THE BEGINNING OF THE BEGINNING

As far as I'm concerned, Berkshire real estate has seen the end of its recent downturn.  While the national media said the real estate market had hit bottom sometime in the late Fall of 2011 my thought for the Berkshire market was that late August 2011 was the turn-around point.

It took a few months of steady (yes, and slow) progress to be sure that was the case and it does appear so.  Homes coming on the market for the first time are at a price that makes sense to buyers, who are still looking for extraordinary values.  Property coming back on the market is also priced well.

In terms of actual buying patterns there are two price ranges that feel strong - homes priced under $350,000 and high end homes.  We are actually seeing competing bids for houses in those price ranges.  In fact, county wide compared to this time last year we are up nearly 20% in the number of sales and our inventory is down nearly 13%.

In short, this is a good time for buyers to buy - prices are still good and bank rates are still excellent.  It's a great time for sellers to put a house on the market (as long as it's priced right) because there's not as much out there as there used to be.

This great village home in West Stockbridge is newly listed at an amazing $239,900.

Well We Knew, Now Everyone Does

Smithsonian magazine just named our own Great Barrington one of the best small towns in America - something we've all known for some time!!  We think you'll enjoy reading the article.  Thanks to Smithsonian for such a thorough and accurate portrayal.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/The-20-Best-Small-Towns-in-America.html?c=y&page=2

DOESN'T THIS WEATHER MAKE YOU WANT TO SPRING CLEAN?

Well, it's far more likely that it makes you want to go out and play but if you have a house for sale this is a great time to do a deep spring cleaning.  I can't over emphasize how important it is for your house to look, feel and smell really fresh.  These easy tips from Jane Hoback (reprinted from Realtor.com/House Logic) are things you might not think of but are surely things a buyer viewing your home will see.


De-bug the light fixtures

See that bug burial ground within your overhead fixtures? Turn off the lights and carefully remove fixture covers, dump out flies and wash with hot soapy water. While you’re up there, dust bulbs. Dry everything thoroughly before replacing the cover.

Vacuum heat vents and registers

Dirt and dust build up in heat vents and along register blades. Vents also are great

receptacles for coins and missing buttons. Unscrew vent covers from walls or pluck them from floors, remove foreign objects, and vacuum inside the vent. Clean grates with a damp cloth and screw back tightly.

Polish hardware

To deep clean brass door hinges, handles, and cabinet knobs, thoroughly wipe with a damp micro -fiber cloth, then polish with Wright’s or Weiman brass cleaner ($4). Dish soap shines up glass or stainless steel knobs. Use a Q-tip to detail the ornamental filigree on knobs and handles.

Replace grungy switch plates

Any amateur can wipe a few fingerprints off cover plates that hide light switches, electric outlets, phone jacks, and cable outlets. But only deep cleaners happily remove plates to vacuum and swipe the gunk behind. (OK, we’re a little OCD when it comes to dirt!) Make sure cover plates are straight when you replace them. And pitch plates that are beyond the help of even deep cleaning. New ones cost less than $2 each.

Neaten weather stripping

Peeling, drooping weather stripping on doors and windows makes rooms look old. If the strip still has some life, nail or glue it back. If it’s hopeless, cut out and replace sections, or just pull the whole thing off and start new. A 10-ft. roll of foam weather stripping costs $8; 16-ft. vinyl costs about $15.

Replace stove drip pans

Some drip pans are beyond the scrub brush. Replacing them costs about $3 each and instantly freshens your stove.

How Clients Are Better Served By a Realtor

This position statement from Realtor.com hits a few very important points about the difference in skill level and accuracy between a practicing real estate agent and some of the on-line sites commonly used.

Expertise from Real Estate Professionals: Far Better Than an Estimate

Real estate websites serve as an important platform to help buyers find their next home, and certainly help sellers expose their listings to those buyers.

But in our view, real estate websites are a starting point, not the ultimate decision engine.

Accurate data and up-to-date listings are very important, but ultimately, we believe theexpertise provided by a real estate professional is a far better indicator of true market value than an estimate derived by machine.

That’s why we only display REAL PRICES on homes for sale on REALTOR.com®. Real prices that have been established between a seller and the listing broker, not a mechanized estimate.

Estimates may be OK if they’re used as a reference point to gather general information, but we feel placing mechanized estimates on an active listing that’s been priced by a local professional familiar with the market is misleading.

At best, these estimates are confusing to consumers. At worst, they create the perception of market conditions that don’t accurately reflect reality.

That’s why we don’t do it.

The real estate market is not a “paint-by-numbers” animal. Local market conditions can vary drastically from zip code to zip code, neighborhood to neighborhood, and can change at a moments notice.

Foreclosures and short sales – or the removal of distressed inventory all impact what’s actually happening.

Estimates that are placed on listings that already have an established sale price not only create a recipe for inaccurate information, they also create a strain on real sellers and a strain on the agents who work hard to create CMAs and pricing strategies based on what’s actually happening.

Sellers deserve better than that. Buyers deserve better than that.

Lost in the machinations and histrionics that permeate the discussion about listings and accurate data is the one thing that should be crystal clear:

Real Estate is NOT a game.

It’s a serious business with significant financial and emotional ramifications for the parties involved in every transaction.

And at REALTOR.com®, we have a responsibility to provide accurate information and accurate representations of what’s actually happening in the market – so consumers get the REAL story about what’s happening in their market.

And we do this by displaying real prices from real professionals in every market we serve.

That’s the thing that can really help consumers get a flavor of what’s happening locally, and that’s what we deliver.

HOW TO GET YOUR HOUSE SOLD IN 2012

Seems there are a lot of articles out there in the first few weeks of the year to help sellers best position their property for sale.  The most helpful one I read was from Steve McLinden at bankrate.com.  He offers the following suggestions:

       PRICE IT RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING - buyers are very aware of the market and have a good sense of values.  We see it over and over, when a house is priced high at the beginning it takes longer to sell and sells for less than it would have had it been priced right in the first place.

     THE HOUSE HAS TO LOOK GOOD - There's no getting around it, all those little chores (and maybe even some big ones) have to be done if the house is going to sell.  Buyers have less disposable income these days and don't want to deal with the unknown of projects left to be completed. And, there are likely to be other houses out there whose owner has done that work that will offer stiff competition to your house.

     MAKE SURE YOUR AGENT IS TECHNO-SAVVY - Nearly all buyers and sellers are using the internet in some capacity as part of their real estate search.  You should be searching for a highly rated website, postings on Facebook and Twitter and agents using smartphones for everything from email to videos.

     BE FLEXIBLE - there are all kinds of items in a negotiation that have value and as a seller you should work with your Realtor to carefully evaluate the true value of each of those items and their impact on the final value of the selling price.  Things to consider are:  how to handle a cash offer, negotiation of association dues and fees and even considering seller financing (which could be beneficial to both buyer and seller!)  Think about the extras you can "throw in" that might have value to a buyer.  Most importantly, don't dismiss an offer because it is low.  In most cases, we are seeing agreements being made even when the initial amounts are very far apart. Hang in there and work it through.

The bottom line is that homes are selling.  It's not always the easiest process but they are selling.  In short those houses are the ones that are well priced, in great condition, being handled by agents who are willing to work hard in every realm and those owned by sellers who are willing to listen and negotiate.

WHY IT'S GOOD TO WORK WITH A REAL ESTATE AGENT

All over the Berkshires these days it's not uncommon to hear people ask, "Why do I need a real estate agent?  I can find everything I need on the internet."  And the truth is you really can find lots of information about available Berkshire listings on multiple sites across the internet but there are a lot of things you won't find.

First, you won't find the valued advice and support of a real estate agent who has likely worked in the area for a good number of years - a real estate agent who knows the personality of each community, who knows the sales records, who knows the people you need to know in order to get the best possible home for your needs.  Your real estate agent has access to all the listings in the Berkshires (even the ones that sellers ask us not to advertize) and can make sure you've seen absolutely everything that might be out there.

In addition, negotiating agreements is a complicated bit of work and it becomes much harder to do without an intermediary who can act as a buffer and can provide hard data to support your bid.  Having a real estate agent on your team increases the odds that you will get a really good property at a really fair price.

Want to know more about what a good Berkshire real estate agent can do for you? (And, believe me, there's a lot.)   Give our office a call at 413-232-4253.

We look forward to hearing from you.

NEW REAL ESTATE TOOL

Those of you who follow our print advertising may have noticed we've been using a funny looking "bar code" in our ads.  It's called a QR Code and it's a really great tool for getting quick access to our website on your smart phone.

In order to use it you have to download a QR reader app (just search QR reader in your app store.)  Then, when you see the square bar code in our ads or in our office window or anywhere else you just scan it and the app will take you directly to our website.  Some QR readers will store the URL so you can just click on the link for direct access to the Stone House website in the future.

I see these QR Codes being used in lots of magazines and publications by a wide range of advertisers so if you download the app I'm sure it won't go unused.