Explore Nature This Weekend in Canton MA We have had such unusually warm March weather this week in Canton MA!  What better way to enjoy spring than to take in some Nature Exploration.  The Blue Hills Trailside Museum is offering Nature Exploration this Sunday, March 25th, at 1:00 pm.  The topic for this week is Snakes!  Learn what kinds of snakes live in the Blue Hills, meet some of the resident snakes of the Trailside Museum and participate in a snake-craft!  The fee for participation is $2.00 for Mass. Audubon members and $4.00 for non-members.   The Trailside Museum is a Mass Audubon property and is located at the foot of the Blue Hills on the border of Milton MA and Canton MA.  The Blue Hills are part of the Blue Hills Reservation which is managed by the Department of Conservation ... 03/22/2012

Price Reduced:  709 Pleasant Street Canton MA I had previously featured this home for sale in Canton MA.  It recently had a price reduction to $355,000.00, so I felt it was worth a second feature!   It presents a good opportunity to buy a home in Canton MA. As an Exclusive Buyer Broker in Canton MA I like to feature certain homes for sale in Canton MA that have a certain appeal for one reason or another.  To be clear, this is not my listing.   Since I am an Exclusive Buyer Agent and do not list homes, it is fun to pick out different homes that I have seen to feature. I have no interest in featuring one home over another. Today's featured home is the house for sale at 709 Pleasant Street Canton MA.  A 1400 square foot Cape-style home, this home is ideal for commuters, busy couples and fa... 03/21/2012

Canton Community Theatre Announces Audtions The Canton Community Theatre has announced open auditions for its next production, "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)".  Auditions will be held Monday March 26 and Tuesday March 27 at 7:00 pm.  They are looking for men, women & teenages from high school age and up. From what I hear, this is going to be a summer production, to be performed outside.  Sounds like the perfect location for a Shakespeare production. The Canton Community Theatre ("CCT") is one of the hidden treasures in Canton MA.  Established in 2001, it was established by its founding members to bring education, entertainment and cultural exposure.  Ever since its first summer production of The Music Man in 2001, CCT has entertained the town with an annual summer... 03/19/2012

For the month of February, 2012, there were 6 single family homes sold. The lowest priced home sold for $305,000.00 and the highest priced one sold for $770,000.00.  The average price was $554,833.00*.   Compared to February 2011, the market seems to be holding steady. February 2011 had 7 sold single family homes, with a low of $379,000.00 and a high of $850,000.00, with an average of  $540,429.00.  In fact, the chart below shows that the average sales price is up over the past five years for the month of February. Activity has been up recently with the spring weather and buyers who are now ready to buy. There are 23 single family homes currently listed as under agreement and 11 more with accepted offers waiting for the contingencies to be satisfied. The end of March will show us how th... 03/18/2012

Welcome Spring Tea at the Canton MA Visual Arts Center   What better way to welcome spring than to relax in the beautiful estate house located on the grounds of the Visual Arts Center and enjoy some delicious tea, along with mouth-watering pastries and goodies, set amid a backdrop of flowers and fine linen.  Young guests will also receive a craft activity to keep them busy!   The Visual Arts Center is a Massachusetts Audubon property set on 138-acres right in the heart of Canton MA.  Located on the grounds is a professional art museum, miles of beautiful outdoor walking and hiking trails, bird viewing house, and of course the estate house, which is home not only to this weekend's tea, but also to countless adult, child and family program offerings throughout the year.   We have been hav... 03/14/2012

Canton Drama Presents The King Stag Canton High Drama presents a variety of plays every year - there is the musical in the fall, play in the early spring, with a children's show and 24-hour plays later in the spring.   This weekend they are proud to present The King Stag.  It is a fairy tale full of love, betrayal, magic spells and merriment.  Written in the 18th Century by Carlo Gozzi, it is the story of King Deramo and his long search for a queen.  When he finds Angela, his love, the story becomes complicated when Tartaglia, the evil minister, also falls in love with Angela.  Spells are cast to send the King's soul into the corpse of a stag and to cast Tartaglia's soul into the King's body.  Confusion and fairy tale shenanigans ensue.    Reviews of other productions of this show indic... 03/13/2012

Canton MA - The Place to Be for Saint Patrick's Day Canton MA has the distinguished honor of being home to the Irish Cultural Centre of New England (ICC). Given that Saint Patrick's Day is around the corner, it is the perfect place to celebrate the biggest Irish holiday of all. The ICC will be holding its Saint Patrick's Day celebration from 8 am to 11:30 pm.  That's right, you can celebrate St. Patrick's Day all day long! Here is the schedule of events: 8 am - Noon:  Irish Breakfast served 10 am: Viewing of All Ireland Final Highlights from 1947 - 1959 Noon:  Boiled dinner served. 2 pm: Irish music starts in the Pub 7 pm:  Modern Irish music In addition, Irish step dancers will be performing throughout the day. Cost of admission is $10.00 starting at noon.  Cost of food is separate & i... 03/09/2012

Canton MA's Galvin Middle School Performs at State House I took a break from my busy day (busy week, busy month!) today to go in to the Massachusetts State House to watch the Eight Grade Chorus from the Galvin Middle School perform at the State House.   My daughter is in the 8th grade chorus and when I heard they were going to be performing there I thought it was a great opportunity for them.  I wanted to see them yet as the day approached all I could think about was how busy I was.  Luckily, I decided to go anyway! They performed on the Grand Staircase on the second floor at the Massachusetts State House this morning.  State Rep. William Galvin (who, yes IS related to the Galvin for whom the middle school is named) had arranged for their performance and was on hand to watch as well.   ... 03/06/2012

Celebrate Music at Canton MA's Own Music Festival Cantonstock ~ Canton MA's own music festival ~ will be taking place on Sunday, March 11th from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at Canton High School.  Cantonstock will feature performances from ALL of the performing groups from the Canton Public Schools, as well as arcade games, food, raffle items and more!  All in all it is shaping up to be a fun and entertaining day for Canton residents of all ages.   Cantonstock is this year's major fundraiser for MusicCounts!, Canton's music booster organization.  Thanks to the generosity of the MusicCounts! supporters, not to mention the tireless work of its volunteers, all after-school music programs have been fully funded since 2009.   More than just a fundraiser, Cantonstock is a celebration of music in the ... 03/04/2012

Anyone Who Says This is a Buyers Market is Not a Buyer! This was the comment from one of my clients this morning when we were talking about upcoming showings.  For one home we are looking at tomorrow, I have had three clients ask to see this same property, the day it came on the market.  For another one, I have two people asking to see it.  The client I was dealing with is interested in both properties and I did disclose to her the level of interest.  And if I, just one buyer broker in Canton MA have three clients interested in seeing a property, imagine how many others are considering it?  The last three offers I have submitted for clients have been multiple offer situations.  One went in above asking price, one at asking price and one a decent offer but below asking price.   The issue... 03/03/2012

Guys and Dolls Now Showing in Canton MA  Canton MA has a rich performing arts program in its public schools.  This weekend, it is the Galvin Middle School's turn to take the stage with their performance of the classic musical, Guys and Dolls.   Set in New York City, this story gives a glimpse into the life of the hustling and bustling city, and all the characters that go along with it from chorus girls to mission workers to gamblers and more.  And of course, there are a couple of love stories to go around as well.  All in all it is a fun show for all to watch.   The middle school students at Canton's Galvin Middle School have certainly grown since some of us saw them in their elementary school plays.  And, they give us a glimpse into the performers they will become when they enter Canto... 03/01/2012

Celebration to Support Public Education in Canton MA   It is that time of year again.....time for the annual gala by the Canton Alliance for Public Education, a/k/a CAPE.     CAPE is a non-profit organization, run entirely by volunteers, whose mission is to provide funding for those projects and programs in the Canton Public Schools that are not able to be funded through the regular school department budget.  We all know that these are trying times for municipalities everywhere so the need for additional funding is more important than ever.   Since 2004, CAPE has awarded over $165,000.00 in grants.  The types of programs funded are as varied  as the students who attend our schools and as innovative as the teachers and administrators who educate our students.  Every school in the distric... 02/25/2012

Save Some Love for the Canton Food Pantry. Yes, I am a little late for Valentine's Day.  But it is still February so remember to show your love to the Canton Food Pantry this month! The Canton MA Food Pantry provides an invaluable service to many members of our community who are struggling. They rely on the donations and support from the Canton community. Luckily, the citizens of Canton MA always come through for them - as they do anytime they are asked for help. The Canton Food Pantry sends out a monthly email to its subscribers, letting them know what items they are most in need of for the current month. Each month they stress that all donations of any kind are always welcome. If you would like to get on the list you can email the food pantry and ask to be put on the list. I find it u... 02/21/2012

Princess Sleepover at the Canton Public Library The Friends of the Canton Public Library have announced that it is time for their Fifth Annual Princess Sleepover at the Canton Public Library. All Princesses in Grades K-3, together with their Ladies In Waiting, are invited to spend the night at the Canton MA Public Library for a night of movies, crafts, tea parties, stories, games and adventures!   Princesses are welome to wear their princess dresses and royal tiaras but are reminded to bring their PJs, sleeping bags and pillows for sleeping. The adventure begins at 6:30 pm on Saturday February 25th and ends at 8:00 am on Sunday February 26th.  Princesses need to be accompanied by their Ladies In Waiting, but there may be up to three Princesses per Lady In Waiting.  Cost to attend is $25... 02/18/2012

What is the real estate market going to be like in 2012?  That is what people are asking!  Remember, all real estate is local.  So, let's take a look at the real estate market in Canton MA for January 2012.   In January 2012, there were 7 single family homes sold in Canton MA*, with a low price of $282,000 and a high of $855,000.  The average sales price was $480,857.     January is not traditionally a busy month for real estate in Canton MA.  The chart below shows home sales in Canton MA in the month of January for the past 5 years are pretty much the same year to year.   Even more interesting are the average sales prices for January for the past 5 years.  The chart shows that prices are fairly steady, with some fluctuation, and heading up at least 2012 compared to 2011.  Prices seem t... 02/09/2012

Canton Little League Announces Girls Softball Program Canton MA's long established little league organization has announced that sign-ups are ongoing for their new Girls Softball Program. While Canton has had a softball program run through its recreation department, this new league is designed to be a developmental program that is designed to help girls improve their skills, learn the rules of the game and of course, to have fun. Sign-ups are earlier than is seen in the recreation department program in order to facilitate scheduling, team selection, practices and arrange for officiating and uniforms.  The Canton Little League Girls Softball program is broken up into a Rookie League (Grades 1 and 2), Junior Leage (Grades 3-5) and a Senior League (Grades 6-8).  While each level will build... 02/06/2012

Another Satisfied Homebuyer: Congrats to the New Owners of 188 Marble Street   Congratulations to my buyers who closed yesterday on the purchase of their first home. They bought an adorable ranch house with "good bones" that will really shine from their updates.    Their home search took many twists and turns.  They started out looking for a multi-family home hoping to use the additional rental income to help with the mortgage payments.  We had some difficulty finding the right home in their price range when they stumbled upon a FSBO and decided this was the right home for them.     The home ended up being in Somerset, a bit out of my area but they were a referral from a prior client and I always take care of my clients and referrals.  They were able to move in early and have already s... 02/03/2012

Featured Home in Canton MA:  121 Spring Lane As an Exclusive Buyer Broker in Canton MA I like to feature certain homes for sale in Canton MA that have a certain appeal for one reason or another.  To be clear, this is not my listing.   Since I am an Exclusive Buyer Agent and do not list homes, it is fun to pick out different homes that I have seen to feature. I have no interest in featuring one home over another. Today's featured home is the house for sale at 121 Spring Lane Canton MA.  It is offered for sale at $529,900.00. Located in Canton's popular Spring Valley neighborhood, this multi-level style home feels bigger than the 1738 square feet listed in the public record.  This home features a kitchen, dining room, living room family room and three-season porch on the main level, all ... 02/01/2012

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow in Canton MA   No, I am not talking about the weather!   Last week I wrote about Canton's JFK Elementary School's production of the Wizard of Oz.  This week, it is time for the Dean S. Luce Elementary School's production of Annie Jr.     While each of the schools does a great job with their plays, the Luce School Play will always hold a special place in my heart because for six years I ran the play as the parent coordinator (a/k/a the producer), working alongside a very talented and dedicated director.  It was definitely a labor of love.  Last year was the first year I was not involved and it was a strange feeling!  Now I can simply relax in the audience and enjoy the show.    The Luce School Play is a little different from the other two elementary school... 01/30/2012

Canton MA Visual Arts Center:  New Exhibit Opens January 29   Canton's own art gallery, the Mass Audubon's Visual Arts Center, has a new exhibit opening on Sunday January 29 ~ Unfamiliar Faces: Photographs of Vanishing Wildlife by Kevin Schafer.  The exhibition will include a selection of photographs of wildlife from across the world.  Admission is free to Mass Audubon members.  For non-members, the cost of admission to the gallery is $4.00 for adults and $3.00 for children and senior citizens.  The exhibit will be open through May 13th.   As a special treat, photographer Kevin Schafer will give a talk about his career photographing wildlife from across the seven continents on February 25th from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm.  The cost to attend this talk is $10.00 for members and $12.00 for non-me... 01/27/2012