Scituate Massachusetts Heritage Days 

August 5 - 7   2016

 

Looking for fun in August? If you are on the South Shore of  Boston or heading that way you must not miss the Scituate Heritage Days! In it's 48th season Scituate Massachusetts has been hosting a delicious, entertaining, historic, educational and artistic 3 day extravaganza on Front Street in the charming harbor district of Scituate.

 

This year the Scituate Chamber of Commerce is bringing the "Heritage" back to Heritage Days. Each year there is food, crafts, music and entertainment and more, but this year there will be open houses at the historic sites that will beckon you back to the early days of this scenic coastal town. All of the historic sites are open and free during Heritage Days and the Chamber is providing free shuttle service to all of them. This year you can pick up a "passport" at Heritage Days and get it stamped at each historic site. You have one year to fill your passport so feel free to visit Scituate often. Once your passport is full you can turn it in for prizes!

 

You can climb Lawson Tower and gaze at the amazing view of Scituate. Millionaire Thomas W. Lawson ordered the construction of Lawson Tower (click on the link in purple to read more about Lawson Tower courtesy or Scituate Historic Society) as a complement to his new country estate, “Dreamwold,” at the beginning of the twentieth century. Local legend says that after the Scituate Water Company constructed its steel standpipe, Lawson’s wife Jeannie saw it and asked her husband to do something about the view out their back windows at Dreamwold Hall. Lawson then hired an architect to travel to Europe and research appropriate designs to cover up the standpipe. Recent research, though, suggests that Lawson knew of the water company’s plans well before the standpipe went up, and had plans in mind well in advance (Scituate Historic Society).

 

Visit the iconic and scenic Scituate Lighthouse (click on link in purple to read more about the lighthouse courtesy of the Scituate Historic Society). In the year 1810 the United States Congress voted $4000 to build a lighthouse at Scituate Harbor. The Light, of split granite blocks with a one and one half story house attached, was activated in 1811.

 

Be sure to visit The Bates House and The Stockbridge Grist Mill, The Mann Farmhouse and Museum and the Cudworth House and Barn. If that's not enough visit the Maritime and Mossing Museum - I'm not going to tell you what Mossing is, you will just have to visit the museum or click on the link and read about it!

 

As the Chamber of Commerce says, Scituate's Heritage Days has "Something For Everyone"!  Be sure to visit Scituate Heritage Days for updates to the schedule and a more in depth description of the food, fun and entertainment available!

 

Is there a better way to kick off this fabulous weekend than a pie/dessert social?? We don't think so...

 

 



Grand Gables Realty Group, Inc. Recaps Sales in the Massachusetts South Shore Real Estate Market - Homes Selling At or Above $1 Million.

Posted by David Drinkwater of Grand Gables Realty Group, Inc.

For the first six months of 2016, the Massachusetts South Shore Region has experienced an increase of 31% in the number of residential units (single family and condominium sales) selling at or above $1 Million as compared with the same period in 2015.  The eleven communities that comprises the South Shore region includes the towns of Cohasset, Duxbury, Hanover, Hingham, Hull, Kingston, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Plymouth and Scituate and collectively are “home” to approximately 200,000 residents.

For single family homes, the million dollar plus sales in the first half of 2016 (104 units) averaged $1,452,850 which is approximately 4% higher than the average sale price of $1,396,320 during the first six months in 2015 (77 units).  The average size of these homes has remained relatively unchanged between these two years – 4,209 sq ft in 2016 versus 4,226 sq ft in 2015.  The number of days on market has dropped in 2016 by 3 percent to 167 days from 173 days in 2015.  For the first six months of 2016, the highest sale posted was $4,800,000 and is located in Duxbury – this sale is 50% higher than the highest sale posted in the first half of 2015 at $3,200,000, which is located in Cohasset.

For condominium residences, the statistics show a slight decline in the averages.  The million dollar plus sales in the first half of 2016 (7 units) averaged $1,270,081 which is approximately 16% lower than the average sale price of $1,468,253 during the first six months in 2015 (8 units).  However, part of this decline can be explained in the decline in the average size – a decrease of 5% from 3,819 sq ft in 2015 to 3,644 sq ft in 2016.  The number of days on market has increased by 28% in 2016 with an average of 144 days in 2015 to an average of 200 days in 2016.  For the first six months of 2016, the highest sale posted was $1,575,000 and is located in Hingham – this sale is 20% lower than the highest sale posted in the first half of 2015 at $1,888,830, which is also located in Hingham.

Luxury Real Estate affiliate, Grand Gables Realty Group, Inc. brokered the South Shore region’s highest condominium sale of 2016 – the sale of 43 Clubhouse Drive in Hingham’s Black Rock Country Club community – bucking the trends and closing at the full listing price of $1,575,000 – from list date to close, the sale took 36 days.

Open, Shmopen—Who Needs It?

I sometimes feel like I am lost in a sea of conformity. “Why can’t you just be like the rest of us Doc Marten-Gap wearing Jägermeister-drinking cool people”? I have a certain friend (who shall remain nameless) who would say to me that regardless of what the circumstances, I would only do something if it’s “something I want to do”. Sue me for not wanting to waste my Saturday and Sunday watching people hit each other, throw a ball, race around in a big circle, or chase a little white ball around. Nor do I want to be a hipster doofus (thank you Elaine Benes) who has no real aspirations.

Get the picture? I don’t necessarily want to be like everyone else, even on small, unimportant matters to my everyday life. Like, for instance, certain aspects of real estate. The same things show up over and over—granite countertops, stainless steel appliances (maybe I don’t like an industrial look), hardwood floors (hey!—maybe I don’t want to clomp around everywhere I walk), and open floor plan. Well, I too have had reservations about having an open floor plan, and wouldn’t you know? I came across this article from Realtor.com in which somebody else has the courage to say the same thing, so I just had to share. Enjoy!

http://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/open-plan-kitchens-are-bad/

Stupid wires in the way…

There I am, minding my own business during a small home improvement task (putting up a picture). I have all the materials (picture frame, hook, level) and tools (cordless drill, bits) I need. I even had a Post-It note folded in half to catch the dust from the drill bit as it came out of the wall to save me clean up time. I didn’t have a stud finder, so being the ‘experienced’ DIYer I simply knocked on the wall to find the location of the stud I wanted to use. And of course, being the experienced DIYer I didn’t even really mark the spot with a pencil—no, no, I just placed my drill on the spot in the middle of the stud, determined by my knocking on the wall to find it. Put up my folded Post-It to catch plaster dust and drilled gaily away, exerting more pressure than I really needed to. Next thing I know there is a sizable spark and electrical flash, the smell of burnt plastic, and all the hallway lights going out. Turns out not only did I not hit the middle of the stud, I hit the edge of the stud to which the electrical wiring was stapled.

Moral of the story? Know how the various systems in your house work so you can avoid costly repairs later. This article from HouseLogic.com outlines several things you should be aware of as a homeowner...

http://www.houselogic.com/home-advice/repair-tips/what-new-homeowners-need-to-know/

Let’s Not Do That Again

“I don’t…see..it…Wait! There it is! Wait! I lost it!”

Wait, what? Remember how stupid you felt trying to see the images in those ridiculous 3-D posters from years ago? I’m guessing you don’t miss them, either. Nor do designers, as well as several other design elements gone by the wayside. Here’s a fun article about some decorating trends we hope never to see again.

If you think you mighjt have some of these design no-nos in your home and are ready to sell let us help. We have experts in our office who can help you find the right buyer and get your home staged by a Certified Home Staging Specialist. Just check us out at www.grandgables.com.

http://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/tackiest-home-design-trends/

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Well, it's finally here, in some places worse than others.Time to hunker down for the duration and stay warm through the cold, lonely days of the deep freeze. Here are some great ways to keep your home warm during the winter months at some surprisingly affordable prices. Still not as good as snuggling up to your 4-legged friends...

http://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/ways-to-stay-warm-this-winter/

Risky Business

     One way Realtors® get paid is when a buyer client purchases a home. So it stands to reason that our main focus is on getting you, the buyer, to do just that—buy something! But the truth is for the vast majority of agents our #1 goal is to help you find the right home at the right price so that you are happy and can thrive in your new place. Because, let’s face it—if you (a buyer) are unhappy in your home that I sold you, what are the chances you will call me again in order to sell it?

     Contrary to popular belief, Realtors® DON’T want buyers to do whatever it takes to purchase a home, especially if that means putting yourself in financial trouble. This article by Craig Donofrio at Realtor.com outlines why you should never take your 401K money out in order to finance a home. Sound advice…

http://www.realtor.com/advice/finance/why-raiding-your-401k-to-buy-a-home-might-ruin-your-life/?cid=soc_20160121_57475726&adbid=10153952432882871&adbpl=fb&adbpr=35368227870

Moved to Tears

                                                              by Jon Barrett

The Holiday season is over and we are finally getting back to "normal". Here is a great blog post from one of the agents here at the office, Jon Barrett. Thanks for the great and very interesting post Jon.

Moved To Tears

One of my best friends is a mover who specializes in local and long distance moving. Almost invariably every time we get together he’s got another story about a move that involves a customer not listening to pre-move advice from him, thereby creating a dilemma. Let me ask you this—when you go to your local propane refill station what does the clerk always tell you NOT to do? That’s right, don’t bring your tank inside (even though in theory it’s empty). They just don’t want to take the chance there might be a mishap with the tank.

Guess what?! Movers don’t want to take that chance, either. My friend always gives his client a list of potential problems. If your mover gives you that, READ IT! At the very least, he or she should be telling you what is acceptable, but more importantly what is not acceptable for transportation. “What do you mean you won’t put that on your truck? What am I supposed to do with it?”

Read the following article about what movers won’t take—some are common sense and some are like, what?

The Surprising Things Your Movers Won’t Move

http://www.realtor.com/advice/move/what-your-movers-wont-move?cid=soc_20160106_57001806&adbid=10153915483122871&adbpl=fb&adbpr=35368227870