Lori Liveston

I work with alot of first time home buyers and many of them are in the same boat... financial uncertainty!

The same questions start sawing away at you and, before you know it, you have talked yourself out of purchasing a home before you even get out of the gate:

Buying a home is too expensive

This is why your first move should always be to call a Realtor. A Realtor can talk to you about the housing market in the communities you are looking in and provide you with information about home values. This will help you to set reasonable expectations about housing costs. If you are in fact going to be priced out of your preferred community, your Realtor can recommend other communities that will line up with your price point as well as the other important factors in your home search such as School District, quality of life, area amenities or commute.

I don't know how much I can afford

Again, call a Realtor! We have relationships with trusted loan professionals who can work with you through the pre-approval process and tell you how much you qualify to borrow. You may be pleasantly surprised! You may also get a reality check and decide to re-evaluate your price point or expectations. Aside from pre-approval, a good lender may also give you advice to restructure some other debts and free up the amount of money you can afford to put towards housing costs on a monthly basis or into savings for a down payment.

I have limited credit history and won't qualify, I think I should wait before talking to a Realtor

Wrong! If you have limited credit history a Realtor can give you some pointers about what you can do to establish credit and help you put together a long term plan for purchasing a home. Something as simple as taking out a small loan from a local lender and repaying it ahead of schedule or applying for a credit card with a small limit and paying it off in full every month can quickly establish good credit. You don't need 10 years of credit history to qualify.

I don't think my credit score is good enough

Call a Realtor! (Are you seeing a pattern here?) There are plenty of things that you can do to improve your credit score quickly such as establishing a good payment history on your current accounts, paying down a low balance credit card, or helping you to put together a budget and putting you on the path to getting rid of debts that are weighing you down.

It is a common misconception that you shouldn't talk to a Realtor until you are ready to go look at houses. The truth is, I have plenty of clients that are several years away from purchasing a home. As I've said before, Realtors aren't just a set of keys! Talking to a Realtor about your long term goals, getting guidance and keeping in touch throughout the process is going to put you in the best possible financial shape when you are ready to move forward.

Bishops Forest - Waltham Condos/Townhouses for Sale

Looking for a luxury townhouse in Waltham, MA? The privacy of single family living combined with a professionally managed complex? Or the perfect commuter location with easy access to all major routes and public transit? Then you have found your next home in Bishops Forest in Waltham, MA!

Bishops Forest is a 269 unit Waltham townhouse development just off the intersection of Lexington Street and Lake Street in Waltham, MA. Just over a mile from I-95 and Route 2 for easy commuting, a short drive to Moody Street in Waltham to pick up the commuter rail. Bishops Forest location also offers easy access to the Mass Pike/I-90.

Whether you are commuting into the city, moving to Waltham, MA with your young family, working along the I-95 corridor or looking for a great location to enter retirement, Waltham MA has alot to offer:

Great restaurants in Waltham, MA including Biagio, Campania & The Elephant Walk. Fun night life with live music at The Skellig (sister pub to The Burren in Sommerville) or having a beer and the best burger in town at Joe Sent Me (sister pub to Joe Sent Me in Cambridge). Family fun at the Lyman Estate Greenhouses or any of the various summertime festivals including weekly bands in the park and summer fun on the Charles River. Farmers markets and the best local produce around at Pizzi Farms. Public golf courses in Lexington and Weston as well as some of the most prestigious and exclusive clubs in the country such as the Weston Golf Club and Brookline Country Club within less than 10 minutes from Bishops Forest in Waltham.

Built to last about 20 years ago, Bishops Forest offers everything you would expect from a luxury townhouse including: pool, spa (hot tub), lighted tennis courts, professional landscaping and privacy on over 70 wooded acres. Townhouses feature:

Generous multi-level floor plans from 1,800 square feet to over 3,000 square feet

Attached garage parking and additional driveway spaces

Private entrance

Vaulted ceilings

Private decks, patios or balconies

Townhouses for sale at Bishops Forest in Waltham, MA:

There are currently several townhouses for sale in Bishops Forest in Waltham, MA ranging from three bedroom 2200 square foot layouts in the high $400s to sprawling 3100 square foot end units in the high $500s.

Watertown Condos for Sale - Repton Place

Located just outside of Watertown Square, Repton Place is one of Watertown's most desirable condominium developements. Repton Place's location is convenient to downtown Boston and Cambridge. Close proximity to I-90 and Route 128 is perfect for commuters to all locations in the MetroWest area.

Amenities for Repton Place include:

over 70 local restaurants;

grocery stores, including excellent produce from Russo's and a new Stop and Shop across the street;

two gyms (Work Out World is in walking distance);

garage parking;

quick access to public transit; and

excercise room and common area lounge included in Phase II construction.

Built in 2006, Repton Place brings downtown Boston's luxury condo market to the suburbs. All common areas at Repton Place were designed by renowned interior designer Dennis Duffy. Dennis Duffy also designed Manny Ramirez's penthouse at the Ritz Carlton, making him the best of the best in Boston luxury homes.

Condos at Repton Place are luxuriously appointed with wood floors, energy efficient windows, in unit washer and dryer hookups and state of the art kitchens including granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and wood cabinets. All condos include seperate heating and cooling systems. For some private outdoor space, many condos at Repton Place feature balconies.

Repton Place is now FHA approved with financing options for as little as 3.5% down! Prices at Repton Place range from the $230s for well appointed studios to spacious three bedroom layouts starting in the low $400s.

There are units available in Repton Place including new construction and resales in all layouts (Studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units).

Please contact me (lori.liveston@virtualhomes.com) if you would like more information about Watertown condos for sale in Repton Place.

The Waltham MA Condos activity for homes sold in Waltham, MA shows that there were 13 condos sold in Waltham MA during the month of September 2010 with an average sales price of $284,154 and an average days on the market (DOM) of 79.

Average condo sale prices have dipped significantly over the summer months - down over $40,000 since June. I attribute this to the expiration of the first time home buyer tax credit. The condo market has always been a great entry point for first time home buyers and with the incentive of a tax credit, many first time buyers sped up their purchasing timeline and jumped into the market this spring. DOM is up from the same period last year, however it is still down 40 days from September of 2008.

MA Real Estate - Community, relocation and school information with town demographics.

MA Foreclosures - Obtain a list of foreclosed and bank owned real estate and short sales

MA MLS - View all listings in the statewide MLS.

MA Homes for Sale - Map Search - Search by location, neighborhood and commuting.

Waltham MA Condos for Sale - Map based search

Virtual Homes Real Estate provides search tools to assist you in learning about the community, listing and market conditions. Click on the following links for your choice of services.

Visit MA Homes for sale for direct MLS access to all listings. To obtain school, demographic, commuting, relocation, home buying and selling information, go to Massachusetts real estate. For information regarding foreclosures, visit Massachusetts foreclosures.

This Waltham MA Condos Report is based on activity reported from the MLS PIN MA MLS system and is not guaranteed to be accurate. It does not represent all of the listings that have sold during the specified time frame.

The Waltham MA Home Market activity for homes sold in Waltham, MA shows that there were 22 homes sold in Waltham MA during the month of September 2010 with an average sales price of $396,044 and an average days on the market (DOM) of 67.

MA Real Estate - Community, relocation and school information with town demographics.

MA Foreclosures - Obtain a list of foreclosed and bank owned real estate and short sales

MA MLS - View all listings in the statewide MLS.

MA Homes for Sale - Map Search - Search by location, neighborhood and commuting.

Virtual Homes Real Estate provides search tools to assist you in learning about the community, listing and market conditions. Click on the following links for your choice of services.

Visit MA Homes for sale for direct MLS access to all listings. To obtain school, demographic, commuting, relocation, home buying and selling information, go to Massachusetts real estate. For information regarding foreclosures, visit Massachusetts foreclosures.

This Waltham MA Homes Report is based on activity reported from the MLS PIN MA MLS system and is not guaranteed to be accurate. It does not represent all of the listings that have sold during the specified time frame.