September is REALTOR Safety Month which seems like a good time to chat about keeping you and your home safe when selling your home.

While your home is on the market you are allowing complete strangers to enter your home when you are not there - which is really quite crazy if you think about it! So it is important to talk about your, others and property safety with your real estate agent in advance.

Looking for places for your still serviceable but no longer needed items? Here is my list for the greater Boston & South Shore resources. Each charity outlines what they will accept and if the offer pickup versus drop-off services.

Charity Donations and Pickups

If you are like many of us during this time, have you looked around your home and wondered “When did I end up with all this stuff?” or “Do I need more space?” or said “OMG, thank goodness for Zoom virtual backgrounds” so no one can see your current at-home remote workspace?

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” - Andrew Grant

When presenting your home to prospective buyers, first impressions are crucial. Buyers judge your home at the moment they see it online, again when they drive by, and then when they walk up to the door.

When I was working on my new listing at 83 South St, Braintree, I started thinking about how much I loved the 3-season porch in my childhood home. It wasn’t as large as the porch at my new listing, but boy, we used that space practically year round!

I am so excited about my latest listing: Great 2 bedroom top-floor condo in Weymouth - great views 👓 ! Beautifully updated & decorated - looks staged! (I love clients who can get this done!) Talk about move-in ready!!

In the 50 years (?!) since the first Earth Day, has there ever been one like this one?

Let’s all celebrate Earth Day this year by recognizing the reduced emissions and local air pollution while everyone is driving less! And if you can get outside today, take a moment to thank the Earth for her beauty and bounty - whether that is a springtime garden, tree budding, or the natural therapeutic effects offered by bodies of water (pond, river, and ocean).

This days it sometimes feels like we all received Dorothy’s wish at the end of the Wizard of Oz:

…. Toto, we're home! Home! And this is my room - and you're all here! And I'm not going to leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all! And -Oh, Auntie Em, there's no place like home!

As we all know, this will end. And I find myself wondering if people’s criteria for evaluating homes will change. Think about it, this is the first time in generations the entire household is spending more time at home and all together! This time is likely revealing both the strengths and limitations of everyone’s current spaces!

No. However, real estate is able to continue with guidance from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Since Governor Baker’s Emergency Order of March 23, 2020 the Massachusetts Association of Realtors® (MAR) looked to further clarify what to do about real estate transactions and real estate sales activity. As of 3/25, we have guidance: https://www.marcovid19.com/post/mar-secures-guidance-for-realtors .

1. Real estate transactions can continue

Today’s message is to take a minute to be kind to others and also to be kind to yourself.

All of us are at different phases of acceptance of what this new normal looks like. Today (March 23, 2020) Massachusetts Governor Baker announced a stay-at-home order as of noon March 24 through noon April 7, 2020. Still to be clarified where real estate falls in the list, but at least we have a start on what is and is not an essential business.

The term “social distancing” started appearing in Google searches around March 6, 2020. Hard to believe its only been 15 days. So here we are just a few weeks later and we are starting to accept that spending more time at home is the new normal - for now.

So as long as my family & I are healthy and safe, I’m looking at the opportunities to learn new skills and make improvements to myself my business and my home. Here are a few items from my list:

Now could be a great time to tackle those home or yard projects you’ve wanted to get to someday. Particularly if you might be thinking of making a move in the next couple of years. Here are a few upgrades or repairs to consider:

Outside and Exterior

Interior

As you know we are in pretty uncharted waters when it comes to the world events and real estate market with COVID-19. This pandemic is unprecedented in our lifetime. The health experts at the CDC are recommending increased hand washing, cleaning surfaces and social distancing.

So how do we sell, show or buy a home while being safe, responsible and social distancing? Great question.

Last month in Braintree there were 10 single family homes sold. The average sales price was $524,440 - a 2% decrease from the previous month. Typically February is a light month for homes to sell - these were most likely listed through the holidays, when fewer homes are on the market and the available showing days are short.

We all walk along a unique path, here is mine. Hi Christine McLellan from William Raveis Real Estate.

After 30 years in the software and internet business I was looking for a new path. A friend suggested that I get my real estate license and come work w/ him. Without much more thought about it I signed up for a Real Estate Licensing Class with a Groupon. And 2 months later I had my License and was working at a local brokerage.

Earlier this week Anthony Mackie (aka Black Panther) was the guest on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. I was struck by Anthony’s passion and raw emotion when he talked about his home.