Mike Hunter Sudbury

The real estate industry has its own unique language that can sometimes be confusing. One term that comes up a lot, especially in these times of bank-owned properties, short sales, and foreclosures, is “as is” and its variations “where is”, and “in its present condition”. There are some agents who feel that part of the reason we see "as is" cropping up more and more is because more buyers are being coached to use the home inspection as a reason to reopen negotiations (sometimes justified, sometimes not) and that sellers and their agents, who may have already lowered the price several times, are using it as a tactic to close the door on this practice. Sellers commonly mistake “As is” as a way to offset deferred repairs with a discounted asking price usually reflecting the condition. This is not a term to be used lightly, because there are costs as well as benefits, and if you don’t know what it really means, you shouldn’t use it. “ As is” is actually a leg...

I've been keeping this kind of useless statistic since 2011. Taking all the sold houses in Sudbury from 1/1/2018 to 12/16/2018 I sort them by color and then create a pie chart to show what color represents how much of the market. Here it is. Commentary below. For 2018, much like last year, the dominant colors are gray and tan, the earth colors. Then the brights, white and yellow. And last, the RGB colors. It's interesting this year the mix of RGB has really expanded in the blue and green tones. White seems to be shrinking in popularity. And my annual dig at lazy agents, 30% of the listing agents didn't even bother to put in the color of the house in their listings. Really people? Did you ever even walk into the house? Yellow, this year in particular, seems to be popular on capes. They do look really nice when the lawns are lush and green and then nice against the white snow in winter. Looking to buy or sell or just talk about real estate, get in touch.

Last winter was pretty hard on the deer herd in town. With the cold and snow and spring’s reluctant appearance the critters were just starving when the new sprouts and buds of the season broke forth. It’s no surprise that I’ve heard from lots of folks wondering what they can do about deer eating their plantings. First of all, let me tell you that I feel your pain. There’s nothing like feeding wild animals with your expensive and lovingly cared for specimen plants. There are lots of experts who will tell you predator urine, dial soap, blood meal, and other potions will work. Sorry, but not true. If a deer is hungry enough, there is not much that can stop them. Think from the deer’s point of view; as long as you keep alert and post a lookout from your herd to watch out for predators, what’s the big deal. And the soap thing not only looks ridiculous, but have you ever noticed that when you open a new bar of soap the smell is overpowering and after a couple of showers it’s barely...

How do I know what price range I can afford in a house? There are many resources on the web which will calculate your mortgage payment on a house at different lending rates, or you can call a mortgage broker and they will help you find out what you can afford. Always remember to allow for property tax, insurance and maintenance costs in figuring out what you can spend on a monthly basis for your house. Once I start working with a real estate agent, they work for me, right? Technically, an agent works for the seller unless other arrangements are made. When you first meet with an agent, they should have you sign a disclosure form, which says that they have explained this to you. Although an agent is responsible to the seller of a house, this does not mean that they will not work hard to meet your needs and help you all they can in finding the right house at the right price. What is a Buyer’s Broker? A Buyer’s Broker represents you and your interests rather than the seller...

Good to be a seller under $1m, above that not so much. Buyers can ease up on the trigger, unless a new listing is kissy perfect. Gangbuster Market?  Yep. So buying or selling now more than ever you need a real estate agent at the top of their game. Call me at  978-580-1069  to talk about your needs. Have a great experience