FA LA LA LA LA....It's time for Christmas decorating!

"The most enduring traditions of the season are best enjoyed in the warm embrace of kith and kin. Thith tree is a thymbol of the the thspirit of the Griswold family Chrithmath," Clark W. Griswold says as he stands with his family, frozen, in front of the perfect Christmas tree."

- Scene from 1989 Classic "Christmas Vacation"

Don't you just love the smell of a fresh cut Christmas Tree in your home?  Well, if you're like us, you can't wait to get your Christmas Tree up, trimmed and the rest of your home decorated for this wonderful season. Searching for your perfect tree is a family tradition....along with eggnog and cookies.

Here in Wellesley MA, we are blessed to have so many Christmas Tree Farms and Stands from which to choose the perfect tree for your home.  Here are some Christmas Tree Farms in Wellesley that would proudly help you select the perfect one:

 St. John the Evangelist at 9 Glen Rd. in Wellesley Hills on Dec. 4 from 9am-5pm

Boy Scout Troop 185, which sells its trees at 888 Worcester St (Rte. 9 east) next to St. James the Great Church Friday Dec. 10 5-8pm, Saturday, Dec. 11 8am-8pm, Sunday, Dec 12, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

Hunnewell Farm on Rte. 16 west of Wellesley College

Belkin Family Lookout Farm -89 Pleasant St, Natick, MA

HAPPY DECORATING!

Don't you just love this time of year?  Yes it's crisp and cool, but it's also filled with excitement for the upcoming holidays and events. In Wellesley and the local area, we have many events that have become Holiday Traditions:

* Thanksgiving Day is a given...the Wellesley High School VS Needham High School football game! This is always a great event...so much pride in each of the schools and battling for the bragging rights in the Metrowest area.

* New this year..The 5K Turkey Trot, taking place Nov 22nd. and is a Run Against Cancer event. The Turkey 5 will start and end at Linden Square, heading through the Wellesley College campus and a mini-version of the famous Boston Marathon Scream Tunnel in between.

* The Wellesley Marketplace- a collection of 170 shopkeepers and artists that are showcased to more than 2,200 holiday shoppers each year. This wonderful collection features gifts for the home, boutique style children's apparel, toys, gourmet treats, artisan jewelry and other specialty merchandise. This event is  Nov 23rd at 9:00am at the Wellesley Middle School.

* Wellesley College presents..."Thankful For What We Got".  A program filled with Hot Swing, Rhythm & Blues, Salsa and Sambas, Funk, Rock and more, Nov 22nd, 7-8pm.

* The Festival of Trees- The Massachusetts Horticultural Society presents it's 5th Annual Festival of Trees display. Opening on Nov. 29th. The event also includes horse-drawn hayrides at 12:15..

 Have some fun and get out and enjoy all that Wellesley and the Metrowest Area has to offer!

1. Clean Your Furnace

 A clean furnace is an efficient and happy furnace. If you’re looking to save money on energy bills, you should start with having your furnace checked and cleaned. Clearing dust and other build up out of the furnace will help the furnace more effectively heat your home during the winter months.

2. Change Your Air Filter

Air filters need to be changed on your furnace regularly. Dirty filters block airflow and can result in system failures and pollutants in your home. So for about $20 keep your home furnace running efficiently and pollutants to a minimum.

3. Use Your Ceiling Fans

While this may sound counter-intuitive, using your ceiling fans during the winter helps push that warm air that lingers on your base floor to move  upwards into the living area's of your home. You'll ultimately save money by not having to hike up that temperature!

4. Use Washing Machines and Dishwashers Wisely

When doing your laundry, make sure that you are doing only "full" loads at any given time.  Laundering daily with partial loads ends up wasting energy. Same goes for having a full dishwasher and not a half-empty one.

5. Use Compact Fluorescent Lighting

Fluorescent lighting has improved greatly over the past few years and they use half of the energy of incandescent bulbs and last longer!

6. Keep Shades Up and Blinds Open

Open up those blinds and shades and harness the natural energy and light from the sun!  This also cuts down on heating costs and closing them at night keeps the temperatures in the house consistent and warm

7. Insulate Your Water Heater

Insulation is important in older water heaters because it helps retain heat and reduces energy bills.  Also, remember to change the mode of your unit if you will be gone from the home for more than a few days.

8. Install and Use a Programmable Thermostat

If you're goal is to truly save money this winter season, then switch out those old thermostats for the new programmable ones which allow you to program the temperatures by individual floors/levels.  They are easy to install and give you the flexibility to lower or raise the temperatures based on where you are in the home.  Great for sleeping at night too!

9. Light A Candle

Light a candle on a windy day and walk through your home looking for air leaks.  Once you've identified them, seal the areas so that you won't be losing your heat.

10. Ensure duct work is properly sealed

Hot and cold air alike can be lost in improperly sealed and insulated duct work.  Give us a call and we'll give you the name of a reputable HVAC individual in your area to evaluate your homes needs.

We are so proud to once again support Community Servings annual "Pie in the Sky" fundraiser. Team Lynch joins Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Cares in providing a $35,000 sponsorship for this year’s Pie in the Sky.

What's the secret ingredient? Our talented bakers! This year 150 of Greater Boston's best chefs will generously donate their time, talent and resources to bake 18,000 delicious Thanksgiving pies. For every pie they bake, a family of five will be able to sit down to a nutritious Thanksgiving dinner - a meal they may not otherwise have had. 

As a valued Team Lynch/Coldwell Banker client, we would like to give you a Thanksgiving pie on us!  It's our way of saying "Thank You" for trusting Team Lynch for all your Real Estate needs. Check your email for directions on ordering and picking up your pies....and remember, if you have a family member or friend that would like to order a pie, they can do so by purchasing their favorite pie for $25 which goes directly to the Community Servings Fundraiser.

To learn more about this great event, check out this video.

Home Warranties are a service contract to complete future repairs/ or replacement on household appliances and systems. The interest in Home Warranties seem to go in cycles, but bottom line- they do help both the seller and buyer. Once misconception about Home Warranties is that they are only available for "single family" homes. Untrue- they can also be purchased to protect appliances and systems in condo's, townhomes, vacation homes, multi-family homes and rental properties.

What do Home Warranties typically cover? Most policies cover the cost to repair/ or replace the following:

*Furnaces

* Air Conditioning Systems

* Plumbing & Electrical Systems

* Dishwashers

* Ovens

* Garbage Disposals

* Refrigerators

* Water Heaters

and so much more.

Because these items are not typically covered in a Homeowners Insurance Policy, the cost to repair/replace even one item, more than pays for the cost of the warranty itself.  And having one in place gives your buyer an added level of protection and comfort knowing that if something should go wrong with any of these....that it will be covered.  This is another enhancement to the Homeowners Insurance Policies.

If you're a seller, you should know that research from the National Home Warranty Association estimates that, on average, listings with home warranties sell 50% faster than homes without warranties. And Business Week Magazine indicated that homes with home warranties sell at a premium of 3% in higher price.

Even better...these claims are extremely easy to use! Here are the simple steps you would take to file a claim:

* When a covered appliance or system fails, the home owner calls the Home Warranty company.

* The Home Warranty company then confirms that the failure is on a covered system or appliance.

* If the system is eligible, the home warranty company selects a pre-screened service provider from its roster and asks them to make an appointment with the homeowner.

* When the service provider arrives at the home they will diagnose the problem and call the Warranty company who will then authorize the claim.

* The homeowner usually pays a service fee to the contractor, and the Home Warranty company pays for the balance of the repair.

​For more information on Home Warranties or any of your Real Estate questions or needs, give us a call and we'll be happy to assist you!
 

Any homebuyer or seller who peruses news outlets for information can become quickly confused by the news headlines regarding real estate.  There is no doubt that conflicting information about the industry is reported on a daily basis.

The reality is real estate is a very local business. What is happening in regards to sales, pricing, and inventory nationally or even state-wide, may not be happening in your local community.

Understanding how the information you read impacts you directly can also be difficult to navigate.  Do interest rates impact the buyers looking to purchase in your neighborhood? Do inventory levels impact housing prices in the community you want to move to? Can you qualify for a mortgage? What is the optimal price that your home will sell? 

Working with Team Lynch real estate professionals can provide you with the solid facts that are relevant to you in your local area, and can guide you through the glut of information. 

Team Lynch sales professionals not only have the professional experience and knowledge to assist, but they deal in their local marketplaces every day and have access to pertinent local data that can help you make sound home buying and selling decisions.

Your Team Lynch agent can help you analyze the market data and explain explicitly what it means to you. They can provide you with a competitive market analysis and give expert guidance on current market conditions that impact you and your neighborhood directly. 

Whether you are home seller who needs professional guidance to price a property appropriately, or a home buyer who needs a responsible representative who will lead you through the process, your Team Lynch Realtor expert can advise you, dissect those national headlines, and give you the right kind of information to help you make the decisions that are right for you.

Be prepared. While it might seem smart to lay your offer on the table right away, don't do so unless you are fully prepared, pre-approved for a loan, and have all your paperwork and finances in order. Otherwise the seller won't take you seriously and will pass your offer over for someone who has completed their homework.

Be quick. This may sound counterintuitive to being prepared, but it's important to act fast when you see a home you like, or it will go to another bidder.  This is why it's important to get your finances in order before you even begin searching. That way, you can put in an offer right away when you find a good fit.

Don't overbid.  Offering more than the home is listed for may seem like a way to get a leg up on the competition, but overbidding and exceeding the home's appraised value can decrease your chances of a loan-- and the seller (or their agent) knows that. If you overbid make sure, be sure you can afford the excess cost flat out.

Don't underbid.  In a bidding war, your offer needs to be just right.  Just like the seller won't take you seriously  if you overbid too much, they surely won't consider your lowball offer if they have offers from many other buyers. To find your "Goldilocks" price point, figure out the maximum you can afford, and then offer that.

Get under their emotional skin. Last year, everyone was back to writing "love letters" to the seller of a home they were crazy about. Now, you can one-up everyone and really stand out from other offers by making a video of you and your family talking about why you love this home, and why you can see yourself in it.  Does that third bedroom look perfect for your new baby?  Then get her on the camera!  Is that basement office perfect for running your business?  Talk about that.

As a team, we have a wealth of  real estate and homeownership  information that may be of help to you.  Feel free to contact us any time, to learn more about this important information, and be sure to forward this article on to any friends or family that may be interested as well.

Now that Fall has begun in Wellesley, and the selling season is off to a terrific start, it's important to be mindful of the first impression a potential buyer has of your home.  Many interested buyers will drive by a home and neighborhood to get a feel for what living there would be like.  So make sure you've put your best foot forward and that the front of your home and it's landscaping are up to par and says "Welcome to our Home".

Although this is usually the last place you look to "tidy up", prospective buyers can be very particular about the landscaping of the home, and may not even get  to the inside if they don't like what they see outside.  Therefore, it is important to make sure your landscape say's "this homeowner pay's attention to details and has kept up all the maintenance of the home".

First place to start...your lawn!  Buyers love to see pretty green grass, regardless of season, so make sure you have kept the grass cut to a low manicured level- usually 3 inches, and have used seasonal seeding in areas that are sparse. Watering may be necessary with seeding or to perk it up, so water a few times if needed. A few brown spots are bound to happen, and aren't the end of the world, you'll just make sure that the focal point is elsewhere.

Second, make sure you've edged your sidewalks and driveways, and taken care of any weeds that are lurking in and behind bushes and shrubs.  Using a Round Up type weed killer will save your knees, and make sure you've gotten even the most stubborn weeds out of the way. It is also the season for those lovely Fall leaves to cover the ground, so be sure to rake on a consistent basis and bag the leaves as you go.

Third, make sure your shrubs and bushes are nicely trimmed, and pruned, if necessary. Nothing is worse that driving up to a home with bushes and shrubs that are overgrown. If you have wood chips or stones around these areas, you may want to add a few bags just to freshen them up. A little effort goes a long way with landscaping basics, and you'll be surprised how beautiful it will look.

Lastly, add a "pop" of color!  Although we have beautiful colors in the trees, once leaves are on the ground they look pretty dingy, so look for some Fall flowers that will give you a nice spot of color and emphasize the entrance to the home. Chrysanthemums, Mums, Sunflowers , and Astors are all hearty Fall flowers and take minimum effort to keep them looking great.

We've all  experienced the challenges of the economy and housing market the past couple years, but 2013 has been different. Wellesley area resident's attitudes toward the housing market have improved, and we've seen a big increase in activity in the Wellesley housing market this year. We've also seen Wellesley housing prices increase this year, which has been great for sellers. I've seen many buyers entering the market, so they can buy homes now, for fear of the continuing rise in home values and interest rates.

Many Wellesley MA renters believe strongly, that home ownership is an important financial decision and most renters I speak with, tell me homeownership is one of their top goals. The National Association of Realtors®, of which I'm a member, published a survey called, "The Housing Pulse Survey"; that showed renters are considering buying a home, more now than in recent years.  At the same time, the number of people who prefer to rent has declined substantially.

This year more renters are thinking about purchasing a home, and many have told me that owning a home is one of their highest priorities. However, many 1st time home buyers either can't stop renting or can't buy the home they really want. Student loan debt, and little savings for a down payment or closing costs can make it hard for them to buy a home. Many 1st time home buyers I meet, consider student loan debt to be one of their biggest obstacles. Home buyers with student loan debt find it challenging to access mortgage credit or to save for a down payment. 

Owning a home in Wellesley MA matters to Wellesley residents, who understand the benefits home ownership provide for their families and community. Right now, affordable home prices, and historically low interest rates, have more renters thinking about owning a home than in recent years. In some areas, it  costs less to own a home than to rent one.

So it’s a no- brainer for renters to understand that buying a home in Wellesley MA, gives them awesome long-term benefits and is  the best major investment they can make. The bottom line is that buying a home in Wellesley and Metrowest is a great financial decision and NOW is a great time to buy a home.