Massachusetts “best State in the country” to live
Yes that’s right, number 1, according to a report by 24/7WallStreet, a financial website, which ranked States using an index composed of three socioeconomic measures: poverty rate, the percentage of adults who have at least a bachelor’s degree, and life expectancy at birth.
This is what is has to say about Massachusetts:
“As in many of the other best states to live in, Massachusetts residents are quite wealthy. A typical household earns $69,160 each year, the sixth highest annual median household income in the nation. Similarly, the state’s poverty rate of 11.6% is one of the lowest in the nation. As in most states with low poverty rates and high incomes, the average Massachusetts resident will enjoy a relatively long life. The life expectancy at birth in Massachusetts is 80.5 years, versus the national life expectancy of 79 years. Massachusetts’ nation-leading college attainment rate of 41.2% — it is the only state where more than two in five adults have a bachelor’s degree — is a major driver of the state’s strong economy and high quality of life. Students in the state also score well above average on standardized tests. (more…)
We live in Yankeedom
According to Colin Woodard, a reporter at the Portland Press Herald and author of several books, North America can be broken neatly into 11 separate nation-states, where dominant cultures explain our voting behaviors and attitudes toward everything from social issues to the role of government.
We live in Yankeedom, which Woodward describes as follows: “Founded by Puritans, residents in Northeastern states and the industrial Midwest tend to be more comfortable with government regulation. They value education and the common good more than other regions.”
Um, I am not sure about the comment about government regulation, but am glad that I live where education and the common good are highly valued. (more…)
New Listings come almost to a halt
Not surprisingly in Thanksgiving week there were no new listings in Marblehead,Beverly or Swampscott, and just 6 – 2 SFHs and 4 condos – in Salem: Salem new listings. (more…)
El Nino is good news for housing market
Back in July I wrote No snow this winter, a somewhat optimistic comment about the effect El Nino might have on our weather this winter.
Yesterday I read El Nino seen warming Us economy on Bloomberg, with economists quoted as saying “a milder winter supports growth in housing and consumer spending”.
The last two winters have seen unusually cold (think polar vortex) and snowy weather, and in both years the real estate market in New England got off to a slow start. With the economy growing strongly in Massachusetts (forecasts put 2015 growth at 5%), 2016 could be a very good year in the housing market, with the possibility that the gains seen in Metro Boston in the last few years will extend further outwards. (more…)
Open Houses: take your umbrella
Just a few showers so take an unbrella when you visit these Open Houses: (more…)
When was Marblehead’s 200th SFH sale?
The very first post I wrote on this blog, 3 years and 539 posts ago, pointed out that sales of Single Family Homes in Marblehead in 2012 had reached 200 for the first time since 2007. One of the ways I tracked the pace of sales was to list the date on which the 200th sale occurred. (more…)
Guess who is selling Julia Child’s French home?
The French home of Julia Child is for sale through….. Sotheby’s International Realty.
Take a moment to look through the photographs of the house and note their high quality. This same high quality of photographs is a feature of all the homes listed by Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty.
Since 90% of home buyers search online and the first “showing” of your house is online, presentation is absolutely vital. If you want buyers to see your home in such clear and splendid detail, contact me for more information about the way we will present your home to the market.
New listings Marblehead, Beverly, Salem and Swampscott
Thanksgiving is coming but there are still some new listings: (more…)
What can you buy for $10 million in Massachusetts?
That’s the question we are all asking ourselves, right? We’re done with the 2 bed condo, it’s time to make a statement. But what can you buy for $10 million in Massachusetts?
The answer is surprisingly little. (more…)
Open Houses and the Patriots
A regular discussion amongst real estate agents is the impact on attendance at Open Houses when the Patriots are playing. A couple of weeks ago when the Pats were playing the Jets, one agent was driving around Marblehead at 3 p.m. and said it was like driving through a ghost town.
The Massachusetts Association of Realtors surveyed its members recently and 64 percent said they do not schedule open houses when the New England Patriots play. This includes four percent who avoid all Sundays during football season; 20 percent who avoid Sundays when the Patriots are playing; and 40 percent who schedule their open houses either before or after the games. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents schedule open houses when it is most convenient for the client – even if it’s during the game.
The good news for sellers is that the Patriots do not play at 1 p.m. today or on the next 3 Sundays. (more…)
Open Houses on a beautiful Fall day
It’s yet another spectacular day in New England. The Patriots don’t play until 4:25 so get out and visit these Open Houses: (more…)
This week’s new listings
The week’s new listings: (more…)
3 Oceanfront Open houses in Marblehead’s secret neighborhood
Recently I wrote about Marblehead’s Unknown Oceanfront properties in the stretch from Preston Beach to Beach Street.
Today there are 3 Oceanfront Open Houses in this area. They are:
2-4 Coolidge Road, listed at $3.2 million and open from 11:30 – 1:00
11 Crown Way, listed at $3.5 million and open from 12:00 – 2:00
and 40 Ticehurst Lane, listed at $2.26 million and open from 1:00 – 2:30.
If you are in the market for an oceanfront property maybe it’s Time to think outside Marblehead Neck. (more…)
3 years and 532 blog posts later….
After writing semi-annual reviews of the Marblehead real estate market for several years, I published my first blog post three years ago this weekend and I remember wondering if I was over-committing by undertaking to publish every week. Well, had I published one article a week I would be up to number 157. Actually, the number is 532, so it appears that I have found plenty of real-estate related matters on which to write.
A significant change in my approach occurred about a year ago (more…)
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