Tuesday, November 24, 2009

The Great Circle of Real Estate


I am so happy to have represented my sellers in the sale of their home on 55 Burnt Hill Road in Tremont, Maine. That was by far the most showed listing I have ever had. The home ended up selling for $197,000 a great deal for the new first time buyers, and a good return on a 2nd home/vacation home for my sellers. The best part is, I had the pleasure of working with these clients when they bought their "real" vacation home here on MDI earlier this Summer. What a treat to work with them as both a buyer and a seller. I LOVE when that happens!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Dreaming of your own place in Bar Harbor, Maine?

45 Prospect Avenue, Bar Harbor.

This JUST came on the market today, for $275,000.
In-town four bedroom home with many updates PLUS additional 600 +/- sq ft guest house/office/studio. Large deck overlooking the backyard and stream perfect for bbq-ing and hanging out. Updated kitchen, new roof, hardwood floors and tile make this an easy choice. Just minutes to town and hiking/biking/carriage trails of Acadia National Park. In the past the owner has rented the property out by the month seasonally for $3000/month. Maybe it is time to buy this as an investment property until you can move here full time.....so many things to think about.

Offered by Erica Bates, The Swan Agency Sotheby's International Realty 207.288.5818 ext 18 or http://www.swanagency.com/

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

afternoon antipasto

Friend and colleague, Dana Moos, took this shot and I found it on Flickr...mouth watering. This is my dream "meal" and many of you think, meal? Dana and I have often joked that we could survive on the items in this photo, with wine of course. At this time of year, as the holidays approach, food brings family together (and thankfully wine too). I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year, although my sister, bro-in-law, and cutie niece will not be there - overall it will be a great holiday spent with family over delicious food (oh, and did I mention the wine?.....)

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Maintenance free living!?!

Winter is upon us, which means shoveling/plowing and de-icing. Wouldn't it be fabulous to know you never had to worry about that?! This is a great 3 bedroom, 3 bath oceanfront condo in Stockton Springs. I admit, I was not aware of how close Stockton Springs was to Bar Harbor/Bangor/Camden/Rockport. It is a great location in the heart of mid-coast Maine, only about 30-45 minutes to all the above destinations.
This newly built end unit is light and bright and very efficient - another huge plus. Priced aggressively at $350,000 this is a must see.

12 Spinnaker Lane, Stockton Springs.
Offered by Erica Bates, The Swan Agency Sotheby's International Realty - 207-288-5818

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

First Time Buyer Tax Credit EXTENDED

I am so happy to have represented another first time buyer!! It is so amazing seeing the joy on a new homeowners face when they actually get through piles of paperwork and are officially a HOMEOWNER! I recently represented a buyer who thought it might not be a reality to own a home - and I was so proud that they made it through all the inspections and bank appointments to find at the end of the tunnel there was their new home.

Sometimes I really do forget how rewarding my job can be (I feel like I need that after some of the roller coaster deals that fall through though, ha). How lucky are we to live in a country that encourages home ownership (especially right now w/ the help of the 1st time buyer tax credit). I was at another closing recently when my buyer (after signing pounds of paperwork) said "somehow I think it was easier when we all just staked our claim w/ a flag in the ground." Of course I envisioned the Wild West and people running for their "claim" yikes - I guess those would have been the days...

To get back to my subject line (oh yes I struggle with focus), some great news for those 1st time buyers who haven't found the right house yet - the tax credit has been extended through April 30, 2010. There are still some GREAT buys out there, so let's go looking?!!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Listing presentations...



I am so excited to be working on one of my favorite things: Listing Presentations!!
I'm currently working on 3 and they are all very different properties, so I'm in the process of tailoring them all. Working for a Sotheby's International Realty affiliate is so fabulous, but even more so when working on behind the scenes details for things like listing/marketing presentations. The company offers so many tools and templates that it really does make my job much easier in terms of streamlining, which of course allows me extra time to be out in the field representing buyers/sellers or furthering my continuing education. In fact, Sotheby's International Realty offers so many different marketing tools, I think I should spend some time on their member site to make sure I'm not missing anything.