Did you know the ‘spring’ real estate market has nothing to do with the weather?? People have waited out the holidays and now they are ready to sell – snow or no snow!
Our recent listing sold in just 2 days! Just take a look at the listings we have coming soon!
Buyers, it’s time to spring into action – contact us today and we can help you put roots down in a home you’ll love!
If we take a look back at 2019 real estate in the Arlington area, you could say the unprecedented property values, bidding wars and lack of inventory of previous year has eased up. But in no way has the real estate market eased off in terms of strength and competitiveness.
A loosening of inventory has given buyers a little more breathing room and perhaps fewer bidding wars. But with average sales prices still above asking and demand still strong, sellers are still experiencing the benefit of high home values.
As always, our proximity to some of the best universities and hospitals in the country, strong employment in high-tech and biotech, and access to the city via public transportation and bikeways makes Arlington and many of the surrounding towns an ever-popular choice for homebuyers.
We are entering the year 2020 with many changes upon us – an election year, economic and social changes at the forefront, and probably will be for some time. There is never a ‘perfect time’ to buy or sell a home, the best time to buy or sell a home is when it’s best for you.
If you’re thinking about buying or selling in 2020, contact us, and together we can prepare a plan that works for you in the current market.
In the meantime, take a look at some interesting trends in 2019 Arlington real estate:
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*Source: MLS: 1/1/2018 - 12/31/2018 & 1/1/2019 - 12/31/2019
**Source: MLS: 1/1/2019 - 12/31/2019
On Saturday, December 7th, Steve McKenna & The Home Advantage Team hosted ‘Charity Saturday,’ which paired a local business with a local charity to both drive business and raise money for a number of important programs in town.
It proved to be a huge success for businesses and charities alike! There was a fantastic turnout at all locations and many people were excited about the opportunity to support their local businesses and charities. Because of the overwhelming participation, the team met its goals to present each charity a check for $2,000, for a total of $10,000 in donations.
We would like to thank the businesses that participated, and the people of Arlington who came out to support the community and so many great causes We look forward to another great event next year!
Jimmy's Steer House: $2,000 in donations to Arlington Eats
Sports Etc.: $2000 in donations to The Children’s Room
Mass Hole Donuts: $2000 in donations to Arlington Fuel Assistance
Gail Ann's Coffee: $2000 in donations to Fidelity House
Annual Christmas Tree Sale: $2000 in donations to Arlington Boys & Girls Club
Sometimes it's best to let others do the talking for you, and that's exactly what we're doing here. A happy client of Tracy Wallace was so pleased with the outcome of their home search and experience in working with Tracy, they had to speak up and say:
"We worked with Tracy Wallace from March 2019 through August 2019. Tracy provided us the highest quality service throughout our journey in finding a new home. She demonstrated years of experience with both buyers and sellers. There were several examples where her predictions were spot on, for example, with ask vs. offer pricing. She has street smarts, keen intuition, and social graces dealing with all sorts of personalities (simply put, she’s cool).
She knows when to engage, when to push, and when to step back and give space. She has a knack for all things home development and has an eagle eye for pointing out areas of possible concern, explaining where/why there could be a need for a fix, update, or potential larger looming issue. We looked in Arlington, Acton, Natick, and Wayland. Tracy did her homework on all of these communities and provided niche neighborhood info. She really wanted to be sure we had our eyes wide open with any offer we made, balancing all factors, and whether we really loved the house.
Tracy helped us see each home from both the seller and buyer perspective. She was proactive in making sure we anticipated what we would or could be up against with our offers, and counter offers (we bought during a sellers’ market with a ton of competition). During the purchase transaction, Tracy was on top of all the details, and helped guide us through the legal/financial process with ease. She was always 1000% our advocate, with our best interest in mind. We ended up in Arlington Heights, and 4 months later we really do LOVE our home!
My lasting impressions of Tracy is that she is a gem, and any buyer or seller is lucky to have her as a partner.
We took a snapshot of November home sales for single-family, condo, and multi-family properties in Medford for both 2018 and 2019, and here’s what the data reveals:
Home sales for single-families and condos dipped slightly in 2019 as compared to 2018 but multi-families saw a slight increase.
Across the board, single-families, condos and multi-families stayed on the market a bit longer, giving home buyers a little more breathing room. Condos saw the biggest jump in days on market from 2018 to 2019. It’s interesting that multi-families stayed on the market longer, whereas in Arlington the supply of multi-families was lower and they sold quicker.
Even though the number of listings was generally down and properties sat longer, average sale prices went up in 2019 vs. 2018.
Demand for properties in Medford remains strong and value continue to rise which is great news for home sellers. If you’re looking to buy in Medford, you’ll be pleased to know that inventory is slightly up and properties are staying on the market a little longer.
If you would like additional information, or if you would like to know more about buying or selling a home in Medford, contact us today.
Here is a snapshot view of the data above:
2018 MEDFORD
Single Family Sold Listings: 26 Avg. DOM: 29.96 Avg. Sale $: $641,715
Condominium Sold Listings: 20 Avg. DOM: 39.1 Avg. Sale $: $548,970
Multi Family Sold Listings: 7 Avg. DOM: 20.14 Avg. Sale $: $845,500
2019 MEDFORD
Single Family Sold Listings: 23 Avg. DOM: 35.17 Avg. Avg. Sale $: $679,087
Condominium Sold Listings: 16 Avg. DOM: 53.75 Avg. Sale $: $603,806
Multi Family Sold Listings: 9 Avg. DOM: 28.78 Avg. Sale $: $875,333
The holiday season most certainly has an impact on the real estate market. This isn’t new, but how does the start of one holiday season compare to another?
We took a snapshot of November home sales for single-family, condo, and multi-families in Arlington for both 2018 and 2019, and here’s what the data reveals:
You’ll notice that the number of single-families and condos sold for 2018 and 2019 stayed fairly steady without much variation. The number of multi-families sold dipped from 7 in 2018 to just 2 in 2019 (note the number of multi-family sales declined in October 2019 vs. October 2018 as well). It will be interesting to see where this trend goes over the next few months.
Single-families are selling a bit quicker in November 2019 vs. November 2018, and condos are relatively steady comparatively. Multi-families have seen a somewhat significant drop in days on market. This is consistent with our October comparison as multi-families continue to be scarce and sell quickly.
Average sale price of single-families was slightly down, and condos slightly up. Coming in just a bit higher in 2019 than 2018 ($3,286 to be exact), the multi-family average sale price is up as well.
Overall, not a ton of fluctuation in November 2019 vs. November 2018, but the star of the market right now seems to be the multi-family which is in demand, selling quickly and at a higher price in November 2019 than November 2018.
*Here is the above data in a snapshot view:
2019 ARLINGTON
Single Family Sold Listings: 26 Avg. DOM: 27.23 Avg. Sale $: $894,346
Condominium Sold Listings: 24 Avg. DOM: 16.96 Avg. Sale $: $537,204
Multi Family Sold Listings: 7 Avg. DOM: 50 Avg. Sale $: $889,214
2019 ARLINGTON
Single Family Sold Listings: 24 Avg. DOM: 20.63 Avg. Sale $: $798,562
Condominium Sold Listings: 24 Avg. DOM: 18.08 13 Avg. Sale $: $607,734
Multi Family Sold Listings: 2 Avg. DOM: 29.5 Avg. Avg. Sale $: $892,500
Steve McKenna & The Home Advantage Team announced, ‘Charity Saturday,’ which pairs a local business with a local charity to both drive business and raise money for a number of important programs in town.
As a local REALTOR® in Arlington for more than 30 years, Steve and the Team are always looking to give back to the place where so many of their clients, business partners, friends and family call home.
“This is a great opportunity to bring together many different facets of the community for a great cause,” said Steve McKenna of The Home Advantage Team. “We are proud to facilitate this event and we encourage everyone to get out and not only shop local, but give local, too.”
On December 7th, or ‘Charity Saturday,' The Home Advantage Team will make a donation for every customer that makes a purchase at the following locations, for the following charities:
Jimmy's Steer House: Donations go to Arlington EATS (up to $2,000)
Arlington Eats - Arlington EATS ensures that the over 500 local students who receive free and reduced price lunch (FRL) when school is in session still have access to healthy meals when school is not in session.
Sports Etc.: Donations go to the Children's Room (up to $2,000)
The Children’s Room – The Children’s Room creates safe, supportive communities so that no child, teen or family has to grieve alone. They offer peer support groups at their main center in Arlington, in schools, and at community-based organizations.
Mass Hole Donuts: Donations go to Arlington Fuel Assistance (up to $2,000)
Arlington Fuel Assistance - The Town of Arlington Heating Assistance Program has been helping Arlington families with home heating emergencies for many years thanks to the generous donations from local businesses and residents.
Gail Ann's Coffee: Donations go to Fidelity House (up to $2,000)
Fidelity House - Fidelity House is a non-profit community center, which has been serving the needs of Arlington and surrounding communities for the past 63 years.
Annual Christmas Tree Sale: Donations go to Arlington Boys & Girls Club (up to $2,000)
Arlington Boys & Girls Club - The mission of the Arlington Boys & Girls Club is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from challenging circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive responsible and caring citizens.
The goal is to encourage more people to shop local and in doing so, raise money for local charities. Steve McKenna & The Home Advantage Team are aiming to raise and donate $10,000 in total.
"Arlington EATS is excited to participate in this new event that supports so many local organizations,” said Andi Doane, Executive Director at Arlington EATS. “It's a great way to bring the community together to help others on so many different levels. We are looking forward to a great turnout throughout the town on Saturday, December 7th."
“We are happy to work with The Home Advantage Team to support Arlington EATS and the Arlington community with this event," said Michael Mooney, Dining Room Manager at Jimmy's Steer House. "We hope to see many of our friends and neighbors come out and contribute to a great cause for the holidays."
Please consider stopping by one of these locations on Saturday, December 7th and share in the holiday spirit of giving back to our community. Together we can make a difference. Happy Holidays!
Our clients had a chance to kick back, relax, let it go and enjoy the show! We had a great morning on Saturday at a private showing of Frozen II at Assembly Row in Somerville. Our favorite Elsa’s and Anna’s came out to enjoy this special event hosted by Steve McKenna & The Home Advantage Team. Many thanks to all who came!
Thinking of buying or selling a home soon? Don’t stress – let it go and put your home in our hands!
**Disclaimer: We understand this is not everybody’s path. Not everyone goes to college, chooses to live in the city, gets a dog or starts a family.
But, based on our observations and working with hundreds (and hundreds) of home buyers, we know that there are many who do follow this Boston-to-the-Burbs route.
And speaking from personal experience, I could be a poster child for this pilgrimage – throw in a relocation (twice), swap out a cat for the dog and I think we covered all the bases.
So, here's the drill that we see time and again, from the top –
You may fight it. You may embrace it. You may choose no part of it. But if and when you’re ready to make the move from Boston, Southie, Cambridge or Somerville to the Burbs, contact us. We’ve helped people just like you (and every variation of ‘you’ there is) to find their dream home, in their dream town (minivan not included).
In just a few steps, Tracy & Miles can guide you through the home-buying process so you can determine if buying a home is right for you.
Stay out of the dog house!
Contact Tracy Wallace Serabian
Cell: 617-686-9750
Direct: 781-645-0516
Email: Tracy@YourHomeForSale.com
