Michele Miller ~ Executive Assistant, REALTOR®

For many years now, my husband and I have set aside Friday nights for our "Date Night" and usually go out for a nice dinner to celebrate the end of our work weeks. One of our favorite stops to start our Friday evening have been to The Wine Vine on 142-B Highland Street. Owners, Sang and Camile Chhoeuk couldn't be more welcoming. They have owned the business for 4 years. On Fridays nights, they have free wine tasting from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and offer many new wines for our tastebuds.

They also offer many varieties of cheeses, some locally made in Sterling as well as locally made Organic Coffee, Imported Beers, fresh bread (their own specialty) as well as Godiva, Tealux and Stonewall Kitchen products.

If you are looking for a certain bottle of wine for a special occasion, this is it. Their store hours at Mondays-Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., extended hours during the holidays. Call (508) 797-WINE (9463) or for more information, you can email them at info@WineVine.org or visit their website at www.winevine.org.

Stay tuned for more "What's in Worcester?" places or visit my website at www.homesweeterhome.net or my Worcester County Real Estate blog at www.telegram.com/blogs.

Now that the homeowners' tax credit has expired, you may be wondering, "Has the real estate market crashed?". Quite the contrary. Sales are continuing to rise on bank-owned properties as investors are scooping them up quickly. Especially multi-families, in hopes that the market will come back and values will be UP. This may take a few years but Worcester is looking bright. With revitilization happening just about everywhere I go lately, Worcester's growth looks promising. City Manager, Michael O'Brien's idea launched the BUY WORCESTER NOW program in July, 2008. This program has helped many renters decide to purchase their first home along with receiving many buyers' incentives from local businesses. Interest rates have also been at their lowest in years and this has kept the market going. I am hoping that it continues.

I won't be having an open house this Sunday because of Father's Day, but last Sunday, I held one in Charlton. The weather was alittle dreary and usually buyers do not like venturing out when there is a threat of rain, but some proved me wrong. I guess if you are looking to buy a home, you are looking in any type of weather!

Open houses are very important for buyers as they are for the sellers, because buyers can preview several homes in one afternoon and compare properties in the area. It also helps buyers understand exactly what they are looking for in a home and see what their money can buy at a certain price.

One thing I suggest to buyers is to put together a checklist of what they are looking for in a home and as they go from one home to another, check off what they like about the house and what their dislikes are. Also it helps to grade the house on a scale from 1 to 10 and discuss the features of each home they visit.

The more open houses buyers visit, the closer they are to knowing what they want in a home.

Well, the Senate did vote on Wednesday (June 16th) to extend the tax credit but it's not really what many homebuyers were looking for. With a vote of 60-37, the Senate accepted an amendment to extend the credit, but only to homebuyers who currently have contracts to purchase a home and had signed an agreement before April 30th. This in no way extends the credit for new homebuyers now to purchase a home and for me, it's a huge disappointment. This extension is more for the backlog of loans that have to be processed and gives them until September 30th to close on their contracts. Let's hope the tax credit idea comes along again as it created a spurt in the real estate market.

At 5:00 a.m., when many of us are still under the sheets, Anthony Paravano is already up and heading to work. Owned and operated for the past 40 years, "Anthony's Distinctive Family Hair Care" originated in downtown Worcester in the old Shawmut Glass Tower. Eighteen years later, Anthony moved his business to 324 Grove Street, closer to the Park Ave. and Goldstar Blvd. area.

If you are lucky enough to be one of his customers, Anthony is always in a good mood and ready to talk about the stock market or current events. Another hairstylist, Chantelle St. Onge has been an employee of Anthony's for over 15 years. She offers full services to both women and children, so it's truly a full service family salon.

Anthony's offers walk-in service as well and is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 5:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 5:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Call (508) 752-5510.

Stay tuned for more "What's in Worcester?" places or visit my website at www.homesweeterhome.net or my Worcester County Real Estate blog at www.telegram.com/blogs.