Franklin Massachusetts Homes Blog

The Multiple Listing Service (MLSPIN) just released its fourth quarter market data for the end of 2011.  The data shows that although the town of Franklin, MA posted a 4^th quarter average sales price of $330,000 which was a 2.7% decline over the same period in 2010, the actual number of sales was up by 57.6% (52 sales).

It is helpful to look at the data for each quarter but really noting what is happening in the overall Franklin, MA real estate market is key.   The average sales price for the past 3 months was $350,690 which was a 4% differential from the average list price of $363,462.  The town of Franklin currently has a shortage of available home inventory and since it is such a desirable community, homes often get scooped up by buyers rather quickly.  There are currently 78 single family homes for sale and 46 of those are listed under $500,000.

If you want to know what your home is worth is today’s changing real estate market, give me a call at 508-369-5131.  I’ll provide you the data to show, within $10,000, what your home would sell for…

Who wouldn't want to own a nuclear bomb-proof earth station?

The Jamesburg Earth Station transmitted some of the first images of the Apollo 11 moon landing, and has just had it's price cut to $3 million-check it out here.  It comes with a three-bedroom house, a 20,000-square-foot building, a helicopter landing pad and a 10-story satellite dish and antenna.

Suggestions have been made to turn it into a server farm or to store vintage cars or wine. What would you use for it for?

If you need real estate help in pricing your unique Franklin, MA home, give me a call at 508-369-5131 or email franklinmahomes@comcast.net.  I'll provide your home's value within a $10,000 range so you can get moving!

I have attempted to show some of the more outstanding Franklin properties that are currently on the market through these Best Buy lists.  These Franklin, Massachusetts homes may or may not be my listings, rather they are, in my opinion only, the best values for the money…

Three bedroom Gambrel home located in the Keller Sullivan school district and in a neighborhoodsetting.  Features gas heat, public water and sewer, hardwood floors and fireplaced living room.  Asking $259,000.

Three bedroom, 2 full bath Cape style home is located in a neighborhood setting.  Features first floor Master suite, updated maple cabinet kitchen with stainless steel appliances, finished basement and fenced backyard.  Heated inground pool and 2 sheds. Asking $339,900.

 Three bedroom updated Colonial with almost 2400 living area is located on large level fenced lot.  Huge great room with cathedral ceiling and skylight.  Features include stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, and newer Buderus boiler.  Asking $400-425,000 range price.

Four bedroom 7 year young Federal front Colonial with almost 3000 living area. Features include custom maple cabinets, granite countertops and 24 x 24 fireplaced great room.  Home is spacious with open floor plan and Brazilian cherry hardwood flooring.  Asking $529,900.

 If you have questions about these or other homes, please email me at franklinmahomes@comcast.net or give a call at 508-369-5131.

Once your Realtor & Mortgage Lender help identify your budget, be sure to keep tabs on it. The budget can be victimized by mortgage rates.  See, Franklin homes  are more affordable today than at any time in recorded history, but it’s not because home prices are down. It’s because mortgage rates are. And every time mortgage rates change, your maximum purchase price changes, too.

Did you know:  In June 2011, mortgage rates changed every 3 hours, 23 minutes on average?

With mortgage rates changing as rapidly as they are, your home affordability can be short-lived.  Consider the budget-busting impact of rising mortgage rates.

For every 1 percent rise in mortgage rates, a buyer’s maximum purchase price falls 10.75%.

For example, if you have 20 percent to put down and see a $300,000 Franklin, Massachusetts home, today, you can borrow at 4.500% and pay $1,216 monthly.  But if you want to wait for a price reduction and, 4 weeks later gets it — all the way to $285,000.  You are ecstatic--until you talk to your lender and find out mortgage rates are up 1 point.

That same home — selling for $15,000 less — now costs $1,295 to carry. It’s a $79 monthly increase and $28,440 in extra payments over the life of the loan.

This is why it’s foolish to “time” the housing market.

Give me a call at 508-369-5131 or email franklinmahomes@comcast.net to get started on finding your new home!  I have 15 years’ experience & testimonials to make for a smooth and stress free move.

The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported today that November single-family home sales were up compared to the same time last year. This is the fifth straight month of year-over-year increases. Median prices for both single-family home sales and condominiums were down from November 2010.

The local Franklin, Massachusetts data also shows a strong November 2011.  Interestingly, 2 fewer homes sold during November 2011 than the same period of 2010 but overall average sales prices were much higher.  Also it is very encouraging that homes are selling much closer to their asking price as evidenced by the list to selling ratio figures below.

November 2011                                      November 2010

11 sales                                                                 13 sales

$391,423 average sale price                           $370,423 average sale price

4% list to selling ratio                                        5% list to selling ratio

Give me a call at 508-369-5131 or email to find out how this data affects your particular home buying or selling.  I'll be happy to provide all the data you need...

This marks the third time in 5 years that the town of Franklin, Massachusetts was named by a major publication as a “Best Town”.   Bloomberg Business week just released their “Best Places to Raise Kids” rankings and Franklin was the only chosen town in Massachusetts. 

For  Businessweek.com’s 6th annual ranking of best places to raise kids, they  teamed up with Bloomberg Rankings to evaluate 4,169 places with a crime index less than 10 percent above the national average, populations between 1,000 and 50,000 people, and median family income within 20 percent of the state median, using data from real estate data company Onboard Informatics.   The article emphasizes Franklin’s above average math and reading scores; Dean College, which is a small liberal arts institution and The Franklin School of Performing Arts as all noteworthy. 

Back in August 2007, Family Circle Magazine named Franklin as "Top Ten Places to Raise a Family".  They based their decision on communities that provided "big-city opportunities with suburban charm" and that offered "affordable houses, good jobs, top-rated schools, wide-open spaces and a lot less stress."  They also took into account commute times, health care, crime rates, air quality, cultural amenities and volunteerism.  Franklin was the only New England town chosen based on an initial list of 1,850 municipalities with populations between 15,000 and 150,000. 

The next year, CNN Money also voted Franklin "Best Place to Live and Launch" for those looking for great living and working opportunities and also cited the town's appeal to businesses.

Whether you are considering buying a home, selling a home or both, I know this area inside and out.  I love this area and grew up in Wrentham where I lived for 22 years then moved to Franklin where I have been ever since.  The Franklin and Wrentham, MA area is only a short 15 minute drive to Foxboro where you will find Gillette Stadium for sporting events and Patriot Place with hundreds of stores, theater and fine dining.  The drive into Boston takes about 45-50 minutes but many people prefer the commuter rail which takes the same time without the traffic or parking hassles. 

Franklin has always been known for its low tax rate with a single tax for both industry and residential--that has caused many large corporations (EMC, Cisco, Putnam) to relocate here which only brings more tax revenue and jobs into the town.  Many other surrounding towns tax industry at a much higher rate and have lost businesses as a result. The town also has a desirable location with close proximity to major highways and the MBTA commuter rail to Boston with 2 stops in town.  For outdoor lovers, there are extensive hiking and biking trails in the Franklin and Wrentham State Forests.

If you’d like more information on the town of Franklin, MA, please feel free to call me at 508-369-5131 or email franklinmahomes@comcast.net.

Franklin, Massachusetts seems to be on track for a housing rebound in 2012 according to the experts and the most recent Multiple Listing Service data.

Barclays Capital analyst Stephen Kim predicts a housing recovery buoyed by improving jobs numbers and the fact prices for nondistressed homes will have stabilized without government support.

"In the absence of a government homebuyer incentives, prices for non-distressed home sales have stabilized for almost a year," Kim said. "This is the most important trend in the housing industry right now, and we are amazed at how little attention it has been getting from the media and the street. This stability on the part of nondistressed prices has occurred despite a very high share of distressed activity and continued declines in overall prices."

Barclays said recent economic data — including higher job creation in November, housing starts and improved homebuyer traffic — point to some improvement potential in the sector.

The Multiple Listing Service shows that when comparing 2011 to 2010 there were already signs of an upswing.

•   2010:  199 single family homes sold in Franklin with an average selling price of $403,025
•   2011:  209 single family homes sold in Franklin with an average selling price of $392,137

Sure this comparison does show a drop in sales price but it was only a $10,000 drop and overall there were 10 more homes sold this year.  This may not seem like much of an upswing but when compared to the trends of the last 5 years it is statistically significant.  We all knew stabilizing the market would take time but we can be more assured with these encouraging signs.

Give me a call at 508-369-5131 or email if you would like to know what your home would sell for in this changing real estate market.  I'll provide you the information to get you moving...

As a long time Franklin, MA Realtor, I often receive emails from families looking to relocate.  One of the most common questions centers on the public schools and available activities for school age children.  A mother of three from the midwest recently emailed the following:  "We will be moving to Franklin, MA this spring.  Could you tell me about any music, sports or other school age activities in the Franklin public school system?  We have three children, ages 6, 9 and 12."

Fortunately for this relocating family there are many activities available for each age group and only limited by their interests and schedules. Even at the elementary school level there are sports such as soccer, hockey, basketball, baseball, and football.  There is both a chorus and band at both the elementary and middle school level and all age groups can choose from a variety of clubs such as book club, robotics, community service, art club, and boy and girl scouts.  As the list of offerings is extensive, the town website for each school does a great job detailing each available club.  Another post from last year also describes the amazing range of choices.  Here is a look at the activities from the Franklin High School newsletter.

As parents, we want to give our children a variety of experiences but at the same time not overwhelm their schedules.  Many relocating families have found endless choices for their children when they settle in Franklin, Massachusetts.

If you need resources about the town or available Franklin, MA homes, give me a call at 508-369-5131 or email.  I'll get you the information you need to make the most educated & informed move...

Pending home sales rose strongly in October and remain above year-ago levels, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, surged 10.4 percent to 93.3 in October from 84.5 in September and is 9.2 percent above October 2010 when it stood at 85.5. The data reflects contracts but not closings.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said improved contract activity is a hopeful sign. “Home sales have been plodding along at a sub-par level while interest rates are hovering at record lows and there is a pent-up demand from buyers who normally would have entered the market in recent years. We hope this is indicates more buyers are taking advantage of the excellent affordability conditions,” he said.

“Many consumers are recognizing that home buyers in the past two years have had one of the lowest default rates in history. Moreover, continued inventory declines are another healthy sign for the housing market,” Yun added.

The PHSI in the Northeast surged 17.7 percent to 71.3 in October and is 3.4 percent above October 2010. In the Midwest the index jumped 24.1 percent to 88.7 in October and remains 13.2 percent above a year ago. Pending home sales in the South rose 8.6 percent in October to an index of 99.5 and are 9.7 percent higher than October 2010. In the West the index slipped 0.3 percent to 105.5 in October but is 8.1 percent above a year ago.

“Although contract signings are up, not all contracts lead to closings. Many potential home buyers inadvertently hurt their credit scores and chances of getting a mortgage through easily averted actions, such as cancelling an old credit line while taking on a new one,” Yun said. “Such actions could unwittingly prevent buyers from obtaining a mortgage if their credit score is close the margins of qualifying, or they might get a loan but with less favorable terms.”

The Multiple Listing Service shows that Franklin, Massachusetts currently has 26 single family homes in a pending status.  Some of these are expected to close before 2011 ends and others will close into early 2012.  Sellers can get some comfort from the knowledge the local Franklin real estate market has remained active even into the winter & holiday season.

Please give me a call at 508-369-5131 or email me if you would like to know the value of your home.  I'll provide you the data to show, within a $10,000 range, what your home will likely sell for...

Franklin, Massachusetts has always been big on holidays and this winter season is no exception.  Here are just a few of the local events that may be worth checking out:

This Thursday, December 1^st is the 3^rd Annual Holiday Stroll in downtown Franklin, Massachusetts. Beginning at 4pm, Dean College will light up the holiday tree. Then take the kids to visit and take photos with Santa Claus at Simon’s Furniture from 5-7pm.  Mrs. Claus will be at the Franklin Historical Museum, just across town from Santa. Boston’s holiday music station will be broadcasting live from the Berry Insurance parking lot.  

Some of the local businesses open during the Holiday Stroll include:

• -A Cute Above
• -Berry Insurance
• -Dean Bank
• -Digital Federal Credit Union
• -Franklin Art Center
• -Franklin Boston Sports Club
• -Franklin Fire Department
• -Franklin Food Pantry
• -Franklin Girl Scouts
• -Franklin Historical Museum
• -Franklin School for the Performing Arts
• -H&R Block

The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse, 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin, presents a Celtic Christmas Concert on Saturday, December 3rd at 8PM.  Clancy on vocals and bodhran, Robbie O'Connell on guitar and vocals and George Keith on fiddle and concertina create a delightful musical tapestry to celebrate the season. Beverages and gourmet desserts will be available. Admission is $20. Please call (508)528-2541 or visit http://www.circlefolk.org/ to purchase tickets or for more information.