Kathryn's Blog

Hoo Ya's:  Best Diner in Central Massachusetts - Brimfield, MA

If you have a hankering for a big ol' breakfast complete with eggs, hash browns, sausage or bacon, toast, and perhaps some pancakes, the best place to satisfy your craving is at Hoo Ya's.

Hoo Ya's, located on Route 20 in the center of Brimfield, MA, is a favorite in Central Massachusetts.  Walk in, sit down, place your order and enjoy the atmosphere at this lively diner.  Hoo Ya's serves up large breakfasts and excellent grilled lunches amidst a friendly room full of local flavor.

Some of our breakfast favorites include combinations such as those mentioned above, along with Hoo Ya's infamous Texas French Toast - thick slices of bread battered with egg and griddled just right.  On a recent visit, my eggs-over-easy were cooked to delicate perfection - something I've not been able to master at home.  My husband's western omelet was stuffed with veggies and cheese and cozied on a plate with potatoes and rye toast. 

Not on the menu, but always available, are chocolate chip pancakes loaded with gooey, melted morsels.  Accompany those with hot chocolate piled high with whipped cream, and you have pure chocolate heaven.

For lunch, you can get a grilled sandwich oozing with cheese and bacon.  Or how about a Reuben sandwich, or hot turkey with gravy?  Add a side of their meaty french fried potatoes and that lunch will hold you through an afternoon off ice fishing or sledding.

There are always good conversations going on at Hoo Ya's, and you can feel free to eavesdrop or add your two cents.  Often you'll hear the cook singing while he loads up generous platefuls of food for his customers.  The big dining room is painted pig pink, an extension of the restaurant's humorous and adorable pig decorating theme.

If you're in the southern towns of Central Massachusetts, be sure to save a morning for a visit to Hoo Ya's.  You'll feel right at home.

Hoo Ya's Restaurant
13 Main Street/Route 20
Brimfield, MA 01010
(413) 245-3500

SOLD!  For-Sale-By-Owner in Dudley, MA

Congratulations to my buyers, who just purchased this delightful home in Dudley, MA.  This property was offered for-sale-by-owner, and I was the buyers' agent on this transaction.  Between the buyers and sellers, we had five families involved, who lived in five different states.  With the use of technology and the occasional priority mail, we were able to pull the sale together and provide my buyers with a very happy ending.

Are you considering buying a property for-sale-by-owner?  I can help you prevent some common pitfalls.

Are you considering selling a property for-sale-by-owner?  I can help you too!

 Thinking About Finishing Your Basement?  Here are 5 tips to help you avoid hassles:

1.  Hire a home inspector to examine your basement.  This is the first prep step you should take, and yet most people skip it.  A home inspector can inspect your basement for the following issues:

- Presence of mold
- Troublesome cracks in the foundation
- Plumbing repairs that need to be corrected
- Problems with the heating system that need attention
- Electrical wiring that may pose a fire hazard or be outdated

If problems are found, the inspector can recommend the type of pro who can best do the repair for you.  It is much easier to fix these issues before you install walls and ceilings.

Plus, when you go to sell the house, you will have an inspection report to show prospective buyers the state of your basement prior to the finishing work.

2.  Perform a radon test.  Again, very few people take this step.  Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that exists indoors as well as outdoors.  In high doses, radon is believed to be a health hazard that can cause cancer.  If you plan to spend a lot of time enjoying your finished basement, check first to see that the radon levels are within EPA recommended ranges.

If your radon test comes back high, contact a radon mitigation company.  They can install a system to ventilate the air in the basement and monitor radon levels.

3.  Seal the foundation and floor.  Most basements are made of concrete.  Concrete is a porous material, which means it absorbs moisture.  Even if you have a "dry" basement, be assured there is moisture present, and excessive moisture can of course grow mold and destroy finished surfaces in the basement.

Before you finish your basement, be sure to seal the walls and floor.  This will help reduce (but not eliminate) the amount of moisture that comes in through the foundation.

4.  Eliminate any sources of water, even if it is "just" seepage.  If you have a problem with water coming into the basement, even very light puddling, eliminate the source before you finish the basement.  Many causes of water in the basement can be easily cured.  Check for these sources of water:

- Improper gutter function (or missing gutters altogether).  Gutters help direct water away from your home.  If water is overflowing out of the gutters, they may need to be cleaned of leaves and debris.  Or they may simply be installed improperly.  Take care of this and clean them out on a regular basis.

- Poor grading of the soil around the foundation.  If the soil near your foundation slopes toward the house, rather than away from the house, you may get water in the basement.  Contact a landscape professional to help you deal with this problem.

-  Dripping outdoor spigot.  If you have a small area of your basement that gets wet, check to be sure that a spigot is not leaking.  This can cause the ground to become saturated, and guess what?  The water comes into the basement.

5.  Submit a permit application to your town building inspector.  This is another step that people often skip, probably because they do not want the town inspector telling them what they can and can not do.  But if you go through the proper channels, you'll have the building inspector on your side to inspect and approve your workmanship.  This is especially important when dealing with electrical and plumbing changes.  You'll know your work is up to building code.

Call the town inspector, get a permit and get it done right!

If you take these 5 steps before your start to finish your basement, you will reduce the chances of having to deal with do-overs and costly missteps.  You'll also have some peace of mind knowing you did everything you could to create a sound "foundation" for your finished basement.  Good luck!

 7 Issues to Consider When Sellling Your House without a Real Estate Agent

Photo copyright 2010 Kathryn Acciari

In any real estate market, it is quite common to find those home owners who wish to sell their home without the assistance of a real estate professional.  This is understandable.  After all, hiring a real estate agent (or any professional for that matter) costs money.  And sometimes it is possible to sell your home without the help of a real estate agent.

If you are one of the home owners who wants to try to go it alone, please first consider the following points and make sure you know the answers to all of these questions.  Educating yourself will help your home sale go much more smoothly:

1.  Pricing:  Do you have access to current, accurate data that will help you set a competitive market price for your home?  Do you know how to adjust your price for features your home has that others do not?

2.  Marketing and Advertising:  Have you set aside funds to allow for a complete marketing campaign that will reach the largest amount of potential buyers possible?  Have you budgeted for signs, ads, and placement on Internet real estate sites?  Does your marketing plan have international reach?

3.  Screening Calls from Buyers:  Do you know what questions to ask in order to make sure that buyers coming to see your home are financially qualified to buy it?  Do you have a plan to keep your house and family safe and secure while advertising and showing your property?

4.  Showings:  Are you available to show your house to buyers from 9 AM to 7 PM every day, including weekends? 

5.  Contracts and Negotiations:  Do you know the meaning of the terms on an offer to purchase?  How about a purchase and sale agreement?  Do you know the points of the contract that protect the buyer, and those which protect the seller?  Can you comfortably handle the conflict between your interests and those of the buyers?

6.  Financing:  Are you familiar with the current mortgage programs available for buyers in this market?  Do you know what options you have in regard to the buyers' financing? 

7.  Timeframe:  Are you flexible in terms of your target sale date?  Are you willing to have your house on the market for an extended period of time? Are you aware of town and state deadlines for such requirements as septic system inspection, smoke detector inspection, and carbon monoxide detector inspection?

If you would like more information on selling your home, why don't you give me a call?  It will be my pleasure to help.

A Quick Little Tool for Comparing Rents:  Rentometer

I came across this site as I was doing some research for one of my rental clients.  It is called Rentometer, and it gives you a quick look at the rents in any given town.

Just plug in your address, town, state, number of bedrooms, and the rent that you propose to charge.  Rentometer will come back and tell you how your rental rate compares with the rest of the market.  This would be a great tool to share with landlords as well as tenants.  Enjoy!

Real Estate Market Activity in Sturbridge, MA - Jan 1 to Jan 13, 2010

The first two weeks of the Sturbridge, MA, real estate market for January 2010 have been active. 

Since January 1, five single family homes have been placed under contract.  These have a price range of $150,000 to $399,99 - quite a range of prices representing a fine variety of buyers.

This is a great sign that home buyers are active this early in the year.  The tax break incentive most likely has something to do with this.  The smart, qualified first-time buyers are out there, and some current homeowners who want to move are also planning to take advantage of the tax incentive.

I am seeing a good deal of activity on my own listings, and other agents have commented that their showings are picking up as well.

Do you need to sell a home in Sturbridge, MA?  Or are you looking to buy a home in Sturbridge?  Give me a call - I'd be happy to help you.

Bottle Houses - Did You Ever Hear of Such a Thing

Thank you to Miriam Gaddis, who today entered a brief post about bottle houses on her blog.  Having never heard of bottle houses, I clicked on her post and then Googled "bottle houses" just to see what I would find.

What an interesting topic.  In the early 1900's, folks would build houses out of bottles when bricks, wood, and other building materials were scarce.  Later, several innovative people built bottle house attractions, either for the fun of it or as an exercise in recycling.

Personally, I've always had an affinity for glass containers.  Bottles, jars, vases, you name it - something about the smooth, cool qualities of glass draws me to these vessels.  So the idea of a house built from bottles is, to my mind, a delightful project.

If you would like to learn more about bottle houses, take a look at the links below.  Perhaps you'll be inspired to build your own.

Blog post by Miriam Gaddis

Bottle Houses and a Little History

The Bottle Houses of Prince Edward Island web site

Old Bottle Houses of Nevada

Video of Rhyolite Bottle House

Here is Part 2 of Michael Thornton's series on water heater inspection. Thanks, Michael, for demystifying the water heater.

RENTED!  Tenant Found within One Month - Southbridge, MA

I am pleased to announce that a tenant has been found for this 2 BR apartment in Southbridge, MA.  The owner of this property hired me to help find a tenant in as short a time as possible.  Using my rental property marketing plan, I found a tenant for my client within one month of listing the apartment.

Do you have a rental property that is vacant?  Would you like help with interviewing tenants and showing your property? Please call me for a consultation.  I would be happy to help!

Serving the following towns of Central Massachusetts:

Auburn
Brimfield
Brookfields
Charlton
Grafton
Holland
Monson
Oxford
Spencer
Sturbridge
Southbridge
South sections of Worcester

Photo copyright 2010 Kathryn Acciari

Have you seen Erica Ramus?  She's famous!

At the end of the January 2010 REALTOR(R) magazine, is a Sucess Story about ActiveRainer Erica Ramus.  The article details the blog series Erica posted about preparing for a great January (see below).

I have to say, it is exciting to be able to identify ActiveRainers when they appear outside of the 'Rain. Congratulations, Erica, on the article!