Real Estate Search Blog

Aside from providing the latest details on Taylor Swift’s new album, Twitter and other forms of social media can be extremely useful when it comes to keeping tabs on the latest real estate news. Whether you’re hungry for foreclosures and short sales, information on recent tax credits, or tips on how to stage your home for a sale, these are the 10 best social media sources for real estate search.

Growth spurt... or Goliath?

1. Economix.Blogs.NYTimes.com

With contributors that include esteemed economics professors from MIT, Harvard University, and Princeton, the New York Times Economix blog helps readers understand the real impact of laws and market fluctuations that are relevant to the housing market. Recent blog posts discuss the impact (or lack thereof) of last year’s home buyer tax credit and the lasting effects of kindergarten education on a student’s life.

2. Twitter.com/Agentopolis

The best source for real estate lifestyle articles that aren’t focused on a specific region. Agentopolis combs through a variety of sources, posting about articles such as 10 Best Cities for Working Women with Kids and Hidden Costs of a First Home.

Porter Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts

3. The Cambridge Real Estate Blog

Harvard graduate and Cambridge real estate agent Charles Cherney tells readers what they can expect from the home buying process, how to find their dream home on Day 1, and when they can expect their home to sell in the Cambridge real estate market. Charles also regularly posts in-depth spotlights on Cambridge neighborhoods and properties.

4. Trulia.com/Voices

These message boards are great to browse through for real estate discussions. Post your own question, general or specific, for free advice from experienced real estate agents located in almost every region in the country.

5. YouTube.com

Another great source for real estate video tours. Check out this Cambridge real estate channel for video tours through the latest Cambridge MA listings.

A screenshot of WellcomeMat.com

6. WellcomeMat.com

A real estate video tour website featuring properties listed by 18,000 real estate agents across the US. Particularly useful for luxury properties in metropolitan areas. A good way to establish a connection with an experienced real estate agent.

7. Zillow.com/Advice

Similar concept to the Trulia message boards; another great source for free expert real estate advice.

8. LinkedIn.com

Any real estate agent that’s not on LinkedIn isn’t worth doing business with. Connect with a real estate agent you are interested in working with, read recommendations from clients or colleagues, find out if your agent has any certifications or designations that are important to you.

9. ConsumerBoomer.com

Even though it’s a blog that’s written for Baby Boomers, there’s a wealth of helpful financial information here that’s helpful for any generation. And though it’s not completely dedicated to real estate, articles include Affordable Vacation Homes and How to Get the Best Deal on Mortgages.

10. Twitter.com/EnergizedSeller

For home selling and staging tips, ask Dan Eason. Visit his website for more tips and tricks at EnergizedSeller.com

Did we miss something? Tell us your favorite social media source for real estate!

Looking for an easy way to find real estate tips, tools, and resources all in one place? You can find a collection of blog posts on various real estate topics for ANY real estate market on The Cambridge Real Estate Blog, which is written by Cambridge real estate agent Charles Cherney.

Topics include:

• Five Keys to a Residential Real Estate Search
• A Fresh and Clean Appearance Makes a World of Difference
• 4 Home Inspection Myths
• The Mortgage Appraisal

and more. You can read these blog posts on The Cambridge Real Estate Blog.

For insight into the entire real estate process and for detailed information about the Cambridge area, visit CharlesCherney.com. Charles Cherney is a top Cambridge real estate agent who has years of experience assisting buyers and sellers of homes in Cambridge. If you are a student or working professional who is thinking of relocating to Cambridge, take the first step by visiting CharlesCherney.com.

So you’re thinking about buying a home in Fall River real estate. You surf the net for information on public schools and other city data, plan a Saturday to do some drive-through home shopping, and wonder what else you can do before choosing a Fall River real estate agent. And if you already have one, you’re twiddling your thumbs and wondering what else you can do to accelerate the home-buying process. Here are a few ways you can get to know Fall River or any other city or town.

1. Get the scoop! Topix.com and WickedLocal.com are two websites which collect headlines about specific towns and cities from multiple publications. Local news websites are also great for community information such as local sports, coverage of special town events, and town politics. For Fall River local news, try SouthCoastToday.com and HeraldNews.com.

2. Follow your town on Twitter. Most towns lack the time and resources to maintain a Twitter account (with the exception being the town of Madison, Connecticut at Twitter.com/InsideMadison). However, Twitter is a wealth of insider information that is just too valuable to ignore. So how can you “Follow” a town if it doesn’t have a Twitter account? TweetMeme.com is a great way to follow users who mention a town like Fall River in their Tweets. Simply search the name of the town you’re interested in, and read the latest headlines, thoughts, and musings about that town.

A photo of Fall River from Flickr.com

3. Beauty through the eyes of the beholder. Flickr.com is a great way to get to know the landmarks and secret places of towns and cities. By searching for your town, you can browse thousands of photographs taken by Flickr users. Maybe you’ll stumble across a park you never knew about or a cool piece of public art!

4. Watch a movie. Forget YouTube — Vimeo.com is the best new place on the web for high-quality videos. A search for “Newton MA” will show you videos that zero in on scenes at local Newton parks, Newton politics, and even clips of the Boston Marathon!

Want more insider information on buying a home? Visit the Fall River real estate website for tips on buying and selling real estate, and browse hundreds of homes for sale in Fall River, MA. It’s never too early to start looking.

If you’re planning on looking at Newton real estate this summer, make sure to check out one of Newton’s farmer’s markets! Fresh fruits and veggies, baked goods, flowers, cheese and other dairy products are just a few items you might see on your visit to one of Newton’s farmer’s markets. Farmer’s market season in Newton begins after July 4th and the market remains open through October. The market takes place every Tuesday and Friday at two different locations in Newton:

Tuesday Location

• Cold Spring Park
  1200 Beacon Street
  Newton, MA 02464
  Open 1:30 PM until 6 PM
  Begins Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Friday Location

• Post 440 Parking Lot
  295 California Street
  Newton, MA 02458
  Open 1:30 PM until 6 PM
  Begins Friday July 9, 2010

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

We recently featured InsideMadison.com as an awesome way for potential home buyers to explore Madison CT real estate and the Madison CT area without leaving the comfort of your home. On the site you can find dynamic information about real estate in Madison CT , schools, businesses, recreation and entertainment, and more. For home buyers who are set on shopping within Madison CT real estate, the website is a great way to keep in touch with the Madison CT community while stationed elsewhere.

But wait — there’s more! The Inside Madison Youtube channel features videos of Madison CT beaches, marinas, historical homes and landmarks. It’s like taking a virtual tour of Madison CT!

Want to browse hundreds of real estate listings in Madison CT real estate? Visit JerrySherman.net, the website of Madison CT real estate agents Jerry and Maureen Sherman. You can search within Madison CT real estate as well as its surrounding towns of Guilford CT, Killingworth CT, Clinton CT, Westbrook CT, Essex CT, Old Saybrook CT, North Branford CT and Branford CT. There are also helpful real estate buying and selling tips on the CT Shoreline Real Estate website.

Fall River real estate may be exactly what you’re looking for. SouthCoastToday.com, the website of The Standard-Times newspaper, recently highlighted the town of Fall River as a great place for “affordable and diverse real estate.”

The publication highlighted Fall River’s Lower Highlands Historical District, home to several grand Victorian homes that are in the $500,000 range. Home buyers looking at other areas in Fall River real estate will be looking within a price range of less than $175,000 to $499,000.

Businesses, private and public higher education institutions, and the arts are continuously thriving within the Fall River community. This is a plus for business owners, those seeking rewarding careers, and of course, Fall River residents. Fall River is also abundant with recreational areas like three large parks designed by architect Frederick Olmstead which are often the site of Farmers Markets and family-oriented festivals.

For a comprehensive search through homes for sale in Fall River real estate, head over to the Arrow Realty Group website. There, you can find information about Fall River and its surrounding towns, tips for buying and selling real estate, and direct access to the most experienced Fall River real estate agents.

According to a January 2010 Market Watch survey, home buyers look for these 10 features when shopping for their dream home.

• Large kitchens with an island.
• Energy-efficient features. Energy-efficient appliances, high-efficiency insulation, and energy-saving windows.
• Home office or study. The trend is away from dining rooms and toward spare concept rooms.
• Main-floor master suite.
• Outdoor spaces. Visit HGTV.com for ideas on how to transform your back yard to an “outdoor living room.”
• Ceiling fans
• Master suite soaker tubs and oversized showers.
• Stone and brick exteriors.
• Community parks with walkways and playgrounds. Use Google Maps to note the public recreation areas in your neighborhood, then use this to your advantage when selling your home with an experienced real estate agent.
• Two-car garages.

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If you are in need of an experienced real estate agent, RealEstateSearchBlog.net would like to personally recommend the following real estate agents in Massachusetts:

Charles Cherney of Hammond Real Estate:  Cambridge Real Estate

Michael D. Lyons of Prudential Lyons Group Real Estate: Boston Real Estate

Marguerite Cashman of Arrow Realty Group: Fall River Real Estate

Christine Norcross & Partners of William Raveis Real Estate: Newton Real Estate

Rosemary Quarato of RE/MAX: Cape Ann Real Estate

And for the home hunters seeking real estate in Connecticut:

Jerry and Maureen Sherman of William Raveis Real Estate: CT Shoreline Real Estate / CT Waterfront Real Estate

Walking around a new city can only show you so much. For a little guidance, there’s a new tool provided by HGTV.com that can help you see all that Newton real estate has to offer before you hit the streets.

HGTV’s Frontdoor.com provides a user-friendly guide to your future city, condensing information from sources such as City-Data.com, Yelp.com, and Eventful. With this tool, you can easily get to know the basics about your new city by visiting one website instead of several.

As shown above, click the “Reviews” tab to be shown a list of the most frequently reviewed businesses on Yelp.com. This is great because Yelp.com can be extremely helpful for residents who know the area, but a bit confusing for someone who doesn’t know Rialto from McDonald’s. A person new to the area can see what his new town is known for. The “Explore” tab allows users to choose a point of interest, like “Schools,” and a map shows pinpoints of all local schools. There are many more helpful facets to this tool, which you can explore for yourself here.

For a more in-depth analysis on Newton real estate and all that it has to offer, visit Christine Norcross and Partners online. Find out if relocating to Newton would be a good choice for you and your family, and browse the homes for sale in Newton and in the surrounding towns.

Before the recession, the phrase “house poor” was adopted into the average home buyer’s vocabulary, as buyers hesitated to spend every last penny of their life savings on a down payment for a dream home. To go beyond the “house poor” consideration is to prevent oneself from also becoming “Maintenance poor.”

Marketwatch.com recently published an interesting article for home hunters on how to financially prepare to buy a house in these shaky economic times. To become “Maintenance poor” is to purchase a home unaware of its necessary future repairs with the fatal error of not having enough in the bank to cover these costs.

The article advises house hunters to save at least 1 to 3 percent of a property’s purchase price for major maintenance costs and unexpected expenses. As for mortgage payments, these days buyers should have 6 months of payments saved in the bank because of the wavering job market. For basic repairs like painting and caulking, anyone buying a typical starter home budget $500 to $1,000 a year.

If you’re a home buyer looking at homes in Newton, Natick, Needham, Wellesley, Brookline, and Weston, the top real estate agents of the area are Christine Norcross and Partners. Browse the Homes by Norcross website for Newton listings, and feel free to contact Christine Norcross and Partners if you have any question about Newton real estate or about a particular property.

When shopping for homes you should keep in mind the future value of your home, whether you plan on one day selling it for your retirement or leaving it to your loved ones. Whether your plan is to purchase a home as an investment or to make it your family’s first home, there are several things to research before you buy. You can find the answers to the questions below on the Internet and by visiting the neighborhood and dropping in on its local businesses.

What is the state of the neighborhood?

• Basic needs for future buyers include a low crime rate, parks and recreation facilities, transportation routes (bus stops or train stations), and nearby shopping areas.
• Neighboring homes should be well-maintained.

Visit the schools!

• You can look at public schools on the Internet, but you’ll never know the actual school environment until you visit the school itself.

Are people moving in or moving out?

• Do a Google search for the street you’d like to buy on to see if any of the nearby homes are for sale.

How’s business?

• Aside from checking out the local businesses, you can also visit the town hall or city hall to find out future developments in or around your neighborhood. Developments can increase or decrease surrounding property value and taxes.

Before doing any of the research above, make sure you like what you see in your future neighborhood. Will you enjoy spending time in the area, taking walks with your kids, visiting the local restaurants or cafes? Or area you simply focusing on the best bang for your buck, and not taking the local area into consideration?

For help on browsing Boston real estate, consider the real estate agents at Prudential Prime Properties. Prudential Prime Properties has years of experience helping people find homes in Boston. The firm has years of experience helping residential, commercial, and rental clients find properties. For additional insight on buying real estate in Boston, refer to the Categories list on the right column of this blog.