Newburyport MA's great yearly Yankee Homecoming Festival is about to start next weekend.  This is a wonderful week with a ton of things going on and lots of people having a great time.   Definately a great time to visit this little port city. Interested in Newburyport MA real estate?  When you're here, if you have time, please stop by my deck on the waterfront above Plum Island Coffee Roasters (between The Black Cow and Michael's Harborside) for refreshments and a chat.  I'll try to be there most of the time.  Follow this link for the complete calendar of events:  http://www.yankeehomecoming.com/event_calendar.php?p=7   Hope to see you there! 07/16/2010

It It was last minute, coming downstairs from my home in the boatyard.   The folks at the Newburyport Whale Watch office flagged me down, and I jumped on their dinner cruise for the July 4th Fireworks.  I thought it would be fun...  but it was so much more. First of all, the Prince of Whales is a nice boat and Cap'n Billie has a great crew.  It leaves from the boardwalk at the waterfront.   During his whale watch cruises, Billie often stays out longer than he should.   I guess he really gets into it and when the passengers are having a great time, he doesn't want to come back.   Last week the folks showed up for the 2:00 cruise, early of course, and the parking lot was still full of the 8:30 cruise cars, and that was a mess.  Back to the 4th.   After a cruise upriver we headed out to se... 07/06/2010

  what to do  events & shows 4th of July Spectacular at Salisbury BeachSaturday & Sunday, July 3 & 4 Celebrate the 4th of July on Salisbury Beach with fun for families day and night! Tour amazing giant "Treasure Island" themed sand sculptures - purchase a map, go on a treasure hunt and win a prize! Meet marine creatures in the Blue Ocean Society's Sea Life Discovery Center's new touch tank! On Saturday evening at 7:30pm, bring a chair or blanket and enjoy a free live concert with Sugarfoot & the Brass Kickin' Horns on the beachfront stage followed by spectacular holiday fireworks over the ocean. On Sunday, July 4th, there's more sand castles and fun, plus an old fashioned Bonfire on the Beach at 8:30pm! A full schedule of activities can be found on the website below. Salisbury Beach Ce... 06/30/2010

Newburyport MA Short Sales - Buying at Pre-Foreclosure Newburyport MA Harbor.     How to Buy a Newburyport, Massachusetts Short Sale As a home buyer looking for value in the purchase of real estate you may consider a "short sale" as a viable option.  The process of finding and buying a Newburyport MA short sale  is not a typical real estate transaction.  To have success, you must work with qualified professionals and understand the process. Utilize the services of Realtors, attorneys, accountants, mortgage lenders and home inspectors as they all provide expert advice.  What is a Short Sale? Homeowners that have financial hardships may pursue a short sale prior to foreclosure.  This process may be a preferable option to preserve their credit and limit their debt exposure.  In New Hampshi... 05/27/2010

On May 10th, the City Council voted in favor of the following statement:  "Ordered:  That the City Council of Newburyport hereby designates the site known as the Titcomb Street site as the location for the parking garage".  That's all.  What does it mean? I have found it hard to get a clear answer.  On the surface it only appears to mean that this City Council at this time has designated Titcomb Street as the location.  It does not mean that the next City Council cannot invalidate this decision.  It allows the Mayor to talk further with the MVRA.  It does not commit the City.  It does not mean that the garage is going to be built! Permission to build a garage at that location is going to require the permission of the Historical Commission.  It is going to require approvals of variances ... 05/18/2010

How Good We Have It Sometimes we forget.   We forget to stop, look around us, and see how good life is to us.  Newburyport is a treasure, and living in or around it is a joy.  We are surrounded by beauty, the flowering trees, the river, the ocean, the wonderfully preserved architecture. Newburyport is thriving, although not for everyone.   Most people are making a living, which is more than can be said for a large number of our countrymen.   We have decent schools, competent services and benevolent weather.  For the first time in years we have a Mayor who is making decisions, taking action, doing her job. As the weather improves, we come downtown in droves.  The waterfront park has been bustling with activity, and people are out enjoying the serenity of our little city.   Although Newbu... 04/24/2010

Newburyport  Market Report 2010:  Single Family Homes Jan 1 - March 8, 2010 15  homes sold Average Sales Price $386,936 Average Time on Market  167 days was 440 days Homes sold for an average of 94% of asking price 03/08/2010

Newburyport MA Market Report 2010 Jan 1 - March 8, 2010 16 condos sold Average Sales Price $235,188 Average Time on Market  158 days Homes sold for an average of 96% of asking price 03/08/2010

Newburyport Massachusetts Real Estate - Homes Sold Activity - 2009 The Newburyport MA real estate and homes sold activity shows that there were 124 single family homes transacted in 2009 with an average sales price of $437,231 and an average days on market (DOM) of 117. The highest selling price of a home was $1,575,000.  Visit the Virtual Homes Blog for a MA statewide report. Additional resources to evaluate the Newburyport real estate market include: Newburyport MA Real Estate - Community, relocation and school information with town demographics. Newburyport MA Foreclosures - Obtain a list of foreclosed and bank owned real estate and short sales. Newburyport MA MLS Search - View all listings in the statewide MLS. Newburyport MA Homes for Sale - Map Search - Search by location, neighbo... 02/04/2010

Amesbury has been hard hit by the economic downturn.  14 properties were sold by banks or in short sales in 2009, as follows:                           Sold Price          Assessed Value Single Family        $255,000           $360,000                            $310,000           $275,000                            $470,000           $532,000 Condominium        $37,000             $85,000                             $59,000            $163,000                              $63,000             $86,000                              $98,000           $212,000                            $135,000           $169,000                            $150,000           $177,000                            $155,000           $210,000                            $183,000           $250,000 Multi-family   ... 01/28/2010

In 2009 there were a total of 4 sales of bank owned or short sale properties.     Single Family:  Assessed $416,000, sold $269,000 Single Family:  Assessed $540,000, sold $435,000 Condo: Assessed $318,000, sold $229,000 Condo:  Assessed $279,000, sold $305,000   Newburyport is a strong market with few opportunities of this sort.   To find Newburyport short sales and bank owned properties, log in to the link below and use key words "short sale, third party, as is, bank owned". 01/28/2010

Newburyport Nightlife   I love this city.  I lived in Europe for 18 years, and when I came back to live in New England, I briefly lived in my home town of Winchester before discovering Newburyport in 1999.   Newburyport has all of the great qualities of a small American seaport, combined with the walkability and atmosphere of some of the European cities I have lived in.  I have lived here ever since.   OK, I like good food, and Newburyport has plenty of it.  There are some great restaurants in town - I think Ten Center St. is handsdown the best.   It has a cozy, pub-like atmosphere in it's downstairs wine bar and an imaginative cuisine.  I hear complaints about the service but have never had a bad experience there myself.  The waterfront location of The Black Cow is its claim to fame; m... 01/13/2010

Newburyport has an exciting future ahead of it, no question.  There is a substantial amount of real estate on the waterfront that is slated for development, changing it from stagnant boatyards to a thriving part of the City.   Hopefully it will continue to evolve into one of the most tastefully restored seaports in New England. Follow this link to read about the visions that City Leaders have for the next ten years:  http://www.newburyportnews.com/punews/local_story_005233420.html Real Estate values have not suffered in Newburyport during the economic downtown.  It remains a growing economic powerhouse and destination city and we can expect values to remain strong as the City moves toward future. You can check out available properties in the MLS through my account at http://www.mlspulse... 01/07/2010

Newburyport in 2009 was a stable, if somewhat slow market.   These are the sales statistics for single family homes and condominiums.     Price Range # ofListings Avg. Dayson Market AverageSale Price   AverageList Price SP:LPRatio AverageOrig Price SP:OPRatio $0 - $49,999 0 0 $0   $0 0 $0 0 $50,000 - $99,999 1 57 $94,000   $98,000 96 $98,000 96 $100,000 - $149,999 3 354 $130,000   $150,600 87 $200,933 73 $150,000 - $199,999 10 57 $177,680   $188,330 95 $192,330 93 $200,000 - $249,999 17 184 $229,954   $241,007 96 $265,490 89 $250,000 - $299,999 36 85 $275,453   $287,775 96 $296,714 93 $300,000 - $349,999 28 118 $323,555   $334,904 97 $347,304 93 $350,000 - $399,999 29 99 $372,893   $384,341 97 $396,865 94 $400,000 - $449,999 25 79 $419,856   $440,600 95 $458,672 92 $450,000 - $499,999 1... 12/17/2009

Newburyport, MA Condominium Market Report - YTD (10/31/2009) There were 71 condos sold YTD in Newburyport, MA with an average sales price of $336,354. The selling range was a low of $94,000 and a high of $750,000.   Visit Newburyport MA homes sold for single family home activity. Virtual Homes Real Estate provides search tools to asist you in learning about the community, listing and market conditions. Click on the following links for your choice of services. Newburyport MA Real Estate - Community, relocation and school information with town demographics. Newburyport MA Foreclosures - Obtain a list of foreclosed and bank owned real estate and short sales Newburyport MA MLS Search - View all listings in the statewide MLS. Newburyport MA Homes for Sale - Map Search - Search by location, n... 11/19/2009

Newburyport MA Foreclosures, Bank Owned and Short Sale Property for Sale Register to receive Newburyport, MA real estate foreclosure (bank-owned) listings and short sale opportunities. One of our Boston, Massachusetts real estate professionals will contact you and provide: A list of existing real estate foreclosure (bank-owned) and short sale listings in Newburyport. Email alerts on NEW foreclosure (bank-owned) and short sale listings in the Massachusetts MLS. Address and mapping information. For Newburyport community information including school reports, demographic, relocation, home buying and selling information go to Newburyport MA real estate.  To search the MA MLS listings visit Newburyport MA MLS listings.  Go to Newburyport Foreclosures for a map based search result of bank owne... 10/18/2009

Newburyport has changed.  It has become a thriving town with its industrial park, medical facilities and small businesses.  Downtown shops of the 70's and 80's have given way to local entrepreneurs who saw opportunities in our growing tourism economy.   Like a mall has to carefully select the right mix of businesses to attract visitors, Newburyport has - through the careful planning of landlords like the Lagasses - developed into a plethora of businesses designed to attract shopping traffic, thus allowing for higher rents leading to well-kept building and a very attractive town center.   The waterfront is our next frontier.  While most agreed that parking lots was NOT the best use, there are two visions, one of entirely open space and expanded park, and one of mixed use open space compl... 10/18/2009

The basic story here is that the CVS in downtown Newburyport has taken over some neighboring leases to expand.  One of the lessees that has to leave is the White Hen Pantry.   The White Hen came to this location 20 years ago, under protest from the neighbors.  Now the White Hen is being forced to leave, with the departure being protested by the neighbors.  Ironic?  Yes.  Normal?  Yes. That people are out holding signs and picketing, putting bumper stickers on their cars?  You decide.  I think there are A LOT more important things to put our energy to use for. The fact is that White Hen Pantry Corporate knew that their lease was up and that CVS was negotiating for the space.  They were in continuous contact with the landlord, Newburyport Development.   Presumably, if White Hen cared enou... 09/21/2009

    Trapped and feeling empty.  How many of us go through our lives that way?  It seems I managed to throw away most of mine in the belief that money and possessions would bring joy and contentment.  For sure, that is the crock that our consumption-focused society would have us adhere to.   I started my life with a strong creative talent, but visions of the good life led me to business school and an impressive career in the world of international business development.   Through it all, I went through the motions, collected money and things, and led a life increasingly void of emotion, creativity and connection with myself.   It took a major life-altering event to cause me to begin to awaken, open my eyes, and realize that I was missing most of what life had to offer.  I had to learn to ... 08/10/2009

This is a useful link to a monthly publication that tells you about all upcoming events in the City of Newburyport.  Worth subscribing to! John STAY in the LOOP! about everything NEWBURYPORT...This Summer!   Follow the link below to check out the AUGUST issue:http://www.newburyportchamber.org/stayintheloop_ENL.shtml       08/06/2009