Archive for the 'buyingwilliamstown.com' Category

Williamstown Real Estate agency announces Donation Recipients

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

Harsch Associates Real Estate is pleased to announce the Spring 2012 recipients of the real estate firm’s Charitable Gifting Program.Berkshire county charitable contribution

 

Harsch Associates sets aside 1% of its gross pretax income from each sale and the buyer/seller chooses their favorite charity organizations to receive the money. Listing property or buying property through a Harsch Associates Real Estate Agent ensures your

Thanks to Harsch Associates’ clients

favorite non-profit organization will receive direct support .

The spring 2012 recipients are:

Berkshire Family and Individual Resources,

Berlin Central School District,

Children of Fallen Soldiers,

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation,

Ecu-Health Care,

Flying Cloud Institute,

Greylock ABC,

The Haiti Plunge,

Hancock Volunteer Fire Department,

HooRWA,

Humane Society,

Little Red School House,

Mount Greylock Soccer,

North Adams Ambulance,

Northern Berkshire Community Action,

Northern Berkshire Habitat for Humanity,

Northern Berkshire Santa Fund,

Williamstown Cal Ripken Little League,

Williamstown Village Ambulance,

Williamstown Community Chest,

Williamstown Elementary School,

Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation,

Williamstown Youth Center.

Everyone at Harsch Associates extends a sincere thank you to all of our clients.

Williamstown MA Harsch Real Estate

Harsch Associate's of Williamstown MA

 

Posted in Berkshire County Real Estate, Berkshire Land, Berkshire Real Estate, Berkshires Property for Sale, Buying a home, buyingwilliamstown.com, Cable Mills, Great Barrington real estate, Hancock real estate, Harsch Associates News, home care, Lanesboro real estate, Lenox MA real estate, Living in southern Vermont, Living in The Berkshires, Real Estate Advice, Real Estate in Southern Vermont, Real Estate in the Berkshire, Selling your home, sellingwilliamstown, Stockbridge real estate, Uncategorized, Williamstown real estate | No Comments »

Williams College Williamstown MA is number one in the nation

Friday, August 5th, 2011

Williamstown Massachusetts

Williams College Williamstown MA is the best in the nation again 2011.

Forbes Magazine recently announced that Williams College in Williamstown MA is rated #1 in the nation.  See the article below courtesy of  ABC online news.

“For the second year in a row, Williams College, a small, western-Massachusetts liberal arts school, has been named as the best undergraduate institution in America. With total annual costs adding up to nearly $55,000, a Williams education is certainly not cheap, but the 2,000 undergraduates here have among the highest four-year graduation rates in the country, win loads of prestigious national awards like Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships, and are often rewarded with high-paying careers.

Return to America’s Top Colleges

In second place? Princeton University, which boasts nearly nonexistent student debt rates due to one of the most generous financial aid programs in the nation. Outside of Princeton and Harvard (#6), Ivy League schools fare relatively poorly, suggesting that their reputations might be a bit overblown. Yale (#14), Brown (#21) and Dartmouth (#30) crack the top 5%, but the other Ivies – Columbia (#42), Cornell (#51) University of Pennsylvania (#52) — do not.

Because of our emphasis on financial prudence, the zero-cost military service academies rank highly. West Point, which topped the list two years ago, ranks third this time, thanks to outstanding teaching (#3) and high alumni salaries (#8), while the Air Force Academy (#10) and the Naval Academy (#17) glide easily into the top 20. Even the less prestigious academies – the Coast Guard (#97) and the Merchant Marine (#158) — score well.

Outside of the academies, the highest ranked public school is the University of Virginia (#46) followed closely by the College of William and Mary (#49) and UCLA (#55). ”

Posted in Berkshire Real Estate, Berkshires Property for Sale, Buying a home, buyingwilliamstown.com, Harsch Associates News, Living in The Berkshires, Selling your home, sellingwilliamstown | No Comments »

Memo to home sellers: This is not your father’s housing market…

Thursday, June 9th, 2011
berkshire county real estate

This is not your father's housing market... attracting buyers

Today’s buyer-take-all Berkshire County property bonanza is a boon for fence-sitters and buyers with great credit and deep pockets. But Williamstown MA home sellers are steeling themselves to new realities that include paying (rather than making) money at the closing table, providing extras to sweeten the deal, and spending more time and cash making the home camera-ready.

For Williamstown or Berkshire County MA home sellers who have never been through the process before, it’s a different world. One where the value of the house isn’t measured in the profit made on the sale, but by the enjoyment the owners had from living in the home.

Here are seven things experienced Berkshire County home sellers would tell you, if they could.

Price it realistically from the start

“Your largest number of showings will occur in the first two to three weeks,” says Mark Ramsey, broker with the Ramsey Group/Keller Williams Realty in Charlotte, N.C. One reason: “The (multiple listing service) systems and the Internet tend to drive the majority of showings,” he says. Many Berkshire County Real Estate Agents and buyers are plugged in electronically. So the minute something new pops up that meets their criteria, they want to see it.

Take advantage of that sweet spot by pricing your Williamstown house competitively  right out of the gate.

When first-time sellers James and Emily Foltz put their Oklahoma City home on the market last summer, their agent gave them a comprehensive list of the initial asking prices of nearby homes like theirs, along with the final selling prices. “Some varied by $30,000,” says James Foltz.

It gave them an X-ray of their market.

How you style the price is important. The Foltzes first marketed their home for $155,000. But lowering it to $150,000 meant the listing appeared within the computer search parameters that buyers commonly used in that price range, Foltz says.

The result: A few weeks after the price change, they had a winning offer.

Be prepared to lose some money

Want to sit with a Williamstown house that won’t move?  Be the first-time Williamstown seller who insists you can get the appraised value, the tax assessor’s estimate or whatever you paid a few years ago.

“It seems like there’s no relationship between your assessed value, taxable value and the actual market value of our house,” says Pat Vredevoogd Combs, past president of the National Association of Realtors and vice president of Coldwell Banker AJS Schmidt in Grand Rapids, Mich. “There doesn’t seem to be any correlation.”

The truth is that your Williamstown MA house is worth what buyers are willing to pay. No more. “This is a true economic market that Adam Smith would have loved — totally based on supply and demand,” Combs says. That means  sellers should be prepared to lose some money or hang onto the home until the price rises.  Economic predictors seem to be leaning toward the market improving in 2014 with the caveat that the economy improves also.  Jobs are needed to bring buyers. 

“We did end up taking a loss,” says Foltz, who wrote a check for $3,000 at the closing table. The good news is that the couple sold their home in less than two months.

Beware the agent who promises big profits, Combs says. That person may just be after your business. “Don’t go with anyone who doesn’t use comps,” she says. And study sales prices, not asking prices, for real estate.   Your neighbor or friends are not the sources to rely on when choosing a price for your Williamstown Home.  When choosing an agent represent you choose one who will discuss the market honestly and give you sales prices—- not the comparative listing prices.  And one who will quote you how many days a property was on the market before it sold and how deep the discount of the listing price was at the final closing. 

Promotion, promotion, promotion 

One question to ask yourself and pose as you interview agents:  How will you reach the home’s target market?  And also “who is the target market and where do you think the buyer will come from?”

“You have to consider who your most likely Williamstown real estate buyers are for what property you’re selling and cater to that group of people,” Ramsey says.

Targeting 20-somethings who live on their smartphones? You need to effectively access the networks your buyers are tapping to find their next home. One big trend: QR (or “quick response”) bar codes that allow smartphone users to access property information electronically, he says.

The typical starter home can also appeal to downsizing empty nesters, says Ramsey. To serve their needs, you might also want to have a phone number that instantly reaches someone who can provide details and answer questions, he says.

And don’t neglect the modern version of curb appeal: using lots of photos on real estate listings’ websites. However you market your house, you need a good number of clear, well-lit, professional-quality pictures that show your house at its best.  Ask to see the agency’s website and talk to the person who markets through the Williamstown or Berkshire County Real Estate website and how they determine if your home is being seen, how many hits the home’s page will receive and how will the agency monitor those and tailor their marketing increase those hits. 

Throw in extras 

When the Foltzes were getting ready to move, they knew that they probably wouldn’t be able to take their top-of-the-line gas clothes dryer. “It’s not a typical thing in a lot of houses,” says Foltz.

So they offered to sell the washer/dryer set, as well as a few other items that would be difficult to move, like the two wall-mounted, flat-screen TVs.

While the couple hoped these perks would bring a little extra money to the table, it didn’t work out that way. But it did sweeten the pot for the buyer, who agreed to buy at full price if the Foltzes included those items.

Since taking them would have netted them additional headaches, their “extras” became a good selling point.

Clear the clutter

Keeping your house clean is important in every sale. But first-timers are likely selling smaller houses.  Clutter can mean the difference between cozy and cramped.

Clearing the clutter is “something we spent two to three weeks doing before we brought anyone in,” says Foltz. While they believed their home would show better furnished, they also wanted to pare down all the nonessential pieces. And they stored the “leftovers” in the garage.

Before they put it on the market, the Foltzes asked their agent’s opinion. “We told him we’re willing to do whatever you want,” Foltz says. The agent’s recommendation: Get rid of the bedroom dresser to make the room feel more spacious.

Kitchen and bathroom countertops are another hot spot that many sellers forget to clear. The same chaos that represents your normal routine makes your house seem messy, disorganized and uninviting to buyers.

However, you don’t want to remove all traces of human existence, says Combs. “Decluttering is good. But I’m not a big fan of taking all of your personal stuff out.” Mementos and photos make a house feel like a home, she says. “Don’t neutralize it so that it’s sterile.”

Appeal to lazy buyers

Most buyers are lazy. 
The last thing a new homeowner wants is another ‘to-do’ list, Ramsey says. So get the home move-in ready before it hits the market so the buyer can start fresh easily.

That means making all the repairs and replacements that you would demand if you were buying the house today. If you have to walk single file up the walkway, trim the bushes. If the garage door is dented, have that fixed or replaced, Ramsey says. “If you go into a room and say, ‘Hmm, I wonder if this carpet is dirty enough to replace?’ You have your answer,” he says.

First-time sellers are likely selling smaller, starter homes which are popular with first-time buyers and empty-nesters, Ramsey says. Neither group is likely to want to spend weekends tackling the jobs that you avoided.

“From a presentation standpoint, you want them to feel it’s turnkey — ready to go,” Ramsey says. “Because your competition is doing that. In this market, it’s not just a price war but a beauty contest at the same time.”

Put upgrade money where it counts

If you’re looking to spend some money to make your house memorable, ask someone who knows what will improve the market value, says Combs.

She remembers one $90,000 starter home that the owners wanted to stand out from the pack. They did a very expensive kitchen upgrade with lots of high-dollar extras. Unfortunately, it was an older home “in a market that was never going to be above $90,000,” Combs says. “So the money they put in, they lost.”

Conversely, the Foltzes followed their agent’s recommendation to paint their stylish blue kitchen tan – to match the walls of the adjacent open living room and attract more buyers.

“The cheapest thing you can do for a house with the biggest bang for the buck is to paint and replace carpet,” says Ramsey. His recommendation: soft neutrals, which are easy on the eyes and have mass appeal.

Fresh carpet and that new-paint smell are also buyer-bait.

“I have never, ever seen a buyer get emotionally attached to a carpet-allowance sign,” says Ramsey. “What they fall in love with is the new carpet in the house.”

Article Courtesy of  Bankrate.com
Dana Dratch is a freelance writer based in Atlanta.

Posted in Berkshire County Real Estate, Berkshire Land, Berkshire Real Estate, Berkshires Property for Sale, Buying a home, buyingwilliamstown.com, Cable Mills, Harsch Associates News, home care, Living in The Berkshires, Real Estate Advice, Real Estate in Southern Vermont, Real Estate in the Berkshire, Selling your home, sellingwilliamstown, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Harsch Real Estate Friends Find It Faster

Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

We have some Berkshires Advice.  Go North!  There is GOLD in those hills!  Northern Berkshire County is a golden treasure chest of great home buys!

harsch real estate

Friends Find It Faster- Click to Like

Berkshire Real Estate

Summer in the Berkshires

“Go North” was once the resounding cry of the Alaskan Gold Rush days.  Gold was to be found in the Alaskan Mountains. The same is true of  our Northern Berkshire properties and towns.  When you are willing to drive just a little farther you find some of the best Home buys in the Berkshires.   North Adams Real Estate, Williamstown Real Estate and Adams Real Estate along with Hancock and Lanesborough Real Estate offers  some of the most affordable and some for the most enjoyable locations in New England. 

Find your PEACE of the Berkshires here in the northern part of Berkshire County MA along with one of the most beautiful and serene environments in New England.  To get our latest news and laugh at our office dog telling about his work day visit our Facebook page by clicking the Icon.

Do you want to buy a home but feel you just can’t right now?  Do you have a home that has been for sale way too long?  Then take a short minute and read our blog on how to achieve the goal of buying a home in a great market or selling your home for the best price.  Read more….

We offer three more virtual tours this week.  Our tours feature commercial property and homes in North Adams.  Take a moment, sit back and relax and watch with us as we walk through some very affordable business opportunities and home getaways in the Berkshires.

Are you an entrepreneur who sees opportunity everywhere?  Do you need a great place to start a business whether a net business or professional services? 

North Adams is a thriving community where MASS MOCA and MCLA along with Berkshire Community College and Northern Berkshire Healthcare reside. 

We have a great Victorian circa 1901 Home that is now a Berkshire commercial property available for a great price.  Take a Virtual Tour Now.

Are you just starting out and want your own North Adams home?  You are unique and your decorating personality is just as unique.  Your comfort zone should most certainly be your home and we have several great starter homes where you can begin the journey to creating your own “take a breath, you are home” story.   Come to Massachusetts Ave, North Adams

Are you looking for summer Berkshire home to escape the heat  and humidity?  Want to come home to the Berkshire County MA mountains for the summertime where the living is easy and you can go to a different cultural event every night or weekend all summer long and come home to relax by your pool in the evenings for less than $330,000? Then tour this home Swimming Pool, Deck and more delights!

Do you want lots of room for lots of family or just the herd of pets you love and care for?  Then this North Adams MA home is your dream come true for a very UNBELIEVABLE price!  Previsit this great buy

We hope you have enjoyed your Northern Berkshire properties tours and will call us at 413-458-5000 to make offers or make appointments to view other properties in the Northern Berkshires.  Shop our full service website and save some favorite homes.  We look forward to providing you with exceptional service!

Harsch Real Estate service is excellent

35 years of Excellent Service in the Berkshires

Best Regards!

The Harsch Team of Real Estate Agents

Posted in Berkshire Land, Berkshire Real Estate, Buying a home, buyingwilliamstown.com, Cable Mills, Harsch Associates News, Living in The Berkshires, Real Estate Advice, Real Estate in the Berkshire | No Comments »

3 Magic Words to Sell or Buy the Home you Want

Friday, May 6th, 2011
Make an Offer

Make an Offer- I'll Consider it- 3 Magic Words

Is there a rule of thumb in the Berkshire Real Estate  market for how much below the asking pricea potential buyer should initially offer for a listing? 10 percent below? 20 percent below?

This seems like an easy question, but unfortunately quick fix answers will  not work in the Williamstown MA real estate market.   The magic words to begin the process of negotiation are “make an offer.” The truth is that there will be number of factors at play you are not aware of , no matter where in Berkshire County or Williamstown  MA the home is located, no matter who the seller is and no matter who the buyer is.  Getting to the bargaining table is a poker game in the beginning.  Throwing down your cards and walking away means you lose without a doubt.  Staying in the game means you may sell your home or buy the one you want for a great price.

For a seller the three magic words are “I’ll Consider it.”    Consideration is the beginning of negotiation.  Negotiation is a poker game taken to the highest level.  Taking a hard line on any offer is unwise as another offer may not appears for many years.  A Williamstown MA seller is competing with thousands of homes suddenly available in the Berkshires.  Historically during the period of 2004-2007 Berkshire County and Williamstown Real Estate were undoubtedly  HOT second home housing markets and Western MA, Berkshire County was the place to be for executives, stockbrokers, and those in the upper income brackets who lived in New York or Boston and summered in the Berkshires.  The Stock Market was hot, the Real Estate Bubble was growing, fixing and flipping properties was a viable career option for college graduates in mid 2000′s.  Wages and bonuses were high and America was coasting along a financial pinnacle path that has since become unsustainable. 

The vital and most important thing to remember is that the simple rules of supply and demand usually prevail. If it’s an attractive Williamstown MA property at a a below market price, there will be competition for the property.  Competition is the Williamstown Ma Home Seller’s BBF (best friend forever).   Pricing a minimum of 10% lower than your neighbors means your property will get rapid attention and probably sell quickly and you will get closer to the initial asking price.

A new home to the Williamstown MA housing market with a price 10% below its Comparative Market Value ( new=on the market for less than two weeks) is likely to get multiple offers if it is attractive and the sellers are willing to entertain any and all offers.  Keep in mind we stated “entertain” which does not mean accept.  This is not the time to take offense at low and outrageous offers.  It is the time to use the three magic words “I’ll consider it.”  

If  the Williamstown MA property has been on the market at the same price for two months or longer, the uninformed buyer’s agent will most likely recommend that an offer of 3-5% below the asking price be offerred.  We recommend to our buyers they consider offering 8 to 10% below asking not unusual for a market where thousands of Berkshire Properties are for sale.   Even if the property is great often we can spend a few hours crunching numbers and recent sales after which we can show hard data supporting a much lower price.  Keep in mind this is the advice a buyer’s agent is giving to their client.  You as a seller now have an insider’s peak into how the offer process works.   

This is the point in the transaction process when the seller’s agent and the seller will be called upon to use all their negotiating and social skills to reel in the buyer to get to the negotiating table.  This is the time for a level head and cool poker face and a willingness to “consider it.”  Keep in mind “consider it” does not mean acceptanceof a ridiculous offer.  “Consider it’  means only that “you will think about it and get back to the potential buyer and their agent”.  Think carefully about what you are willing to give to the buyer in lieu of lowering the price and what you can give to the buyer to make the property worth more to the buyer.  Using a skilled seller representative will be the vital key at this point in the process.  You are fishing for a buyer and you will need all the skill you and your agent possess to land a qualified buyer and then get them to the closing table.

The worst thing that can happen is the buyer will say no to your first counter offer.  The best that can happen is the buyer will negotiate further up than he or she would have liked and you’ll increase your selling margin.  Either way the chances of a sale increase the more negotiating skills the seller’s agent has.   The take away from this conversation if you remember nothing else is to repeat the three magic words before you respond to any offer for your property “I’ll consider it.”  And for any buyer the magic words remain “make an offer.”

Posted in Berkshire Land, Berkshire Real Estate, Buying a home, buyingwilliamstown.com, Cable Mills, Harsch Associates News, home care, Living in The Berkshires, Real Estate Advice, Real Estate in Southern Vermont, Real Estate in the Berkshire, Selling your home, sellingwilliamstown | No Comments »

buyingwilliamstown.com |Buyers Rule in 2011

Monday, April 25th, 2011

 

buyingwilliamstown.com

Buying a Williamstown Home

Buyers Rule in 2011.  No doubt about it.  So you are considering buying a home in Williamstown?  Would you like to know what we have found in looking back over years of analytics about buyers in the Berkshires?

Who is looking for a home in Williamstown?  Why does Harsch Associates attract more buyers and what are the two most common questions they ask first?  We will be adding charts, data and more information that buyers need to know and that sellers should know.  Keep checking back this week as we add new info everyday.

What are the three largest cities with buyers looking for Berkshire Homes?  According to our analytics of over 1,000,000 hits on our Website the cities are : New York City, Chicopee MA (home of a large server for all of Massachusetts) and Williamstown MA.  The 5 top states sending real estate web searchers to Williamstown are Massachusetts, NY, CT, NJ, and CA. 

We will be adding more information about where your next buyer will most likely come from all week long.  Check back often.

 

 

Posted in Berkshire Real Estate, Buying a home, buyingwilliamstown.com, Cable Mills, Harsch Associates News, Living in The Berkshires, Real Estate Advice, Real Estate in the Berkshire, Selling your home, sellingwilliamstown | No Comments »

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