Foley's Backstreet Grille, a local Stoughton MA restaurant run by Canton MA residents Dave & Karen Foley, is sponsoring the First Annual 5K Road Race to Benefit the Mass Hospital School. The Mass Hopsital School, located in Canton MA, is a health care facility that provides care to children and young adults who have severe and/or multiple disabilities.  It is a wonderful place that provides medical and rehabilitative care so that its patients can each their full potential.  Affiliated with the Department of Public Health, it is a non-profit always in need of more funds for its budget. Foley's hosts an annual Golf Tournament to benefit the school, but this year has added in a 5K Road Race.  The race will start and finish on the grounds of the Mass Hospital School, with a post-race party ... 03/30/2013

Canton MA has several outdoor recreation venues right here in town.   Among them is the Blue Hills Reservation which borders both Canton MA and Milton MA.  It is home to the Blue Hills, hiking trails, a ski area, Houghton's Pond, the Trailside museum and more.  This Easter weekend there are a number of ways to celebrate and enjoy the outdoors.   It's been a long winter....time to get out & enjoy early spring. The first of these events is a Bird Walk on Saturday March 30 at 8:00 am sponosored by the non-profit group, Friends of the Blue Hills. This event is a joint effort with the Brookline Bird Club.  Join the group for several short hikes, about one mile each, to look for early bird arrivals.  Be sure to bring your binoculars.  Beginners are welcome.  The entire hike is estimated to la... 03/29/2013

I have had a number of home inspection issues pop up all in a row over the past couple of weeks.  Lots of attic mold, some termites, improper electric work........the list goes on and on.  They seem to come in bunches. In one case my buyer decided to walk and in the other cases my buyers are asking for repairs or concessions.  In the case where the buyer walked, the Seller asked if they could work it out.  In the cases where we are asking for repairs/concessions, the Sellers seem put out that we're asking for repairs or concessions.  I wonder....wouldn't they rather the buyers try to work it out with them rather than walking away? I'm not a fan of asking for a "laundry list" of repairs after a home inspection.  No home is perfect and some smaller issues I would chalk up to ongoing maint... 03/26/2013

Easter is right around the corner.  Every year the Canton MA Recreation Department holds an Easter Egg Hunt.  Normally it is held outdoor at Pequitside Farm but because of the cool temperatures, this year it is being held indoors at the Canton High Gym. The 2013 Canton MA Easter Egg Hunt will be held this Saturday, March 30, 2013 from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm.  There will be games, activities and prizes for children ages Tot through Grade 5, as well as special prizes for adults.  Canton's home-town DJ, Gary Titus, will be there to provide music and entertainment. And of course, what Esater Egg Hunt would be complete without the Easter Bunny himself! It's always a fun event for the kids and best of all, it is FREE.   03/25/2013

Well, they call it a spring concert because it occurs during spring according to the calendar....but the weather has been anything BUT spring-like!  Get yourself out of that winter rut with some music! Canton High School's 2013 Spring Concert will be held on Tuesday, March 26th.  It is looking to be another great performance by our high school students.  The concert will be held at Canton High's Morse Auditorium and admission is FREE! The concert starts at 7:00 pm.  There will be performances by members of both the vocal and instrument groups.  This concert will mark the debut performance of the Canton High School Symphony Orchestra - with strings, winds and percussion. Performances will include music by Holst, Lauridsen, Bach, Copland and more!.   Canton MA is lucky to have a great per... 03/22/2013

Many first time buyers come to me very excited to look at foreclosures.  They're willing to put in some time and elbow grease to fix up a property if they can get a pretty good deal on it to start with.  They've heard there are a number of foreclosure properties.   One of their first questions to me is....can you show me foreclosures? Of course, as your buyer agent I can certainly show you foreclosures.   However, there may not be as many foreclosures as you think there are - and many of them may not be suitable for you.   When I provide MLS listings to my buyers, those interested in foreclosures often follow up with where is the site that lists all the foreclosures?   The fact is - foreclosures are listed in the MLS with everything else.  The other fact is, in the Canton MA real estate... 03/21/2013

I have written before about the low inventory facing the Canton MA resl estate market.   Last year, while we were starting to feel the need for some "good" inventory at certain price levels, for the most part there were plenty of houses out there for buyers to see.  This year the number of available homes has dwindled and people are tripping over themselves to put in an offer. Last year I had to convince buyers of where the market was and where the price should be.  I certainly wasn't putting in full-priced offers but definitely fair market value offers. There were no big deals to be had. Now, the tables are completely turned. I put in a full priced offer for a client over the weekend. Sure, it was a nice location, decent condition, and really not much needed to be done.  We put in a fu... 03/20/2013

Who doesn't like pancakes?   Well, if you like pancakes and live in the Canton area, you are in luck because this weekend is the annual Lions Club Pancake Breakfast.   It will be held on Sunday, March 24, 2013 at the American Legion Post 24 at 950 Washington Street in Canton from 8:00 am - 11:00 pm.  Cost of admission is only $4.00 for adults and $3.00 for children.   I believe that it is one price for all you can eat pancakes. That's a pretty good deal. The Canton Lions Club has been serving the Canton MA community since 1957!  That's quite a long run!   The funds raised from the pancake breakfast go towards their charitable projects - mainly high school scholarships and eye research projects to help prevent blindness. Pancakes at a good price & all for a good cause....it doesn't get m... 03/19/2013

Anyone involved in the real estate market in Canton MA area knows that it is a little crazy out there.  Homes are going under agreement with days of hitting the market.  Weekends are becoming like marathons writing up offers on my iPad in between showings.   So the question on every buyers mind is what happens if there are multiple offers? While there is no typical any more, typically Sellers agents will go back to all the offers and ask them for their highest and best offer.   However, if one is significantly better than the other, they may just go with that one and not ask so it's important to put together a strong offer at the start. Yesterday I submitted a full priced offer in for a client.  The house was priced well below his preapproval amount so he was more than qualified to buy ... 03/18/2013

Many first time homebuyers can afford the monthly payments but it is the downpayment that is their stumbling block.   That is why both FHA Loans and MassHousing Loans are attractive to them.  Both have only a 3.5% down payment requirement and often some of that can be a gift.  However, FHA's fees are on the rise. While MassHousing has an option that builds the PMI into the mortgage - so there is no montly mortgage insurance payment, sometimes that is at the cost of a slightly higher rate.  Both are good options to consider for first time home buyers.   What if you could have the 3.5% downpayment with no mortgage insurance? Well, Mass Housing Partnership (MHP) does offer such a program. (MHP is a different entity than and not to be confused with MassHousing.)  It is the MHP SoftSecond Pr... 03/16/2013

Canton MA is home to the Massachusetts Audubon's Museum of American Bird Art, formerly known as the Visual Arts Center.    The Museum of American Bird Art is a a professional art museum located on a 124-acre wildlife sanctuary right in the heart of Canton MA.  Located on the grounds is not only the museum, but miles of beautiful outdoor walking and hiking trails, bird viewing house, and the estate house, which is home to countless adult, child and family program offerings throughout the year.   The current exhibit at the Museum is Only Owls. To celebrate the exhibit, this weekend the museum is hosting Hoot Happenings: An Owl Family Event this Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 1:00 pm.  In addition to live owls, there will be owl-related crafts, activities, cookie-decorating games and events, ... 03/14/2013

And the rest of the day to yourself! 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. Celebrate  Saint Patrick's Day all weekend long at the ICC this year! Friday March 15th - Joshua Tree performs at 8 pm.  Joshua Tree is well known for being the premier U2 tribute band.  Come enjoy all your favorite U2 songs.  Cost is $15.00 and you can buy your tickets here. Saturday March 16th - Doors open at 1 pm.  Enjoy traditional Irish music, Irish step dancing and of course corned beef & cabbage.  Cost is $5.00 per person; children under 12 are free.  Food and drink costs are separate. Sunday March 17th - St. Patrick's D... 03/12/2013

How do you handle a situation when you have more than one client interested in a property?   This past weekend I had two new clients ask me this question.    As an exclusive buyer agent dedicated to 100% conflict free representation, this is a scenario that we prepare for. I have shown the same property to more than one client before, but they've never been interested in the property. So I have never had to enact my plan. However, as soon as I know I have more than one client who is interested, I disclose it to both.   What if they both wanted to put in an offer? The answer is simple.  I can only represent one person at a time. In fact, my agency can only represent one person at a time on any one property. So, I would represent the first person who wanted to make the offer and the other... 03/11/2013

It's time for the Canton High School annual spring play.  This year, the Canton High Drama Club is proud to present I Never Saw Another Butterfly. In the fall, Canton High Drama presents its musical.  This year they did Grease.  In the spring, it is often time for a more serious production. i Never Saw Another Butterfly is a one-act play, centered around Raja, one of the children who survived the concentration camp of Terezin during the Holocaust.  Raja shares her story and that of her family and friends about living in the concentration camp.  The Holocaust is a sad and tragic part of our world history that we must never forget.  This play is one more way of telling the stories of the people who suffered through this horror so that we may always remember. Performances will be Friday Ma... 03/10/2013

March is here and that means it is time to come out and support public education in Canton.  It is 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 $170,000.00 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 th... 03/09/2013

It is a snowy day here in Canton.  Originally predicted to get 4-8 inches of snow....we are over 21 inches now and it is still snowing.  What else to do on a snow day?  Take a look back at Canton Real Estate Market for the month of February!     In February 2013, there were only 4 single family homes sold in Canton MA*, with a low price of $290,000.00 and a high of $805,000.00.  The average sales price was $500,000.00.     Winter is traditionally a slower time of year in the real estate market.  While this chart shows that this February shows the fewest number of sales for the month of February over the past five years, I am not concerned that it marks a trend for the Canton real estate market. First, the January 2013 market report showed the highest number of sales for that month in f... 03/08/2013

It was with much excitement that a Frozen Yogurt (aka FroYo) store opened in Canton late last year.   At least, the three teenagers in my house were quite excited when Orange Leaf opened at the Village Shoppes in Canton.  There was not really any other place like it in town and it has quickly become a favorite spot for Canton residents of all ages.   Orange Leaf has been quick to join the community and offers fundraising opportunities to groups within town.  Mondays from 5 pm to 9 pm is their usual slot for fundraising.  Organizations interested in holding a fundraiser need to contact the store manager to set up a specific day and provide information about the organization.  Once the date is determined, 10% of all sales during the fundraising period goes directly to the organization.   ... 03/07/2013

It is March....and that means only one thing....time for Maple Sugaring!  The 2013 Maple Sugar Festival at the Blue Hills will be held March 9 and 10, 2013.   Join the folks from the Mass Audubon's Trailside Museum and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation as they host the annual Maple Sugar Festival in the Blue Hills.   Staff will be on hand to demonstrate the process of turning sap into delicious maple syrup the old fashioned way.  Smell the aroma of the maple syrup being made and enjoy a sample of real maple sugar.  Take part in a lesson about the history of maple sugaring in Massachusetts. Cost of admission is $6.00, children under two are free.  There will be a variety of activites for all ages. The 2013 Maple Sugar Festival will be held at Brookwood Farm in C... 03/05/2013

We want to buy a house.  We're first time homebuyers.  Where should we start?   I get this question quite often in one form or another.  The first step in the homebuying process should be to obtain a preapproval letter from a reputable mortgage lender.   However, sometimes buyers do not know where to turn for that preapproval letter so my advice is that the first step is to meet with a qualified buyers agent for an initial consultation.  This is not an appointment to set up showings or see a particular home.  It is a a meeting to discuss the process, answer all your questions and point you towards a qualified mortgage professional who would be the best fit for your situation.   Many buyers come to me preapproved and that is fine.  Many times they want to work with a different lender tha... 03/04/2013

Spring is in the air.  Buyers are out there looking to buy a house.  Open houses are every where.   While an Open House can be a great vehicle to see a house without much commitment, Buyers still need to make sure their interests are protected in the event they want to move forward. Buyers should prepare themselves before attending an Open House and so have put together some Open House Tips for Buyers. Get a mortgage preapproval before looking. If you fall in love with that house, you want to be able to move quickly. I know you think you are "just looking" but you never know when you might find the right one. Find a buyer agent to work with to protect your interests. The tips below help to underscore why it is so important to have a buyer agent. Disclose to the agent holding the Open Ho... 03/02/2013