of sustainability in MetroWest Boston. In addition, Wellesley is also home to one of the best botanical gardens in Massachusetts — the Wellesley College Botanical Gardens. Go green in Wellesley!

Christine Norcross & Partners are the area experts on Wellesley real estate including homes for sale in Wellesley, Newton, Weston, Natick, Brookline, Needham and more. The home buying process shouldn’t be a headache. Put your trust in the hands of  Christine Norcross & Partners — visit their Wellesley real estate website today.

If you’re reading this blog, you obviously know the value of the Internet when it comes to real estate search. Home buyers today enjoy the ability to search the newest real estate listings, participate in online forums, and find valuable city data. At the beginning of the real estate search, a home buyer might spend the bulk of his or her time digging through thousands of web sites, MLS listings, and countless real estate agents. It’s inevitable that information overload will take its toll, leaving the home buyer even more lost than they were at the start of their real estate search.

This is where the need for a trusted, tech-savvy real estate agent comes in. A few notable real estate agents in the Boston area have attained the e-PRO Designation, a certification which recognizes the ability of a REALTOR® to use the Internet and advanced technology to assist home buyers. The certification is endorsed by the National Association of REALTORS® and entails classes and a final exam. Wellesley real estate agent Christine Norcross, Cambridge MA real estate agent Charles Cherney, and Cape Ann real estate agent Rosemary Quarato are three Boston area or Massachusetts real estate agents who have earned the e-PRO Designation.

Here are some benefits to working with an e-PRO (credited to the e-PRO NAR website):

• Online home tours — Check out Cambridge real estate on YouTube!
• Instant access to comprehensive neighborhood data – Look at recent Wellesley real estate and Boston area market reports!
• Extensive property listings – Get instant access to Cape Ann real estate listings!
• Immediate email notification of just-listed homes meeting your criteria
• Referral networks and online forums
• Newsletters on current real estate conditions in your area
• Electronic faxes sent to you by email
• Advanced software, PDAs, and laptops to find you answers on the spot

Whether you’re the type of person who always has the latest gadget, or you’re the type of person who’d rather write a letter than type an email — the benefits to working with an e-PRO designated REALTOR® in today’s technologically charged world are substantial.

At the Wellesley Real Estate Blog you can find Wellesley market reports, Wellesley home values, Wellesley MLS listings, information on Wellesley schools and Wellesley neighborhoods, and useful articles with topics including first-time homebuyers, the tax credit, financing options, staging, and more.

Wellesley Real Estate Blog

The Wellesley Real Estate Blog is a frequently updated blog written by the top real estate agents at Christine Norcross & Partners. Take advantage of the free expert advice from top Wellesley real estate agents Christine Norcross & Partners. Christine Norcross & Partners is a leading team within William Raveis Real Estate and Home Services.

Get started on your search for Wellesley real estate by bookmarking the Wellesley Real Estate Blog today.

One of the many reasons people fall in love with Newton real estate are the endless opportunities to experience arts and culture right in Newton or in its neighboring suburbs. If you’re looking for Newton real estate, consider working with Christine Norcross & Partners, who provide assistance for those relocating to Newton, Wellesley, Brookline, Natick, Needham, and Weston, Massachusetts.

One of the most relaxing things to do on a frigid winter day in Massachusetts is to take the family on a trip to the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens. Admission is free, the rooms are warm and balmy, flowery perfume lingers in the air, and kids can marvel at plants that are native to places all over the country. Afterwards, take the family on a walk through town to do some shopping, book-browsing, or a leisurely lunch at a local cafe.

Click this picture to be taken to the Youtube video from last year

And pictures from the plants of 2010:

A lemon

There are lots of different things that you need to look at when you’re shopping for a Wellesley home. Price and the amenities around the place are just a few of the considerations. You’ll want to look through and see what’s been upgraded on the inside and what you ‘ll need to do yourself, and you’ll need to make sure all the plumbing and electrical work won’t cause you any problems.

And there’s one more thing that you won’t want to forget on the outside. You need to take to take a look to see if the Wellesley real estate around the home has a passing grade.

And, no , that doesn’t mean that you’ll be assigning a mark to the property. It does mean, however, that you need to look at the way the land slopes around the home. The grade is the way the earth around the foundation angles itself. It should be facing away from the concrete so that rain water and melting snow is funneled away. If it isn’t, or if the water has pooled around the concrete for any considerable amount of time, you’ll need to check to see if any cracks have developed in the basement walls.

If you decide to buy the place , one of the first things that you can do to prevent any further water damage is change the grade by piling up earth against the side of the foundation so that a downward slope will carry away any drainage.

One of the most important ingredients to finding a great Wellesley home is starting out with the right Wellesley real estate agent. These are the people who will quarterback your search for a new place in the area, so you’ll want to be sure they meet some of your credentials.

1. They should have experience. That means not only licenses and the any other proper training that’s necessary, but knowledge of the Wellesley neighborhoods that suit you best. If the real estate agent that you finally pick is a native of the area, all the better
2. They should have references. Remember that you’re interviewing for the job. You don’t need to pick the first agent that comes your way. Ask to see some proof that they’re good at their jobs. They should be able to supply names and numbers of past satisfied customers that you can contact. If not, you’ll wan to find one that can
3. Finally, they should be personable enough to listen to you when you tell them what you’re looking for and take a personal interest. Remember that having a solid connection will make it easier to work with your agent and find the home that you really want.

Finding a good Wellesley real estate agent is easier when you’ve got some criteria to look at. Christine Norcross has been consistantly a top Wellesley real estate agent, using cutting edge technologies within her team of Wellesley real estate experts to assist you with the sale of your home in Wellesley, or your relocation to Wellesley or the surrounding communities.

Before you buy a Wellesley home, you should have it inspected by a professional home inspector. These are the experts that can help you to determine if there’s really anything seriously wrong with the Wellesley real estate that you’re looking at. You will need to how to find to find a good home inspector to get the best results. And that means there are some questions that you can ask

1. You’ll want to know how long they’ve been in the business. Experience is everything in most jobs and that includes home inspection. The longer a home inspector has been working in the field, the more likely they are to catch all the smaller things that can make a difference down the road.
2. Ask about their training and background as well. Like real estate agents, the best home inspectors are the ones that have the best training and are willing to upgrade constantly.
3. Remember that you should avoid home inspectors that also do repair work or that have friends that they can recommend to you. It’s best if you hire someone that has nothing to gain by find out out what’s wrong with the Wellesley home that you’re looking at

Finding the fight home inspector is just another aspect of buying a home that you need to take seriously.

Keep in mind that selling a home in today’s greater Boston real estate market is more difficult than it has been in years before you even start thinking about selling your Wellesley home. There are costs involved as well that you might not realize at first, but after considering all the factors, selling can still be a worthwhile experience.

Remember that even the smaller cosmetic repairs will increase your chances of making a sale. Some good examples include painting a front door, upgrading the landscaping around the home, fixing the cracks in the driveway and replacing a worn carpet. Even though these are an expense, you need to keep in mind that cash spent here should be recouped in the sale.

Sales commissions are another expense. When you sell any Wellesley real estate, it’s the best idea to use a licensed agent. For their negotiable fee, you’ll be able to take some of the burden off your shoulders.

Remember too that there will be closing costs involved. Usually there will be a lawyers fee and there might be additional costs that are up to you and the other parties to sort through.

Finally, you can’t forget about the moving costs you’ll need to plan for. You’ll need to either hire a company or rent a truck if you plan on doing it yourself.

It seems that everyone has a story about the market down turn and, as you might expect, some of the ones involving Wellesley homes are not good. For that reason, there were a lot of potential first time buyers who were hesitant to buy their first home last year, with good reason.

All that gloom has changed now. Homes in and around Wellesley are starting to move with the apparent turn in market fortunes and that means the first time buyer needs to understand what the market looks like now and what they can expect when they get involved in it.

One of the first things that will work in the first time buyer’s favor is the fact that there are more homes available now and that gives these people the chance to look for homes in neighborhoods where the prices were too high just a year or so ago.

This is a great time to get involved with the Wellesley homes market. The first time buyer has the distinct advantage of being able to move quickly as they generally don’t need to worry about selling their existing home in a market where there is a surplus of homes for sale and they are able to find a first home that has many of the items on their wish list.

You might have heard it before. There are two rooms that can make or break Wellesley homes on the resale market, the kitchen and the bathroom. And all the experts agree that the Wellesley homes for sale that make the really big impressions are the ones that have had the best bathroom makeovers.

Wellesley Home Values Go Up With Great Bathrooms

So you need to know where to start and what you need to do to get the best dollar value from that room. Well, think about bringing a bit of sparkle into the bathroom with mirrors. At least that was the traditional method but now other ways have started to emerge. The latest trends include crystal doorknobs and even luminescent wall paper.

And the tones of the colors that are used in the bathroom are changing as well. Darker tones that used to be reserved for places like the living room are making their way into the bathroom in the dark woods of cabinets and even brown tiles.

The point here is simple. You need to take the time to stay no top of the latest trends to make your bathroom stand out so that you can get the top dollar for your Wellesley homes. And the requirements to stay trendy will cost a lot less than you might think.