Historic New Salem

Is there a town in the north Quabbin with all the historic charm of old New England? Yes, Old Main Street, New Salem. If you love a tree-lined street, an old town hall and a newly restored town library, the 1794 Meeting house and a often-used town common, then New Salem is for you. And I can't forget all the historic old homes. There is even a walking map available if you'd like to know the history of each home. Just follow the signs to the town center from the New Salem General Store on MA-202. And don't forget to stop at the reservoir overlook behind the volunteer fire department.

Planning Board Election Today

Today is election day in my town. I am running for a seat on the town planning board. I was interviewed by the Greenfield Recorder last Tuesday and the article ran in the paper the next day. Apparently I am involved in the only contested election in my town. My opponent has been a long-time incumbent so the odds of my winning are long against me. But my opponent wasn't available for comment so my quotes are all that were printed. All in all it is a favorable article. I was disappointed the article didn't say I was a realtor.

So I'll be spending the afternoon electioneering on South Main Street in front of the beautiful, historic, Senflug residence.

I'll be meeting and greeting voters on their way to the polls, explaining my credentials, and passing out flyers. Wish me luck!

236 Harkness Rd, Amherst

I toured this home in January, so its been on the market for a while. Yesterday, while on floor duty at the office (agent on duty to assist customers at Prudential Sawicki), I received a call. The caller wanted to know about 236 Harkness Road, Amherst MA. I told her about it and arranged to show it to her later that day. This home is located on one acre of land, is in move-in condition, and located in a what realtors call location, location, location. The street is a through street but easily accessible to both MA-9 and Pelham Road/Main Street. The wheel chair ramp to the front door would be easily removed, I'd be happy to recommend someone who'd do a great job removing it. There is a great, full-service gym not too far away, in the same neighborhood.

Honor

Yesterday I received a high honor. I received a letter from the Cambridge Whos Who for Professional Women. The letter said their nominating committee is currently considering me for entry into their online directory.

Steering

Customer talking to realtor about his requirements in picking a neighborhood: "I'd like you to preview homes only in neighborhoods with my kind of neighbors." Depending on what you mean by "my kind of neighbors" this might be steering. Steering is when a realtor takes a customer only to certain neighborhoods based on the racial make-up of that neighborhood. Steering is illegal when it involves protected classes of people. Protected classes of people are race, color, sex, children, age, sexual orientation. A realtor may not steer customers to or away from neighborhoods with protected classes of people.

Where does this leave a customer looking for a home in a safe neighborhood with good schools? It leaves you with the ability to do your own research on the neighborhoods you are interested in living in. I'm a military spouse. The Army has moved my family all over the United States. Each time we receive permanent change of station orders (orders to move somewhere), I go onto realtor.com and type in neighborhoods and type in the city I'm interested in living in and see how the schools and crime rate compare to eachother. I also talk to people in the area I'll be moving. I explain what I'm looking for and they usually steer me to where I want to start my search. I also spend time driving all around the areas I think I'm most interested in living. Sometimes this shows me other areas I prefer, but not usually. Usually I end up right where my contacts said in the first place.

That said, if you tell me what you're looking for, I'll most likely be able to find you the perfect home for you. I'll take you to three different neighborhoods. You'll see which feels right. To do this, you'll look at pride of ownership of the neighbor's homes. See if it works for you. You'll consider all the usual things that make every property unique. Often, you'll have to compromise, especially if your budget is modest.

Ultimately, the purpose of a realtor is to match up buyers with sellers to achieve a win-win for both. Realtors have no interest in discriminating against anyone. But it is a waste of time for me to show homes in an obviously wrong neighborhood. To avoid this and still not steer, specify exactly what the neighborhood looks like that you think you might be interested in living. Then you have a much better chance of finding it quickly.

E-Certified Training

Doesn't it seem like everyone calls themselves a professional these days? I can't speak for others, but I train almost every day to stay current in my profession. Today I'm completing an online training course from Prudential called E-Certification.

Realtors must keep current with what's new in technology. Statistics say our average customer is 32 years old, will start her real estate search online months before contacting a realtor, might contact a realtor by phone or e-mail or internet site, and will only wait for a return call for two hours before contacting another realtor.

Being a realtor is all about customer service. So if your realtor isn't able to meet the above criteria for meeting your needs, call me! I have a cell phone with internet access at 978-846-7398, a web blog on Quabbin area real estate at stresslesscathy.blogspot.com, an internet site called stresslesscathy.com, am listed on Prudential Sawicki's website, am listed on Prudential.com, and regularly I'm in the newspaper in the Pioneer Valley. Last month I was featured in The Real Estate Book, and yesterday the Greenfield Recorder wrote an article about me because I'm running for election on Monday to my town's planning board. If you'd like to give your property this same exposure, call me to come to your home to go over what the market says your home is worth. If you list with me, you can be sure my top-quality marketing plan will give your property the maximum exposure to buyers!

The perfect home

My newest customer is looking for a three bedroom, one bathroom home for under $150,000 with 1/2 acre or more for gardening. She'd like a home between Amherst and Turner's Falls, but will go as far east as Orange or Athol. Does this sound like your perfect home? Maybe not. But it is for this customer at this point in time. I signed her up in MLS and she's receiving listings that match her criteria via e-mail. Also, I'm actively looking for properties that might match her needs. My second marketing assistant is that MLS has a feature that allows reverse prospecting. Reverse prospecting is where other realtors actively look for and e-mail me properties they believe might meet my customer's needs. This is synergy at its best!