Book of Homes February 2023

R IC H M O N D - A one - of-a-k i nd proper t y located on 13 acres at t he wester n gateway to t he Berk sh i res Mai n hou se i nv ites you i nto t he open floor pla n i nclud i ng a n elega ntly desig ned cu stom k itchen w it h Dek ton cou nter tops a nd expa nsive isla nd for gat her i ngs/enter t ai n i ng Breat ht a k i ng mou nt ai n v iews f rom t he d i n i ng, liv i ng, pr i ma r y fi r st floor su ite a nd ga me room a rea Expa

new deck for out door enter t ai

second

i

T he ma hoga ny floor s a re compli mented by

ree bed rooms w it h ensu ite

Enjoy a n exqu isite stone fi re -

rd ma ntle i n t he lower level A lso, a g uest hou se w it h New Engla nd v ibe O pen floor pla n w it h exposed bea ms for t hat r u st ic feel Slate floor s, wood k itchen cabi net s a nd a br ick su n room G reat room w it h stor age t hat cou ld be a 4t h bed room La rge f u ll bat h w it h wal k-i n shower Se pa r ate d r iveway to a la rge mu lt ifaceted ba r n /work shop Seller- ow ned sola r pa nels for elect r icit y i n bot h hou ses plu s r a d ia nt heat i n t he mai n hou se $1, 385,0 0 0/ R 3151

R IC H M O N D

Pr ivacy and westerly views without isolation! This R ich mond 4

room home on

wooded acres is just under 3000 sf Fireplaced living room, for mal dining, spacious pr imar y suite with large bath and luxur iously oversized

kitchen (over 23 feet long!) is ready to be t ransfor med into a

ream focal point of the house. Ground level offers potential for workshop, st udio, g uest quar ters,home-office? Oversized t wo-car garage Neighborhood set ting with pr ivacy back f rom the road Hike f rom your door, swim close by at R ich mond Pond Close to apple orchard and Berkshire at t ractions $600,000/ R3079

nsive

n

ng

t he st ylish lig ht fi xt u res T he

level has a com mon a rea , t h

bat hs feat u r i ng cu stom t ile/desig n a nd one w it h a ga rden t ub

place w it h a ba r nboa

Coldbrooke

5

A paired-villa st yle, this condo boasts 3 bed-

This movein ready one

k itchen

g ranite cou nters

mal dining (or den) Pr imar y bed room has a bath with a jet

t ub and separate tiled shower Upper level feat u res 2 additional bed rooms/2 f ull baths and an open office/den /area One of the or iginal larger foot pr ints – there are over 3000 square feet in this condo! Nat u ral gas/cent ral a /c, gas fireplace and cook ing Large rear su nporch /screened room takes in the established mat u re landscaping with a pr ivate set ting

Five sk ylights, wal k-in at tic/cedar storage room, at tached garage with charging por t for you r e-vehicle! Enjoy amenities at Wy nd hu rst including pool and ten nis and options for fit ness and golf and spa $899,0 0 0/C3150

large side and rear deck! At tached garage, nat u ral gas heat and cent ral air This well-established commu nit y includes clubhouse, fit ness center, heated pool, 3 ten nis cou r ts (one fit ted for pickleball) along with kayak /canoe storage and docks for the larger boats $529,000/C3131

Western Massachusetts Conveniently located off I-90, a main artery between Boston and New York, this property has unlimited potential for those seeking a vibrant cultural area nestled in all things natural From a tranquil brook to ample locations for privacy and views from each potential building point, the apex of this property offers breathtaking vistas that go on for miles and miles Open areas of land and dense wooded spots give this property a diverse range of options for developers Located within minutes of Tanglewood and, for those itching for the outdoors, Goose Pond and the Appalachian Trail are nearby $1,495,000/L3003

South - Lenox - Imagine Berkshire home at Coldbrooke South in Lenox

level home is spacious and light-filled

rooms/3

baths Large open living space with gas fireplace, updated

with

and for

ted

DALTON - Beautiful parcel of land on 3+ acres Conveniently located, completely cleared, level, open parcel bordered by woods for privacy Access to public sewer and public water source at the entrance to the lot Gorgeous mountain views during every season - ready for building your new home $149,900/L3113

" We asked the comp an y t o do a major exp ansion o f our scr eened por ch so that it mor e than doubled in size and functioned as a thr ee-season r oom. The final pr oduct c ame out e v en be t t er than w e ha d anticip at ed.

Our thanks t o St e v e Morrison and e v ery one in v olv ed in bringing this pr oject t o comple tion. This thr eeseason r oom will giv e our family man y y ear s o f pleasur e and has a dded value t o our home."

ANDY L AND EVA S

See comple te te stimonial and a dditional pho to s o f this project a t w ww.mo r ris on sh om ei mp rovem ent.co m

JEN HARVEY CO-FOUNDER TIM LOVETT CO-FOUNDER

TOM LYNCH

DEBORAH LEVINSON

MONTE LEVIN BARBARA SCHULMAN

CLAUDIA CRANE

GARY LAZARUS

FIN HANLEY

CHRISTINE MARTIN

JONATHAN HANKIN

RACHEL LOUCHEN

RUSS STEIN

ROBIN BAN

KATE LASCAR

SUSAN LAIDLAW

You’ve Got Questions? Lynn has answers.

ynn

by Lynn Arseneau

Dear Ly nn, We’re look ing at home s and wondered, how do we k now how much to of fer? Fr iend s have told us to never of fer t he a sk ing pr ice but we lost a house we wanted bec ause someone el se did just t hat . We don’t want to insult t he sel ler but we a l so want to get t he be st dea l Help!

A nt hony and Je ssie

Dear A nt hony and Je ssie, I’m sor r y you lost t he home you wanted, t hat’s not f un. So, what c an you do to hopef ul ly avoid t hat f rom happening again?

If you have a buyer’s agent he/she c an adv i se you t hough t hi s process but here are a few t ips Check out t he sa le s of simi lar home s in t he area. How do t hose sa le s line up w it h t he pr ice of t he home you want ? Your buyer agent c an f ind comparable sa le s and c an rev iew t hat infor mat ion w it h you.

W hat k ind of condit ion i s t he home in? Wi l l you need to ma ke cost ly repairs?

How long ha s t he home been on t he market ? Ha s t he pr ice been reduced? A gain, your buyer’s agent ha s acce ss to t hi s infor mat ion.

T hi s may sound li ke common sen se but you want to be sure you c an af ford t he mor t gage for t he home so a preapprova l f rom your lender i s e ssent ia l.

Fina l ly, how badly do you want t hi s home? If your of fer i s rejected w i l l you be deva st ated or

able to move on to anot her? It may even be t hat you may of fer more t han t he a sk ing pr ice to a ssure you get t he home. T hi s common ly happen s when t here are mult iple of fers

Dear Ly nn,

My w ife and I are sel ling our house and going to sunny F lor ida! W hen t he buyer doe s t he home in spect ion and t he in spector f ind s t hings t hat may need to be repaired or replaced are we obligated t a ke c are of a l l of t hat ? Ted and Melina

Dear Ted and Melina,

A

T he home in spect ion i s for t he buyers benef it T he buyer pay s for t he home inspector to e x amine t he home and show t he buyer any t hing t hat may need at tent ion at t hat t ime or in t he near f ut ure You, t he sel ler, may receive a reque st f rom t he buyer to addre ss some in spect ion i ssue s t hat were found. You may or may not ag ree to do some or a l l of t he repairs. To an s wer your que st ion, you are not under any obligat ion to do any t hing However, a sel ler must prov ide a cer t if ic ate f rom t he f ire depar t ment st at ing t hat t here are work ing smoke and c arbon monox ide detectors in t he home

Dear Readers, T hi s i s a rea l e st ate adv ice column. Many t ime s, t he an s wers to your que st ion s are ver y ser ious and t hen t here are t ime s when, just for f un,

t he an s wers are wel l f un!

W ho would ever t hin k t hat many of you, bec ause of one single recipe, have w r it ten to me to tel l me how much you loved t he most recent cook ing sug ge st ion A ND beg ged for more!

Ok, due to readers’ reque st s, here you go!

BR IOC H E -BR E A D PU DDI NG

• 2 tb sp. un sa lted but ter, melted, plus more for pan

• 2 c. whole mi l k

• 1 t sp. pure vani l la e x t ract

• 1/3 c. g ranulated sugar

• Pi nch kosher sa lt

• 4 large eg gs, beaten

• 14 oz . br ioche, cut into 1 1/2 -inch cube s (about 6 cups)

• Mrs R ichard son ’ s Caramel Topping

1. Step 1 Prepare bread pudding: But ter 8 -by 8 -inch (2 - quar t) ba k ing di sh

2. Step 2 In medium bowl, whi sk toget her mi l k, melted but ter, vani l la, sugar a nd sa lt W hi sk in eg gs to combine. Add bread and toss to coat , t hen t ran sfer to prepared di sh and let sit 30 minute s.

3. Step 3 Fif teen minute s before ba k ing, heat oven to 350 °F. Ba ke unt i l cust ard i s set and edge s of bread have brow ned W ELL , 30 to 4 0 minute s.

4. Step 4 I top it w it h Mrs. R ichard son ’ s Caramel Topping Ma k ing it f rom scratch just didn’t work for me!