Community Corner
VIDEOS: Local Realtors Spring Into the Selling Season
An increase in temperature means an increase in the number of people who are interested in looking at properties up for sale across town.
With winter in the rear view mirror, people are putting their heavy clothes away and heading outside to have a look at the homes up for sale across Swampscott.
“The flowers come out, the weather warms up, the grass is a full green, April and May are great periods to show a home,” said.
Yozell is a senior sales associate with William Raveis Real Estate, and has been a realtor in town since 1980. One of the homes she is currently listing is located at 13 Commonwealth Avenue.
Find out what's happening in Swampscottwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“I’m a lifer in town, I’ve been showing homes for over 30 years, I’ve lived here my entire life, and I have nothing but good things to say about Swampscott,” Yozell said.
Barbara said the most important quality a good realtor can have is to be a good listener, to find out what the buyer needs, what the buyer wants and how to make them happy when they’re making their home buying decisions.
Find out what's happening in Swampscottwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“I think that once people see the sun set over Boston from Fisherman’s Beach, they’ll realize that this town is one of the best places on earth.”
“The most important thing for someone in sales is to love what you’re selling, and I share my enthusiasm for Swampscott when I’m showing homes in town,” Yozell said.
“We (William Raveis Real Estate) had a great month at the agency in April, the economy may be down, but there are a lot of people, including young people, who are looking to buy a home,” Yozell said.
Barbara said that living in Swampscott has many, many great features. Good schools, close to the city, nice people, and if you love the ocean, you’re right on top of it when you live in town.
Jill Elias-Jones works for Sagan Realtors and has been with them for the past six years. Elias-Jones is a 1978 graduate of Swampscott High School, and has lived on the North Shore her entire life.
“The spring market is the busiest time of the year, by a long shot,” Elias-Jones said. The weather gets better, the school year is ending, and people want to be in place before the next school year starts.”
One of Elias-Jones’s current listings is at 28 Atlantic Avenue, and she said there are a few areas in town that are “hot” right now for showing and for purchasing.
“Near King’s Beach, Monument Avenue, from there to Atlantic Avenue, people are looking at our listings quite a bit, the view from the homes in that area really excites people, and if a client works in Boston, seeing the skyline from town really gets people talking,” Elias-Jones said. “Mid-range homes are really hot right now, as far as pricing goes.”
“Swampscott is very affordable, compared to other bedroom communities near Boston,” Elias-Jones said. “People are close to the big city, but Swampscott is a wonderful small town with so much to offer, buyers want a lot of things, and a home in town usually meets or exceeds their expectations.”
“Home sellers want their price, home buyers want things to be perfect, they want to be able to move in tomorrow, and both sides are working together to make each other happy,” Elias-Jones said from the front of 28 Atlantic Avenue.
“Swampscott is not a hard sell, the schools are great, the ocean is a big draw, if you commute to Boston, there it is, on the skyline, and it’s affordable.”
A scan of prices across town show that you could get a home for under $200,000, a nice condo for 150,000, and if you won the lottery, there are multi-million dollar homes you could check out.
Tim Knowlton, with Jack Conway Realtors on Humphrey Street, said the last six weeks have been excellent after the lousy winter we had.
“It’s a process, realtor, seller and buyer have to work together to get things done, both sides have expectations, and as the realtor, I need to work with both to come to a conclusion that satisfies both parties,” Knowlton said.
One of Knowlton's current listings is at 139 Kensington Avenue, near Stanley School, off Humphrey Street.
“When properties are priced properly, they usually come under agreement very quickly, and when they aren't, those properties stay on the market for a much longer period of time.”
Conway Real Estate was established in 1956, and their Swampscott office is across from Phillips Park.
Knowlton said that 2011 is moving along quite well, in spite of a bad overall economy.
“Everyone is looking for a property that they can move in to quickly, a home that does not need extensive work to get ready to live in,” Knowlton said. “The key phrase when people are looking to buy is “is the home in move in condition, is this property ready for occupation, will we have to paint, do the stairs need to be repaired?"
“People want to know if the home is going to require expensive renovations,” Knowlton said. “Can they negotiate a lower price and use the money they saved to fix things up.”
Knowlton has been in real estate, in a sales or a management capacity since 1993. Knowlton was instrumental in bringing Conway to the North Shore just over a year ago.
The folks at Raveis can be reached at 781-631-1199. The Sagan Agency on Salem Street can be reached at 781-593-6111. Jack Conway Realtors are at 781-584-4757.
