It’s hard to believe summer is almost here again! Although the nice weather means more competition for home buyers, there are many benefits to buying a home in the summer months. Here are some of the top reasons why you should consider buying a home this summer.

More homes on the market. Summer is one of the most popular times to buy a home, and also one of the most popular times to sell a home, so there will be more properties to choose from. The larger inventory gives buyers more opportunity when it comes to selecting specific floor plans, amenities, and locations.

School is out. This means less interruption for the kids. Kids can more easily attend showings, giving each family member an opportunity to weigh in and approve the new home. Plus, they can start the new school year in their new home, rather than trying to uproot them when school is in session. Many parents know that moving and changing schools during the school year can be difficult for kids.

Weather is ideal. It’s easier to go home shopping and explore different neighborhoods when the weather is nice and the days are longer. Communities are typically more active during the summer months, which gives buyers a better perspective about potential neighbors. You’ll also get to see all of the landscaping in full bloom. Enjoy wearing your flip flops and shorts to showings, too!

It’s a great time to meet your neighbors. A wonderful way to get to know your neighbors is to have a summer housewarming party on your new deck or patio. You can fire up the grill, enjoy the sunshine, and play some yard games. The kids will be able to make some friends before the new school year starts.

Ultimately, the best time to buy a home really depends on your particular circumstances and goals. If you’re thinking about buying a home in the Greater Boston area, contact Barrett Sotheby’s International Realty or start your home search today!

Are you planning on downsizing your home for retirement? If so, you may some mixed feelings about it. Moving into a smaller home can be an exciting and emotional process. Here are a few tips to make things a little easier.

1. Stay positive. Look forward to all of the good things to come! You’ll be improving your lifestyle and your finances. You won’t have as much home maintenance or housework to do and your utility bills will be lower. You’ll have more time to enjoy the things you want to do, places you want to go, and people you want to see.   

2. Plan ahead. Take the time to carefully assess how much downsizing you really need to do. Visualize your new home, the floor plan, and the amount of space in it. Consider your budget, healthcare needs, and location. Where do you really want to live? Closer to attractions, amenities, family, friends, or all of the above? Planning ahead will make the transition easier for you and your loved ones.

3. Don’t rush. If you try to declutter or get rid of things too quickly, it can be overwhelming. Take your time and go through your home room by room and separate the items you want to keep. If there are things you haven’t worn or used for years, do you really need to keep them? Are you going to have room for these things in your new home? Now, it’s time to purge everything else. You can give the remaining things to family, friends, or charity, have a yard sale, or throw away.

If you would like to learn more about real estate opportunities in the Greater Boston area, contact Barrett Sotheby’s International Realty. We can help you find the right property for your needs.

Getting your Greater Boston home ready to sell? Here are some tips to prepare your home for an open house that will attract more buyers and increase your chances of selling quickly for a better price.

Clean the exterior. Pressure wash your home’s exterior to remove any bird droppings, grime, mold, and mildew. Clean rain gutters, windows, and screens.

Freshen up the lawn. Prune bushes, trim trees, clean walkways, and mow the lawn. Put some container plants on your patio for a pop of seasonal color.

Make the front door inviting. Add a fresh coat of paint to your front door and replace the front porch light if it’s outdated. If your house numbers are fading, paint or replace them. Consider buying a new welcome mat.

Scrub the inside. Make your bathrooms and kitchen sparkle. Clean everything in your home from the ceiling fans to the floors, including the baseboards - and don’t forget to clean the inside of the windows.

Eliminate clutter. Rent a storage unit, make a donation, or borrow space in a friend’s garage. Remember, a cluttered home can cost a sale.

Depersonalize. Remove any family photos, school artwork, or other personal effects. This is all about neutralizing your home decor so that buyers can easily see themselves moving in.

Get organized. Organize kitchen and bathroom drawers and cabinets. Straighten up your closets. You never know when a buyer is going to peek inside.

Stage your home. Rearrange furniture to make rooms appear larger. Repaint any wild colored walls a neutral color and display fresh towels in the bathroom and fresh linens on the bed. Open up the blinds and turn on the lights in every room to make it bright and cheerful.

If you have any questions about selling your home in the Greater Boston area, contact Barrett Sotheby’s International Realty. We look forward to sharing our expertise with you!

Complimentary Seminars

Please join us for one or more of our expert advice spring seminars. The sessions are free to the public and cover a wealth of information essential for those considering downsizing or planning to sell your home in the near future. The schedule for the seminars is below:

Register

Downsizing:

Gain valuable advice about how to refine the items you need to make a comfortable, beautiful lifestyle in less space. Learn the tips, tricks, and the resources to help you get the job done. This session is co-taught by Laurie Cadigan, President of Barrett Sotheby's International Realty, who personally went through the process and will share her advice and Marie Le Blanc of Transitions Liquidation Services who has a company dedicated to managing moves and ensuring a stress-free transition. Visit Marie's website.

Preparing Your Home for Sale:

You will learn to quickly and effectively clear clutter! Play up selling points through thoughtful furniture arrangement and accessorizing, and create room balance that will resonate with buyers.

Art and Antiques Appraisal:

Art and Antique expert Douglas Stinson of Carl W. Stinson Auctioneers and Appraisers (Established 1960), will be available to evaluate your treasures. A limit of three items per attendee, only from the following categories:

Fine art, works on paper, etchings, bronze and marble sculpture, prints, watercolors, folk art, Americana, China Trade objects, sterling silver flatware and hollowware, all manner of objet d’art, Chinese ceramics, bronze and jade Chinese objects. For larger items too difficult to transport including 18th and 19th century furniture through mid-century furniture, oriental carpets and other cumbersome items, please bring photographs along with dimensions on your phone or IPad.  

Feel free to contact Mr. Stinson directly with questions about the appropriateness of an object, or if you can’t make the event but are curious about an object that you have you will find his contact information on his website. Visit Doug's website.

All seminars are held in the following offices of Barrett Sotheby's International Realty:

Acton - 525 Massachusetts Avenue (978-263-1166)
Bedford - 49 the Great Road (781-275-1990)
Concord - 33 Walden Street (978-369-6453)
Lexington - 1688 Massachusetts Avenue (781-862-1700)
Lincoln - 152 Lincoln Road (781-259-4040)

Perfect for a company party, family party, or date night, Pinot’s Palette is the place to be! This colorful paint and sip spot (byob), encourages you to unleash your creativity in a fun group atmosphere, and bring home a finished painting that marks this truly memorable experience. Agent Samita Mandelia and business owner Reshma Katwa discuss the unique time Pinot’s Palette offers, and how it adds to Lexington’s vibrant community.

Visit Pinot's Palette at:
7A Meriam Street in Lexington, MA 02420
781-862-3200

Check out  their website  and be sure to Like them on facebook.
Check out this episode and all of the archives on our Close Up Series page

Follow along as we release new episodes on our social media pages:
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Twitter: @barrett_sir
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Whether you’re looking to enjoy the home you’re in or invest in a new one, these New Year’s resolutions for your home are a great way to start the New Year!

Minimize the Clutter

• Start your year off by giving everything in your home a place to live. Designate space and stick to it! If it does not have a home, evaluate if it’s really needed in your house and proceed accordingly!
• Label when necessary. This is especially helpful for kids once you set a designated area for each item. Shoes? We know where those go! Jackets? They’re in the coat closet. Laundry? You get the idea.
• While shopping in bulk may often be a time and money saver, if you don’t have the space for the item, save the peace of mind and keep only what you need on hand.

Maintain the Clean

• Spend 15 minutes each day speed cleaning! Take a break from social media or spend your commercial breaks wiping down the counters.
• Set daily, weekly, and monthly rules for yourself and others in your home. Daily tasks might include filling the dishwasher right after eating or wiping down the bathroom counter. Weekly rules might include vacuuming the carpets and changing the linens, while monthly cleaning might include checking the pantry for expired items.

Maximize the Safety

• Sometimes a New Year’s resolution doesn’t have to be an overarching goal. Making a to do list of all the items that have been piled up and making a goal to complete them all over the next year is a great resolution to set! This can span from fixing the squeaky hinges in your home to more safety-oriented things like cleaning out the vents and ducts behind your dryer.
• If you’re planning a renovation of any kind, be sure to do research into what new safety measures may apply to the job. For instance, adding ventilation to your bathrooms and attic can help prevent mold spores from developing.
• Doing a check for radon and confirming the carbon monoxide and fire detectors are working are also great things to do at the turn of the year for added safety.

Invest in Expertise

• If these tasks sound overwhelming, it’s always a great idea to invest in professionals to help you complete your goals.
• Looking to keep a squeaky-clean house? Invest in cleaning services.
• Adding, expanding, or repairing your home? Not everything needs to be DIY, so reach out to a professional.
• Looking to sell your home or buy a new one? We might be able to help with that!

The Concord Market is finally here! This one-stop shopping in Concord center is full of fantastic locally-sourced foods containing some of the highest quality ingredients. In episode 9 of our Close Up series, agent Lisa McLean and co-owner Elizabeth Akehurst-Moore show you this new staple in the community. Stop in soon for some delicious holiday items!

Stop into The Concord Market at 77 Lowell Road in Concord, or visit their website 
Check out this episode and all of the archives on our Close Up Series page

Follow along as we release new episodes on our social media pages:
Facebook: Barrett SIR
Twitter: @barrett_sir
Instagram: @barrettsothebys

It’s hard to believe winter is almost here again! Here are some easy and inexpensive ways to lower your heating bill this season.

Caulking

Caulk around the windows and check for any holes outside your home.

Weather Stripping

Replace weather stripping around the doors. If you can see light or feel a draft, it needs to be replaced.

Drapes & Rugs

Put drapes over the windows to help keep the heat in and the cold out. The heavier the drapes, the better. Rugs add a layer of insulation above the floor.

Water Heater

If you have an older hot water heater, put a cover on it to help it stay warm.

Fire Place

Close the flue to your fireplace when it’s not in use and make sure it closes all the way. If you don’t already have them, you may want to consider adding glass doors to help with insulation.

Furnace

Change your filter monthly during the cold weather season. Don’t make your furnace work harder than it has to!

Thermostat

Get a programmable thermostat so you can keep temperatures cooler when the house is empty and warmer when it’s occupied.

Recycle

Keep your bathroom door open when you shower so the heat can spread to other rooms. Leave the oven door open after you turn it off until it cools down so you can enjoy the added warmth.  

Questions about real estate opportunities in the Greater Boston area? Contact Barrett Sotheby’s International Realty!

2018 has been a brilliant year for gems. Sotheby’s jewelry auction sales this year have totaled a massive $403 million.

Sotheby’s fine jewel auction on December 4, 2018 featured collections with stunningly designed necklaces,  brooches, bracelets, and rings by powerhouse designers Van Cleef and Arpels, Harry  Winston, Cartier, and Bulgari. The diamond engagement ring that Frank Sinatra proposed to Barbara by slipping it in to her glass of champagne was sold after intense bidding for just shy of $1.7 million. The ”Lady Blue Eyes” diamond will twinkle on for its new owner. Cheers!

The “Magnificent Jewels” and “Storied Provenance & Iconic Design” Auctions at Sotheby’s in New York totaled $46.4 million in sales. In addition to the Sinatra jewelry collection, important jewels from other well-known collectors were also auctioned. Of note was a flawless Harry Winston diamond which sold for $4 million. 

There is still time to own a piece of the “Ol’ Blue Eyes” collection. Art work, jewelry, and collectibles owned and collected by the Sinatras will be available by on-line auction. Included in the sale are paintings by recognized artists as well as a number of abstract paintings by Sinatra himself. 

Contributing to this year’s superlative results in jewelry sales was the Marie Antoinette collection of precious jewelry. Personal and important jewels and gems not seen by the public for over two centuries were presented for by Sotheby’s Geneva. The most notable item being the exceptional, natural pearl and diamond pendant which Marie Antoinette wore on her three strand pearl necklace. The lot garnered over $36 million CHF.

While many of the fine art, jewelry and collectibles offered at auction may be too pricey for the average consumer, it still is a pleasure to “window shop”. Collections give us insight into what was appealing and coveted by their owners Sinatra’s collection is worth a look, you may learn something about Ol’ Blue Eyes that may surprise you. He was a singer and a painter and of course “he did it his way”.