New Listing in Leicester, MA with Extra Building Lot!!!

Check out this great new listing great for builder, car enthusiast, or investors!!

The antique farmhouse built in 1790 needs total rehab, but includes a huge 2-story garage with oversized doors and ceiling height, and loft, compressor, lift, exhaust fan, electricity, AND a Building Lot attached which is accessible and has 154' frontage on South Street, a dead-end street accessible from Route 9 to right on Bottomly, left on North Court, left on South St.

Property is Located on Route 9 in Leicester, MA, only one mile or so from the Worcester line, Cherry Valley.

Call Izzy today to schedule a viewing of this interesting property with tons of POTENTIAL!

Izzy's Cell: 978-855-1092

Looking for a Home Where the Pets can Roam?

Always Dreamed of Owning a Farm, or some Land? Now may be the Time!!!

Mark Twain said it best: “Buy land, they’re not making it any more.” We’ve all been hearing about the housing crisis, that prices have come down, and we’ve been hearing a lot about foreclosures of single family homes being a great deal. But here’s some great news for people with large pets who need an affordable home with some land for themselves and their furry friends.

As a Realtor, I search for homes regularly for my buyers, many of whom are looking for privacy, land, and a spacious home with a garage, etc. Until recently, this combination was reserved for those who could afford to “buy their privacy.” You may be surprised to hear that as of today, (Monday, September 15, 2008), in the state of Massachusetts, there are 133 homes with more than 10 acres of land, priced at under $400,000 currently for sale.

More surprising is that in Worcester County alone, which is admittedly a huge County, there are an astonishing 32 homes for sale with 10 or more acres of land, many of them with many more acres, under $400,000. Even more amazing is that 12 of them are priced at between $154,000 and $299,000.

Another search yielded 29 properties in Worcester County with over 5 acres including a home and a barn, again priced between $225,000 and $399,900. Some of these have streams or ponds on the land, as well as abutting conservation land, which is great for trail riding or walking the dogs. One property has a 2800 square foot home (3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths) with an in-ground pool, 6-stall barn, attached kennel, fenced riding ring, and almost 6 acres of land that has been reduced to $399,900 from nearly $500,000.

Many of these properties may not be commutable to the city of Boston, especially since the price of gas is higher, but if you work from home, or don’t mind a bit of a longer commute, and want to get a horse, or a couple more dogs, cats, quails, chickens, now is certainly the time to start looking for that dream home with land. Interest rates are at historic lows, under 5% and most sellers are “highly motivated.”

Fewer of these type of properties (those with land) are short sales, possibly because they have been owned for a while. Short sales are so prevalent at the moment because many people bought properties between two and five years ago, right before the prices began to go down, creating a “negative equity” situation.

Izzy Zarrillo is a Realtor with Remax, who has a Scottish Terrier named Tully and understands the special needs of animal lovers. She specializes in finding people with pets homes, whether they are looking for pet-friendly rentals, first-time home buyers on a budget with pets, hobby farms, alpaca farms, sprawling horse farms, or folks trying to start up a pet business or non-profit groups.

Her phone number is 978-855-1092 or 774-293-1378.
Email; izarrillo@yahoo.com
Web site: http://www.metrowestbostonrealestate.com/

The New School Year, and Hot Fall Real Estate Selling Season!

It is about now that us "mums" (that's English for mothers...) start thinking about getting our kids to bed a bit earlier each night, in preparation for the start of the new school year. My little one, not so little now, actually she's growing out of every pair of jeans in a couple of weeks... is going into 3rd Grade, a little hesitantly. Here in Grafton, MA, K-2nd graders are split between North Grafton Elementary and South Grafton Elementary Schools. At 3rd grade, they merge together and attend Grafton Elementary. My daughter had a great experience at North Grafton Elementary School with a super teacher, amazing principal, and wonderful parent involvement. We are hoping that the Grafton Elementary School is just as good, and have heard great things about it, so we're looking forward to the new school year.
Just as I am helping my daughter prepare for the fall, and all it will bring, with new note pads, pens and clothing, I am also preparing myself for the Fall Realtor Season, which is one of the busiest seasons. We have been in somewhat of a slower period here in Metrowest, but there has been a lot of talk about a 20% increase in sales over last year. This is good news for people trying to sell, but also for buyers who are trying to jump into this market. It will take a couple of months for the media to "catch up" with what is REALLY happenning in real estate. As a Realtor, I can view exactly how many sales are Pending (offer accepted with contingencies), Under Agreement and finally Sold.
If you are interested in knowing about the statistics for your town before you list your home, call me first for a COMPLIMENTARY market overview and Competitive Market Analysis of your home. I can also give you suggestions for preparing your home, both inside and out, so that it is ready to show, and I will also go over all the ways I will market your home so that it receives maximum internet exposure.

Call Izzy today!
978-855-1092

Discover GRAFTON, Massachusetts

Home Search Spotlight - Grafton, MA

Grafton is a large town (over 15,000) occupying 22.83 square miles southeast of Worcester. It is accessible to many major routes including Massachusetts Turnpike, Route 9, Route 20, Route 30 and Route 140. Neighboring towns include Westborough, Shrewsbury, Upton, Millbury, Northbridge and Sutton. It was incorporated on April 18, 1735 and takes its name from Charles Fitzroy the Duke of Grafton who was the grandson of King Charles II of England.

Originally, Grafton was textile-producing town, until later when Ethan Allan began to manufacture small fire arms in 1832. There were six villages which were set up around six mills in town. Today it is a mostly residential community with some light commercial enterprises, technology and businesses.

There is also a wonderful town common with a gazebo which is a great place to listen to a concert, or enjoy one of the antique shows, or art shows that take place during the spring, summer and fall months. The gazebo was built as part of a movie set but was never dismantled. Also on the common are a few specialty shops, wonderful tea shop and a fabulous Inn with gourmet cuisine at lunch and dinner and overnight accommodations.

Grafton is also home to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. This is a world-renowned veterinary college set in gorgeous rolling hills and wide open spaces that are open for public recreation either hiking, walking the dogs, cross-country ski-ing and the occasional English Fake Fox Hunt which is fantastic to see the riders following the hounds across land that could easily be mistaken for the English countryside.

Call Izzy if you would like to get started finding a fabulous home in Grafton!

Izzy's Cell: 978-855-1092

Izzy's Home Office: 774-293-1378

email Izzy: izzyzarrillo@remax.net

Discover Westborough, MA

HOME SEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Westborough, Massachusetts

Incorporated in 1717

Westborough was voted one of the 100 top places to live in 2007 by Money Magazine! It's easy to see why. Firstly, Westborough is a commuter's dream, with its own commuter rail station with plenty of parking you can be in Boston in roughly one hour. It is also conveniently located near several major routes including the Mass Pike, Route 9, 495, 30, 135 and Route 20, only 30 miles to Boston! Surrounding towns include Southborough, Hopkinton, Grafton, Upton and Northborough.

Nearby attractions include Tufts Veterinary School with its gorgeous open fields and miles of hiking trails, Mill Pond for bird watching and fishing (non-motorized boats), great restaurants including some national chains such as Ted's, Panera, Starbucks, Not Your Average Joe's and more, plus some great local hangouts, such as Arturo's (Italian), Ziti's (Italian) and Chef Sun (Oriental).

Shopping is plentiful in Westborough, both in charming Westborough Centre with its specialty shops, and also the new Bay State Commons which is home to many national chain stores and gourmet restaurants. There are numerous other shopping options along Route 9 in Westborough including Target, Walmart, Staples, and many more.

Westborough Demographic Information:

The Town of Westborough, with its population of 19,500 has a median age of 37, median household income of $80,982 per year, and a median home price of $371,640. The average gain in home values is 13.68% over the past two to five years.
Source: HomeInsight www.homeinsight.com

Westborough, MA School Information:

2007 Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) statistics for Westborough, MA:
Number of Test Takers : 248 - 322 Schools in Massachusetts

Reading (Westborough): 557
State average for Reading: 488.1

Writing (Westborough): 562
State average for Writing: 483.3

Math (Westborough): 581.0
State average for Math: 496.6

Read on for some information on the great neightborhoods in Westborough, including average home prices, and even some great homes currently for sale in these areas:

Woodland Preserve
Location: Off Route 30 toward Grafton.
Street names: Whispering Pine Drive and Olde Hickory Path
A development of newer luxury homes - there are only 2 more available building lots in this sub-division! Please call me for more information.
Prices: from $800,000 to over $2,000,000
Currently there is only one available re-sale (built in 2000) in this sub-division, priced at $1,799,000 it offers over 5,000 square feet of luxurious living space, 5 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, and 1.5 acres with an in-ground pool and hot tub.

Orchard Estates
Location: Route 30 to West Main Street to Adams Street which is in southern Westborough toward Upton (in the southwest corner of Westborough)
Street Names: Appleseed Drive, Eden Circle, Cider Circle, Quick Farm
Prices from $800,000 to over $1,000,000
Currently there are two lots available to be built: $1,200,000 offers 4 bedrooms, 3 full and 2 half baths, 1.16 acres, and 5,000 square feet. The second is $850,000 for a 4 bedrooms, 2 full and a half bath, 1.95 acres, 4,000 square feet.

Fay Acres
Location: Off Route 30 West toward Grafton Town Line to Jasper Street
Street Names: Benjamin Drive, Jasper Street, Kendall Drive, Frances Drive, Carroll Drive, W. Main
Prices: Three phases of construction were completed here, Phase 1 (Brewer, Catie and Elizabeth built from 1989 to 1995) ranges from $600,000 to $1,000,000, Phase 2 (Jasper and Benjamin built 1994-1996) $600,000 to 700,000 and Phase 3 (Kendall, Carroll and Frances year built 1995-1997) $700,000 to over $1,000,000.
Currently, there are no active listings in Fay Acres.

Uhlman Farms
Location: Route 9 to Route 30 East, to Thomas Newton Drive
Note: this location is great for commuters, being so close to Route 9!
Street Names: Brady Road Ext., Jacob Amsden, Thomas Newton, Samuel Harrington, Warburton, John Pratt
Prices: $600,000 to over $1,000,000 (year built 1991-1995)
Currently there is a gorgeous home priced at $999,999 in Uhlman Farms built in 1996, which features 3650 square feet, 5.25 acres, 5 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2-car attached garage and 3 detached garage spaces, with views and parklike grounds.

Westview Farms
Location: Route 30 to Thomas Newton to left on Brickyard Lane
(Great commuter location next to Uhlman Farms!)
Built 1991-1997
Currently there is a lovely home in Westview Farms available for $849,900 with 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and 3988 square feet, Brazilian Cherry Floors, and great VIEWS!!

Piccadilly Mill
Location: Route 30 in center of Westborough to 135 East to Upton Street, left on Morse St. Right on Piccadilly Way - Note: Super-fast commuting distance to HOPKINTON
Street names: Piccadilly Way, Sawmill Drive, Grindstone Court, Belknap
Built 1993-2000
Prices when available: usually between $600,000 to $900,000
This sub-division was built on the site of an old Mill.
Currently there are no homes available at Piccadilly Mill.

McTaggart Estates
Location: Off Route 30 heading west out of Westborough Centre to Captain Samuel Forbush
Street Names: McTaggart, Captain Samuel Forbush, W. Main, Heywood
Built 1985-1992
There are no homes currently available at McTaggart Estates, but prices when available range from $600,000 to over $1,000,000

Wayside Estates
Location: South of Westborough Centre, (near Westborough Reservoir) Route 30 to Chestnut Street, Right on Ruggles Street, right on Wayside
Street Names: Wayside, Woodcrest, Ruggles, Longfellow, Stone Hill
Built: 1985 - 1991
Note: This sub-division has a Pool Club, to which membership can only be granted if you live in Wayside Estates and select other properties in the immediate neighborhood.
Prices: $500,000 to $800,000
Curerntly available here at Wayside Estates: Colonial built in 1987: $619,900 with 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 3881 square feet, finished lower level, .73 acres and a 2-car garage, pool membership available for those hot hot days yet to come this summer!
Also available: Saltbox Colonial $639,900 3783 square feet, built 1986, 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. Pool membership available!

Westborough Chase
Location: South of Westborough Centre, (near Westborough Reservoir) Route 30 to Chestnut Street, Right on Ruggles Street (left on Cook)
Street names: Cook, Long Drive, Ruggles, Roy, Reed, Garfield
We currently have a teriffic home in Westborough Chase that has an accepted offer subject to Buyer's Financing at 18 Cook, which is $749,900 with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, built in 1995 - great views!

Pheasant Hill Estates
Location: Route 30 West out of Westborough Centre, Left on W. Main, Left on Adams. Abuts conservation land!!!
Street Names: Ruggles, Primrose, Adams
19 homes built between 1998 and 2001.
There are 2 homes currently available on Primrose, which is a quiet cul de sac location: $719,900 built in 2001 with 3196 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2 full and 2 half baths, gorgeous cherry kitchen with granite and stainless appliances!
There is another listing for $745,000 - built in 2001, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, tons of gorgeous hardwood floors! Immaculate and gleaming birch kitchen with Granite counter tops!

Call Izzy to see any of these available listings, or if you would like to be alerted of any homes that become available in these neighborhoods.

Contact Izzy by mobile phone: 978-855-1092

Home Office: 774-293-1378

email: izzyzarrillo@remax.net

Copyright 2008 by Izzy Zarrillo, Remax First Choice Real Estate
This information may NOT be copied or distributed without permission except demographic and school information, and specific property details and pricing.

Staging the Closets

I have a confession... I am very good at giving advice to other people about organizing, but I am not as organized as I would like to be at my own house. Let's just say it is a "work in progress." I just organized my closet, and I can tell you it is no easy task, but it only took me two hours of solid work, and the rewards are immense! My closet was so badly organized that I could barely find what I was looking for. My biggest problem was that I had more than one item on each hanger, so that I couldn't find what I was looking for. It was taking me an extra few minutes to find what I needed. So, I am going to pass along my personal experience of shedding the extra items and organizing a very messy walk-in closet.

Step One: Take everything out of the closet. Yes, everything. That means all the stuff that has accumulated in the bottom of the closet, the stuff on the back of the door, the stuff on the shelves, and yes, everything that is hanging. I thought this was unnecessary, but it actually helps to see exactly how much stuff you have! You may want to put aside a garbage bag for donations. I had 2 such bags full by the end of my closet re-organization effort.

First, lay it all on the bed preferably in similar groups. For instance, if you have another area to hang and store off-season items, put those in a separate area. If you have a lot of off-season items that you have stacked on top of the shelves, put those in a large plastic container or pack carefully in labelled boxes for your move. Separate clothing into piles of pants, skirts, suits, jackets, coats, dresses, etc.

Each item should have its own, appropriate hanger. This is important because an incorrect hanger can mean that your clothes get wrinkled before you wear them, or fall onto the floor.

Many skirts do not come with ribbon or tape hangers on them, so you need the gripping or clipping hangers for these items. Another alternative is to sew thin tapes to each side of these skirts on the inside seams.

Shoe racks. I think I must be related to Emelda Marcos with all the shoes I possess, and there were not enough racks for each pair. I have a hanging rack, but prefer the type that sit on the floor and can be stacked. I am instituting a new rule, that if I buy a new pair of shoes, I will get rid of an old pair. It's also a good idea to store in the basement any off-season footwear.

Hats can be stacked on the shelf or there are special hooks available from California Closets, Hold Everything and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

You are looking for a "minimalistic" un-cluttered look to your closet, as it will make it appear large enough for a prospective buyer.

Linen Closets:
Linens must be folded and stacked neatly. Separate each item such as towels, sheets, pillow cases, and blankets and then fold and replace in the closet with largest at the bottom, lightest at the top. Don't forget to pack away any linens or blankets you don't need right away in labelled boxes for your move.

Have fun organizing your closets!

Call Izzy today
978-855-1092

COMPLIMENTARY MARKET ANALYSIS
AND STAGING ANALYSIS!


Showing Sellers how to Stage!

©2008 Izzy Zarrillo®

Making a First Impression - Staging the Front Entrance

First Impressions are So Important!

Don't overlook the front entrance of your home, in fact you may want to address anything that could be considered a flaw immediately.

Your home will be marketed on the web, postcards produced and flyers created, so many buyers will make their minds up about whether or not to see your house based on multiple photos of the inside, the description of each room that is artfully presented, and the size of the rooms, etc.

However, a vast proportion of buyers will simply DRIVE BY your home, possibly never even seeing your home's web site, its listing on Realtor.com, or Homes.com, or elsewhere. If the front is not IMMACULATE, they may never call your Realtor to schedule a showing.

The Front Door:

• Make sure the front door is freshly painted, if it hasn't been painted in a while, apply a fresh coat of exterior paint. Red is a great "feng shui" color for abundance and goes with many neutral siding and trim colors.


• Polish the door knocker and handle with brass or silver polish so it sparkles!


• Remove leaves, debris, dirt from the entrance way - and Keep it Clear!!!


• Have minimal items strategically placed on the deck if applicable - such as a couple of urns with topiaries, a hanging basket, and bench. It should not look too cluttered or busy.


• Make sure grass is cut regularly and edges trimmed. Remove clippings immediately, and do not allow foliage to get close to the foundation of the house. Avoid climbing plants, as home inspectors see those as "pest attracters."


• Overall the impression should be neat, clean, attractive and clutter free.

The Windows:

• Have your windows cleaned, and keep them clean.
• Remove screens if you are listing your home in the winter time to maximize light in your home.
• Clean screens in the spring by removing and spritzing with a garden hose and then drying flat.
• Make sure curtains are attractive, and look attractive from the front of the house.
• Keep lights on at night in the lower level of the house in the front for a warm friendly appealing glow.
• Make sure window trim is painted if peeling and cracking.

Siding:

• Make sure any cracked siding is replaced;
• If you have wood shingles or siding, repaint if necessary.

Roof:

• If your roof is older and any damage to roof shingles, at the very least get a written estimate from three reputable roofers to replace roofing with Architectural Shingles. Nothing flashes a red flag to prospective buyers than a roof that doesn't look so good.

Gutters:

• Some folks believe gutters are imperative, others prefer not to have them. The golden rule is, if you have them, keep them free of leaves and other debris, otherwise it can cause the gutters to break away from the side of the house and cause leaking.

Call Izzy today - Mobile: 978-855-1092
COMPLIMENTARY MARKET ANALYSIS
AND STAGING ANALYSIS! Showing Sellers how to Stage!

Mobile: 978-855-1092
email: izzyzarrillo@remax.net
web: http://metrowestbostonrealestate.com/
Also click here for great reading about this being the TIME TO BUY REAL ESTATE!!
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1713483,00.html