Sudbury, MA

Sudbury Market Stat's 1/1- 5/31 2009

See chart below for sales by price range most active range is - under $700,000

Market conditions are mixed in Sudbury MA, as they are in many towns west of Boston. While the number of sales has fallen, sale prices are up and there are substantial accepted offers and sales pending; and the level of inventory depends on the price range. Here are what the stats look like:

There were only 4 single-family closed sales in Sudbury during March 2009 compared with 6 in March 2008. The median sale price was $479,450; the average was $493,225 - both higher than last year, but still lower than most people would expect in Sudbury where there are so many higher priced homes for sale.

Year to date, the number of closed sales are down from the same period in 2008 - 25 compared with 31; the median sale price was higher - $643,000 up from $510,000; the average sale price was also higher - $731,372 up from $623,970. Activity is getting stronger - as of 4/20/09 there were 20 single-family homes with offers accepted, and 10 with sales pending.

Including the 20 homes with accepted offers, there are 134 single-family homes for sale; last year at this time there were 115. The median list price is $862,500; the average is $1,122,248; both up approximately 50K from last year. The gap between closed sale prices and list prices continues to widen despite the fact that inventory is up. Higher inventory generally means lower prices so it's important for sellers to understand current market conditions in Sudbury and position their properties appropriately in they really plan to sell.

The price ranges with the largest increase from last year are: $1,000,000 to $1,499,999 -25 up from 16; 2 million to $2,4999,999 - 8 up from 1; and 700k to $799,999 - up 33% from 10 to 15. The price ranges with fewer single-family homes for sale are: 450K to $499,999 - 6 down from 10; 600K to $699,999 - 9 down from 14; 800k to $899,999 - 8 compared with 13 last year.

Visit http://www.MarilynMessenger.com for the latest local market condition reports for Sudbury, Wayland, Weston, Maynard and Stow MA, complete MLS home search, news and information to help you plan your next move. Market information for any other town e-mail marilynmessenger@realtor.com

Data source: MLSPIN (Multiple Listing Service Property Information Network.)

We keep hearing "it's a buyer's market, thousands of homes for sale, plummeting prices" etc. Well, that's true in other places, and I'm even hearing about inventory being absorbed in Florida, California, Las Vegas...anyway, in Sudbury MA, whether it's a buyer's market or not so much really depends on the price-range.

Overall, the number of single-family homes for sale is just about the same as last year at this time - there are 93; last year there were 92, not that many - the highest number of homes for sale that I remember was 180 in 1993 - most of those were new construction in sub-divisions including Willis Hills; and of course, there's no large parcels of land like that left to build on.

Within each price-range, there are greater variations. The two ranges with the largest increases are: the 1 million to $1,499,999 which has 21 homes for sale compared with 11 last year at this time; and, the number of homes from $700,000 to $799,900 has more than doubled - there are 11 for sale compared with just 5 on 2/12/09. There are 4 homes for sale between 3 million and $3,999,999 - last year at this time there were none. If you're looking in these price ranges, it's a buyer's market - more choices and most likely room for negotiation.

Inventory in most other prices ranges has decreased. there are only 4 hones for sale between $600,000 and $699,999 down from 10 one year ago. Between 500k and $599,999 there are 4 compared with 10 last year. While sellers may not be able to net as much as they would like to, the market is less favorable toward buyers than it has been recently.

2009 has been busy in Sudbury. there are 8 sales pending; and 8 currently active listing have accepted offers with contingencies waiting to clear, so really there are only 85 homes on the market unless of these comes back on. Year-to-date, there have been 13 closed sales, exactly the same number for the same period last year. The median price is up $625,000; the average is $615,992.

Visit www.MarilynMessenger.com for the latest local market condition reports for Sudbury, Wayland, Weston, Maynard and Stow MA, complete MLS home search, news and information to help you plan your next move. Market information for any other town e-mail marilynmessenger@realtor.com

We have all seen too many really bad photos in real estate listings. Some real estate agents are better than others at taking photos, and some agents really are excellent. I believe that anyone can take decent photos of their listings with a little awareness and practice. The tips below are aimed at the average/below average skill level agent who uses a point-and-shoot camera set on "Auto" and wants/needs to improve the quality of their real estate photos.

1. Have the sun behind you, shining full on the front of the house for the exterior shot. Avoid extremely early or late in the day as there will be more shadows.

2. Turn on all lights and open shades/blinds. Use a flash for all indoor shots. Although a room may look bright enough to the human eye a flash will help it in photos.

3. Try an unusual point of view if needed. Sometimes a bedroom will look blah from the standard "doorway" point of view, but looking out towards the door from the furthest inside corner may show more details like built-in shelves, or just look more interesting or attractive.

4. Show as much of the room as possible. This may sound obvious, but isn't always done. The more area you show in the photo, the bigger the room appears to be. Avoid the "bed for sale" or "table for sale" shot at all cost! Make sure the bed, table or other furniture is part of a larger shot, not the only thing in the photo. If the space is small, try to frame the shot with the bed or table to one side and show part of a window, dresser or counter along with it. Remember, you're selling that room and the house, not the item of furniture.

5. Think vertical as well as horizontal. Although we naturally hold the camera and think in terms of a horizontal photo, some views become dramatically better when taken as a vertical shot. This is also helpful when shooting an area such as a wet bar, bathroom or small kitchen when a horizontal shot just emphasizes how narrow or small they are.

6. Photographing bathrooms. Be aware of mirrors and if your reflection will appear. Toilet seats should be down, nice or "guest" towels out, and counters cleared.

7. Flowers add a lot. Flowers introduce a nice focal point along with splash of color and cheeriness. For very little cost a kitchen island or dining room table can really benefit from a little boost that brightens up the room. Some pillar candles (not necessarily lit) can add a feeling of luxury beside a hot tub in the master bath.

8. Avoid the dark-as-a-cave shot of a room. I see this too many times in real estate photos - a photo of a room where the big window is bright and the room is almost black. There are three ways to prevent this. The first is to be very aware of windows, especially large ones, and do not aim directly at them when taking your picture. Second is to manually set your exposure and use a neutral part of the room to set it. If you use a point and shoot camera and can only deal with it on "auto", aim at a wall or piece of furniture without the window in the view that is a good distance for the focus. Press the shutter down half way and while keeping it pressed half way swivel over to the window view and press it further down to take the photo. This has locked in your focus and exposure.

9. There is no law saying every shot has to be at eye level. Looking down at a two story living room from an upper landing or hallway can be very dramatic. Also, remember that sometimes an upward angle can make a shot more dramatic or avoid your image showing in a large mirror.

10. Remove clutter. Don't have cars in the driveway in the front exterior photo, and close the garage doors. Have the counters fairly clear and the sink empty in the kitchen (and magnets/artwork off the fridge if possible). Remove large "Fisher Price" type toys from the living room/family room.

11. When it isn't possible to get a nice wide shot of the front of the house, don't be afraid to go in close. Sometimes because of trees or aesthetics a photo of the whole front isn't possible or desirable. Think about shooting just the front walk and door, or a great detail like a porch entry.

12. Be aware of how much ceiling is showing. Most people have a tendency to aim straight (fairly level) and shoot. Before you press the shutter look at how much of the ceiling is in the picture. You want some, to show the height of the room, but you don't want the top 20% or more of the photo to be an expanse of white. The exception is (as in the picture to the right) when there is a feature or detailing of the ceiling that you want to highlight. Even then, make sure to get enough of the floor and room so that the viewpoint doesn't look odd.

Amy Hunter Hearth & Home Videos serving the MetroWest MA area

email: hnhvideos@verizon.net

Even though you will not be filming and editing the Video Virtual Tour of your new listing there are factors that you should be thinking about. The primary one is picking a videographer. Hopefully the list below will be helpful in knowing what to look for and ask about to make your selection. Once you've selected the videographer and are about to meet them to make the tour, some preparation and forethought can make the process go smoothly and productively for both of you.

1. The "2 minute rule". Here's a reality: people do not have long attention spans. I have found that people will watch about 2 to 2 ½ minutes and unless it is a spectacular property they will then close the video. A 3 to 3 ½ minute video should only be for a very large house of 11 rooms or more (plus foyer, master bath, etc). If a mansion style house of 11 + rooms has a beautifully landscaped back yard with a pool and cabana you might want to ask your videographer if they can put at least one shot of them early in the video rather than not showing any of it the end (the back yard often ends the virtual tour). Ask your videographer about how long their video tours typically are.

2. Related to the 2 minute rule is the need to PRIORITIZE. If you have a typical house of 8 rooms or less this is not as important, but if you have a large house or a new build do be aware of your priorities. I know that you and your seller think every room in their mansion is gorgeous and to-die-for, but if a house is huge think about which rooms are going to be the ones that make a buyer have to see this home. Filming about 9 rooms along with a foyer and master bath works well. Remember that a buyer looking at the video tour has also seen the photos - think of the video tour as highlights rather than a documenting that every room really exists.

3. Empty houses. Empty houses and new builds present unique challenges. Work with your videographer on which rooms you want to include, and what not to. Rooms with lots of built in features or architectural details will work well - for example, kitchens, living room/family rooms with fireplaces, built in shelves or dramatic ceilings/ windows do well. A plain dining room with no chandelier in it yet will not look appealing. In either an unoccupied house or new build, seriously consider only showing the master bedroom and skipping the others unless they have some dramatic feature. Looking at a bare basic bedroom (especially 3 of them) gets boring. If something is not a plus, it's a negative. Show only rooms that will entice a buyer to want to see the house in person.

4. Ask your videographer about how much time shooting the video will take. My videos usually take about 45 minutes for a standard 7-8 room house which includes the exteriors. The time may vary depending on the videographer and the size of the house, but you should know what to expect.

5. Have the property "film-ready." The house should be ready for filming when the videographer gets there. It is helpful if you check ahead of time to make sure that the time of filming does not coincide with the housecleaning or landscaping staff's regular time. Although it seems obvious, your videographer will be very happy to arrive and not find: roofers, chimney sweeps, carpenters, painters, plumbers, or rug steamer-cleaners. (And yes, I have encountered all of these....) It is not possible to "film around" a plumber working on the kitchen sink or a chimney sweep's equipment spread out across the living room floor. Other things to keep in mind are discussed on the FAQ page of my web site.

6. Is it worth it to pay more for narration in a video tour? Okay, I'm going to shoot myself in the foot here.... The truth is that the great majority of people viewing your video tour have the sound turned way down or off. Many are at work, and many people just always have the volume off. A pleasant music soundtrack is a must for a video tour, but I'm not sure how much the watching audience cares what the narrator is saying even if they do hear it. The viewer has read a description of the house and property and is watching to see the details and flow of the interior.

7. Ask your videographer if they can do a partial reshoot and re-edit at a later time. This is sometimes done if a major remodel of a room is done, or to replace the exterior shots to match a different season. If they can do this, ask what the fee is.

8. "HD Format" means that the video was shot in standard 3:4 format and trimmed to a 16:9 format to mimic HD. When the new sizing is applied you lose the top and bottom of the frame to make it look wider. You have now lost much of what you want to see in real estate video tour and have negated the benefit of using a wide angle lens in order to include more in the available view. HD format is not the same as being shot in HD and converted to an HD compatible web format.

9. Be aware that anyone in the video besides you has to sign a release. The videographer must have permission to use anyone in a product used for marketing purposes. This means that I cannot try to convey how friendly the neighborhood is by showing a neighbor walking her dog in front of the house unless I get her signed release to have her in the video tour even if she's walking on a public street.

When you hire a professional videographer you are paying for their skill, experience and equipment. Of course you'll ask about their prices, but I hope that the above points have made you a more informed consumer and able to make a wise selection. In marketing your new listing, a Video Virtual Tour sets you apart.

If I can answer any other questions, feel free to contact me,

Amy Hunter, Hearth & Home Videos 978-460-2963 serving the MetroWest area of MA

or email at hnhvideos@verizon.net