Sunday, October 27, 2013

Listening to a Survivor


I represented Boston Globe Media at the recent Massachusetts Association of Realtors Conference and Tradeshow in Falmouth.  The Globe helped sponsor this year’s event. 

At the event, I was especially excited and moved to hear Jacqui Webb speak about her experience at the Boston Marathon tragedy.  Jacqui is a young Realtor whose life abruptly changed that day.  I cannot begin to comprehend how brutal her road to recovery has been.   She has had several operations and has been working hard in physical therapy.  The shrapnel scars on her legs were prominent as she proudly wore a dress.  She said she is not a victim, she is a survivor - inspiring.

While the Boston Marathon bombings is a footnote to those in other parts of the world, it remains and open wound in New England; a healing wound that shows the strength of character of Bostonians.

No story has ever been more personal for Boston Globe Media to report on than the Boston Marathon.   Boston Globe Media had reporters, photographers and marketing personnel at the finish line, as well as many employees running the race.  Besides for covering the horrific events, some of our team members were also some of the first responders.

When people wanted/needed information about what was currently happening at the finish line and later during the manhunt, they grabbed their laptops, tablets and smart phones and went to Boston.com and Boston Globe.com.  Our coverage was inspiring.  I’m in sales and take no credit what-so-ever for the fine work done by our newsroom, but I for one, am incredibly proud to be part of the organization.

A little info I’d like to pass on ….

Friday - when Boston was in lockdown and the manhunt ended in capture - was the highest traffic day in the 18-year history of boston.com.  Boston.com had 22 ½ -Million page views for the day alone.  To put that in perspective, when the Red Sox won the World Series for the first time since 1918, we had 21-Million page views.

In addition, we took down the pay-wall for BostonGlobe.com and served another 12M page views for free.

The reason why we can provide you the audience and environment you need to spread your business message is because the region turns to us for this type of vital information.  So, as much as I want my team to help you brand your business and market your listings with Boston.com, the Boston Globe, Design New England, Globe Magazine and RadioBDC …

Please remember that you are also supporting our journalistic mission of bringing a world-class news source to Boston and all of the New England market.


Sandy LeRette – Realtor® ABR – Better Homes & Garden Real Estate / The Masiello Group – 436 Amherst Street, Nashua, NH  03063  cell: (603) 661-7301 email: slerette@masiello.com

Bob LeRette – Div. Sales Manager/ Real Estate – Boston.com & The Boston Globe,  617-929-2104  email:  robert.lerette@globe.com

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Update on Government Shutdown and Real Estate

Update on Government Shutdown and Real Estate

Despite prior reports to the contrary, the Federal Housing Administration will not stop processing loan applications as a result of the government shutdown that began earlier this week. Instead, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Office of Single Family Housing will continue to endorse new loans “in order to support the health and stability of the U.S. mortgage market,” according to its latest contingency plan.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
The IRS is closed and has suspended the processing of all forms, including requests for tax return transcripts (Form 4506T). While FHA and VA do not require these transcripts, they are required by many lenders for many kinds of loans, including FHA and VA, so delays can be expected if the shutdown is protracted. We have received indications that many loan originators are adopting revised policies during the shutdown, such as allowing for processing and closings with income verification to follow, as long as the borrower has signed a Form 4506T requesting IRS tax transcripts. On loans requiring a Form 4506T Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have also adopted relaxed provisions allowing closings but subject to tax transcript verification before the GSE’s purchase the loans.

Source:  GBAR



Sandy LeRette – Realtor® ABR – Better Homes & Garden Real Estate / The Masiello Group – 436 Amherst Street, Nashua, NH  03063  cell: (603) 661-7301 email: slerette@masiello.com

Bob LeRette – Div. Sales Manager/ Real Estate – Boston.com & The Boston Globe,  617-929-2104  email:  robert.lerette@globe.com