Late Summer in New England Real Estate

Sandy is a Real Estate agent in New Hampshire and I am the Real Estate Sales Manager for Boston.com & The Boston Globe right in the city, Dorchester actually.  Dorchester is the most southern neighborhood in Boston.  We could hit a golf ball into Milton but I’d probably hook it into Quincy.

Sandy’s NH business stayed strong right through the summer.  Her listings sold quickly at or above the asking price most of the time.  She worked with a lot of buyers too, relocation and local.  It was business as usual – and it was strong.

I’m always amazed that the Real Estate industry in the Greater Boston (but mainly the City of Boston) all but shuts down for the second half of July and the whole month of August.  And not just RE, but most companies are operating with a skeleton crew.  The daily commute had noticeably lighter traffic.

There isn’t an agent to be found in the city.  There truly is a mass exodus to the Cape & Islands; and a couple to the Seacoast in Maine.  Some agents were conducting business from their cell phones on the beach but most just weren’t answering their phones.

In NH, we’re use to seeing heavy traffic coming north into our state on Fridays year-round.  The summer is for those going to the lakes region or camping, the fall is for leaf peeping and winter is for skiing.  Yet all the while business of all kinds continues to be conducted.

I think getting out of the city for the dog days of summer is left over from the days before air conditioning.  It has just become a tradition.  The vibrant Seaport area in Boston is a great reason to stay in town, as is the cool deep green shaded paths along the Charles.  There are summer arts festivals, kids’ festivals,  concerts at the Half Shell … but if you threw a party and nobody came, is it still a party.  It’s funny but most of the people at the city events are coming from outside the city (no hard facts here, just my guess).

Genuinely, the Boston Real Estate industry attempts to do in 10 months what other markets do in 12.  Thank goodness property values continue to rise and make the market in Boston look even better than it is with low inventory.

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

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

GBAR 2013 Good Neighbor Award

For three years now, I have been truly honored to represent Boston Globe Media and present the Greater Boston Association of REALTORS’ Good Neighbor Award at their annual awards ceremony.  This year it was held outside at the Museum of Science in a tented pavilion along the banks of the Charles River, an absolutely beautiful venue.

Each year, I get to describe to the association membership how much one special REALTOR has given back to their community.  I am always in awe of their generosity and volunteer work with non-profit organizations.  I leave inspired by their example to help out much more in my own community.  But then I get busy with my long work week, my long commute, and overall life just gets in the way of good intentions.  That’s what amazes me the most about Good Neighbor Award winners – life doesn’t get in the way – their giving back becomes a way of life.

The Good Neighbor Award was created in 2008 and is modeled after a similar award presented by the National and Massachusetts Associations of REALTORS®.  The award recognizes real estate professionals who have made a commitment to improving the quality of life in their communities through volunteer work.

This year’s Good Neighbor Award winner was Joel Pratt of JL Pratt REALTORS in Canton, MA.  He has been working with MatchingDonors.com for 9 years. Whether he is with another REALTOR®, a prospective buyer, or a closing attorney, he uses his real estate career to also provide information about his organization, and he has saved lives in the process. How could that happen? Well, when a busy father with four adopted special needs children needed a kidney transplant, his future wasn’t looking so good. But his father, a real estate instructor, met with a real estate accountant, who had received a business card from Joel for matchingdonors.com, and almost as quickly as he could register on the site, a donor match was made, and that father of four now lives a happy, healthy life.

Joel’s goal is to save at least 1,000 people in need of organ transplants. He has personally paid the $595 membership on MatchingDonors.com for patients that could not afford the fee. In the last 18 months alone, he has volunteered 2,400 hours (30 hours plus a week), personally donated $50,000, helped raise $1,250,000 and has indirectly helped over 250,000 people.

Joel takes donations such as cars, boats, real estate, and corporate surplus and turns it into cash; raising millions of dollars for MatchingDonors.com. As the Director of Business Development for MatchingDonors.com, he and his team have been recognized by Governor Patrick as well as the State Senate and House of Representatives, and they were selected as the “Nonprofit of Choice” at the Hollywood Awards in Beverly Hills earlier this year. 

GBAR’s Award Winners knows what it takes to be a Good Neighbor, always focused on how to help those who have lost all hope.

Along with winning the GBAR 2013 Good Neighbor Award, GBAR awarded a $2,500 grant to Joel for MatchingDonors.com. 

Joel Pratt from J.L. Pratt REALTORS® in Canton the 2013 GBAR Good Neighbor Award winner.

 

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@boston.com   & Realtor® - Better Homes & Garden Real Estate / The Masiello Group – 436 Amherst Street, Nashua, NH  03063