One client in particular that has become a great friend is Jeremy Shaw and his wife Jody.  Jeremy contacted me because he was relocating to Massachusetts from Georgia and had only a few days to find a home here…and he would have to make the big decision of finding a home on his own, as Jody was at home with their three adorable children.   It was a hectic couple of days; showing him as many homes as possible in his price range and helping him become educated on the Massachusetts real estate market .  Luckily we found a great home that was a good fit.    I know they loved their home in Georgia (they rode golf carts around town!! how fun does that sound?!?!), so making sure they would love Massachusetts just as much was a big challenge for me.  I am still not sure if they like the cold weather or the snow in October, but I do think they were happy overall! I was so pleased when Jody arrived on the closing day (and aside from a few hiccups along the way), she seemed to really love the house.

Since then, they have become great friends of mine.  They’ve introduced me to a wonderful church in Hopkinton that I was not familiar with, and I was so happy to find (as I had been searching for one that felt comfortable and welcoming to me).     And I’ve also learned that Jeremy is quite a talented musician.  His music is incredibly touching, and you can see that he writes from the heart.    While I normally share information on the real estate market on this blog, today I decided that I’d like to share some great music with you….  Please visit  www.jeremyshawmusic.com and listen to some of his songs and read the stories behind them.   I think you’ll enjoy it as much as I have!

~Nikki

I was so happy to find out this morning that two of my listings, 40 Cudworth Lane in Sudbury and 61 Kettle Hole Road in Bolton are being featured in the Wall Street Journal Online today!!  

This is exciting because many buyers for our high-end homes come from all over the country, and are avid readers of the Wall Street Journal Online!

Sotheby’s International Realty has an exclusive partnership with the Wall Street Journal through “The Business of Extraordinary Living” microsite.  This microsite allows us to position not only the Sotheby’s International Realty brand, but also our listings front and center to more than 40 million visitors each month!  And with an 89% increase of international traffic to their website*, our relationship with WSJ provides yet another matchless, superior opportunity to market your home globally!

If you’re interested in learning more, please contact me directly at 617-276-5247 or via email at Nikki.Devaux@SothebysRealty.com

~Nikki

Nikki Devaux
Realtor, ABR
Hallmark | Sotheby’s International Realty
(p) 617.276.5247
nikki.devaux@sothebysrealty.com
www.nikkidevaux.com

I hope you all had a great holiday, and are looking forward to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012! I know I am!! I have a good feeling about this new year ahead.  I have personally seen the real estate market here in the metrowest region of Massachusetts going steadily in the right direction, and my business has grown very nicely year to year.  I am lucky to be blessed with so many amazing clients, and many of them have become my good friends!

My goal for 2012 is not only to sell more real estate, but to continue to offer more services to my clients that improve the home buying and selling process.  For many people, they enter into a real estate transaction expecting that it will be difficult…and that is so terrible! I want people who work with me to know that the process can actually be enjoyable (especially the buying process!) and that I will always work hard to make the selling process as calm and stress-free as possible.

One of my first goals of the year was to update my website to include a more clean & modern look, lots and lots of Market Data, an Equestrian section,  profiles of each town and improved Property Search capabilities (that you don’t have to sign up to use).

I am open to suggestions on how I can continue to improve both my website, and my customer service, for my clients. 

Please comment below! A $25 Lowes Gift Card will be given to a random winner who comments below on January 10th 2012. 

Happy Holidays!!!
~Nikki

Nikki Devaux
Hallmark Sotheby’s International Realty
617-276-5247

It’s important to think about resale value when you build new construction, especially when you’re adding in hundreds of thousands of dollars in extras.  Here’s a great article about things to think about when making high-end upgrades to a home.   It’s important to remember that you may not profit when you sell the home (in today’s market) if you put an extensive amount of upgrades into a home.  For example, if you purchase a home for $850k, which may be very close to market value for comparable homes in the area, and then you add in $150k in upgrades….unless the market greatly increases, you’ll most likely not be able to sell that same home for over $1 million dollars.  More likely, you’d be reselling it in the low $900k range depending upon the market in the town you live in, and how much value the upgrades actually added.

I usually suggest that my clients find a “slightly lived in home” versus new construction, so that they can get as much value as possible for their money.  Of course, each situation is different, and I’d be happy to talk to you about your home ownership goals.  I can be reached at 617-276-5247 or via email at Nikki.Devaux@SothebysRealty.com

Have a great day!
~Nikki

Wednesday, the Federal Reserve released the minutes from its 2-day meeting September 20-21, 2011.

The release shows a divided Fed in disagreement about the current U.S. monetary policy. The group reached compromise for new economic stimulus, however, and maintained its commitment to accommodative interest rates.

Wall Street reacted tepidly to the minutes. Mortgage rates in Hopkinton worsened slightly post-release.

The Fed Minutes gets less press than the FOMC’s post-meeting press release, but it’s every bit as important. Because it details the conversations that take place among voting and non-voting Fed members at FOMC meetings, the Fed Minutes is an inside-look at the debates and discussion that lead to new monetary policy.

As examples, here are some of the topics covered at the September FOMC meeting :

• On growth : Economic growth was slow, but “did not suggest a contraction”
• On housing : The market continues to be “depressed by weak demand”
• On rates : The Fed Funds Rate will remain low until mid-2013

Then, with Fed members divided on whether the central bank should add new stimulus, it reached a compromise instead, launching the $400 billion “Operation Twist” program. Operation Twist is meant to lower longer-term interest rates, including mortgage rates.

Since Operation Twist began, mortgage rates are higher by nearly 0.375%.

Also noteworthy within the Fed Minutes was concern for an economic slowdown and how the Federal Reserve may react. According to the record, a slowdown may prompt the Fed to introduce its third round of qualitative easing, or QE3. An out-sized stimulus plan would likely lead rates higher.

Nothing will happen until the Fed’s next meeting, however. Chairman Ben Bernanke & Co meet next November 1-2 for a 2-day meeting..

I am honored to help my clients Brian & Leanda raise money for St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  This amazing hospital is unlike any other and is where research & patient care meet under one roof, allowing some of the most gifted doctors in the country to research & treat childhood cancers.  Thanks to St.Jude, today’s survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer is 94 percent.  In 1962, the survival rate was only 4%.   The cost of operating St.Jude is $1.7 million, DAILY.  This is primarily covered by public contributions, and 81 cents for every dollar raised has supported research and treatment directly.

I ask that you take a moment to read about Jordyn Boucher, a young girl who I know is loved dearly.  And if you can, please make a donation in her honor.  Even just a few dollars will add up! No donation is too small. 

Here is the amazing story of Jordyn Boucher….

Jordyn was just 15 months old when she was first diagnosed with leukemia.  Jordyn had a special kind of leukemia making it difficult to treat. After receiving chemotherapy and radiation her cancer went into remission for 3+ years.  As life reached near normalcy Jordyn relapsed in 2006 when she received a bone marrow transplant.  Jordyn responded to the transplant very well went into full remission in early 2007.

On Labor Day 2009 Jordyn relapsed again. This time her the leukemia resisted the 2 months of high dose treatments which resulted in her doctors telling her parents: “Jordyn’s marrow is packed with leukemia…there is nothing we can do”.

In November of 2009 Jordyn went home packed with leukemia, no immune system and with no hope.

It wasn’t until Jordyn’s parents, Tracey Sukduang and Brian Boucher, saw several St. Jude commercials during the Thanks and Giving Campaign which pointed them toward a transplant procedure only done at St. Jude.

Because St. Jude’s research goes far beyond traditional therapies a doctor at St. Jude developed a procedure that was specifically aimed at the unique type of leukemia Jordyn had.

With her father as her donor Jordyn received a new set of cells on the New Year 2010.  Her body responded very well and in April 2010 tests showed no signs of cancer.

Today, Jordyn is a happy, spirited, healthy ten year old girl because of the generosity of those who give St. Jude the resources to develop a cure for Jordyn.

By participating in the St. Jude Give thanks. Walk. we are giving hope to the future children of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Please join us by participating in this year’s walk, donating and raising support and awareness for this special place.

Thank you,

The Jordynaires Team

The government is confirming what the private sector has already shown —  home values are on the rise.

The Federal Home Finance Agency’s Home Price Index shows home values rose 0.8% in July.

July marks the fourth straight month that home values climbed and the FHFA’s Home Price Index is the latest in a series of “rising home values” reports — an encouraging trend for buyers and sellers in Massachusetts and nationwide.

Last week, the S&P Case-Shiller Index showed home value up nearly 1 percent in July. CoreLogic reached a similar conclusion.

Nationwide, values are back to their highest levels since November 2010. Clearly, the housing market in Massachusetts is moving in the right direction. Or is it?

Although the data from the government and from private firms such as CoreLogic is encouraging, it’s also flawed. As such, we have to be careful about the conclusions we draw from the data.

The flaws of Home Price Index are glaring :

1. Only homes backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac are included in the index. In today’s market, because of the FHA’s popularity, that leaves 1 of 3 homes “uncounted”.
2. Only home resales are counted. New home sales are omitted entirely.
3. The data comes with a 60-day delay. The October market is different from July’s.

Despite these shortcomings, however, the Home Price Index remains relevant. It’s among the most through home valuation models and it’s often used by economists and policy-makers.

When the Home Price Index is rising, Wall Street and Capitol Hill take notice. For local homeowners, however, the data may not be as important.  To get up to date data on your town, email me at nikki.devaux@sothebysrealty.com

Since peaking in April 2007, the FHFA’s Home Price Index is off 17.6 percent.

Real Estate is local, and if you’d like a complimentary market analysis of your home, email or call me and we can schedule a time to meet.
Nikki.Devaux@SothebysRealty.com or 617-276-5247

~Nikki

Nikki Devaux
Hallmark Sothebys International Realty

Sudbury’s median sales price in Jan-June of 2005 was $656,900 and in the same months in 2001 that price has increased 3% to $674,900.  

Other Massachusetts towns that made the list were:

Harvard :      Jan-June 2005: $566,500  Jan-June 2011: $607,500
Hopkinton:  Jan-June 2005: $545,000  Jan-June 2011: $577,500
Stow:              Jan-June 2005: $443,750  Jan-June 2011: $460,000

As you can see, real estate is truly local.  No matter how you spin the numbers, I think it would be challenging if not impossible to see this growth in many parts of the country.   I suggest you read the article for yourself, and please comment below and let me know your thoughts!

 ~Nikki Devaux~
Hallmark Sothebys International Realty
cell: 617-276-5247
Nikki.Devaux@SothebysRealty.com

How healthy is the air in your home?

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a common class of airborne toxins known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) is ruining indoor air quality, and causing some U.S. homeowners to become dizzy, asthmatic, and ill.

VOCs are gases emitted by certain, common household products, including paint and paint strippers, cleaning supplies, and copiers and printers — even when the aforementioned products aren’t in use. You can find VOCs “everywhere” because organic chemical compounds have become essential in everyday life.

VOCs are what give cars that “new car smell”. They’re also the cause of “Sick Building Syndrome“.

As a homeowner , VOCs in your home can make you sick. Therefore, the EPA advises homeowners to take the following steps to reduce VOC levels in their respective homes and improve and home air quality.

1. When using VOC-emitting products such as paints and paint thinners, keep a well-ventilated home.
2. Avoid purchasing cleaning supplies or paint in bulk. Buy only what you need.
3. Never mix household cleansers. It may yield unintended results.
4. Throw out “dry cleaning bags” as soon as possible. Most dry cleaning makes use of harmful VOCs.
5. Do not burn tobacco products inside your home. 

There are a half-dozen other recommendations, too. They’re listed on the EPA website.

You can’t remove VOCs from your home, but you can minimize their negative effects. And keep your household as healthy as possible.

If you have a cleaning person, it’s important to talk to them about what products they are using.  Most cleaning  companies will allow you to provide your own products.  I like to buy my own cleaning products, such as Method and have them on-hand for the cleaning person.

Happy Friday!  Have a safe, happy & healthy weekend!
~Nikki

Nikki Devaux
Realtor, ABR
Hallmark Sotheby’s International Realty
Cell: 617-276-5247
Nikki.Devaux@SothebysRealty.com