Photographs by Steve Dunwell, Diane Anton, Frank Byrne Boston Magazine March 2014

Two of the Greater Boston towns where Barrett Sotheby's International Realty has offices made Boston Magazine's 2014 list of "Best Places to Live." With analysis of more than 150 neighborhoods and towns in and around Boston, the magazine highlights the "best places for buyers at various life stages". Boston Magazine has built a tradition of publishing themed issues of its monthly magazine throughout the course of each year. With a detailed focus on particular topics, the magazine's writers research categories and present "Best Schools", "Best Restaurants", "Best Places to Live" and more.

Lincoln, Massachusetts was named the best place for "Power Couples" who are defined as those who "crave a swanky refuge close to the action, yet also long for a respite from the social whirl". Click below to see all homes currently for sale in Lincoln.

Carlisle, Massachusetts ranks highly for those with a "Growing Family", defined as "The kids need a dedicated playroom. You need a big kitchen—and you've earned that master suite with the fireplace and walk-in closet. Click below to see all homes currently for sale in Carlisle.

Let Barrett Sotheby's International Realty help find your next home for sale in Massachusetts that is just right for whatever life stage you happen to be in.

Barrett Sotheby's International Realty is pleased to welcome veteran Realtor and Lincoln, Massachusetts resident, Terry Perlmutter. Terry has over 15 years of experience as a top-producing real estate agent, representing both buyers and sellers. Clients appreciate Terry's technical expertise and breadth of knowledge in the buying and selling [...]

Barrett Sotheby's International Realty is pleased to announce that the company has been named to the 12th annual list of Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts by The Commonwealth Institute, a Boston-based nonprofit devoted to aiding women in business. Since 2002, the institute has compiled an annual list of for-profit women-led [...]

Barrett Sotheby's International Realty is pleased to announce the addition of another Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR) award to their portfolio. Awarded during MAR's 2013 Realtor of the Year dinner, Barrett Sotheby's International Realty took home the newest award "Technology Contest: Social Media [...]

Fall is almost officially upon us with the month of September ushering in familiar crisp and cool mornings and the school year in full swing. And with this we all come to the realization that NOW is the time to get out and enjoy the last few warm afternoons that are left. Living in the Greater Boston area, there are lots of places and great activities to do just that. One such activity, suitable for all, is the Minuteman Bikeway.

Stretching from Bedford to Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Minuteman Bikeway, named the 6th best urban bike path in the U.S. by USA Today, makes for the perfect afternoon getaway, whether it's a quick walk or bike ride or traveling the full 10 miles from end-to-end, there's plenty to see and do on the way. One great stop is the center of Historic Lexington. With numerous shops and restaurants, it can prove to be a great stop for lunch or a just quick snack or to walk around and take in the historic sites.

Another great spot to stop and take a quick break or to have a nice picnic is Arlington's Great Meadow. Located right off the path, with multiple entry points, the views and wildlife offer a serene and calm setting. From the meadow, it's only a few miles to Arlington Center, which is located right near the corner of Mystic Avenue and Mass Ave. From shops to restaurants to the Arlington Center for the Arts, there is plenty to do.

From there, the last stretch of the bike trail leads into Cambridge's Alewife Station. However, before getting to Alewife there is another small park just after heading out of the center of Arlington. Spy Pond Park is yet another place to stop for a little rest with a fantastic view. Overlooking Spy Pond, onlookers can sit on a park bench and just watch the breaking waves juxtaposed with the fast paced traffic on Route 2 off in the distance. Once getting into Alewife Station, one can either turn back and head whence they came or continue their travel into the city of Boston either by the "T" or another bike trail. Either way, even a small trip on the bike trail can make for a great day.

Just about impossible to believe that August is almost over. And for many folks Labor Day signals the unofficial end of summer, although the seasons don't officially change until the autumnal equinox on September 22. Since we're not ready to give up summer, we're sharing one of our favorite Pinterest boards [...]

Recently Barrett Sotheby's International Realty Owner and CEO Laurie Cadigan and staff members Linda Fabrizio, Administrator; Diane Gilson, Advertising Director; and Sue Leone, Office Manager participated in an orientation conference held for companies that have recently joined the Sotheby's International Realty^® network of residential real estate brokerages.

Philip White, President and CEO, Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC said, "Our luxury network helps connect the finest independent real estate companies to the most prestigious clientele in the world. Our orientation program helps our network's brokers effectively use the exclusive line of Sotheby's International Realty products to better serve their clients' needs."

The orientation conference included business meetings in Short Hills, NJ, highlighting the exclusive Sotheby's International Realty marketing, advertising and referral services that are designed to attract well-qualified buyers to Barrett SIR's property listings. In addition, a networking event at the Sotheby's Auction House in New York City emphasized the unique ability to refer real estate clientele to the auction house for appraisal services for jewelry, art, antique furniture and collectibles.

"Our visit to the Sotheby's Auction House and Real Estate Center in Manhattan highlighted the opportunity we have to target our marketing to a coveted audience worldwide," said Laurie Cadigan.

The meteorologists describe a "heat wave" as "a prolonged period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity". Here in New England we are in the midst of our third heat wave of the summer.

And whether you love the heat or hate it, nothing sounds better than a cool, refreshing dip in a soothing aquamarine-colored swimming pool. Since we can't actually give you a pool to dive into to cool off, how about taking a look at some of the stunning images we have collected on one of our favorite Pinterest boards "Making a Splash" for a little imaginative plunge.

"I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I spend four hours a day at least—and it is commonly more than that—sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements." Henry David Thoreau, Walking

Concord, Massachusetts is known for many things, most notably for being at the heart of the American Revolution, but there is more to the quaint New England town than just that. Concord is also home to American Bloomsbury, a group of writers, philosophers, and revolutionists; two members of which were the Fathers of the Transcendental movement of the 19^th century: Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.

Both authors, spanning their writing careers, produced some of the most influential American Literature that is still studied in university courses today. In Emerson's famous essay "Nature" he proclaims "a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society" and that "When I behold a rich landscape, it is less to my purpose to recite correctly the order and superposition of the strata, than to know why all thought of multitude is lost in a tranquil sense of unity." Much like many of his essays, as with Thoreau's, the focal point lies in reconnecting the human spirit with nature. To do this, both Emerson and Thoreau would spend hours wandering the uncharted woods of Concord forging their own paths. Thanks to a recent project undertaken by the Town of Concord, the Trails Committee, the Emerson family, the Mill Brook Task Force, and many volunteers, one known path has been restored for all to enjoy.

On Friday, June 14, 2013, a grand opening was held for the newly finished Emerson-Thoreau Amble that begins at Heywood Meadow and stretches to the location where Thoreau's cabin was sited at Walden Pond. Curving and cutting through woods, wetlands, and fields, the Amble follows the same path both famous authors frequented, sometimes together, with notable points of interest along the way, including the recently refurbished Gun House, Emerson's House, and the Concord Museum, just to name a few.

Although the path has already been forged, the Amble still has a certain allure. With each step forward one is thrust backwards into the time of Emerson and Thoreau, when walking wasn't for fitness, but for leisure and a way to find oneself among nature. Keeping in mind how times have changed, how in the current epoch people have information at the tips of their fingers, this path can hopefully serve as a way for us to return to our roots. To once again, take an intrinsic act and walk, not into the future, but into oneself.

"'A picture is worth a thousand words.' refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image. It also aptly characterizes one of the main goals of visualization, namely making it possible to absorb large amounts of data quickly," according to Wikipedia. The phrase, in various forms, first appeared in print [...]