Did you know the average home costs the homeowner about $1,900 per year in utility costs? Of course, this depends on the area of the country, the climate, the number of people in the household, etc., but this is the average cost - yours may be higher or lower. OK, so maybe you already knew that, but did you also know that an energy-efficient home (as rated by a licensed home energy rater) can save you as much as 10-15% per year in utility costs? It's true! By taking some simple steps based on your home energy audit, such as sealing the duct openings or having a professional install insulation in the walls and attic, you can begin to realize an immediate monthly reduction in your utility bills. So let's get to the part where an EEM can help - whether you're buying, selling, remodeling, ... 06/16/2009

Did you know that most homes built in the United States before 1978 contain lead? And not just on the walls.... Of course, the walls and window sills are probably your biggest sources of lead in your house, but elevated levels of lead may also be found in: Lead dust (that paint that's peeling on your window sills breaks down into dust and can be more easily breathed in); Drinking water; Older painted toys and furniture (remember that mantle from your grandmother's house you loved and incorporated into your living room? It just might contain lead paint!); Certain hobbies can expose you to lead - such as stained-glass making or pottery (glazes) Here are the actual levels that are considered dangerous by the EPA: Paint: Equal to or greater than 1.0 mg/sq. centimeter or .5% weight Floor spa... 06/15/2009

First things first: the recommended EPA radon rating is < 4 pCi/L (4 picocuries per liter). It's important to remember that this is only an endorsement and is not dictated by any existing laws. Radon levels will vary widely from home to home, neighborhood to neighborhood, and even country to country. So it's important to know what the standard is for your area. You can do that by clicking here. OK...now that you know what an acceptable level might be, you might be wondering what radon is, after all. In short, it is a radioactive gas released from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and even water. When radon is detected in a home, the first likely suspect is the soil beneath the house. However, in many rural areas, an elevated radon level may also be caused by radon emission... 06/15/2009

If you would like pictures or listing sheets of the properties below please e-mail me at TucciRealEstate@gmail.com or call my cell (617) 816-7603. x4 MLS #: 70860890   Status: ACT   DOM: 131 Rent Price: $1,100 List Date: 1/6/2009 109 WestMoreland Ave U:1Arlington, MA 02476 Rooms: 5 Bedrooms: 2 Baths: 1 / 0 Style: Apartment Living Area: 991 Deposit/Reqd: $1100/Yes Rnt Term: Lease Remarks: NEW PRICE...Great Location, spectacular views, spacious 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, dining room and a living room. Wall to wall carpet, parking for 2 cars, a nice place to call home. Move in and Enjoy all that, the Hights have to offer. Available now! Heat: Electric AC: No Rnt Includes: Water, Sewerage Disposal Orig. Price: $1,300   x9 MLS #: 70906269   Status: ACT   DOM: 26 Rent Price: $1,100 List Date: 4/21/2... 05/17/2009

 The Boston globe has a good article out today about how fallen prices combined with low mortgage rates and the $8,000 tax credit are luring more first-time home buyers into the market.  The Globe States: Nationally, first-time buyers accounted for about 65 percent of transactions of existing homes for the first quarter of the year - a 41 percent increase from the same period last year, according to HouseHunt Inc., a information firm based in Huntington Beach, Calif. The National Association of Realtors also reports more first-time home buyers."The market heals from the bottom up," said Walter Molony, a spokesman for the realtors trade group. In the Boston area last week, 464 sales agreements were signed, a 53 percent increase from the first week in March, according to MLS Property Info... 04/16/2009

EcoFest is coming to Arlington! This Saturday, March 28th, at the Arlington Town Hall, join your friends and neighbors from 9 am to 1 pm. At EcoFest you can: Learn about eco-friendly ideas for lawn care and gardening Talk to members of Arlington groups who are involved in sustainable actions Buy compost bins at a reduced price Purchase kitchen scrap buckets Meet sustainable landscapers and other green vendors David Epstein from Channel 5 will speak at 10 am about natural lawn alternatives and sign copies of his book Gardens of New England. Admission is free. Co-sponsored by the Arlington Garden Club, the Arlington Public Works Department, the Conservation Commission, and Vision 2020. EcoFest will be held in the Arlington Town Hall Auditorium from 9 am to 1 pm on March 28, 2009 _________... 03/22/2009

Although you can’t read or watch the news without hearing the term “housing crisis”, Arlington Massachusetts is a good example that all real estate is local and you can’t judge by what might be going on in other areas. Here are the latest statistics from January 2009: Let’s compare these figures to what was going on in the fall in October 2008: As you would expect due to the time of year and the amount of snow on the ground, there are less single family homes and condos currently on the market, but except for this normal seasonal change, the single family and condo market in Arlington has remained steady and active. Single family homes have been selling with an average of only 39 days on the market, while condos have been taking approximately 71 days to sell. The multi family market has... 01/22/2009

  Arlington Dallin School Homes Sold               2007   2008   Avg Home Sale Price $492,102 Avg Home Sale Price $483,640 Median Sale Price $463,250 Median Sale Price $453,804 # of Homes Sold 52 # of Homes Sold 52 Avg Days on Market 50 Avg Days on Market 38 This is remarkable, it shows that Dallin School area has held value very well in 08 vs 07. Info was pulled through MLS Pin. 01/12/2009

In an effort to be knowledgebale of our current market, I weekly pull the market statistics in Watertown, Belmont, Arlington, Newton, Waltham, Brighton and Allston. Below are the market statistics in Arlington, Massachusetts for Single Families, Condominiums and Multi-Families. I will be posting Arlington, MA market statistics weekly on Wednesdays. This week we have some great statistics for Arlington, MA. The overall inventory is down, with condominiums and multi-families have the largest drop in inventory, nearly by half. This is not a bad thing, as those who are listing their house probably have good motivation and they definitely have less competition. The average days on market for active single families is at 150 days, which is a high number. There may be a few single family homes... 12/17/2008

In an effort to be knowledgeable of our current market, I weekly pull the market statistics in Watertown, Belmont, Arlington, Newton, Waltham, Brighton and Allston. Below are the market statistics in Arlington, Massachusetts for Single Families, Condominiums and Multi-Families. I will be posting Arlington, MA market statistics weekly on Wednesdays. So, I missed last week due to the holidays so let me give you an update between this week and my post two weeks ago. Since two weeks ago, our inventory of available homes has slightly dropped in both Single Family homes and Condominium homes by 9 in each category. Also, the single family homes that are currently available have seen a decrease in average listing price by roughly $3,000. The inventory for Multi-family homes has risen by 2 and i... 12/03/2008

The number of condominiums sold in Arlington, MA during the month of October decreased from 14 sold (2007) to 11 homes sold in 2008. The average selling price increased from $338,118 in 2007 to $369,273 in 2008.  The average DOM (Days on Market) decreased significantly to 52 days from 82 in 2007. 11/21/2008

In an effort to be knowledgeable of our current market, I weekly pull the market statistics in Watertown, Belmont, Arlington, Newton, Waltham, Brighton and Allston. Below are the market statistics in Arlington, Massachusetts for Single Families, Condominiums and Multi-Families. I will be posting Arlington, MA market statistics weekly on Wednesdays. We are not in a depressed market, as is evident in the town of Arlington. There has been a decrease in the average list price for Multi-Family homes in Arlington, from $528,828 last week to $485,633 this week. That's a total of $43,195 in list price difference. This is a great market to be an investor or to "buy in" low. Also, we've had a few sales in each category since last week, which is a great indication that the market has still been pl... 11/19/2008

The number of single family homes sold in Arlington, MA during the month of October decreased from 19 sold (2007) to 14 homes sold in 2008. The average selling price also decreased from $521,337 in 2007 to $473,911 in 2008.  The average DOM (Days on Market) dropped significantly to 49.5 days from 60 in 2007. 11/14/2008

In an effort to be knowledgebale of our current market, I weekly pull the market statistics in Watertown, Belmont, Arlington, Newton, Waltham, Brighton and Allston. Below are the market statistics in Arlington, Massachusetts for Single Families, Condominiums and Multi-Families. I will be posting Arlington, MA market statistics weekly on Wednesdays. The market statistics are very telling in Arlington, MA because although the media is reporting a terrible market, it seems as though Arlington has managed to not only survive, but flourish in this "slow market." Inventory is down across the board, seeing the largest differential in Multi-Family homes where the inventory is now 1/3 of what it was last year. However, the average sales price has gone up in both condominiums and multi-family hom... 11/12/2008

Most sellers during this time of year decide to take there homes off the market or not list at all because they feel its not busy enough or they may get a better price if they wait until the spring.  However, if you are serious about selling your home, the winter months could benefit you more than you think.     1)  Winter prospects are more serious buyers.2)  There is less competition for buyers.3)  Your home looks better during the holiday season.   (My favorite)4)  One of the highest percentages of "Listings Sold" to "Listings Taken" occur during this time of year.5)  You may receive more money for your home now because you have less competition.6)  Throughout the holiday season, you may restrict showings during your personal family events.7)  Buyers have more times to look at homes ... 11/09/2008

Another one this week!   Almost 10 offers on a new listing in town this week. over asking sales in 2008 (JAN TO SEPT) http://www.davemoves.com/files/over-2008.pdf     10/30/2008

What’s happening in the real estate market in Arlington, MA? Since most people are looking to buy or sell either a single family, a condo or a multi family home, I’ve separated out what’s happening in each of these markets. These numbers tell us that the market in Arlington is very healthy. How do I know? Take a look at the absorption rates. Absorption rate is a way to look at the number of properties currently on the market and then using the number of recent sales, allows you to estimate how long it would take for every property currently on the market to sell if no new properties were allowed to go on the market. This figure helps you to see if the market is speeding up, slowing down or staying level. The city-wide absorption rate for Arlington has stayed level at about a 2 month fig... 10/23/2008

I cook with Penzey's spices thanks to my friend Lisa.  She gave us a bunch of their spices as a birthday gift.   They offer gift sets that I'm sure any cook would appreciate.  I love their French mix, it's absolutely delicious.  That with a wee bit of olive oil, wine, lemon and a few shallots is the perfect mix for poultry. We actually got a whole gift set: Sunny Spain seasoning, Singapore Seasoning and French seasoning are among our faves.  The mixes they use are unusual and bring a great flavor to many of the simple dishes we prepare during the week. 09/19/2008

First a review of where we came from. For Arlington, Ma. the market volume peaked in 2006, and the prices peaked in 2005, at an annual median price of $503,000. Prices have shown approximately a 6% pullback since that time. The number of homes sold in 2006 was 314. In 2007, 290 homes sold so the volume has dropped 8%. So far in the first half of 2008 there have been 141 sales, so the market volume is low.     There is a seasonal volume effect on the Arlington market with Q1 (Jan, Feb, Mar)  and Q4 (Oct, Nov, Dec) being market lows. This seasonality should be taken into account when looking at any monthly data. 2008 Q1 volume was very low, but Q2 ( Apr, May, Jun) sales volume was good approaching the same periods in both of the previous years. It should be expected that prices will conti... 08/16/2008

In an effort to be knowledgeable of our current market I weekly pull the market statistics in Watertown, Belmont, Arlington, Newton, Waltham, Brighton and Allston. Below are the market statistics in Arlington Massachusetts for Single Families, Condominiums and Multi-Families. This week I am pulling the market statistics for Arlington, Massachusetts. As you can see, from last year to this year there has been apprecation in every sector of the market: Single Families, Condominiums and Multi-Families. Althought the total number of sales is down in Multi-Families they have had substantial appreciaton of $83,004. There are only 9 Multi-Families on the market currently which is surely creating a seller's market for these homes. However, they have been on the market for an average of 116 days.... 06/16/2008