Howe It Happens



Dear Laurie,

When I was little, my favorite story was about a girl who collected pictures of houses she dreamed of having as her home. As I moved among foster placements, I started my own book, where I collected dreams of houses and the people who would make them feel like my home. I got adopted when I was 16 and forgot all about my scrapbook as I discovered what it was like to have everything in it for real.

All these years later, house-hunting frequently felt like those days of dreams built on pictures of houses, while reality consistently kept any of them from becoming my home… but you’ve been an excellent adversary for reality.

You’ve often told me that you’re just doing your job. Yes, in the end you got paid. But frankly, if I were to add up the number of hours you’ve spent showing me houses, negotiating on my behalf, and instantaneously responding to my moments of freaking out, I think we’d find out that you would have been better off getting a job at Dunkin Donuts (especially when you factor in free coffee). In light of this, I’m extra appreciative of your unshakable integrity, patience and kindness. Those intangibles are too often overlooked by people “just doing their job.”

Thank you so much for doing your job WELL and making my dream a reality.

It’s too hot to do what you had planned on doing. So why not take the kids (or go by yourself) for a couple of hours to the local library,  Barnes & Noble or Borders. Libraries in our area:  Fitchburg,  Leominster,  Lunenburg,  – links with hours and programs. The Ayer library has passes to Davis Farmland -  see link.

Get Ice Cream -  Visiting New England has posted a top 10 list, but all ice cream is cold, and that’s what you want. There are some great places in the area – what’s your favorite?

Local beaches and pools: here is a State list of pools, with links to beaches and ponds on the upper right hand side. Local to us (and some of our favorites) are  Leominster State Forest,  Willard Brook, and Mirror Lake. Use plenty of sunscreen, and bring along a large thermos of iced water with lemon slices.

And from the mass.gov site:

During an Extreme Heat Emergency

• Slow down, avoid strenuous activity.   Do not try to do too much on a hot day.
• Wear lightweight, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing.   Light colors will reflect heat and sunlight and help maintain normal body temperature. Protect your face with a wide-brimmed hat.
• Drink plenty of water regularly and often, even if you do not feel thirsty.

• Limit intake of alcoholic beverages.   They can actually dehydrate your body.
• Eat well-balanced, light, regular meals.   Avoid high protein foods that increase metabolic heat.
• Stay indoors as much as possible.
• If you do not have air conditioning, stay on your lowest floor, out of the sun.   Electric fans do not cool the air, but they do help evaporate sweat, which cools your body. Go to a place where you can get relief from the heat, such as air conditioned schools, libraries, theaters and other community facilities that may offer refuge during the warmest times of the day.
• Avoid too much sunshine.   Sunburn slows the skin’s ability to cool itself.  If you are outside, use sunscreen lotion with a high SPF (Sun Protection Factor) rating.
• Never leave children or pets alone in a closed vehicle.
• Check on family, friends and neighbors.

UPDATE!! While the bill below was killed in Congress, a different bill WAS passed extending the credit for those that were under agreement for their home by April 30. The extension is until September 30, by which time you must close on your property to qualify.

A bill that included an extension to the June 30 second deadline for the Homebuyer’s Tax Credit was killed in the Senate yesterday.

The bill, HR 4213, came up 3 votes shy, and affects more than just buyers whose lenders are experiencing a bottleneck as the June 30 deadline looms:

The death of the measure meant that more than 200,000 people a week would lose their jobless benefits because they would be unable to reapply for additional tiers of benefits enacted since 2008. People seeking the popular homebuyer tax credit would be denied a paperwork extension approved by the Senate last week. And state and local governments would lose subsidies on bonds they issue to finance infrastructure projects.

from Associated Press

If your tax credit is in possible jeopardy because of the approaching deadline, it is important that you be as proactive as possible in assisting your Realtor and lender. Do not assume that the extension is likely to pass.

Originally posted in our 365 Things to do in MA blog…

from the Towne & Country, Realtors blog:

A new article by the Wall Street Journal suggests that the residential real estate market may be stabilizing.
Contributing to this is demand for more expensive homes and the fact that foreclosed properties are not being sold at bargain-basement rates:

Overall, home prices declined 0.7% in the first quarter of 2010 to an average of $166,100, the lowest first-quarter national median price since 2002, when the average was $158,600 according to a report by the National Association of Realtors. However, there was wide variation by region, with median prices up 9% in the Northeast and down 8% in West.

This regional variant reflects what we have observed. Check out the latest For Sale and Sold statistics for Worcester County, which include Leominster and Fitchburg:

Is it time to see if you should put your home on the market? Call me today for a Market Report at 978-537-6401 x38!

Press release:

Leominster, MA- Gerry Bourgeois and Laurie Howe of Towne & Country, Realtors in Leominster have just completed a highly specialized course, Short Sales and Foreclosures, presented by the Council of Residential Specialists. The one-day course earns one unit of core credit toward the Certified Residential Specialist Designation.

Distressed sales – foreclosures and short sales – accounted for 32 percent of all home sales during the fourth quarter of 2009, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Short Sales and Foreclosures gives agents the practical tools and skills they need to counsel clients about these types of transactions. The course explains the intricate steps involved with these transactions as well as the roles of lenders, sellers, buyers and cooperating agents. It includes dialogues and systems agents can use when they work with financial institutions and other owners of REO properties.

Both Bourgeois and Howe have with this course and others completed the requirements and received certification for SFR (Short Sales and Foreclosures Resource) Certification from the National Association of Realtors®. Both are experienced full-time Realtors® and look forward to sharing this expertise with the community.

Towne & Country, Realtors® is located on 124 N Main Street in Leominster, and has been a fixture in the real estate community for four decades.

Short sales and foreclosures are nationally almost half of the market of  “Sold homes.”

As far as personal credit history, as of this point a short sale does not nearly affect your credit as much as a foreclosure would.

It is extremely important – whether buying or selling a short sale property- to hire an accredited short sale specialist.

I have local attorneys help expedite the process at no charge to the buyer or seller. It is very important to know the facts, be aware of the possible timeframe, and know how the process works.

Laurie is a certified LMC and would be happy to answer any questions that you have about the process.