The slab, as I now know it is called, has been a curiosity to me for years.  Why would a piece of prime real estate on Newbury St in Boston's Back Bay be vacant year after year.During warm months the site is used by artists and street musicians as a venue for peddling their wares and songs. It is a gathering spot for riders of the T (Metropolitan Boston Transit Authority) and a convient spot to let your dog raom a little on his or her lease.  Beyond that it appears to have little praticle use and one wonders if it ever did.It is not uncommon for commercial properties on Newbury Street to sell upwards of $6,000,000.00 so why is this property vacant year after year with no apparent attempts to use it as anything but a backrop for murals painted by the city?  Yet there it is near the inter... 01/11/2016

Boston Area Luxury Home Market Report Jan 5 2016.  The Luxury market in the Boston area is still very strong.  The movements in the market this winter mirror the slowdown of other years but still remains strong overall.  While overall prices have dropped here in the late fall early winter they are still robust.Boston Area Luxury Marketing ReportThe overall inventory is down as it always is at this time of year but it is on it's way back up. The Spring Market is not too far away right now. The 7 day inventory always drops off the charts right around the holidays.  Towns like Newton MA have 66 Active listings in the luxury category.  47 Dudley Road, Newton MA 02459 is one such home.  It has a great yard which is unusual for Newton and being in Newton Center and close to the schools and do... 01/05/2016

The Kensington"Smart Apartment Living"Video Tour 12/05/2015

Boston Area Luxury Housing Market Nov 16 2015 comes to you from the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing.  This report follows the luxury housing market across the world and then drills down into each specific high end area, like the Boston real estate.  Luxury is defined as the 10 10% of the reporting market, which in most cases in the US is the MLS.  Over the last 90 days and mirroring the last 7 days the average price point for a luxury home has been dipping and is hovering around a 1.86 million dollar mark.47-Dudley-Newton-Livingroom47 Dudley Road, Newton MA 02459 is a home that fits comfortably inside anyone's definition of luxury.  This 3 home private cul de sac sits off the winding Dudley Road in Newton Center.  Open Houses on Sunday's from 11AM to 12:30PM.  Once you leave Dudley ... 11/18/2015

Sure I will connect if you don't bury me with pitches.  It seems inevitable some virtual assistant, some web developer, some lead generating yahoo finds me here, or in Linkedin, or Facebook and lets me know we should connect.  I have a habit of connecting with anyone who asks who has a face.  What I mean by that is that I will connect with those who seem transaparent and real.  I will not connect to you if you haven't filled out your profile or added a photo.Then it happens,  "Hi Larry, I see we are in the same business and I notice your websites, your lead generation, your workload....pick your pitch...is not as strong as it could be..."  Notice the generic sound of this pitch. They never mention the website---I have several. The never mentions specific's just that they can help me.  I... 09/09/2015

Oldtimers at Fenway Park, Boston, MA. the year was 2012 and it was the last home game of the season September 26th and go figure Diane & I were there. The season was comprable to this year. That year it was a weak manager. This year it was weak management. The season's statistics very simmilar. I wonder how those "old timers" must be feeling? What is the french word "Deja Vu"??       If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu, feel free to contact me at me at 310.486.1002 (m) or homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites at http://www.endrebarath.com.  I am... 08/27/2015

Active Rain Meetup-Opportunity for Growth.  I have been an active blogger for many years. I have had the privlige to serve this Active Rain community as one of it's Ambassador's for many years as well.  I am often asked by non members about blogging and Active Rain. What are the benefits, how much time does it take, do you really get referrals are just some of the questions?  In blogging as in all aspects of real estate you will never know how successful a strategy is for you until you take the first steps.  It is just like farming an area, it is just like door knocking only you are doing it in the privacy of your own office or home.  Blogging is story telling. I have yet to meet an agent who doesn't have some stories to tell.  I am shocked that more agents don't know their own skills.I... 04/22/2015

Boston Area Move In Homes Luxury Housing Market Report. Statistics brought to you by the International Luxury Home Marketing Service (ILHM).  I am a Million Dollar Guild member which is it's highest designation.  The Spring market is upon us and the properties coming on the market, and in many cases coming back on the market are taking note of the prices and are coming on the market priced to sell.Boston Luxury Housing ReportInventory remains low across many of the price points in real estate this Spring, but in many areas there are as many as 9 months of inventory which is 3 months beyond a normal market. There is always an uptick on new inventory in the Spring and there will be a number of quick sales to be expected over the next 30 days. Boston Luxury Housing Report The Days on Marke... 04/14/2015

  Who Do You Know (Part 2)  Yesterday I talked about the grand daddy of all referral questions, “Who do you know?”  We talked about how 66% of all business generated by 95% of the successful agents come from 4 sources: friends, family, acquaintances, or a co-worker.  That is 2/3rds of all business!  We then talked about some tips to improve your ability to increase the consistency of these referrals. Hopefully, you see the value of relationship marketing and making prospecting and customer service your top priority.  The following, is an excerpt from an article by Julia Escobar for Broker Agent News that gives some AWESOME tips on questions to ask yourself to grow your referrals.  Now you can start asking not just your customers, but yourself, “Who do you know who…?”    “Who do you know... 03/26/2015

Boston Area Move In Homes Luxury Housing Report March.  Each week I receive the Luxury Market Housing report from ILHM, the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing. The ILHM tracks the housing market world wide and provides our regional statistics.  It is these statistics along with the GBAR MLSPIN that provide us with the market based on the actual recorded sales.  Luxury is defined as the top ten percent of the MLS market. We are now into the Spring market here in the Boston Area. After 7 weekends of snow storms we seem to be passed that now and the streets are busy with buyers. One critical issue that exists right now is the amount of inventory on the market.  In some categories there is a lot, but in most there is barely enough for the demand.  This will cause bidding wars with correctl... 03/19/2015

Exploring Boston Massachusetts: Quick Tips on How to Save Money from Miss Feng Shui  Have you ever been to Boston Massachusetts? If not, I strongly recommend you put this on your "bucket list." If you are a history lover, this is a city you must check out in America. I decided to take a mini break and explore another city along the East coast. I only had a day and a half but tried to fit in as much as I could with the time allowed.   Feng Shui Life Tip: Always remember to treat yourself and allow your time to rejuvenate by doing activities you LOVE.     Traveling from Long Island NY, the trip was about 4 hours and 20 minutes (with lite traffic). Once there, we checked into the bed and breakfast and wasted not time exploring. We bought the Charlie pass which is a day pass that allows unl... 03/17/2015

Exploring The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston Massachusetts For the St. Patty's Day celebration we decided to explore Boston and go to source. The weather seemed unsure so before arriving in Boston I made arrangements with the bed and breakfast hotel to receive discounted passes for the Fine Arts Museum through a library program.   It was a wise research decision. Instead of paying $27.00 for admission, we only paid $10.00. I have to say, this museum rivals the MET in New York city. They have many of the first pieces of artwork to ever touch upon American soil, fascinating. They also have 37 Monet paintings, wow!    In general, they have an excellent well rounded collection and the atmosphere of the museum is light and open and allows each piece of artowrk to be honored individually and c... 03/17/2015

Boston Area Move in Luxury Home Report, Feb 11, 2015.  The International Luxury Housing Market Report for the Boston area shows the prices still headed up at this point.  This is the average price per listing going on the market.  Newton's luxury market begins at $2,100,000 and fits the definition of being the top 10% of the home sales in the area. ILHM Luxury Market Report Boston Area Move in Luxury Home Report, Feb 11, 2015 The number of homes on the market right now has been going down in this area. The newer listings, the 7 days listings are coming in at a lower price than those that have been on the market a bit longer. As always with this market if you price your property lower you get more activity. There are some price ranges that get less activity anyway. For instance the $2,50... 02/13/2015

Either Way, You're Paying a Mortgage It Just Depends on for Whom Yesterday, I got great inspiration from Steve Harney of Keeping Current Matters on why it is so important to purchase and not rent.   There is a great quote from The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard in Steve's post.   I have been meeting with a lot of folks about the importance of purchasing instead of renting an apartment in Boston.  In the article, Steve and the gang basically say you are pay a mortgage one way or another. It's simply a matter of to whom. Will it be your landlord or yourself? In most cases, people in Boston are going to be renting apartments for $1500/ month or higher.  I have been meeeting with a ton of people who just don't realize that for about the same price, you can essentially purchase ... 02/13/2015

Looking to buy that single family home in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood in 2015?  If so, it's probably going to cost you more than if you pulled the trigger in 2014.  The average single family home went for $7.5 million in 2014, up from around $5.0 million in 2012 according to MLSPIN data.  Only six of these gems sold in 2014 with the least expensive home going for $4.0 million and the most expensive going for $12.736 million. 02/08/2015

What an amazing roller coaster ride it has been these last 12 months.... 1 year ago Stacey and I married.  We also made the descision to change our brand and due to challenges it is best not to say much more here, we will let the lawyers handle that....however, the foundation of our business has always been and still is to givie to GIVE not to give to GET. Our ActiveRain platform does just that...it allows us to share and to care...yes, there are many that continue to blah, blah, blah themselves or their brand...but the majority who comment or email off line for continued support are the true leaders of not just real estate but the leaders of the world.  No matter how significant the message, the true greatness is the ability to share your success nuggets freely and not worry of compet... 01/29/2015

  Quincy Market Holiday Event: Blink! Blink!Nightly Performances Featuring The Music Of The Holiday Pops November 22, 2014 - January 4, 2015 I visited Quincy Market recently and captured the 'Blink!' moment in my Android Smart Phone. A New Boston Tradition is Born this year: Blink! Blink! - the state-of-the-art light & sound extravaganza that transforms every inch of America's first open marketplace - returned to Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Marketplace Center for a third year in November 2014. This magical and unforgettable light show uses over 350,000 LED lights to illuminate Boston's skyline - to the song stylings of the Holiday Pops - in a seven-minute spectacle that runs continuously each evening.  The lights dance seamlessly to the music through every inch of Faneuil Hall, includi... 12/30/2014

Your commission check is not my priority, it is not even in the top 5 things I care about when we work. As your listing agent one of the highest priorities is getting your price right.  The correct price at the correct time is essential for a quick sale and your (The Seller) getting the most.  The correct price is both an art and a science. The science part is what the appraiser will use to determine the value.  They will look at comparative homes of comparative size, shape, style, amenities and neighborhood to come up with the likely price.  They use 17 criteria for this determination.  The art part of pricing is about the knowledge and insight that your Realtor® carries about the market, TODAY. The TODAY market involves and analysis of what is happening in that market, in that neighbo... 12/25/2014

International Luxury Homes Report Boston Dec 24 2015.  As we prepare for the Christmas break here is a quick look at this weeks luxury market report delivered weekly by the International Luxury Home Marketing specialist.  The prices on homes in the Boston Area seem to be moving back up.  National statistics from the NAR show a year over year growth of home valuations which is different than the home prices but is also a positive sign. The luxury market is the fastest growing sector in real estate right at this point.  Homes in the $100,000, well below luxury values that begin in this area at $881,000, are languishing because they have all be absorbed by developers and rehabber's. Warren Buffet suggest that you buy and hold and that is the case with most home owners now living in their p... 12/24/2014

International Luxury Homes Report Boston Dec 15 2015. As a Million Dollar Guild member of the International Luxury Home Marketing association I have access to the latest information put together on this market on a weekly basis. Keeping current matters if you are looking to Sell or Buy at the right price.  While it is next to impossible to truly time the market perfectly, there are indicators that show what the market is doing and where it is going. The big news last week is that FHA opened up the 3% downpayment opportunity again. Whle this has next to zero impact on the Luxury market, it may help some of the luxury properties Millenial children to get out of their parents homes and into their own wealth building real estate opportunity.  It is clear now as it has been for centuries tha... 12/15/2014