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Browsing Posts published in October, 2010

CONWAY’S TOP TEN REASONS TO BUY NOW

October 28, 2010 No comments

The fundamental strength of home ownership hasn’t changed – today, tomorrow, or in the future.  Your Conway agent can help you find the perfect new home for you that suits your lifestyle and needs!  Not sure if buying a home is right for you?  Here’s our list of the Top 10 Reasons to Buy Now!

Top 10 Reasons to Invest in a Home Now1.  Low Prices. Home prices are down an average of 30% currently across the country.  Homes are more affordable and within people’s income levels more now than in the past.

2.  Low Mortgage Rate. With mortgage rates as low as 4.3% for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, buyers can save a lot of money over time on the interest accruing on their mortgage.  Costs are down 20% from even 2 years ago!

3.  Deductions. When you do the math, you may find that if you add up all the tax deductions you get for mortgage interest and other home ownership-related benefits, your cost of owning could actually drop BELOW the cost of renting a comparable home.

4.  Freedom. When you own a home, you can paint your walls whatever color you want to, have dogs and cats, and not worry about the property manager invading your privacy.

5.  Choice. There are currently thousands of homes available for sale in Conway Country!  Browse through our current listings or contact us to help you find exactly what you need!

6. Superior Living. In certain markets, the “nicer” and more desirable homes are often the for-sale houses or condos.

7. Risk Capital. Once the economy picks up again, you will benefit from it more as a homeowner than a renter- even if your initial goal was just a ‘nicer’ home.

8. Inflation Protection. Historically, the appreciation on the value of your home outpaces the inflation rate over time.

9. Forced Saving. A portion of your monthly mortgage payment goes towards your principal balance/ equity. When you sell your home, the equity is yours!

10. The Future. The U.S. is estimated to grown by another 100 million people in 40 years. The demand for housing will eventually outpace supply. Investing in a home today gives your family better options in the future.

If you’re thinking about buying a new home, you can browse our current sales listings and check for upcoming Open Houses, or simply contact your local Jack Conway office to speak with a knowledgeable agent.

You can also use our Conway Home Mortgage Preapproval Services to see what you can comfortably afford to pay for your new home!

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EDUCATION THROUGH CONWAY SCHOOL OF REAL ESTATE

October 25, 2010 No comments

Chris Haraden, our Director of Agency Services, is busy putting together the current educational and training opportunities for our agents. Our school has historically offered classroom training and education from Continuing Education classes, to specialty training in topics such as rentals and short sales.

In fact, we’ve just rolled out Continuing Education classes for the next two months.

Chris has also added a list of webinars for our agents to allow them to learn — when and where it’s convenient for them.  This has been a request from our agents and we will now have a menu of programs from which to choose.

Upcoming topics include: Understanding housing statistics, available by going to www.realtor.org/education.  There the visitor will find other titles such as “Right Tools Right Now.”

Our agents can always focus on CANEI — Constant and Never Ending Improvement.  Through these resources we can do that as a company.

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CONWAY’S HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS FOR EVERYONE

October 22, 2010 No comments

Halloween is a fun time of year for people of all ages.  To make sure you and your loved ones have a safe and happy holiday, be sure to read Conway’s Halloween Safety Tips!

Tips for Homeowners:

  • Leave your outside lights on if you want trick-or-treaters, turn them off if you don’t.
  • If you own any pets, be sure they are secured in a room away from the constantly opening front door and chaos of the festivities.  It will ensure that your pet, and your trick-or-treaters are safe.
  • Be sure to clear wet leaves, branches, or other hazards that could cause someone to get hurt while on your property.
  • Don’t use real candles in jack-o-lanterns if you are going to display them in places where trick-or-treaters could knock them over or catch their costumes on fire.
  • Only give out individually wrapped treats.  Sadly homemade treats are often tossed by parents for fear of tampering.  Bring homemade goodies to work instead!


Tips for Parents:

  • Make sure costumes fit well and are flame retardant.  Clothing that is too long or baggy could cause your child to trip and fall.  Masks, wigs, or hats that don’t fit properly could impede their vision and cause an accident as well.
  • Don’t let your child bring any realistic weapons with them as part of their costume.  Fake weapons could be mistaken for real weapons (especially with older teens), and even some fake weapons can still cause an injury in a crowd.
  • For younger children, make sure you either pin or sew their identification information into their costume in the event you get separated.
  • Escort your children while trick-or-treating to ensure their safety.  Older children may want to be ‘grown up’ and just go with friends, but even if you just follow a bit behind you can ensure they don’t enter strangers’ homes, act careless around traffic, or get picked on by older teens looking to get into trouble.
  • Remind your children of Halloween etiquette such as, waiting for their turn, holding doors for others, saying ‘thank you’, not trampling flower beds or back yards, staying on sidewalks, and crossing the streets in crosswalks.
  • Make sure everyone one in your group (including adults) has flashlights and/ or reflectors on their costumes and treat bags to help drivers see you in the dark.
  • Set a clear rule that your kids can’t eat the candy they collect until you can inspect it at home.  Although cases of tampering are extremely rare, it’s better to be safe than sorry.  Some children may also have food allergies or dietary restricts to look out for as well.

Tips for Party-goers:

  • Make sure you have a designated driver for any events you plan on attending.  This is especially true during the Halloween season when children and teens will be running around the streets in dark costumes late into the evening.  Be sure to drive slow and be aware at all times, or call a cab.
  • Go with friends.  Adults and college students are more likely to attend parties at bars or clubs or stranger’s home.  Be smart, and don’t go alone.  It’s safer to travel in groups, even as an adult.
  • The fake weapons warning in the ‘Tips for Parents’ above may apply even more to teen and adult parties!
  • If you are hosting a party, don’t leave candles or jack-o-lanterns in places that people could bump into them or catch their costume on fire.  It’s always a good idea to have a fire extinguisher in your home, too.
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SUPERSTARS ON DISPLAY FOR CONWAY

October 22, 2010 No comments

A packed audience gathered at the Rockland Holiday Inn where three of our talented sales agents and managers were there for the seventh in our Conway Country Superstars Series.

Attendance at this program is required for the CDE designation or Conway Degree of Excellence, where our agents and managers commit to a year-long excellence program and need to have completed a threshold of transactions and be in good standing with their Realtor boards.

I was so proud of our speakers, Kevin Monahan, manager of our West Roxbury office, Susan Ricci Sohn, longtime top sales agent of our Mattapoisett office and Robbie Lindo, manager of our Abington office.

These three individuals shared their secrets for self marketing and promotion and shared with the audience how important it is to invest in their business; both in terms of personal marketing as well as community involvement.  It was so clear to me that we had a team of presenters who loved what they do and therefore our very successful, are committed to setting goals and listing action items to meet these goals and are so dedicated to the customers they work with.

It was also so apparent that we had a team of Conway agents and managers in the audience who are dedicated to the concept that we believe so strongly in and I myself feel is an important concept  — CANEI… Constant and Never Ending Improvement.

We can all do just a bit better each day both personally and professionally and the folks in this room were true examples of this.

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CONWAY MANAGERS BEGIN TRAINING SERIES

October 22, 2010 No comments

The responsibilities of a Conway Sales Manager includes a number of things: leader, motivator, organizer, report completer, sales person and at times therapist.

We count on them to treat each one of their offices like it’s their own and in exchange we are committed to supplying them with the tools they need to do the job.

Our company has always stood for professionalism, education and constant improvement. The Conway Management Enrichment series is our way to expand the Conway Tool Box…. for the management team, to assist with daily activities and help reach the goals we’ve set for ourselves.

I took a look at Dictionary.com and found that the definition of the word Enrichment, “The process of covering a subject in greater depth than is usual, tackling subjects not usually covered or the act of making fuller, more meaningful or rewarding.”

Our focus in last week’s seminar was to take the topic of recruitment to a higher level; to cover it in greater depth, to provide structure and most importantly strategy about this all-important facet of your job. We covered all we have to offer, the tools we use to tell our story, review best practices and introduce to you new concepts and tools for success. The recruitment and hiring of new agents includes both new folks to the business and experienced agents.

According to a recent RisMedia article, “There is nothing more effective to increasing our bottom line than the recruiting of experienced, productive agents. When we successfully recruit 4 or 5 experienced agents it can be the financial equivalent to recruiting 25 or more newbies.”

Recruiting experienced agents is not about just wanting more quality agents or talking about more quality agents, it’s about identifying who you want and why, knowing what we have to offer as Conway and just as important, believing in what we have to offer.

Do you think you might be interested in a Conway Career?

Give me a call or send me an email, and I would love to get you started in the right direction.

Photo:
Conway West Roxbury manager Kevin Monahan and Bridgewater manager Sue Souza speak at the recent Conway Enrichment training.
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CONWAY AGENTS JOIN QMC CANCER WALK

October 22, 2010 No comments
Quincy – A team from Jack Conway, Realtor’s Quincy office participated in the 13th annual Quincy Medical Center Cancer Walk last week.

They joined thousands of walkers who helped raise more than $150,000 for the Marie A. Curry Fund. The fund helps pay for free cancer screenings, medical equipment and information programs for local residents. With donations still being counted this week, the 2010 goal of $175,000 is still within reach.

As in past years, several agents and family of the Conway-Quincy office completed the 4-mile seaside walk on a beautifully sunny day in an effort to raise money and awareness for the charity.

“I’m so proud of what our Conway team was able to accomplish in terms of raising funds and participation,” said Conway-Quincy manager Helen Shiner. “And it was a great day as we saw so many people and also helped by raising some money for a great cause.”

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BIG CONWAY PRESENCE AT MAR

October 22, 2010 No comments

This week was the annual MAR (Mass. Association of Realtors) Convention in Worcester, Mass.

The event was packed with 300-plus Realtors from across Massachusetts learning new tools and programs to better service their customers.  We had a good showing from our company; Karen Almeida, manager of our Mattapoisett office and member of the Board of Directors for the New Bedford Board of Realtors, Ralph Grassia, past president of the NB Board of Realtors and Regional Vice President for our company.

Laurie Wilkey, also past president of the NB Board and manager of our new Dartmouth sales office located on Route 6 in Dartmouth, and certified real estate instructor for our company; Joyce Gerraughty, manager of our Mansfield office accompanied by three members of her office; Mary Ellen Brooks, along with Lenny and Barbara Harris, who are very involved in the Board.

In fact Lenny is the current President of the Mass CRS chapter (Certified Residential Specialists). Also joining us were Maureen McCaffrey, president of our Corporate Services Division, and finally manning the booth at the MAR showcase were Denis Lilla, VP of Sales, Chris Haraden, Director of Agent Services and Scott Cash, manager of our Dennisport office.

Wow, what a team we have – thanks to everyone for taking the time to learn more about the profession we are in, to be the best possible Realtors they can be.  A special congratulations to Kim Allard-Moccia, who received the honor of Realtor of the Year!

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FRONT STREET GOURMET A CONWAY FRIEND

October 22, 2010 No comments

Terri Martini, owner of Front Street Gourmet, on Front Street in Scituate Harbor, was generous enough to offer a discount on her beautiful gift baskets to our agents and employees.  We will often purchase a gift for our customers as a way to thank them for the faith they have put in us to purchase or sell their home and Terri’s baskets are a perfect choice!!  Thanks Terri!

Front Street Gourmet Gift Baskets

Front Street Gourmet Gift Baskets

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REAL ESTATE IS A SMALL WORLD

October 22, 2010 No comments

Had my hair done this morning at Lemon Lime Salon in Cohasset, owned by my good friend Adrian Morris.

Next to  my chair was Kathy Cocco, previous owner of my husband, Micheal’s, and my favorite restaurant in Humarock, The Bridgewater. Very small world in that Kathy’s daughter is married to the son of Jane and Ed Petite of Marshfield.  Jane worked for Conway for many years before she retired and is just the sweetest woman you could know.

Unfortunately her health is failing and it’s time to for them to sell their family home.  We are so grateful that Jane and Ed chose Marilyn Ohlund of our Marshfield Conway office to handle the sale.  We know these special people are in great hands with Marilyn.  She handles her customers with professionalism, calm and care and I wish all parties lots of luck for a smooth selling experience.

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REASONS TO RELOCATE TO SALEM MASSACHUSETTS

October 21, 2010 No comments

The month of October is one of the busiest months of the year for the city of Salem, Massachusetts, as tourists flock to the area to celebrate Halloween in “The Witch City” made famous as the location of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.

Salem is a beautiful city with lots of interesting history, a vibrant downtown filled with locally-owned restaurants and bars, a scenic waterfront, and an active creative community.  Salem is also home to Salem State University and provides residents an easy commuting option to Boston with the MBTA Commuter Rail.

Whether you’re a resident, just visiting, or planning to relocate to the Greater Boston area, Salem offers a variety of attractions to discover: historical places, fun ‘tourist’ and seasonal events and activities, a beautiful seaport, and serene parks.  Our newest Jack Conway & Co. office located in Swampscott, Massachusetts can handle all your real estate needs in the Salem area.

Here’s our list of the Top 10 Things To Do while in Salem.

TOP 10 THINGS TO DO IN SALEM:

1.  Salem Willows. Salem Willows is a beautiful seaside park you could easily spend a whole day at; lounging under shade trees, fishing off of a pier, and walking along the rolling paths.  There are two indoor arcades and places to buy flavored popcorn, salt water taffy, burgers and fries, and more!  There’s also ample free parking.

2.  Peabody Essex Museum. The museum features more than 840,000 works of art from New England and around the world.  PEM hosts two large libraries with over 400,000 books, manuscripts, and documents, and also owns 22 historic buildings in the area.  Yin Yu Tang, a Chinese house from the Qing Dynasty that was moved to the museum, is one of the most popular attractions.

3.  Old Burying Point Cemetery. Located on Charter Street, this is the second-oldest official cemetery in the country.  A plaque at the entrance provides you with information and a map to locate some of the more prominent citizens, such as judges from the Witch Trials, a Mayflower passenger, and architect Samuel McIntire.

4.  Witch Trial Memorial. Most of the citizens accused of witchcraft were given proper burials, so you won’t find their graves in the Old Burying Point Cemetery.  If you want to learn more about the victims, visit the award-winning Witch Trial Memorial located behind the Old Burying Point Cemetery.

5.  Salem Historical Tours. There are several different companies providing walking and trolley tours of Salem.  Tour guides often dress in period clothing and can provide you with entertainment as well as historical information.  If you want even more Halloween fun, try a ‘Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour’.

6.  Pioneer Village. See what a Puritan village in Salem was like in 1630 at this living history museum.  Pioneer Village was originally created in 1930 as the setting for a play held in Forest River Park, and the 3-acre area was quickly preserved as the first living history museum of the country later that year.  Take a tour and watch a performance by History Alive!

7. House of Seven Gables. Tour the the oldest surviving mansion house in continental North America, with 17 rooms measuring over 8,000 square feet including its large cellars.  Originally built in 1668, and restored in 1908, some historical authenticity was sacrificed in the interest of appealing to visitors, who expect the house to match the one Nathaniel Hawthorne described in his novel of the same name.

8. Salem Witch Museum. The Salem Witch Museum is the most visited museum in Salem, bringing visitors back to Salem in 1692 during the Witch Trials. Visitors are given a dramatic history lesson using stages set with life-size figures, and lighting, and a narration.

9.  Pickering Wharf. Take a scenic seaport stroll through Salem’s Pickering Wharf.  Browse boutique shops, including the shop owned by Laurie Calbot, the ‘Official Witch of Salem.’  There are also a variety of restaurants along the wharf to visit while you shop.

10. Salem Regional Visitor Center. If you’re new to the area, stop by the Center at 2 New Liberty Street to chat with National Park Service Rangers and volunteers that can help you with maps, brochures, and directions. You can also watch great free 27-minute film called “Where Past is Present” to gain a deeper appreciation for Salem.

To learn more about Salem attractions and event visit www.Salem.org.

Salem MA highlighted on a map of Massachusetts

MARKET TRENDS IN SALEM:

As of the third quarter of 2010, the average single family home sales price in Salem Massachusetts increased 5% over same time last year with the average sales price of $313,691, compared to $296,595 in 2009.  The condo market also continues to hold its value with the sales price remaining relatively unchanged with the average sales price of $229,492, compared to $227,935 last year.  This is a great sign that Salem has a strong and vibrant real estate market.

With prices starting to increase in Salem, now would be the time to purchase.  Mortgage rates continue to be at an all time low.  There are currently 100 single family homes on the market which equates to a 9 month supply of homes, showing that it is still a buyer’s market.

Increased Prices + Great Inventory + Fabulous Rates = Now is the Time to Buy!

READY TO RELOCATE?

Contact Dawn Stevens by calling 800-283-1030 ext. 318 or visit the Relocation Services page of our website to learn more.

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Jack Conway | 137 Washington Street | Norwell MA 02061 | Tel: 1.800.283.1030, Fax: | Email: info@jackconway.com

Copyright © 2010 Jack Conway. All rights reserved.

The data relating to real estate for sale on this site comes from the Broker Reciprocity (BR) of the Cape Cod & Islands Multiple Listing Service, Inc. Summary or thumbnail real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than Boston Logic are marked with the BR Logo and detailed information about them includes the name of the listing broker. Neither the listing broker nor Boston Logic shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, or misprints and shall be held totally harmless. This site was last updated 05/12/2010. All properties are subject to prior sale, changes, or withdrawal.

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