Fall Market Activity Shows Signs of Continuing into the Holiday Season

The weather recently has given us a much-deserved extended Summer season.  And while the holiday season is upon us, the real estate market continues to be active with showings and some new listings coming to market.  While everyone is anxious to break out their fall sweaters and boots, the prolonged activity is due to more than just the weather.  Compared to last fall, there are buyers in search of a home presently that see the value in buying “off-season” – less competition, more time to look and consider the options and take advantage of the current interest rates. What does this mean for you? It means a couple of things:

If you are ready to buy, there are still hundreds of single family houses available for sale on the South Shore. The graph below demonstrates the number of single family homes that are still on the market as of October 27^th with prices up to $800K.  In general, if people are selling in the fall, they want to have sold by the holidays, so the buyer is in a good position to find a good value that might not be available in the spring market.

Single Family Homes Active on the Market

                                                                       Source: MLSPIN

If you are looking, but not ready to buy just yet, this is a great time to get educated. When it comes time to purchase your new home, you will want to know as much about the town and the various neighborhoods within the town. Take this time to view different houses to better understand what you are looking for, so when the spring market starts you are in a good position to move on a house that you want.  Millennial buyers value their ability to research the market and get to know it well enough so that they can make the best decision possible when buying a home.  Now is the time to invest in learning about the inventory – that “right property” may be out there today.  The more you learn about the market, the better attuned you’ll become in knowing when an opportunity is presented before you.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to get to know the South Shore Market. As a Millennial who has purchased, sold and purchased again and as a Realtor who works with buyers for a living, I can help you learn more about the market and effectively position you for your upcoming purchase.  I welcome you to give me or my Team at Grand Gables a call to learn how we can help you.

Posted by: Zoe Murray Lindemuth

 

Since working at Grand Gables, Zoe has been involved in over $7million in sales of real estate in the South Shore and Boston area.  Having grown up in Cohasset and attended Tabor Academy, Zoe has an in-depth understanding of South Shore and South Coast real estate. She graduated from Villanova University in 2008. At both Tabor and Villanova, Zoe was an avid tennis player.  Zoe now lives in the coastal community of Duxbury, MA with her husband, baby daughter and chocolate lab. 

Grand Gables Now Offering 88 Stockbridge Rd in Scituate!

Hi again.  Zoe here! In my last post, I promised I would help you get back to the water. Scituate lies in the heart of the South Shore.  For the millennial looking to upgrade lifestyle and enjoy a house that is filled with classic charm, 88 Stockbridge Rd is a perfect match. 88 Stockbridge offers the magic of living in an antique cape setting with the open floor plan of a modern home. 88 Stockbridge offers great indoor and outdoor living.  Watch your children practice their game while they play tennis on their private clay tennis court in the backyard. As you look to move to the South Shore, 88 Stockbridge offers you the privacy that you desire with the convenience of the village and harbor a walk-able mile away. All for $719K--you won't need to move again. In my opinion, this listing will not last! 
Link below to the full gallery.  

88 Stockbridge-Scituate

Zoe Murray Lindemuth

RealtorSales AssociateGrand Gables Realty Group, Inc

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• Phone: 781-545-3155
• Cell: 610-937-0204
• Fax: 781-545-3355

Moving Back to the South Shore

Growing up on the water never leaves you.  As a Millennial who grew up in Cohasset and now lives in Duxbury, returning to the ocean had always been my goal.  I had bought a house on the Mainline of Philadelphia and as nice as that was, I missed the ocean.

Now as we approach or are already in our 30s, leaving the downtown lifestyle becomes more appealing. We are close to paying off our student loans and are earning enough money to afford a down payment. Yet some of us might not have made the final leap in investing in your future. The world is telling us it’s a sellers’ market, but conditions are favorable for buyers as well. For example, interest rates remain low and there are homes in the South Shore that appeal to all price ranges $300k and up.

Don’t delay your dream of getting back to the water. 

Here are a few things to check off before you start the process:

•          How far south do you want to go?
•          How close do you need to be to the highway?
•          What updates are must-haves in your ideal house?

More importantly, understand what is available in your price range. Below check out the number of active listings by community on the South Shore that are priced at $300-500k.

Number of Listings $300-500K by South Shore Town

Source: MLS PIN, As of August 2, 2017

Depending on what you are looking for, $500k will buy you 1600 square feet in Cohasset, 2200 square feet in Scituate and in Duxbury. In any of these communities you are unlikely to be more than 3 miles from any of the coastal towns and the Route 3 towns are within 8-10 miles.

Grand Gables helped me find my dream house, now let us help you find yours. 

Posted by: Zoe Murray Lindemuth

Since working at Grand Gables, Zoe has been involved in over $7million in sales of real estate in the South Shore and Boston area.  Having grown up in Cohasset and attended Tabor Academy, Zoe has an in-depth understanding of South Shore and South Coast real estate. She graduated from Villanova University in 2008. At both Tabor and Villanova, Zoe was an avid tennis player.  Zoe now lives in the coastal community of Duxbury, MA with her husband, baby daughter and chocolate lab. 

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/