Pumpkin Picking Near Canton MA If you live in Canton MA, the best and closest place to get your pumpkins is at Ward's Berry Farm right next door in Sharon MA. Ward's is a family farm, run by brothers Jim and Bob Ward. The farm sells fresh fruits and vegetables, along with delicious baked goods, jams and more. In the summer there is an abudance of annuals, perennials and vegetables you can buy for your own home garden. In the winter you can get freshly cut Christmas Trees. Year-round there is always something good at Ward's. My favorite time of the year, however, is Autumn when can pick pumpkins directly from the giant Pumpkin Patch. If there is a Great Pumpkin, I'm pretty sure that's where he would hang out! You can either walk out to the pumpkin patch or, during the eekends, take a hay... 10/14/2011

Blogging Got Me Recognized! Okay....well I will admit it was not by a potential buyer and it was not from my Active Rain blog but still I was recognized just the other day from my blogging. In addition to my Active Rain Blog about Canton MA Events and Real Estate, I also write a blog on Canton Patch and just recently added Stoughton Patch into the mix.  In full disclosure, most of those posts are content that I have written before on my blog here that I think will be of interest to my local audiences in Canton MA and Stoughton MA. The other night I had arrived at the dance studio for my Tap class (yes, that's right....tap class!) and one of the high school students who was waiting for her class looked at me & said "Hey!  Don't you write for Patch?"  I thought that was pretty cool.  (I g... 10/13/2011

Canton, Mass. Real Estate - Week ending October 8, 2011 Here is a brief snapshot of the real estate market for single family homes in Canton, Mass. (Source MLSPIN) Number of Homes on The Market 111 Average List Price $606,186 Average Market Time 149 Days Thinking of selling your home in Canton, Mass. or other Norfolk County towns. Call or email me...I would welcome the opportunity to show you how my online marketing can get your home SOLD! 10/12/2011

Canton MA Market Report for the Third Quarter of 2011 With September drawing to a close, we came to the end of the third quarter of 2011. The end of a quarter is a good time to look back and see how the real estate market performed both over the quarter and year to date. All data below was obtained from the MLS Property Information Network, Inc. For the period of July 1, 2011 through September 30, 2011, there were 47 homes sold in Canton MA. Year to date through September 30, 2011, there have been 107 homes sold in Canton MA. The average number of days on the market for the entire three quarters was 115. How does that compare to last year? For July 1, 2010 through September 30, 2010, there were 35 homes sold in Canton, MA. For the first three quarters of 2010, there were a total of 114 ... 10/10/2011

Shred Day at Bank of Canton The Bank of Canton is offering its first ever "Shred Day" on Saturday October 15th.  Bring all those documents with confidential information that you need to get rid of but did not want to put out in the trash.  It's great for those without their own shredder or for those with a large quantity of items to shred.  Shredding services are being provided by Shred King Corp. The event is FREE to Bank of Canton customers only.  Not a Bank of Canton customer?  Well, with some of the larger banks starting to charge fees for something as basic as using your debit card, it might be time to think about moving your accounts back to a local community bank who knows how to treat its customers right.   In order to take advantage of this service, customers can obtain a "shre... 10/07/2011

Massachusetts Oil Heat Regulations Take Effect On September 30, 2011, the Homeowner Oil Heating System Upgrade and Insurance Law went into effect.  It requires that homes that are heated by oil heat either have an oil safety valve or a protective sleeve on the oil supply line installed.  The law also provided that homeowner insurance companies offer coverage for leaks from oil-based heating systems. Homeowners of 1-4 family homes that heat by oil should have had either the saftey valve or protective sleeve installed on their systems prior to September 30, 2011.  If it is not installed, you need to have it done ASAP.  Note that all installations are required to be done by a licensed oil burner technician.  This is NOT a DIY project! The purpose of these regulations was to prevent oil lea... 10/06/2011

Featured Home in Canton MA: 18 Village Gate Road, Canton MA As an Exclusive Buyer Agent 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 for sale in Canton MA is located at 18 Village Gate Road in Canton MA.  The owners of this home have retired and moved on and are ready to sell this home right away.  Among some of the recent upgrades and incentives they are offering are the following: All windows recently replaced (approx. July 2011) Wallpaper removed and interior freshly pai... 10/05/2011

In September of 2011 there were 16 homes that closed within the month for Canton, MA. this was a increase of 3 units as there were 13 homes that closed in SEPTEMBER of 2010. The Average list price for the homes that closed in Canton for September 2011 was $517,744 The Average list price for the homes that closed in Canton for September of 2010 was $559,338 The Average sale price for the homes that closed in Canton for September of 2011 was $494,375 The Average sale price for the homes that closed in Canton for September of 2010 was $538,677 The Average Market time for the homes that closed in Canton in September of 2011 was 135 days. The Average Market time for the homes that closed in Canton in September of 2010 was 149 days.   5 homes went under agreement in Canton, Massachusetts for ... 10/02/2011

October Requests from the Canton Food Pantry     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 useful. The week that I receive the email, I put a few of the items on my shopping list for the week so that I remember. Then, aft... 10/01/2011

What People Are Saying About Their Canton MA Buyer Agent I want to start off by saying I really have the best clients.  I enjoy working with them, learning more about them, finding out what they like, meeting their kids and parents....the whole thing.  It is bittersweet to me when the closing occurs.  Of course, I am thrilled that they have found their perfect home but I admit, I will miss talking with them on a regular basis.  Of course, I try to stay in touch with them afterwards but it is not the regular contact as when they are looking for a home to buy. After each closing, I follow up with my clients to find out what they liked and what they did not like, to see where improvements can be made.  There is a spot on the survey for them to add in comments for a testimonial.  While the ... 09/30/2011

New Art Exhibit Opening in Canton MA Canton MA is home to its very own art museum, housed on the grounds of the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Visual Arts Center.  A very unique property, the Visual Arts Center is not only home to a 138 acre wildlife sanctuary, complete with hiking trails and home to varied nature programs for children and adults alike, it is also home to a museum gallery dedicated to exhibiting works that feature birds and natural habitats. The exhibit in the gallery changes periodically.  This coming weekend is the opening of the newest exhibit:  "True to Life:  The Art of Robert Verity Clem."  The exhibition opening will be this Sunday, october 2nd, from 1:00 to 5:00 pm.  The museum curator will be presenting her comments at 2:00 pm.  Admission to the exhibit is fre... 09/29/2011

So, Do You Want to Sell that House or Not? Among the many things I did today was to set up some appointments to show some great homes for sale in Canton MA  to some new clients of mine.  They want to look on Sunday, giving me plenty of advance notice - which (I think) makes it easier to schedule.  Like most of my buyers looking at homes in Canton MA they told me which homes they wanted to see from their account that I set up to show them homes in Canton MA that met their search criteria.  They actually did a great job picking a variety of homes in differing neighborhoods.  I think they will have some great choices to compare.  These buyers had taken some time and really done their homework to sort through all the homes for sale in Canton MA in their price range.  (I am very lucky....mos... 09/28/2011

Canton MA WonderFall Craft Fair & Pumpkin Patch Right now it is feeling a bit like Indian Summer but by Saturday the weather is supposed to be cool and fall-like....just in time for the WonderFall Craft Fair & Pumpkin Patch  to be held on Saturday October 1st at Canton High School from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. This event has become an annual fundraiser for Canton High School's Senior Class and proceeds go towards defraying the cost of senior week activities, in particular the all-night Graduation party. As in year's past there will be a Craft Fair  set up inside the Canton High School cafeteria with over 50 vendors.  Admission to the Craft Fair is just $1.00.  Last year there was a variety of items for sale & it sounds like this year's will have a good variety as well.  But that is not all. ... 09/26/2011

It's time for the Canton Homecoming Road Race Fall is here and that means it is time for the annual Canton Homecoming Road Race. The race is an annual event to benefit the Canton Association of Business and Industries (CABI). CABI os a non profit organization made up of businesses, big and small, together with government representatives and other service industries. CABI's fundraising goes back to the community through a variety of charitable organizations to local organizations This year, the road race has a new location and all races and festivities will take place at Reebok World Headquarters right here in Canton MA. Reebok is a great corporate neighbor and is a long time sponsor of the homecoming road race. In previous years, the race has been held at Canton High. Traffic and logist... 09/25/2011

A Picture is Worth Its Price in Gold It has been said numerous times but bears repeating again.  The pictures of your listing DO matter.  As an exclusive buyer agent in Canton MA I only represent buyers and am not in the habit of giving advice to sellers. However, I met with some new buyers today.  Like many buyers, they had been to some open houses, casually starting their home search.  I asked if they had looked at many homes.  They answered yes and no. They had looked at many homes online - but used the online photos to rule out even going to see several homes. Let me say that again - they ruled out the homes they were going to look at by the pictures they saw online. So, if you are selling a home, take a look at the photos your agent has on the MLS.  Better yet ask to see the photos... 09/24/2011

Canton Youth Basketball Association Announces Try-Out Schedule The Canton Youth Basketball Association is a non is a not-for-profit organization.  According to their website, their goal is to provide an opportunity for Canton youth in grades 4 through 8 an opportunity to develop their baseketball skills in a positive environment.  In addition to working on basketball skills, goals of the group are to promote the idea that basketball is a "team sport that promotes competitive play, cooperation and sportsmanship." It is purely a volunteer organization, with many having given their time and talent to devote purely for the kids in Canton MA.  Supporting healthy lifestyles, exercise and good sportsmanship is something we can all get behind. The Canton Youth Basketball Association  has announ... 09/23/2011

Canton Alliance for Public Education Needs You! The Canton Alliance for Public Education (CAPE) is a non-profit community organization made up of parents, teachers and community members dedicated to supporting excellence in the Canton Public Schools.   The mission of CAPE is to help fund innovative programs that are outside of the normal school department budget. Fundraising is done throughout the year, with a membership drive, the Annual Spelling Bee, their Spring Gala, and the Honor Thy Teacher Program.  Grants are issued in the spring and the fall.  Since 2004, CAPE has awarded over $168,000.00 in grants, not counting those issued in the Spring 2011 grant cycle. Made up of several dedicated volunteers, CAPE is always looking for new volunteers, whether it be something as big as helpi... 09/22/2011

The Best of the Best Reasons to Use a Buyer Agent As a Buyer Agent in Canton MA, people will sometimes ask "Why Do  We Need a Buyer Agent?"  There are many reasons, many of which have been blogged about before.  As I was recently reading & reblogging Buyer's Agency: What's The Big Deal Anyway, by Charita Cadenhead I thought about other posts that I had written on this topic.  Here is a re-cap of some of the ones I have written and re-blogged.  The Buyer Paid How Much?:  This was a re-blog of a post written by Bill and Liz Spear  that points out what happens when the buyer goes in without representation. Buy a Home But Keep Your Secrets: This was a re-blog of a post written by Rhonda Heaslip about the importance of keeping buyer information confidential so as not to impact negotiating po... 09/21/2011

Canton Community Theatre to Present George M! Canton Community Theatre is celebrating its 10th year anniversary of community theater in Canton MA!  What started out as a group of people coming together to start an adult theater after working together on a school play has developed into a Canton institution.  Their first show was You're a Good Man Charlie Brown  in 2002 - which is interesting because I always thought it was Music Man, which was also performed in 2002.  From there they have performed such classics as The Wizard of Oz, Oklahoma!, Beauty and the Beast, Sound of Music, Willy Wonka - and more.  A purely volunteer group, they have come together to perform to support community groups and programs, donating much of their time and talent.  It is a true "community" theater. Normal... 09/20/2011

Water Conservation in Canton MA Now here is something I can really get behind!  Water conservation is good for everyone.  It helps conserve precious resources, not to mention it can really save on those water and sewer bills that seem to always go up.  I know with three teenage daughters we are always trying to find ways to cut down on water consumption! The Town of Canton MA has partnered with the Neponset River Watershed Association and has received a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for a one year water conservation program within the Town of Canton.  The program includes leak detection services, rebates on water saving installations, development of a water saving curriculum within the Canton Public Schools and public outreach. Currently, all Canton... 09/18/2011