Buying and Selling Real Estate During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Thrive Owner/Broker Maribeth Lynch and Gary Kelley of RE/MAX Executive Realty discuss personal best practices for showing and listing real estate in Massachusetts during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Such uncertain times for so many of us. Real estate professionals have been trying to ascertain whether we are/are not essential workers. The answer is just as unclear. We at Thrive Real Estate believe it is our duty to serve our buyer and seller clients by providing them with updated information as well as offer our time and assistance. We have quite a few sellers who want to sell during this time. We support their decisions and have established a set of criteria under which we work. Here are a few of those guidelines:
1) Most showings are conducted by a Buyers Agent who will be escorting the potential buyer through the house. Our first best practice is to have a conversation with the agents to establish that the buyer is MOTIVATED and PRE APPROVED. During these unprecedented times, the last thing we want our seller to have to endure are “tire kickers”. So all of our showings are taking place with the understanding that the buyer can act to buy the house, can afford the house and has a pre approval letter in hand.
2) We are providing all the tools needed for the safety of anyone who enters the house. This means we have rubber gloves and sanitary wipes available to be used throughout the showing.
3) We are leaving lots of doors ajar so there is no need to manually open the door. It’s really all about using common sense. The “look don’t touch” mentality.
Despite the COVID19 outbreak, our office is BUSY. We are spending time answering questions about the real estate market and helping people plan ahead for their purchases or sales of their homes.
We have conducted virtual walk throughs of homes to help with staging and organizing. Most homes will need a bit of organizing/staging, we find most homes need about 2-4 weeks to be prepared to enter the market. We also need time to get our photographer in and also get any contractors in to complete the finishing touches.
We have quite a few homes under agreement and are working with our attorneys and support staff to ensure these homes have all they need to successfully close. The rules are changing daily with regard to home inspections, mortgage underwriting procedures, smoke detector inspections, appraisals and many other things. We are staying on top of the ever changing market and are happy to share what we know with anyone with questions.
Now is a GREAT time to consider selling or buying. But, you want to hire an experienced firm with local resources to help you be successful. We at Thrive Real Estate Specialists have the time and experience to make your home buying/selling experience pleasant!
Stay safe, stay distant and stay immersed in day-to-day activities that bring your joy and keep you occupied with positive thoughts!
THRIVE Real Estate Specialists in Shrewsbury Welcomes Shrewsbury Realtor Kay Sears
THRIVE Real Estate Specialists is pleased to announce Shrewsbury resident Kay Sears has joined the Thrive Team of Realtors
Kay Sears comes to Thrive Real Estate Specialists with years of experience helping families buy and sell real estate and many five star reviews from happy clients. Kay started her career as a family and child trauma therapist and teacher. Her experience is instrumental in her role as a Realtor® as her innate ability to read people and contribute a calming presence is indispensable to a professional level of client care. Kay is passionate about the fast-paced environment and endless education opportunities that the world of real estate offers. Whatever your real estate needs may be, Kay’s organization and calm demeanor will deliver legendary service and results!
“I am thrilled to join Maribeth and her team of real estate agents. Thrive’s approach of providing dedicated, personalized service to their clients aligns perfectly with my passion for providing thoughtful, caring representation to my buyers and sellers, states Ms. Sears. “I feel like Thrive is one big family that supports each other so when our clients hire one of us they get the whole family behind them.”
“Kay was a natural addition to our Thrive team because of her positive attitude, ability to manage the details but not sweat the small stuff and in particular, her commitment to be of service to her clients with honesty and integrity. Kay and I met while doing a few transactions together and we very quickly realized we had mutual admiration and respect for one another. We enjoy and cherish her wonderful ability to laugh while getting her job done! Welcome Kay, we know you are ready to Thrive,” states owner/broker Maribeth Lynch.
To learn more about Kay, visit: https://www.thriverealtors.com/real-estate-agents-shrewsbury-ma/kay-sears/
Thrive Real Estate Specialists Welcomes Grafton Realtor Ava Fantasia to their Team
Thrive Real Estate Specialists of Shrewsbury MA is pleased to announce Grafton resident Ava Fantasia will join their team of Realtors.
Ms. Fantasia brings more than 30 years of combined experience in banking, marketing, and real estate to the Thrive team along with her dedication to quality customer service and many connections in Worcester County. Ava’s passion for customer satisfaction is evident in every facet of her clients’ real estate transactions and drives her to produce positive outcomes for all.
“The decision to join Thrive Real Estate was an easy one. Owner Broker Maribeth Lynch’s real estate knowledge, commitment to her clients and integrity shines through. I knew this was the place I wanted to resume my real estate career,” states Ms. Fantasia.
“Ava approaches her work with the belief that owning real estate is a significant element in a person’s financial success and potential long-term happiness. Her history of facilitating the purchase and sale of single family, multi-family homes and land in Central Massachusetts has resulted in many long-standing client connections,” states Maribeth Lynch.
Ava and her husband Sal purchased their first home in Shrewsbury in 1983. They now live on a small farm in Grafton in a multi-generational household that includes her parents, three thoroughbred horses, and a Jack Russell terrier named Lulu.
To learn more about Ava, or to contact her, visit her Realtor Bio Page.
Shrewsbury MA Real Estate Market Update July 2018
Thrive Real Estate Specialists Owner/Broker Maribeth Lynch
gives Updates on the August 2018 Real Estate Market in Shrewsbury MA
The Shrewsbury real estate market is strong.
Compared to the prior year, we’ve seen housing sales increase by nearly 8%. And, average selling price is up by nearly 5% to $432k.
The number for days on market for those sales was very low – 60 days for the prior year, and a very similar 58 days for the past 12 months.
Inventory
What about inventory? It seems that after a long period of tight inventory, that we are starting to see a change, and the stats back that up: One year ago, there were 132 listings in the Shrewsbury market and today there are 1444 listing – about a 9% increase.
If we look more closely at inventory, we see that most of the increase in inventory really happened in the last 30 days because just one month ago, there were only 133 listings.
This modest increase in inventory might be a trend to pay close attention to.
Days on Market
One other interesting thing to keep an eye on is days on market. For houses that have sold over the past 30 days, the average days on market was only 36. So, desirable houses are moving. But if we look at inventory today (units not yet sold), the average days on market for those units is 80 days. So, you can see the importance of making your home desirable.
For fun, let’s take a look at the TOP and the BOTTOM of the market:
Bottom: 34 Oakland Avenue was a 2 bedroom / 1 bath home that sold in only 18 days for $175k.
Top: 437 Main Street is a 4 bedroom, 5 bath home that sold in 71 days for $1,850,000.
In summary, Shrewsbury is a strong market.Prices are increasing.
And although we may be seeing inventory start to tick up which is good for buyer selection, desirable homes are still moving fast.
That’s your Thrive Real Estate Market Report for Shrewsbury as of August 2018.
Happy end of summer and start of school year!!
THRIVE Real Estate Specialists in Shrewsbury to Celebrate Grand Opening of New Office
Thrive Real Estate Specialists of Shrewsbury MA will hold a grand opening of their new office located at 26 Maple Avenue on June 24, 2018 from 12-3pm. Thrive Real Estate Specialists recently moved their office from 11 Maple Avenue to 26 Maple Avenue in the center of Shrewsbury.
The Thrive team will be on hand and members of the Shrewsbury community, including representatives from the Board of Selectmen and Corridor Nine Chamber of Commerce will also take part in this informal celebration. This Grand Opening, which will be open to the public, coincides with the 3rd Annual Shrewsbury Food and Brew Festival being held at Avidia Bank located at 28 Maple Ave. Don’t forget to pick up some locally made goodies Thrive will have on hand. Jubilee Chocolates and Wicked Twisted Pretzels of Grafton will be there with some sweet and savory treats, as well as Lakeway Commons’ newest gelato cart Froze Zone. Plan to attend both events for double fun.
Thrive Real Estate Specialists is a real estate firm specializing in quality, personalized service with a boutique-style philosophy rather than a “one-size-fits-all” approach to real estate. They represent both Buyers and Sellers of homes for sale in Shrewsbury and Central/MetroWest areas of Massachusetts. Thrive was founded by long-time Shrewsbury resident and Realtor, Maribeth McCauley Lynch in 2014. After a successful 15+ year career with a large real estate franchise, Maribeth founded THRIVE Real Estate Specialists with the goal of providing a highly personalized and client centric experience for her clients. Her real estate agency has grown from a “one woman” shop to a team of eight Realtors from Shrewsbury and the surrounding area. She is actively involved in the Shrewsbury community and is proud to represent the Shrewsbury business community.
“Our mission is simple; deliver outstanding, individual and convenient services to all of our Clients. We want you to Thrive in your home, and we are committed to being your partner from the beginning to the end of your real estate transaction. Our business is 100% referral based, we are honored to receive many testimonials from our clients who often become lifelong friends,” states owner/broker Maribeth Lynch.
For more information, please visit thriverealtors.com or contact broker-owner Maribeth Lynch.
Map and Directions
Contact Information:
Maribeth Lynch
maribeth@thriverealtors.com
Thrive Real Estate Specialists
26 Maple Avenue
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
508-641-9323
website: https://www.thriverealtors.com
