Old North Festival Chorus Concert TONIGHT!
It is with great joy that the Old North Festival Chorus will present its Lenten Concert this Sunday, April 10 at 7:30 PM at Old North Church, 35 Washington Street, Marblehead, singing together for the first time in 28 months:
There will be a freewill offering, and proof of vaccination will be required, along with the wearing of a well-fitted mask.
First Old North Festival Chorus Concert since 2019
It is with great joy that the Old North Festival Chorus will present its Lenten Concert this Sunday, April 10 at 7:30 PM at Old North Church, 35 Washington Street, Marblehead, singing together for the first time in 28 months:
There will be a freewill offering, and proof of vaccination will be required, along with the wearing of a well-fitted mask.
It’s not just Tom Brady who is Unretiring
Millions of U.S. workers retired during the pandemic. Now many are returning to work at rates not seen since 2020.
Tom Brady, it turns out, has good company in reconsidering hanging up the proverbial cleats: In February, the share of retired workers re-entering the workforce climbed to around 3% of total retirees, its highest level since early March 2020, according to an Indeed analysis of federal labor data.
Many are people under the official retirement age who, spurred by rising asset values or Covid-19 worries, left the workforce ahead of schedule, labor economists say. Roughly 2.6 million Americans retired earlier than expected between February 2020 and October 2021, according to estimates from Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis senior economist Miguel Faria-e-Castro.
Others now quitting early retirement realize they weren’t as financially prepared to live without a steady paycheck as they hoped. Um, I am not sure that is why Brady is unretiring…… (more…)
Did You Know?
* Though just 17% of the U.S. population is 65 or older, United Van Lines reports that seniors in that age group completed 29% of all its moves in 2020. Sumter County, Florida has one of the highest levels of inbound migration of seniors in the U.S. thanks in large part to the Villages, a sprawling retirement community more than 50 miles northwest of Orlando. But large cities are seeing an influx of older people seeking the excitement and variety/volume of entertainment/restaurant options. (WSJ)
* In the 4th quarter of 2021, investors bought 18.4% of the US homes that were purchased, a record high. And possibly one of the biggest drivers of housing inflation? Higher purchase prices + higher rents = essential demand for higher wages. (FT)
* The median monthly payment on a new mortgage is now taking up a much larger share of a typical consumer’s income. It jumped 8.3% in February compared with January. The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage shot significantly higher yesterday, rising 24 basis points to 4.95%. The quicker-than-expected rise in rates has weighed on demand for mortgages and refinancing loans. With both rates and prices considerably higher, the median mortgage payment is now more than 20% higher than it was a year ago. And so is pricing in some parts….Now comes the question: are incomes that much higher to sustain this? (CNBC)
* The average bonus paid to securities industry employees in New York climbed 20% to a record $257,500 for 2021, the largest increase in bonuses since 2009. Securities industry jobs make up just 5% of private sector roles, but accounted for 18%, or $14.9 billion, of state tax collections in the 2021 fiscal year. (CNBC)
And read these recent articles: (more…)
Did You Know? Wednesday edition
* Austin, TX rents rose an eye-watering 40% in February 2022 compared to 2021! Portland followed at 39%. New York City rents rose 36%! Newark and New Brunswick, NJ, and Nassau County, Long Island saw 36% jumps in rents. Florida had 3 of the top 10 metro areas with the steepest rent hikes in February: Rents in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach jumped 30% in February compared to 2021. Denver was up 29%. (NY POST)
* Andy Warhol’s portrait Shot Sage Blue Marilyn could become the most expensive 20th-century artwork to ever sell at auction, with an estimate in the region of $200 million.
* A hospice nurse shared the 5 common regrets people have in their last days:
1. Most people at the end of their lives have regrets about not appreciating their health.
2. Not appreciating being alive, the little things.
3. Working their life away.
4. Not spending more time with family.
5. Spend time with those you love, not necessarily family, but those you love and make you feel loved. (US SUN)
* The US has agreed to ease the 2018 tariffs on UK steel and aluminum shipments that may help lower some construction costs.
And read these recent articles: (more…)
Sunday Snippets: Did You Know?
* Tech meets TREES? 🤔 Trees help with stormwater attenuation, store carbon, improve air quality, provide shade for humans and offer habitats for wildlife…..but as the climate changes, some trees are not surviving/thriving in their current habitat and arborists are identifying the trees that will survive and thrive going forward. i-Tree is a state-of-the-art, peer-reviewed software suite from the USDA Forest Service that provides urban and rural forestry analysis and benefits assessment tools. (FT)
* The median age of a US homebuyer has risen from 31 in 1981 to around 45! If we average leaving home around the age of 20 and rent for 25 years before buying, that equates to $300k lost to rent if your rent is $1,000/month….. $600k if it’s $2,000/month…..and $ 1million if you average $3,333/month! (FT)
* Gen Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 — has become the most active faction in the housing market, flocking to major cities that some claimed were doomed in the pandemic. Manhattan’s social scene and job climate led to a 63% jump in Gen Z rental applications year-over-year. Zoomers made up 27% of Manhattan renters last year, up from 17% the year before as they contend with an increasingly tight market. Other major cities to see a spike in its share of Gen Z renters include San Jose (52%), Los Angeles (45%) and Irving, Texas (37%). Gen Z is the only generation to have its activity surge in the past year. There were 220,000 more rental applications from Zoomers in 2021 than the year before, making up 27% of the rental application market, trailing only millennials (45%). So yes, I was not hallucinating when I noticed everyone around me getting younger and prettier in Manhattan! (RENT CAFE)
* The number of unincorporated self-employed people in the U.S. reached 10 million in February, or 400,000 more than when the pandemic began. It soared as high as 10.3 million last summer. Being a self-employed, independent contractor has pro’s and con’s! (WSJ) (more…)
Survey: Sellers Waiting Out Pandemic Are Ready to List
Homeowners have had all the usual reasons to sell over the past two years – marriages, deaths, children, etc. – but many hunkered down during the pandemic, and some feared the housing market because selling might be easy but finding a new home? Not so much.
A survey conducted by HarrisX for realtor.com, however, suggests that many of those people might be planning to list their home in 2022, with 65% of them planning to do so this winter and spring. The survey of 2,583 consumers was conducted online in September-October 2021.
Many sellers, however, want to set an asking price higher than they think their home is worth, and they expect buyer bidding wars.
When will sellers list? (more…)
Is today the day you decide to move to Florida?
Epic storms are the subject of conversations for years to come. How many times today will you hear comparisons with and stories of the blizzard of ’78? I wasn’t in Boston for that one but I did “enjoy” the April Fool’s Day blizzard of ’97.
Funnily enough, a number of people decide after decades of living through New England winters that it is time to move to Florida.
If you find yourself in that camp, I can help.
Here is my guide to buying in Southwest Florida: Guide to Buying and Selling in Southwest Florida
And some year end reports:
Naples Year End Market Report by Location and Property Type
Bonita Springs 2021 Year End Market Report
Sanibel/ Captiva 2021 Market Report
And plenty more on my Southwest Florida blog OliverReportsFL.com, a sister blog to OliverReportsMA.com.
Come on down!
Andrew Oliver, M.B.E., M.B.A.
REALTOR®| Market Analyst | DomainRealty.com
Naples, Bonita Springs and Fort Myers
Andrew.Oliver@DomainRealtySales.com
m. 617.834.8205
www.MarbleheadSouth.com
www.OliverReportsFL.com
_____________
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
www.OliverReportsMA.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Open Houses today? YMBJ
No Open Houses today.
I will post a list tomorrow as we see what is on after – we hope – the storm.
Perhaps today you will choose to read: Is today the day you decide to move to Florida?
Andrew Oliver, M.B.E.,M.B.A.
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReportsMA.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Salem, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
__________________
Andrew Oliver
REALTOR® | Market Analyst | DomainRealty.com
Naples, Bonita Springs and Fort Myers
Andrew.Oliver@DomainRealtySales.com
m. 617.834.8205
www.AndrewOliverRealtor.com
www.OliverReportsFL.com
The Three Stages of Snow Removal
Friday’s storm reminded me of a story told to me some years ago by an older neighbour, who said that the typical male went through three stages in life:
1. When he got together with other males of the species they talked about women and sport
2. When they got together they discussed their ailments
3. When they got together they discussed estate planning
In somewhat similar vein I offer the three stages of snow removal:
1. Dressed in full winter gear, snow shovel in hand, out he goes to tackle the snow – feeling great about doing something so healthy and invigorating
2. He buys a snow blower – same feeling, less chance of a heart attack
3. He hires somebody to clear the snow while staying warm indoors.
Which stage have you reached? (more…)
Old North Festival Holiday Concerts THIS WEEKEND
While Covid-19 has again interrupted our traditional Festival Chorus Holiday Concert plans, we press on and adapt!
After last year’s forced absence, the Old North Festival Holiday Concerts return in modified form during this year’s Christmas Walk, on Saturday, December 4th at 8 p.m., and Sunday, December 5th at 7:30 p.m. Maria vanKalken, Minister of Music at Old North Church, celebrates her 33rd season as Director of the Festival Chorus – despite a recent fall and damage to her head and shoulder.
This year’s Concerts will feature the Festival Orchestra, and Soloists: Holly Cameron, soprano; Gabriela Fagen, mezzo-soprano; Kevin Hayden, tenor; Daniel Fridley, bass; and Michael Galvin, bass, in seasonal works for solo voices by J.S. Bach, Purcell, Handel and Mendelssohn, together with the Old North Bell Choir under the leadership of Liz Smith
While the Chorus will have to wait until next year to perform again, we will be able to enjoy the concerts as audience members, and will greatly enjoy singing the carols along with the audience!
The concerts will have a reduced capacity and last 75 minutes with no intermission. Proof of vaccination will be required for admission and properly-fitted masks must be worn at all times in the Church.
Tickets are available at Arnould Gallery and Crosby’s Marketplace; or online at onchurch.org/festivalchorus and, with seating limited, should be purchased in advance. Further information can be obtained by calling 781.608.2782.
The format may be different this year, but all involved – orchestra, soloists and audience – will rejoice in being able to make music together again!
Real estate averages and the Red Sox
I gave a presentation recently explaining why I do not use average prices in real estate.
In the ALCS Championship series against the Astros the Red Sox scored a total of 28 runs or an average of 5.6 per game. But averages don’t work in baseball either and the results were:
But if we could average those 28 runs over 6 games it would be 5.6 per game. So let’s give the Sox 4 games with 6 runs and 2 with 4. Then we could have produced these results: (more…)
Naples Q3 2021 Market Reports
Here are links to my Fall Market reports:
North Naples Fall Market Report
South Naples Fall Market Report
East Naples Fall Market Reports
Central Naples Fall Market Report
Naples Beach Fall Market Report
Audubon Fall Market Report
Sterling Oaks Fall Market Report
Bay Forest Fall Market Report
Pelican Bay Fall Market Report
Imperial Golf Estates Fall Market Report
Naples zip code map (more…)
Tips for working remotely in a tiny home
I seem to recall a lot of talk about tiny homes a couple of years ago – heck, I even wrote about them in Tiny house with great views for $40,000.
Boston.com has an intriguing article about Working from Home in a Tiny House/.
For those considering joining the tiny-house movement while working remotely, Stephanie Burrows, founder of the Tiny Homes of New England Meetup group, offered advice. (more…)
Property Insurance Costs Too Much? 7 Ways to Reduce It
When is the lowest-cost insurer not the lowest-cost insurer? When another company actually charges less because you bundled or installed security or did something else.
NEW YORK – The price of homeowners’ insurance is on the rise, and many owners may be looking for ways to reduce their high premiums. While discounts can vary greatly based on location, size, and age of the house, some credits may be available that could reduce some homeowners’ premiums by as much as thousands of dollars per year, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The average premium for a homeowner’s insurance policy increased 3.1% to $1,249 in 2018, the latest year for which data is available. Luxury homes tend to be much more costly to insure than standard homes since they’re larger and have more decorative features within.
Here are some ways homeowners may be able to save on their homeowners’ insurance costs: (more…)
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