O
f
b
f i re p l a c e , l a r g e ba t h ,
3 a d d’l be d r oo m s, b a t hroom, storage Lower lev-
el - 1, 59 7 s q f t of l iv i n g / ut ilit y space, g reat room,
a b e d r o o m , b a t h , of f ic e , storage Forced hot water
h e a t i n g N e a r W il l i a m s s cho ol $770 , 000 R 3245
W. S T O C K BR I D GE
T h i s m ove -i n r e a d y i mm a c u l a t e l y m a i nt a i n e d
ranch is a must see! Hardwood f loor s, ce nt r al a /c, f i re pla ce, f i r st f loor pr i-
m a r y s u it e a n d wa l k- t otow n! Nu merous updates
a n d i m p r ove m e n t s h ave bee n ma de to t h is 1950’s ho m e Ro of wa s t r u s s e d t o c r e a t e a n o p e n f
t he s u n r o om whe r e w i ndows take in views Outdoor deck Th ree
is a
dem st yle for t wo cars and storage. Additional abut ting land available Minutes to Edith W har ton, Shakespeare, Tanglewood and arou nd the cor ner f rom Lau rel Lake $669,0 0 0 R 3246
G R E AT BA R R I NGTON – Step back in time and enjoy this count r y fa r m hou se! O ve r a n a c re of op e n level la nd w it h f r u it t re e s, ga rde n s pa ce s a nd ove r 4 0 0 fe et of roa d f ront age. Located on the outsk i r ts of Housatonic village and adjacent t o t he W St o ckb r id ge t ow n l i ne,
y o u c a n a c c e s s t h e H o u s a t o n ic r ai l t r ai l r ig ht t h roug h you r ba ck y a r d t o a p p r e c i a t e n a t u r e a t i t s fi ne s t! Two g la s s - e nclo s e d f r ont
p o r c h e s , l iv i n g , d i n i n g , k it c h e n with sepa rate lau nd r y/pa nt r y plus a fi rst-floor bed room a nd bat h ca n prov ide one
You’ve Got Questions? Lynn has answers.
by Lynn Arseneau
I am going to be look ing for a house soon I have been to my ban k and w il l be get t ing a preapprova l. I would like to choose a buyer’s agent to help me f ind my home but I have heard t hat I have to pay t he person I choose. I rea l ly do not have a lot of money I saved for my dow n pay ment and closing cost s t hat I k now I w il l need T hat’s it , t here i s no more money I just don’t get it Can you plea se ex plain t hi s to me? Sig ned, Hanna h Scraping t he Bot tom of t he Bar rel
Dear Hanna h, First , cong rat ulat ion s t hat you are get t ing ready to buy a home!
It i s t he best invest ment you c an ma ke for your f ut ure and I hope you f ind just t he r ight place. T here are severa l changes t hat have t a ken place recent ly in rea l est ate. T he one you are refer r ing to i s t he most conf using but hopef ul ly I c an ex plain it so it i s ea sily underst andable.
In t he pa st when a house wa s sold, a commi ssion wa s paid by t he sel ler T hat commi ssion wa s shared bet ween t he buyers and sel lers’ brokerages. T hi s amount wa s a lways and st il l i s negot iable
T he sel ler c an negot iate how much t hey w il l be pay ing to t heir sel ler’s agent and c an a l so negot iate how much, if any, t hey ag ree to pay to t he buyer’s agent brokerage.
A change t hat ha s gone into ef fect i s t hat rea l est ate sa les people are now required to sig n a buyer agenc y ag reement w it h t heir buyer before beg inning to v iew homes.
T he buyer and t heir agent must ag ree in w r it ing, how much t he buyer ag rees to pay t he buyers agent .
T hi s ag reement c an a l so include ways t he buyer’s agent w il l at tempt to be paid. It may be t hough t he t ran sact ion by t he sel ler, or t he li st ing broker may be of fer ing compen sat ion a s in st r ucted by t he sel ler
If t he sel ler ha s not of fered compen sat ion to t he buyer’s agent
I ’ve been a Realtor for 37 year s People f requently ask for my advice and opinions , and by sharing those ques tions and answers with you I hope to off er some helpf ul information
and w il l not ag ree to include compen sat ion a s requested in a Purcha se and Sa le A g reement t hen t he buyer w il l be respon sible for t he buyer’s agent’s fee.
Ma ke sure you choose a buyer’s agent t hat i s ver y much aware of t he new law s t hat are in place and ex plains t he changes to you so you f ul ly underst and your possible obligat ion to pay.
Be sure you are presented w it h a Ma ssachuset t s M A NDATORY Licen see- Con sumer Relat ion ship Di sclosure and an Exclusive Buyer/ Broker Represent at ion A g reement when meet ing your buyer’s agent t he ver y f irst t ime. T hese for m s are required by law
Dear Ly nn,
Fa l l i s coming t hen w inter and I c an’t wait for spr ing! I’m ret ired and have not idea how to f il l my t ime ever y day in t he dark mont h s! I don’t sk i or snow shoe, I don’t ice sk ate, and my snow man building days are over! I’m planning to sel l my house nex t summer and have lot s to do to get
it ready but I’m just not mot ivated. W hat am I to do?
Sig ned,
A f raid of Becoming a Couch Pot ato
Dear Couch Pot ato, Sel ling your house in t he summer? Do you want it to sel l for t he highest pr ice it possibly c an? Do you want buyers searching for a home to see yours and go “ goo goo “ over it ? Buyers’ eyes a lways BUG OU T when t hey see a g reat house! Get of f t he couch, t ur n of f t he T V, and t a ke notes in your house room by room. A sse ss what you need to do and st ar t one room at a t ime
Get a tool k it , paint , cleaning supplies etc. and spend your “ dark days” ma k ing more money for yourself in t he f ut ure!
*Info r m at ion obt ain ed f rom Nat ion al A ssoc iat ion of R EA LTOR S®
