The Five College Area refers to a consortium called Five Colleges, Inc. comprised of Smith College in Northampton, MA, the University of Massachusetts, Amherst College and Hampshire College in Amherst, MA and Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley. 

 It is often thought of as a geographical area for real estate purposes, and each of the institutions are major employers in Western Mass.  The Five College Area is also located in The Pioneer Valley, which follows the Connecticut River from its southern border into Connecticut and its Vermont border to the north.

The Knowledge Corridor®, is a regional economic partnership between Hartford, CT and Springfield, MA.  The area is home to over 29 colleges and universities and extends from Hartford CT, home of Trinity College and the University of Hartford and follows Interstate 91 and the Connecticut River north, crossing into Massachusetts in Springfield.  Springfield is home to Western New England University, Springfield College (the birthplace of basketball) and American International College, among other neighboring institutions of higher learning.

It continues up into the Pioneer Valley including cities comprising the Five College Area. Northampton, home of Smith College, Amherst, which includes both Amherst College, University of Massachusetts (UMass) Hampshire College and South Hadley and Mt. Holyoke College. Northampton and Amherst in the north, and Middletown, Connecticut in the south.

The Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts provides a great deal of information about this important area and the partnership which ties both Hartford, Connecticut and the Springfield, Massachusetts area together in regional development.  More information about the Knowledge Corridor and its impact on living in Western Mass may be found here.

In Massachusetts, real estate agents have been prohibited from recommending home inspectors to buyers due to a potential conflict of interest that may result.  Only a buyer's agent is allowed to provide this information.  Be very suspicious if an agent hands you a list of "local inspectors" or gives you the name of a "really good home inspector" to "help" you.  Remember, the agent's commission depends on a successful sale and agents don't want a "deal breaker" inspector to mess things up.  You can find a link on our website in order to locate a complete list of Massachusetts Home inspectors. 

Properties advertised on our website are active status until the end of the advertising period (3, 6, or 12 months maximum) until the seller changes the status to any one of the following:

1. Available
   
2. Pending
3. Pending, taking backup offers
   
4. In contract  (kind of like pending)
5. Sold
6. Inactive 

Massachusetts 4 Sale By Owner is primarily a for sale by owner service. Generally, agents use the MLS to advertise their properties, however there are occasions where licensed agents are able to advertise with us. 

1. Agents who are selling their own homes, condos, land, etc. are allowed to sell "by owner" like anyone else and we are happy to help expose their listings.  They do have to disclose that they are a licensed real estate agent in any advertising they do. 
   
2. Builders and property developers often hold a real estate license yet choose to sell their properties "by owner/builder". 
   
3. Property managers, both residential and commercial, may also be licensed real estate agents who manage properties for individuals or companies.  We do allow property managers to list available rentals with us as a courtesy to those looking for rental property even though they are not the actual owners of the property. 

There are no real bank appraisers, as banks and mortgage companies use the services of independent, licensed residential real estate appraisers to assess risks involved prior to lending money for a mortgage.  An appraiser is required by license to use a specific set of credits and debits, perform a physical measurement of the property, determine a set value of the property on a given day based upon comparable listings and property information supplied by the homeowner and public information and apply the findings to a report that must be defendable.  A homeowner can expect to pay between $250 - $350. for a residential appraisal in many areas of Massachusetts. 

A real estate agent is not an appraiser in most cases and provides a Comparable Market Analysis (CMA) as a sales tool and are FREE. The results are highly dependent on the agent's prior knowledge, education, due diligence and desire to obtain a listing, however and can vary greatly in the results.  Lenders never use an agent's CMA to grant a mortgage. They hire an independent appraiser to analyse the risk. 

There are online valuation services that marketing themselves using phrases such as "what's your property worth?" or "what's my home's value?" and sometimes even calling themselves online appraisal services.  Sellers can expect to pay $35. or more to receive a property report which contains comparable property sales based upon an Automated Valuation System.  The northeastern part of the US is a particularly difficult area to obtain accurate AVM information.  The historical nature of many of our homes, coupled with neighborhoods that combine a number of housing options (one or two family homes, etc.) or rural properties with varying acreage, unusual design or "value added" views, etc. are very difficult to use reliably.   

Our most successful sellers have utilized the services of a licensed Massachusetts Residential Appraiser whose professional report has helped them avoid needless days on the market by falling victim to overpricing.

No, you do not need to be pre-approved for a mortgage prior to inquiring about any property listed on our website.  It is a good idea to understand what price range you should be looking at and the best way to do that is to have a conversation with a reputable mortgage lender before you hit the pavement. The lender should be able to spend adequate time with you, answering your questions and helping you to gather information to assist you with your home purchase.  If not, call another lender.  There are some websites that prohibit you from contacting sellers before you are pre-qualified for a mortgage, however, their motives are to supply mortgage leads to their advertisers and not protect seller interests.  Most sellers would love to hear from you, even if you have not been pre-approved as they understand that not everyone thinks they are in the home buying marketplace until they see something that really interests them.  Just remember, a seller will view your interest differently as a pre-approved (or at least pre-qualified) buyer rather than merely as a "looker".  Accompany your offer with a letter of pre-approval and grant the seller access to your mortgage representative if possible.

Generally, think of pre-qualifying for a mortgage as a preliminary step only - one which can be done over the phone or on the Internet without any real proof of your circumstances or verification of income or debt.  A mortgage lender is more than happy to give you a pre-qualification as guideline to help you determine what price range is realistic. To be pre-approved for a mortgage, however, takes a few days and requires that your credit history is pulled, you submit current W-2s and bank statement, that everything is verified and used to determine credit worthiness. 

The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) is the governing agency that administers and enforces federal laws and establishes policies that make sure all Americans have equal access to the housing of their choice. In Massachusetts, we also have laws pertaining to unlawful discrimination as found in M.G.L. c. 112, § 87DDD and 254 C.M.R. § 2.01 et seq.  Before you become a landlord you need to understand how these laws will pertain to you. 

There are many landlord associations throughout Massachusetts that could be valuable to you.  Contact a good attorney who is well versed in real estate law pertaining to landlord tenants issues.

Here is a link that may also be helpful.

Landlord Rights and Responsibilities (Mass.gov)

There are several things to consider before hiring anyone to perform work on your home.  In Massachusetts, all home builders, general contractors, home improvement and remodelers as well as those who install siding and windows MUST be licensed. Any contractor providing home improvements must be registered as a Home Improvement Contractor ("HIC").

You can check any provider by license number, name or city.  You can also see if any complaints have been filed against the contractor.

Check a License

Be sure to check with your local National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) regional office in Massachusetts for more information on how to select a good contractor.

Here is a link that may help.

Massachusetts Law About Tenants' Security Deposits

Before you rent an apartment or other dwelling in Massachusetts, it's important to know what is expected of you as a renter and what responsibilities are required of your potential landlord.  Never sign anything you don't understand. 

Here is a link that will help guide you through the process.

Finding An Apartment:  Tenant Rights and Responsibilities

Lead is a toxic metal that was used for many years in paint and other products found in and around our homes. Lead also can be emitted into the air from industrial sources and leaded aviation gasoline, and lead can enter drinking water from plumbing materials. Lead may cause a range of health effects, from behavioral problems and learning disabilities, to seizures and death. Children six years old and under are most at risk. The Federal EPA maintains offices in all US locations to assist residents.  Here is the current contact information as of 08/2011. 

REGION 1
States: CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT
Regional Contact: James Bryson
bryson.jamesm@epa.gov
U.S. EPA Region 1
One Congress St.
Suite 1100 (CPT)
Boston, MA 02114-0203
(617) 918-1524

For more information, link here:

Summer is a time for vacations and for Massachusetts families this means it's time to hit the beaches of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.  If the beach is not your thing, try heading to the Berkshires and visit Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillow, tour Stockbridge, relax and enjoy the cool mountain breezes.  The Pioneer Valley of Western Mass offers great vacation fun -- from Six Flags New England in Agawam, to Yankee Candle in South Deerfield, hiking on the Mohawk Trail or visiting countless museums throughout the area.  Central Mass is home to many campgrounds and historical museums and offers opportunities for hiking, biking, lakeside swimming and much more.

This is a legal question. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries is an excellent source of general and case law information.  You can link to various reasons for eviction here:

Massachusetts Law About Eviction

Absolutely.  In fact, we encourage you to be pro-active in getting the word out to buyers in a number of ways.  Remember, we are more than just an Internet listing website. We are a marketing service experienced in FSBO sales and specializing in the Massachusetts real estate environment. We help you get the most out of both local advertising options and Internet resources.  We work with you to maximize your marketing efforts, beginning with the sign in your front yard to recommendations for a closing attorney! 

While we encourage our home sellers to open their homes to buyers and their agents, we understand that it can be very annoying to have a real estate agent call just to try to get you to change your mind about selling "by owner".  In fact, the National Association of Realtors tried very hard to fight the Do Not Call regulations that prevent unwanted phone solicitation. They thought that anyone selling by owner was actually crying out for help!

If listing agents are calling you repeatedly and you have politely asked them to refrain, tell them that you will report them to the Do Not Call Registry. A fine may be up to $5,000 for each violation.

If you are not on the Do Not Call List, consider registering today. It's FREE.

The Massachusetts Do Not Call List

The MA Do Not Call List shares data with the National registry, so it is unnecessary to re-register with the National Do Not Call List.

You don't have to be a salesman in order to sell your own home.  In fact, buyers really don't want to talk to a "salesman" at all. They do want to talk with someone knowledgeable about the property -- and who better to do that than YOU, the owner!  In the many years we have been helping Massachusetts consumers sell their own homes, we have been told over and over that both sellers and buyers enjoyed the interaction with each other. Without delays going back and forth between multiple parties, questions are able to be answered efficiently with less likelihood of errors or miscommunication.     

When you sell by owner you have an option to advertise your home on the MLS using a flat-fee or entry-only MLS listing service, like the one we offer our home sellers.  Although you may be tempted to help your friend by signing this kind of a contract, you may actually hurt your efforts to sell successfully by owner.

When you advertise your home on the MLS it appears on many public websites like Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow, Yahoo Real Estate, etc.  Buyers who view your listing may want to learn more about the property and call the listing agent.  There is no way for buyers to know what kind of a contract you signed when they call the agent, however.  Calls received by an agency may be treated like any other call from a buyer where you would receive a call from the agency saying they have a buyer who is interested in seeing the property.  You will have no way of knowing whether that buyer saw your listing on a public site which prompted them to call. 

It is for this reason that we caution you about using this type of agreement with a full-commission real estate agent.  When you use a stand-alone MLS flat fee listing service, you are assured that the agent on the other end of the phone or contact form will have no hidden agenda and the buyer will be referred to you without fear of being hijacked.