Author Archive for Patty Knaggs

Game changing? (No REALLY!) Real Estate app for your iPhone, iPad & Droid (soon)

As a full time real estate agent who loves real estate technology I’m always interested in the latest “shiny” new app. This one is not yet perfect and not yet released for Droids, but boy is it cool!!! Called, “Homesnap” it is a real estate app for the iPhone or iPad. It is still “touchy” and may take a few tries to get the correct information, but wait until you hear what it does! The app, takes a picture of the home (for sale or not for sale) and then downloads onto your device the public information (from the town) available about the home, (haven’t tried it with commercial buildings). If it is “For Sale”, it gives the listing information. How cool is this? One photo and you can find out price (if listed), # of bed rooms, lot size and general assessor information.

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Some of the technology being used is based on an “AVM” or automatic valuation formula. AVM is what Zillow is using when displaying their famous or infamous “Zestimates“. It is a formula which gives a home value sight unseen. Is it accurate?…well not always. AVM’s tend to be much more accurate in parts of the country where the  home construction is more “cookie cutter” then here in the Northeast, which is full of varying types and ages of home construction.

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Anyway…back to Homesnap. This app is the fastest way I know to get information about homes as one is traveling and spots a home that you find interesting or attractive in your home search. No more remembering an address or a company. Just take a picture with your phone and voila you are empowered with all the available listing information. Check it out and let me know if you find it useful. Of course it is free :)

9 reasons to fall in love with 22coralhillrd.com

Lushious new toy!

How the Serenity Prayer Applies To Selling a Home

I read the blog: Keeping Current Matters…religiously…. And yes I have supported more then one client (of all denominations BTW) in the burying of the St. Josephs statue (upside down in the back yard). However this is the first time I have seen one of my favorite prayers applied to my day job :)
You may believe that selling your home is impossible in today’s market. You may feel powerless to the process. What could YOU possibly do to turn this housing market around? There is no doubt that today’s real estate market is extremely difficult to navigate. However, we want you to know thatthousands of homes sold yesterday, thousands will sell today and thousands will sell each and every day from now until the end of the year.
It is totally within your power to guarantee that your house will sell even in the current market.“How?”, you ask. Let’s look at the simplicity of the famous Serenity Prayer and apply it to selling a home in today’s real estate market.“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”

Accept the things you cannot change

The two main reasons that the housing prices have softened:

  1. the current economy
  2. the inventory of distressed properties (foreclosures and short sales)

As an individual homeowner, there is no way for you to impact either of those two situations. The best think-tanks in the country are struggling to discover solutions.

Have the courage to change the things you can

There is not a vacuum of buyers in the market. There is a vacuum of homes a buyer in today’s market will purchase. Let us explain: could you sell your home today for $1? … $1,000 … $10,000? Of course you could. There are plenty of buyers in the market for a home they consider priced correctly. You have to decide what the correct price is for your home if you truly want to sell. If you want your house sold, you must list it at a price a buyer will pay for it. Not a buyer from 2006 but today’s buyer who has plenty of homes from which to choose.

It will take courage to sit with a real estate professional and honestly decipher the true value of your home. If you want to sell, you must have that courage.

The wisdom to know the difference

We all realize that the economic situation will take some time to correct. If we want to wait for prices to return to 2006 levels, we will probably have to wait for 5-7 years.

Look at the reason you decided to sell in the first place and decide whether the extra money you would get from the sale is worth that wait. Is money more important than being with family? Is money more important than your health? Is money more important than having the freedom to go on with your life the way you think you should?

This is where your wisdom must kick in. You already know the answers to the questions we just asked. You have the power to take back control of the situation by pricing your home to guarantee it sells. The time has come for you and your family to move on and start living the life you desire. That is what is truly important.

Tax tip for property owners in Gloucester MA

Rounding up tax info?  It always seems I have most of the information but not all of it…:) The Gloucester MA city site: http://gloucester-ma.gov/ is a great resource to view & gather information on your total property taxes and sewer/water costs (for landlords).  In case you are like me and can’t always find this information easily in my own home, the city website has it all neatly filed in one location. Once you are on the city site:

City of Gloucester Website - Home page

“click” on the tab (left side of page) that says “online services”.  That will bring you to this page:

City of Gloucester Website - Online services page

The property tax records and water/sewer bills can all be accessed by “clicking” on the highlighted type.

The next page will then ask you for your address or parcel ID number.

City of Gloucester address page for online tax records

If you are unfamiliar with your parcel ID number, it can be found in the “assessors” records online , on a tax or water bill or by calling our helpful Gloucester assessors office. Fill in the address and voila the computer does what computers do and you have your annual records in front of you!

Sea Smoke in Gloucester MA? What is Sea Smoke?

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“Sea Smoke” is the “fog” one sees rising from the ocean when the air is much colder then the water. It is very difficult to photograph due to its transient, hazy properties. It is most common at sunrise, usually the coldest period of the evening. As the sunlight warms the air the temperature, the temperature difference between the air and water tends to moderate and the wafting, steamy quality of this event disappears.

Wikipedia describes the phenomena in the following manner: Evaporation from exposed water surface depends upon its vapor pressure. If the water temperature is greater than that of the nearby air, the evaporation continues faster than the air can absorb the water vapor, even though the cool air’s relative humidity is 100%. This further evaporates immediately and re-condenses as visible fog, which rises up in convective currents.The conditions required for such fog formation include not only low surface temperature but also a preexisting surface inversion of temperature to inhibit the rapid development of instability.

Not only is Sea Smoke difficult to capture on film it is downright eerie in person and an accurate predictor of one cold morning here in Gloucester!!!

 

East Gloucester Cultural District Approved by the City Council!

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Karen Ristuben describes the East Gloucester Ma 01930 Cultural District concept, boundaries and purpose in the Gloucester Ma arts community.

Waterview Homes in Gloucester MA 01930

Waterview homes  in Gloucester come in all varieties: open ocean (coveted by many), harbor views, working waterfront, Annisquam River, Boston skyline, Cranes beach, Wingaersheek beach, Jones River, Lanes cove, Lobster Cove, Smiths Cove, Cripple Creek Cove, Coffins beach and northerly to Maine and  New Hampshire. There is a new waterview listing which is unique in many ways- 29 Fort Square, Gloucester MA.

It is unique in the fact that it offers so many varieties of water views from its singularly spectacular location. It sits on a peninsula facing south with views in every direction. This means that sunrises and sunsets can both be seen from this property. The water views that can be found at this location are many: open ocean, Boston skyline, up the  Annisquam River and working waterfront all from one vantage point. The lot size is small (2,740 sf) and the home has not changed hands since 1963. Assessed at $440,700 and priced to reflect the value of a 360 degree water view in Gloucester MA homes at $2.4 million, one thing can be assured:the taxes will be changing after this sale!

Scumbling in Gloucester MA with Melody Phaneuf

YouTube Preview ImageScumbling??? Is that scrubbing the crumbs off the floor or some such surface ? It could be ! but to an artist

it is a painting technique. It is painting a light color over a dark color using a dry brush & dryish paint on a textured surface. Ultimately is creates a “soft” look.

Scumbling by Melody Phaneuf

It is used to create a light or a veiled effect. Melody Phaneuf uses it in her work in both ways and especially in her snow paintings. In Melodys paintings the effect she achieves with her oil work has been compared to the “softness” of working with pastels. Scumbling is used to create a “fuzzy” effect, a translucent effect or in the case of the Dutch Masters the light effect.

Still curious about scumbling? Melody Phaneuf has a Snow exhibit currently displayed at Bank Gloucester (160 Main St., Gloucester MA 01930) where this technique is instantly recognizable!

My Two Favorite Websites for Holiday Electronic Shopping

She's Holiday shopping again?

Electronics shopping and needing help, I’m leaning heavily on consumer and editor reviews. I don’t have the time or energy to research every detail of every electronic gizmo it seems I need in my personal or professional life. Why not depend on some else’s experience and expertise? The two sites I’ve been leaning on are amazon.com and CNET.com. Consumerwise, I must find safety in numbers. I love amazon.com due to the sheer volume of consumer reviews they provide for so very many items. I checked many review sites for the particular item I was recently purchasing but nothing can match the volume of reviews at amazon. I’ve been to epinions.com, reviewgist.com, buzzillions.com and viewpoints.com in search of a particular item review but none of them offer as many reviews as amazon consistently does.

The other site I admire for electronic reviews is CNET.com. I like the way the editor matter of factly provides a video for so many item reviews. Not only do I find the video representation comforting (real live people holding the actual item), they actually sound like they know what they are talking about! I find that very satisfying considering I’m sure I would be at a loss for words if someone asked me to explain simple electricity much less how something like a cell phone or a bluetooth headset actually works.  My holiday electronics shopping website list  is short but the two together:

amazon.com for consumer reviews

CNET.com for editorial reviews

 have simplified my life, provide a consensus and made electronics shopping (electronically!) easy.